The Gift

by Kim Pritekel

  Karen glanced back toward the vacant stairwell before briefly meeting Catania’s concerned gaze. She gave a one-shoulder shrug. “It’s okay, I guess. Some days he’s so moody.” She set the spray cleaner down on the counter which she leaned back against, arms crossed over a full bosom. “I know we’ve been married for a long time and things certainly can cool. But…” She shook her head. “I even bought some of that sexy lingerie he loves so much.”

  Catania felt sorry for the woman by the sad and disappointed expression on her face. “Nothing, huh?”

  “Nope. Didn’t help a lick. Tried to get him to talk to his doctor about those pills men can take.” She snorted. “Huge mistake. I tried to tell him it was no big deal and he got absolutely furious with me.” Karen burst into laughter, giving Catania a quick hug. “I’m so sorry. I seriously doubt you want to know this about your brother.”

  She returned the hug and joined in the laughter. “Hey, I’d rather hear this than about Dino, self-proclaimed Italian Stallion.”

  Twenty minutes later Catania was once again standing in front of Matteo’s closed door. He responded to her knock, opening the door and staring out at her.

  “I said twenty minutes, not twenty minutes times two.”

  ****

  Catania had begun to change her route home from work when she left late, prowling the way she knew Ally would be walking home from the diner. She had come to understand the proud woman, and knew she’d never ask her for a ride, though Catania wished she would. She worried about her, and if she was honest with herself, enjoyed her company. She’d caught her a few times on her way out the door or after a quick dinner stop, and she’d run Ally home when she got off work.

  The guy at the diner had told her that Ally had left about twenty minutes before, and admittedly Catania felt like a stalker as she prowled the streets to see if she could catch up to Ally before she reached her house. She had to laugh at her ridiculousness, but in truth, she felt protective of Ally. Something about her was so strong yet so incredibly vulnerable.

  She was just past the ballpark when she saw a figure hurrying along the sidewalk, a blond ponytail spotlighted as the person passed beneath a streetlight before disappearing into the shadows again.

  Knowing the brick house with the green garage door was just a little way down, Catania slowed her Jeep so as not to scare the waitress, but she did want to make sure she made it into the house okay. She pulled up to the curb in front of a gray two-story building with a houseful of lights on and waited. To her surprise and confusion, Ally walked right past the brick house and hurried to an alleyway a few houses down.

  “Where the hell is she going?” She tried to think where that alley would lead to.

  Pulling away from the curb, she drove past the brick house and took a right at the next street, finding herself at the intersection of another residential street. She spotted Ally hurrying across the street only to vanish into the continuing alley, so she pressed on.

  At the next corner, she could go straight or right, a huge apartment complex to her left. She turned right and found herself in a small business area. A gas station and small shopping center were to her right, and on the left a little way down was a two-story whitewashed brick building. There was a large, blacked-out front window, and the glass panes in the door were covered by posters. But what caught her attention was the sign above the door: Haven House.

  Movement catching her eye, she saw Ally scurry out of the alley that connected this street to the residential one. Catania pulled into the parking lot of the shopping center and watched as her friend nearly ran across the street, straight to the two-story building. An African American woman pushed open the glass door, the two women sharing a brief hug before Ally disappeared inside, the black woman disappearing behind her.

  Confused, Catania pulled her phone out and quickly searched to see exactly what Haven House was. She gasped when she read that it was a women’s shelter that promised to protect victims of domestic violence until the women could get themselves back on their feet again.

  “Oh, Ally,” she whispered.

  Chapter Eight

  The lens took in the small, generic motel room, showing the chained door with instruction placard attached just under the peephole. The large window was covered by faded, drab curtains, a bit of pink light from the neon motel sign beyond creeping around one edge.

  An old-model television sat on a rolling stand in front of the window, the sound turned low. On the screen was Dick Clark holding court over Times Square for his New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, the numbers 2004 scrolling across the banner at the bottom of the screen.

