Honor Thy Mother & Thy Father

Chapter 9

Note: This is a work of FICTION! Although the areas this story takes place in are real; all of the landscapes depicted, the people described, and everything else this story uses to make it enjoyable reading for you are NOT REAL. As you read this story, try to remember:

THIS IS A NOVEL!

31. Patricia and Stephano Get Married.

After speaking to Stephano on the phone, Victoria Valentino was very happy she was going to be at her son's wedding. This was a miracle, since she never thought she would see him alive, again. The gruesome pictures, the terrible emails, the arguments she heard her husband having with William, all led her to believe that her son would never survive his imprisonment. William turned out to be more of a man, then her husband. He told her husband, he could not hurt an innocent human being. That was exactly what her son was: an innocent. So was Laura Garrett and Bruno had killed her and forty students for no reason at all. She loved her husband. She did not love the things he did, but she did love her husband. She refused to live the lifestyle his money could have afforded her. She lived a quiet life. She did not wear jewelry. She did not go on expensive vacations. She would not let him buy her a mansion. They lived in the same brownstone building in Manhattan, for all their married life. It was moderately expensive when they bought it, but it was not in a trendy neighborhood. She walked to most of the stores where she shopped, except the grocery store, and there would be too many packages to carry home from there, anyhow.

This was the first time she was on an aircraft in eight years. The agent told her to buckle her seatbelt, and to look out the window while they descend. He said, "The Mountains here are red. They are spectacular to look at from the air, and on the ground. There is nothing else like them, anyplace on earth."

She enjoyed viewing the mountains, but she loved the view standing at the bottom of the stairway of the aircraft. Stephano was waiting for her on the tarmac. He took her in his arms, to prove to her, he was alive.

"Momma, I cannot breathe. If you don't let go of my chest, you are going to kill me."

"I have not seen you in over five months, and you refuse your mother a hug; you should be ashamed of yourself."

"I could survive a mother's hug; I am not sure about a hug from a mother grizzly bear."

Victoria smacked him playfully, again.

As they parked in front of the villa, Patricia, Jemma and William came out to meet them.

"Victoria Valentino, I would like to introduce you to William Zabo; and his wife Jemma Zabo.

Victoria responded, "Hello William, it has been a very long time."

William kissed her on both cheeks and said, "This time, Victoria, it is on a happier occasion. I would like to introduce you to my bride, Jemma."

"William, she is a head taller than you are. What do you do when you want to kiss her, get a ladder?"

"There are ways Victoria, and I am not that old yet that I cannot learn new tricks."

"You were always monogamous, when I knew you; did that change in all these years?"

"No, Victoria, I stayed true to the woman I loved; that never changed. The only reason I am back here is because your husband killed her, tried to kill my daughter, and killed many other innocent people."

"Yes, I know about all those horrible things William. He confessed those crimes to me and to the government. He will pay dearly for them. I am not here for that, because I had nothing to do with it. I am here for my son's wedding, and then I am going to return to New York to live out my life."

"Mother, why aren't you going to stay with me?"

"Both of you are going to have to hide for years, until the trials. You cannot drag an old woman around with you. I need my creature comforts. I need my home, my doctors, and my friends. If you need to move in a hurry, you do not need me to slow you down. Your father wanted me to ask you about money and my access to it, before the federal government impounds it all."

"Do not worry about that mother; I will take care of that tonight. I will move it from all of dad's legal businesses, because those will be the hardest for the government to find."

William told Stephano to transfer the money to his accounts, and he would take care of transferring the money to his mother. By the time the government tried to figure out where the money was three presidents would have come and gone, and they would still be looking for it.

Patricia nudged Stephano, with her elbow, and asked if anybody was going to introduce her to his mother.

Flippantly, Stephano said, "Oh yes, mom, this is my Patricia."

Patricia balled up her fist, and was getting ready to hit him, when her father yelled, "Patricia!"

"Papa, he earned this one."

"I agree, but there is a better way to handle that arrogance then hitting him. Your wedding night is coming, and he may not be."

