Chapter 8

Wednesday came and with it the start of Tony's baseball practice, but first he had to pick up his DeLorean. He decided playing hooky from college was necessary for accommodating a number of things. After breakfast, when every member of the family left the house, he got in his old van which held a lot of memories for him. He had shared it with Marie, his first wife who died early. It escorted him through various chapters of his life. It was this old blue dented van that led him to Fairfield and to… Angela. He smiled at the thought of the face she'd make when there would be no longer a pile of junk beside her Jaguar. The Jaguar he once had painted fire engine red. Angela had managed to drive the fire truck for almost a year, then she couldn't stand it any longer and had it painted over in sandalwood. She never talked about the 1500 Dollars again. Tony reached the car dealer with whom he arranged to take the van to Mrs. Rossini and jumped out of his "old friend". He went round it for the last time and placed his hand on the hood, "bye, bye Baby, he thought. He swallowed hard and shook his head. Being in such a sentimental mind wasn't usually the way of "macho Tony".

Everything was already taken care of and Tony received the keys for his hot car. It had a central power locking system with remote control. By pressing the button the door went up. He took his seat, closed the door and clasped the steering wheel. He started the car and rolled from the parking place on to the street. Feeling like a king he floored the gas pedal and an incredible adrenalin rush overwhelmed him. Even though his DeLorean wasn't equipped with a flux capacitor it was so much fun to drive it. On his way to Manhattan, where The Bower Agency was located, he tried to arrange his thoughts. He wanted to pick up Angela. Fortunately, he found a parking space directly in front of the agency. He entered the office. People walked around with earnest faces and the mood was dark. Immediately he felt the change of atmosphere in comparison to the last time he came in for a short visit. The staff was worried about the unfavorable circumstances. During his previous visits the employees smiled and everyone looked friendly and happy. Angela's door stood open and he knocked.

"Hi Tony, is it already time? Wait a minute, I have to make one more call and then we can leave." Angela dialed and started talking in her business voice. Tony always admired her ability to deal with difficult clients and people in general. It was a joy to hear her talking like that. He closed her door and sauntered over to Mona who was varnishing her nails in dark red.

"Mon, nothing for you to do?"

"What do you think, Tony, I have timely preparations to do," Mona explained, "you two are going out for a romantic game and I have to meet a client who was actually on Angela's schedule."

"C'mon, Mona. There is nothing romantic about it," Tony rolled his eyes, "it's just a game and it's not that you don't like to meet Angela's clients."

Angela came out and had already changed her clothes. She was wearing jeans and a pink T-shirt combined with a pair of white sport shoes. Driving to Brooklyn in business clothes wasn't an option. "Shall we go, Tony?"

"We shall and Angela,… you look very Brooklyn and it's no mere compliment… I mean it."

"Thank you, Tony."

They crossed the reception room. Tony held the door open and let her pass through. When they stood outside Angela let her eyes wander over the street but she couldn't find the van.

"Where is the van?"

"At Mrs. Rossini's, I would say." Tony smiled the widest smile Angela had ever seen, "may I have your attention, Lady?" and he led her to his silver speedster. Angela looked at him with big eyes.

"Tony, are you kidding? You're not serious. You bought this car?" she walked round the car, "didn't you say something about "down-to-earth"? Maybe I had something in my ears?"

"Come on, it's my dream car. Don't you wish for my dreams to come true?" Tony asked her with that sweet look in his eyes she couldn't resist.

"I wish that all your dreams, whatever they are, come true." Angela replied with a soulful voice. They got into the DeLorean and minutes later they were on their way to Brooklyn.

Arriving at Pitkin High they were already eagerly awaited. Frankie came out of the building with a big smile which changed into frown winkles on her forehead after she beheld Angela. Obviously she did not seem delighted but she wasn't ready to give up the man she had a crush on. She straightened her back and conjured the smile back on her face.

"Hi Frankie," Tony greeted her, "do you remember Angela? You already met her."

"Hi Tony, of course I remember; how could I forget a Blondie like this," Frankie responded and deliberately overlooked Angela's outstretched hand, "Mrs. Rossini is right, her bones are even thinner… ."

"Frankie, stop it," Tony interrupted her, seeing Angela's rolling eyes, "let's go, I want to meet the kids." They went over to the playing field. Angela settled down on a bench on the sidelines. Tony, attended by Frankie who possessively clung on his arm, ambled over to a group of ten or twelve boys at the age of fourteen or fifteen. A second later, Tony was encircled by them while Frankie, wild gesticulating, obviously tried to explain something to the boys. Seemed, there was no need for it. They all knew already that Tony was a former professional baseball player and they were excited that he was an alumnus from Pitkin High.

