"This is really nice Tony," Delfina told him as she and Tony sat across from each other at a nice restaurant, with a very casual atmosphere perfect for their first date.
"I'm glad you think so," Tony smiled, the type of smile that just made you want to smile back. "So why don't you tell me about yourself Miss Delfina?"
"What would you like to know, Mr. Tony?" Delfina shot back.
The two of them laughed at the way they had addressed each other, and then, Tony said.
"Why don't we start with your family," Tony suggested. "You already know that me and my father estranged, so it's only fair, you tell me about your family."
"Happy to," Delfina said smiling. "Be prepared to be sorry you asked though, because once I get me started it's very hard to shut me up."
"That just means you're close to your family," Tony said. "Just because me and my father are estranged doesn't mean that I don't want to hear about yours."
"OK, then," Delfina agreed and started to tell Tony about her family. "First, there are my parents, Aaron and Shonda. They were the best parents that any kid can wish for. They were supportive, loving, but tough when they needed to be and punished us when necessary. Me and my siblings didn't get into a lot of trouble like some kids do, but that doesn't mean we didn't get into any."
"Of course not, you were a kid, children were meant to get into mischief," Tony said smiling.
"That is so true," Delfina laughed. "In any case, we were never spanked and not because we didn't get into trouble, but my parents had other ways to punishing us, as they didn't believe in getting physical."
Delfina didn't bother to tell Tony that spanking wouldn't have done anything, since the stinging would've disappeared nearly instantly since she and her siblings were immortal. Her parents had to find other ways to punish their children, and the same went with the Rossis.
"So your parents don't believe in corporal punishment," Tony said. "Not that that's much of a thing in this century, but I know it used to be."
"No, they definitely do not," Delfina agreed.
"So what are they do put you on restriction? Not allow you to go see your friends or go to a concert or something of that nature," Tony guessed.
"That was part of it certainly, but the worst punishment for us is to be denied one of our Aunt Jazz's desserts," Delfina said.
"That doesn't seem like much of a punishment," Tony said with eyebrow a raised in surprise
"You say that now, but believe me, you'll change your opinion if you taste one of my Aunt Jazz's desserts," Delfina said. "She's just that good a baker and owns a bakery that is very popular with her customers that there is always a line outside the door every day she's open. When we were young, that was enough of an incentive to behave. The adults would also eat their desserts right in front of us, and we weren't allowed to leave the table until they were done and that was their way to torture us kids. They would linger over them for as long as possible talking and then taking a bite. Of course, sometimes it was only one child being punished so the rest of my siblings would get dessert while the child in trouble would be denied, and that was punishment enough a lot of times."
"It seems rather unique way to punish a kid, but if you're aunt's desserts, are really that good and it worked then more power to your parents," Tony said.
"Other families might have other ways to punish their kids for misbehaving, but this worked every time for me and my siblings. The whole family are chocoholics and proud of it."
"If you are a chocoholic," Tony asked, "you still look in great shape to me."
"Why thank you and yes, I go by what I said and get a dessert from my families bakery on a regular basis. It's run by one of my cousins," Delfina told him. "And I am in great shape thank you, as I make sure I exercise, kind of as a penance for after the sin you know."
"I didn't mean to imply you weren't," Tony said, "as you are personal trainer after all and that's profession you need to be in shape for."
"Definitely, just because I am though, doesn't mean I deny myself something sweet and delicious sometimes," Delfina agreed. "Me and my cousin own the gym that you were at, just so you know the Del in the name of the place is after me."
"And I guess the Caspian is after your cousin," Tony said surprised that Del was part owner of the gym he worked out at.
"That's right, the last name of my cousin is Rossi, so it's Caspian Rossi and Delfina Hotchner that own and operate the gym that you use, though I don't remember ever seeing you there before and I'm usually out on the floor a lot."
"I only signed up to your gym a few weeks ago, so we've just been missing each other," Tony said. "Also, I'm extremely busy as a private detective, so I haven't had much chance to get by, which is another reason we haven't run into each other."
