Chapter 5

"Antonia, come downstairs."

"Yeah, Dad, what's up?"

"I've decided you can go to the movies or hit the mall whenever you want."

"I know you, Dad. There's gotta be a catch. What do I have to do to get this awesome privilege?"

"Antonia, everything I do is to keep you safe. Enjoy the movie. Better get ready; it starts soon."

"Thanks, Dad. I will."

"Hurry up; your date's gonna be here in ten minutes."

"Aw, crap. I knew it."

"Antonia, watch your language."

"Dad, if there was a way to ruin my day, you'd spend a year finding it."

Tony approached his daughter. "You've got a choice, young lady: either go to the movies with the guy I've picked out or head to your room."

"Which one did you pick, Dad? The chubby one or the garlic-breathed guy?"

Frank walked in through the front door.

Antonia glanced at him and quipped, "Oh, you went with the brainless one."

Frank overheard Antonia's comment and inquired, "Is it true, ma'am, that when young women hit puberty, they think everything in the world revolves around their period?"

Tony burst into laughter, while Antonia stood speechless, her mouth gaping open.

"Cat got your tongue, ma'am, or is my foot so far down your throat you can't speak?" Frank teased.

"Frank, I've never seen her speechless before," Tony remarked.

"It's the nun training, Tony. She's dying to say something, but she's 'suffering in silence,'" Frank explained.

Antonia finally snapped out of it and spat, "I can't stand you, you loser."

"How much cash did you blow on her schooling, sir?" Frank asked.

Tony burst into laughter and sauntered off.

"You won't get away with this, Frank," Antonia seethed.

"Yes, ma'am. I'll snag you a dictionary with simple words, so they'll roll off the tongue easier," Frank replied casually.

Antonia screamed in frustration and stormed out the front door ahead of him.

As they sat in the car, Antonia stewing in silence, Frank turned to her. "So, did you or your dad choose the movie you're seeing?"

"I haven't been allowed to pick anything for myself since forever," Antonia grumbled.

"Can you just keep quiet?" Frank asked.

"Well, according to you, 'I suffer in silence,'" Antonia shot back.

"In that case, when we get to the theater, you can choose whichever movie you want, as long as it's not too wild," Frank said, trying to lighten the mood.

"I saw Vincent getting it on with a girl on my computer the other day, and now I can't go to a wild movie," Antonia confessed.

"How on earth did you manage that without being in the same room?" Frank asked, surprised.

"My dad hooked me up with one of those fancy smartphones. I stashed it in his room and it streamed live pics straight to my computer. Then, I saved it," Antonia explained.

"If your dad ever catches wind of that, he'll flip," Frank warned.

"I'm not planning on telling him. Are you?" Antonia countered.

"Nah, this is our own private talk, in my book. Whatever you spill to me when we're alone, it stays between us. I won't break that trust, unless it puts your safety at risk. Sound good to you?"

"If I vented about my old man, you wouldn't go running to him with it, right?" Antonia asked.

"Judging by the size of that handprint on your cheek, I figure you've said your piece about your pops, loud and clear, right to his face," Frank remarked.

"Sometimes nuns and I don't keep quiet about stuff, either," Antonia added.

They pulled into the cinema parking lot, and Antonia scanned the movie listings. Spotting "Goodfellas," she asked if they could see it.

"No way, not happening," Frank replied firmly.

"Why not, Frank?" Antonia pressed.

"Because your dad practically lives that movie every day, Antonia, and I don't want you seeing what he's involved in," Frank explained.

"Isn't that all the more reason for me to check it out for myself?" Antonia countered.

"It's a good point, but you're not watching that one with me," Frank insisted.

Antonia then suggested, "How about 'Ghost'?"

"Yeah, that one's fine," Frank agreed.

Two hours later, Frank practically had to drag Antonia out of the theater. She was a wreck, completely inconsolable. The movie she'd chosen for her big screen debut wasn't the horror flick she'd expected; it was a real tearjerker that shattered her eighteen-year-old heart.

"I just wanna go home, Frank. Now," Antonia sobbed.

"Sure thing, ma'am," Frank replied.

Once they got home and Frank opened the front door for her, she bolted straight to her room in tears. Tony rushed over to Frank, demanding to know what had happened to his daughter.

All Frank could do was laugh. And the more he laughed, the angrier Tony got.

"Tony, I let her watch 'Ghost.' She thought it was gonna be a horror flick. I knew it was a love story but didn't clue her in. Once Demi Moore started bawling, so did Antonia. She hasn't stopped since. I damn near had to carry her outta the theater. I've never laughed so hard in my life. And I think that just made her cry more. You might wanna send Rose up there with a whole gallon of water 'cause that girl's gotta be dry as a bone by now."

Tony burst into laughter, praising Frank for his first date handling. "Frank, next time I'll stash a five-gallon jug of Gatorade in the car, just in case this happens again," he joked.

Over the next few weeks, Frank and Antonia settled into a routine. They'd hit up one of the local malls every day for a few hours, then catch dinner and a movie twice a week.

The more time Antonia spent with Frank, the more she opened up to him. She realized he was keeping his word not to spill their secrets to her dad.

Meanwhile, Frank was busy planting bugs in the house whenever he got the chance. He couldn't find an excuse to snoop around in the basement, where he figured any real business went down during Tony's home meetings.

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