Author's note: Surprising as this may seem, this story isn't quite as much about Lino and Lenny as my other Shark Tale fanfics. It's more about Victor and his love life. Regardless, I hope you all enjoy!
Veronica's Letter
Saturday. The one day of the week that Victor couldn't stand. For most nineteen-year-old guys, waiting for Saturday was like waiting for Christmas morning as a six-year-old kid. But to Victor, waiting for Saturday was like sitting in the waiting room at the dentist's office. Saturdays were just such a drag to him. Since he only worked at the Wash on weekdays, he was always cooped up in his tugboat house all alone on weekends. He had always been an outgoing, social young shark. If he had nothing to do and no one to spend time with, he could have easily lost his mind. Being all by himself in his deadly quiet house made him think he might as well be locked up in a mental rehabilitation center. It was especially lonely now that his parents were both dead. And as we all know, his dad Vince was an abusive, low-life scumbag. Ordinarily nothing pleased Victor more than knowing that Vince was no longer a part of his life, but on a day as quiet and dull as today, having Vince back sounded pretty charming.
Victor slumped on the living room sofa not caring about his posture, inhaled deeply, and let out a long, loud sigh. The slight echo that resulted had been one of the only things he had heard all morning. Oh how he wished that something he could do would just fall from the clear, blue sky. But it wasn't that easy. He wasn't in a relationship and his best friends in the world lived more than three hours away. He'd love to go visit them, but for all he knew they could've been busy. And he was in no mood to swim all the way to the Southside Reef only to find his friends either working or running errands. So as long as he was bored at home, he figured he might as well think of something he could do for entertainment. He could watch TV… if he only knew where the remote was. He could go out and grab a bite to eat… if he was hungry, which he wasn't. He could finish that book he bought last week… if he hadn't already finished it the night before. But what else was there? As lonely as he was, he would never be reduced to solitaire and jigsaw puzzles.
"Ugh," he moped. "I am so bored. Why does the Wash have to be closed on weekends?"
For twenty minutes, he sat motionless on the sofa as if expecting to fall asleep. Every minute seemed like an eternity. The house was so quiet, the dropping of a pin to the floor would seem like a volcano eruption to him. Any minute now, he knew sleep would be coming.
Pretty soon, he thought the best place for a nap would be his bedroom. He slowly and miserably rose from the sofa and left the living room. Upon entering his bedroom, he sat down on his bed and looked around the drab room.
"Maybe it's time for some redecorating," he said to himself.
As you could imagine, a bedroom in a sunken tugboat is not exactly a pretty sight. Victor's room was no exception. Paint chipping from all four walls, the wood of all the furniture rotting, and algae growing on almost every surface. Sometimes, he was surprised the floorboards were still perfectly screwed in. Suddenly, a thought hit him like a sack of bricks. The floorboards! He remembered one of them was loose. He used to put all his favorite things under it as a kid. To him, it was a sort of buried treasure game. But that was a long time ago, before he even turned thirteen. He didn't even remember what kinds of weird stuff he had put there. Then again, it wouldn't hurt to find out. Heck, it would give him something to do for a while. Suddenly he didn't feel like a nap anymore.
He quickly threw himself onto the floor and began inspecting all the floorboards surrounding his bed. He couldn't remember off the top of his head which board was the loose one, but he remembered it was on the right side of the bed.
He tried about four or five boards until he finally found the one he was looking for. He removed the board from the floor and reached inside to see what he could find in the small dark hole. Moments later, he felt his fins touch something rectangular made of cardboard. He grabbed it with both fins and pulled it out from under the floor. Once it was visible in the light, Victor smiled. It may have been just a small, slightly dented cardboard box that was no bigger than a shoebox, but oh the memories it brought back. He took a few minutes to himself before opening it to see what was inside. This was a moment he always wanted to remember.
After about two minutes, he slowly removed the box's lid and pulled out the first of the contents; a small action figure of a hammerhead shark. Victor chuckled. "Captain Hammerhead," he said to himself (Does this ring a bell to anyone? Hint: Chapter eleven of "Weaknesses"!). He had gotten that action figure the day he turned eight. It used to be his most prized possession. Looking down at its' half smiling face took him right back to his childhood. "Oh the times I had with you."
He set the action figure down on the floor beside him and continued rummaging through the old box. Everything else inside it was a bit unusual but he couldn't help but smile at every last one of them. His last baby tooth, the scarlet and brown scarf his mother had knitted him when he was five (he secretly hated it and had hidden it for that purpose), a candy wrapper from his favorite Swedish fish, and his old retainer from when he was twelve.
He laughed to himself as he admired all of these old treasures. "Wow, I sure was a weird little kid," he thought.
But then, something else in the box caught his eye. Something he was sure he'd never seen before. At the very bottom of the small box was a humble white envelope that had been sealed. At first Victor wondered how that got there, but ultimately decided not to worry about that and to see what it was. He removed the envelope from the box and turned it over to the front. A wave of sadness suddenly washed over him. On the front of the envelope was written in black ink and beautiful penmanship, "To Victor with love, from Mom."
