by D. J. Manly
Janet made coffee. They drank it, discussed the coffee brand and its aroma. When that was exhausted, Janet gave Sandy a tour of the house. Finally, they sat in the kitchen again and had another cup of coffee.
Janet’s eyes strayed to Sandy’s suitcase, which still sat in the hall. She wondered if she expected to stay here. She supposed she had better ask her. She checked the clock on the wall. It was almost noon. “Would you like some lunch? It’s getting to be that time.”
Sandy shook her head. “No. I’m fine.”
Janet nodded.
“Drake certainly wasn’t stingy with the divorce settlement, Jan,” Sandy sang out suddenly. It was the very first mention of the Russo family. “This is a great house,” she added, sipping her coffee.
“Thank you. No, he’s been good to us. I may have to sell it, however, if my son doesn’t want to live here.”
“Whatever for?” Sandra looked shocked.
“I’m getting married again.” Janet grinned and then laughed. The very thought of it made her feel giddy. She had a hard time believing it herself.
Sandra’s eyes widened. “You and Drake?”
“Good heavens, no. Mac.”
“Mac? Mac Hayes?” Sandy set down her cup.
“Yes. Mac.”
Sandra paused. “But it’s always been Drake, hasn’t it?”
Janet sucked in a breath. “I have to move on. Drake and I...well...it’s never going to be, Sandy. Mac is a good guy and he loves me. Drake is very happy about it.”
“He would be,” Sandra snorted. “He can stop feeling guilty now.”
“Stop it, Janet. Drake and I are friends. That was a long time ago. People make mistakes.”
“Friends.” Sandy shook her blonde head. “I never understood how you could be friends with that—” She paused, as if she couldn’t quite find the word that was appropriate to describe him. “I know how much in love with him you were. I...”
“Sandy,” Janet was squeezing her cup so hard, she thought that she heard it crack, “Stop this. I made friends with Drake for the sake of our son and it worked out well. I don’t blame him anymore, and recent events have...”
“What events?”
“You know that Sophia died recently?” Janet lowered her voice.
“Yes. I heard it on the news,” Sandy said flippantly.
Janet knew there was no love between them. “Well, she revealed some things before she died which...anyway, Johnny will tell you about it. You are planning on seeing him?”
“He’s in Detroit, isn’t he?” Sandy raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, but they will be back to L.A. for the weekend after the show.”
“And Tony...what has happened to him while they are rocking and rolling their way all over the country? Is he on the road too?” Sandy demanded.
“No. He’s here with me. He’s attending a very good school in Beverly Hills. He really likes it, and...”
“He needs to come home.” She waved that away. “L.A. is no place for him.”
“Sandy, he’s getting to know his father.” Janet’s voice was pleading.
“And all his bad habits,” she clipped.
“Maybe so.” Janet stood up and took both cups to the sink. “But he is an adult, Sandy. You can’t make him go home, and I don’t think he wants to.”
They argued about it for a few more minutes, and then Sandy called a truce. “I don’t want to fight after all this time, Janet.” She sighed. She walked over to where she stood at the sink. “Can I stay?” she asked. “It will only be for a few days.”
“Of course.” Janet turned around and looked at her. She kissed her lightly on the cheek. “I was going to ask you to stay. Come, I’ll show you where you can sleep,” Janet replied.
That afternoon when Tony came back from school, Janet had only a few seconds to warn him that his mother was upstairs. She came down as soon as she heard him come in.
Tony was not happy about his mother being there. Janet could see it on his face. He accepted Sandy’s kiss and then put some physical distance between them.
Sandra immediately insisted on taking Tony out for supper. “You don’t mind, do you, Janet? It has been a long time since I’ve seen my son.”
Janet told her that she didn’t mind.
“You choose the restaurant, okay?” She turned to Tony with a smile. “I won’t be long. I’ll just go up and freshen up a bit and then we can go.”
Tony nodded and then flung himself down into an easy chair. As soon as he was sure that his mother was out of earshot, Tony turned to his aunt. “Aunt Janet...I...”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t have warned you sooner, Tony. I did tell her already that you’re an adult, and she can’t force you to go home if you don’t want to.”
