Fork in the Road

Chapter Twenty-Five

He felt a tug on his arm. He looked down at his son, Demetrio who had been playing in the garden.

"Papi!" six year old Demetrio exclaimed as Antonio entered the backyard of the house.

There was a stone wall around the perimeter of the back of the house and in the center a large gate that led to the vineyard below. Demetrio had once fallen off that wall scaring his bare back on a stone that had come loose. Antonio inspected the wall daily now ensuring every stone was in place and was secure and reminded his son daily not to climb on it even though he had learned his lesson. Antonio smiled as he saw his son was again safe. Antonio picked him up and swirled him around. Demetrio squealed in delight.

"Really, Antonio, how is he going to grow into a gentleman, when you throw him around like that?" Antonio's mother demanded from her chair in the shade.

"I turned out fine, and father did this to me all the time," Antonio replied putting his son up on his shoulders.

"Mmm," his mother replied and turned back to her embroidery with a small smile.

"Eliana, my love," Antonio said kneeling down and kissing his wife on the cheek as she pulled out weeds from the garden.

"Antonio," She said simply knowing it would annoy him.

Tony poked her in the side and made her laugh giddily.

"Yes, Antonio, my love!" she said in defeat and kissed his cheek.

"That is better. Isn't it, Demetrio?" Antonio said looking up at his son.

"Yes, much better, Mama."

Antonio pulled his son down and sat him on his lap. He kissed his son's cheek. "I love you, Demetrio," Tony whispered in his son's ear.

His son wrapped his tiny arms around Antonio's neck and whispered in his ear "I love you, Papi."

Tony smiled. Suddenly Demetrio shook in his arms. "Demetrio!" Antonio exclaimed suddenly frightened.

"What is it?" Eliana asked rushing over to his side.

Demetrio looked from one to the other. "I'm fine, mama."

"What made you shake so?" Tony asked.

Demetrio looked at him with puzzled eyes.

"Isn't this a charming sight?" Massi said coming through the gate.

Tony stood up and shook his friend's hand. "Good day, Massi."

"I wish it were. I came to warn you."

"Warn us? Of what?" Eliana asked.

"A plague. Coming this way rapidly."

Eliana pulled Demetrio close to her.

"How close?" Tony asked.

"Within days," Massi said with a sigh. "I need to get back to town. Take care of your family, Antonio."

"I will," Tony said picking up Demetrio and holding him close.

"Now's the time," Demetrio said looking up at him.

"What?" Tony asked blinking.

"We can go now."

"Go where?" Tony asked.

"Anywhere! Boston. You love it there. We have to get mother out of here. Before Max..." he trailed off looking up at Tony and his confused expression. "Oh God, you don't remember."

"Remember what, Demetrio? What are you talking about? What is this Boston?"

Demetrio looked at him with curious wide eyes. "When did you come back?"

"What do you mean? Come back? Come back from where, son?"

"Tony," Little Demetrio said putting a hand on his arm.

"Demetrio what is wrong? What is this Tony?"

"You! You are Tony! Snap out of it!" Demetrio shouted at him in a strange language Antonio seemed to understand.

"The plague..." Antonio said dropping to his knees and put both his hands on Demtrio's face checking for a fever.

"Oh, for Christ sakes. I don't have it. Yet. You have to get the family out of here. Take them to America. Or she'll die. Mother will die. The whole family dies. Massi turns us into vampires and torments everyone we care about. Remember, damn it!"

"What is he saying?" Eliana asked in Italian squatting down by Antonio and looked curiously at their son.

Antonio looked from Antonio to Eliana and then back at Demetrio and blinked his eyes several times. He had understood the strange language Demetrio spoke and suddenly it wasn't strange anymore. "Dear God."

"What is it, Antonio? You're scaring me. You're both scaring me!"

"We're going to America," he said standing up.

"The Americas? Are you out of your mind?!" Eliana shrieked.

"I'm out of my mind if I let you stay here and die," Antonio said grabbing her by the arms.

"I won't die, Antonio. Plagues happen all the time and we've been perfectly fine."

"Not this time," he said taking her hand. "Trust me, my love."

She sighed, "Alright, my love. My grandfather used to get feelings about things all the time. He was usually right. Have you such a gift, Antonio?"

"No, Trey does," he said looking at Demetrio.

She looked at Demetrio. "Trey? What a cute little nickname," she said with a smile and kissed her son's cheek. "And I trust that your gift is right and we must do what your heart tells you is right."

Trey nodded and hugged his mother.

"What about Isabella?" Tony asked pulling Demetrio aside.

"I know when I need to meet Anna Maria. I'll come back to Italy then. I still intend to marry my wife. Maybe I can prevent her death too."

"I hope so. Thank you, son."

"Do you think we did it?"

"I don't know," Tony said putting a hand on his son's shoulder.