Even for Don Lino, this particular Saturday was no fun. He sat at his desk pretending he had something to do. Luca was away at the Southside Reef's Cephalopod Orchestra's recital, which meant there was no one to socialize with today. The office felt like a prison cell to Lino. What was the point of even coming in today? Business was always slow on weekends. He'd much rather have spent the day with his family, but Lenny was still recovering from his near-death experience caused by Vince and Kathleen hadn't been herself since three days earlier when she had heard of her sisters husbands passing. But now wasn't a good time to think about death. Now was a good time for Lino to focus on the very little work he needed to complete. Even though he could easily have it finished and be done for the day in ten minutes.
Then he heard a gentle, dainty knock on his office door. He looked up from his paperwork wondering who on earth would want to visit him on a day as dull as this.
"Come in," he called to the knocker.
The door opened to reveal two young girl sharks whom Lino took to be sisters. Although they weren't exactly identical in appearance or age, they looked similar enough for him to make this assumption. The younger and (judging by her large smile) perkier of the two looked like she was about Lenny's age and was holding a pink handbag covered with white hearts. As for her appearance, she was, there really was no other word for it, beautiful. Her sparkling blue eyes were like sapphires and her teeth were so spotlessly clean that the whitest pearls on earth would envy them. Around her slender neck, she wore a silver initial necklace bearing a diamond-studded D. Her big sister looked like she was in her mid twenties and was holding a red floral-printed handbag. She was plain in appearance compared to her sister, but she could still be considered pretty. Although she wasn't exactly beautiful, her unusual teal green eyes had a certain way of making a person want to keep looking at her, almost like an addiction. She also was wearing an initial necklace similar to her sister's except the letter on hers was an R.
The two girls came into the office and stopped right in front of Lino's desk. Lino looked up at them wondering why these two strange girls were smiling so unusually at him when he was certain he had no clue who they were.
"Uh, can I help you two?" he asked curiously.
"I really hope so," said the older sister. "We were just wondering if you knew where we could find Don Lino."
"You're lookin' at him," Lino replied.
The two girls gasped. "You?" the older one asked.
"Uh, kinda."
"I'm sorry," the older sister continued, "but that can't be right. The Don Lino we remember is big and cute, but nowhere near this handsome."
This statement instantly gave Lino a bad impression on these girls. He suddenly became a little more serious with them. "Alright look here, Missy. I don't know who you are, but good young ladies would show a little more respect for their elders than that."
The older sister scoffed in a joking manner. "And a good uncle would recognize his favorite nieces after not seeing them for five years," she said.
Lino, now slightly less confused, took a closer look at the two girls and an even closer look at the letters on their initial necklaces. R and D. At last, he finally recognized them as his sister-in-law's daughters. A smile broke out on his face as he rose from his seat and approached the elder sister.
"Ruby," he said pulling her into a hug.
"Hey, Uncle Lino," she said happily.
"How ya doin', girl?"
"Great!"
Lino then turned to Ruby's younger sister, who merrily waved hello to him as if she was three years old. "And little Daniela, not so little anymore are ya?" He hugged her tightly and playfully lifted her right off the floor. Daniela let out a small shriek and started laughing and shaking in her uncle's embrace. "But still little enough to lift up," Lino chuckled.
"Uncle Lino! Put me down!" Daniela laughed.
Lino joined her in laughing as he lowered her back down. "You still love that, don't ya Kiddo?"
"It never gets old, Uncle Lino," Daniela smiled.
"I thought you girls were coming next week."
"We were, but Mom couldn't wait any longer to see Aunt Kathleen," Ruby explained rather sadly. "She really hasn't been herself since… you know."
Daniela placed a caring fin on her sister's shoulder.
"Yeah, Kathleen told me everything. I'm really sorry about your old man," Lino said sympathetically to his nieces. "You girls holding up okay?"
"Yeah, we're doing our best," said Daniela. "Sometimes we feel like crying but Daddy would want us to be strong."
"Glad to hear it. So where's your mom?"
"Right here," said a voice coming from the doorway.
The speaker was none other than Lino's sister-in-law, Rita, who entered the office with Kathleen right behind her. Rita was Kathleen's younger sister by two years. Daniela had inherited her breath-taking beauty but Ruby had inherited her unique teal eyes. There was certainly no denying that she and her daughters were related.
Lino managed the weakest smile imaginable. He knew Rita must've been going through a great deal of pain at the moment, despite her smiling face. "Hey, Rita," he said, hugging her affectionately. Unlike most in-laws, Lino and Rita got along just fine (lol).
"Hey, Lino."
"You doing good?"
Rita nodded. "Yeah, the girls and I are hanging in there."
"I'm sorry about Damian."
"Oh, thanks so much for your concern," said Rita. "It's just such a wake-up call. One minute it's like he's the healthiest shark alive and the next thing you know, he's having a heart attack."
"I bet it was a wake-up call," said Lino. "But at least you're not dealing with it alone. You've still got these two."
Rita smiled at her girls. "Yeah. Lord knows what I'd do without them."
"Rita, you've had a long trip over here. Why don't I treat you and the girls to coffee and lunch?" Kathleen offered.
"That sounds great, Sissy. But I think the girls would rather stay here. It's been a long time since they've seen their uncle and cousins."
"Oh yeah that's right," said Daniela. "We haven't seen Lenny and Frankie yet."
Lino and Kathleen both felt an unpleasant mixture of shock and stupidity. They had completely forgotten to mention to Rita, Ruby, and Daniela that Frankie was dead.