  In the foreground was the bed, sheets and blankets in a tangled mess. Lying on the rumpled bottom sheet, which still covered the mattress nearest the camera, was a redheaded woman, naked and lying on her back. Her right leg lay straight out, her left bent at the knee. Her right hand was lightly trailing fingernails over her stomach while the other reached out to the man who sat on the edge of the bed, his back to the camera. He was also naked, shoulders broad. His hair was dark and long, reaching well past his upper back.

  “That was awesome, baby,” she said, her tone seductive but not entirely genuine.

  “Yeah, all two minutes of it,” the man said, a hand appearing as it ran through his hair before dropping out of sight in front of him again.

  “Aw, come on, stud.” The woman sat up, turning her back to the camera as she pressed her breasts against his back. An expansive tattoo could be seen, a spider web extending from the side of her neck to trail down over her shoulder to the center of her back, ending in a teardrop. “I know just what to do to get my baby excited.”

  She placed a trail of kisses along his shoulder, reaching up to brush the long strands of his hair aside. He roughly pushed her hand aside. “Stop.”

  “Baby, don’t be that way.” She reached around him, her hand having an obvious destination in mind. “I know exactly how to blow your mind. And…” She let out a sexy chuckle deep in her throat as she seemed to have found her target.

  Abruptly the man stood, the redhead woman falling forward and off the bed as the man walked out of frame. A disembodied grunt and growl sounded before the woman reappeared, her pretty face twisted with rage.

  “What the fuck? Why did you do that for?” She got to her feet and brought a hand up to touch her eye, looking at the fingertips as she pulled them away. “I could have really gotten hurt. If you give me a black eye, I’ll fucking kill you.”

  Snickering could be heard near the microphone on the camera. “Yeah, I’d like to see you try. I told you to stop. It’s not my fault if you don’t listen.”

  The image wobbled for a moment before it sailed downward, showing the floor and a man’s bare feet as well as two of the three legs of a tripod.

  “Why are you leaving?” the woman asked, her voice close the camera, sadness replacing the anger in her tone. “You said we were going to spend New Year’s together.”

  “Yeah, well I gotta go.”

  Darkness.

  ****

  Catania felt Ally’s gaze on her. She took her attention off the road just long enough to look at her. “What?”

  “Are you sure your family won’t mind? I know you guys are close and I really don’t want to intrude, Nia.”

  “Nah, you won’t intrude, I promise.” Catania grinned. “Besides, it’ll give me a break from my mother’s incessant chatter.”

  “Great,” Ally muttered.

  “Just joking. No, trust me, even though she raised five and a half kids, my mother feels her only real talent and accomplishment is her cooking.” She shrugged. “I figure you two will actually have something to talk about.” She spared a glance at her passenger. “I know you cook and are pretty darn good at it.”

  “I really enjoy it,” Ally said, a bit of happiness in her voice. “I don’t know, I guess it speaks to my nurturing nature.”

  “I think that’s really great. I enjoy some baking, but I’m just
not real into it. I do love to eat, though.”

  “What is your last name, Nia?”

  Eyebrows drawn, Catania maneuvered her Jeep skillfully along the mountain road with all its twists and turns. “Why?”

  “So I know what to call your mother and father.”

  “Oh, no, no. See, you don’t understand. My mother sees it in the way that, if we’ve brought someone home, no matter if it’s a friend or a romantic entanglement, that person means enough to us to let her cook for them. So,” she said, holding up a finger for emphasis. “‘Mamma’ it is.”

  “Wait, I’m supposed to call your mother Mamma?” Ally asked, shock in her voice. At Catania’s nod she said, “Huh. Come to think of it, I haven’t called anyone Mamma in…ever.”

  “Ever? Okay, what about Mom? Mother?” Catania’s eyebrows shot up at the three separate shakes of Ally’s head. “Wow.” They drove in silence for a moment as she contemplated this. “What did you call your mother?”

  “Aunt Kathy,” Ally responded, her voice flat. “She raised me until I was thirteen.”

