The True Memoir of a Mafia Boss' Daughter

Maybe People Can Change

"I will be back tomorrow for your birthday.. The Johnsons are using me for the catering, so I will be there." I looked at my phone, not knowing what to say.

" What is it?" Jennifer asks.

" Justin.. He is, um, going to be here tomorrow for my party. He is on the catering list.", I said.

" Oh... So what are you going to do?"

"I still have to do this tonight regardless."

" What if the pig is not a pig no more? What will you do then? How are you going to tell Justin?"

" Oh god! I don't know. I don't know Jennifer. I mean my dad can say yes to the Romanos regardless. I am so confused. I mean, Justin has never given me anything except friendship. He has never made a move, he's never told me how he feels. It keeps me strictly friend zoned."

"Well, Maria as your best friend, I know who you want to be with and who you have feelings for. But I have also known Justin for years. Maybe if he doesn't show you anything tomorrow and the pig is not a pig anymore, maybe you should go with the pig. I hate to say it, but if Justin hasn't made a move, then there is no point in waiting for him to unfriendzone you. Honestly"

"Thank you Jennifer."

Jennifer gave me a hug. 

" Well, it's 5:30," she says, looking at me. Jennifer helped me with my makeup, curled my hair, and helped me pick out a white summer dress with short sleeves that hang off my shoulders but is tight on my upper arms. 

"You look beautiful as ever." She says " I am going to go ahead and go home. Dont forget to call me when you get home. I want to know if he is still a pig."

" Ok I will.. Hey Jennifer, thank you for everything. You are my best friend."

" Your welcome. You are my best friend too." she says, walking out of the door.

I look at myself again in my mirror. I can't believe I am doing this. Suddenly, the intercom buzzes in my room.

" Maria, Leonardo Romano is waiting for you." Mr. Thompkins says

" Ok. I will be down." I said back as complete nervousness sets in every inch of my body. 

It seemed as if the hallway from my room to the stairs tripled in length. With every step I took the more panic I could feel rising in my body. I reach the top steps and grasp onto the railing. My palms are starting to sweat. I take a deep breath to get my composer back. Stand tall and confident. Don't let anyone see you nervous. That is all I kept saying to myself on the way down with each step closer to the bottom. I get half way down and I see Leo standing there wearing a black dress shirt. His sleeves were rolled up midway. He is wearing black, kind of tight dress pants with his shirt tucked in and a belt. The top 2 buttons on his shirt were unbuttoned. He ran his hand back through his hair. Maybe he is as nervous as I am. His dress shirt hugs his musculed arms and tight on his fit abs. His jaw is sharp, very masculine, as he clinches his teeth. In his hand are a mixture of lillies, my favorite flowers.

Once he sees me, our eyes lock on one another. You can see he is as nervous as i am. He is not the cocky pig I knew him as. As I reach the floor he walks over to me.

" I got these for you. I am sorry if you do not like them. But I don't see you as a rose type. I thought these would fit you better."

" Actually, lillies are my favorite flower." I said, taking the flowers " Thank you."

He nervously smiles. I have to say he has a gorgeous smile. Mr. Thompkins walks towards me and I hand him the flowers.

" I will place them in a vase in your room, Ms. Maria."

" Thank you Mr. Thompkins."

As we walk towards the door, Leo opens the door and takes my hand to help me down the porch stairs. He opens the passenger door of his black BMW.

" We will have security following us." He says, taking my hand to help me get into the seat of the car and then gently shutting the door. I watch him as he walks around in front of the car and takes a deep breath. He gets in and starts the car.

"I thought maybe we could walk around the pier and the beach and talk and not have cameras or people around. Is that OK? If not, I understand."

" Thats ok." I said

I guess he has problems like I do with people taking pictures or trying to talk to us about business ideas or asking family questions.

" Afterwards, I have a dinner reservation at Denos."

" Sounds good." I said

We start to head down the driveway.

" By the way, you look absolutely beautiful."

" Thank you. You look nice yourself." as I said that, I saw he had a small smile on his face. After several minutes of silence and me staring out of the window watching cars drive past on the busy road.

" So what do you like to do?"

" What do you mean?"

" What are you into? I have not seen one picture of you at a club, so I know you aren't that type. I'm curious what do you like to do?"

" Oh ummmm... Well, honestly, no one has ever asked me that. I like to ride my horse. Sometimes I even do the barn work. Somehow I enjoy it."

" Hold on, you mean cleaning the stalls?"

" Yes. I don't know, it just doesn't bother me. I also like to sit by the lake when I am having a bad day. I go there to sit and sometimes swim in it. Its away from people. Me and my friend Jennifer sometimes make a night of staying in my room pigging out on nachos and watching scary movies, if that counts."

" Oh. Well, honestly, that's a lot different than I thought. I thought maybe you went to low key parties." He smirks and starts laughing.

" Funny. No, I don't drink or like being around anyone that drinks. Thanks to my mother."

" It's understandable that woman always has a drink in her hand."

" What about you?"

"Honestly, I have not been to a club or a party in 2 years. I have been concentrating on the business and trying to grow up and be the man I need to be to run the business. I do like to go to the pier and walk on the beach. Kind of like you and the lake. Honestly, I like to be away from people too. When you are around people, you try and fit in and you are just not yourself. You're someone everyone wants you to be."

" So that's who you were when I met you?"

" Sadly, yes. And honestly, you were right. I was a pig. So I try every day not to be that person, but to be myself."

"Ok. So I will make you a deal. Tonight we wipe the slate clean for a fresh start. Sound good?"

" Sounds great thank you." He says, glancing at me and smiling. 

Where in the world was this guy 2 years ago? How can someone go from a complete pig to this guy? We sat in silence for a while.

" Here we are." He says, parking the car and turning it off. As I look out of the windshield, all you see is the ocean and the waves splashing against the beach.You can hear the ocean singing with every tide crashing on the beach. I reached for the door handle.

" No, I got you. I will open the door. Just hang on." He says reassuring. He comes to my side of the door and opens it and holds his hand out for me to take. I place my hand in his and gently and get out of the car. He gently shut the car door. 

" Let me get my phone out and turn the flashlight on. There are a few steps down there. I don't want you to fall." we walk over to the edge of the grass and he stops and turns his flashlight on and gestures his hand out for me to take it so he can help me down the steps. I just look at him as he walks in front, guiding me with his hand so I don't fall. We get to the bottom of the steps and he turns his flashlight off as the moon gives just enough light to shine on the beach. The guards are staying back a little. We know they are there but they are at least 50 feet away.