“Grazie.”
She turned to leave, but turned back. He was already headed back toward his desk. “Tony?” He paused but did not turn. She could see his shoulders shaking with the emotion he contained. “I love you. You are an amazing man and I’m thankful you’re in our lives. But, I love her more.”
Tony’s shoulders suddenly slumped. Maxine went on, “I can’t see her get hurt. I’ll back whatever play she feels like she needs to make. If that means things have to change between you and me right now, then I understand.”
His nod was very brief, but she saw it. She turned and left the office, desperate to go find her sister.
OBIN sat on the front row of the small chapel affiliated with her church. She’d gone in here because she didn’t want to walk into the main building and encounter anyone she knew. This chapel was a one-room structure used for small weddings and small funerals. She had come to pray, but she didn’t know what to say, so she just poured her heart out to God with sobs while her mind swirled with thoughts of Tony, the love he’d shown her, the patience and understanding he’d given her. She thought of the joy in his eyes whenever he’d give her some stupidly expensive gift. Her heart ached at the thought of not being with him anymore.
She couldn’t get over the look on Tony’s face, the absolute helplessness. She wanted to go to him and take it all back and let him put the ring back on her finger, but she couldn’t. The thought of conceding and what that meant she’d have to face – she just couldn’t do it.
“Please God,” she said, “help me. Guide me in this.”
She heard the door open and she turned her head, startled. It partially surprised her and partially annoyed her when Sofia and Caroline came through the door.
The two pastors’ wives could not look more different – Sofia in her trim camel colored suit perfectly coifed, Caroline in her blue jeans and flannel shirt with her red hair sticking out everywhere. Robin could not love either woman more but she felt she needed solitude and privacy just now. They marched right up to her and then sat on each side of her making it clear they were here to stay. Caroline took her hand and Sofia put her arm over her shoulders.
Giving in, Robin rested her head on Sofia’s shoulder and sobbed. “I – “
“Hush, love,” Caroline said, “just let it out.” She handed Robin a cotton handkerchief, and Robin sobbed into it until it was soaked with sweat and tears. When she finally felt like she could cry no more, she closed her eyes and willed the headache to fade away.
“I called Stephanie Giordano,” Sofia said. “She had not heard from you yesterday or today. That tells me you didn’t cancel plans, and that, my very young child, tells me that you do not want to cancel plans.”
Robin’s sigh shuddered out of her body. “Of course I don’t want to cancel any plans. In the midst of destroying the most amazing man on the planet, I simply forgot to call my wedding planner. I’ll get on it right away.”
Caroline ran her hand over Robin’s hair. “Do you know why I don’t have any children of my own?” she asked, her Irish voice lyrical and overwhelmingly comforting. Robin shook her head. “Because a man hurt me when I was far too young. It was actually a miracle I even lived. But I did, though the doctors in Dublin told my mother that I’d likely never have children. Turns out they were right.”
Robin felt the air leave her body. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
“I have had decades to heal,” she said, “and the love of a good man. It wasn’t easy trusting him, but I’m so very, very glad I did. I may never have known the special and private beauty God, in His incredible wisdom, has given husbands and wives.”
“God created a perfect planet,” Sofia said. “Then Eve took of the fruit, Adam took the fruit from her, and it broke the perfection. The world is groaning from the weight of sin. What God originally designed is not what is today.” She hugged Robin. “God’s nature is contrary to the violence that you, and so many others, have experienced.”
Caroline interjected. “Tony’s past is filled with women who abandoned him. Women who were supposed to take care of him, and love him, and nurture him, and protect him. Instead, at too young of an age, he had to take up for himself. His past is riddled with drugs and abuse, and the only love he could find was the momentary kind that he occasionally paid for, much to his present shame.”
“God has given you to Tony as much as He has given Tony to you. You two can heal each other and become one together. Not just physically, but spiritually as well,” Sofia said.
