Chapter 14 - RICARDO FINALLY SAT ACROSS FROM VICTOR WITHOUT A LAWYER BETWEEN THEM
The first dinner between Ricardo and Victor in sixteen years happened because Leo got tired of everyone scheduling family through attorneys.
He was twenty.
Home from college.
He said:
“This is stupid.”
Ricardo:
“Which part?”
“All.”
Helpful.
Leo had built limited relationship with Victor.
Coffee.
Photography.
Occasional texts.
No business.
No money.
Victor respected.
Olivia close.
Then Leo asked:
“Can Uncle Victor come Sunday dinner?”
Ricardo froze.
I continued chopping vegetables.
Not my decision.
Then:
“In this house?”
“Yes.”
“No lawyer.”
“Yes.”
“No negotiation.”
“Yes.”
Ricardo looked at me.
I said:
“Do you want?”
“No.”
“Do you maybe?”
He sighed.
“Yes.”
There.
Victor came.
Security checked but discreet.
No weapon obviously.
He stood foyer.
Older.
Ricardo opened door himself.
Two brothers stared.
Victor:
“Hi.”
Ricardo:
“Hi.”
That was it.
Dinner awkward.
Leo talked school.
Olivia work.
I asked Victor about photography.
Ricardo glared because that was his thing? Actually Victor liked.
Then Victor showed old image of harbor.
Good.
No Isabella until dessert.
Then Leo said:
“I want ask both.”
Everyone stopped.
“Do you think family is better now?”
Victor answered first.
“Yes.”
Ricardo:
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Victor:
“Because I have less power.”
Silence.
Honest.
Ricardo:
“Because no one person can approve everything.”
Then Leo:
“Was Grandpa bad?”
Ricardo looked.
Victor smiled sadly.
“No.”
Then:
“He did bad things.”
Ricardo nodded.
“He also loved us.”
“Expected loyalty.”
“Used fear.”
“Built jobs.”
“Helped people.”
“Was complicated.”
Leo:
“Why does everyone need people either good or bad?”
I laughed.
“Internet.”
He rolled eyes.
Then Victor looked at Ricardo.
“I’m sorry.”
No preamble.
“For what?”
“All of it is lazy.”
Ricardo almost smiled.
Victor continued:
“For using Leo to scare Isabella.”
“For taking money.”
“For letting people think I spoke for you.”
“For feeding a culture where Anthony and others tried to guess what I wanted.”
“For not telling you when she confronted me.”
“And for spending years pretending being jealous of you justified any of it.”
Ricardo’s eyes filled.
“Did you have anything to do with crash?”
Again.
Even after all.
Victor answered:
“No.”
“Did you suspect someone had?”
“I suspected everyone because I was guilty of enough other things.”
That was honest.
Then:
“I think accident.”
“I think tires.”
“I think rain.”
“I think our lies made normal accident impossible to believe.”
Wow.
That line.
Our corruption made truth unbelievable.
Ricardo looked down.
Then:
“I forgive you.”
Victor froze.
Not expected.
Ricardo continued:
“Not all.”
Victor laughed through tears.
“Fair.”
“Trust?”
“No.”
“Business?”
“Never.”
“Family?”
Ricardo looked at Leo.
Then me.
“Maybe.”
Victor nodded.
No hug.
After dinner, they stood outside.
I did not watch.
Privacy.
Later Ricardo came bed.
“How?”
“Terrible.”
“Good?”
“Yes.”
Then:
“I wanted hit him.”
“Didn’t.”
“No.”
“Progress.”
He smiled.
Then:
“I also wanted hug.”
“Didn’t?”
“No.”
“Maybe next year.”
He laughed.
Then our family made a decision about Isabella archive.
Leo now adult.
He had right to materials.
We met.
All recordings.
Letters.
Legal files.
He could take.
He chose digitize selected personal letters, keep legal archive with attorneys, and donate some corporate evidence to restricted historical archive years later? Maybe privacy. He kept private.
Then asked:
“Can we destroy copies of crash photos?”
Ricardo froze.
Graphic accident evidence likely.
Legal no longer needed after limitations? Counsel said some retained official, personal copies could be destroyed.
Leo:
“I don’t want Mom remembered like that.”
Ricardo nodded.
We destroyed personal copies securely.
Kept reports.
No images.
Agency.
Then Isabella’s final video.
Leo chose preserve.
Not public.
“For my kids maybe.”
If any.
Choice.
Sophie archive too.
I updated.
No hospital bracelet disposal.
Still mine.
Then Ricardo and I revisited Il Verano on anniversary first meeting.
Twenty years? Let's calculate initial Clara around maybe mid-30s, now Leo 20 from 3 = 17 years. So 17th anniversary.
Restaurant now different owner.
Dante retired from full-time security but still consultant.
He joined for dessert.
Sarah too.
Leo home.
We reserved same kind of table.
No empty chair symbolism? We could.
Leo lifted glass.
Dante:
“Don’t.”
Leo laughed.
Then waiter recognized story? No, too much.
We ate.
Ricardo looked.
“Do you remember what you said?”
“He needs a mom.”
“You were wrong.”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Then:
“What did he need?”
“People to stay.”
Ricardo took hand.
“So did I.”
“And me.”
Three grieving people.
Now not.
Still grief, but not room.
Then Leo announced next morning:
“I’m applying for documentary fellowship overseas.”
Ricardo dropped fork.
“Where?”
“Bosnia first.”
Ricardo:
“No.”
Leo:
“I’m twenty.”
Ricardo closed eyes.
Then looked at me.
I waited.
He corrected:
“I am afraid.”
Better.
Leo softened.
“I know.”
Security discussion.
Journalism risk.
Program protocols.
No veto unless extraordinary.
Ricardo learned again.
May you like
Staying while letting leave.
That might be hardest lesson forever.
