The War of the Roses: The Children (13 page)

She had averted her eyes as she told him this. And she was right. It did sound radical and he hated the prospect.

“That sounds like a ridiculous idea. If you'd like, I'll move out. Why should you have to have a separate place? You can live here. Just as long as I have access to the children.”

“Of course, you're going to have access. Above all, I don't want them to feel… well, deserted by their father. Maybe I'm just reacting to my own experience, but I know what it means to grow up as a fatherless child.”

“You sound so… sensible, Victoria,” he said grimly.

“We have to be, Josh. Both of us. Of course, there's no telling how long it must last. But it seems a logical way to transition them.”

The conversation between them seemed stilted, too matter-of-fact, too rational. He would rather have had shouts and curses, recriminations, temper tantrums, cruel words, and angry diatribes. This was more like a contract negotiation, bloodless and without feeling.

His mind suddenly filled with confusing details. How will they get through the night? Will they sleep in the same bed? What will they tell the children and when? How will the children react? Will her idea about a transition period really work? There was no question that Victoria was dead earnest and determined.

At that point he suddenly remembered the original impetus for the meeting with Victoria. He was supposed to get a rundown of their financial status. At the very least, he was entitled to know the amount and disposition of their assets. He reminded her of this.

“All in due time, Josh,” she replied. “All in due time.”

He felt impotent, powerless, and devastated.

They met in the storefront office of Alfonse Bocci, Dominic's brother, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Josh came with her with strict instructions to remain silent.

The office was seedy and consisted of a reception area manned by a fat receptionist and a cluttered inner office with a desk piled high with papers. Behind the desk sat Alfonse, who vaguely resembled his brother. He wore no tie and a shirt that looked as if it had not been laundered for weeks.

Dominic sat in one of the mismatched chairs assembled in a semi-circle around Alfonse's desk. He was cross-legged and upright, cautious of his pressed clothes. He had actually shaken Victoria's hand as if they had established a friendly relationship during their earlier meeting.

Josh sat in another chair looking ashen faced. He had slept in the spare room. Victoria, wearing a gray businesslike lawyerly suit, sat beside him.

Contrary to her expectations, she felt oddly unburdened. She had been up all night, her mind filled with thoughts and various ideas on how she was going to conduct her life from that day forward. From the moment of her confrontation with Dominic Bocci the day before, she knew that she would have to prepare for profound changes in her life.

She was, of course, shocked and disgusted by Dominic's revelations. When Dominic had suddenly appeared at her door yesterday and then unburdened himself, she managed to contain her fury over Josh. The miracle was that she was able to hold herself together, to freeze her emotions while this smooth bastard blandly told her his story. Despite her immediate detestation of the man, she knew his allegations were true. He was hardly subtle. She even forced herself to maintain a cool demeanor when he made his monetary demands. He struck her as less the outraged husband than a greedy predator. Did the fool really believe that she would consent to part with a half-a-million dollars?

He had explained that he had forgiven his wife, implying that she had submitted to Josh's sexual demands under duress. That part of it somehow did not ring true. Under duress or not, she had succumbed and confessed. That was more than enough validation for her.

“You think I don't know your pain?” Dominic asked her. “I got the same condition. It ain't easy to know that your spouse is cheating on you.”

“Apparently not,” she agreed coldly, trying to recover from the sudden shock. Now she directed her thoughts to coping with the catastrophe this evil man had brought into her life.

“You should thank me for coming here,” he said.

“Don't think I'm ungrateful,” she replied, forcing a tight smile.

“I wouldn't have come,” he told her as if he were confessing true reluctance. “But your husband said you handle the family finances. So I had to come direct to the source. I figured he was too chicken to come clean.”

“You did come to the right place,” she agreed, continuing to be guarded about her demeanor. Survival had suddenly taken on a different meaning. At that point, she had put both him and her husband into the same category. They had now been transformed in her mind into her mother's devil fantasy, venal male predators, her ultimate self-fulfilling prophecy.

Dominic seemed to be enjoying his role as a messenger from hell, although he was, she suspected, confused by her reaction.

“To me, it seems like a cheap price to pay,” Dominic continued. “He keeps his job, his big income. Hell, you'll make up the money in a couple of years. No hassles.”

“Makes sense,” she mused aloud. But her thoughts were moving in another direction.

