Why I Hated The Guy From The FBI Ch. 17B

Sarah said, "I have tried for years to find out who my father was, and I was never able to do it. I used every piece of equipment; the FBI had at its disposal, and could not do it. How could you possibly have done it?"

Celeste asked, "Do you know who I am, and do you know how much money I have?"

"Yes, Miss Mesner, I checked everybody out who was on the board of directors, before I signed the contract. You are an extremely wealthy woman. However, the FBI has access to everything and anything in the world, and even you could not get more access than they can."

"Sarah, please call me Celeste, and think of something you did not do, when you were looking for your father."

"My mother never gave me his name. He supported us, until my mother married. Then he sent money, for my college education. I never met the man, or knew his name. She did not even tell me who he was, on her deathbed."

"We cannot introduce you to him, because he has passed away. However, he has family here, and we will introduce you to a member of that family, later today. I think it would be better, to introduce you to that person, in something better than a robe. So we are taking you shopping."

Antonia chimed in and said, "Sarah, be prepared for culture shock. No one in the universe shops like Celeste shops. The reasons we had you take a physical was to make sure your heart was strong enough to survive the shock. If you think I am kidding with you, ask Angelique. She worked at a boutique we went to so she could buy a frock to meet her future husband. As you can see, she no longer works there, because too many wives brought their husbands with them, including me. It did not happen, a second time. She cannot help it; she was born the way she is. She is an Italian goddess in the flesh. I hate every inch of her that is above 5'1" tall; all 10 ½" of her."

Celeste said, "Sarah, that reminds me, when Antonia stands up and you see that she is 5 foot nothing, and an A- chest, no short jokes. She is very sensitive about her height, and she turns into a werewolf, instantly. She may be tiny, but so is a package of C4. My husband made that mistake once; she knocked him cold for 40 seconds, with one punch. He still takes a wide berth around her to this day."

"Antonia, you and I are going to be great friends," Sarah said.

Limousine pulled up in front of Celeste favorite store and everyone got out before Sarah noticed that Celeste was heavy with child. She asked when she was due, and Celeste said sometime in October.

The door to the boutique opened and the owner came running out screaming, "Celeste, darling Celeste, let me look at you. You are stunning as always. Come in and tell me what we can do for you and your friends."

When they exited the store two hours later, Sarah still did not have a thing to wear. She had three ball gowns, plus assorted items for eveningwear; however, she had nothing she could wear for every day. She still had no underwear, socks, stockings, or shoes, and it was 4 PM.

They got back into the limousine, and Angelina said, "It's time for us to take a break. Let's go to Tito's and have a light meal."

Sarah wanted to say something, because she was still in a robe, with no underwear. She decided to stay silent, because of the look in Sophia's eyes.

"Light meal my ass," Sarah thought. If she ate, and drank, the way, these women were, she would be the size of the house in one year. Each of them, however, with the exception of Celeste, was thin. She had to find out their secret."

They drew her in to every one of their conversations. They made her feel comfortable in their presence. Never once did they delve into her experiences or her dealings at the FBI. The stories they told both funny and shocking at times. She was neither the youngest, nor the oldest; she could fit right in with them, and she liked what she saw already.

Bottles of wine were emptied and replaced all during the time they sat at the table. Everything was so relaxed Sarah never noticed that her robe had slipped open. Antonia asked Celeste, "They are not the size of your Michelin's, but do you think PA would like those?"

"Stop it, you beady-eyed dwarf. However, if he got those two excited, Philip would not know which one to attack first."

When everyone started laughing and looking at her, Sarah knew something was amiss. She looked it down and saw her breasts glowing in the candlelight. Hurriedly, she closed her robe and said, "Oh shit. I must be drunk. The last time this happened to me, I was in college."

Angelique said, "Girl, those breasts have not drooped a centimeter, in 14 years. You are doing a great job of keeping those puppies in shape."

"That is because I have not had a man in my life for eight years. They have not had anyone play with them for that long."

Celeste said, "Eight years, how many batteries have you worn out in that time?"

"Not many, either I am too tired when I get home from work, or I am working. My brain never seemed to find the switch from: 'On the job,' to 'off the job.' So I was constantly thinking about work."

