ON HOLD A Dangerous Mafia Love Story

14 YEARS AGO “There once was maiden who was the fairest in all the land. She lived in the biggest castle, ate the most delicious foods, and every man that saw her immediately fell in love with her. They would sneak into her room at night and leave her all sorts of jewels and wonderful gifts. The maiden on the other hand, was blind and could not witness her beauty for herself. Because of this, she would chase the men away in the morning, scared that they were there to hurt her. Then one day the maiden was blessed by a fairy that gave her the ability to see. And when the maiden went out into the world, the first man she saw was the most beautiful man in the world. They fell in love instantly and she shared her beautiful castle with him. But after he saw that her castle was decorated with so many riches he grew envious of her. He devised a plan to take her eyesight so that he could steal her treasures without her knowing. One day the maiden heard him planning exactly that, so she thought quickly on feet. She decided to let the man go through with his plan but on that fateful night he snuck into her room brandishing a knife, but before he could take her eyes she-” “Enough with the bed time stories!” My daddy came in yelling at my mom as she read to me. “She won’t go to sleep unless I read to her. You know this.” She complained as he grabbed her by the arm. “It’s bed time.” His grimy voice made my skin crawl and I never trusted him. Every night they would argue because my mom wouldn’t “go to bed” with him and I always knew she feared him. I watched as he pulled her out of the room by her gown. Little did I know that would be the last time I saw her. — THE NEXT MORNING “Where’s mommy?” I sat in my father’s study even though I was never allowed in there. He stood in front of the window smoking a cigar. “Do you know why I’m able to afford this big home?” He didn’t look at me as he spoke. I shrugged my shoulders which angered him, “You have a voice. So use it!” He scolded me and I let out a feeble ‘no’. “Do you know what I do for a living?” He also asked and I gave the same response. He let out a sigh before walking past me. “By tomorrow you will be on a flight to America. Fortunately, your mother taught you English well so you should have no problem acclimating. No, I will not be joining you. This is a dog of a world and you mustn’t let it turn you into one. You need to make a name for yourself. Only condition is that you can not tell anyone that I am your father. Not a soul.” He opened his door and I began to cry. “I don’t want to go. Where’s mommy?” I turned to him but he was emotionless. I got up in a protest stomping my foot. “I won’t go!” I shouted and he reacted by grabbing my arm aggressively. In that moment, I felt the same fear my mother felt when he would hurt her. As he stared into my eyes he almost grew soft as he let me go, “I’m sorry I-” he corrected his behavior after seeing how it really affected me. “I’ll have one of the maids pack your belongings.” He walked off leaving me standing there, hopeless. — “Will America be better than home?” I asked my nanny who was trying her hardest not to burst into tears. “Let’s hope it’s as beautiful as your mothers stories.” She brushed my hair up. “Her stories always had bad endings. I only liked it because she was telling them.” I played with my doll as I thought about our time together. “Do you think she’ll come visit me?” I asked eagerly but my nanny was silent. My hope dwindled even more as I realized I’d be alone. Even though I knew the gravity of the situation I still couldn’t understand why he wanted to get rid of me. “Does my daddy not want me because of the way I look?” I asked another question which she did respond to. “You look just like your mother. When your father met her he thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. It’s just..the family didn’t really think she ‘fit’. But he loved her nonetheless.” She comforted me as she fixed my clothes. “Okay all set.” She wiped her face helping me with my stuff. I could hear mumbling outside the door and as it opened I saw my father talking with a man I’ve never seen before. “Who’s that?” I whispered to my nanny but she shushed me. “You know your father doesn’t like you snooping.” She took me downstairs and I made more of the man’s face. We all stood in front of the house as we waited for the cab. I turned to my father who was twirling his pocket watch anxiously. I looked over to see the man from before along with other men conversing as they looked at us. I tried asking the nanny who they were but she continued shush me as to not upset him. The cab slowly pulled up I felt compelled to hug him. I didn’t care if he pushed me away as I ran into his arms and held him tight. “This is not appropriate.” He tried moving me away but I refused. The nanny tried pulling me away as well but I wouldn’t budge. “I got this.” He responded bending down in front of me. He wiped my tears still not showing any true compassion. “You need to be strong Nicole. One day this will all make sense to you. I’m not proud of the things I’ve done, but you are my flesh and blood and need protecting.” I could feel sincerity from him and it gave me some peace. I nodded again and he reminded me to use my voice. “Goodbye.” I simply said as I gave him one last hug. I was helped into the car and by this point my nanny was balling her eyes out. The van smelled like my fathers cigars and I couldn’t help but think life in America would be dreadful. —