“Does Dad know she’s here?”
“I’ll call Mac at the hotel when you guys go to supper and he’ll tell your father.”
“They probably won’t come home at all this weekend, and I was looking forward to...shit...does this mean we won’t be able to fly to Detroit to catch the concert?”
“Well...we can’t very well...” Janet began.
“Ah, shit,” Tony scowled, jumping up from his chair. “I don’t give a damn. I’m going. I promised Kevin—that’s my friend at school—that he could come along. Dad said I could bring a friend if I wanted. He’s really hyped up about it. I can’t let him down. He’s been talking about it all bloody week. Aunt Janet, I want to go, damn it.”
“Talk to your dad and ask him what he thinks. I know it would be rude to and...unless you want her to come along. I mean...”
“Get real,” Tony replied. “Damn it,” he groaned and stalked off to his room.
* * * * * *
Janet let Sandy borrow her car. An hour later, Tony and his mother left for the restaurant. For someone not used to driving in the big city, she did well and he told her so. She made a joke about being a New Yorker and Tony smiled.
With his directions, they eventually made their way downtown. Any famous restaurant such as the Palm Steak House or Morton’s required reservations, so he couldn’t take his mother there. They might have a chance to get into Ivy’s Restaurant because his father had been a regular client before the shooting, but Tony didn’t feel like Ivy’s. They settled for McDonald’s near Hollywood Boulevard.
“I want to go and see where all the stars put their handprints,” Sandy told him after she brought the tray to their table with their Big Macs and drinks.
Tony bit into a French fry as his mother went on making small talk about how she would like to visit Universal Studios and maybe go to the wax museum of the stars.
Finally, Tony had heard enough. “Mom, you didn’t come all the way out here to Los Angeles to take the Walk of Fame, so let’s get this over with. You lied to me about my father and now that I’ve found him, we’re trying to make up for those lost years. I know that you came here to talk me into coming back home, but I’m not going to.”
Sandy sighed. “Honey, listen to me, okay? I didn’t tell you about Johnny because I wanted to protect you from the life he—”
“Mom, you can’t protect me the rest of my life. Dad is no angel. He’s told me about his coke addiction and the time he spent in rehab. He’s been around. He’s had a lot of lovers and he has a tendency to be promiscuous. He’s a rock star. Beautiful people throw themselves at him every single day. There’s a lot of temptation out there, but he’s not a bad person. He loves me. He wants to try and be a father to me and I want to be his son, that’s all.”
“I don’t want to see his world drag you down,” she pleaded. When she saw that he was ignoring her, she slammed her fist on the table. “I won’t allow him to...” The couple at the next table looked at her. She lowered her voice. “Listen, I—”
Tony cut her off. “Mom, I have made mistakes since I’ve been here, but that’s part of growing up. I’ve learned a lot about myself. I know now that I want to be a musician, and that I’m gay.”
&nb
sp; His mother’s mouth dropped open. “I’ll kill him. I’ll kill your father!” She tipped the tray upside down and stood up. The food flew across the floor. “If he’s touched you...I will...I’m going to the police...I....”
Everyone was looking at them now. Tony’s face flamed with embarrassment. He got up and took hold of her arm. “Come with me,” he said between clenched teeth.
On the street, he had everything he could do to prevent himself from hitting her. He shook her instead. “Stop this. Don’t you ever pull anything like that again or I swear I’ll never speak to you again. Listen to me. Johnny Russo never laid a hand on me in that way. How dare you insinuate that?”
“But he made you...you...a queer!” She stammered.
“No one makes anyone queer, Mother. I was gay before I came here. Being in this world allowed me to say it aloud, that’s all. No one cares here if you’re gay or straight or what you are.”
“Why...why didn’t I know? Why didn’t...?” She gave him a desperate look.
“You didn’t know because you didn’t want to know, and I didn’t want to say. Now, drop it. Talking with Dad and Drake and his son has made me feel comfortable with it, that’s all. Now, let’s go back to Aunt Janet’s and have something to eat.”
