REVELATION: An excerpt from "Watching"

[mjcmmv]

 

REVELATION: An excerpt from "Watching"

By MJ

 

September 1993
Gina

She carried the ice-cold sodas on a tray, watching the young man as he stretched out on the deck close to his father.

Sonny had agonized over this visit with his son. It had always bothered him that he'd missed so much of Billy’s childhood. Sporadic visits and Christmas phone calls only made him drown in guilt, especially when he sensed the boy’s smoldering resentment. Gina had encouraged Sonny to call, recognizing how much it meant to him to reestablish the family ties that had almost been severed forever.

When the boy had arrived last Friday night, he seemed distant and uncomfortable. There was a hint of hurt in his eyes. But Sonny’s good humor and generous nature managed to gradually thaw the ice. So, she had insisted that he take Billy out for a sail on the St. Vitus, for just a few days.

“Go fishing,” she said to him. “It’s what fathers and sons do.”  

“Wish me luck,” he whispered as he hastily kissed her goodbye.

“You don’t need luck, Sonny. The love is still there. You just have to rekindle the flame a little.”

“Always in my corner, Calabrese, no matter what.” 

“I’m in for the long haul this time.”

He laughed as he tapped the tip of her nose playfully. “You don’t know what you’re in for then.”

She shielded her eyes from the sun’s brilliance as she looked up at him. “I’ve known you for a while now, Crockett. I think I know exactly what I’m in for.”

He studied her for a moment, his expression thoughtful. “Are you sure you don’t want to come? It’s great weather for a sail.”

“Not this time. Enjoy your son.”

When they were due back, she had come to the dock to wait, hoping Sonny had managed to make things work. She saw the sail in the distance and knew at once it was the St. Vitus Dance. Her eyes glued to the horizon, watching until she saw the boy waving to her and Sonny grinning as he carefully guided the sailboat back into the slip.

Now, they had been back from their trip a full hour and she could tell there was no longer any tension in the air. Both were shirtless, their skin bronzed by the tropical sun. Along with the same tousled blonde hair and boyish grin, the resemblance between them was unmistakable. The scene made her sigh. They looked happy as they sat there together, drinking sodas in contented silence. She had always known that Sonny’s need to be a good father was a powerful force in his life. He had often told her how much he wished he could make up for the past by getting the chance to do things over again.

Maybe now, he’ll have that chance…

She shuddered with apprehension, wondering how he was going to react to what she had to tell him. After all, commitment had never been one of Sonny’s strong points.

“How am I going to do this?” she asked herself. 

Even though she knew that he loved her it had come as a complete surprise when a year ago, he had suggested they move in together. Living under the same roof had been good for their relationship, bringing them closer and defining them as a couple. But making the arrangement permanent had never been brought up for discussion so she wasn’t exactly sure where she stood.

“My flight’s at eight, Dad,” she heard Billy say.

“Oh, right, son. Slipped my mind,” Sonny said regretfully. “Guess I hated to see it end.”

“We have a winter break in February,” the kid said, hopefully. Sonny glanced over at him with a grin. “Then February it is.” 

Billy smiled back, obviously confident that this time, his father would keep his word.

"Bye, Gina,” Billy said as he pecked her on the cheek.

“Come back soon, Billy. It was great to see you.”

“Thanks, I will.”

Gina had always liked Billy. Direct and to the point, like his Mom, Caroline. Full of mischief like his Dad. Having him here had been good for her as well.

By the time Sonny got back from the airport, the sparkle of the Miami skyline had already begun to light up the bay. Gina gripped the chair arms tightly when she heard him come onto the deck. “Hey, beautiful,” he called out cheerfully, pulling a deck chair over and sitting down next to her.

“You both looked like you were enjoying each other, Sonny,” she said, looking over at him. “It was a good visit, wasn’t it?”

He was silent for a moment. “More than good, Gina. It was a revelation of sorts.”

She seemed puzzled. “Revelation?”

“I got my son back. I didn’t deserve it, but somehow, I got this great kid with a heart full of forgiveness. Thank God, he never gave up on me.”

“That’s no surprise. Look at his father; a man who is so loving and loyal. Must have rubbed off, don’t you think?”

He smiled at her gratefully. “Yeah, well, this whole week made me start to think about the future and all.”