“I don’t know how –” Robin said, her voice hitching.
Caroline interrupted. “As comfortable as you are with Tony, just holding hands, talking, laughing, kissing, a physical relationship beyond that will be just as loving and fulfilling.” She put a hand on Robin’s wet cheek. “I know this, love. I live it. You can’t imagine it because you’ve never known it. But I tell you, child, I mourn for your loss if you never know it.”
Robin put her elbows on her knees and laced her fingers, resting her forehead against her hands. “What if it’s not?”
Sofia ran a hand over her hair. “It will be. But if there is a problem, you simply pray together. Everything will work out. God brought the two of you together, and He will work it out.”
“Let’s pray together now,” Caroline said. “We’ll pray for you to have wisdom and we’ll pray that your heart not be troubled and be strengthened for the path ahead.”
Greater Than Rubies: CHAPTER 12
ERRICK DeNunzio sat outside Tony Viscolli’s office wearing black slacks, a white button down shirt, and a waiter’s vest. He was proud of his clean, crisp uniform.
He tried to start seeing himself through Tony’s eyes. Tony had seen something in Derrick from the first time they met. Derrick had run out of options in his old life. He was miles underwater and drowning before Tony had thrown him a lifeline. Derrick had grabbed it and was hanging on by his fingernails and toes. He determined that he would work hard for Tony, show the man what he could do.
Derrick discovered that, for maybe the first time in his life, he was actually applying himself very tactically to a present path of work and personal sacrifice in order to strategically accomplish future goals in a committed way. That commitment and that personal hard work and sacrifice made him realize something even more shocking. He figured out that this new feeling he had been feeling since he decided to follow this path was a feeling he had never before had any reason to feel. He felt proud of himself and he felt valued and valuable.
But in the last few weeks, something had been on his mind more and more. Something he couldn’t wrap his head around – or his heart. Or maybe his soul, he wasn’t sure. It was something and he didn’t really have anyone else he could talk to about it so he had made a breakfast appointment with Tony.
Tony arrived at 8:15 and Derrick found himself standing, unconsciously balancing his weight on the balls of his feet out of years of pure habit. He nodded a greeting to Derrick and said, “Margaret, could you please have the kitchen send up something hot for the two of us. Maybe some hot bagels and some cream cheese, too. No hurry.”
Tony turned back to Derrick and gestured that the younger man should precede him into his office. Having worked the nightshift and not having seen Tony for a few days despite living in his apartment, Derrick said, “Good morning, sir.”
“Just getting off?” Tony asked.
“Yes. It’s a long shift until eight.” Derrick’s muscles felt slightly fatigued just from battling his body’s desire to sleep.
They settled down on the couches as they had the very first time Derrick had ever come to this office. Tony remained silent, letting the young man collect his thoughts, lost in his own. Four days had gone by since Robin had visited him, and he felt like he was trapped in a swirling abyss. He simply did not know what to do next. The only thing, and it was truly the only thing, that kept him moving forward day after day was the fact that everyone in his employ involved in this wedding still
thought Robin was going through with it. Robin hadn’t canceled anything yet. He still had hope.
It almost took them both by surprise when, after a few minutes of silence, the breakfast arrived. Tony let Derrick pour them coffee, noticing the ear marks of Derrick’s waiter training as the young man set the cups ‘just so’ and arranged the silverware to the Viscolli Boston standard on the cloth napkins to the right of each plate.
When Derrick didn’t touch his food or drink, Tony finally spoke again. “Why don’t I bless this meal and then you tell me why you called this meeting, Derrick.” It wasn’t a question.
Derrick nodded. Tony blessed their meal and sipped his coffee as Derrick began to speak. Tony pushed aside all thoughts of Robin, knowing he needed to be all there for Derrick.