Angela, from her place looked at him, curious to see him in action. As expected, Tony needed only a few sentences to pull the teens into his corner. She could see that they had a good connection immediately and smiled. He was always so good with kids which was now evidenced by how quickly they responded when he told them to take the field. They tried some throws. When one of the boys managed to hit the ball, he dropped the bat and started running to first base. Frankie yelled at him to run faster, but the boy only gave her a dirty grin and a finger which she pretended not to notice. There would be a lot of work for Tony who hated such rude manners.

Angela leaned back and let her eyes wander around the area. In her mind, she could see Tony in his younger years throwing balls, running as fast as possible, driven by a strong will to win. The differences between "younger Tony" and the teens, who seemed to be trouble makers, could hardly be bigger. Tony, so much was clear, hadn't been an angel during his school years, but if it came to sports he would always give everything. Enjoying the scene presenting itself outside in the sunshine let Angela relax a little bit more and she closed her eyes for a moment. The relaxation didn't last for long. When she opened her eyes again she saw Frankie jumping in Tony's arms and kissing him deeply on the mouth. Her heart stopped for a beat. "Why did he do that?" she thought, "why did he ask me to come with him when he obviously wanted to be with her?" From the corner of her eye she observed them. She desperately wanted to know what would happen next.

Tony finally detached himself from Frankie's arms which had almost strangled him. "Hey-oh, oh-hey, Frankie, what was that for? We aren't kids anymore and we should behave like adults here. How are the kids supposed to show us respect if you behave like this?" Tony could hardly suppress his anger, "I don't want to put on a show for the masses and that's what you've done even though I know it's not for the masses but for one person in particular. I expect you to never do something like this again."

"Tony, I was just happy that everything went so well with the boys. I'm glad we're working together now and when we had dinner at Mrs. Rossini's I thought you… well, I thought there could be more between us. You're not supposed to be a housekeeper anymore. Now that you have money you could become independent from… her. You don't need her anymore." Frankie felt rejected which was a quite unfamiliar feeling for her.

"Whatever gave you that idea? Angela would never let me feel dependent on her. It's simply not her nature and I'm not just her housekeeper, we are… friends. Friends and an unusual family. I told you already that after the street fair: We can't be together, Francesca. Please, be a little more sensible in your actions."

"Uuuh, when you call me Francesca, it must be serious. Now I get it, you're not her housekeeper and not her friend. You are her lover! That's why she makes such mooneyes at you." Frankie shouted angrily. She wasn't used to losing a fight over a man. Her good looks and, speaking for a Brooklyn girl, remarkable education made her a good catch for the guys, especially for Brooklyn guys. "You let me make a fool of myself by helping you with Angela's problems. If I had known that you're the hired help in love matters I wouldn't have given you any advice, "she fumed.

"If I had known you had ulterior motives I wouldn't have asked you in first place. Let me do the things I'm here for now." Tony turned around ready to face the grinning boys who had observed the awkward conversation between their new trainer and their legal adviser. Tony was competent enough to signify with one gesture that he didn't want to discuss it with them and surely didn't want to hear some stupid remarks. They sat down on the lawn and Tony started explaining to them his plans for the next time.

After half an hour he let the boys go and made his way back to the bench where Angela was waiting patiently. He was pretty confident that she had followed the argument between Frankie and him even if she couldn't hear a word due to her distant location. He regretted asking Frankie for help. Apparently she was the wrong person but on the other hand he couldn't change what had been done. Moreover, Frankie's belief that he was Angela's boyfriend gave him something to think about. "Why does everyone believe we are lovers?" Tony sighed and shook his head, "why do we look to other people as if we were in love?" "Because you are," said the low voice in his head. He tried to get rid of his confusing thoughts and took Angela's hand to help her rise from the bench.

She hadn't said a word so far. Seeing Tony with Frankie again reminded her of the horrible situation at the fair and its aftermath when she realized she loved Tony. He told her he didn't love Frankie but was it the truth? Now he had the money to do whatever he wanted. Yet he still fulfilled his obligation as a housekeeper without saying anything about it; just as if nothing had changed. Angela was too chickenhearted to ask him about his plans but they couldn't delay the important conversation forever. She looked in his warm dark eyes and swallowed but before she could start speaking, Tony did.

"Angela, I think we should talk but… but not now. There is so much going on with me, I need to figure out something and get my head clear," Tony begged with his eyes for her sympathy, "and there is an offense to clarify but I promise you I'll come back to it." Angela nodded, secretly seeking an answer in his eyes but it was hidden behind an unreadable expression.

"Maybe we should, it's only… I don't want to put it into a cold storage. If it's ok for you." Angela said with a steady voice. It was his turn to search for an answer but her firm body language denied him the possibility of reading something in her beautiful eyes.

"Let's go home; I can't wait to drive my baby again." Tony pulled his arm around her shoulders and led her back to his DeLorean not even sure which baby he meant.