Chapter 1 - Italy

Once again I sat alone in an empty airport terminal. I was waiting for my father to pick me up, and as usual he was late. Everyone thought that because we were rich my life was perfect but that wasn’t the case at all. My life was one of waiting. Of my father constantly gone. Of one a.m. phone calls and hurried goodbyes.

I had been waiting exactly three hours, twenty-five minutes and nineteen seconds when my father finally arrived. This was a new record. The longest he had left me waiting before was two hours and forty-five minutes and that had been at my elementary school best friend Esmerelda’s house.

“It’s nice to see you Lolina.” My father greeted me with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, already slipping into my familiar childhood nickname.
“Nice to see you too Papi.” I said, deciding to leave my anger aside, at least for the time being. I planned to stay the entire summer holiday with him, I had no doubt there’d be many more arguments to come in the months ahead.

I had visited relatives in Italy on vacation several times but had never been there since my father bought a place. “The place,” as my father affectionately called this and every other piece of property he bought except our home in Washington, was a beautiful 11 room villa with four bedrooms and six baths settled into the countryside.
He showed me to my room on the second floor as soon as we arrived leaving my bags in the entry for a porter or maid of some sort to bring up later.

“I’ll be in the study making some phone calls.” My father said as soon as he had showed me my room, referring to the study he had pointed out on our way inside the door. I nodded and sighed but said nothing. I had been with him not even two hours after not seeing him for almost three months and already work was more important.

I set myself to looking around the room. It was obvious the room had been decorated for a 17 year old girl. The walls were painted a deep purple and the bedspread on the white wrought iron bed matched. The trim on everything in the room was white. And billowy white curtains covered the two doors leading to a small balcony on the far side of the room. Entering the balcony I knew immediately it would become my favorite place in the house. Flowers covered the rail and a small table would be perfect for reading and drinking coffee, but more than anything I liked the view. I could have spent the afternoon there but decided to explore the rest of the room instead. Across from the bed was a raised sitting area. A desk and bookcase took up some of the space and at the opposite end shelves were built into the wall to house a microwave and a small fridge. The shelves were lined with some dishes and boxes of my essentials such as microwave popcorn, hot chocolate and instant coffee. In the fridge I found chocolates, creamer, Fresca and snack-pack pudding. I smiled then knowing the trip would be okay, for all our bickering I really was “daddy’s little girl.” Then I went to check out the only place left – the bathroom. I was surprised to find a large whirlpool tub. Bottles of bubble bath, body wash and shampoo sat in a basket on the marble counter around the edge along with washcloths and jars of bath salts. I smiled again happy that my father had taken the time to have the room ready especially for me, and then I returned to the bedroom and collapsed on the bed.

I woke up three hours later to the sound of my father’s voice standing in the doorway.

“Wake up Lolina” he said still using my nickname as he had earlier.
“We have a party to go to tonight.” He told me as I rubbed my eyes awake. “We’ll have to leave in an hour and a half or so. It’s a black tie party so make sure to pick out something nice.”

“I don’t think I brought anything that nice.” I protested “You told me we’d shop here if I needed anything.”

“There’s probably something in the closet” he said waving his hand toward a door I had somehow missed earlier. Opening it I found a large closet with a wooden dressing table and thick carpet. On the far wall dresses were hanging up and other outfits for when I accompanied my father on one of his business endeavors. Shelves beside the rack held shoes and purses to match the outfits. I knew that this was more than just “some things.”