Patricia looked at her father, smiled and said, "Papa, you are a genius."

Stephano was downtrodden. "Dad, that was mean. I have waited so long for that night, and you may have taken away from me."

Victoria asked her son, "Think for a minute Stephano, who took that night away from you? Was it you and your big mouth and arrogant attitude toward your future wife? Or was it your future father-in-law reminding his daughter not to use physical violence upon her spouse? One day you will learn to keep that big mouth of yours under control, before you put your foot into it. A day could turn into a week, a week into a month. The next time you speak to your father, ask him."

"Mom, not you, you would never do that to dad, would you?"

Victoria put a smile on her face and said, "Your father ruled everything outside the bedroom, when that door closed, I ruled."

Stephano turned and looked at Patricia. She had the biggest smile on her face he had ever seen. He asked her what she was smiling about.

She replied, "I don't have to go to Toys "R" Us or, Gymboree to buy a gun. Your mother just told me how to kill you."

"This is not fair. I am not even married yet, and my life is ruined. If I am not going to get laid, I may as well call off the wedding."

Patricia asked, "Are you withdrawing your proposal? If you are that releases me from all my pledges to you. I am free to lose my virginity to whomever I want, at whatever time I wish. It also releases you from any pledges you gave me, as far as seeing other women, and your celibacy. You can return to Philadelphia, and find out if you did father those two children."

Victoria yelled, "What children did you father?"

Stephano blew his top. "For the last time, Patricia, I did not get any women pregnant, while I was in school. I had sex with many women, but I always used protection. None of them came back to me and told me they were pregnant. I never paid for any of them to have an abortion. I do not want you to ever mention that to me again."

"Well, how about the rest of it? Are you releasing me from my vows, because you're not going to get laid? If that's all I'm going to be to you is a vessel for your prick, I don't want you."

"You know better than that Patricia. I have walked through fire for you. I gave you up to keep you safe. You came back to me, because you love me. I will release you from your obligations, if you want out of this marriage. Better still, I release you from all your promises to me, and I forfeit all my promises to you. I will be in the sanctuary tomorrow at 10 AM. If you want to be married to me, for the rest of your life, or until I kill you, be there. If you do not, I will understand. I will disappear, as I am supposed to do, and I will be out of your life forever. William, will you take my mother and me to a hotel, please. I will not be staying here tonight."

Stephano packed a suitcase and was ready to leave in less than five minutes. While they were driving down the winding road out of the development, Victoria said to her son, "Are you out of your mind? How dare you talk to that girl the way you did. If it were me, you would not see me, ever again."

"Dad, I need your word that you will not say anything to Patricia about what I am going to tell my mother now."

"Anything you say in this car will stay in this car Stephano. I will not say a word to Patricia, or Jemma ever."

"Thank you, it is very important that Patricia not know what I am about to say."

"Mom, Patricia does this all the time. She comes on very strong and challenges me right up to a point. At that point, I challenge her, and her mind and her heart conflict. At that point she freezes and until she gets pushed to use one side or the other, she stays frozen. She'll do it herself tomorrow. She'll look at the clock and she will decide. Logically, she will know that she is in love with me, and wants to be with me. Her heart will tell her the same thing. Once she realizes it, she will run to the church and we will get married. It will just take her some time to figure it all out by herself. It is her only weakness. She is the smartest person I have ever met. Love is the only thing that confuses her. I believe it is because of her mother's love for William. I don't believe she ever understood how a woman could love a man she could never marry. Laura would never marry another man, because her heart was in Italy, with William. Love that deep frightens her, and that is how deeply she loves me."

Victoria looked in the rearview mirror and saw tears flowing down William's eyes. She reached into her pocket book and pulled out a hanky, reached over his shoulder, and handed it to him.

He nodded his head, and thanked her.