  Catania was surprised by the information but said nothing, allowing Ally to tell her what she would as she got them closer and closer to the lake house where the family would be spending Thanksgiving.

  “Then,” Ally continued quietly as her focus seemed to be on the passing scenery through the passenger-side window. “She died.”

  “I’m sorry, Ally,” Catania said softly, meeting Ally’s gaze.

  “Thanks,” Ally said with a small, tight smile before she turned away again.

  Catania was filled with questions, but decided to simply ask, “Where did you go?”

  “The System,” she responded after a moment. “Bounced around to various foster homes, that kind of thing. The problem is, people want babies, not thirteen-year-old orphans.”

  “Like I hear people say about adopting puppies and kittens,” Catania said absently.

  “Exactly. Well, I ended up with the Porter family. I remember it well. It was a month before my fourteenth birthday.” She let out a heavy sigh.

  “Was it a good family?”

  Ally shrugged, looking briefly at Catania. “They weren’t looking for any sort of daughter. Well, let me say, I suppose they were. They were looking for a daughter-in-law. Their son, Ian, essentially looked me over like I was a mare on a selling block. With the approval of the Crown Prince, I was theirs.”

  “Wait, what?” Catania asked, baffled. The narrow, two-lane road they were on ended and they pulled into a small, picturesque mountain town. “What do you mean?”

  “Ian was twenty and ready to settle down. I was what he was looking for, I guess. By the time I was pushing fifteen, we’d been dating for almost a year. It was awful,” she said, shaking her head. “I had to take him to school dances, any football games or whatever I wanted to go to, he was there.” She chuckled ruefully. “I honestly don’t think he cared for a second about my world, just wanted to make sure I wasn’t talking to any other boys.”

  Catania had no idea what to say for a long moment, this newest bit of information stunning as it somersaulted around in her brain. She drove through the mile-long town and turned off on a dirt road that would lead to the family land. “Wait,” she finally managed. “How much older was this guy than you?”

  “Um, six, seven years.”

  “That is a ton at that age.”

  “A lifetime.” Ally blew out a breath. “Anyway, at sixteen his parents signed off on the marriage license.”

  Yet again, Catania was taken by surprise. She slowed her Jeep as the road hadn’t been plowed and she had to be careful to follow the deep tire tracks in the snow from those who had arrived at the lake house the night before.

  “You married him? This Ian guy?” At Ally’s nod, she asked, “Did you want that?”

  “No,” was all Ally said, her tone making it clear the conversation had ended. “All this snow is so beautiful.”

  Catania took Ally’s cue and followed her friend’s new train of thought. “It’s absolutely gorgeous. Look at those mountains surrounding us. So blue.”

  “Wait, did that street sign say, Bubble Butt Way?” Ally laughed, turning in her seat to see the homemade street sign they’d just passed.

  Catania grinned. “It did. This is all our land,” she explained, indicating the seemingly endless snowy wonderland around them with a wave of her hand. “Two hundred acres all told. When we were younger, my dad made us wooden street signs to map out all the trails and paths on the property. We used to try and outdo each other.”

  “How fun!” Ally cackled. “Snot Pot Road. Whoa, okay, that’s unsettling. Decapitation Circle.”

  “That would be Matteo. What can I say? The boy loves his horror movies and violent video games.”

  Five minutes later, the Jeep turned down the quarter-mile-long driveway of the large cabin, which had been added onto over the years. The partially frozen lake lay beyond. The large, snow-covered driveway looked like a small used car lot, Catania the last family member to show due to work. Even Oscar and Linda had already arrived.

  She pulled off to the side so she wasn’t blocking anyone, nor could she be blocked. Ally had agreed to accompany Catania as long as she was able to return to town for her late shift at the diner. Catania was more than fine with that as it gave her a reason to duck out when she’d had enough family time.

  “Okay, here we are.” Catania killed the engine and pulled the key out of the ignition, looking over at Ally who looked up at the cabin before them. “You okay?”

