Roz looked at him. “For what?” she asked.
Mick didn’t answer immediately, whichwas his way. But he was trying to getout of his way. He answered her. “Thank you for not deserting me,” he said.
Roz’s heart squeezed. She knew how much it took out of him to saythat. “Oh, honey,” she said, leaning closeragainst him. “I’ll never desert you,Mick. Please don’t think I ever will dothat. I wasn’t trying to desert youduring our separation. I just neededtime to find myself. To decide what Iwill and will not put up with from you.”
Mick was afraid to ask it, but heasked anyway. “What have you decided?”he asked her.
Roz hated to admit it, but she wasgoing to tell the truth. “Everything,”she said.
Mick looked at her. “What do you mean?”
Tears welled-up in Roz’s eyes. She hated that she was so emotionallately! “I’ve decided that I will put upwith everything from you,” she said.
Mick was stunned. Her words, her tears, broke his heart.
“When you treat me well,” Rozcontinued, “I’ll put up with that. Whenyou treat me not so well,” she further said, “I’ll put up with that too.” Then she frowned. “When you’re there for me and the children,and when you aren’t there for us, I’m going to put up with all of that too.”
Mick turned her toward him and placedhis hands on her upper arms. “You hear meand you hear me well, Rosalind Sinatra,” he said to her. “You will not allow me to do that toyou. You hear me? You’re too wonderful a woman, the best womanin this entire world, to let me do that to you! Say you won’t let that happen.”
But Roz wasn’t going to lie. “But it won’t be true, Mick,” she said tohim. “I realized it when I was in thatlimousine, and you were willing to die for me. I was trying to tell you to leave, that it was hopeless, that there wasno reason for both of us to die. Iwanted to remind you we had children that needed at least one of us. But then I realized, in that moment,something profound about us.”
Mick was confused. “What did you realize?” he asked her.
“That we got a whole lot wrong in ourrelationship,” Roz said. “But we got onething right.”
Mick wanted to ask what that onething was, but he didn’t. He knew shewould tell him.
“We got love right, Mick,” shesaid. Then she placed her hands on hislower arms. “Our love for each other,”she said, “is what fuels us. It’s whatkept us together all these years. Andsometimes love has everything to do with it. Sometimes love does trump everything else. That’s us. You were willing to die for me, or die with me if you couldn’t save me,and I realized I would have been willing to do the same for you. Which makes us horrific parents!”
Mick smiled. But then he nodded. “I understand what you mean,” he said. “You’re wired like me. The children come first. We understand that. But when it comes to your life in my case, ormy life in your case, we aren’t going to do it. We can’t let the other one go down. I understand what you mean, sweetheart. I understand what you mean.” Andhe swept her into his arms.
And it was at that very moment thatthey realized the sound system was playing their song. He didn’t know how that happened, sinceStevie Wonder didn’t put out elevator music. But his recording of Murden/Miller’s For Once In My Life, wasbeing played over the sound system.
And Mick and Roz, like two teenagersat prom, and despite all that was going on around them, danced. They slow-danced. They could have danced all night.
“For oncein my life,
I won’tlet sorrow hurt me.
Not likeit’s hurt me before.
For once Ihave someone I know won’t desert me.
I’m notalone anymore!”
But their all-night dance endedalmost as quickly as it had begun when Joey, who stepped outside of the mainhouse with his cane and was stunned to see his parents out there dancing likethat, sent word to the grounds chief to bring his father in. The grounds chief hurried over.
“Sorry to disturb you, sir, andma’am,” the chief said.
Mick and Roz looked at him, but keptholding each other and moving to the rhythm of the beat. “What is it?” Mick asked.
“The lawyers are here, sir,” thechief said. “A deal’s on the table.”
Mick and Roz both stopped dancing,and looked at each other. It was noquestion that it was worth the interruption. They headed for the main house too.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Mick and Roz sat down on the sofa infront of the team of lawyers, a team that included the lead attorney, famedcriminal defense lawyer Bo Dodd, five more of the world’s greatest lawyers, andGemma, to make certain the family’s interests were upheld first and foremost.
They were in the living room. Charles and Jenay, along with the Gabrinis,were in there too. Joey and Gloria,along with Nikki, were in the family room with the twins. So those in that living room knew they couldspeak freely.
“What’s the offer?” Mick asked thelawyers.
“Plead guilty to all charges,” Bosaid, “and they’ll be willing to recommend forty years.”
All of the family members in the roomwere deflated. They couldn’t believethat was the offer. “Forty years?” Rozasked. “What kind of deal is that?”
“The best he’s ever likely to get,”said Bo. “And the U.S. Attorney’s officemade clear: their first offer is going to be their best offer. And they ain’t lying, sir.”
Everybody looked at Mick. Roz’s heart was pounding. Forty years? Was that the best they could hope for? She would be eighty when he was released, and he would be damn-near deadwhen he was released!
“No dice,” Mick said. “No deal.”
“Damn right,” said Reno and Sal atthe same time.
“You’re certain about that, Uncle Mick?”Tommy asked him.
Everybody looked at Tommy. “Of course he’s certain, Tommy,” saidSal. “Why would you even ask thatquestion?”
“I just don’t want him to get thedeath penalty,” Tommy admitted, and everybody stopped. And looked at the lawyers. Roz was
