"And... there... we... go!" Simone beamed as she fluffed up the puffy bun she put in Bianca's hair after she'd washed, conditioned, and detangled it. When she first saw the child, she noticed that the orphanage was not taking care of her hair and she was sure that based on the environment, the girl never learned how to do so herself.
"I will leave all of these supplies here for you. I know they can be hard to find in Italy." Simone held up the bag that contained shampoo, conditioner, and oil for textured hair, as well as a detangling comb and brush.
Bianca couldn't help the big smile that came to her face when she looked in the mirror and saw her hair in its natural glory pulled up in a puff on top of her head. She stroked and lightly pulled at her hair as she admired it before turning around to look up at Simone and wrap her arms around her legs in a hug.
"Grazie mille!" The little girl said and went on to express more of her thanks in Italian.
The two of them continued to exchange more words and Simone gave Bianca some tips about taking care of hair and told her she will leave her phone number so that the girl could contact her whenever she had questions.
"Bianca," Violetta called when she walked into the room. "You're supposed—" she paused when she saw the little girl's hair as she held the biggest smile Violetta had seen on her face since Bianca returned to the orphanage. "Bellisima! (Very beautiful!)" she chimed, gesturing at the child's hair.
An excited Bianca explained in rapid Italian that Simone had helped her with her hair and how much she loved it.
"I am happy to hear that," Violetta replied. "Now, why don't you show the other ragazzi (children) and go to your classes?"
Bianca nodded as she continued to hold a big smile and ran over to her bed to get her backpack. Before leaving the room, she gave Simone another tight hug and said her goodbyes.
After she left, Violetta looked at Simone curiously. "Bianca is rarely this comfortable with new people, but she has really taken a liking to you."
Probably because she never gets to see people who look like her, Simone replied internally. "I've really taken a liking to her too... I thought you were with Luca?"
"I was, but now I need coffee, plus, Bianca — who is never late — was not in her classes, so I came to check on her."
"I see."
"Do you want to come with me to get coffee, Simone?"
"That sounds good. I'm sure Luca will be busy pretty much all day anyway."
"Yes, that boy and his errands. Let's go!"
Simone and Violetta walked over to the bar not far from the orphanage grounds while Luca remained on campus meeting with a few contractors to discuss repairs, renovations, and additions for the area.
Violetta did not agree with polygamy and her first instinct three years ago when she learned Luca and Emiliano were sharing a wife was one of disapproval. However, while she didn't understand or agree with the construct of their relationship, she knew that Luca was the happiest that she had ever seen him.
Even once he'd grown up and started working on the orphanage, Luca still had an underlying sadness about him, but once he married Simone, Violetta noticed that it no longer seemed to be there. Of course, his mother was still a sore topic and he'd get depressed around the anniversary of her death, but now that Simone was in his life, he finally had someone who could truly be there for him and comfort him in that time.
"Luca told me the you two visited Isabella's grave?" Violetta asked Simone as they waited for their drinks at the bar.
"We did," Simone nodded. "Luckily, his friends have been keeping her flowers fresh, but we put down some new ones yesterday and then we just sat there peacefully for a while."
"I'm happy the two of you did that. You have been so good for him, I can see it."
"And he's been good for me..." Him and Emiliano, Simone thought to herself. She knew that Violetta was uncomfortable the fact that Simone was with both men and tried not to bring it up too much with her. She appreciated that Violetta never went as far as shaming them for it, and simply allowed their relationship to exist as it did.
The two of them sipped on their cappuccinos as they leaned against the bar and continued with some small talk before Simone asked a question that had been plaguing her since she and Luca arrived at the orphanage.
"Hey Violetta, that little girl, Bianca. Luca knew her and she said he taught her how to draw, but I know for sure that she wasn't here last time I visited. What happened?"
Violetta's eyes softened and she sighed before answering Simone's question. "Yes, well... Bianca is a special case. Her father was from somewhere in West Africa — I can't remember the exact country — and her mother is Sicilian. Her father wasn't in the picture and Bianca was first left here by her mother when she was a newborn. You see, her mother's family, they..."
Violetta drifted off into a long pause and examined Simone hesitantly.
"They didn't... accept Bianca because she is... Well, she... They refused to see her as one of them."
Simone gulped, feeling a pain in her chest for Bianca, knowing exactly why her mother's family didn't accept the child.
"Her mother promised that she would return for Bianca once she found some work, was on her feet, and less dependent on her family. Finally, when Bianca was five-years-old — just a few months before you visited here for the first time — her mother retrieved her, saying she found some work in Palermo and had her own apartment. Considering the fact her mother dropped her off here when she was two and hadn't made contact since, Bianca was going home with someone who was practically a stranger to her, but still seemed excited about starting a new life."
"Mhm," Simone nodded as she listened attentively.
"Well, about a year ago, Bianca showed up here again, and she wasn't in the best condition... It was clear she'd been through quite a bit of trauma. We still do not know what happened — the child will not talk about it, but we do have her going to the resident therapist regularly."
Simone's mood completely plummeted and she felt her heart physically aching for the girl. "And the mother? Where's she?"
"We're not sure. She showed up a couple months ago looking for Bianca and just the sight of her was triggering for the child. After that incident, we told her to stay away. She threatened to call the police and have Bianca returned to her, but as with everything else, they did nothing. For once we benefited from their laziness."
Simone was seething with anger. She'd only met the girl a few days ago, but immediately felt a protectiveness over her and noticed that Bianca seemed intrigued with her as well.
Violetta noticed how tense Simone had become and reached out to take her hand. "We are taking good care of Bianca," she assured. "When Luca first started putting money into the orphanage, two of his first priorities were security and mental health support for the children."