Well, that was a relief, Delfina thought that her mate had not been going to this gym since they had opened just over five years ago. That meant that she hadn't just been missing him when he came in to use the equipment.
If that had been the case, then she would've been really upset because that would've meant that they could've been married already and had several children by now.
"Yeah, I understand about being busy, as the gym that Caspian and I started keeps both of us pretty busy," Delfina agreed.
"So you understand that I'm probably going to put in a lot of overtime occasionally," Tony said.
"Of course," Delfina said not even blinking it that statement. "I realize that sometimes overtime is required in certain professions and I would think being a private investigator would be one of those where you'll have to work late sometimes."
"That's the perfect response," Tony told her smiling brightly obviously pleased with Delfina's response. "Let me explain why I said that though."
"You don't need to if you don't want to," Delfina said.
"No, it's OK. It's nothing super private," Tony said and then continued. "I broke up with my last girlfriend, because she got tired of me working late and thought that I was staying in the office just to avoid her and I didn't want to tell her. She even thought I might be seeing someone on the side and combined with that other thing is what caused us to break up."
"So your last girlfriend thought you were working late, just to avoid her," Delfina said, as if the clarify what Tony had said to herself. "She also believed you were cheating on her with no proof to that fact."
"Yes, and we only broke up a few weeks ago. She wasn't the love of my life, so it didn't hurt that much for her to break up with me, but I just thought I'd let you know why she did. I've dated quite a bit over the years, but most of my former girlfriends never understood why I became a private detective, as they saw it, it is no different than being a cop, long hours and little pay. They thought that they had a right to try to change me and that I should go into a more higher paying profession whether that's what I wanted it or not."
"There is a large difference between one and the other," Delfina snorted. "Private investigators have rules, they have to follow that cops don't like they're not allowed to kill a suspect unless it's self-defense just like anybody else. As for your last girlfriend believing you were cheating on her that just means she didn't trust you enough and was suspicious when you had to work late hours."
"I see you understand," Tony said pleased at what he was hearing. "I just wanted to let you know that I'll probably be working some late hours and it's not because I'm with another woman, unless they are a client."
"It's not exactly uncommon for a woman to believe a man is cheating on her, as it's an all to common occurrence, as I'm sure you know," Delfina said.
"Believe me, I know," Tony said with a sigh. "No offense, but women can be so demanding and also suspicious just because a guy has to work late, though I will admit that a lot of times that's because they have a sidepiece." "Those women should need proof though or at least I would need proof, if a guy was cheating on me before I accused him, but that's just me. Back to my family, though I have three siblings," Delfina said changing the subject back to what it had originally been, even as their food arrived. "I'm an only child," Tony said.
"It's not exactly uncommon for parents to only have one kid," Delfina said. "No, it's not. I know your parents are still alive, but my mother died when I was eight," Tony said. "And you and your father are estranged," Delfina said. "That must be hard not to have any close family."
"My father made it that way by being who he is," Tony said. "He was always gone when I was growing up, always traveling and was almost never home and I know he had numerous woman while he was still married to my mother and when mom eventually passed when I was a child, I was stuck in boarding school as dad wasn't interested in being one."
"That is so sad," Delfina winced sympathy. "I can't really imagine that, because I know my parents were and are loyal to each other and so are my aunt and uncle. None of the above would even think about cheating on their spouse."
Of course, Delfina didn't bother to tell Tony exactly why all of the above were loyal to each other, since this was only their first date.
"That means your parents and your aunt and uncle actually love their spouses, so that they're not looking to have sex outside the marriage," Tony said. He looked wistful. "I wish my father had been the same way with my mother, but I'm well aware that in many marriages one spouse cheats on the other. Very few marriages last until the death of one spouse, because of that cheating and while my mother never divorced my father that doesn't mean he was loyal to the woman that he'd exchanged vows with. My mother and me spent a lot of time struggling because of him, as he'd spend money on his whores instead of on his family. I think mom died, because of my father's cheating and the fact that he was never home. She just lost the will to live. "
"It doesn't sound like your father had a steady job," Delfina said, "since he traveled so much. Of course he could've had a job that required a lot of traveling, I know that."
