Page 42 of Nolan (The Doherty Mafia)
Just as I expected, Aldo sat at the kitchen table having a drink and smoking his cigar. It seemed like there wasn’t much else that he did with his time.
“It’s good to see you again, Amelia,” he remarked when I entered the kitchen.
“You’re looking well,” I lied.
He looked like he had aged a few years since I last saw him. When was the last time he stepped out in daylight? He gave the appearance of a coward now. A man hiding out from people who were trying to get him. I couldn’t imagine Nolan or any of his brothers hiding out like this just to hide away from enemies. They were made of sterner stuff than that.
But who was I to judge Aldo? I wasn’t the one who’s life was in danger at the moment.
Aldo smiled and pointed his cigar at the empty chair across from him. I took the seat, crossing my arms over my chest.
“So…tell me, my dear. What do you have for me?”
I tried to keep calm.
The fact was I still hadn’t decided what I’d say to Aldo. If I’d warn him of the impending attack from the Dohertys or not. I’d promised to help Aldo and even though I hadn’t made any promises to Nolan, I felt loyal towards him. My conflicting emotions ate at me.
“I’m still working on it,” I replied, just to buy some time.
Aldo banged his fist on the table, startling me. His glass of whiskey rattled with ice and he picked it up, pouring it quickly down his throat.
“Goddamn it, Amelia, you should’ve got something for me by now. What the fuck are you doing there? Eating their food and drinking their alcohol and fucking them.”
“Like I said before, Aldo, this can’t be hurried. The only way for me to not arouse suspicion, is by not pushing them.”
“Are you having fun over there in the meantime?” he snarled.
However, I saw him visibly struggling to calm himself. He must have known that I was his only hope at the moment, and he couldn’t piss me off or push me.
“I wouldn’t describe it as fun,” I replied. “I have to watch myself at every moment. I’m not exactly trained at being a spy. It doesn’t come naturally to me.”
Aldo sighed, tapping his cigar on the side of the table.
“It’s not that hard for a girl. All you have to do is open your legs and if you can do it convincingly enough, then you don’t have to worry about a thing,” he said with a smile. But the way he said it, disgusted me.
I swallowed deeply and decided to ignore that premonition.
“I came to see you here today because I want to know more about my mother,” I said.
Aldo seemed disinterested in having this conversation at first, but then changed his mind and looked me square in the eyes.
“What do you want to know, Amelia? I’m here to answer all your questions.”
“How did she die?” I asked, without missing a beat.
Aldo shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but he kept looking at me nonetheless.
“This is not easy for me to discuss with you in detail, Amelia. Your mother and I were very close and I cared about her deeply. I wished she hadn’t died.”
“But you never actually told me what happened to her.”
“She was troubled. She had issues. She was on a lot of medication.”
“But what happened? What medically and physically happened to her that killed her?” I was insistent. My voice was high-pitched. I wanted him to see it in my eyes that I wasn’t leaving his house today without some answers.
Aldo sighed and shook his head.
“She took too many pills. That’s what happened to her. She took a cocktail of medication, most of which she shouldn’t even have been on. She was out of it most of the time, barely even knew where she was. A shell of the woman I first knew.” As Aldo spoke, his gaze hardened. He looked beyond me and I sensed he thought about her. He visualized my mother…probably in the last days of her life.
I wished I saw her too, even if it was at her worst. I just wished I could hear her voice. My eyes filled with tears while Aldo continued.
“And she wanted to die. That’s the truth. She did it to herself because she didn’t want to live anymore.”
“And you didn’t stop her? Nobody stopped her?” I asked with a quivering voice.
Aldo narrowed his eyes at me.
“I tried giving her the best life I could. She didn’t see it like that most of the time. She was always complaining, always sad, bickering, nagging…”
I was confused. Weren’t they friends? Didn’t he say they were just very good friends who lived together for a while? Why would she nag him?
“You were together?” I whispered.
Aldo looked back at me, snapping out of the daze he’d sunk into. He blinked rapidly, taking in a deep breath.