"Well what are we waiting for?" Ruby said excitedly. "Let's go find them!"
Lino tried to get their attention. "Uh girls, there's something we should…" But before he could finish, both Daniela and Ruby had joyfully swum off leaving the three adults alone. Lino and Kathleen looked sadly into each other's eyes.
"I guess they're gonna have to find out the hard way," said Lino.
Rita looked at them both curiously. "Find what out? Did I say something I shouldn't have?"
"I'll tell you on the way to the restaurant," Kathleen said taking her sister by the fin. "Lino, keep an eye on them while we're gone, okay?"
"Yeah, sure," Lino replied blandly.
Once Kathleen and Rita had left, Lino was once again left alone in his office. Alone with the horrid thoughts of how his nieces would handle the death of their beloved cousin. And to think, they've already lost the most important man in their lives. The ringing of Lino's telephone suddenly interrupted these thoughts.
"Hello? Oh hey, Victor, how's it goin'?"
Ruby and Daniela decided to see Lenny first because they remembered his room was closest to Lino's office. They speedily swam through the long hallway and finally stopped at the door they were positive led to Lenny's bedroom. Ruby knocked on it and they waited for it to open.
While they waited, Daniela randomly became perky again. "Ooh Ruby, I can't wait to see Frankie again."
Ruby rolled her eyes. Daniela had always loved both their cousins but for some unknown reason she was especially fond of Frankie. Sometimes it seemed like she was in love with him in a not familial way. As for Ruby, well let's just say if they weren't related, Frankie wouldn't be the kind of guy she would call Prince Charming. He was always rather boorish, arrogant, and not much of a lady's man. She preferred being around Lenny. He was more pleasant and caring thus he was easier to cooperate with. Not to mention more down to earth.
At last the door opened to reveal Lenny, who was rubbing his eyes as though he had just woken up. When he saw his cousins, the look on his face was exactly the same as Lino's. He too showed no signs of recognizing them.
"Hi Lenny," Daniela said happily.
"Hi there," he said, trying to sound pleased to see them.
"Do you not recognize us either?" Ruby asked.
"Uh, am I supposed to?"
Ruby giggled. "What is with the men in this family?"
"Take a closer look at us, Lenny," said Daniela.
Lenny did so and, like Lino had done, glanced at their initial necklaces to get a better clue. After which, he smiled. "Ruby? Daniela?"
"Lenny!" Daniela merrily threw herself into Lenny's fins. Lenny almost fell down and wove his fins around to avoid losing his balance. Ruby found this a great joke and began laughing at how silly they looked.
"Okay, Dani," she said to her sister. "Lenny's happy to see you too. Now get down before you kill the poor guy."
"I don't mind, Ruby," said Lenny.
Daniela giggled and released her cousin.
"How are you guys?" Lenny asked. "Mom told me about Uncle Damian. I'm really sorry."
"Thanks, Lenny," said Ruby. "But it's really no trouble. We'll get through eventually."
"But enough about us," said Daniela. "We haven't seen you guys in forever. Where's Frankie? I have so many questions to ask him."
Lenny said nothing, but Ruby had a lot she had to tell her sister at the moment.
"Dani," she said, "please don't get so carried away about Frankie. All you talked about on the way over here is Frankie. Frankie, Frankie, Frankie. I seriously think it's time we had a talk about him."
"Aw, but Ruby…"
Lenny interrupted. "No, Ruby's actually right, Daniela. There is something we need to talk about that involves Frankie."
Both girl sharks looked at him in confusion. "There is?" they both asked.
For a quarter hour, Lenny explained miserably how only months ago Frankie had tragically met his fate after being crushed to death by a falling anchor. It was not easy for him to be the one telling the story either. After all he was there when it all happened. He knew about it better than anyone else, aside from Oscar. He saw the whole enchilada happen. He had watched the anchor fall right on top of his only brother and watched him die. In the aftermath, he had suffered from both survivor's guilt and feeling unloved by his own father. Now telling his cousins the whole story, it was like he was going through it all over again. But truth be told, Daniela wasn't handling it any better. If anything she was handling it way worse.
By the time Lenny had finished the sad story, Daniela was sitting on his bed crying into his pillow. "THAT'S SO AWFUL!" she screamed with her voice muffled under the pillow.
Ruby had sensed the pain Lenny had felt while telling the story and put an affectionate fin on his back. "I'm really sorry, Lenny."
"Thanks," said Lenny.
Daniela, though still sobbing, lifted her head from Lenny's pillow and said, "We know how you feel. We felt the same way when we lost Daddy. But oh my gosh, it's still so sad!"
Ruby sighed and looked down at her sister. "Daniela, you're drawing attention to yourself. It's not like he was your boyfriend or anything."
"I know," Daniela cried. "But he was one of my favorite relatives. And now, he's gone!"
Ruby turned to Lenny and said, "Lenny, please realize that everything I'm about to say to her, I mean in the nicest way possible."
"Uh, okay."
Ruby turned back to Daniela looking somewhat disappointed. "Dani, what did you even like about Frankie anyway? If I recall correctly, he barely even acknowledged your existence. Not only that, he wasn't polite, he wasn't smart, he was gross, and he wasn't even good looking. Why would you ever wanna fall in love with a guy like him?"
