Act of Necessity Ch. 05-06

"Have you decided on where you will go on your honeymoon?" I asked.

"No ... but Papa has," Gio laughed. "I've got a pretty good idea, though."

"Okay, spill it," I challenged with a grin.

"A cruise. Perhaps to Barcelona, or to the Greek Islands. I saw some brochures one day, that's why I'm thinking it's what they have in mind."

"Oh, Sam, that would be so romantic," Francesca gushed. "Did you hear that, Dal? When we get married, I want to go on a cruise for our honeymoon."

She caught me completely flat-footed with her "when we get married" comment. It seemed to come from ordinary conversation with no thought that it was going to rock me. I tried to conceal my surprise, but failed. After all, I was the one who gave her a promise ring as a special Christmas gift.

"Look at his face, Francesca," Sam pointed in merriment. "He looks like he's been shot."

Sam giggled and poked Francesca in the arm. "You really got him with that one," she said, continuing to have fun at my expense.

I'm sure I was red-faced, but I tried to keep my composure and continue walking as if nothing had happened. It was a hopeless task. Francesca wrapped her arm around mine and leaned into me.

"Don't look so surprised," she said. "You know how I feel. I know how you feel. I'm convinced it's going to happen. Maybe not this year, but soon," she said with a tone of finality.

"Looks like you and I are going to be members of the same club, Dal," Gio said, shaking his head. "Hooked and landed, with no chance of escape."

I continued to hold my peace, knowing that Gio was right. As I thought about it, I wasn't upset or in denial. I had already learned to accept it. ~*~ "I have a date for New Year's Eve, Dal," Darlene announced two days after Christmas.

"You do? Great. Who's the lucky guy?"

"He's the brother of one of the girls who work at the shop. He drives her to and from work. I met him a few weeks ago and we've been talking off and on. He's a nice guy, single, about my age. We're going to double date with his sister and her boyfriend."

"Hey, that's great. It's good to see you getting out. Where are you going?"

"Don't laugh, but it's a dinner dance at the Norwegian Hall."

"Well, that makes perfect sense for a Larson," I smiled.

"I thought so too. His name is Harald Christensen. He's a school teacher at a private school on South Granville."

"Sounds like a good, solid citizen. Good luck, Darlene. I hope you have a good time."

"Thanks, Dal. I owe a lot of my good luck to you. Did I tell you that my divorce is going through uncontested?"

"No ... that must be a relief."

"It is. Another episode in my forgettable past to put behind me."

"Sounds like the future looks a lot brighter for you." I was happy for Darlene and happier still that we had reconciled our differences. I'm sure my renewed sense of family had a lot to do with that.

~*~

Since Giovanni and Samantha would be leaving for Italy in a few days, we decided to double date at New Year's. We were going to the Italian Cultural Center for their annual party and I was looking forward to it. Gio said it would be a real mix of old and young and I wouldn't feel out of place. We chose to take a cab, and made reservations to guarantee we would have one when wanted later that night.

I was prepared for the party, thanks to Gio. It was loud with voices and music, everyone seemingly circulating and greeting everyone else. Francesca was my guide and she tried to introduce me to as many people as she could, but I soon lost track of names and who the people were in her family's world. I did see Carl Villano and his wife, Nicola, and we stopped and chatted as best we could over the din in the crowded hall.

I felt rather than heard Francesca tense up as we moved around the hall. I looked at her and saw a frown with perhaps a worried expression.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's nothing. Just someone I want to avoid," she said, trying to lead me away from where we were.

"Who is it? Why would you want to avoid them?"

"It's someone I know. A guy who wanted to date me. I don't want anything to do with him."

"Is this the guy that gave you the hard time ... got physical with you?" I asked, looking around but seeing no one in particular.

She nodded. "Yes. I want to avoid him, please," she said again, pulling me toward the other side of the room. I followed her gladly, not wanting her to be upset and understanding why she would want to escape him. But it wasn't to be.

"Francesca!" I heard over the noise. I turned as saw a stocky young man working his way toward us. His tie was askew and he showed signs of not being very steady on his feet.

"There you are, Francesca. I've been looking for you. It's time for you to dance with me. Come!" he demanded, grabbing her arm.

"No! Aldo, let me go," she said as he attempted to drag her away.

"Stop that!" I demanded. "She doesn't want to go with you. She's had one bad experience with you, so take the hint and leave," I said.

"Who are you, asshole? Francesca is my girl, not yours. She's coming with me."

"No she's not," I said, standing my ground. I had a good look at him and could see immediately I was over-matched. He was about five-ten, but easily two hundred pounds and looked very muscular.