“Oh Papi, thank you!” I exclaimed running out of the closet to give him a hug. It had been awhile since I had gotten so many new dresses. I usually only bought such fancy dresses when I needed one for a specific event of some sort.
“Where is the party?” I asked him sitting on my bed and taking off the shoes I had fallen asleep in earlier.
“It’s at the Riviera” he answered me and then continuing he answered the question I didn’t want to ask “Yes, it’s a business party. I’m sure some of the uncles will be there.” I never understood exactly why but ever since I was a child I had been told to refer to all my dad’s partners as “uncle.” His real brothers my Uncles Joseph and Marco were involved but the rest I simply referred to as uncle because I had been told to by my parents my entire life. There were many people in his business but his group consisted of my father, Uncle Joe, Uncle Marco, Uncle Trey, Uncle Harvey and Uncle Mac. There were a few others that were in and out helping sometimes but these were the primary guys. Uncle Harvey was the oldest and all the others looked up to him because of it, he could be trusted to get a job done quick and well. Uncle Mac was the youngest. I’m not even sure why I called him uncle. I never did when I spoke to him only when I spoke about him and even that was only if my father was around. Mac was only three years older than me, we had grown up beside each other calling these men uncle and knowing only of the nice cars and wonderful vacations that came along with what we only referred to as “the lifestyle.” Uncle Trey was Mac’s brother but they weren’t close at all in age or otherwise. By the time Mac and I figured out what the business was Uncle Trey had already been involved for years.
By the time I was eight I had realized what they did was bad. By ten I knew many of the things were dangerous. And by eleven or twelve I realized most if not all of it was illegal. I had figured other things out slowly. My father was in charge, my ‘uncles’ all looked up to him and his word was law. When I was younger there was another uncle, Uncle Greg. He and my father were pretty much equals running everything together. He was Mac’s father, that’s part of the reason we saw each other so much, our fathers were always together talking about some concern or another. Mac always knew he didn’t completely agree with this lifestyle. I always thought he would turn away from it, but then one day it took his father and suddenly he was a part of it. No longer did we go swimming or to the movies during their business meetings instead he went to the meetings too and I called up one of my girlfriends.
I only nodded in response to my father’s comment about the party and then as soon as he left I went to the bathroom. Stripping of the skinny black pants and purple shirt I had traveled in I left them in a pile on the floor and stepped into the hot shower. The steamy water was wonderful and I would have loved to spend half an hour there but there wasn’t any time so I showered quickly then returned to my room wrapped in one of the fluffy purple towels I had found in a basket by the tub.
Entering the room I found a figure who appeared to be a maid sitting in a chair by the desk.
“I’m Paulina. Your father, he thinks you maybe need help. Your hair.” She said indicating an obvious struggle to speak English.

“Yes my hair, some help would be wonderful.” I answered switching immediately to Italian. Her expression of relief made it obvious my father had forgotten to mention I spoke Italian.
“First I need a dress.” I said entering the closet expecting that I would be followed. I took the time now to look at each of the dresses individually. The first was a strapless red silk with a narrow bow at the waist that looked about tea length. Next was a long black gown with a strap that tied behind the neck and what I expected would be a low neckline. I loved the dress immediately but forced myself to look at the others. There was a more casual strapless silk cocktail dress in pink and green plaid; I loved it as much as the black gown but knew it wasn’t formal enough. There was a cream colored gown and two purple gowns, one lilac and one plum, and multiple casual outfits. I knew then that the black gown was my choice. Dropping my towel to the ground I stood damp and naked in the closet taking the dress off the hanger. Suddenly I remembered Paulina and clutching the towel to myself I turned around but she was gone. Dropping the towel again I slipped into the dress. By the way it hugged my curves exactly I knew it had been made for me. The neckline was almost as low as I had expected but looked flattering where other dresses might have looked trashy. I exited the closet again and sat on the bed to put on underwear and nylons from the clothes I had brought before having Paulina do my hair. Her hands moved quickly and expertly and within half an hour my hair was pulled back into a wonderful mass of curls. Just as Paulina coated my head with hairspray for the third or fourth time my father knocked on the door to check if I was ready to leave.

“Just about ready to go?” He asked me standing in the doorway.
“Almost Papi.” I said crossing to the closet for the shoes and handbag I had admired earlier. I also grabbed a diamond tennis bracelet and some black gloves.