"Well," Daniela started, "maybe all that's true, but he was still our cousin. And he was our flesh and blood just as much as Daddy was. And I wasn't in love with him. He just always made life interesting. He was quick witted, sarcastic, and that made him funny."
"So, you liked him just for his sense of humor?" Ruby asked.
"Oh, just forget it," said Daniela. "You don't understand how I feel at all."
Ruby looked confused. "What are you talking about? I'm your sister, I'm losing the same people you're losing."
"Maybe so, but for every relative you lose you gain a new person to share your life with. You lose Daddy and then gain a fiancé. Now Frankie dies and you'll probably gain a second fiancé. But I just keep losing people. No, strike that. I keep losing my favorite people in the world. This time next year, I may be left alone with no one to share my feelings with."
Ruby suddenly turned a little more understanding of her baby sister. "Oh, I see how it is," she said quietly to herself.
"I think I need to be alone," said Daniela.
"Okay," said Ruby. "Come on, Lenny. I need to have a quick word with you."
"Yeah, sure."
"We'll be right outside, Dani," said Ruby.
Daniela nodded silently and her sister and cousin left her alone in peace.
Once Lenny and Ruby were alone in the hallway, Ruby rubbed her temples and sighed. "I swear, sometimes I just don't know what I'm gonna do with her."
"Frankie used to say that about me," Lenny remembered.
"Don't get me wrong or anything," said Ruby. "I love her, but she just worries me. She can be so insecure. She feels like she doesn't have a friend in the world and nobody even wants to be around her."
"She seriously doesn't have any friends?" Lenny asked.
"Well, you know how dependant she is about family. She's always clung to me, Mom, and Daddy like a stray dogfish. But she's growing up. She needs someone special to share her life with. And as she mentioned, my boyfriend Antonio recently proposed to me and now Dani's starting to feel a little jealous."
Lenny looked confused. "Why should she be jealous? You're six years older than her, of course you're gonna get married before she does."
"Yeah, but I've had a lot more dating experience than she has. Reminder, I was fifteen when I had my first boyfriend and Dani's nineteen and never been in one relationship. And now that Antonio and I are about to tie the knot, she's feeling even worse. And it's weird because up until now, I've always been kind of jealous of her."
"How come?" Lenny asked.
Ruby shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. She was always Daddy's favorite. Always the better-looking one. Always did what she was supposed to do. She was always the crown jewel of the family and I was just known for my 'unique eyes'."
Lenny suddenly looked melancholy. "I totally understand," he said to Ruby. "Frankie always used to be Pop's favorite."
"Aw," Ruby said sensitively. "I guess we're two of a kind, huh?"
Lenny nodded. "Guess so."
"Hey Lenny, I'm really sorry for what I said earlier about Frankie," Ruby apologized. "I guess he really was no less my cousin than you are."
"It's cool," said Lenny. "And honestly I can't say I completely disagree with what you said. He was a jerk sometimes and he always denied that we were related. But… but…"
Ruby finished for him. "But he was still your brother?"
"Yeah."
"I guess you never realize how much you love someone until… they're gone. Oh man. Now I really do know how Dani feels."
"I wish there was something we could do to help her," said Lenny.
Ruby shook her head. "I think coming over hear today and seeing you, Aunt Kathleen, and Uncle Lino helped her a bit. But I wish I knew a guy who would be perfect for her."
"Come on, Ruby," Lenny said, " There's someone for everyone…" Then suddenly a thought came to Lenny. "Wait, you may not know the perfect guy for her, but I think I do."
"You do?" Ruby asked eagerly.
"Remember my friend Victor from when I was a little kid?"
Ruby thought for a few seconds. "The one with the Captain Hammerhead that he could never put down?"
"That's him," said Lenny. "He lives on the Northside Reef. I could call him and have him come over. Maybe we can get him and Daniela alone together."
"Hm, it could work. But are you sure he's the perfect guy for my sister?"
"Cross my heart," said Lenny. "He's single, lonely, doesn't have too many friends but girls go crazy over him."
Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Good looking, huh?"
"Blue eyes, strong jaw, awesome set of pearly whites," Lenny described. "The guy's an absolute lady's man."
Ruby grinned. "I'm convinced. Let's get him over here."
"Alright, let's do it!"
"I'm gonna tell Dani, she'll be so psyched!"
"But try to make it vague," Lenny warned. "And try not to actually use the words 'new boyfriend'."
"I'll do my best," Ruby promised.
Lenny rushed to his dad's office, which was where the nearest phone was. He quickly burst through the door, giving Lino a bit of a fright, and said, "Hey, Pop. I need to use the phone real quick. I gotta see if Victor can come over."
"You're in luck," Lino said. "I just got off the phone with him. He's coming over to talk to me about something he said is important."
Lenny smiled. "This is perfect then, we'll make it a surprise!"
"Huh?" Lino asked. "What's going on, Son? And whatever it is, you'd better count me in."
"Done," Lenny said. "And what's going on is, I'm about to play the most dangerous game in the entire world."
"What's that?"
"… Cupid."
About three hours later, Lino and Lenny were both waiting outside the liner for their guests. Lino was waiting for Victor and Lenny was waiting for Oscar and Angie, who he had asked to come over to meet Daniela and Ruby and to see if Daniela truly was perfect for Victor. After all, these two fish knew Victor better than anyone else Lenny knew. Their opinions would help him make up his mind about this.
