A Mafia Daughter 1

Viviana trembled as she stepped off the plane and into theairport. It was summer and, quite warm, but she was not prepared yet to return. She had spent most of the night crying, sobbing into her pillow,not ready by any means to return home. It wasn't that she didn't miss herfamily, she deeply loved her family, but she didn't miss La Famiglia. Just the thought of them made her shudder. How often she'dwondered why of all the places in the world she could have been born into, shehad to end up there. It was a curious twist of fate- many of the girls atschool romanticized the idea of an Italian Mafia family, full of mobsters andhandsome Italian mean to sweep them off their feet.  Viviana despaired atthe thought. When she was young, just like any other girl in La Famiglia, shewas content to let the adults make decisions and live her life according to therules. It wasn't until she saw Pietro killed that she really had a grasp ofwhat her life was. Pietro was just one of many faces in the crowd- another poorneighbor boy, not yet in the mafia, trying to make something of himself. Manyof the neighborhood boys would try and succeed, but many would not. Pietro wasa 15-year-old boy who got himself caught by the police and talked underpressure. Viviana witnessed his death by pure accident, but as a daughterof a mobster, the daughter of the Mafia, she would learn soon that his deathwas just one of many. Like any good daughter, Viviana kept her lips sealed andpretended he saw and knew nothing.  It was the early 00's when her fathersuggested sending her and her sisters to school, there had been trouble in theneighborhood and he had thought to send them away while things cooled. Whenthings were better, Mr. Aliotta had sent for his daughters, but Viviana hadbegged to stay, reasoning that she was getting the best education.  All her sisters had returned happily, and Viviana had won thecase to stay on another few years.  Now, here she was, 10 years later, andjust freshly 21. Viviana had considered staying in Philadelphia after college,but her father wouldn't hear it and she couldn't, as you might understand, justrun away. "Ms. Viviana, is that you?" Viviana turned to a small,balding man standing by an exit.  He was short, just about her height andvery fat. "Alfonsino?" She asked, vaguely recognizing him as aneighbor who snuck her sweets as child. "Si. Ms. Viviana, it is great to see you... but how youhave grown." He exclaimed, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze beforegreeting her with a kiss on either cheek. "Well, it has been 10 years almost. How have youbeen?" She asked politely, looking around for her father. "Good, I feel as healthy as ever but that stupid doctor istrying to put me on a diet. Stupido." He said, finally noting that Vivianawas searching for something. "He couldn't come. He is in a meeting and I was sent."Alfonsino said, taking Viviana's bags from the floor and leading her out thedoor. Viviana nodded. Of course, he hadn't come, her father was always busywith the Don. Alfonsino was a nice man and at his age had been allowed toretire to a certain extent, but for some reason her father had not yet receivedthat notice. Viviana rode in silence in the back seat of an SUV- Alfonsino satupfront with a large driver, as they rode deep into the city. She watched thebuildings around her become more familiar, visions of her childhood playinglike an old movie. She recognized the large brick houses, the wrap aroundporches, and when the familiar shops began to pop out around every corner, she couldalmost see a much younger version of herself running out of them. "Welcome home." Alfonsino's voice interrupted herthoughts.  Viviana was sill for a second, looking at Alfonsino as ifprocessing what he said. Then, with only a slight pause, she reached for the handle,but a young man beat her to the door. She looked at him, his hand extended andthen placed her fingers over his palm as he helped her out of the vehicle. "Signorina."  Her helper said, making her glanceat him again as she stepped down from the SUV. She had noticed he was young before,but his voice had given him away to be much younger than expected, maybe 14.'still catching them young.' she noted to herself spitefully.  