“Oh no,” Fred said. “I’m sorry.”
“Mama said if I went to see him, I wasn’t coming back.”
“It’ll be okay, you know. I know you really wanted it to work out, but it’s a big world out there and—”
“No, you don’t understand.”
“I don’t?”
“We’re going to find him now. I have to talk to him.”
Fred was quiet for a moment. “I see.”
There was a tense pause.
“You’re the only one who can help me,” Evelyn said, ignoring his obvious disapproval. “You have to.”
He kept his eyes on the road but nodded.
“Thank you.”
When they pulled up to Tony’s house, Evelyn got out.
“I’ll just wait here, then,” Fred said.
Evelyn leaned down to look at him through the open car window and thanked him again. “You don’t understand how much this means to me.”
“Good luck.” He smiled grimly.
Evelyn walked up to the house, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. Maria opened it a moment later, her eyes widening as she saw who was on her step.
“I need to see Tony.”
“We don’t want any trouble,” she whispered.
“Trouble?” Evelyn asked, confused.
“Your father—he’s powerful in this town. He said no. And—”
“No, Maria, no. He’ll take it out on me. Not you. He’s not like that. Please.”
She looked unconvinced but called for her son, who came down the stairs, bleary and unshaven, freezing momentarily at the sight of her. The moment passed, and he rushed to fold her in his arms, where she sank against him in relief, not realizing until it didn’t happen that she was worried he would turn her away.
Maria wrung her hands, looking at them. “Do you . . . want to sit out here? To talk?” she asked.
Tony nodded and his mother went into the house, shutting the door carefully behind her to avoid hearing anything.
“I’m so sorry,” Evelyn said, the words pouring out of her. “They wouldn’t let me use the phone. They wouldn’t let me out of the house. I didn’t know how—”
“It’s okay.” He took her hands in his. “I understand.”
“It’s not him. I thought it would be Papa, but it’s my mother. She isn’t going to let him give in but . . .” Now that she was here, she knew what she wanted. “We’ll elope. You have to see. It’s the only way.”
She raised her eyes to his, and what she saw terrified her.
“Tell me you didn’t do anything irreversible to get here today.” His voice was quiet, and he dropped her hands.
“I—no—Fred showed up and they thought—but I made him bring me here.”
“Fred?” he asked dully.
Evelyn pointed to the car at the curb. “He’s my friend. From school. He’s engaged. I’ve mentioned him.” She paused, suddenly not sure that she had. “That doesn’t matter. Look. We can go tonight.” She grabbed for his hands, which felt limp and cold in hers.
“He’s Jewish, if they let you go with him.” It wasn’t a question. “Maybe he should matter.”
Evelyn’s mouth fell open.
“Go home, Evelyn. Be with your family.”
“No.”
“I told you all along I wouldn’t do it this way.”
“I’m not leaving.”
“Yes. You are.”
“I’ll sleep out here. You won’t have a choice.”
“Is that what you want? To force me to do something I know is wrong?”
“I—” She stopped, desperate. “Why are you doing this?”
He stood and walked to the edge of the porch, looking toward Fred’s car. “Your father came to see me. He offered me money to stay away.”
A look of horror crossed Evelyn’s face. “You didn’t—？”
“Of course not. But he made it clear that you’ll have no family at all if we run off. And I can’t take that from you.”
He turned back to her, leaning against the railing of the porch, arms crossed. “I love you. And I can’t be the reason your heart breaks when your family isn’t at your wedding. And when you have a baby who doesn’t meet his grandparents. And when you can’t be at your sisters’ weddings. And every other time you’ll want your family and not be able to have them.”
A tear trickled down her cheek. “But I want you.”