I didn't want this to deteriorate any further, but I wasn't going to stand by and just let him take her away. On top of that, Francesca had no intention of going with him. To make her point, she kicked him in the shins ... hard.

"Ow! Cut that out. You're coming with me and that's final!" he said with a slurred but belligerent tone.

"No, she's not," I repeated.

We were developing an audience and just about the time I thought things might get physical, Gio and a couple of other men got between me and this Aldo guy and separated us and Francesca. He must have got the message, but wasn't giving up just yet.

"This isn't over, asshole," he sneered at me before walking unsteadily away.

"I'm sorry, Francesca, did he hurt you?"

"No, not really. He's drunk ... as usual. He's got it in his head we are destined to be together. I don't want anything to do with him, but he's not getting the message."

"Do you want to go?" I asked, worried that her evening had been spoiled.

"No ... I'll be alright. You and Gio are here to protect me," she smiled, giving me a nice kiss.

I felt good about that. I might not have felt so good if Aldo whoever decided to get physical with me. He was built like a fire hydrant and I suspect was used to getting into scraps. I wasn't and didn't intend to begin either.

Aldo stayed away for the balance of the evening and Francesca returned to her happy and carefree self quite quickly. I kept an eye out for the belligerent bully, but he kept his distance. Anytime I saw him he had a beer in his hand. When midnight came, we all indulged in the countdown and I kissed my girlfriend soundly to celebrate the arrival of 1984. We stayed for only a few minutes more before our taxi was scheduled to arrive. The four of us got our coats and moved to the entrance to await our ride.

The van pulled up outside the building, twenty yards or so from the entrance and the four of us moved toward it. As we began walking, I felt Francesca being yanked from my grasp. I turned as saw the cause. Once more, Aldo had grabbed her arm and was pulling her away from me.

"Help, Dal, Gio," she screamed.

I moved to rescue her and never saw the person that grabbed me from behind and held me. I looked to Gio and he was being restrained as well. I kicked back with my heel, trying to hit the guy's shin and only managed a glancing blow. In the meantime, Aldo had pushed Francesca to the ground and had stalked toward me. I had no chance to duck the blow from his ham-sized fist.

He hit my head as hard as I'd ever been hit before and I was knocked silly, down on the sidewalk. I struggled to get up before I realized that the guy who had been holding my arms back had his foot on my neck and wasn't letting me up. I could just see Francesca and Gio, both still on the ground as Aldo moved toward them. He kicked Gio in the chest and grabbed Francesca once more.

"Help! Help!" Francesca screamed, earning her a slap in the face from Aldo. That didn't stop her from screaming from the top of her lungs.

I felt helpless and didn't know what I could do to rescue her when the matter was taken out of our hands. Several men appeared and grabbed Aldo and his two companions and frog-marched them into the parking lot. I finally picked myself up off the ground, feeling very dizzy and realizing my head was pounding from the blow Aldo had administered.

"Francesca, are you alright?" I gasped, trying unsuccessfully to help her up. I lost my balance and fell beside her. I managed to look up to her hovering over me before I blacked out. I remembered seeing the tears and feeling very sad that she was crying. Why was she crying?

I awoke in the hallway of the Cultural Center, sitting on a large leather chair. My head was pounding and the pain behind my eyes was intense.

"Here, take this," a strange man said, handing me a glass of water and two pills. I couldn't focus my eyes to see what the pills were, but I took them anyway.

"Francesca?" I asked, looking around.

"She's going to be all right. Her dress was torn and one of the women is getting her something to wear. Gio is going to be fine. We got to them before they could do any real damage to you two."

"Oh ... you could have fooled me. My head is throbbing and I'm having trouble focussing my eyes. I need to see a doctor."

"Yes, he's looking after Samantha. She attacked one of the men and got a bloody nose and a cut lip for her effort. He'll be along to you soon."

I nodded my thanks and immediately wish I hadn't. It felt like my brain was loose in my skull.

"Police? Are they coming?"

"They're here. They're talking to Francesca. You were in no condition to be interviewed," the man said.

"I don't know you, but thank you for your help," I managed, barely able to keep my eyes open without getting dizzy and fearful that I might vomit.

"It's me, Dal. Carl. Geeze, two days off work and already you forget who I am," he chuckled.

"Carl? I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was you. Sorry ... sorry."

"Yeah, I know. He must have hit you really hard. You probably have some kind of concussion. I'll let the doctor decide what to do with you."

"What happened to those guys? Did the police catch them?"

"No, they beat it when they saw they were outnumbered. Don't worry, we know who they are. They won't get away with this."

