by Avery Hawkes
With my family being wealthy, I usually wanted for nothing. Except freedom. My allowance was the same it had been in high school, and my room was the same as it had been when I was a little girl. Yes, I had gone to college, but my parents had only let me take online courses. Whenever I brought up the subject of having my own job, they would would roll their eyes.
It wasn’t the woman’s position to get a job, unless I wanted to be a nun or something. What they wanted for me was a good husband, but that was about impossible with the ridiculous standards my brothers had for me.
With a few steps, I found my king sized bed and dropped down onto it. It was billowy and soft. On the opposite wall, I looked at my cork board filled with magazine cut-outs of places I wanted to go to. There was a large section sequestered off for pictures of New York City.
Ever since our family visited New York when I was a little girl, I had always dreamed of making a life for myself there. Maybe try to become an actress. But the life of an actress was way to risqué for my Catholic parents.
Sometimes it felt like my only option was to become a nun to get away from them.
If my great-aunt had left me a good chunk of money, it would give me what I needed to become the independent adult that I wanted to be.
Then I could choose the man I wanted to marry without the watchful eye of my brothers. As I thought about the prospect of having a love life, I was reminded of Lance.
His taste, the feeling of his rock hard abs, and the masculine sound of his voice were seared into my mind. Oh fuck, how I wanted him.
My phone sat in my pocket and I tried not to check it. I knew what it would tell me. Lance hadn’t texted me for the last few days, after I had told him to back off until my brothers were off working jobs.
Our texts before then had been flirty. It wasn’t like me, but I even sent him some nudes late one night. I groaned at the thought of my naked body being in electronic form. Lance had bewitched me so much that I hadn’t even given the possible downsides a second thought.
Did I even know this guy? I trusted him with photos that could shame me and my family. For all I knew, he was a totally different person than I knew in high school. Even in high school he had left without a word, breaking my heart. Was I so sure he wouldn’t hurt me again?
“Dammit,” I buried my face in my pillow. There were lots of risks in starting up a relationship with Lance again, but my heart was screaming to take that chance.
For once in my life, I was going to follow it.
“Do you think she’ll give us her jewels?” Regina asked me as our family shuffled through the parking lot. She was the youngest of the family, with long dark-brown hair and tanned skin. I wouldn’t say she was materialistic, but she certainly took care to surround herself with expensive things. Being a Rossi had encouraged her behavior, and being the baby didn’t help either.
“I don’t think you should go in to this expecting to get diamonds.”
“Well then, why was our family invited?”
When I opened my mouth to shoot a retort back, I realized I had no idea why my aunt had invited all of us. Instead, I shrugged.
“I don’t know Regi. I’m sure everyone who knew her closely was invited.”
She gave one of her childish sighs and pulled out her smartphone to play a colorful and loud mobile game.
In front of us, the twins held open the heavy wooden doors of the law office that we were meeting at. Butterflies were flapping around in my stomach as I passed beneath the doorframe. I didn’t think my great aunt would have left us expensive jewels, but based on what Daddy had told me yesterday, there was a good chance that I would receive something.
She had been a lovely woman, even though my great-aunt had been a staunch Catholic. It was difficult for me to watch her health deteriorate so quickly. Since I didn’t have classes to attend anymore, I made an effort to go see her and make her day better. I’d bring her fresh flowers from our garden. The gardener was beside himself with me for a while after that. Since she couldn’t do much other than listen or watch television, I made sure she had access to her favorite shows. The thing that helped the most was giving her an iPod filled with audiobooks from her favorite authors. Whenever I visited, I’d come with my laptop and upload another series for her to listen to. It was wonderful to see her smile. The stories provided her a respite from her pain.
Since my family was rich, I hadn’t done those things to get at her money. If I was old, I wondered how I would want to be treated, and just did that. But come to think of it, that might have made a difference in her last days.
Did that mean she was going to leave something for me? I didn’t know.
What I did know was that the previous day, I had made my way to the bank and opened a new account that my parents had no access to. If I were to receive anything, the money would go to that account for my getaway.
It was musty in the small room we filed into. Some other extended family and members of her church sat interspersed in thick wooden chairs. It looked like the lawyer was about to give an inspirational speech or lecture. The two-dozen chairs were placed around a long table. The type you’d think ham-and-egger business men would have their board meetings around. At the end of the table was a middle-aged man in a grey suit, scribbling away on some documents. By the way the others looked at him from the sides of their eyes, I expected he was my Aunt’s lawyer.
We were the largest group in the room, my mother, father and 5 brothers and sisters sat politely on the opposite side of the table to the lawyer. My father, of course, was the head. He looked formidable in is suit, something I learned came in handy in his line of work. My brothers, all young and in their prime, looked like they could take anyone in a fight.
