Page 29 of Forgetting the Enemy
Chapter 12
Michael
I’ve been telling myself all morning that I need to do this right. Running down the stairs, I head toward the dining room. I expect Zaira to be there having breakfast, but when I get there, the only two in the room are Alex and Gina.
“Hey, guys,” I say to them both.
“Hey, Mikey!” Alex says.
“Hey, Bubby,” Gina says. Gina has called me Bubby ever since she was little. I can’t remember the last time she called me Michael or Mikey. She’s my kid sister and truly the light of my life. She knows she has me wrapped around her little finger, and she knows I would walk on the moon for her. She’s sixteen and a good kid, stays out of trouble and never does anything that could harm the family in any way. Alex has been teaching her to drive, but he says she’s not ready to get her license yet. Personally, I think he’s stalling. None of us want Gina on the roads alone, and we know that as soon as she gets her license, she will be.
“Where’s Zaira?” I ask. I try not to be too obvious, but Alex can see right through me.
“Fuck. Mikey!” Alex says.
“What?” I ask defensively.
“You didn’t? Did you?” he asks.
I look at Gina and then back at Alex and roll my eyes, implying this is not a conversation we should hold in front of her. Gina totally gets the whole eye-rolling thing and says, “You guys don’t have to hide it from me. I’m not a kid anymore. I know what Alex is asking, and I think you should tell us. Did you and Zaira do it?”
Oh, fuck! I not only have to worry about keeping myself in check, now I have to worry about the two of them. “First of all, what Zaira and I do is none of your business, either of you. Secondly, Gina, this is not a conversation in which you should be having with your older brother. And thirdly, Alex, fuck you!”
“Well you don’t have to be so testy about it,” Alex replies. “And in answer to your question, Zaira came down, grabbed a plate, and said she would be eating in her room.” He thinks for a moment. “She said she was not feeling well this morning.”
Not feeling well?Suddenly, I become worried about her.Is she relapsing? Is she having complications from her head injury?Fuck! I need to check on her. Just as I’m about to leave the dining room and head straight for her bedroom, I stop myself. This is exactly what I told myself I needed to step back from. Yes, I care about her. I worry about her, but if something was really wrong, she would come find me or have someone get me, of that I’m sure. So instead, I walk to the buffet, get myself a cup of coffee and a bagel, and sit at the table with Alex and Gina.
“So has Zaira remembered anything?” Gina asks.
I shake my head. “No, not as of last night. I filled her in on some information about herself. Her name, where she lives… You know, stuff like that. I told her about Vince and Mia.” I pause and then turn toward Alex. “Speaking of which, Vince will be here at noon to see Zaira.”
“Does she know about her parents?” Alex asks.
“I told her they were deceased,” I reply flatly.
“And Victor?” he asks.
“I didn’t bring him up. She asked why she was staying here,” I say, but I don’t offer anything further.
“What did you tell her?” Alex asks.
“I told her we are engaged.”
Alex chokes on his bagel, and Gina spits out her juice—not either one of their best moments, but I guess the news of my engagement came as a surprise to them.
“What the fuck are you doing, Mikey?” Alex asks. “Does Pop know?”
“I know what I’m doing. And no, Pop doesn’t know, but he will before Vince gets here.”
Alex shakes his head. “I don’t know what you have up your sleeve, brother, but this is going to backfire on you, and you will have nobody to blame but yourself.”
He’s so fucking right. “I know,” I reply defeated.
“What are you gonna do?” he asks.
“I’ll figure it out.” I look at my watch. 9:45 a.m. I have two hours to break the news to Pop and come up with a plan before Vince gets here. I finish my bagel and take one more sip of my coffee. Rising from my chair, I say, “You two have a great day. Alex, we need to talk later, after Vince leaves.”
“You got it, bro,” he says and continues to eat his bagel.
