Dad’s Response


“Why didn’t you tell me, Son?” Anthony DiNozzo, Sr. asked his son as they sat in the hotel lobby, each nursing their drinks.

“Tell you what?” Junior asked.

“That you had had the plague?” Senior explained. “How could you not tell me something like that?”

“You talked to Agent Gibbs?”

Senior nodded. “He advised I was missing out on getting to know you.”

Junior was somewhat shocked. He couldn’t believe that Senior had confided anything to him. “I imagine that went over well.” Junior took a swig of his drink.

“Like a rock.” Senior replied. “But then I realized something.” Senior paused. “Gibbs is right. I don’t know that man you have become.”

“Why would it matter now?” Tony mumbled under his breath. “You had no interest in the boy I was.”

“What did you say, Tony?” Senior asked. “If you have something to say, say it. DiNozzo men don’t….”

Tony was suddenly angry. “I don’t give a damn what DiNozzo men do. That is all I’ve ever heard, DiNozzo men don’t…. I’ll tell you what DiNozzo men do. And when I say DiNozzo men, I’m speaking of you. They get drunk and make asses out of themselves at parties and they abandon their children.”

Tony could see the anger on his father’s face. His father looked around the room for a moment and when he spoke is voice had an edge to it. “Don’t you EVER speak to me like that, again. I am your father. You WILL respect me.”

“You got Mom pregnant.” Tony replied. “God rest her soul. That makes you a sperm donor, not a father.”

Senior started to stand up and Tony was sure his dad wanted to take a swing at him. But instead Senior sat back down. He said nothing for several minutes trying to calm down.

“I gave you everything you wanted growing up. You went to the finest schools, wore the best clothes.” Senior said, shaking his head.

“Yes, I had a lot of stuff.” Tony conceded. “I had friends who were jealous of all the ‘stuff’ I had. But I would have traded it all for a father who came to a baseball game.”

“I had business meetings, Son. I couldn’t ….”

“You couldn’t be bothered. If it didn’t make you any money, you didn’t give a damn. I know that. I came to that conclusion a long time ago. Apparently nothing has changed.”

Senior started to speak, but Tony waved it away.

“I don’t want to get into that anyway. You have no interest in my point of view. You only see your side of things. You are always right and anyone who disagrees with you is wrong.” Tony stated. “I know all that.”

Senior again opened his mouth to speak.

“I didn’t tell you about my being sick because I didn’t want it confirmed that you didn’t care.” Tony admitted.

“I don’t care!” Senior repeated stunned.

“You don’t know me. You wouldn’t have come to see me. You couldn’t have taken time out of your busy schedule to see your dying son. You would have sent me an inappropriate gift like flowers. I couldn’t have had flowers in my room. My lungs couldn’t have taken it. They would have died long before I would have even gotten a chance to see them. Or you would have sent me something equally as inappropriate, like, I don’t know. The book on auto mechanics you sent me for my last birthday.”

“Son, I….”

Tony nodded. “I know you don’t send me those things. Katherine does. She sends me notes on how inappropriate she feels these things are for me. She actually writes me notes.” Tony replied. “All you do is sign the card. If you had a rubber stamp made you wouldn’t even have to ‘waste’ your time doing that.”

Tears were flowing now, Tony tried to stop them, but his efforts were in vain. “I didn’t need the confirmation you didn’t love me. I already know that.”

Junior stood up and had begun to walk away when Senior grabbed his arm.

Tony turned and looked at his dad. “Gibbs had a good idea with what he said, about you getting to know me. What he didn’t know though is that there was a time limit. I’m 40 years old, Mr. DiNozzo. Your time is up.”

Tony shook off his father’s arm. He walked out of the hotel and out of his father’s life.

THE END