She glanced directly at the large white doors up ahead, thinkinghow different it all seemed and yet how nothing had really changed at all. When,after another pause,Viviana finally stepped into her childhood home, a nice,rather large and comfortable house in the inner sector of the territory, a loudshriek caught her attention. "Viviana!" Viviana smiled as her oldest sister wrapped her arms around her.Viviana had two sisters, Fausta who was now standing in front of her, verypregnant, and Fabiola, who was currently out of sight. "Fausta, I missed you so much." Viviana smiled, takinga moment to place a hand on her belly. Fausta had married fresh out of highschool and had settled easily into the life of a Mafia wife. "Where is Fabi?" She asked, looking around. "She went out for a minute. She goes to visit Marta often.Fabi has had some trouble really settling in with Marco and Marta offers goodadvice." Fausta noted, pulling Viviana into the living room to talk.Viviana remembered Marta- a good looking woman who must now be about 40. Martawas the perfect example of a Mafia Wife. When a new wife was having a hardtime, Marta was one of the older women who took them under her wing.  It wasn't unusual for a wife to go through an adjustment period-after all, her husband's business was not the safest.  A young mafia wife,born in or not, could take several months before she could really get used toand learn to cope with the stress of it. There was nothing simple oruncomplicated about being a mobster’s wife, even if everyone pretended so. Viviana sat in the living room with her sister, speaking atlength about the baby, about her husband, Vitto, while Viviana lamented thatshe had not been present at either of her sister's weddings. "When will papa be home?" Viviana asked after a while. "I'm right here." Viviana jumped up at the sound ofthe voice, running to her father with open arms. She had only seen him 3 timesin the last 5 years, He was always working, and she was always hiding. "Let me look at you, Viviana, let me see." He said,pulling her away and smiling. "Beautiful. Bella, bella." He said. Viviana laughedand wrapped her arms around him. Her older sisters were noted for their goodlooks, and although Viviana was not as good looking, she was in her own curiousway sensational. Like her sisters, she had long dark waves of hair and largedark eyes but that was the end of the likeness. Her sisters were small and slight, Viviana was slim and long,with fine feature and lips almost too big for her face. He father had alwaysbeen quite proud of his daughter’s good looks and he took special care of them.Viviana knew that he adored his daughters and loved them equally, but she also hadalways had a faint suspicion that she might be his favorite. After all, how elsecould she explain how much he had spoiled her or how long he had let her stayaway for that matter. It was later at dinner, when the whole family was together, thather father announced a party. "Tomorrow." He said, forking in another piece of Milanese.Viviana frowned. Although she had practiced over and over a certain content forbeing back in the Circuit, she still wasn’t quite prepared to face everyonewith a fake smile. She had hoped she could take baby steps in easing back in. "I feel much too exhausted to go to a party." She saidcasually, ready to skip the event. “I really would rather not.” "I know, dear, but you can’t miss it. It is for the Don'sson." Viviana's father spoke, and Vivian nodded. There was no way shecould miss a party for the future Don, especially when everyone knew she wasback. She withheld a sigh and forked her food around. "The occasion?" She asked, trying to sound casual. Itwas hard- she hated the Don, she hated his family and she hated la famiglia.She had already promised herself she would find a way out, however impossibleit seemed now. "Matteo's 29th birthday. They are having a nice party, inthe garden." He said. Her sisters began to comment with their husbandsregarding the event, after all, the Don had the nicest parties. His house wasby far one of the most beautiful ones any of them had seen, even Viviana had toadmit that parties in that garden were always like a dream… still, she wassilent. "You remember Matteo, right dear?" Her father asked,looking at her. "Yes, but not clearly. He was already working when Ileft." Viviana answered truthfully. "That’s right. Well, that boy has really grown and is justas clever as his father." her father replied.  Viviana once againforked her food around, trying not to look directly at her father. She didn’t rememberMatteo much actually, he was older, and she was still a kid when she left. Shewas sure she had never interacted with him but just the mention of him knottedher stomach. She couldn’t look at her dad, she was sure her distaste wasevident at this point. She didn't want him to know just how much it botheredher to be back in la Famiglia. "Well, I can't wait to see the Don and his family again.Here's to my return." Viviana said with a fake smile, trying to compensatewith equally fake enthusiasm. Everyone smiled and raised their glasses. “To your return.” Her father toasted. 'and my escape.' she thought as she sipped her wine.