Giovanni & Kim
December 10th
“Are you listening to me?”
Kim rolled her eyes upward at her husband’s question. “Of course I’m listening to you, Giovanni.”
“Really, because I asked you the same question three times. You didn’t answer.”
Under her breath, Kim cursed at having been caught. Across the room, her six-year-old son, Andino, watched the National Geographic Channel.
“Bad word,” Andino said.
He didn’t even turn around.
Little tattletale.
“Sorry, Gio,” Kim grumbled.
“You’re a little distracted.”
Yep.
Not news.
“What was the question?”
“Did you pick up the stuff from the post office—Andino’s gifts we ordered online?”
“Yes,” Kim said. “I managed to do that.”
“Is it the party stuff?”
“Pardon?”
“The party, Tesoro. Ma’s party. Is that what’s got you in a whole different world today, or what?”
“Basically,” Kim admitted. “I have to handle the decorations. Jordyn’s got guests, invitations, and all that junk. Catrina took over the catering, minus the stuff we decided to cook ourselves. But the decorating—”
“It’s a lot,” Gio interjected.
Kim nodded to herself.
A whole lot.
She had several rooms within the Marcello mansion to decorate. They were not small rooms, either. Adding onto that little issue, Cecelia had ways she did things. Kim’s mother-in-law preferred for everything to be as real as possible.
So sure, while they had decorations to use, a lot was going to need to be purchased, made, or brought in. It was not a simple task.
And Kim had …
Oh, ten fucking days to get it done!
“Bad word,” Andino said again, still not turning away from the television.
“Did I say all that out loud?” Kim asked.
Gio’s chuckles echoed through the phone. “Yeah, you did.”
“Great.”
Kim massaged at her temples, and willed the oncoming headache away. She knew it wouldn’t do her any good. The damn thing was going to be her constant companion and unwanted best friend until she figured all this shit out.
“Kim, you’re freaking out over nothing,” Gio assured.
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, really.”
“Okay, so you get your ass home and come handle these tasks for me, Gio.”
“Can’t.”
“Because you don’t want to,” she grumbled.
“No, because I don’t have time, Tesoro.”
Kim checked her attitude. She knew that her husband was telling the truth. And besides, if Gio could help her, he would. He was great that way. Unfortunately, Gio had a whole bunch of his own shit he needed to handle.
A brother in lockup. Another brother—also his boss—that just seemed to be having a bad month. Business for his famiglia and as Dante’s consigliere. Christmas for them, and making sure his parents had a good holiday, too.
Their son …
Speaking of Andino.
“I want the whales, Ma,” Andino said, finally looking over his shoulder at her. “See, those kinds, Ma. I want them for Christmas.”
Kim eyed the damn documentary playing on the television. Unsurprisingly, killer whales slipped through the water alongside a large boat that was filming them. It was Andino’s new thing—killer whales, that was. At some point, he had watched or read something at school, came home, and was obsessed.
“Can I put it on my list, Ma?” Andino asked.
Kim pursed her lips, unsure how to explain to their child that, no, a whale could not be brought into their house. Andino wasn’t going to take no for an answer. He was too smart for his own good, and would ask a million and one questions that would absolutely make sense, but still left Kim telling him no.
“Well, we’ll think about it,” Kim told him.
Andino scowled, but went back to the program.
“What’s that?” Gio asked.
“He’s going on about the whales again.”
“Ah.”
“He’s going to be so disappointed when he doesn’t get a fucking whale for Christmas,” she said too low for their son to hear.
Gio sighed. “I’m looking for something to satisfy him.”
Sure, but nothing short of a goddamn whale—a real, live killer whale—was going to satisfy Andino’s wants. This obsession of their son’s had been ongoing for four months now. The longest of any of his obsessions. Once, it was trains. Then, matchbox cars. Real cars. Some crazy cartoon show Kim hated. Shoes.
Now, whales.
At least, she thought, Andino was an easy child.
She loved him for that.
He had always been her easy, happy boy.
“How is the judge and Lucian thing going?” Kim asked.
Gio had been working for a good month to try and get his brother released early from jail for Christmas. So far, they had been getting nowhere. Gio hadn’t even talked about what he was doing because he didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up.
Kim knew, though.
She didn’t mind keeping the secret.
“Still hitting a wall,” Gio said heavily.
“Sorry, Gio.”
“It’s all right. But hey, Dad’s got a friend … we might be able to work something there.”
“Oh?”
“No promises,” Gio said.
Kim smiled.
Gio would get it done.
He always did.
“And on this whole decoration thing …”
“What about it?” Kim asked.
“In Queens, there’s a tree farm that comes in every year to do the whole … live trees, garland, wreaths and whatnot.”
“Okay.”
“Give them a call. They’ll deliver whatever you want as far as real stuff. Also, we should get a tree for the house.”
Kim eyed the bare corner where their Christmas tree always sat in the large living room. “It is looking kind of lonely in the corner.”
“You gotta put Andino’s gifts somewhere, right?”
“Cute, smartass.”
“Call them, Tesoro. Almost half of your decorating issues will be done, and Ma will be satisfied because it’ll be real.”
God, she loved her husband.
“Thanks,” she said.
Kim swore she could feel Gio’s smile when he said, “It’s what I do, babe.”
Mmhmm.
He did a whole hell of a lot, really. No one ever really pointed it out, or thanked Gio properly, but her husband stepped up when it came to his family. He took care of everybody, without question. He got shit done for them.
“I wonder if I could hire someone to decorate the rest,” Kim said.
Gio laughed darkly. “Kim, don’t get too many bright ideas like that. You know how Ma is; you have to do the majority on your own.”
“Burst my bubble why don’t you.”
“I’m not Willy Wonka.”
Kim snorted. “And you don’t sugarcoat shit.”
“Nope.”
“Bad word,” Andino said again from his spot in front of the television.
Kim shook her head. “Okay, Gio, you really need to have a talk with that kid about being a tattletale.”
“Put it on the list, Kim. Put it on the list.”
Their lists just kept growing …