The Millionaire's Convenient Arrangement

Echoes From the Past

"Joey, I – "

"I'm going to wait until Tito gets out of jail," he said, sobbing now, "and I'm going to live with him, and I'm never going to see either one of you again. And I meant what I said, Maria. Go ahead and hit me again. I don't care." He mouthed the word whore and stood there, defiantly.

Ritchie stepped toward him. "All right, Joey, that's it. Get up to your room and stay there until you can discuss this rationally. And you use that word to your sister one more time and you'll have me to deal with."

"It's not my room. It's not my house. It's not my anything. I don't have to listen to you and your stupid rules, Ritchie. I wish you were dead."

Joey ran up the stairs, and a few moments later, they heard the door to his room slam. Ritchie turned to Maria.

"Maria. It's my fault. I should have told him."

She sank down on the couch and put her head in her hands. "How did we not see this coming?" She looked up at Ritchie. "I can't believe I hit him. His whole life, I never laid a hand on him before. Not once."

"If I'd been the one standing next to him, he'd have landed on his ass."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better. You're the most controlled person I've ever met." She sighed. "I just wish he hadn't found out this way."

"Look, it was a long time ago. I always thought I'd have time to sit him down some day and explain it all. Since he doesn't visit Tito, who was going to tell him? We've been keeping such a tight leash on him, I didn't think he'd end up back in the old neighborhood. And the one time we cut him a little slack . . . "

"I saw Tito today." She paused. "We talked. Really talked. He doesn't blame you."

Before he could comment, she continued. "And before you say anything, I know you think of course it wasn't your fault, you were just doing your job, being tough on crime. But what you have to understand is that for all these years, I've really believed that Tito was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and you railroaded him through." She took a deep breath. "Tito told me today that he wasn't so innocent after all, and that he's accepted responsibility for what put him there.

"I still think with that being his first offense and everything, he shouldn't have gone to prison, but if Tito is letting it go, then I guess I have to, as well."

"Come on," Ritchie said. "Let's sit out back. It's time for you to tell me."

"Tell you what?"

"About your...father."

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Ok."

They walked out across the terrace and leaned against the railing, looking out over the water.

"My father – if you can really call him that – was a senior at a fancy prep school. My mom was there on scholarship because she was a talented artist."