"I don't usually bring up my father on the first date," Tony said.
"We can change the subject if you like," Delfina offered.
"Well, since I've already been talking about him, I might as well clear the air," Tony said. "My father is a conman and bilks money out of good people, which is why he travels so much. He's been questioned by the police more than once, though they've never managed to pin anything on him, so he's never been to prison. I don't think he's ever held a job, much less a steady job in his life."
"I'm sorry your father is like that, but at least you turned out all right," Delfina said. "You have a good job and I know very well you could've turned out like your father and become a criminal of some type which shows your mother at least was a good influence on you."
"Yeah, mom was great until she got sick and you know she died when I was only eight," Tony said. "I just want you to be aware that my father is always stepping in and out of my life and will pop up at the at odd times."
"So if he does when I'm around, I'll stay out of it if you want me to," Delfina offered. "Unless of course, he tries to hit you or con you out of your life savings."
"Dad knows better than to try that kind of crap on me, as I might not turn him in, but I also won't give him any money not even for supposedly old times sake. Also, he isn't one for physical violence, so you don't need to worry about him slapping me. I know deep down he loves me. He just doesn't know how to show it properly, that's all."
"That's something at least and it's smart to not give your dad any money considering what you've just told me," Delfina told him.
"Yes, it is because I know I'll never get it back if I give him any money," Tony said. "My father, will claim that he'll pay me back and he never will. He'll use my money on some sort of investment and end up losing it or he'll spend it to string some woman along to get money out of her. That just examples of what he would do with whatever money I gave him, which is why I never will. Back when I was younger, I fell for his lies and you can guess what happened."
"He lost the money you gave him and he never paid you back," Delfina said.
"That's exactly what happened and I swore I would never fall for his bullshit again," Tony said.
"I don't blame you, for never believing his promises again," Delfina said. "After all, that old saying is still true even today and that is, burn me once shame on me, burn me twice shame on you."
"Yeah, I definitely agree with that and I definitely learned my lesson the first time. I knew what he was when I was a kid, but still wanted to believe that he wouldn't try to extort money out of me, that he would pay me back. Never again!" Tony swore. "To be fair, I didn't really consider it extortion back then. Oh, I was familiar with the term, but I was young and naïve. Not anymore though, not where my father is concerned anyway."
The two of them continued to talk until they finished their dinner, and then Tony paid, and the two of them left together holding hands.
~~~Tony and Delfina~~~
"So you were a cop before you were a private investigator," Delfina said.
It was several weeks later, and it was time for Delfina to take a trip up to see her parents and tell them the good news as Cas had been urging her to do. "So why did you quit? I know you had to be good at it since you decided to become a private detective and both jobs have similar skill sets."
"It just wasn't for me," Tony said. "If there's one thing I found out a lot of cops are assholes. I made it through the Academy just fine despite some pranks aimed at me to get me to quit by other cadets who had taken a dislike to me for some odd reason. I was still in uniform when I decided being a cop wasn't for me and to strike out on my own."
"That's not the whole story," Delfina said.
"No, it isn't," Tony said. "Let's just say, I found out that a lot of cops, really don't care about the citizens, at least not in my department, though I won't say every cop on the force in different places is like that."
"So you're saying that a lot of the police precincts here in Baltimore are ripe with corruption."
"At least the department I was assigned to was," Tony said. "I didn't have the power or the connections to do anything about it though and wouldn't have for years. Since I didn't want it end up dead, I didn't say anything. There's no way I would've been able to keep my mouth shut for years and years until I rose in the ranks and was in a position to do something. I'm not saying there weren't good cops in the police station I was in, but not in illegals. Practically the whole illegals department was on the take and were basically Captain Woodward's cover."
