Present Day…
The two girls that walk out of the back door are scantily clad in a two piece, well if you can call couple of strings on their body being dressed.
The man that follows them leans closer to one of them and gives her bare ass a tight squeeze.
I recognize that man from the dinner earlier, I look around and see that we are two street down from my family pizzeria, still very much in the mafia territory.
But I am not sure why I am here, I am not supposed to be here, at this hour, how did I even get here?
Yesterday…
"Omertà Omertà" as I hear my name, I look up from the pile of clean clothes that I am folding, uhhh that sounds like father.
I look around a little confused, is my mind playing tricks. It's already 11:45pm and I have been up and running since 5am, but the chores seem to be never ending. I yawn, I am exhausted! I still have to do the dishes, my schoolwork and I am starving, I skipped lunch as well since I was late from school.
No wonder I am hearing things.
My father calling my name, can you imagine. I should know better than to think such impossible dreams. My father has never called upon me in all of 17 years of my existence, he barely ever acknowledges me
We live in the same house, where you cannot not run into each other, in fact I serve him his morning coffee and all his breakfast & dinner every day. I even work at our family's pizzeria after school.
But despite being in such close vicinity my father has always managed to ignore me, that's not true he doesn't ignore me, I just don't exist for him, he secretly believes that if he continues like this I would one day cease to exist at all. Sometimes, I really hope that this is true as well, that I just cease to exist one day, it is not like it will matter to anyone.
"Omertà, Omertà" my father's voice rings through the house this time, it is definitey him and he is calling me. He really is calling my name "Omertà, come down right now".
I hurry down taking two steps at a time, to face my father for the first time in all of my 17 years
While I am rushing down the stairs, I hear some heated voices, and as I approach the kitchen, I can almost hear my grandmother, arguing with my father. I didn't know she had come over.
"She is your daughter Lucio, how can you forget that" nana yells, fury evident in her voice
"your own blood & bones, part of the Romano family"
"she is no daughter of mine!" my father says with disgust in his voice, and I cringe at his statement, but I am not surprised.
My father Lucio Romano has always been a responsible family man- a true Italian, who dots on his wife and children, I am the only exception.
In his eyes, I am the personification of his shame & guilt. His mistake that he can never undo, his bastard child, living proof of his betrayal that my stepmom, Maria the love of his life, must live with every day.
My father & Maria were a love match, when they got married 21 years ago. They had some glorious early years of marriage, but a series of miscarriages left Maria guilt ridden and Lucio unwilling to try any more, causing strain in their love nest.
It was during that time, that one night my very drunk father met my not very sober biological mother. Their affair was short, but not that sweet thanks to me.
"You know why she is, living in this house with my family, under my protection" my father reminds my grandmother as if my name was not enough to remind me and everyone around every day why I was here.
You see my father is a "man of honour", well not that literally but a "man of honour" of the Italian Mafia, a "made man" an initiated member of one of the Luciano family, one of the five Italian mafioso (mafia) families that make up the the New York branch of Cosa Nostra.
And therefore, my father was bound by Omertà, to keep the family honour and accept my mother, who was the daughter of another family member and that too from the Original Cosa Nostra family in Sicily, and her unborn child.
The oath of Omertà is a code of honour, loyalty & silence, that all men take when they are sworn into the mafioso (mafia) family & have to oblige by with their life.
When you are iniated into the mafioso (mafioso), they prick your finger & wipe your blood on St Thomas's picture. Which is then burnt, while you recite the ritual oath "If I betray Cosa Nostra, let my flesh burn like the sacred image"
And with those words, your forever indebted to uphold the mafioso (mafia) honour. The mafioso comes before love, family, friends and country.
For my father I was only debt that paid for being a 'man of honour', and that's why I was named and Baptised as "Omertà Romano".
"The girl has been with us for 17 years, Lucio and she is a good girl, does everything that is asked of her and more."
This is a usual topic in our household. My nana trying to plead my case with my father.
Nana has always treated me well, given the circumstances. I mean it's not like that we are besties who share their secrets or something, but we do talk, even if our conversations are more practical, factual & informative, we have never been able to share or connect.
"We don't ask her to work" my stepmother interjects "she does it on her own accord, we have never raised our voice at her, she has been treated well, we have given her everything"
It is true, my mother left right after I was born, leaving me in Maria's care. And Maria has done her duty towards me- I have always had food, shelter, clothes and education.
"We might not have asked her Maria, but she feels obliged to do it, she feels she needs to payback for what happened, and she has been doing that since…." My nana stops as she sees me standing there
My father & Maria follows her gaze, as soon as they see me standing, and they all fall silent.
"Omertà" my name coming of my father's mouth sounded strange, it was the first time he had taken my name in front of me but he said with a sense of finality in his voice "Good you are here, get ready we have to go to the Luciano estate for brunch tomorrow. Pack all your things, and be ready to leave in the morning"
"B-brunch, P-pack my things?" I was really confused, first I was going for this dinner with them, second why pack my things?
"Is there a problem" he glared
"Ummm, P-pack, pack what?" I muttered not sure what to say
"All of it. Everything." my father stated with a tone that meant no more questions.
Nana was going to open her mouth when my father raised his hand to stop her from speaking and exited the room, leaving us to endure the silence.