Celeste turned to Antonia, with a gleam in her eye. Antonia immediately said, "No, I will not lend her, Frank. Besides, if she has not been opened for eight years, he would kill her."

Celeste grinned, "... but what a way to go."

Sarah said, "Who is Frank?"

"He is my husband."

Celeste said, "Bigger than any porn star, you have ever seen."

Angelique said, "I have seen it, and I fell in love with it at first sight. He would not even let me touch it, because of tiny."

Celeste grabbed Antonia, before she could move. Celeste yelled, "Angelique, you know better than that."

"I just wanted to show Sarah how mean Antonia can get in an instant."

"The next time you do that, I will not hold her back."

"I apologize, Antonia."

"How does 5 feet 10 ½ inches sound to you Angelique? I cannot take it from your brain, because there are not any between your ears."

Angelina Mancuso said, "Ladies the wine has now traveled into our veins, and we are becoming heated. Sarah needs clothes, and the store has just closed. It is now time to shop, until we drop."

Again, Sarah stayed silent, if a store was closed, how could you possibly shop. She found out it was easy, if your husband owned the store.

As they drove up in front of a store, Philip, and Frank were standing there. Frank looked very funny with his infant carrier on the front of his chest. Rose had to make one, by hand, because all of the premade ones were too small to fit around Frank's body.

Everyone exited the limousine, and when Sara looked up, she said, "That has to be Frank."

Simultaneously, Angelique and Sophia said, "How did you guess?"

"He is married to her," she said, pointing towards Antonia.

Celeste took Sarah by the arm and said, "Aren't they a cute couple?"

Sarah replied, "Considering what you said in the car, why isn't she dead?"

"Honey, I tried it on for size, before they got married. It nearly killed me. I have no idea how she can take it, but she does, every inch of it, according to him."

"If I was his wife, I would guard him the same way she does. I would not let any woman near him, ever. He is gorgeous. The other one is not bad either. A little puny, but not bad either."

Celeste laughed. "The other one is my husband."

Sarah blushed. "I think I will take my foot out of my mouth now, if it is all right with you."

"No problem, Sarah, the jokes that go on around here are endless. If you did not have a sense of humor, before you got here, you would have to develop one in a hurry. Let me introduce you to both of them and to PA."

"Sarah, this is my husband, Philip. If he makes a pass at you, kill him. He is heavily insured. This on the other hand is Antonia's husband Frank. Bullets do not kill him. If he makes a pass at you call Antonia, she will kill him. The little bundle, in the carrier, is Philip Anthony Gennaro; the first child of this, Mutt and Jeff combination. When you get a chance to change his diaper, you will see that this young man takes after his father."

"Hello Frank, it hasn't been that long has it."

"No Sarah, it has not. However, I am very happy that you are here and out of harm's way."

Antonia got in between them, immediately. She glared at Frank, menacingly, and wanted to know how he knew her.

Frank decided to have a little fun with his wife. He said, "She was book three, page 14, and line 17 I think."

Antonia said, "Take off the baby carrier, and give PA to Celeste. You and I are going to talk."

"If we are only going to talk, I can leave the carrier on."

"For the kind of talk, I am going to have with you; PA has to be somewhere else."

"In that case, I am leaving the carrier on."

"You chicken shit little bastard, I will get you, when we get home."

"Who said I was going home. I think I will stay at Celeste and Philip's tonight."

Philip replied, "I was thinking about getting the south side of the house redone anyhow; the demolition work will cost less, after she gets finished with you."

"Thank you, Philip; I appreciate that vote of confidence."

"That's what friends are for Frank; to stand behind you in times of trouble; far, far behind you."

Sarah asked, "Will somebody please tell me what is going on."

Celeste said, "Sarah, it will take years for you to learn all the ins and outs of what is going on. I will just say Frank was very active in his younger years. He kept the names of every conquest in books his mother still has. He just told Toni, you were one of them, which everyone, except Antonia, knows is not true. When she gets angry, she loses her math skills. If she would have counted, she would realize you were in the FBI, when Frank was in high school."

Antonia's anger turned into a blush. She looked into Frank's eyes and said, "I forgive you. However, you are still a dead man, for making me look like an idiot."

"I did not make you look like an idiot. You did a good job of that, all by yourself."