They walked back to the car. On the way back to his aunt’s house, they drove in relative silence, then Tony brought up the subject of the concert.
“I would really like to go and I promised to bring a friend from school, but if you...”
“No,” she said. “Go ahead. I’ll go sightseeing.”
Tony nodded silently. That was fine with him.
* * * * * *
Janet was not surprised to see Janet and her nephew back so soon. She had called Mac at the Hotel where they were staying in Detroit as soon as they had pulled out of the driveway. When she told him that Sandra was in L.A., Mac didn’t respond for a full minute, then he said, “Oh, shit. Want me to break the news to Johnny?”
“Might as well. I don’t know if I’ll be at the concert or not. Anyway, I’ll see you on the weekend either way.”
“Okay, babe, I love you,” Mac said and hung up.
Less then two hours later, Sandy and Tony were sitting in the kitchen eating sandwiches.
“I take it the restaurant was not good?” Janet enquired innocently.
She got no response, just a dirty look from Tony, so she didn’t ask again.
No one went to the concert. Tony was extremely put out, but he wasn’t brought up to be rude so in spite of his mother’s intention to go sightseeing, he stayed. Needless to say, his friend was also extremely put out, but Tony promised him that he would take him to the next concert in Phoenix.
Sandy was pleasant to both Janet and her son, but Janet knew her well enough to expect that there was a storm brewing underneath.
On Friday afternoon while Tony was at school, Janet sensed that Sandy was ready to have her crisis. She had been marching around the house all morning, drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes. She talked about her house in Ontario. She talked about her impending divorce. Then she turned to face her as if she were ready to do battle.
“How could you have let this happen? Have you no conscience at all? How could you let my son...my innocent boy…be dragged into this...”
“Sandra!” Janet snapped. “Have you lost your mind? This is not a cult you’re talking about. This is Johnny’s world...this is Tony’s father’s life. Might I remind you that first four months Tony was here were spent at the hospital? How much corrupting of Tony do you think Johnny has been able to do while he was in a coma?”
“Does Tony know that his father is in love with his own brother?” Sandy put her hands on her hips. “Don’t deny it, Janet, we both know why our marriages never lasted. Does Tony know that?”
“I think so, yes. I don’t know.” Janet threw up her hands. “What does it matter now?”
“Dear God. Doesn’t he realize that the whole family is warped, perverted and...”
“Janet. Talk to Johnny. That’s what you really want...to see Johnny, because you never got over him. You still love him. He’ll explain things to you.”
Sandy blinked; her eyes filled. “How dare you! I’m the one who went away, but you moved yourself down the street from Drake. Which one of us never got over things?”
“Neither one of us, maybe…but at least I hung around and faced my feelings. You ran away. You wanted to punish Johnny. I tried to be friends with Drake so that...”
Sandy laughed. “You’re a joke. You didn’t do this for your son. You did it for yourself. You wanted to be near Drake in case one night he should lose his way and wander down the street....”
“Stop it!” Janet snapped. “You’re right. I wanted him back, but he was never coming back. Eventually, I accepted that. You couldn’t bear to be near Johnny without having him, so you ran away and denied Tony his father. That was selfish, but you’ve always been selfish, Sandy. You punished Tony along with Johnny, and Tony was innocent. He did nothing to deserve...”
“And what did he miss through those years? Where is your son now? I don’t see him devoting himself to his mother, expressing his gratitude for plunging him into this insane world out here. Where is Drake Junior anyway? Is he in prison, on drugs, a prostitute? He’s probably a drugged-out fag playing guitar in some hole somewhere!”
The slap came swiftly and directly. Janet’s chest was heaving. “You can say what you want about me, but you leave my son out of this.” She was seething at her now. “Drake is a wonderful, intelligent, talented and caring young man, and we are both proud of him. Now pack your bags and get the hell out of my house!” Janet was shaking. She stood glaring at Sandy for a few minutes, then turned away and walked out of the room.