"Son, you may be right about what Patricia goes through during these periods. However, I have a feeling you overplayed your hand. First, you treated her like an afterthought when you introduced her to me. It was inexcusable. If she is the love of your life, she is supposed to be treated that way at all times, not when it's convenient for you. You should go back there right now, on your hands and knees and beg for forgiveness; or tomorrow at 10 o'clock you and I are going to be the only ones there."

Stephano replied, "Believe me mom, she will be there."

"If you are that sure Stephano, you have to take me shopping for clothes."

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"Jemma, if I had a gun, I would have shot his dick off."

"It would take a lot of fun out of your marriage, Patricia. I think what you actually need with Stephano, is a stapler. You have to teach him how to control his mouth more than his dick. You have been doing a great job with his dick, so far, but his mouth is out of control. Your father never talks to me that way."

"Do you think it comes with age Jemma, or do you think it comes from what he saw while he was growing up?"

"Your father was already a man when he was involved with those people, so he was not as impressionable. Stephano was a young boy, and a lot of it may have rubbed off on him. However, he did have the best possible education. That should have smooth off all his rough edges. You have to remember, I was brought up in a rough section of Boston. My father was a mason, and bricklayers are a tough bunch of men. I was around them every summer, bringing bricks up scaffolds to my father, earning money for clothes, and other things that I wanted for myself. I did not use their rough language, but I did have that heavy accent, until your dad sent me to the school, in Virginia. I am not going to hazard a guess as to what you should do tomorrow. I know you love him, however, are you willing to be treated that way for the rest of your life. It is a really tough choice?"

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Stephano felt like a pack animal, when he returned to the hotel. He was carrying all his mother's purchases from three hours of shopping. All he heard during every moment of those long hours was, "Stephano, don't be an ass, call the girl and apologize. She is not going to be there, unless you do."

He was so pleased they did not get adjoining rooms. That is all he would have needed. His mother would be banging on his door all night, ordering him to call Patricia. He knew she was going to acquiesce. There was no doubt in his mind. At 11 PM, he called the switchboard, told them no more calls for the evening, and asked for a wake-up call at 7 AM'

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William returned to the Villa after dropping the Valentino's off at the hotel. True to his word, he did not mention anything about their conversation. He asked the girls if they would like to go out to dinner. Jemma said yes, but Patricia said she would rather stay at home, and think.

Patricia opened her computer. She made a list of the pros and cons for a marriage with Stephano. One glaring problem came back at her each time. Stephano was treating her in public as an old-fashioned Italian woman. She was to be seen, but not heard. She was to be the mother of his children, but not a partner in his life. As Mrs. Valentino said, "Bruno ruled everything outside the bedroom." She could not live that way. She would not live that way. If Stephano wanted her in his life, they would have to be equal partners. If he was going to treat her any other way, their marriage was not going to work. She wrote him a letter telling him exactly that. She would leave it for him to find in her bedroom. After she left in the morning, her next question was, 'where would she go?'

She remembered talking to Susan Robbins on the aircraft on their way to Whiteman Air Force Base. She had a ranch somewhere near Cottonwood. She looked her address up on her computer, and her phone number was listed. Susan would remember her, but would she be willing to let her stay with her for a while, until she got her act together.

She opened her Skype account and called her.

"Hello Susan, this is Patricia Parent. We took an airplane trip to an Air Force Base, a short time ago. Do you remember me?"

"Of course, Patricia, how are you, where are you?"

"I am calling because I am confused. I am in Sedona, and I am supposed to get married, in the morning. I have decided to call it off, because my fiancé is beginning to act like an idiot. I was wondering if you could put me up for a while, until I can decide what I want to do with myself, and my life. The reason I am calling you is I can't get to an airport faster than my fiancé can. I don't have a car, and that is the first place he will look for me, anyway. I can take a cab to Cottonwood, and meet you there, if you are willing to take me in."

"Where are you staying, Patricia, and what time did you want to leave."

"I have to sneak out of my dad's place, so it would have to be early in the morning, between 6 and 7 AM."

"Give me your address, and a landmark. A Cottonwood police car will pick you up at 6 AM."

