“And what is it, oh wise Frankie, that you think you’re gonna make me see?” she returned snottily.
I was used to Nat’s snotty and I’d learned to ignore it, give it back, or get in there another way.
This was important enough for me to find another way.
So when I replied, I did it quietly.
“The image of a woman who’s in love with a man she’s done wrong.”
Nat said nothing.
I kept going.
“Davey’s a good man and he loves you. He does not deserve this, Nat. And as fucked up as it was how we were brought up, I know deep down somewhere inside you, you know at least that.”
“So he can hit me?” she asked.
“Did he haul off and do that to hurt you, or did he do it because he had no choice?”
“Does it matter?”
“Well, if you live in black-and-white, no. It doesn’t matter. But if you hit him in the head with a vase and gave him a concussion, then didn’t let up on him and you’d lost it like I know you can lose it so he did it in self-defense, that’s pretty gray. So, no. He can’t hit you. But if you’re whalin’ on him and he’s got no choice but to take it and further damage or get physical to get you off him, it sucks to say it, but he can.”
My sister had no reply.
So I pushed, “Did he have a choice?”
She remained silent.
“Natalia, did he have a choice?”
“I never thought Davey would hit me.”
I went still at her words and the way she said them. All but my head, which I lifted, my eyes flying to Benny, who was still watching me.
I could tell by her voice that she was hurt, probably not physically, but emotionally.
Nat didn’t show a lot of emotion. She was Ninette times a thousand. The only thing she wanted was whatever she wanted and nothing dragging on that. That didn’t mean she didn’t have emotion. It just meant she’d learned a long time ago not to show it.
I felt for my sister. This was her consequence for being selfish and stupid, but I knew she loved Davey in her way. And being Nat, tied up in herself and only that, it would take a miracle to get her to see beyond that and to her part in this fucked-up scenario.
I had to force my lips to move when I said, “Nat, honey, please, please, listen. Cat and Art have cleaned up. They’ve been sober for a long time. They’ve been workin’ with a marriage counselor to get strong before they make a baby. I have Benny and I’m happy. He’s good to me and he’s good for me. I learned not to look for Dad, and Cat learned not to act like Mom. We’re both happy. Now you need to learn from that. Sort yourself out. This is not okay what you’ve been doin’ to Davey. And this is really not okay, what happened with Davey last night.”
“No matter what you say, Frankie, there’s no excuse for your man hittin’ you.”
“Is there one for a man’s woman hittin’ him?” I shot back.
She didn’t reply.
“Okay, I know you know the answer to that is a big fat no. So now, tell me this: Is it okay for a man’s wife to keep fuckin’ around on him?” I asked.
“This is you givin’ me shit, Frankie,” she returned.
“This is shit you need, Nat,” I replied.
“No, ’cause see, I got his fuckin’ mother up in my shit and Ninette’s up in her shit and the phone won’t stop fuckin’ ringin’. I gotta work tonight and I don’t need more hassle. You’re hassle. So you’re wrong. I don’t need your shit because my life is pretty fuckin’ shit right now and I’m not lettin’ you make it more.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but the dead I got over the phone couldn’t be anything other than her hanging up on me.
Still, I called, “Nat?” But I got nothing.
I closed my eyes, took the phone from my ear, and saw the call had ended.
I looked back at Benny. “She hung up on me.”
“The wrong answer to say is ‘good,’ but that’s the only one I got, babe.”
“I don’t know what to do next,” I told him.
“Nothin’,” he told me. “You tried. You gave her good wisdom, Francesca. The shit you said was right on the money. She didn’t listen. You did what you could do, but she wants to wallow in her shit. The hard part starts for you now ’cause you gotta let her.”
“Ninette is livin’ with her and that’s not gonna make anything better,” I reminded him.
“Another consequence. She let her ma in, she deals.”
“Maybe I should call Ma and—”
Benny interrupted me, clipping out, “Do not even think about it.”
I shut my mouth. Apparently, Ninette was where Benny drew the line at my family “slicin’ into me.”
“Come here,” he ordered.
“I need a donut.”
“Right. Get you one. Get me one. Then get your ass over here.”
I was standing in the kitchen in my heels, something I’d been doing awhile so I needed a break. This was the only reason I didn’t give him lip. Instead, I grabbed the baker’s box and walked into the living room.
Ben took the box from me, tossed it on the coffee table, and Gus honed in on it immediately. Fortunately, he was too tiny and klutzy to jump up and get a donut (or the whole box). Unfortunately, he didn’t give up. I didn’t want him to hurt himself so I leaned over Benny’s legs to grab hold of him.
I got my hands on Gus just as Ben got his hands on me. I pulled Gus to my chest. Benny pulled my ass onto his lap.
Gus licked my jaw, then threw himself at Benny.
Ben took hold of the dog in one arm, kept hold of his woman in the other, and caught my eyes.
“Chrissy and Eva are okay. Your little sister doesn’t have a ridiculous name, icing on the cake. Your other sister is a whackjob, no surprise. So, with Eva bein’ called Eva, you’re not battin’ five hundred in this mess. I’m thinking seven fifty. Not bad.”
I lifted a hand to scratch Gus’s booty and settled further in Benny’s lap, noting, “Eva being Eva is definitely a silver lining.”
Gus threw himself on the couch, then plopped side-first into a toss pillow and started cleaning himself. Benny wrapped both arms around me and drew me nearer.
“You gonna call your dad?” he asked.
“And say what? You’re a douchebag?” I asked back.
Ben smiled.
I shook my head and gave him the real answer, “No. I have nothing to say to him, and even if I did, he’s less prone to listen to me than Nat was. Doesn’t matter anyway. Chrissy’s a fighter. If he doesn’t do right by Eva financially, she’ll see he does.”
His arms gave me a squeeze. “That’s my Frankie.”
I had no reply because I was his Frankie, and anyway, I was enjoying his words and his arm squeeze enough it took all my attention.
“So, you’re done dealin’ with your whackjob family?” he asked.
I grinned. “I’m done dealin’ with my whackjob family…” I paused, then finished on a warning he already knew, “Today.”
That got another smile from Benny, before, “Right. Next up, choices: watch the game or make out on the couch, then watch the game.”
No choice, really.
I got closer, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. “Make out on the couch, then watch the game.”
His eyes dropped to my mouth and he muttered, “I like the way you think.”
It was my turn to smile.
Ben slid a hand up in my hair and pulled my mouth to his.
Then he twisted and moved so my back was to the couch, he was on me, and his tongue was in my mouth.
I heard my phone start ringing.
Neither of us broke the kiss. We both ignored it.
Some time later, after making out and then watching the game, I went into the kitchen to make my man and myself a sandwich for lunch.
Before doing this, I checked my voicemail.