However, my mother and sister sat prim and proper, almost like they didn’t notice the overwhelming affect the men had on the room. A couple from church spoke in hushed whispers, probably passing the usual gossip about us. It was the largest non-secret, secret that our town had. The most respected and wealthy family was rumored to have connections to the Mafia. How scandalous!
It was almost a joke now, since my father always knew how to reflect the accusations with grace. Even so, we always felt the judgment, especially at the church we attended.
“It looks like everyone is here.” The lawyer stood up, taking off his reading glasses and tucking them into his breast pocket.
“First I give my condolences to everyone here for losing a loved one. From what I hear she was a respected figure in this community. It’s always a shame to lose such an amazing individual.”
After that was out of the way, he cleared his throat and got to reading the will. It was a long and laborious meeting. There were a lot of things divided up between her living relatives such as her house, vehicles and other things. Regina, to her disappointment, did not receive any jewels from the dearly departed. Those went to her best friend from church, rather than to any family member. From the side of my eye I could see Regina pouting and writing a passive aggressive twitter message. My foot met her shin under the table and she glared at me.
When it came to money, it looked like the Rossi’s were on the bottom of the list, if listed at all. The church was to receive 10% of all her money and she favored friends much more than living family. I watched as one of her brothers started to get uncomfortable in his chair. This was a strange process and I didn’t blame him. The lawyer droned on, most of the things he talked about I didn’t even understand.
After sitting for around 5 minutes, I heard the lawyer clear his throat and turn the page of the long document.
“And to Rosabella Rossi, I leave 10% of my liquid assets, for being kind to me in my time of need.”
All eyes in the family were on me. I wanted to disappear into my chair. I didn’t know what 10% of her assets were, but from what I understood, our family came from old money and her husband had left her with a fortune to say the least.
Simone who sat next to me gave me a playful punch in t
he arm and whispered “Jackpot!”. I shot him the best icy glance I could muster before my mother could hush him.
“That looks like the end of it.” The lawyer said, immediately after he had read what I would get. I wasn’t surprised. She most likely added me into her will at the end. The rest of my family looked disappointed and I could tell the money would be a source of contention among my siblings. Dammit.
“I will be acting as executor of your late family member’s estate. For those of you who were included in the deceased’s will, I’ll schedule time with you to make sure her assets are transferred to you in the way she wished. My office is across the hallway, you’re free to make a line”
With that, the reading of the will was over. “Good for you honey,” my mother said with a warm smile. My brothers looked a bit miffed and I could tell Regina was furious. My father nodded in agreement with my mother.
“It shows how kind you were to your aunt.” Underneath his smile was a small amount of regret. I wondered if Daddy was jealous of what had happened as well.
I stood up with a half-hearted smile. “I think I’ll go stand in line.”
The boys stood up as I did, trained by my father to be respectful of a lady. By the looks on their faces, they didn’t exactly want to move for me.
“I’ll wait for you here,” father said. “Regina, you can ride with your brothers.” She mumbled in reply, face almost attached to her phone. They followed me out of the room and left the building without so much as a “see you later.”
I looked at my feet when I stood in the five-person line outside the attorney’s door. My father waited in the other room, talking on the phone with a business associate. My phone was in my pocket, but I didn’t want to pass my time looking at it. My thoughts were racing and all I wanted was to be alone with them.
Every fifteen minutes or so, the lawyer would open his door and call for the next person. With each step my stomach would churn more. Was this the beginning of the rest of my life?
One thing I hadn’t thought of was if my father would stand me leaving town. He had contacts all over the US and in Italy. If he wanted to find someone, or even kidnap someone, he had the resources to do so. Even though New York was large, the Mafia’s presence there was undeniable. If they were looking for a boss’s kid, they’d stop at nothing to do so. I could only hope that daddy would be on my side and let me go start my own life. It didn’t even have to be New York. Even though the city had been my dream since I was a child, what really mattered was the freedom.
“Rosabella?” The lawyer popped his head out of his office as an elderly gentleman stepped out. I nodded silently, taking a deep breath before grabbing the door handle and stepping into the office.
The door closed behind us with a resounding thunk.
“Please, take a seat,” he said.
The chair was uncomfortable and wobbled if you moved an inch. I steadied myself in the seat and raised my eyebrows at the man sitting opposite.
“First off, I need to tell you that this will is the strangest I have seen in my time as an attorney. Your great aunt was very clear what her wishes were with your inheritance. She would not change her mind no matter how much I pushed back.”
“What do you mean?” His body language set me on edge and I leaned forward, trying to eye the words on the paper below him to get an idea of what it was, to no avail.
“Your great aunt has left you with 10% of her assets, which amounts to five million dollars.”
I clutched my knees, my knuckles turning white. That was more money than I had expected. Breath struggled to fill my lungs as the reality set in.
“I-I don’t understand though, what’s the issue with that?”
The Lawyer took off his glasses to massage the bridge of his nose.
“There’s a catch.”
“A catch?”