Celeste said, "Stop. Philip opens the doors; turn off the alarm. It is time for us to shop. Don't forget to call the police this time, and tell them were in the store."

Frank took PA home at nine, Philip gave up at 10; and the girls finally closed up the store at 11:30 PM. Sarah was so tired of trying on and taking off clothes, she wanted to fall asleep on the floor. Everything was segregated: lingerie, stockings, socks, robes were left that one register. Sportswear was left at another. Slacks, blouses and other everyday items were left at another. The piles were mountainous.

Sarah looked around, and asked, "What do you want me to wear for work?"

"Oh, we will buy that tomorrow."

Sarah said, "More shopping, I can't go shopping again tomorrow. Please, can I have the day off from shopping?"

Celeste looked at the other women, and said, "I have never seen a wuss like this in my entire life."

Sarah did not care all she wanted to do was lie down and die. She did not want to see another piece of clothing; she would rather be naked.

She woke up the next day, not knowing where she was, how she got there, or what time it was. At the side of her bed was a glass of orange juice, a steaming kettle of coffee, a creamer, and a note.

"Good afternoon sleepyhead! Everyone is on the veranda. Clothes are in your closet, and in your dresser. Toiletry items are in the bathroom connected to your room. We await your arrival. Sophia"

"Shit! This is a very interesting job. They pay you a princely sum of money per year. They send you to school for four years to learn foreign languages. They jet you, on a private aircraft, to meet the Board of Directors. They primp you, prod you, shave you, and turn you into a new, younger looking woman, and then they spend a gazillion dollars on a wardrobe that does not even include work clothes. They take you to their home, put you to bed, and let you sleep as long as you want. I cannot wait for the shoe to drop, and wake me up."

As she popped her head out onto the veranda, Tony Caruso saw her and said, "Sarah, welcome to Milan." A chorus of welcomes followed Tony's and Sarah thanked them all.

Rose asked Sarah if they could get business out of the way, before they had lunch.

Sarah nodded her head in agreement.

Rose called the meeting of, "Growing Up Corporation" to order. Celeste raised her hand, and she was recognized.

"I make a motion to have Angelina Mancuso chair this meeting."

Rose was stunned by this motion, but asked if there was a second. Antonia seconded it and it was passed.

Angelina said, "Sarah, as we told you yesterday, you did not do one thing to find out about your parentage that you should have done or could have done. That was because you didn't have anyone to test it against. We did some testing and came up with a surprise.

When Rose asked us to form this new Corporation, and more specifically to get you as part of it, we wondered why. I kept thinking back to the time you met us at the sidewalk, while we were walking Annarosa. There was something going on between you and Rose, and I could not put my finger on it. It gnawed at me for a while, but I let it go. Then you showed up at my home to tell me about my husband. You were so warm and comforting that day, the feeling came back. It gnawed at me again. I kept seeing you and Rose in my mind together. I said it could not possibly be. When I moved here to Milan to be with her, and our family, and she suggested this venture, I knew she had something going on in her mind, too.

Unbeknownst to her, I called a meeting of our little group, and in the utmost secrecy, we hatched a little plan, to see if I was correct. With the help of Celeste's network of friends, we found out that we were right and we found out a lot more.

There is one man here today, and we told you no man had a part in this Corporation. He has to be here today, because he is the culprit in an ongoing problem. We have decided to inform him today. Afterwards, we will continue on with our regular business.

"Rose, one evening when you were fast asleep, from having too much wine, and a little sleeping medication thrown in, we took a blood sample from you to see if our suspicions were correct. Rose, all five friends, who came to Antonia's wedding are now pregnant or have had a child."

The look on Rose's face was priceless. The color in Tony's face drained to his feet.

"I cannot be pregnant. I have not had... oh hell, is that what that bleeding was."

Antonia yelled, "Yes, somebody gets to kill my dad."

Summoning up all the courage he had in him, Tony approached Rose and said, "One night, while we were making love, you asked me to make believe I was giving you a baby; I may have gone too far."

"Either that husband, or we will have to talk to my grandmother about this. What do you think about a third Caruso romping around?"

