THE BLACK CINDERELLA

Chapter Two

Thomas Fitzwilliam.

               I don't waste, I invest.

He always had this kindness, but it was always limited. He wasn't gullible or the stupid kind of rich people.

He was a man with a big but strong heart. A man with the right intuition as sharp as a razor.

He knew what he wanted and said it plainly.
His real name was Vito Maranzano, yes that name spelt Italy all over so it was the truth.

Thomas Fitzwilliam was actually an Italian, born but half breed in Rome, Italy. The place of permanence.

However due to some family issues which would be revealed later, we would know why Thomas left his home, his country, his name and came over to London to start afresh.

Like I said, Thomas Fitzwilliam was not Foolish in kindness.
He was a strategic generous person.

He gave only for investment and sometimes people saw what he did as absurd or weird or just too much, but he had his reasons and he wasn't a myopic person.

Being a Man of vision made him stand out.

This was not originally how He was back then in the days.

He became this way when he met Someone who became very special to him.

He was dreaming those memories again, it had become quite a habit to relive his memories in his dreams, sometimes he dreamt of what could have happened and what should.

The Central theme of his dreams was always Her.
His first woman.

He thought of her constantly, and her beautiful hair braids that he played with and witty discussions.

He recalled how she was self thought but was smarter than most of the people he knew that got formal education.

"I am very stingy Vito"

Her voice rang in his ears.
Like a sweet music that gave one goosebumps.

He recalled how both of them read books together and did alot of things together.

All this recollections were fresh in his dreams, his visual replay of his past, The fact that he was to marry her.
Every night brought it's own fair share of memories.

Her name was Chidinma, she was the only daughter of one of the trusted workers of his father.

When she had first come in with her Dad into their home. They really didn't like each other.
Yes they were roughly the same age, him thirteen and she twelve.

What made them close? he couldn't remember, but he recalled that when they settled their differences they were unstoppable together.

He missed his teen years, the fact that his first love only existed around that moment of his life.

The pain that he couldn't go back to it. All of that was packed up in his heart, churning and burning him.

Chidinma was sensational, but yes she had flaws like any other human being.

For example  she was quick to temper and wasn't really a good listener but he loved her that way.

That's If he could call it love.

They were teenagers what did they know about Love.

The memory he had that night was the one that happened when he had gotten into a fight with someone else.

Sadly and unfortunately for him the person he beat up happened to be the son of a dealer his father Gaetano Maranzano was working with.

It did not end well as his father gave him some whopping and taught him never to meddle in his business at all.

He remembered seeing the look on his elder brother's face, such scrutiny.
He could see the scorn and enjoyed it.

He recalled leaving to cry somewhere in the corner of the library they had in their home and happened to see Chidinma reading a book there.

When she had caught a glimpse of him she was silent for awhile trying to ignore him but his sniffs disturbed her reading so she spoke up.

"You father whipped you."

It wasn't a question so he didn't answer her as he laid his back against the wall and closed his eyes.

"I heard you crying like a little baby"

She teased and for some reason he felt small In her eyes. But when he looked at her, he noticed that she was rather amused than scornful.

"I'm surprised you are still alive..."

He cut her short.
"Leave me alone, Chi.."

But she was quicker to rush him.

"Why did you get into a fight?"

He didn't want to tell her that the fight was all for  her, they made fun of her and he retaliated, he just had to.

He wouldn't tell her though, cause she would be pissed at him and at that moment he was enduring being the only one pissed off at himself.

"I have my reasons" he replied through his teeth.

She looked at him in disdain for a while and replied.

"You are Vito Maranzano, You need a reason to not fight, not a reason to fight"

Thomas looked at her in confusion and asked.

"Vieni di nuovo?" (Come again?)

She climbed the ladder on the shelves and returned some books not repeating herself.

"You spend your time doing all the wrong things, so pitying yourself makes it all the more worse"

He recalled that they were sixteen at that time, when she was done arranging the books.

She sat close to him on the floor there and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a hug.

Which at that moment was what comforted him more than ever, only sometimes, in his dreams he wondered if he made that hugging memory up, but he recalled that she had come close to where he was and sat beside him.

-----

Years later he finds Ada and loves her instantly, she was young and smart and he could see Chidinma in her.

He adopted Ada deluding himself that she was the child of he and Chidinma. It gave him a particular sense of belonging.

She fit the description and it made him satisfied.

Until the Cinderella slipper joke cut him off guard.