Mark slowly accepted the handshake and was quickly pulled into a hug by the Boss of Bosses. Mark went rigid trying to figure out what was going on.

O-kay! This day just went from being majorly weird to certifiable.

Mr. Martinelli gave him a slap on the back and released him, smiling. To say that Mark was stunned was an understatement.

Oh boy, brain shut down. What is going on?

"Your father, Sonny Daye . . . is a complete blubbering idiot. Do you know that?" came part of the answer, or so Mark thought.

"Oh, God, what has Sonny done this time? Mr. Martinelli, honestly whatever he did or said I have nothing to do with, I swear to you. I haven't seen Sonny for three maybe close to four years," Mark reluctantly submitted, bracing for the worst.

Oh shit, here it comes.

"Please call me Pat . . . and Sonny hasn't done anything. I have been trying to keep him busy and out of trouble. I understand he has caused you some problems in the past, correct?" again he searched Mark's face for the truth.

"Mr. . . ." Mark began

"Pat, please," cutting him off.

"Okay, Pat, look, Sonny is an idiot; I'm truly sorry if he caused you any problems, but I still don't see what this has to do with me," Mark stated, trying to find a way to talk himself out of this situation, whatever it was.

"What if I told you that idiot Sonny . . . is a relative of mine?" Pat stopped and waited for Mark's reaction.

Mark paused as this revelation hit him like a ton of bricks.

WHAT did he just say? Run that one by me again, please!

The implication of what the man standing before him had just lain on his shoulders was a weight he wasn't sure he could bear. Suddenly his knees felt weak and that nagging cramp in his stomach turned into a roaring volcano. He reached for the chair in front of him and slowly slid into it. He looked up as he heard a soft chuckle.

Pat was watching him intently with a whimsical expression. "Well, I see I finally got a reaction from you. I was worried; you are more like me than maybe you care to admit, you can hide your emotions and feelings very well. . . Now that I have your attention: As I told you before, I have had my eye on you for quite some time. The one good thing that Sonny ever did with his life, or so it would seem. At first I didn't want to know where Sonny was or what he was doing; I paid people to keep him away from me. I didn't know he had gotten your mother pregnant. I didn't know that you and your mother needed help, or I would have supplied it. For that I apologize. . . I actually lost track of Sonny for a while. And, of course, I was not aware you existed.

I actually found out about you after the fiasco in Atlantic City. Of course, in the end, I had friends who kept Sonny safe and then told me about you. That's when I started doing some background research on you. And from the looks of things . . . I would have to admit that Judge Hardcastle did a good job with you. Summa cum laude too, one of your professors told me that you put such effort into law school that he actually enjoyed having you in his class. How did he say it . . . you were a bright young man, with a great deal of talent and the tenacity to make a better life for yourself. He spoke very highly of you.

This guy actually talked to one of my professors about me, oh God. How did I not have any clue that this guy has been watching me, gathering information about me? I'm supposed to be Tonto, for Christ's sake.

Mark sat quietly listening to this man who he just met moments before describing his life; he wanted to pinch himself to see if this all was a dream, no make that a nightmare, that he wasn't waking up from. He slowly shook his head, trying to clear his befuddled and fogged mind. Then he had a flash: Hardcastle sitting at home wondering where he was and what he was up to; oh, God, how was he going to explain all of this to Hardcase? The fact that he was related to a mob boss would certainly put him over the edge. He let his head fall down in his hands and rubbed his head with both hands, moaning aloud without realizing it.

Oh shit is this really happening? Why me? What's Hardcastle gonna think about this mess?

Pat watched Mark's reaction; he felt for the young man. He had done extensive research into Mark's background. He knew of the problems of his childhood, the abandonment by his father, the death of his mother, the abuse at the hands of his uncle, being bounced around in foster care, juvenile detention, reform school, San Quentin, and finally the custody arrangement that landed him with Judge Milton C. Hardcastle. He silently waited until Mark again raised his head.

"Mark, I realize that this is a lot of information to digest in a short period of time. I actually had no intention of letting you know that we were related . . . however . . . recent events have changed my plans . . . "

"What recent events? . . . And how are we related? . . . So you had me kidnapped. Oh, man, this is just way too much," Mark again shook his head slowly.

"Sonny was my half-brother; unfortunately we had the same mother, although I will always deny him . . . enough on the subject of Sonny . . . . That would make you my nephew . . . you have made something of yourself from a very difficult background, a lawyer, and to me that is very much worth acknowledging. I wanted to meet you in person while I still had the chance. That is why you're here . . . end of story."

Mark again attempted to digest all this information then a thought struck him. "What do you mean while you still had the chance to meet me?"

This just keeps getting weirder and weirder. And what's he mean by that? Man my brain is just not functioning well. I think I'm getting a migraine.