Altered (An Italian Mafia Story)

Chapter Two

It was nice to have my brother around again because it felt like I had someone to talk to. It had been a week since my brother had taken me out to lunch and we'd quickly grown into a comfortable routine. We'd have breakfast together in the morning, he'd leave for work and I'd read a book, and he would come home and we'd go out to dinner. I'd learned pretty quickly that my brother wasn't a very good cook.

"I've decided to look for a job." I told him over breakfast a week into living with him.

He looked up from his eggs, the only thing he really knew how to cook. "What for?"

I shrugged. "I can't stay here all day while you work. This way, I'll be able to afford groceries and I could cook dinner instead of us going out every night."

"Yeah, Okay. That sounds like a good idea." Daniel agreed. "What'd you have in mind?"

"Well, I was going to check out a small coffee shop about a mile away. It said online that they were hiring."

We finished breakfast and, while Daniel left for work, I got ready for the day. Pulling on some sandals and a sun dress, I tackled the summer heat by foot. The GPS on my phone led me to a livelier part of New York City. There, I walked into the small cafe that displayed its pastries in the front windows.

By the time I got to the coffee shop, my forehead was damp and my face was red from the summer heat. I was relieved to enter the air conditioned building. "Hi, welcome to Georgia's Coffee Shop, how can I help you?" The woman behind the register asked kindly, when I stepped up to the register.

"Hey, my name's Alaya. I saw your ad online and was wondering if you still had a job opening?" I inquired with a confident smile

"Let me just get you an application and then I can run in the back and grab my manager. Would you like to have anything to eat or drink while you're waiting?"

"Uh, Can I have a small latte and a croissant please?"

"Sure thing!" The barista chirped.

Once my order was ready, I took a seat in the corner of the small cafe. I nibbled on my croissant as I gazed at the people around me. New York City was so different from what I remembered and everything in Ohio.

A man in one corner of the cafe had a Yankees baseball hat on his head and he was arguing with a woman across from him about whatever he was eating. A woman sitting by herself had a shall over her head and she was scowling angrily at everyone who walked by as she sipped her coffee. A boisterous group of teenagers were laughing where they had pushed some tables together to fit their whole group.

I couldn't help but feel alone in that moment. Besides Daniel, I didn't know anyone in New York and all my friends were busy taking on life and enjoying themselves. I didn't have anyone to confide in and my aunt and uncle were probably angry I left. Not because they would miss me, but because they wouldn't have anyone to clean the house and cook anymore.

"Here's the application, my manager will be right out."

I thanked the barista with a smile and filled out the application. A few minutes later, the manager walked out. She was a very friendly lady and gave me an interview on the spot. After talking for a half hour, the manager, who's name I learned was Brenda, gave me the job.

I walked home with a skip in my step, excited to tell Daniel about my new job. The people seemed really nice and working in a cafe wasn't the worst thing in the world. I slowed down when I realized he wouldn't be home for a few more hours. I could stop by the store and grab some groceries to make dinner.

A half hour later, I walked up the stairs of the apartment building. I balanced the grocery bag on my hip so I could search through my purse for my keys. They always seemed to disappear in the damn thing. I stop in front of the door still looking for the keys when I heard something.