Loving DeMarco

Chapter 5 -The Breakfast-

Damn, I feel like I didn’t get any sleep last night, no surprise there with so much on my mind. What time is it anyway? I fumble over to the nightstand for my phone. I see several missed calls and texts from Amelia. I swipe to ignore them; I can only deal with one woman at a time. Speaking of time, I realize it’s 7:15am. Sh*t, I need to get ready, I told my father I would meet him for breakfast at 9:00. It’s so hard to get out of bed, not only because I’m exhausted, but because I believe this is one of the most comfortable beds of all the hotels we own. I haven’t slept in all of our hotels, there are too many, but I’m keen to this one in particular. This room is the most luxurious room in our hotel, and it strictly reserved for me year-round, even if I’m not here most of the time. I slide back the glass of the double door shower that could easily hold several people, and let the water pour over me from every direction. Afterwards, I throw on a white button up shirt and light grey suit pants; both custom fitted by the best tailor in all of Italy. I never leave the house without my favorite watch, my 24-carat gold Jaeger LeCoultre. I paid over $120K for it years ago after a very successful business deal; my very first negotiation without my father. I have plenty of other watches, but this one was a bit sentimental.

I finally walk through the busy lobby where I meet up with Fiore and Brio, and head outside where I see my driver waiting for me. As he opens the car door, I hear my phone ring. It’s Amelia, again. I ignore it. I know I’ll have to deal with that situation eventually, but first perhaps I can use this breakfast to talk some sense into my father. The party the other night was very intense, and no one was thinking straight. This way, at breakfast, it’ll be just the two of us and we can discuss privately. When we pulled up to the estate, which was now technically mine, the time was 8:55am. I noticed another car there that wasn’t my father’s, or at least I didn’t recognize it to be. I was curious if he had a business meeting last minute and had to cancel our breakfast, but maybe forgot to call me. I walked toward the door with Brio and Fiore just in case of foul play. As many friends as we have, we also have just as many enemies.

As we approach the house, I see Rocco, my father’s butler, open the door. “Buongiorno, Signore” Rocco greets me. “Good morning, Rocco. Do you know whose car is outside?” I ask. “Your father has invited some guests. Everyone is waiting on the terrace for you” he answered, as he pointed to in the direction of the terrace. “Grazie” I say as I walk towards that direction. I was curious who it could be this early on a Saturday morning, possibly Sante? My father did mention recently that he needed to meet with him soon about something, and he was at the party last weekend. I turned the corner, and through the glass door I saw my father sitting at the table with Gaia and her parents. It made sense now. This whole thing was just ploy to get me here with her to continue this ridiculous marriage talk. I was pissed at my father for deceiving me like this, again. He knew that if he would have told me the truth about Gaia and her family being here today, I would not have come. But it was too late to turn back now, she already seen me, and I’ve seen her. We stared awkwardly at each other through the glass momentarily.

She looked as surprised to see me as I was to see her. Like most Italian men, I never appear caught off-guard. I stepped onto the terrace and greeted everyone cordially, as if I knew they were going to be there the whole time. My father motioned for me to sit down in the seat that he saved for me, which just so happened to be directly facing Gaia. However, I will say she looked very pretty in the sunlight, just as she did in the moonlight. It was no doubt awkward for all of us, but it was too late to leave now. My father didn’t waste any time; he began to speak, “It is no secret why we are all here this morning. The difficult part was initially telling the two of you about your marriage to each other, but now that we are past that, we can continue to move forward. Good fathers are not monsters, but that may be how the two of you see us right now, understandably so. You may have many thoughts of anger and deception; however, it is my hope, and Valentino’s as well, I’m sure, that one day the two of you will understand the importance of what we are trying to do. We are trying to build an empire and leave a legacy that will be passed down to our children, and then to our grandchildren and so on. I would like for the two of you to use this time to become better acquainted with each other. We don’t have too much time to waste. There are many preparations ahead.” I looked at Gaia, who hadn’t touched a single thing on her plate. I get it, who could eat at a time like this?