Victor was the first group to arrive. Lino saw him approaching and gave him a welcoming smile. They greeted each other casually and then went inside. As they did so, Lino looked back at Lenny, who quietly whispered, "Shhh," meaning to say, "Don't tell him about Daniela." Lino winked in response and mouthed, "Good luck". He and Victor then proceeded inside leaving Lenny still waiting for Oscar and Angie.
Seconds later, they arrived and Lenny escorted them inside. He then took them to his bedroom, where Daniela and Ruby were waiting patiently. Oscar, not expecting to see two attractive girl sharks in the room, jumped to the wrong conclusion.
"Lenny!" he said happily to his best friend with a smile. "You never told us you were seein' anybody. And two of 'em? Dang, I didn't know ya had it in ya!"
Lenny rolled his eyes. "No, Oscar. This is Ruby and Daniela, my cousins."
Oscar's goofy smile vanished and his face blushed so pink that he almost looked like a salmon. "Oh… My bad. "
Daniela giggled. "Oh, Lenny, your friend is too cute."
Oscar's face went back to its usual yellow and he raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked. Angie angrily elbowed him in the chest to remind him that he was taken. Oscar chuckled, trying to hide his pain, and told her, "I'm sorry, Sweetie."
Angie smiled. "Pardon this big dumb, dumby-head," she said to Daniela and Ruby. "That's his way of saying, 'It's nice to meet you'."
"Well, likewise," Ruby said politely. "And you should be glad he took an interest in my sister before considering me because I'm engaged. If he'd have tried smooth talking to me, then he'd have to be sorry."
"Wow," said Angie. "I think you and I are gonna get along just fine."
"Uh, guys?" said Lenny. "I don't mean to interrupt all this, but we kinda have a mission to do here."
"We do?" Oscar and Angie asked.
Lenny explained how he and Ruby had noticed the incredible similarities between Victor and Daniela, and how they would be playing Cupid to see if they truly were made for each other. Even though she remembered Victor from her youth, Daniela was shocked to discover that it was likely they could become a couple.
"What?" she said when Lenny was finished explaining. "Ruby, you didn't tell me you were gonna force him to be my boyfriend. You specifically said he was coming over to hang out."
"We wanted to surprise you," Ruby replied.
"Well, you succeeded in that," said Daniela. "Get real, you guys. It's been like twelve years since I've seen Victor. I have no idea what he's like now. You really think this could work?"
"We're positive it will," said Lenny. "Please, Daniela. Just give it a shot."
"Yeah, Dani," said Ruby. "If he's anything like Lenny says he is, it'll be love at first sight."
At last Daniela smiled. "Well, I suppose that would be nice. Okay, I'll do it."
Oscar and Angie were certainly impressed. "Oh Lenny, she's perfect for Victor," said Angie.
"Yeah, Len," said Oscar. "For someone who's never played Cupid before, you're pretty good at it."
"Thanks, guys."
"One thing though," Oscar continued. "How are we gonna get 'em alone together?"
"Pop's got that under control," said Lenny.
"Aw," said Ruby. "Uncle Lino's such a saint."
"Not to Sykes he isn't," Oscar joked.
For almost two hours, Lino and Victor had socialized and caught up on life with each other. Victor wanted to bond with Lino as much as possible before bringing up the subject of the letter he had found in his room. It was a good day for them both. After a whole morning of nothing to do, it was good to have someone to hang out with. Before long, they decided to go for a swim outside and enjoy the beautiful afternoon. They swam about a mile away from the liner and talked about the weather and each other's home life. Then they decided to go back.
When they arrived back at the liner, they stopped a few yards away from the entrance where Lenny and the rest of the gang had gathered in hiding. Daniela, finally able to see Victor, had instantly taken an interest in him.
"Oh my goodness," she said quietly. "He's so handsome."
"And he's got a personality to match," said Angie.
"Lenny, he's perfect," said Daniela. "Do you think he'll like me?"
"Of course he will," said Lenny.
"Yeah. How could anyone not like a girl like you?" Oscar asked.
"Oh man, what are we waiting for?" Daniela asked. "Let's go outside so you can introduce us."
Ruby stopped her in her tracks. "No. Dani, Dani. Calm down. Now I admit he's… gorgeous… But you can't just swim up to him, throw yourself into his fins, and not expect him to think you're weird. We have to wait until Uncle Lino gives us some sort of signal."
Daniela pouted. "Ruby, you take the fun out of everything."
Ruby simply smiled proudly. "You're my baby sister. It's my job."
The group remained silent and continued to watch Lino and Victor, unable to help but listen in on their conversation.
"Well, Victor," Lino said, "we've been talking all afternoon and catching up on life and all, but I'm guessing that's not why you needed to come by and see me, is it?"
"No, it actually isn't," Victor admitted. He paused for a moment to sigh and then said, "Lino, I didn't know who else to turn to. You've helped me out through so many hard times lately. I was wondering if maybe you could help me out right now."
"What with?" Lino asked.
Victor reached his fin onto his back and removed the letter he had discovered in his room. He had been keeping it folded up in the small gap under his dorsal fin (I didn't know what else he could use for a pocket). He was now ready to reveal it to Lino. He unfolded the envelope and held it out to Lino. "This morning, I was in my bedroom looking through some of my old stuff, and I found this."
