Rightfully Mine : The Pride Of A Man

Chapter 5

'Mi bebe Luna!' (My baby moon - Spanish)

Her curly black hair tickled my skin as she reached down and wrapped me up into her arms keeping me in the warmth of her protective bubble.

'Oh bubba... como estas Cinco ya?' (How are you five already?- Spanish)

We sat looking out through the window bathing in the blue light of the night sky. The moon looked back at us like she was our guardian.

'Cinco mama!' I showed her my hand with pride wriggling all five fingers in her face proving that indeed I was five, causing that beautiful smile to fall on her lips.

Smothering me in kisses, a fit of giggles erupted from me. 'Te amo Cora.' My heart was connected to hers. The words made me beam inside and out...But my thoughts started to intrude the moment and it had hit me.

The candles went out. The warmth disappearing. An anchor weighted me down filling me up with grief and pain. I knew this was a now far away memory.

'Mama. What am I gonna do?' It was my voice. I was no longer that little girl but she still held onto me with the same love and affection.

'Im sorry. Se fuerte.'  (Be strong - Spanish)

I snapped my eyes open and laid there for a while as my heart hammered against my chest, beads of sweat trickling down my temples.

I felt that deep rotted sadness sneak up from the pit of my stomach, in it's wake leaving a trail of anxiety to consume me. That remarkable sadness devoured me, contaminating my chest spreading like wild fire through my lungs, drying up my throat and seeping out into tears falling from my tired eyes.

I pulled the blanket over my head and desperately tried to cling onto that fading memory. I began to over analyse. Was my mama sending me a message? Or was I so distressed that I forged that message myself out of pure miserable urgency. Either way my mama was right. I had to be strong...eventually.

I looked to the clock to see it was 11 am. I shut my eyes, my body too paralysed with melancholy to move an inch. So just like yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that, I tried to sleep my misery away.

(Vincenzo)

'Está hecho jefe.' (It's done boss - Italian)

'Sedere.' (Sit down)

Vincenzo sighed heavily resting his fingers on his temple as he waited impatiently for his cousin Carlo to shut the office door.

'It's done two days too late. In fact, this never should of happened. Your scaling back from now on - no more warehouses and no fucking more mistakes!'

'But Vince, I wa-

Vincenzo had had enough of making excuses for his young cousin and now that he was about to deliver an excuse instead of an apology was not just down right stupid, it was disrespectful.

'Enough!' His hand throbbed as it slammed hard onto the wooden desk causing the pens and papers to jump. He looked Carlo in the eyes pointing a finger at him as he gave him the advice he's been needing to hear for a while.

'Don't you dare think you can come into my office and tell me it's done when you know full well you should be coming to me grovelling for your sloppiness in dealing with my business! Your lucky I stoped whatever excuse was about to come out of your mouth. No buts. I am your boss and that's final.  Uscire.' (Get out)

Carlo felt ashamed. He knew what people were saying about him. How he only came up this fast because he was Vincenzos baby cousin. He so desperately wanted to prove everyone wrong but he couldn't. He wasn't ready. Maybe he never would be.