Page 7 of Nolan (The Doherty Mafia)
“Maybe you’ll be able to find work at a magazine. You’re still so young, you have your whole life ahead of you,” Aldo replied, as he took a big bite of bread and chewed.
He actually sounded interested and concerned.
“Yeah, a job at a fashion magazine would be amazing. It’d be a dream come true. But I still have some ways to go for that.”
“Maybe I can help you,” he said.
I gulped. Nobody had ever wanted to help me before, and I didn’t know how to react to that.
“I could help you with your lessons, with your college classes. You should have the opportunity to realize your dreams. Everything that you’ve missed out on.”
I hadn’t touched my food yet. I didn’t have an appetite. All of this was a lot to process and I didn’t know where to begin.
“Your mother would’ve wanted me to help, and it’s the least I can do.”
I knotted my fingers together in my lap. This was beginning to feel like a wild dream. This nice kind man had turned up in my life out of nowhere and now he offered me help?
“Okay,” I replied and we smiled at each other.
How could I refuse?
After we had lunch, Aldo and I sat in the back porch overlooking the overgrown backyard. He’d offered me a beer, which I declined because I wanted to keep my wits about me. I trusted him now…the best I could trust a stranger, but I still wanted to be careful.
I asked him some questions about my mother.
“We met soon after she broke up with her ex.”
“My father?” I asked and he nodded.
“She was in a bad place and I gave her a shoulder to lean on.”
I wanted to ask him if they’d been romantically involved, but since he didn’t offer up that information willingly, I didn’t push for it.
“So you were there when I was born?”
“She kept the pregnancy a secret,” he replied. I detected a hardness in his tone of voice.
“Nora managed to keep it a secret from everyone around her, even me, even though we were close. She knew how much I cared about her,” he continued. “But then, I worked a lot. I was building a business. Maybe I didn’t give her as much attention as she needed. She had you and then gave you away. All without me knowing about it, because otherwise, I would’ve stopped her.”
My throat constricted and I sat still in the chair, clutching myself with my arms around my belly.
“I’m sorry, Amelia, I don’t want to upset you. Your mother was…she was troubled, but I know she loved you. She would’ve been a great mother to you.”
I nodded, looking away from him…refusing to let him see my tears. I never let anyone see me cry. A sign of weakness could get you into a lot of trouble in the places I grew up. I still clung to that belief.
“But before she died, she confessed everything to me. She told me I had to find you, that I had to help you. She regretted giving you away,” he continued.
By now the tears flowed freely down my cheeks. I couldn’t keep them in control anymore. My mother had loved me. She would’ve kept me if she could have. She suffered from mental illness and that explained everything. I forgave her. I just wished she was around so I could forgive her in person.
“But I’m here now,” Aldo said. Finally, I had the courage to face him. He smiled warmly. “You don’t have to be alone, and neither do I. Right? Nora would’ve been so happy if she knew we'd found each other. It was what she always wanted.”
When he reached a hand out towards me, I held it. His hand was so much bigger than mine. All I could do was cry, and I didn’t want to anymore. I wanted to change the subject so I stopped making a fool of myself.
I asked Aldo about his life and business before he had to go into hiding. He described to me a life that was opulent and successful. From what I gathered—he was a busy man who had dedicated all his time and energy to building an empire. He never had time for family, but regretted it now.
Maybe he wished he’d made a life with my mother. Maybe he wished he had a family that included me. The more Aldo spoke about his life and his regrets, the warmer I felt towards him.
I couldn’t help myself. I hadn’t ever been this close to someone before, to someone who was actually interested in me and my life. And now, I felt angry towards the people who’d taken all this away from him. The life he had built.
“Who are these people? The people who are after you,” I asked.
Aldo sighed, shaking his head.