Lino curiously took the envelope from Victor's fin and read out loud what was written on the front. "To Victor…" The next four words made him realize what was so urgent about this letter. "…With love from Mom."
Victor nodded bashfully.
"I get it," Lino said, referring to the situation Victor was in.
"She must've known the best place to put it was the place I kept all my favorite stuff," Victor said. "I didn't have the guts to read it myself, so I was wondering if…"
Lino smiled. "Say no more. I'd be happy to."
"Thanks, Lino."
Lino unsealed the envelope and removed from it the letter the emotionally unstable Victor didn't have the courage to read. He only took one look at what was written on the paper and almost felt his heart skip a beat. It was no easier for him to read it out loud than it was for Victor to listen. Once or twice, he had to pause to gather up his courage. The emotional letter from Veronica read as follows.
"Dear Victor,
I love you so much. I know things between your father and me aren't going well right now and I may not have the time to tell you this in person. So I've filled this letter with all of my thoughts and hopes for you.
You are the most perfect son I could ever have asked for, Victor. You have brains, good looks, and personality beyond compare. Just like your grandfather Victor, after whom you are named. And never believe a word your father has to say to make you think otherwise. There may be times in your life when you think the world is full of cold, heartless people, and this is by no means false. But you have such a special way of seeing a silver lining in even the darkest cloud. I know you will use this ability to learn that there are much more good people in the world than bad. All you have to do is look hard enough. You are an amazing spirit with a heart of gold. I know in my heart you are destined for great things and will live a long, happy life. Live life to the absolute fullest, Victor.
I know that your father is a messed up person, but you must never let people like him stop you from being happy. My hope for you in the future is that you will one day learn the joys and pleasures of having a fatherly figure, even if it may not be your real father. I hope that you will find someone in the world who will care for you and will be there for you during troubling times. I also hope that you will one day meet a young lady who sees you the same way that I do and is worthy of your love. I know you will be good for her and treat her like royalty. You only deserve the best.
Finally, I want you to know that by the time you read this, I may no longer be a part of your life. But even though I won't be with you physically, I will be with you in spirit. Keep this letter with you and you will always have a bit of me to remember. Through the good times and the bad times, I will always be in your heart. Always. Even after my life ends, my love for you will continue to burn.
I love you so much, Victor.
Love, Mom."
Once Lino had stopped reading, he was only partially teary. Victor, on the other had, was an absolute train wreck of tears. Every sentence and paragraph in that letter had increased his desire to have his mom back. But he wasn't afraid to express his feelings to Lino. "I think I need a hug."
Lino returned the favor. This was a truly bittersweet moment for Victor. It was heartbreaking because he knew that his mother was gone forever, but at the same time it was heartwarming because he had Lino to lean on for support. This time last year, if he'd ever gotten the urge to grieve over his mother's death, he would've locked himself in his room and cried into his pillow so Vince wouldn't hear him. But now he had someone who cared about him and his feelings and who understood probably more than anyone what he was going through.
After a few seconds, they pulled away. Victor was still red-eyed and sniffing. "Why did she have to go?" he asked Lino.
The older shark sighed. "I wish I could answer that. I asked myself the same thing when I lost Frankie."
Victor, kind of like Ruby, never really cared for Frankie but he was still sympathetic for Lino. The pain of losing your child must have been far worse than that of losing your parent. "I'm sorry," he said.
"Don't be," Lino replied. "There's nothing anyone could've done to prevent the losses you and I have suffered."
"Well at least you didn't actually watch Frankie die," Victor pointed out. "Do you have any idea what it's like to be just sixteen and watching one of your parents kill the other?"
Lino shook his head. "Can't say that I do."
Victor miserably looked down to the ground. "I miss her so much."
"I know," said Lino. "But just remember what she said in this letter. Live life to the fullest and don't ever let people like Vince ruin your life."
"It's too late for that. He ruined my life for three years. Everyday, I hoped he'd kill me like he always threatened to so I could be with Mom again."
Lino pretended he hadn't heard. "Victor, don't ever say things like that. You may have had it hard and these last three years may be irretrievable. But you really are everything your mother said about you in this letter. Sometimes I wonder how you could've turned out the way you are with a father like Vince. But it doesn't matter because he never deserved a kid like you or a wife like your mother. She obviously had faith in you to say all these great things about you. And she's not alone. I have faith in you too, and so do Lenny and Kathleen. Now you've gotta have faith in yourself."
Victor, though touched by Lino's speech, said nothing.
"Well if it helps," Lino continued, "there is one thing I know your mother was right about."
"What's that?"
"Now you know what it's like to have a father figure."
It didn't take long for Victor to realize that Lino was referring to himself. He smiled at Lino weakly and said, "Thanks for always being there for me, Lino. You really are like a dad to me."
"It's only fair that I think of you as my son," Lino replied. "We're in the same boat. I lost a kid and you never had a good dad. Now we get to call it even."
Victor looked down at the ground again and then said, "I never knew I was named after my granddad. I knew his initial was V 'cause my whole family's had that tradition for five generations. But Mom never told me his hame was Victor too. I never knew him."
"Ya know, I met him the day your folks tied the knot," said Lino.
"Really? What was he like?"
Lino smiled. "Everything you are now, Junior. And more. It's not surprising that your mom named you after him. They'd both be really proud of you if they saw what you've become."