Angelina said, "I am sorry, Rose, that may not be exactly true. The test says you are nearly 2 months pregnant. However, it also said there is a 97% chance that you are going to have a multiple birth."

Rose said, "Twins are supposed to skip a generation."

Tony said, "I should have stayed in a coma."

"It could be more than two, Rose."

"Antonia, if it is more than two, you have my permission to kill your father."

"Thank you, mom, it will be my pleasure."

Everyone, including Sarah, laughed.

"Rose, I am going back to the sick room, and hit myself in the head, with a hammer. I will be back in 20 years."

"Anthony, we are not that old. I do not want to hear you start complaining. The 2 o'clock in the morning feeding is yours, regardless of how many there are"

"Yes dear."

All the women applauded, and congratulated Anthony and Rose.

Angelina said, "Anthony, we are finished with you, go away."

He looked at Angelina and said, "Yes dear."

This time, everyone laughed.

Sarah looked around the table and asked, "This is all very nice, but what does it have to do with me?"

Angelina said, "Gloria, the envelopes please."

Gloria handed a manila envelope to Sarah and Rose, and asked them to look at its contents.

Rose went through hers quickly, reading the graphs, and the conclusion. She said, "Yes, this is my father and my grandfather."

Sarah did the same thing looking at her graphs and reading its conclusions. She said, "Are you saying that this man is my father?"

Angelina asked Sarah if she believed DNA evidence was infallible.

Sarah replied, "When properly tested, DNA is 99.99% proof positive.

"We wanted to be that sure also, so we had it tested at three different laboratories, and they came up with the same results. That man in the picture is your father. Rose, show Sarah the picture of your father."

Rose turned the picture towards Sarah. Sarah's eyes opened wide, but she had lost the ability to speak.

Rose what is your maiden name.

My maiden name is Gianini.

Sarah, dear, show Rose your picture.

Sarah fumbled with the picture, in front of her, but was able to turn it slowly to face Rose.

Rose did not understand immediately what was going on. "Angelina, what are you doing?"

"Rose, I am introducing you to your half-sister. You knew it, in your heart in New York, but you could not put your finger on it. You connected with her on a subconscious level, and you wanted her near you. That is why you hatched this plan for our Corporation. We went along with you, knowing you had a reason for doing it. We wanted to find out what that reason was. Here she is, and the proof is in front of you. We can tell you the how and why later, but do you want to say something to your sister? Sarah, do you have something to say to your sister?"

Rose and Sarah stood up from their chairs, closed the distance between them, and embraced; then they cried.

"Sarah, it was not at the sidewalk, that I first felt drawn to you. It was at the Thanksgiving block party. Something told me that you and I were connected. I did not know why, and I did not act on it. I cannot thank Angelina enough, for seeing what I did not see."

Antonia said, "Shit, now I can't hit her, she is my aunt."

Celeste said, "Do don't worry dwarf, she will bring a boyfriend around, sooner or later. You will get to pick on him."

"Thank you, tubby, for always pointing out the bright side."

"I am not fat, I am pregnant."

"How much longer do you think I am going to let you get away with that excuse?"

"Hopefully, not more than two months. I am tired of carrying around this bowling ball."

"I will remind your daughter you called her that."

Angelina said, "Ladies, we have one more order of business to take care of before we can adjourn. Gloria, get the box please."

Gloria, put the box on the table in front of Sarah. She took out a laptop computer, a nondisclosure agreement, and a glass-enclosed box of more than 50 high-density flash drives.

Angelina said, "I yield the floor back to the president, Rose Caruso."

"Sarah, I guess you know that they caught me off-guard telling us we are sisters. What we are going to show you now, is something we were going to do, as a corporation to show you our good faith in hiring you. We are going to allow you to open the box. Pick any one of the flash drives, and look at its contents. Before we can give you the entire box, we will need you to sign the nondisclosure agreement for the protection of our family and those friends of ours who helped us gather the information. If you choose not to sign the NDA, the flash drives go back into a vault, until such a time that we feel our families are secure. We will never know if that time will ever come to pass."

Sarah opened the box and took out a flash drive from the center of it. She slid it into the slot and it took quite a while for it to boot up. When it did, and she started reading the information and looked at the graphs that it held, she looked up at the women, and asked, "Where the hell did you get this stuff."