The silence was thick in the air. I figured this was my opportunity to tell my father once more that I was not interested in getting married. But before I could speak I heard Gaia boldly declare “I don’t want to marry him.” Everyone looked at her, and she looked at me. “Perdonami, but I won’t marry someone I don’t know, and furthermore, I won’t be forced to marry before I’m ready. I have my own life and plans.” Her parents looked mortified, but I was impressed and relieved to have at least one sensible person here with me. My father, still leaning back in his chair, was unphased by her outburst. Just then Zaharina grabbed Gaia’s hand and tried to calm her down. “Maybe we all just need some time to discuss and think about things.” “Mama, there is nothing to think about. I don’t want to marry him. No offense to you DeMarco.” I laughed a little and said “No offense taken. I also don’t want to marry you either, or anyone for that matter." She smiled. We had a mutual understanding. My father sat up straight with an annoyed look on his face. He leaned in to Valentino and said, “I need to speak with you and Zaharina inside, please.” The three of them left the table and went inside out of sight.

That left just the two of us at the table covered in food, too much food for a five-person breakfast. We smiled politely at each other for a minute or two, not knowing what to say one to the other. Finally, I said “that was very bold of you to say, brave even. But I’m glad you said it.” Gaia smiled and took a bite of her food. “Well, it needed to be said; seemed like the perfect time. I’m sure they have good intentions, but I don’t intend to let someone run my life just because I’m young. Like I said, I have my own plans.” “I see, and what plans are those?” “Well, I’m in school. I take classes at the University. I’m a dancer.” “Oh really, a dancer? What kind?” I asked, genuinely intrigued. “Contemporary,” She answered. “I see, that’s interesting. And is that your passion, ‘contemporary dancing’?” She hesitated and looked slightly confused before she answered. I’ve noticed during the few conversations that we have had, that she has an interesting way of wrinkling her eyebrows when she’s deep in thought. “Mmm, yes. Yes it is my passion. It’s what lifts me up when I feel low. It’s what motivates me. But what about you? What’s your passion? Everyone should have something they are passionate about.” She sounded like a naïve child, but I found her youthful optimism cute. She stood up and leaned over the balcony, admiring the ocean while her bright red hair blew wildly with the wind. She was wearing a short sunflower sundress that also waved as the wind blew, very casual, yet tantalizing. Seeing her like this in the daytime for the first time, made me realize just how beautifully curvaceous she really is. I’d hardly be a man if I didn’t notice. I almost wonder if she wore this intentionally for me…Nonetheless, I drank the rest of my mimosa quickly and stood up to leave. “I don’t have one.” Just as my hand touched the doorhandle, she said “Yet. You don’t have one, yet.” I glanced back at her and nodded, then headed inside to leave.

Gaia

Slowly I dragged myself out of bed and into the bathroom, where I turned on the shower head setting to rainfall. I closed my eyes as the water fell over my face. I imagined I was in the rainforest, far away from here, far away from my problems. I stayed in so long that by the time I stepped out of the shower, the steam had covered the mirrors. I checked the time on my phone, it’s 7:30am. Breakfast with the DeLucas is at 9:00. I still have plenty of time to get ready. I stepped in my spacious walk-in closet to pick out an outfit. Something simple since I don’t want to do this anyway.

I decided to go with my simple white spaghetti strap sundress, the one with the bright yellow sunflowers all over it. It’s actually one of my favorites. It hangs slightly above my knees and flows when I walk, yet still just tightfitting enough that it lightly hugs the curves of my body. I won’t wear any perfume so that he doesn’t get the wrong idea. My makeup consists of lip-gloss and mascara; I want to look like I’m not interested in him, but not like a complete rag. I let my natural curls rest on my shoulders. I’m officially all set to go. Quickly, I grabbed my beige flats, and matching beige Gucci purse that my mother bought me for Christmas last year.

