Wait a second! Before you read this, have you read ‘The Morning After’?
Paula strolled into her father’s office around the late afternoon with a pep in her step and a smile as wide as the Nile is long across her face.
“Who’s got you all smiley today?” Pauly asked, leaning back in his chair, a look of amusement on his face.
“I’m not a betting man, but I’d bet good money that it’s the same person that had her howling at two A.M.” Mikey said.
Paula punched her little brother in the arm as their father and uncle erupted into a fit of laughter.
“Aw come on honey. You’re in love! That’s no reason to beat the boy.” Vinny said with a chuckle.
Pauly looked at his daughter with a twinkle in his eye. If he were more of a ‘normal dad’ he’d tease her about wanting to meet the woman, but that wasn’t a thing they did. Paula often said that no woman would ever meet her father until she and Paula were married.
“Woah, woah, woah. I don’t know about all of that.” Paula said, stretching her hands out in front of her, physically rejecting the idea.
The LaVine men all laughed before settling down and getting to the reason they were all gathered in Pauly’s office to begin with.
“So what’s the forecast looking like?” Pauly asked, leaning back in his chair and looking over at his brother.
Paula had to fight the urge not to roll her eyes; Her father always spoke in code. Even when he’d given her ‘the talk’, his explanation of sex was riddled with metaphors. Her mother use to say that had he not been born into a life of crime Pauly would have been a poet or a writer of some sort.
“Weatherman says it’s supposed to be a blizzard.” Vinny said with a grin.
Paula wasn’t a big fan of the drug side of the family business and Pauly knew that. Paula had seen too many men trade their potential for dime bags; too many women with devoted husbands and picture-perfect kids, trade in their amazing lives to walk the streets at night, selling their bodies. And worse of all, mothers selling their children off to monsters, all in the name of getting a quick fix.
As her uncle went on and on about how he was about to ‘bring a snowstorm to The Big Apple’, Paula looked at her father. Paula was closer to Pauly than his own shadow; she knew him like the back of her hand. Often times they’d have entire debates without ever uttering a word. She could read him like a book; And in that moment, sitting across from him, she wasn’t liking any of what she was seeing.
But, she knew better. So she kept her mouth shut and let her uncle ramble on and on until, thank God, his phone buzzed.
“Aw shit, Pauly, I gotta go. I’ll swing by later this evening so we can finish this conversation.” Vinny said, his fingers flying over his screen.
After bidding his niece and nephew farewell, he rose up from his seat and made his way out the door.
Following behind his uncle, Mikey made his way to the bathroom, leaving the father and daughter alone in the office.
Rising up from her chair, Paula closed the door before turning around to look at her father.
“Tell me you’re not serious about this ‘nationwide domination’ crap with uncle Vinny.” Paula said looking at her father.
Pauly leaned back in his chair and looked at his daughter.
“I’m thinking about it. It’s pretty genius.” Pauly said with a smile.
Paula felt her stomach churn. Sure, they sold a little weed and coke on the streets of New York; but that never really bothered Paula. Most of their customer base were soldiers looking for an exit from the never-ending PTSD rollercoaster, hookers looking to forget the countless animalistic men, and rich assholes just looking for a good time. But what Vinny had just detailed in their little meeting was far beyond anything Paula, her father, and his men have ever been a part of.
“Why are you making that face?” Pauly asked, his smile growing dim.
“I can’t see you.” Paula said shaking her head.
“What the hell are you talking about?” He asked with a frown.
“You look A LOT like my dad, but the things that just came out of your mouth, the things you’ve just agreed to in that poor excuse of a ‘meeting’, my father would never be involved in any of that. My dad has morals and a conscience.” She said.
Pauly rolled his eyes.
“Paula, don’t be ridiculous! If the junkies on the street wanna get fucked up, then that’s on them.” He said with a shrug.
Paula stared into the eyes of one of the handfuls of men she love and trusted; The light that lit him up and made Pauly the superhero, the magical man that Paula knew and loved blew out.
Sitting across from him, Paula felt like she was staring at a complete stranger.
Paula could literally feel the temperature fall to below freezing. Unable to look at him any longer, she rose up from her seat and began making her way to the door.
“Paula, where the hell are you going?!” Pauly yelled after her.
Pulling the door on her way out, Paula exited the office.
Uh-oh, looks like their trouble within the LaVine family. Do you think this is just a bump in the road or could she really walk away? If she does walk away how do you think this will effect her and Dani’s relationship? Tune in next week to find out.
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