"Thanks," said Victor. "But there's still one problem."
"What?"
"My mom said she wanted me to find the perfect girl," Victor pointed out. "And I haven't done that yet."
Lino chuckled, which Victor took to be offensive.
"What's so funny?"
"Victor," Lino said, "you picked the perfect time to say that."
"What do you mean?"
"You'll see. But first, I need you to close your eyes."
Victor looked confused. "Why?"
"Just do it. You won't regret it, I promise."
Victor chuckled and said, "Okay, fine. I'll play along." He then did as Lino instructed and closed his eyes.
"Good." Lino, after making sure Victor wasn't peaking, looked in the direction of the doorway where Lenny, Daniela, Ruby, Oscar, and Angie had been waiting. Then he gestured with his fin meaning to tell Lenny to bring Daniela out.
Lenny looked to his cousin and said, "Ready?"
"As I'll ever be," Daniela replied with a nervous smile.
"Go get him," Ruby said with a wink.
Lenny led Daniela outside and the two stopped directly in front of Victor. Daniela's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to pop out of her chest. She just couldn't take her eyes off Victor. He was even better looking up close.
"Alright, Victor," Lino continued. "Now hold your fins out."
"Okay," Victor said with a slight laugh. He did as Lino said and Daniela, with a gentle push forward from Lenny, held out her fins as well. The moment their fins touched, Daniela felt her heart skip a beat. It was truly a sparks-flying moment for her. But Victor still wasn't entirely convinced. "Lino, please tell me this isn't Lenny and you guys aren't playing a trick on me."
Lenny couldn't help but answer. "It's not me and this isn't a trick."
Now Victor could tell the shark whose fins he was holding was not Lenny, even with his eyes closed. As for whether or not this truly was a joke, he was still unclear. "Is this your guys' idea of 'blind dating'?" he asked.
"Just trust us," said Lino. "Okay, open your eyes."
Still smiling out of amusement, Victor opened his eyes. The moment he saw Daniela smiling at him, his smile vanished. Not only was she the most beautiful girl shark he'd ever seen, but he had instantly recognized her from their childhood. And from what he recalled, she was never really attractive. But looking at her now was just such a surprise to him.
"Victor, you remember my niece, Daniela," Lino introduced, even though an introduction was hardly necessary. "Daniela, Victor."
Victor got cold fins for a few seconds, and then finally said, "Dear God. Gap-tooth Dani?"
Daniela laughed quietly and said, "Hey, Victor."
"Uh…" Victor struggled to find the right words to say to a girl of such breath taking beauty. "Yeah, not so gap-toothed anymore, are you? Uh, I mean… you finally grew all your teeth. Are they all real? Ugh! What am I saying? Of course they're real. Ah man, I don't know what to say."
Daniela still smiled. "I know what you mean."
"Okay, good," Victor sighed nervously.
"We'll just leave you two kids alone," Lino interrupted. He and Lenny then swam inside and, along with Ruby, Oscar, and Angie, continued to watch.
Victor, who appeared to be a little more confident now, said to Daniela, "So… are you really the same Daniela who used to go through her mom and sisters' magazines and say she wanted to be like the super models on every page?"
"That depends," Daniela replied. "Are you really the same Victor who could never take his eyes off his Captain Hammerhead?"
"… Yes, I am."
"Then yeah, I'm the same Daniela."
"Wow," said Victor. "You sure have changed since I last saw you."
"So have you," said Daniela. "And it's not just your looks, voice, and physical type that changed. It looks like you and my uncle are getting along really well."
"Yeah. He's like a dad to me. My parents are both dead now and he's helped me through a lot of my hardships. It's like he just took me in."
"I completely understand," said Daniela. "Ruby and I just lost our dad."
"Oh man. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. It was painful for both of us, and especially for Mom. But Uncle Lino's sort of like a dad to us too."
"I know, I remember when he used to hug you and then just lift you right up when you were least expecting it."
Daniela laughed. "Believe it or not, he still does that."
"For real?"
"Yeah. I don't think I'll ever get too old for it. He's such a sweet uncle."
"He's done everything for me that my real dad never did. Sometimes I wish he really was my dad."
"You don't have to wish that," Daniela advised. "If you really think of him as your dad, it's sort of like he really is."
Victor nodded. "I do think that. And I think of Lenny as my little brother. It's just that…"
"There's always gonna be a place in your heart for your real parents?" Daniela finished.
"Really just my mom," Victor replied. "My dad's another story. Good riddance to the old brute."
Daniela wasn't buying this. "Come on, there has to be something you miss about him."
Victor shook his head. "Not one thing. He killed my mom, abused me, and tried to kill my best friends in the entire world. All he ever cared about was himself. At least you had a dad who was worth missing."
Daniela affectionately placed her fin on Victor's shoulder. "I may not know what it's like to have an abusive parent, but I know one thing. Your mom and Uncle Lino care about you in such a way that everything your dad put you through shouldn't matter anymore. I heard Uncle Lino read every word of that letter. If your mom was so willing to write down all her feelings for you before she died, you can tell she'll always love you even when she's not with you. And even if your real dad never cared about you, like you said, you'll still have Uncle Lino, and Lenny, and…"
Victor looked her directly in the eye. "And…?"
"And me," said Daniela.