I headed downstairs, but as I got closer to the kitchen, I heard my mother shouting angrily at someone. It was alarming because she never shouts, at least never in front of us. I walked a little further, just until I could listen from around the corner without them noticing me. She was yelling at my father. All I could do was just stand there frozen in disbelief. I heard my father trying to plead and explain to my mother, each attempt failing. “Zaharina, please calm down. I was going to tell you everything when the time was right. It just never seemed to be the right time to tell your wife you’re in the mafia,” he said. My mother threw her hands in the air. “All these years of marriage and not ONE time seemed right to you, Valentino? UNBELIEVABLE! How can I ever trust you again, when everything you told me was a lie!” Papi rubbed his forehead and said, “Amore mio, if you knew back then that I was involved, you wouldn’t have married me, and I wanted to be with you per sempre.”

Mama shook her head in what seemed to be disappointment. “Valentino, how could you deceive me like this? I’m your wife. How could you do this to your famiglia?” Mama began to cry, then papi held her in his arms. “Zaharina, per favore, amore mio, non ho mai voluto ferirti. Ti voglio bene. Please trust me. I’m doing this because I love our family.” She pulled away from him and looked at him with sad eyes. “How is keeping secrets and arranging our daughter to marry a man she doesn’t know or love, doing what’s best for the family?” Her voice is calmer now, that’s a good sign… My father wipes the tears from my mother’s face with his hands. “This marriage strengthens the alliance of our two families. The DeLucas are the wealthiest family in all of Italy and well known internationally as well. Plus, it guarantees more protection for everyone in our family. Zaharina, this deal was made long before DeMarco and Gaia were born. Demetri is my best friend, he’s like a brother the me. Sweetheart, it’s time for us to leave now. Please trust me on this, it’s what’s best for all of us.” Mama grabbed a tissue and cleared her throat. “Fine for now, but this conversation is far from over, Valentino.” After hearing my father’s explanation for why he was trying to force me to marry, I understood a little more, however, it just seemed there had to be another option. Anything besides this…

I pretended that I had just come around the corner and made my way to the kitchen. “Buongiorno mama, buongiorno papi.” I say to both of them. “Buongiorno, sweet girl,” papi says. “Good morning, honey,” mama says, trying not to sound like anything is wrong. We get in the car, and it was yet again another awkward ride with the three of us in the back seat. I was actually somewhat relieved when our driver arrived at the DeLuca estate and let us out. The silence in that car was choking me. Signore DeLuca was waiting in the doorway, happy as always to see us. Rocco, his long-time butler, led us to the terrace where a feast was prepared for us. We sat down and engaged in polite small talk passing the time until finally DeMarco arrived.

His sudden arrival startled me when I saw him through the glass. He was handsome as usual, a bit overdressed for a casual Saturday morning breakfast in my opinion, but hey. He sat down in the seat across from me. I noticed he was wearing the same watch from the party. I only noticed because it was a unique looking watch, and it definitely looked expensive. Perhaps it was a gift from his father or a girlfriend. Without wasting any time, Signore DeLuca laid it all on the table about why he really invited us all for breakfast. Marriage. SMH. I could think of a million things I could be doing on a beautiful Saturday morning instead of being here suffering. Sleeping in for one.

I was beyond frustrated and angry. I felt like they were sitting here discussing and planning my life as if I weren’t even here. I felt it in the pit of my stomach, I was going to say something I shouldn’t. But I just couldn't help myself. Just when I thought the words were going to stay in my stomach, they came flying out of my mouth like knives. Although I don’t want to marry him, I truly hope I didn’t offend him by declaring it so openly. I must have really pissed them off because Signore DeLuca and my parents left the table and went inside, I could tell my mother was embarrassed. I’m sorry for it but also not really.

Unintentionally, I found myself yet again alone with DeMarco DeLuca. We both sat quietly, again not knowing what to say. It’s not as if we’ve had a whole lot of practice. But even without speaking, just looking at him is pleasant. I can see how everything about him draws in women. His clothes, his eyes, his perfectly cut beard, and his cologne that lingers in the air even after he leaves, and he seems to leave a lot. Just another reason on my long list of why I could never marry him. I was surprised, however, when he actually seemed to take an interest in my personal life. He actually seemed genuinely interested. I even got him to smile once or twice…but only briefly, because I must have struck a nerve when I asked him if he had anything in his life that he was passionate about, because when I did, he did that thing he always does…he left.