Starting Over – Chapter Seven

Chapter 7

Jack went into Tony’s office. “I see what you mean about Julie. She’s hot. So why the glum face?”

“Julie thinks I’m a jerk,” Tony said dejectedly. He told Jack how he had treated Julie that morning.

Jack knew what was going on the past week with Julie and Tony both being sick. He found it amusing because he saw his friend Tony acting like a school boy, but with Tony’s temper, he could never tell him that.

“I’m crazy about her and it makes me want to bolt! What the hell is wrong with me?”

“I’ve known you your whole life Tony, I know what you come from, despite that you’re a great guy and a great friend but you really need to get some help.” Jack had his fists clenched waiting for the explosion.

“You mean like my sister Lena? A lot of good it did her. I went to see her the other day and she was so high she didn’t even know it was me. She used to be a beautiful flower and now at 37 she looks all shriveled up.”

“Tony, if you don’t get help things will never change for you. You want love but when it finds you you destroy it. You may not mean to, but you’re hard on women. If you can’t be close to a woman and make her feel special, you’re never going to experience “the one.”

“I miss Genna and being able to talk to her. Mia is so screwed up right now and all Genna can think of is going on a vacation with Gallagher. I don’t know how to help Mia. I’m afraid she doing drugs with some of her new friends. I tried to talk to her about safe sex and she laughed in my face.”

Angela, Tony’s assistant, buzzed him, “Your daughter is here with some friends.”

“Let them in Angela.” Tony wondered what Mia wanted now.

“Hi Daddy,” Mia oozed charm as she put her arms around her father’s neck, “we’re going shopping and I need your credit card. These are my friends Janet and Richie.”

Tony looked at the Janet, a pretty girl with dark brown hair and eyes, around 19 like Mia, but he could she was jumpy and her eyes were twitching a little. He knew she was spaced out, that’s how Lena looked when she needed a fix.

As he turned to the boy and extended his hand, his eyes widened, “Richie Ramao, is that you?”

Richie was as tall as Tony, a good looking boy with an athlete’s build, dark brown hair and eyes. “Must have taken after his father because his mother Julie is so fair,” Tony mused to himself.

“Hi Tony, I’m just giving the girls a ride to the mall. My grandmother called and asked me to do it, she didn’t want my cousin Janet hitching a ride.”

Tony pulled Rich aside and asked, “Look, I know you don’t want to rat anyone out but what are these two on. I’m beside myself, I don’t know what to do for Mia anymore.”

Richie was squirming and feeling really uncomfortable, “Look Tony, I don’t feel it’s my place to talk to you about this. I’m just here because I’m trying to help my cousin who’s in way over her head.”

“Okay Rich, I’ll respect that. Why don’t you take your cousin and go see your mother. I’ll bring Mia when we’re finished.”

“What the hell did he want to know? Did you tell him?” Janet said as she nervously fixed her tank top.

Richie grabbed her arm and pulled her along to Julie’s office. “Just shut up will you!”

Julie came into the hallway and saw the two arguing. She quickly scooped them up and brought them to a small meeting room and closed the door.

“Are you kidding me? You can’t come in here and raise your voice. This is where I work. Rich, what’s going on?”

“Janet went out of the house stoned again and Grandma asked me to try and help her.”

“I love Grandma, but you can’t get mixed up in Janet’s life. Janet has to help herself, understand? You’re doing great at Rutgers and I don’t want anything to sabotage that.”

“Janet, I love you, but you need help. As long as you refuse to get it, you’re not welcome at my house.”

Julie was crying on the inside, she loved her niece, but she had tried every kind of rehab and Janet was still not taking responsibility for her life. The counselor said they had to let her reach rock bottom before she would come back up. She hoped her sister Marge would forgive her. Marge’s last words to her last year were, “take care of Janet, treat her like your own daughter.”

That’s what Julie was doing but it was killing her. “So why are you two here anyway?”

“Janet’s friend, Mia, wanted to come here to get some money from her father. I was shocked Mom but her father is your friend Tony Raniere.”

TONY RANIERE!

“Look honey, he’s not exactly my friend, we just work in the same place. I don’t want you to have anything to do with Mia or Tony, got that?”

“What’s going on Mom?”

“They’re just not our kind of people. Promise me you won’t get involved.”

“Okay but I still wish you would fill me in on what’s going on.”

There was a knock on the door and Tony proceeded to come in with his daughter and Jack.

“This is my daughter Mia, Julie. The kids were going shopping at the mall and they just stopped here for a moment.” Tony was uneasy, he could barely look at Julie, he fumbled with his tie as he spoke to her.

“Hi Mia. Nice to meet you,” Julie said as she quickly surveyed Mia’s appearance. “So you’re going to the Palisades Mall?”

Julie looked at this girl and saw someone who was very lost. All that black eye makeup, the black cloths, the body piercings, Mia made sure no one could see who she was on the inside. Amazing how she and Janet hooked up but don’t addicts always find each other?

“Yeah, Dad and Uncle Jack just funded our trip,” Mia chirped happily as she stood there with her arms around both of them.

“Well, Richie can’t go, he forgot he has another appointment but I’m going to get the company car to take you. You’ll need to get a taxi on the way back.”

“I’ll pick up the girls Julie. No need for a taxi,’’ Jack said hastily as he was heading out the door.

Julie could see how embarrassed her son was but she wasn’t going to let him get involved with two people who were so totally out of control.

As the kids filed out, Tony stayed behind and apologized to Julie for his daughter.

“Look I know Rich is a clean cut kid and I’m sorry that he got dragged into this but Mia is my daughter and I have to look out for her best interests. Your niece Janet doesn’t seem to be in much better shape.”

“She’s not but that’s not your business. I can’t tell Janet what to do, she’s on her own, but I don’t want my son to get involved with your daughter. I’m dead serious about that. Instead of giving her money, maybe you should take the time to get her some help. In case you haven’t noticed, she’s drowning.”

Tony grabbed Julie’s arm and puller her towards him, “she’s my daughter. I don’t need your damn advice! Just because you hate me doesn’t mean you can take it out on her.”

Julie’s tone softened, “if you know anything about me Tony, you know I would never hurt your child. She’s begging you for help but you just don’t see it. Just the way you want to protect your daughter, that’s the way I want to protect my son. That’s all there is to it,” she said as she gently pulled his hand off her arm. She knew heartbreak would be around the corner for Tony and his daughter Mia. She was facing that same heartbreak with Janet.

As Tony left the office he was surprised Julie didn’t smack him for grabbing her arm like that. He was like a wild child looking for attention, even negative attention would do. Julie totally diffused his anger by showing compassion. He felt the tears starting to come but he bolted out of the door before Julie saw that.

Julie felt her legs dragging as she walked back to her desk. This had been an exhausting day for her. She no longer hated Tony, she almost pitied him, his life was a mess, too big a mess for her to get involved in.

She had run the gamut of emotions in this one day and she was totally drained. She could barely keep her eyes open on the way home, and as she opened her front door, she couldn’t wait to go to bed. Just then, her friend Joannie came flying in right past her.

“That miserable pig,” Joannie screamed. “Tell me all about it.”