“Mr. Viscolli, I have to tell you something. The other day when we was, I mean, when we were helping Robin and her sisters move, you were telling Robin and them that you knew I didn’t steal anything. You know, those jewels. Her jewelry. I don’t know if you know, but I heard you. I was just outside her bedroom door, in the hallway, and I heard you.”
Tony pursed his lips. “That’s fine, Derrick. I didn’t say anything I wouldn’t have said in front of you.”
“I know, Mr. Viscolli. I just …” His voice suddenly stopped working. Derrick found himself in a surprisingly awkward and precarious state. There was a giant lump in his throat that his words couldn’t get around and he couldn’t breathe past it either. He felt tears welling up in his eyes and he suddenly hung his head in shame when he realized that he was about to break down and cry in front of this man.
As unmanly and silent tears streamed down his face, he felt a strong hand grip his shoulder. “What is it, figlio? Tell me what is bothering you so.” Tony urged.
Derrick gasped a baritone sob and heard silverware tumble as he grabbed his cloth napkin and covered his nose and mouth. Tony just kneaded the younger man’s shoulder and somehow, someway, Derrick knew that the older man had started praying for him in that second.
After perhaps half a minute, Derrick’s thick voice found its way out again. “No one has ever spoken up for me like that before. No one. Not even my mama.” His voice vanished into three breathy, strangled sobs. Through gritted teeth, he said, “You have everything and I can’t do anything for you. I looked around my room and realized something last night. I got almost nothing you didn’t give me. Even the room you gave me. And I got nothing worth anything that you didn’t. I don’t understand this. I don’t understand you. Why would you take up for me like that with them? How did you know I didn’t steal that stuff?”
“Ahh.” Tony clapped his hand on Derrick’s shoulder. “Okay. I understand. I’ve been waiting for this, actually.”
Tony walked over to the bookshelf behind his desk. He opened a file cabinet drawer and pulled out a miniature board game. It was a travel sized edition of the game of Monopoly and Derrick had a serious moment of doubt, wondering what a multi-billionaire was doing with a kid’s game in his desk drawer.
“You know how to play this game?” He asked casually.
“I played a few times as a kid.”
Tony met his eyes, “Ever win?”
Derrick shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe.”
“Well, tell me this, how do you win this game?”
Derrick sat up. “I buy some properties and charge rent when you land on my property.”
Tony nodded. “While that is a stunning display of your economic grasp of lassais faire
capitalism, charging rent doesn’t mean you win. What if I charge you higher rent when it’s my turn? That’s just how you play, right? Not how you win.”
“Well, I can use the rent you pay me to build houses and then I collect higher rent. Then I can buy hotels.”
Tony held up a little red hotel and then put it down on New York Avenue. “You mean a hotel like this one?” Somehow Derrick understood that Tony wasn’t talking about the little plastic hotel game piece, but maybe he was actually referring to a hotel like the one in which they presently found themselves, or the Viscolli Hotel in Manhattan, or Atlanta, or Dallas, or Seattle, or Los Angeles. “Then you win?”
“No, it’s a really long game. I would have to build houses and lots of hotels and eventually force you to sell and mortgage all your houses and hotels and properties and then I would have to buy them from you.” Derrick said. “Then I would have to charge you rent until I took your very last dollar. Then I win. I win when you are flat broke.”
Tony nodded and moved all the little dollar bills from his side of the board over to Derrick’s side. Then he picked up the little hotel and set it on top of the pile of toy money. “Then you win.”
Derrick nodded.
“So you are saying that now, when everyone else but you is flat broke, this is the end of the game. Okay. What did you learn? What did the game teach you? You own all the properties and railroads and houses and hotels and you even have yourself a get out of jail free card, maybe. So what did you learn in your rush to acquire absolutely everything and take away my very last dollar?”
Derrick sat back and looked at all the play money and the little red hotel sitting on his side of the board. “That if I work really hard, I can succeed?”
Tony nodded and stacked his empty dishes back on the rolling cart beside him. “What you say is true, Derrick, but it is not the most valuable lesson this game can teach you. I think I will give you one more try and then I will just tell you the answer.”