Her stomach muscles tensed.

“Look…you and I… I know we’ve kind of left things hanging. I’ve been wanting to bring this up for a while anyway and I guess this weekend’s family time was just the whack on the head I needed.”

Now, Gina bit her lip. “I have to tell you something, Sonny.”

“Wait, wait. Let me finish. I’m on a roll, Gina. I need to get this out all in one breath or I’ll lose my nerve.”  He pulled his chair around so that now, they were facing one another. 

“Let me start again.” He paused for a moment. “So, we’ve been back together for a year now.”

She nodded silently, looking down at her hands.

“Yeah, a whole year,” he continued. “Maybe not the easiest year for you, but, a miracle of sorts for me.” He put his hand under her chin and lifted her face up until their eyes met. “I know what I’ve got and I don’t want to let it go. What I’m trying to say is… I love you and I want us to be together, for always.”

Gina’s eyes widened.

“Ah, hell, Gina! It’s hard enough for me to do this without you looking at me that way! I want you to marry me, damn it! There, I said it!”

Gina laughed. “How romantic, Crockett. How could I refuse?”

“You know what I mean,” he chuckled. “I should have asked you a long time ago, but then I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about the “forever” part. At least not until you were sure I was staying put this time.”

“Good point, but I think I’m past worrying about that by now.”

She wanted to hug him close and give him the answer she had imagined she’d give him so many times in her dreams. Instead, she said, “Sonny. I love you too. But there’s something you have to know.”

Disappointment registered in his eyes. “Ah, okay… you probably want to think about it, I guess. Maybe it’s not what you want right now…I’m sorry. I thought…”

“No, you don’t understand! This is all I’ve ever wanted!” she cried, tears spilling over onto her cheeks.”

He frowned. “Then you’re right, Gina. I don’t understand.”

Sighing unhappily, she looked out across the bay. “I’m pregnant, Sonny,” she said, her voice so soft, he had to strain to hear her words.

“Pregnant?” he whispered. The shock on his face almost frightened her. 

“Yes, six weeks.”

“My God…Gina!” 

She looked up fearfully and was relieved to see his eyes were dancing with excitement. "I don’t want you to feel forced into anything. I understand if this changes things.”

“Changes things? No way, lady,” his said in a voice that was soft and tender. 

He pulled her over onto his lap and put his arms around her protectively. "This makes things better than ever. You and me... parents! Do you know what that means?"

"Yes, I think I do!" she laughed. "It means diapers, bottles and two am feedings. That's a repeat performance for you Crockett. Are you sure you are up for it? After all, Billy's fifteen. That's a pretty big gap." 

"This time," he said without hesitation. "This time it will be perfect." 

She heard him sigh as he brushed his lips against her cheek. “Thank you, Gina.” he murmured. She thought she saw the bright sparkle of tears. "Marry me," he asked her gently. 

“You know I will, Crockett,” she told him with a smile.

 

Edited March 1, 2020 by mjcmmv

[Robbie C.]

Nice tone! You've got a scene here a fair number of people wanted to see, and paint it well.

[mjcmmv]

1 minute ago, Robbie C. said:

Nice tone! You've got a scene here a fair number of people wanted to see, and paint it well.

Thanks....Not for everyone, but there are a fair amount of folks out there who may like it.

[Robbie C.]

It's good, natural dialog, too. Sometimes that's hard for people to pull off in fan fiction, but you've got the tone for both of them.

[mjcmmv]

32 minutes ago, Robbie C. said:

It's good, natural dialog, too. Sometimes that's hard for people to pull off in fan fiction, but you've got the tone for both of them.

Thanks!! I appreciate the feedback.

[Robbie C.]

1 minute ago, mjcmmv said:

Thanks!! I appreciate the feedback.

No problem. Our writing doesn't get better if we don't talk to each other about it.

[vicegirl85]

This whole saga is one of my favorite fanfics!

[mjcmmv]

On 5/24/2019 at 6:11 PM, vicegirl85 said:

This whole saga is one of my favorite fanfics!

That is so kind of you, vicegirl85! Thank you!

LOL, saga! Yeah, it's pretty long, for sure. I'd post the rest, but it might make the site crash!  

 

 

Edited June 4, 2019 by mjcmmv