To Love and To Hate

CHAPTER 2

Current Day

Isabella Rossi was running late again. It had meant to be a quick 45 minutes power nap on the bed, but somehow, she found herself at a five star restaurant with the chef's finest dishes placed in front of her to gobble up and relish on. Her tummy rumbled alongside the shrill ringtone from her phone that got her tumbling out of her sheets onto the ground. Her coworker had called and sent a dozen message about the boss having a fit on Isabella running late for her shift.

"Oh boy," she moaned, as she scrolled through her messages on her phone, each one more agitated than the last.

Where are you, Bells?

The boss is getting real mad.

Karen is stirring up more trouble for you.

I got to get home to take care of my kid, he's down with the flu and the mama ain't around.

You bout to pay me for covering up your shift.

She tapped rapidly at her screen and composed a quick message for her co-worker and hit send. George may be about to make her pay in triple fold for covering up for her. She didn't have any choice but to think of something to compensate him with, maybe this time around, she might get away with teasing him with few sweet compliments or a cup of cofffee. Heavens forbid, he asks her to donate her entire tip share for the month to him. She might consider babysitting his kid for him in exchange for not giving out any monetary compensation. With the way things are going, she herself might be needing real help soon.

The third time that week, she had run out of excuses to give Tom. He might be a sweet understanding man but he loses his s**t when he's losing money at the cafe. She might have gotten away with the lateness but Karen the manager was simply "Karen." Without her in the picture, Isabella might just be able to stuff couple more tips into her pocket to pay for her rent. However, Karen had obligated every employee to keep the tips in the tip container, and then she opens it up at the end of the month, keeping the larger share of herself while distributing the remaining meagre tokens to the workers.

"Bollocks," Isabella cursed, rubbing furiously at her side. She had hit her hip on the side of the counter. "That's what you get for zoning out," her inner mind said, making its thoughts known. "Oh yeah?" Isabella retorted, maybe we would not be in this pile of dump if only you followed commands from my brain instead of that beating balloon.

She reached across the counter and grabbed a slice of sandwich for a quick lunch. She stuffed it down her throat and grabbed a bottle of fruit juice to wash down the bread before she got choked. Having to end up at the emergency room is so uncool and might end up escalating all our life problems all over again. Breathing in and out deeply to check if her tummy would make any more monster growls, she sighed deeply at her choice of meal. "That should help hold my tummy for the next few hours, I might say that's more healthy eating than munching on some fast food and getting body fat" she said to herself. Grabbing her keys off the counter, she headed towards the door and reached out for her faded wooden coat with threads sticking out. Isabella stared at the piece of clothing and shrugged it on while wrinkling her face. The coat was already old and gray but it'll have to do for now because of the harsh winter. There are not much choices of outfit she could own, however, she can stare at show glasses of designer stores and daydream all day long like a schoolgirl. Some things might be out of reach.

She squeezed herself into the tiny rickety vehicle and breathed out on her palms while rubbing them together. The weather is been quite harsh this December. She really did not want to go to work but she had no choice than to work multiple jobs in the holiday season. She plugged her car keys in to start the car when the door window suddenly rattled. Her heart skipped a beat at the sudden sound of fists rapping at the window to open up.

She rolled down her windows and looked up at the scruffy face leaning into her car.

She pushed the face out of her way and spoke angrily. "Joe, what do you think you're doing, your breath reeks of cigar. What have you been smoking up your old lungs again?"

Joe shined his yellow teeth tainted from a long history of smoke, "well, hello there kid, I haven't heard from you in a long time, where have you been?"

Isabella rolled her eyes and responded, "whaddya mean, where have I been? I've been up and about" I still hollered at your grey ass on Sunday, and today's Tuesday."

Joe chuckled, "I like stirring you up, you feisty girl, I ain't talking about your pretty innocent face, I know you got the devil in ya."

Isabella hissed, and reached to roll her window up, "don't get me annoyed, Joe, I'm not up for your antics today, I'm running late for work and Tom gonna be up on my ass again."

Joe hollered and coughed while laughing, "that old git has nothing to do with your ass, little 'Bella, maybe the boys in the hood might try to holler your ass down but your shoulders are hunched up like an ugly schoolteacher."

Isabella stared back in repulse, "whaddya mean ugly schoolteachers? My homeroom teacher was a beautiful innocent lady."

"Well, your teacher might have had a sweet soul like an angel but the ones we had in our time were nuns ready to smack some books into ya" replied Joe.

"Alright, gentle sir, I've heard you, I'm not about to get into more trouble because of you. As much as I enjoy talking to you, I better get moving before I get fired. I know your love for me will end if I can't pay your rent soon."

"Ah, that's true," Joe replied back. "I darn well almost forgot my reason for hailing you down. Do not forget my rent, Isabella, I need the money to get spices to stuff my turkey with for Thanksgiving."

Isabella stared back in amazement, "i know you don't mean that, you bout to use my money to purchase turkey spices."

"Well, technically, it would become my money," Joe retorted.

"I don't believe you, Joe, My gut says you are about to get more cigars to stuff down your unhealthy lungs."

Joe laughed, "my lungs are pretty fine, young lady." He then stood straight and groaned while reaching to stroke his back. "I guess my back says otherwise." He waved and walked away from Isabella's car towards his house.

"Go get yourself a wheelchair to put your bum in, Joe," Isabella shouted at Joe's retreating back. She then put her car in gear and pulled away from the curb.

Isabella blasted some country music on her car radio and sang at the top of her voice while bobbing her head to the rhythm. She knows she's going to face the devil named Karen at work but she couldn't care less. Maybe she did care, but she would be able to handle the situation better if she cleared her head first. She rolled her car window down and let the cold December air whip through her hair. She raked her fingers through her hair to give it a wild look, she checked herself in her rearview mirror and nodded appreciatively at the reflection.

"Maybe, I might just secure a sweet gorgeous man, with this beautiful look" she thought. She laughed at her delusion, "Isabella", she called out her name and chided herself for having negative feelings. "Hey, nothing is impossible, fairy tales might just exist for me, i should not let Karen negativity rub off on me."

With that being said to motivate her feelings, she took a deep breath of the cold air into her lungs and then coughed hard. The car behind her gave a sharp toot and horned repetitively at her while blasting its headlights. She jumped out of fright and her hold on the steering wheel slipped. The car screeched on the tarmac while trying to get a friction against the snow underneath its tires. Isabella's eyes were wide with fright as tried to pull herself together and gain control of the vehicle onto the right path. She reached for her gear and pressed hard on the brake. Her old car came to a halt and she breathed a sigh of relief. The black Mercedes hooted past her.

"Maybe you have a death wish cos you are successful now, but I still got my life ahead of me," Isabella screamed at the speeding vehicle.

The wind howled and carried her words away. She sighed in frustration, her makeshift zen activity to calm herself before getting to work did not work. She muttered a prayer underneath her breath, and started her car again. She pulled away and drove carefully to work.

Isabella carefully navigated her car into a parking spot. She wasn't about to get into any more trouble. She sighed heavily again for the fiftieth time that day.

"Karen is not about to run me out of my feeding spot, I have control over my life," she said, giving herself a little pep talk and stepped out of the car while performing breathing exercises to help calm her anxiety down.

Sighting the sleek mercedes car in the parking spot next to her stopped her in her tracks.

Her eyes caught on the nameplate: MORETTI.

"There would be only one powerful gang left, and that would be the Moretti family. " ~ Don Moretti