Instantaneously, the door had closed on her marriage and another had suddenly opened. She was going through this second door now, compelled by a new idea. The objective now was to prevent or severely limit any trauma to her children. Divorce was inevitable now. She had discovered that she possessed no capacity for forgiveness.

“What's that saying?” Dominic said, screwing up his face in mock contemplation. “What's good for the goose….”

“Is good for the gander.”

“Gander is the lady goose, right?”

He winked, his motive clear. She wished she could find the courage to choke the bastard to death.

“Maybe when all this is over….”

She forced a smile. With a knife in my hand, she thought.

“So tomorrow we get it all squared away,” he said, writing down the address of his brother's office. “Just bring the you-know-what and we'll put this all behind us.”

“Yes,” she nodded.

“That's using the old noodle, Mrs. Rose. It's all gonna be nice and legal.”

He started toward the door, stopped, and turned.

“I like you,” he said. “You're open-minded. I like that in a woman. Yeah. Maybe you and I… you know….”

“Fuck you,” she said.

“Well, well. Finally got to you.”

He stood in the doorway and pointed a finger.

“Just be there, lady.
Capisce
?”

He walked out the door. She dropped to the floor and on her knees cried for a long time. Finally, with her emotions under control, she rose and began to plan her next move and her new life.

***

She had, of course, accepted Dominic's Bocci's challenge. In her previous law practice, she had always been good at lawyer-to-lawyer confrontations, especially when she was angry. Thus, her state of mind coming into Alphonse Bocci's office was militant and aggressive. Her objective was clearly defined. Preserve Josh's job and hold down the price of the Bocci bastard's blackmail.

“I hope we can resolve the situation as quickly as possible,” Alfonse Bocci began. Just as he spoke, the fat receptionist came in with Styrofoam containers of coffee and bagels and cream cheese.

“On the house,” Alfonse said, setting the bagels and coffee out in a semicircle at the edge of his desk. He unwrapped a bagel and pulled the top off a coffee container.

“Now,” he said, his mouth full. “We are asking five hundred thousand dollars and, of course, a signed document by Mr. Rose admitting his guilt.” He looked toward Josh and smiled thinly. “Naturally, this will be filed away, never to be used, unless….”

“We understand that, Mr. Bocci,” Victoria said, glancing toward Josh, whose complexion had turned dead white. She turned toward Dominic and offered a thin smile. He smiled back, obviously secure in the knowledge that he had made the deal with the source.

“Then I assume you've brought the certified check for the amount specified.”

“No, I haven't,” Victoria said calmly. “Nor do I intend to.”

“Shit!” Dominic cried, partially spilling the coffee on his razor creased gray flannels. He tried absorbing the stains with a napkin, but they seemed to make things worse. “Fuckin' broad. What's she trying to pull?”

“I don't understand,” Alphonse said. His face had reddened. “Dom said the purpose of this meeting was to finish the deal.”

“That's exactly correct,” Victoria said. “And I intend to do just that.”

“So where the fuck's the money?” Dominic sneered.

“Oh, we're prepared to make a settlement, gentlemen,” Victoria said, “but not on your basis. I've prepared my own letter for you both to sign and, of course, Angela Bocci.”

She had pulled out a letter from her briefcase that she had written on her computer the night before. Alfonse took it, opened it, and read it.

“You outta your fucking mind?” he shouted at Victoria, tossing the letter to his brother. “Read it, Dom. She wants us and Angela to sign it. Angela denies any sexual harassment and admits that she seduced this
jaboni
, and we sign as witnesses to money passing hands in lieu of any future harassment suits on Angela's part. Hey lady, you people are at risk. Not us.”

“Wrong,” Victoria said crisply, smiling slightly, staring directly into Alfonse Bocci's beady eyes. “You people are at risk. You're the blackmailers.”

“Why waste time, Al. Let's go to the firm.”

“No one is stopping you,” Victoria said. “Go ahead.”

“He's history there, lady. You want that?”

“Doesn't bother me,” Victoria said. “We're getting divorced anyway.”

“What the fuck is going on here?” Alfonse Bocci asked.

“Blackmail,” Victoria said. “That's what's going on.”

“Listen to this broad,” Dominic said.

“I don't think you can get away with that characterization, Mrs. Rose,” Alfonse said, assuming a lawyerly role. “As my brother's lawyer, you could be in real trouble with that allegation.”