I put my head back gingerly, wishing the pain would go away. Whatever the pills were, they weren't making my headache any less. Carl left and came back a couple of minutes later with a tea towel wrapped around some ice, holding it gently against my temple. Almost immediately, I felt better.

It was another ten minutes or so before a doctor came to see me. He introduced himself as Doctor Angelli and examined me carefully, asking me a number of questions. I relayed my symptoms to him and he agreed with Carl's early diagnosis that I had at least a low grade concussion. They were going to take me to a hospital for further examination. I didn't argue with him. At that point, I couldn't have even if I wanted to.

~*~

I awoke in the hospital sometime the next morning and the first face I saw was a haggard looking Francesca, Panda eyes, puffy lip, and tear-stained cheeks, looking at me anxiously.

"Hi," I managed weakly.

"Oh, Dallas," she cried, coming quickly to my side. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry this happened to you. It's all my fault."

"No ... not your fault. That Aldo guy is the one. He and his two pals. Too bad they got away."

She was shaking her head. "No, they didn't. They were stopped when they tried to evade a roadblock checking for drunk drivers. Aldo was arrested and taken to jail. I don't know what happened to the other two. I've sworn out a complaint against all three of them and the police have issued warrants for the other two. They didn't get away at all."

"Good. Does anyone know who the other two were?"

"Yes. Several people at the party saw what was going on and knew who they were. They've been cooperating with the police. Those two won't get far."

"Well, don't let me get into another fight with Aldo. That was like getting hit with a hammer," I said. "What about you? Did he hurt you?"

"Just some bruises. I've sworn out an assault complaint against him. He's going to be in jail when this is all over."

"Good place for him," I said, closing my eyes. The light in the room was beginning to bother me.

"You get some rest now, lover," she whispered. "I want you out of here and back home as soon as you can."

"Yeah. Me too," I said, happy to let go and drop back into a dreamless sleep.

When I began feeling better, the parade of visitors seemed endless. The whole Mariani family, Darlene, Carl, several of my staff at the restaurant, and a couple of people I'd only met at the New Year's party all stopped in to wish me a speedy recovery. I felt very good about this many people wanting me to get better quickly.

They kept me in the hospital for an extra day until the dizziness disappeared and my eyes returned to normal. I still had a very sore head, but the headaches were now manageable with Tylenol. It was amazing how weak I felt when they put me in a wheelchair and my troupe of friends pushed me to the exit.

Gio, Sam, Francesca, and I gave our statements to the police. While they didn't exactly promise to throw the book at the three thugs, they did assure us that they would take this to the crown prosecutor's office with their recommendation to file charges for common assault. Aldo Ferraro, as I learned his full name was, would also be charged with driving under the influence. He had a blood alcohol reading of 1.4, almost double the legal limit.

I took the rest of the week off at Carl's insistence. I hadn't taken any vacation since I'd started and I was overdue. This little break was chalked up to sick leave, thanks to the modern health plan the business provided. I hadn't taken much time off at Christmas since we were open every day except Christmas Day. My three assistant managers would be getting plenty of experience with me being off for several days.

Darlene and Francesca were particularly upset at my injuries and the attack by Aldo. Darlene was threatening to do him bodily harm if she ever came in contact with him. To tell the truth, I was thinking the same thing. I had a sinking feeling we hadn't heard the last of him, despite the charges against him. I was pretty sure that the first time he got drunk, he'd do something stupid, so staying well away from him was our first objective.

Mama Rosina took it upon herself to look after me personally. She came to my home for the first time while I was recovering. Between Darlene, Francesca and Mama Rosina, I wasn't left alone for five minutes. I was beginning to accept the idea that Mama Rosina was becoming my mother, a replacement for the one I lost a few years earlier. If that doesn't make a guy feel good, nothing would.

I was well enough to attend the first Sunday supper get-together of the year. It would also be the last one for Gio and Sam, as they would be leaving for Italy on Wednesday. I would be very sorry to see them go. Gio and I hit it off very well and I thought he was very fortunate to find someone of the quality of Samantha for a bride. We would see them again in May at their wedding, but that was almost five months away.

At Francesca's insistence, I had applied for a passport, something I had never before possessed. I would need one for the wedding, but my girl was insisting I not wait until the last minute just in case there was a problem. Surprisingly, Darlene applied for one at the same time. She said it was just in case she needed one.

We bid farewell to Giovanni and Samantha that evening and I headed for my home. It was back to work on Monday and I wouldn't see Francesca until Friday. I was feeling better, with just some bruising to show from the assault. I'd needed to get back to my studies as well. It had been nearly two weeks since I'd last cracked the books.

To Be Continued