Translation of Love - By Alice Montalvo-Tribue Page 0,33
quite. Hi, Gemma.”
“Hi,” she replies.
“Where’s Dad?”
“He’s in the kitchen, come on.” Gemma goes into the living room while Gavin, Victor and I make our way to the kitchen. Dad’s at the island in the middle of the kitchen, prepping a salad. I’m saying a mental prayer that he doesn’t give Victor a hard time.
“Hey, Dad,” I say, placing a kiss on his cheek.
“Hey, Kiddo, glad you could make it.” He smiles at me and gives me a quick nod. I know he’s giving me a nonverbal cue that everything is gonna be okay. “Hi, Victor, glad you could make it too.”
They shake hands. “Thank you, Mr. Brooks.”
“Call me Joe. Mr. Brooks was my father.”
“Okay, Joe,” Victor says, taking me by the hand.
“Alright, well dinner’s ready. Why don’t you all go take a seat in the dining room?”
“Do you need any help, Dad?”
“No, Kiddo, table’s already set.”
Dinner is fun for the most part. Everyone gangs up on me to tell Victor the most embarrassing stories they can think of about me. He smiles and laughs along with the rest of them. He seems to really be enjoying himself. Dad has just served an apple pie from his favorite bakery when the evening takes a turn for the worse.
“So, Victor, what do you do for a living?”
“Um…I’m a singer,” he says with just a hint of hesitation. Gemma smiles big. She thinks Victor’s cool. Gavin puts his head down and chuckles, and Dad…well Dad looks like he’s about ready to have a stroke.
“A singer? What kind of career is that? No one makes a living doing that,” he growls.
“Dad! Victor makes a great living. Don’t assume the worst.”
“Elle, seriously?” I can’t believe how furious he looks, it’s not like I’m dating a drug dealer for God’s sake.
“No, Joe, Ellie’s right. I make a great living. I’m a Latin singer. I’m actually pretty popular in some parts of the world.”
“What do you mean by popular?”
“Oh my God!!!” everyone turns and looks at Gemma who is staring at her phone. “You’re a superstar!” she says to Victor. “Is this really you in concert? There’re like thousands of people here,” she asks, flipping her phone so that he can see.
Victor smiles at her. “Yup, that’s me. This is the tour I just finished up.”
The phone gets passed around the table. Gemma managed to find a video of him performing live in concert. When the phone makes its way to Dad, he stares for a minute. I can’t read what he’s thinking, his face gives nothing away.
“Just how successful are you, Victor?” he asks. I’m pretty sure he’s asking how financially secure he is. Victor looks slightly uncomfortable but he takes it in stride and answers the intrusive question.
“I’m a multimillionaire, sir.” I hear a collective intake of breath.
“Wow. This video is very impressive.” Dad looks between me and Victor and he says. “Look, I don’t wanna be a downer cause I can tell that you two like each other but how can you take care of my daughter if you’re constantly on the road?”
I’m mortified and angry. “I don’t need anyone to take care of me.”
“I understand where you’re coming from, and Ellie and I have talked about this. I am at a point in my career where I’m looking to slow things down. I have one more album to record, a smaller tour planned and then I’m taking some time off so that I can decide what I want to do next.”
Gavin finally chimes in. “That’s great man. It’s good that you’ve got it all figured out, but where does my sister fit into this equation?”
Oh my God, what is happening here? “Gavin!”
Victor grabs my hand underneath the table. He’s trying to calm me down. “I care about your sister a lot. We’re taking things slow, but I know that she’s gonna be a part of my future.” My breath catches and I turn to look at him. His eyes never leave Gavin but he gives my hand a squeeze. He knows that what he just said scares the hell out of me but he’s trying to reassure my family. “I’ll do what I have to do to make sure she’s okay with my career.”
Gavin smiles and nods. It’s his way of giving Victor his approval.
“Well, I think it’s awesome. Can I come to one of your shows?” Gemma asks.
“Sure, Gemma. Next time I play Madison Square Garden, you’re all invited.”
This gets Dad’s attention. “You’ve played at The Garden?”