Everlasting (A Love for the Mafia re-Write)

'Expensive Cars and Overpaid Chauffeurs'

Chapter 3

Aurora

The walk home only took twenty minutes; I would normally travel with Tis, but there is only so much girl talk I could handle, plus it was nice out and a walk would do me some good. The estate I lived on was filled with families who were made from money. Inventors, Actors and Supermodels were all neighbours to my father fourteen room house. I was never a big fan of the grand layout and designs of the houses; they all looked the same to me. Before my mother died we lived in a normal house, with a white fence and wraparound porch, my mother's flowers bloomed all year round and my father would pick fresh fruit and vegetables from his garden. Everything changed once she died. My father began to throw himself into work, some days I feel as though he would rather work all over the world than look at me. I am the image of my mother, when she was my age and I guess it is still an open wound for my father, to have his only child the image of his deceased wife.

My father never really explained what he did for a career, as far as I know he is a business man, dealing with all type of foreign affairs, occasionally I have met some of his partners, but they never stick around, according to my father,

'They had a change of heart and would rather not work for him'

I once used to ask about his career, but it ended up with my father running away and fleeing the country for a few weeks, I learnt if I wanted a relationship with my father I would have to keep my curiosity to a minimum.

I entered the gate which leads to the driveway of my house, waving to the guards on duty along with the gardener who was working on trimming a bush next to the gate. That was another reason I hated the estate, everything was immaculate. No leaves littered the ground, nor was a bush out of place and God forbid there were any outgrown trees anywhere near the properties. Imagining my father planting his vegetables in this neighbourhood made a small giggle escape my lips. The driveway was long, when my father threw dinner parties, the driveway would be full of expensive cars and overpaid chauffeurs. I was never allowed downstairs at these parties. Father mentioned that I would be bored stiff with all the adults talking business and provided me with every little thing a normal teenager would need for entertainment, all I wanted was quality time with my dad.

As I approached the grand white door that was the entrance to my 'home', it swung open and Dominos Blaine, my father, stood in front of me. He had always been a tall man, but as he was aging he was losing a few inches, he still stood around six foot, with salt and pepper black hair and perfectly groomed facial hair and he fit in with the neighbourhood. His blue eyes, similar to my own, inspected me from head to toe before opening his mouth to show two rows of perfectly straight white teeth ,

"Daughter, I was not expecting you home till later," My father wrapped his arms around me and pulling me into the house, shutting the door behind us,

"Tis is having family time, before the sleep over tonight," I replied, my father's looked of confusion means he has forgotten all about Tis coming over tonight, "Did you forget, it's been a tradition since we moved here," I tried to mask my disappointment as hard as I could, it's like he doesn't even pay attention to me anymore,

"Of course not darling, I am just so busy with work it slipped my mind, I'm leaving for Italy tonight so you'll be with the staff this weekend," He began to walk back towards the door, but stopped when my hand landed on his forearm, covered by an expensive suit. I opened my mouth to ask if he wanted to do something with me next week, but stopped when I saw the annoyance in his eyes. He really did want to get away from me,

"Tis wants to go out tonight, can I go?" I questioned, this definitely got my father attention, as he addressed me fully, instead of his usual half assed attempt,

"No way, not at all, do you know how dangerous places are at night Aurora? I am not allowing my only child to be subjected to those events," His phone rang and for the first time in a long while, he kept his gaze locked on mine, "You are not to leave this house, until I am home, understood?" I lowered my gaze but nodded my head slightly. His phone continued to buzz until he looked down and proceeded to turn his back on me and exiting the house, "I will know if you leave Aurora," he commented just before the door was closed behind him.

I continued to stare as the door for a few minutes before running up the large staircase to the right of me. My room was on the centre of the third floor, the farthest room in the house. The door was pure white with a golden handle, so polished I could see my face in it every time my hand reached to open it. My room was pretty basic, white walls with a baby blue trimming, and soft cream carpet. My queen size bed took up the left side of the room, pure white with a light yellow throw over. The gold frame kept my bed a few inches of the ground. My white wardrobes were built into the wall on the right side, with a door that led to my en-suite bathroom, my desk lay against the back wall, my laptop, books and papers covered the majority of it. The best part of my room had to be the large windows next to my bed, which leads out on to a balcony which over looked the rose garden planted in memory of my mother. Sitting down at my desk, I began pulling out books from my backpack and beginning the homework I was given today.

The next time I checked the time it was quarter to eight in the evening. I pushed the chair back and reached up to stretch my arms, the pop from my shoulder was a result of that. A knock came from the door and Carla walked in carrying a plate of chocolate chip cookies. Carla has always worked for us, she raised my mother when she was a little girl and followed her for the rest of my mother's life, taking over the mothering role once mine had passed. She was the woman who taught me about sex and held me when I came home after my night with Brian. She taught Tis and I how to cook and how to drive. She was even the first person to buy me a bunch of flowers, my first ice cream and my first box of tampons. She made me laugh, she wiped my tears when I fell and she always bought me back up again,

"Hello Baby girl, good day?" She placed the plate on my desk and pecked my forehead, before sitting down on my bed, eager to find out about my day,

"It was the normal Carla, apart from seeing my dad for the first time in weeks," I couldn't contain the distaste in my voice when mentioning my father,

"I thought I heard you two talking while I was cooking earlier," She reached for my hand, "How was it,"

"He was going to leave without saying goodbye to me again, so nothing's changed really," I shrugged, refusing to admit how much it hurt,

"He does love you darling,"

"He doesn't seem to show it,"

"But what about all the stuff he brings back for you," Carla gestured around my room, to all the gifts my father had bought back from every country in the world,

"I would give them away in an instant if it would mean I could talk to him for more than two minutes every few weeks," I looked down, bringing my arms to wrap around my waist,

"Aurora," Carla sympathetically reached for my hands to hold in her own "I will talk to your father, you're his daughter and he needs to stop pretending that the way he is treating you is okay,"

"Thanks Carla," I sniffed, "Hey are they for me," I pointed towards the cookies,

"Aren't they always," And the serious conversation we were having evaporated as we filled our stomach with the gooey chocolate chip cookies.