Always His

A Touch of The Past

                              Alkina

No.No.No
He didn't just say that. I must've heard wrong!

"What?" I can barely hear myself, I feel like I have something in my throat. My heart started jumping in my chest.

"Sweetheart, your uncle wants to come for a visit. He is family." My mother rose from the couch and came to me. I couldn't even move from the damn place. "We haven't seen him in years and he just wanted to spend some time with us... With your dad."

"Why?" I know I just raised my voice at my mom but she knows why I'm acting like this. She knows!

"Because he is dying Alkina." I turned to my dad, his face emotionless, even after saying the most horrible words that exist.

This can't be happening. He can't come here. He was the reason we left New York in the first place. He didn't want us near, he told me that himself when I was 12 in our vacation in Los Angels. I'll never forget the look he gave me. I was just a kid and he looked like he was about to murder me. Just like the look he would always give to that boy...
How can he come like nothing happened?

"He is really sick, and he asked that request from your father." My mom was so calm about all this, while my anxiety increases with each passing minute.

First of all, Lorenzo Marcello never asks about something. So that him requesting that from my father, had to be more like a threat or an order.
Secondly this was planned.
This dinner was planned and they told me just a just a few hours earlier so I didn't have a word in it. Not that my word would change something.

"It's just a dinner, sweetie." My dad approached my mother. "I can't say no to that. He is still my brother."

A brother who treated him like a servant. A brother who brought hell in this world for my mom because she was an outsider and couldn't marry my father. A brother who killed a man in front of his 12 year old niece and then laughed at her face.

"I barely know him. And I don't want to meet him." I go and sit in the couch, rubbing my hands on my pants. They started to sweat all of a sudden.

My dad comes and sits next to me. He can be intimidating sometimes. With his tall figure and his thick eyebrows. He can fit in the role of a Made Man just fine.

"You will be here Alkina. For us. It's just a dinner and what happened 8 years ago... " He hesitated for a second. "It's all in the past. I promise this dinner will not affect us and your uncle wants to make things right. I wouldn't do something that would bring harm to you and your mother, you know that. I wouldn't allow him to come here if I didn't belive in his intentions for all this."

I can see in his eyes how anxious he is too. Maybe he doesn't show it but he is concerned. Heck, I'm terrified. I take a glance at my mother watching us with a soft smile, as if it says to belive my dad's words.

And I believe my father. I know he wouldn't allow my uncle near us again if he would do any harm at my mom or me. And that's not why I'm worried. He won't hurt us. But he can destroy our tranquility. He can effect our life here in Bradford. And my dad knows that. Everyone knows that.

I rise from the couch and look at my mom.

"I'll be here before 5pm." I don't want to!

My dad rises from the couch too. He smiles at me and grabs my mom's hand.

"We love you sweetheart." My mom let's my father's side and comes to give me a hug. I hug her back and smell her flower parfume that I love so much.

"I love you too." I would die for my mom, and my dad.

We are interrupted by my phone ringing in my bag. I let go of my mom and open my bag to open it.

"Hi John. Are you outside?" He always picks me up and we go to classes together.

"Yes mam. Would you hurry up before we lose the first hour?" His voice looks sleepy and tired. This man...

"I'm coming." I close the phone and put it in my jacket pocket. I grab my bag and turn to my mom. My dad went back to his place by the window, and turned his back to us.

"Don't forget to call me when you finish your lesson." I always do that because she gets worried if I don't tell her where I am, or where I'm going.

"I won't. Byeee."

I turn around, and I see Dolores coming  in the living room. She has a plate of pancakes in her hands.

"You didn't had breakfast young lady, you can't skip the most important meal of the day."

How can you not love her! I never eat breakfast because I prefer to sleep and when I get up I have to leave the house. Yet, this 65 year old woman still prepares it for me!

I let go of my bag and give her a big hug.

"Be careful there, you will make me drop the plate." Instead of letting her go, I give her a squeeze and hug her more. She laughs at me.
I let go, grab my bag and run towards the front door." I promise I'll eat those when I get back, I promise." I yell at her and get out without giving the poor woman the chance to speak.

My smile freezes in my face when I look around. At least 10 armed man are  in front of the house. They look like security but yet much more deadly. What the hell is happening? Normally they are 2, Tobias and Andrea.

Oh, but I know why they need to be here today. This shit is fucking scary. These men are supposed to protect that man, to kill for that man, that is coming to have dinner with us here. But who is going to protect us from him?

I run to the gates, and get out as quickly as I can. It looks to me they will shot everyone who sets a foot out here.

I see John leaning at his car. To say that he isn't handsome, that would be a lie. He is a foot taller than me, with dark hair and really blue eyes. When I say blue, I mean ocean blue. Every time I look at him I have that thought. He is wearing bluejeans with a white hoodie.

"Finally princess, I was about to come and get you myself." That smirk he gives makes a smile appear on my face.

"Liar."

We both know he prefers to stay away from the gates, especially with Tobias there. Unless he comes with me inside, he won't wait outside the gates under Tobias's stare.

He just smiles and we both get inside the car. I just hope we reach the first hour of the lesson.