For almost a whole minute, they both just stood there in absolute silence staring directly into each other's sapphire eyes. Their friends and relatives watching nearby waited and waited for one of them to say something. Anything. At any time. Like maybe this century.
At last, Victor broke the silence. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
Daniela smiled. "I think so."
"You're serious?" Victor asked. "You really think you and I could be… you know… boyfriend and girlfriend?"
"Victor, I have waited so long to meet someone like you. No guy I've ever met could compare to you."
Victor was still kind of nervous about where this was leading. "But, isn't this kinda sudden? We've only been talking for a few minutes."
"I know," said Daniela. "But I've found out so much about you. You're so sweet, and humble, and smart, and you're unbelievably cute. I honestly think you're the one."
Now Victor was convinced. "Ah man. Where have you been all my life?"
Without wasting saying another word, they slowly moved towards each other. Lips puckered, eyes closed, hearts beating like drums. Bam. It was the first kiss ever for them both, but it had everything. Sparks flying, pulses racing, the works. As they touched lips, they knew they were perfect for each other.
While this smoochy love moment was going on, Lenny and Ruby (who was so happy that her baby sister had found what she was looking for) gave each other a high fin. Their first ever game of Cupid had been a success.
"We did it," Lenny said.
"We are so good," said Ruby.
"Atta boy, Victor," Lino said proudly as he watched the two teenagers kiss.
"They are so cute together," Angie sobbed happily.
"Yeah. It's kinda like our first kiss, huh Ang?" Oscar asked romantically.
Angie chuckled. "It's definitely close, sweetie."
Later that night, Kathleen and Rita had returned from their day out. Victor had been (re)introduced to Rita and Ruby, who very much approved of him. He and Daniela had exchanged phone numbers and addresses so they could keep in touch. Now, it was time for everyone to go back home. Lino, Kathleen, Lenny, and their guests all gathered in Lino's office to say their goodbyes.
"I wish we didn't have to be parted from each other so soon," Daniela said to Victor.
Ruby playfully rolled her eyes. "Of course, the 'don't leave me now, it's too soon' phase."
Victor ignored her and said to his new girlfriend, "I know, it sucks, but I have to get back to work soon. But I promise we can meet up next weekend and go out on a special date."
"I'd love that," said Daniela.
Before they left, Lino needed to congratulate them and give them one last bit of advice. "You two sure make a sweet couple."
"Thanks, Lino," they replied (Daniela, of course, separated both words with the word Uncle).
Lino first spoke to Victor. "Take care of Daniela. She's a really special girl. And she's never been in love before, so be sure to go easy on her, okay?"
"No problem," Victor replied. "That's pretty much the case for me too."
"I'm proud of you," Lino said nudging him on the shoulder. "You still got that letter?"
"I always will," Victor replied, smiling at the folded up letter from his mother that he held in his fin. "Thanks again for reading it to me."
"You got it," Lino said with a wink. Then he spoke to Daniela. "Be good to him, Girl. He's one of the best guys you could ask for. Don't pressure him, don't nag him, and don't make him waste all his money on you."
Daniela scoffed. "Uncle Lino!"
Lino laughed. "I'm kiddin', I'm kiddin'. Come here, give your favorite uncle a hug goodbye." So Daniela did. And half a second later, Lino pulled his famous act of lifting her up and making her laugh. After a few seconds, he let her back down and said, "Good to see you again, sweetie."
"You too," she replied.
Ruby cleared her throat to remind her uncle that she existed.
"I didn't forget about you, Ruby," Lino laughed giving her a hug. "Take care, okay?"
"Okay," said Ruby.
"You did a good job at helping your sister find love. Maybe next time you come over you could help Lenny find a girl?"
Everyone else laughed, but Lenny was hardly amused. "Pop!"
"I'm just playin'" Lino replied, giving his kid a playful noogie.
"My wedding's in three months," said Ruby. "Will you guys be there?"
"We wouldn't miss it for the world," her uncle replied.
"Thanks so much. And Lenny, thanks for helping me find Dani's dream guy."
"Hey, what are cousins for?" Lenny asked.
Kathleen bid Rita, the girls, and Victor goodbye and then everybody was on their way back home. "Well, this day is just full of surprises, isn't it?" she said as soon as the family was alone.
"No kiddin'," said Lino. "Letters from dead relatives, finding out about dead relatives, unexpected relationships. What's next? I suppose Luca's gonna call to say he ran into an old girlfriend at his concert thing and now they're having coffee together."
At that very moment, the office phone rang. Lino, Kathleen, and Lenny exchanged looks that said, "Is that who I think it is?" Lino picked up the phone, held it to his ear and said, "Hello?"
"Hey, Boss! How's it goin'?" The speaker was exactly who Lino had feared it was. Luca himself.
"Great, Luca," Lino said casually. "So how'd your, uh, thing go?"
"I'll tell ya that later," Luca replied. "You're never gonna believe who I ran into when I was waitin' in line for my ticket."
"Uh, who?"
"You remember Viola? The girl I told ya I used to date in high school? She was right in front of me in line! We sat by each other in the theatre and now we're out havin' coffee! How do ya like them apples, Boss?"
Lino, completely and utterly speechless, hung the phone up leaving Luca's question unanswered.
"What'd he say, Pop?" Lenny asked.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Lino replied.
The End. So what'd you guys think of my first attempt at a love story?