Derrick searched his mind before he said, “I’m sorry. I don’t know.”
“I will tell you. The most important thing to learn is that now, it all goes back in the box.” As he returned the items to the box, Tony continued. “See, you thought you owned all the properties and railroads and houses and hotels and your get out of jail free card. But now they go back in the box. Maybe you start to realize they were never even yours in the first place. They were there in the box long before you had them. Someone else owned them all before you did. And pretty soon, maybe someone else will come along and play with them after you’re gone. All those houses you were so proud of. All the utility companies and rail lines. And all the wonderful, wonderful money. It all goes back in the box.”
Tony put the lid on the box and said, “Now look around you. Tell me something. When you realize that the game isn’t over when you have everything, when you realize the game isn’t even over when you put everything back in the box – when you realize that – answer this question: what is really important?”
Tony stood and began to pace. He spoke low and deep, his voice quiet so that Derrick strained to hear his every word. “Maybe you get out the box again and you get all those properties and hotels and all that wonderful money back. Maybe. Or maybe you leave it all in the box and you realize what is really, really important in this life are not the things in there. What matters in this life is, in fact, much bigger than anything inside the box.”
Tony stopped pacing and turned, his eyes boring into Derrick’s eyes. “Because ultimately, everything you see and touch and consume in this world, all of it … even your own body … all of it goes back in the box one day.”
Derrick sat back, his mind racing.
“Listen to me very carefully and I’ll tell you about a gift that isn’t inside the box. From this moment on, if you choose to accept this gift, your entire life will be very, very different. Do you want this gift? Because I am going to tell you something. Derrick, one day you will die. Everyone will. I will. You will. Your mother will. Everyone will. You are going to live and then you are going to die. And you are going to be dead a lot longer than you ever lived. That is the way it is. It is just that black and white. Now, when your life ends, when everything you owned in life gets put back in the box, you will suddenly find yourself on the outside of the box standing in front of that very same God who made you, and you will have to explain the choices you made while you played the game.
“See outside of this little game is
you and me. Just like outside of here is the whole universe – and it is all just a box, Derrick. Outside of that box, my very young friend, is what is really, really important. Outside of all that is your Creator, God, Jehovah, A’doni, who is what He is, the great I AM.
“The truth is, you could have spent your life the way you had been living. You could have wasted your life away with drugs, pornography, gambling, thuggery, and spent your precious few remaining days and nights in the company of evil men and women – then died. But you knew that wasn’t what you wanted. You didn’t know this, but I was praying for you. I prayed for you every day. And then on the day after your birthday, you came to me and accepted the earthly gifts I had to offer. But your life still isn’t what it could be, is it? Do you want it to be? Do you want to reach your full potential even if it means you will radically change?”
Derrick didn’t realize that he was even speaking until the sound of his voice echoed in his own ears, “Yes.”
Tony turned and said, “Good. Now I think you’re ready for that gift I promised you.” He knelt in front of Derrick. Derrick suddenly realized that his cheeks were wet with silent tears. “Do you believe in God, Derrick?”
Derrick barely recognized his own voice, “Yes.”
Tony nodded, both of his hands holding Derrick’s right hand. “And do you know what’s important to that very same God you confess you believe in?”
Derrick shook his head.
“What’s important to Him, more than anything else, is you. You, Derrick DiNunzio. You are the most precious thing in the universe to the Creator of the universe. You feel overwhelmed by the fact that I, a man, love you enough to stand up for you the way I did? That notion reduces you to tears? That I love you enough to take you in and feed you when you are hungry, clothe you when you are cold and exposed, pray for you when you are struggling with addiction and a life of crime? You feel overwhelmed by one man’s love for you? Imagine how much God loves you.
Greater Than Rubies, a Novella inspired by the Jewel Trilogy Page 13