14 Days With The Mafia Lord

~ A Mother's Dilemma ~

This was a threat. Plain and simple, and the scariest part was I believed him. I believed he'd do everything he wrote and more.

Giving in to the hopelessness I was feeling, I tore the card and its envelope into shreds. I looked around the small apartment, trying to find anything off or out of place. Thankfully there was nothing visibly wrong, and the relief flooding through me caused my eyes to fill and my bottom lip to quiver.

What the hell have you gotten yourself into, Elaine?

A blue stuffed dinosaur in the corner caught my attention, and all of a sudden, I remembered I didn't pick my son up last night.

Panicking, I found my phone in my black purse, which was abandoned by the door, and checked the time.

Eleven minutes past ten in the morning, it said.

"Shit, shit, shit," I cursed as I realized I was now late for work.

The detour I had unwillingly taken last night had messed up my rhythm. Usually, I would've been up at least four hours before this time, showered, and ready for my morning job as a receptionist.

Waking up at this time meant Adrian would miss school today because I couldn't pick him up, get him ready, drop him off, and head to my job without getting fired for lateness as I walked through the door. And I couldn't get fired. I needed that money. Missing one day of school was inconsequential compared to losing my job.

I cursed Giovanni Enrico again for putting me in this situation as I scrolled through the contacts on my phone, looking for the one I needed.

"Hello, Elaine," Lia answered on the second ring, and my mood picked up.

"Hi, Lia. Oh my God, I'm so sorry for not showing up last night to pick Adrian up. Something came up, and I had to deal with it, and the night got away from me."

I hated lying to Lia. She was an excellent friend and babysitter. I could show up at any hour with Adrian, and she would take him with a smile and not a single word of judgment for me. She'd set him playing with her own son and would even help with his homework. Lia was the sweetest, and I was grateful every day to have her in my life.

"No worries, sweetie. Adrian and Mikey had a blast having a sleepover. There were cookies and Paw Patrol, and they had the time of their tiny little lives," she giggled.

I let out a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear. Listen, I know you deserve an explanation, so I'll just come by after work, and we'll talk."

"Elaine, you know you don't have to explain a single thing to me. You know I'm happy to help. Us single parents have got to stick together, am I right?"

I let out a small chuckle, my first in what felt like forever. "You're right. Thanks."

I heard Lia hesitate on the other line. "There's really no problem, sweetie," she started. "But I could sense something was off with Adrian this morning, so I asked him. Elaine, he was worried about you. I think he would feel a lot better if he spoke to you."

My heart leaped in my chest. "Of course," I told her. "Put him on the phone."

There was a moment of shuffling and silence before a small voice filled my ear and my heart.

"Mommy?"

"Hi, teddy bear," I managed to choke out through my thick throat.

"Mommy!" he exclaimed, causing my eyes to fill.

"How're you doing today, baby?" The tears fell, and I tried not to let them show in my voice.

"I'm fine, Mommy. I had plenty of fun last night, but I can't find Blue. Do you know where he is, Mommy?"

I laughed and found the blue dinosaur in the corner with my eyes. "Blue is at home, baby. I'll bring him for you when I see you this evening."

"Oh, goodie! Thank you, Mommy! What about school today? Am I not going?"

"I'm sorry, baby, but you're going to have to miss today. But don't worry, I will talk to your teacher when I see her tomorrow, okay?"

"Okey-dokey," he agreed happily, causing me to smile.

"Anything else you wanna tell Mommy?"

"Nope, I'm okey-dokey."

"Alright, teddy bear, I'll see you tonight. Be a good boy, okay? Give Lia the phone."

"Okey-dokey, Mommy, I will. Remember to take your vity-mins."

There was the sound of footsteps next, and I tried to get the aching I felt for my little angel under control.

"Elaine?" came Lia's voice next. "You've spoken to Adrian?"

"Yeah," I told her, wiping my wet cheeks. "He's alright. Thank you for taking such good care of him. Really, I don't know how to thank you enough for what you do for me, Lia."

"Are you okay, Elaine?" she asked instead. "You sound . . . different. Is something wrong?"

For a second, I wanted to break down and tell her everything that happened last night, cry on her shoulder like she reminded me I could do almost every day. But in the end, I settled for lying through my teeth.

"I'm good, I promise. Listen, I've got to go. Gotta get ready for work. I'm already late."

"Alright, hon. Take care of yourself."

Ending the call, I stood in the middle of the bedroom, making plans for today. I had to shower and get to work. After that, I needed to stop by the supermarket for groceries.

A weird feeling stopped my brain mid-planning. It was the feeling of being watched.

Remembering the threat written on the card, now in pieces on my floor, I stiffened and gingerly made my way to the window covered by an old butter-yellow curtain.

Pushing it aside, I peered out into the street, half expecting one of Giovanni's men to lie waiting for me.

Thankfully the streets were empty, devoid of human or vehicular life.

With a relieved breath, I closed the curtain and started getting ready for work.

.......

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