"Thank you, Susan, I can pay for everything. I have plenty of money, so you will not have to lay out anything for me."

"Patricia, money is the least of my problems. When you get here, we will get your head straightened out. I'll put you on one of my horses and let you go riding. You will love it. I will see you tomorrow."

Patricia packed her suitcases, and put them in the coat closet, by the front door. She felt like the weight of the world was taken off her shoulders, now that she had made her decision. She placed the letter on her desk and set her alarm. She went into the kitchen and made herself dinner, and waited for her father and Jemma to come home.

5 o'clock the following morning, the alarm rang, and Patricia turned it off quickly. She washed, brushed, dressed, and packed up the remaining items into her backpack. At 5:45 AM, she went to the front closet, and put her bags by the door.

Jemma asked quietly, "Are you leaving without saying goodbye?"

"Jemma, you scared to shit out of me."

"So you decided love is not enough."

"No, it is not enough. Respect has to go with it, and I don't think he respects me. I think he wants to treat me like the little woman. I think he wants to treat me like his father treated his mother: Seen but not heard. He talks a good game, but when push comes to shove, it has to be his way, or no way at all. His mother was here for two hours, and that was all it took for me to see it. If I had never asked her to be here I would've walked into that trap, without seeing it. He has to change, because I cannot change him. No woman can change a man; he has to change himself, or it is not going to work. Would you say goodbye to my dad for me. I will be in touch with both of you."

William walked out of the bedroom and said, "A man could get a good night sleep, if you two would stop talking."

"I am sorry papa; I did not mean to wake you. I guess you heard the whole thing?"

"Yes I did, and I agree with you."

"I left him a note on my desk. If you are going to the church, you can give it to him. I would rather he come here to find it himself. He is probably so sure I will be there; he will be furious, when I am not on time."

William said, "There is a police car sitting outside. I don't think you should keep him waiting. Should we use the same site to keep in touch?"

"Yes Papa, I will talk with you soon."

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Stephano and Victoria arrived at the rectory at 9:30 AM. Father Ambrose asked where the bride was. Stephano replied that she would be here at 10 AM.

Victoria said, "Call her this minute, and beg her to come."

Stephano smiled and said, "Mom, she will be here, trust me."

At 10:10 AM, Father Ambrose stuck his head into the room and said, "I have the service that starts in five minutes, I cannot delay it. When the bride shows up, you will have to wait until I am finished."

Stephano was furious. "Mom, let's go to the car, and see what is keeping her."

When they arrived at the Villa, William opened the door and told Stephano there was a note for him, in Patricia's bedroom. William asked Victoria to step into the living room, and he was sorry for what was about to happen.

Victoria understood the meaning of William statement, and did what he asked.

Stephano read the note and came storming out of the bedroom. He shouted, "Do you know what that bitch had the nerve..."

William swung his right hand at Stephano's face as it cleared the wall, and Stephano hit the floor with a thud.

"Jemma, please get him an ice pack, he's going to need it."

Stephano lay stretched out on the floor, from the hard right to his temporal lobe. William took the letter from the floor, and handed it to Victoria. When she finished reading it, she smiled. "William, my son said she was the smartest woman he ever met. She put together my entire life in less than an hour. If that is not brilliant, I do not know what is."

Stephano started groaning a few moments later. As his eyes regained their focus, he looked at William and asked, "What was that for?"

"Where would you like me to start? Insulting my daughter in public, maliciously, jocularly, or just because you felt like it. I showed the letter to your mother. Would you like me to tell you her reply, or would you like to hear it directly from her?"

"I would like to hear my mother tell me what she thinks of Patricia's letter."

Victoria smiled. "Your former fiancé was able to dissect my life in less than an hour. I lived with your father, for forty years. Patricia knew what my life was like for all those years in that short a time. You are too much like your father to deserve a gem like her. I am happy she did not marry you. I am happy she decided to leave you at the altar. I am happy that she did not have to marry a man that would force her to live like I lived. William, would you please call the people at the FBI, so I can go home."