Parallel lives [COMPLETE] [BXB]

Chapter 39

#FAMILY BONDS

The phone rang again.

"Gatto! Pick up the phone, I'm in the bathroom," Leon shouted.

Giovanni got up from the armchair with all the laziness that characterized him when he was watching something interesting on TV.

"Pronto?" He used to forget how to answer in English.

It was a deep voice that replied from the other side asking for Leon.

"Who is it?" 

"His father."

"One moment" put it aside while shouting "Leo, is your father!"

Leon let out an insult, wrapped himself in a towel and walked towards him with a grimace on his face, Giovanni laughed under his breath.

"What do you want," Leon replied.

"You don't read the papers, do you?"

"You always ask me the same question. What for? I know your lies by heart."

"How come you work as a bartender in a homosexual nightclub?"

Leon turned around and made a triumphant gesture to the Italian.

"Yes, it's my job. "

"You can go find yourself another one now."

"Right, let me get this straight: You're kicking me out of the house, you said I'm no longer your son, you don't want to support me and on top of that, you want me to quit the only job that pays my rent."

"I thought the money you took as a pension would be enough for you. You should be thankful that I didn't report you".

"Report me? The account was under our names. Nobody stole anything from anyone. And what are you going to tell the media? Come on, man, do you think I am stupid ? I might look like a one but I am not. Put Mom on the phone.

"Your mother should not talk to you. It is for her sake, because she's devastated to see what your son has become."

"You're a son of a bitch."

"You'd better quit that job before it's too late."

Leon stood there, with the phone in his hand, which he almost threw against the table.

"What's wrong?" asked Giovanni.

"I hate him... I hate that son of a bitch."

Giovanni smiled at him, Leon looked confused.

"You are just like me."

Leon looked at him with curiosity, the truth is that they never talked about family, he didn't know Giovanni had problems with his parents.

"And what are you going to do?" asked Giovanni.

"It is all because of him, my mom is being manipulated, it has been always like this. Now he wants me to quit my job, he is insane if he thinks that I am going to do it!"

"You don't have to do it either," added the dark-haired man.

"He is capable of reporting me to the police, I never had a good reputation as his son, since I always did what I wanted."

"And why do you think he can report you?"

"When he kicked me out, I took more than 5000 dollars that we have in our bank account, you know, as an inheritance I will never receive."

" 5000 dollars is nothing, I also did something similar to my father."

Leon smiled complicitly.

"And how much was yours?

Giovanni had a fit of laughter.

"If I tell you, you won't believe it. Forget it better. Back to the subject, if he threatens you with the cops, why don't you threaten him with the press? Have you never thought about that?"

"I did, but it would be hell for my mom"

Giovanni shrugged his shoulders.

"What? What do you think?"

"Honestly?" Leon nodded at his question, "I think your mother lived her life already and is old enough to take care of herself. You're only 23, you shouldn't let your father get you in any trouble. Just threaten him, if he doesn't listen to you, go to the press, and tell any lie you can think of, for example, that your father beat you as a child."

"I don't need to tell any lies, just start naming some of the hundreds of women he had over the years would be enough. But I don't know if my mother knows and I don't want to hurt her."

"Whatever. I wouldn't let anyone fuck with my life, least any relative of mine. Sometimes I think family is the worst because they feel they have the right to fuck up your life."

"Yes, I agree. Giovanni, come on, tell me. How much did you take?"

"I'm not going to tell you, it's a secret, but what a great moment! You don't know the look on my father's face when he found out who it was. Serves him right for being a bastard."

Leon looked at him for a few moments, if he thought that he really hated his father then he did not know how to define what Giovanni felt, it was a hatred that was reflected all over his face.

"I'm going to follow your advice and I'm going to threaten him with the press, he will get scared as elections are next year"

"And all these problems because you are gay?"

Leon looked at him sideways.

"Of course, how did your parents react? Apparently your father is the same," Leon added.

"No, you're wrong, my father's anger comes from somewhere else, I don't think he doesn't care about me being homosexual. I've never seen him give his opinion on the subject"
"And your mother?

"Ugh, my mother is very understanding...she is a piece of art" His tone exuded a marked irony.

"How so"

"To give you an idea, when I told her, she said, she understands me, I don't need worry, this will have to stay between the two of us. She tried to medicate me to cure me of the illness I was clearly suffering"

"In that sense I've been a little luckier, my mother worries about what could happen to me, I think she feels that we gays are prone to all the diseases that go around in the world, she has never made me a drama."

Leon looked at him for a few moments and finally his curiosity got the better of him.

"And Lucas' parents, how are they?"

Giovanni looked at him with mischief.

"You are curious, aren't you? I don't know them much, his father is a tolerant and correct type. Listen, let's keep this between us but his mother, on the other hand, is a real bitch, she used to sleep with my father".

"Say what?!"

"Yes, but that's something no one knew, except Alex, i guess, the eldest."

"And how do you know it?"

Giovanni smiled dangerously.

"Coz I was lucky enough to see them, and I say lucky, because it gave me a way to do whatever I wanted. Do you know what that means in a traditional Italian family of the upper class, who also have joint business? They would have even paid me gold bars to keep my mouth shut."

Leon understood finally why he saw him as a manipulative guy, he was dangerous, he was not one to waste opportunities.

Giovanni kept thinking, as Leon was drying his hair, if he should help him out, and get benefits at the same time. But he soon dismissed the idea, it would be a bit boring. He turned his attention back to the television, even though his favorite show already ended.