Twenty Years Later

Chapter 3

Vallie Ricci

After we agreed to go with my father to ensure our safety, he told us we had thirty minutes to pack only the bare necessities. Orlando said he would provide us with anything we need when we get to his house. It was difficult for me to pack only the necessities. Everything I look at holds some sort of memory that makes made me want to bring it with us.

So here we are, now thirty minutes later Rainer and Orlando each are carrying a suitcase out the door while I'm holding a duffle bag.

Once we are outside on the tiny porch. I look to my right and see the two rocking chairs Rainer and I would sit on to watch the sun set with a beer or glass of wine like an old retired couple. Charishing all of our memories here, I turn to lock the door. As I'm locking the door, I feel a tear slide down my face. Out of nervousness, stress, and the fact that I dont know when we will be back to the house I love so much.

After my little emotional breakdown, I take a deep breath and turn to Rainer.

"Are you ok." He says as he grabs my hand.

I look him in the eyes and smile. "I will be. You?" He responds with a smile and a nod, and then we walk to where Orlando is standing a few feet away, and he leads us to a black SUV.

When we make our way to the car, a man gets out of the front seat and walks to the trunk, and opens it. "Miss, I'll take your bag." The person who must be Orlands drives says to me as I got to put my bag in the trunk. "Thank you."

"Vallie, Rainer you can leave your bags here. My driver Arthur can take care of them." Orlando says and turns to the older man that's putting our stuff in the car. "Thank you, Arthur." "No problem, capo."

"What does capo mean?" Rainer asks Orlando before I can. "Boss in Italian."

"You speak Italian?" I question.

"Of course I do, I was the leader of the Italian Mafia for many years. Did your mother teach you Italian?"

"She did." I respond as he opens the back door and motions Rainer and I to get in.

The back of the SUV has two rows of seats that are facing each other. And as I'm getting in the car, I see a man that looks to be in his late twenties or early thirties sitting there typing away on his phone. Then he looks up at me with a smirk on his face. "Hello, sorellina."

I jumped back from where I was standing and looked to Orlando as Rainer put a protective arm around me while I put my arm around my belly. "Who is that?"

My father looks to me and smiles. "That's your oldest brother Aurelio."

"I have a brother!"

"Yes, you do. Well, actually, you have five."

I snap my head between two to people related to me and let out a shocked. "What!"

I look to Rainer, who looks almost as shocked as me. It would make sense that he is shocked we have known each other since the age of ten and started dating at fourteen during freshman year. He has known me most of my life and knows everything about me, and now, all of a sudden, I have five brothers.

Orlando suddenly broke the silence to say we should get in the car and talk. Ageeing Rainer helped me in the car and then sat next to me. Orlando and Aurelio are sitting across from us, so now we are facing each other.

Aurelio, after a silent minute, looked to me. "So, are mother never told you about us?"

"No, she never mentioned you guys. She said my dad did not want to be a father and left." Saying this causes me to grab Rainers hand. He looks at me and gives my hand a reassuring squeeze.

Orlando looks at me. There is a slight anger in his eye that I know is not directed at me but my mother. "That is not true, Vallie. I love you very much, and I'm very upset I didn't get to raise you and see you grow up with your brothers. Your mother took you and left when you were five. I didn't know she was doing this. I came home from work one day, and you both were gone. And we have been searching for you every day for the last twenty years."

Hearing this made me tear up. I did in face have a father who wanted me as well as brothers who wanted me. They looked for me for twenty years, and I was completely clueless. I'm so mad at my mother right now. She took away the chance for me to have a family. And most of all, I feel stupid. I should have insisted that she told me about my father. I should have insisted that she gave me every bit of information I needed before she passed away.

Rainer being the soulmate he is to me. Can practically read my thoughts and starts speaking to me quietly. "Vallie, don't beat toueseld up about this it's not your fault."

"I should have been more instant that she gave me answers."

"Vallie, listen to your boy toy he's right it's not your fault. The only person at fault is our dead mother." Aurelio chimed in. He said all of this in a monotone voice with a straight face like he didn't just call my fiance "boy toy" or say the words "dead mother".

With that, the car fell silent. I still held on to Rainer and looked out the window for the rest of the ride to the airport while thinking of the life I could of had if only my mother didn't lie and keep secrets.

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