Page 231 of Marcello

I ran through the possibilities as fast as I could.

Eugenio was still on the night shift. He was one of the few foot soldiers Papa allowed to live offsite, so he wouldn’t get in until six o’clock – which meant I couldn’t talk to him until he arrived.

Wait –

I can call him!

I used his phone for several days –

Except I’d never memorized his number, and I’d never called him from my new phone.

Shit.

Plus, everything hinged on whether he could get Esmeralda to come on such short notice.

“I can’t promise anything,” I said, “and it probably won’t happen, but I suppose I can try to sneak out.”

“Don’t TRY – just DO it!” he snapped.

THAT pissed me off.

“Look, I would have gone with you if you’d given me a little more notice, but I can’t sneak out tonight. I just can’t.”

Romeo got angry. “Then don’t sneak out – just leave!”

Yeah, RIGHT. Just walk out the front door.

Easy peasy.

“It doesn’t work like that,” I said.

“WHAT doesn’t work like that?!”

“My father will stop me.”

“Don’t tell him what you’re doing, for God’s sake! Tell him you’re going out for ice cream! Tell him you’re – ”

“Romeo, I CAN’T. I’m stuck here. I want to go with you – I do – but I can’t leave. I CAN’T.”

“So… that’s IT?” he asked incredulously.

I wanted to leave with him – I really did – so I tried to meet him halfway. “Look… go ahead and leave Naples tonight. I can sneak out in a couple of days and join you. But right now, I – ”

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, followed by Papa’s voice.

“Laura? Are you decent?”

OH SHIT!

“I’ve got to go – don’t call back,” I whispered frantically into the phone, then hung up and stuffed it under my pillow.

“Laura!” Papa yelled.

“Come in!” I shouted back.

Papa flung open the door and stalked in like a pissed-off rooster.

“When I call out your name, you answer,” he said angrily.