Delfina couldn't help thinking that it was a wise decision. She was glad Tony had gotten out of there and hoped that she never needed a cop if the police precincts in Baltimore were really so corrupt, although she hoped it was only cops from illegal that were corrupt and not all of them from every department. She was sure that not every cop was crooked, but enough of them were that Tony had quit before he was put in a position of reporting a fellow officer or being forced to violate his ethics in order to stay alive. Or possibly just being beaten up and put in the hospital as a warning to keep his silence or worse could happen to him.
"So you were in illegals?" Delfina said. "Not homicide or cybercrimes or any other department."
"Yeah, and I would've liked to have transferred, except I was there for only a couple of years and I had to pay my dues first," Tony said. "My father didn't help matters because if any of the officers I worked with and found out my father was basically a conman they would've tried to hold it over my head to keep my silence. When they found out I didn't really care what happened to him they probably would've changed tactics."
"You might say you don't care what happens to your father, but I'm sure deep down you still love him," Delfina said. "You just don't like the choices he makes and I doubt you could see him coming to harm, just because he's cause you nothing but grief and trouble."
"Yeah, I do," Tony admitted. "You hit the bull's-eye Del. You sure do see past the act I put on, where I act like I don't care about my father or what happens to him at all," Tony said studying Delfina intently.
"I do know something about psychology that's all," Delfina reflected Tony's curiosity away from asking anymore questions. "I might be a personal trainer, but I've learned a lot from my cousin who is a psychologist."
"Which is where you learned how to read people," Tony said.
"Oh, I've always been able to read people, but that doesn't mean I haven't gotten better at it over the years," Delfina said.
It wasn't exactly untrue, Delfina thought. Tony had no idea that she was immortal and been around for centuries, so she'd had plenty of practice at reading people. With his father being who he was Tony had learned early in life about understanding people could be duplicitous and that not everybody was a good person.
"You know what they say practice makes perfect. I get plenty of practice as a personal trainer, because you need to be able to read your clients to understand what they need and whether or not they're actually willing to put in the effort required to keep in shape or lose weight or if they're just wannabes with an abundance of money and thought hiring someone like me was a good idea, but didn't really think it through what it would require of them."
"I can see how that would be very useful in your profession just like it is for a private investigator," Tony said. "We also need to be able to read people."
"Exactly," Delfina agreed.
The two continued to talk for sometime talking about their jobs and Delfina continued to talk about her family, and it was clear to Tony that she loved her family a great deal. Really though, that was the way it should be, but so often wasn't.
"So what about another date, Miss Delfina," Tony asked, smiling charmingly once the evening, came to an end.
"Of course sounds great," Delfina said enthusiastically, even as she kissed Tony's cheek. Doing so was a rather bold move, considering they hadn't been dating all that long, but Tony seemed rather pleased at the kiss and so was Delfina.
"So what about a concert? I heard that one of our favorite bands is in town," Tony suggested.
"Sounds good to me," Delfina said. "I haven't been to a music concert in several years. I've just been too busy that's all."
Musical bands was one of the things they had discussed over the course of their first date several weeks ago and it turned out they liked a lot of the same bands and the same music.
"I'll see if I can get us decent tickets," Tony said. "Get as near the stage as possible so we can see them perform."
"Yeah, near the stage is best. I never get nosebleed seats, as you can't see anything if that's all you can afford," Delfina agreed.
"The music isn't as loud if you're that far away from the stage, at least," Tony suggested. "You won't ruin your hearing by being too close to the stage."
"You can easily have your hearing fixed though," Delfina shot back. "All you have to do is go to the hospital or a clinic to get your hearing fixed. It's even covered by most insurances."
"True enough," Tony agreed softly, as he dropped Delfina off at her apartment building and watched her go inside before driving away.
~~~Tony and Delfina~~~