Tony stood at the door of the room. He shook his head. “That was a terrible thing to say, Mother, since you don’t know anything about Angelo. You haven’t seen him since he was a baby.”
“Any child that has Drake Russo’s genes,” Sandra spat, “is a spawn of garbage.” She blinked back tears. Her face was red. “You’ll figure it all out eventually, my son, after it’s too late, after they suck you in, make you want them and love them and then leave you without so much as a second glance.”
Tony blinked. He felt his head pounding. Angelo had left without even saying goodbye.
“Well,” she said softly, “Looks like I have been given my packing orders. Any suggestions for a hotel?”
“There’s the Hyatt on Hope Street or the Beverly Wilshire, but you may not want to pay that much,” Tony managed to reply.
“The sky’s the limit. Just find me a room for the week, okay?”
“Why a week?” Tony asked.
“Because that’s how long I figure it will take for me to see your father and for the two of us to talk you into coming home with me.”
Tony started to protest, but Sandy held up a hand. “Not now. I’m not in the mood. Just find me a hotel room in this terrible city and then call me a cab.” She handed him her credit card.
Tony booked her into the Hollywood Hyatt on Sunset Boulevard. He called her a cab when she told him that she was ready. On the way out the door, she turned, put down her bag and kissed him. She held him for a minute as if she didn’t want to release him. “Talk to your father. Tell him I intend to see him. Call me at the hotel and let me know when he’s available to see me. You did say he was coming home for the weekend?”
Tony nodded. “Yes, that is their plan. They go on to Phoenix next week.”
She nodded. The cab appeared in front of the house suddenly and the cabbie blew his horn. She left. Tony watched the taxi ride away.
On Saturday afternoon around three, the limo pulled up outside Janet’s house. Johnny and Mac got out.
Mac went directly into the house to see Janet and Johnny walked around the back to say hello to Tony, who was lying by the pool. “Thought I’d find you here.” It was an unusually warm day. “Hope you put sunscreen on,” he added.
Tony looked up and grinned. “Hi, Dad. How did the concert go?”
“Good. How are you?” he asked, pulling up a patio chair. He was overdressed in his jeans and long-sleeved shirt. It was obvious that he hadn’t been home yet.
“Okay.” He squinted at him, then said, “Mom is at the Hyatt on Sunset.”
“I see. Things didn’t work out between her and Janet, then?”
“They had a fight.”
“Oh. Surprise...surprise.” He clicked his tongue. “Well, does she want to see me?”
“Ya, she does.” Tony sat up now and looked at him. “Are you going to?”
Johnny shrugged and then laughed. “Why not?” He looked so handsome in the sun, its rays shining off his long curly hair.
“Dad, she wants you to convince me to go back with her. You won’t...” Tony began. “I really like the school and...”
“Tony, that decision is up to you, and that’s what I’ll tell her. You’re more than welcome to live here as long as you want, but I won’t stand in your way if you decide to go back.”
“I want to stay.”
“Good,” he said, leaning over and squeezing his shoulder. “Call the hotel and see if she’s there. If she is, I’ll go and see her.”
“Right now?” Tony said, surprised.
“I’m a little tired and I want to get this over with. I’ll go home, take a shower and change and be at her hotel at...eh...” He checked his watch. “Let’s say three o’clock.”
Tony pulled himself out of the lawn chair, and they both went into the house.
Tony called the hotel and asked for her room while Johnny joined Mac and Janet in the kitchen for a glass of iced tea.
His mother answered on the second ring. He asked her if Johnny could come at three o’clock to see her. She said yes.
Tony told his dad it was okay, and Johnny nodded to his son and then walked back outside. It was one of those balmy L.A. days when the fog is thick and heavy and the humidity was high. He felt unusually tired.
He got into the limo and sat back, closing his eyes. He was glad to be in the air-conditioned vehicle. Even if he had been given a clean bill of health by the doctors, the concerts were taking a lot more out of him than before. He was no longer twenty-two, and he had almost lost his life recently. It would come back, but perhaps it was going to be slower than he would like.
