Mafia's Right-Hand Woman

48

I open the door to Vittorio, expecting a smirk or some sort of expression, but none comes. Instead his mouth remains an uncharacteristic grim line amid his stubble.

It's been three days, there hadn't been any contact..
Usually seina attends to the doorcall,
She is mostly dull these days, slow response, avoiding gaze,
She was so lost in kneading the dough, that I received this opportunity to lay my eyes on him first, I'll be receiving his first-hand emotions or scoop.

"Derrick" Almost robotically his hand rises upward and passes me a Document paper, "..has left us." his eyes almost as still as some corpse.

"He is Dead!" He grunts like a roar, his eyes bloodshot, His fist lands on the wall, right by my neck, I blink.

WHAT!??

"wHAaT!??" Seina's eyes balls out of her socket. The lights in the hallway are off only a dim bulb lit the threshold, She stood in the shadows far inside.

Her ears really are hyper-sensitive.

"Oh OH MY LORD!" She is panting, Her rolling pin slip away, It produces a clattering sound, registering shock. She's real scared now.
I wonder of whom? maybe that's her reaction in grievance.

Seina's brain stutters for a moment and her eyes take in more light than she expected, Every part of her goes on pause while her thoughts catch up. After a wash of cold she step from the shadows. Vittorio has turned away from me to face her. she place one hand on his shoulder did I notice he's slouched forward, as if defeated "He's at peace now, make him proud." she gave him pats and rubs on the back while he rested his forehead on her shoulder, she leaned her cheek over him. "He was a good man." she was sniffing, scoffing to hold her own breakdown. "He's watching us, Be brave."

They kept exchanging small dialogues, Comforting ones. Words, that refuse to roll off my tongue, I loose my voice when they're at the tip of slipping out in the open. Sentences that are engraved as a Taboo.

I can bite cheek, but the vibe they are radiating, I feel my ribs cracking but I'm incapable of acting out.

Atfirst I took it as a news, an info that we have to bring it in our habits not seeing this person anymore.

Now I feel The Worst of it. It's 2 AM and all the sleep has gone.

I half anticipate her other arm to stretch and engulf me as well. Wounds of the past were breaking loose.
I shield my eyes lowering lashes look down at my cold feet, Now do I realize, from days seina has been ignoring me.

It was a long night.

Later in the afternoon, in his office, I get the time to go through the page he handed me.
It was a report on health and ..the reason of death mentioned. Died of failed liver surgery due to old age. What a lie! I wonder what they paint in my reason of death.

Vittorio enter a minute late, a large envelope in his hand with hospital's credentials on it. Same as the one that's already kept on his table.

"You got checked up too?"

"No." He organise the scattered files to his left.

Franco enters right after and I do not question further.

"That's Secretary's job." He scoffs.

Dereck!
He use to take care.
Though he taught me,
It was for his absence.

He was preparing me for this time.

Like I'd be permanent.

"I will. Rightaway, Sir!"
Maybe I'll be teaching someone else.
..Keep the wheel moving.