“Sue me.” Victoria said.

“You mean that? You know what it will cost you if you have to go to court.”

“Time, Mr. Bocci. Time. You, too. Lots of time.”

“You know what your legal fees will cost you?”

“I'm a lawyer, Bocci. You fuck around with me, I'll keep your brother and his bitch in court for the rest of their lives if I have to. I'm good at it. As a matter of fact, I'll make it so that you won't have room on your schedule for any other cases.”

“Are you threatening me?” Alfonse Bocci said. It was, Victoria concluded, a macho knee-jerk reaction. She noted that Josh had remained, as she had instructed him, totally silent.

“Now you're getting the message.”

“Why you lousy bitch,” Dom said, jumping from his chair, reaching out to grab Victoria.

Josh stood up protectively and pushed Dom away. Alfonse rose swiftly from his chair and restrained his brother.

“Don't be an idiot, Dom,” he cried, wrestling his brother back to his chair.

“Let him strike me. Give me more ammunition,” Victoria said.

“Who the fuck does this cunt think she is?” Dominic cried, his face flushing beet red.

“You'd better watch your language,” Josh shouted.

Victoria cut him a glance that silenced him, then addressed both brothers in turn.

“As I told you, I really don't care if you go to Josh's firm. True, Josh could lose his job. Tell you the truth, I wouldn't want that to happen. He makes good money, although I'm sure they'll give him a great severance package. But it won't help your wife, either. Nevertheless, I'm willing to be reasonable, providing the two of you and she sign that document.”

She paused, looking silently from one brother's face to the other. “If you don't, I am going to take you to court. Great country, America. Due process. Anybody can sue anybody. Believe me, I'll find the statutes that apply. Who knows, maybe a complaint to the District Attorney's office might be appropriate. Up to you. I'm willing to make a deal.”

“Talk about blackmail. This is a holdup,” Dominic sneered.

“How much are we talking about?” Alfonse said, maintaining his lawyerly pose.

“Fifty thousand,” Victoria said without pausing.

“Fifty thousand? That's 10 percent.”

“If you don't sign, you get nothing but trouble. Fifty thousand will be small potatoes after I get myself charged up.”

“You're lookin' for trouble lady,” Dominic said menacingly, looking toward his brother. “We got connections.”

“Please. Don't pull that Mafia macho shit on me. What are you going to do? Hire somebody to break my kneecaps?” She paused. “As for trouble, you haven't got a clue.”

Suddenly Dom turned toward Josh.

“Ain't you got nothin' to say? Got any balls left?”

“Apparently enough to do your wife for six months,” Victoria snapped, looking Dominic Bocci dead in the eyes.

“Maybe he wasn't getting enough at home,” Dominic said.

“Could have been the same problem over at your house,” Victoria said. She turned toward Alfonse. “What will it be, Counselor?”

She watched Alfonse Bocci grow thoughtful, rubbing his chin, wetting his lips.

“Bitch has us by the short ones,” he hissed, a remark meant for his brother's ears alone. Then, louder, as he put up his hands and looked pointedly at Victoria, “I don't think we can fuck with her, Dom. Broads like this get you by the
cojones
. They squeeze until they crush you. I seen enough of them in my life.” He turned toward his brother. “You got a big problem back at the barn, brother. Your Angela can't keep her legs crossed? You know what I say. Take the fucking fifty grand. Sign the goddamned paper. Get her to sign it. She ain't gonna use it.” He turned toward Josh. “She's keeping your job for you, buddy. Maybe she's doing you a favor dumping you. I couldn't live with a hardass like her for two minutes.” He turned toward his brother. “Take it, Dom. We overreached is all. Better get what you can.”

“Good advice, Counselor,” Victoria said.

“Fuck her,” Dominic said morosely.

“Here's the game plan. We don't have to meet again.” She reached into her briefcase and pulled out an envelope. “The check I post-dated for a week from now. But if I don't get the letter back signed by all three of you and properly notarized, I stop it. Understand?”

Alfonse shook his head and looked toward his brother, who was obviously fuming. Dominic snarled and nodded.

“I'll have a messenger pick up the paper tomorrow. If it's in order, you can cash the check. And I'd appreciate if you henceforth eliminate yourselves from our lives.
Capisce
?”

“Fuckin' bitch,” Dominic mumbled as Victoria and Josh stood up and, without another word, left the office.