  Ally nodded. “Nervous. Looks like a lot of people.”

  “I know. It’s a problem with being from a large family. But, it will only be my parents and brothers and whomever they may have brought. Oh, and my partner, Oscar, is here, too, with his wife Linda. You’ve met him at Randy’s.”

  “Oh yeah. Really nice guy.”

  “He is. Their kids are spread around the country for Thanksgiving this year, all to come back for Christmas, so they’re spending the day with us.”

  The cabin was abuzz with noise, the men in the living room talking, and drinking beer and spiked eggnog. Paul and Dino were arguing over how to get the fire bigger in the massive stone fireplace, which was the great room’s centerpiece.

  Catania glanced at Ally, only to see her looking around like a deer caught in headlights. She smiled and nudged her with her shoulder. “Come on, let’s head to the kitchen.”

  She led the way through the huge dining room into the kitchen where her mother and Karen and, to her shock, Dino’s woman-of-the-hour from a few weeks ago, Melanie, cooking and chatting.

  “Well, finally!” Antonia exclaimed from her spot at the stove. She held the spoon straight up in the pan she’d been stirring in. “Karen,” she said, no other instruction.

  The blond woman took over the stirring. “Hey, Nia.”

  “Hi, Karen.” Catania accepted the tight hug and loud cheek kiss she received. “Mamma, I want you to meet my friend, Ally. I told you about her on the phone.”

  “Hello, Ally!” Antonia grabbed Ally in a firm hug and left a kiss on either cheek. “Welcome. Such a beautiful young woman. Look at this,” she continued, lightly running her fingers through Ally’s long blond hair, which lay loose around her shoulders. “See, Catania?” she said, giving her daughter the evil eye. “You should never have cut that beautiful hair of yours.”

  “And,” Catania said, louder than her mother’s continued protestations as she grabbed Ally by the hand and tugged her away from her mother’s octopus hands. “This is my sister-in-law, Karen. She’s married to Jason who was standing over by the piano in the other room, and this is my brother, Dino’s…” She eyed Melanie, no idea where the two sat in their relationship, or better to say, where Melanie felt they sat in their relationship.

  “I’m Dino’s girlfriend. Nice to meet you, Ally.” The younger woman extended a welcoming hand to Ally, who took it.

  “Do you like to cook?” Antonia aske
d, returning to Ally’s side like a shooed fly to a crumb on the counter.

  “Uh, yes. I do.”

  “Excellent.” The older woman reached up to put her arm around Ally’s shoulders, leading her toward the stove. She looked over her shoulder at Catania. “You go. Go play with your brothers.”

  Left staring and feeling utterly rejected, Catania did as told.

  ****

  Once everyone was seated around the massive dining room table, two leaves added, Alberto spoke. Surrounded by family and friends and tons of food on the table, he stood from his seat at the head.

  “Everyone, grab your wine.” He waited for everyone to comply, looking like the proud papa he was. “On this Thanksgiving Day, I want to say I am a happy man. All my children are here. Paul, I am not pleased that none of your children decided to honor their father or grandmother today. Even Matteo left his video games and Leonardo left his studies to be with us. Yes, son, I know about that huge paper due when you return after the holiday,” Alberto said with a warning look to his youngest. The smile returned to his face as he continued. “But, instead, we have good friends.” He smiled and raised his glass in the direction of Oscar and Linda and Ally. “Our dear friends Oscar and his beautiful wife Linda. Linda, my greatest apologies that your husband has to cover my daughter’s behind every single day.”

  Laughter erupted, including the wife of Catania’s partner. “She’s the only woman I’d allow it for,” Linda exclaimed, raising her own glass.

  “A good woman, Oscar. Hold on to that one. But,” Alberto continued. “We also have a new friend today. Ally, it is a pleasure to have you in my home.”

  Ally, who was seated next to Catania, gave him a shy smile. “Thank you. I’m very happy to be here.”

  “Excellent. Mangiare!”