“Your great aunt made it clear that she would only grant the money if you followed her moral standards. In order to receive the money, she stipulates that you submit a copy of your medical records to make sure you are not using birth control or have had an abortion. Going to Catholic mass on the days of obligation are mandatory.”
My blood ran cold. Yes, I had never done any of those things, but it was an overstep on my aunt’s part to ask to check such private information. He went on.
“That, and she asked for a pregnancy test to be submitted every 7-8 months as long as you are not married. If the pregnancy test is positive without a marriage certificate, or you do not follow any of her stipulations above, she asks that the money be distributed to your siblings.”
The room was silent. All I could do was blink a few times in order to take the information in. Finally, I flashed the man an unsure smile.
“Well, that shouldn’t be a problem,” I said softly. My mother always would drag us to mass and I never had used birth control or had been pregnant, it was a piece of cake.
“If it’s no problem to you, please have your doctor send over your medical records. I will also set up a pregnancy test for next week.” I nodded at that and he scribbled away on a business card and gave it to me. “I’d ask to send over the contact information for your priest as well. Once we have that all set up, we should be able to get the money transferred to you as soon as possible.”
“Thank you,” I said. It was a bit shameful sitting there, but I tried to play it off like the bomb he had dropped was nothing to me. I took the business card he handed me and placed it in my purse. With another smile, I rose from the chair and turned to leave the room.
My father was waiting where I left him, having a fight in Italian with the person on the other side of the line. When he noticed me from the side of his eye, he switched to English.
“Just get it done. I won’t be bothered by this again. Yes. Yes. I have to go.”
When his full attention was on me he gave a warm smile, this time it was genuine, which surprised me.
“Here’s my princess,” he offered be a large hug. “You all done here?”
I squeezed him in reply. “Yes Daddy.”
While we walked to the car, something was bothering me. I had to say something to him, since I felt like the silence between us was deafening.
“Dad, I feel really bad about what happened back there.”
“No, no honey you shouldn’t.” He stopped to grab my shoulders. “None of us visited her in the hospital. We were foolish and all too busy with our work. Your siblings might feel some resentment, but it will not be allowed under my roof.”
Relief flooded my body. Thank God he understood. It gave me hope that he would be on my side when I was ready to bring up the idea of me moving away.
“Do you want to know how much―"
Daddy raised his hand to stop me, “No. That is your money, Bella. Save it for a down payment on your future home for you and your husband.”
Oh goodness, he was more like my aunt than I realized. As I opened the door I started to think about all of the stipulations that she had placed in order for me to collect the inheritance.
Then it hit me.
I remembered the touch of his skin and the taste of his lips. Lance had taken my virginity only a few weeks before. While he had used a condom, there was the small possibility that it might have failed. My face turned white as my father started the car and backed out of the parking lot.
It was going to be fine, I told myself. Even if I hadn’t started my period yet, it was due in a few days.
There wasn’t anything to worry about. Yes, Lance had fucked me, but that didn’t equal a pregnancy. People had sex all the time without protection and sometimes had difficulty conceiving children.
Dammit. This was going to bother me. I had to be sure that I wasn’t pregnant before I went to the doctor next week. If I was pregnant, I would deal with it then. For now, I just had to put my mind at ease.
“Dad, can you drop me off at the drug store near our house? I have to pick something up.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Lance
I wiped my oily hands off on a dirty towel.
“Looks like the radiator. We’ll need to order parts for it, but it should be done by next week.”
My boss, the Hermann of Hermann & Sons car repair, scribbled a note on his clipboard. The old man’s handwriting was barely legible as I got close enough to read it. As he wrote, his fingers shook uncontrollably.
“I’ll call ‘em and make sure the part is ordered. Good work, son.”
“Thanks Dad,” I replied.
“I’m closing the office. Clean up the garage before you leave. You know what your mother’s makin’ for dinner?”
“I think it’s leftovers night.” I replied as I turned to organize the tools I had been using throughout the day. They were all ancient, probably older than me, but well cared for. My father teetered toward the office to file away the day’s paperwork and make a few last phone calls to his suppliers.
He had been on his own for a long time. How had my parents managed?
My other brother, Jacob, had helped for a while, but he had left for college about halfway through my service. He was a senior now, an intern at a one of the most prestigious banks in the country. But did he help? No. It was like they had another kid off in Afghanistan, only this one was going to dinner parties while I went through hell. It was easy for me to fit back in to the family business once I came back from Afghanistan. Too easy.
While I loved my parents and wanted their business to do well, the money that I did make went straight into the family’s bank account. The cars I repaired paid for my rent, food and not much else. If I wanted to eventually go to school or start a family of my own, I’d have to find a way to save up extra money.
Working with my hands put me in the zone. Sure, they were covered in oil and grime, but I liked the feeling of metal against skin.
After I had organized the tools and swept the floors, I walked over to the garage door to tug it down. Before I could, I saw headlights far down the road.