"Right, of course..." Simone was still uneasy, but tried to push her feelings down as not to be consumed by them. "As long as Bianca is getting the help she needs."
***
"How was your day at the orphanage, tesoro?" Luca asked as the two of them were getting ready to meet with some of his friends at a nearby bar. The Sicilians had been dragging their feet on meeting with Luca, but neither of them had any objections considering there hadn't been any major incidents in their region yet and it gave Luca an excuse not to go back to Florence.
"It was great, I mostly hung out with Violetta and then some of the kids. I did Bianca's hair this morning and she was really excited. I'm leaving my products here with her, but the girl is still only eight-years-old, so I'm not sure how much she'll actually be able to remember of what I told her. But I think I'm going to talk to Violetta or someone else on the staff to give them tips. I'll also be sure to regularly send products... Maybe I can find some children's books about Black Italians and get them sent here too." (A/N: Again, Wattpad is particularly horrible at portraying Italians, but yes, Black Italians exist.)
As Simone spoke, she noticed Luca had stopped putting on his clothes for their night out and was simply looking at her with a wide smile.
"What?"
"You just seem very excited, tesoro. Bianca hasn't had it easy, and I'm sure that your time with her matters a lot."
Simone broke eye-contact with her husband and turned back to the mirror to continue applying her makeup. "It matters a lot to me, too."
It didn't take much longer for them to finish getting ready and Simone and Luca were soon out and about in the small city center. They went to a nearby bar to meet up with some of his childhood friends with whom he had grown up at the orphanage.
There was Giancarlo, Luca's best friend from his time at the orphanage. He had thick, dark brown eyebrows with hair to match and a stalky build and was just a few inches shorter than Luca. Often the boisterous one of the two, Luca would at times compare Giancarlo's personality to Emiliano and tease him about fitting the Italian stereotype of being loud. Edoardo was another friend of Luca's from the orphanage. While they weren't as close as him and Giancarlo, they did often get into more mischief together growing up, pulling Giancarlo along for their shenanigans. With a muscular build and tanned skin, it was obvious that Edoardo spent many days outside working on the vineyard that Luca had helped him purchase years back.
"Ah, so you are still married!" shouted a tipsy Giancarlo.
"Who would've expected him to end up married before any of us?" Edoardo added. "Let alone for it to last this long!"
"Oh shut up," replied an offended Luca before cursing them out in Sicilian.
"Hey guys," Simone greeted after Luca finished his scolding. She exchanged greeting kisses on each cheek with the two of them before sitting next to her husband at their small table.
"You are keeping him in line, yes?" Giancarlo asked Simone.
She wrapped her arm around Luca's bicep while his hand remained on her thigh. "Well, he can be a difficult one," Simone teased. "But I try my best."
"Oh yes, I know it! He and Edoardo always got me in trouble with sister Violetta." Giancarlo shook his head and huffed. "It was embarrassing."
"We did not!" Edoardo rebutted. "You were the one always getting us caught. Sister Violetta would not know anything if you weren't so clumsy and always slowing down our plans just in time for her to catch us."
"Edoardo is right," Luca nodded. "And do not get me started on your crying..."
"Both of you shut up!" Giancarlo exclaimed. "You are just angry because out of the three of us, the sisters loved me best. It is why you always tried to get me in trouble."
"You can continue lying to yourself—"
Luca paused when he realized a group of men approaching their table and his eyes darted up at them. He moved his arm to wrap it around Simone's waist while his free hand went to his side. Simone immediately reached into her purse and kept her hand there.
"Che cosa fai? (What are you doing?)" Luca questioned when the men reached their table and still had yet to say anything.
"Tu sei Luca Rossi? (Are you Luca Rossi?)" the man at the front them questioned. Absent even the tiniest hint of a smile, his expression wasn't a friendly one. However, it was still unclear if there was any particular hostility there.
"Chi lo chiede? (Who is asking?)"
"Your Rossi men have been causing problems. Did you forget this is Marino territory? You are not in charge here."
"Sono stronzate (That's bullshit)," Luca replied with a scoff.
"Figlio di puttana! (Son of a bitch!)" the Marino lackey boomed. "Explain that to my sister in the hospital because of a fight your Rossi men started with her boyfriend that ended in her getting shot!"
Luca's head jerked back and his brows pulled together in an intense glare. "Get the fuck out of here. You're out of line."
"Ah, so the Rossi bastardo did forget this is Marino territory..." The sound of guns clicking silenced the rest of the bar — the three Marino men, Luca, Edoardo, Giancarlo, and Simone all had their guns pulled and pointing at each other. Four-to-three, Simone and Luca both had their guns on the man who started the confrontation, while Giancarlo and Edoardo pointed theirs at each of the men behind him.
"I don't give a fuck if you are a Rossi! My sister might die. And we are hearing about Rossi men causing problems everywhere else..." The man cocked his revolver, but Luca took note of the shakiness of his hand.
"If you pull that trigger, your sister will definitely die. And so will everyone else you love," Luca warned. "You call me the 'bastardo' of the Rossi family, but you know what else I am? The fucking capo (boss)."
A haunting silence ensued and all seven of them held their ground until the unnamed Marino lackey lowered his gun and the men behind him followed the move.
"This is not over... We will see what happens with my sister." He spit on the ground in the direction of Luca before turning away to walk out of the bar with the two men who came with him. Luca, Simone, Giancarlo, and Edoardo didn't lower their guns until the men were out of sight.
After they heard the sound of engines starting and cars moving away, Luca said his goodbyes to Giancarlo and Edoardo, and he and Simone left the bar. Once they got inside the car, Luca slammed his fist on the dashboard and Simone reached out to massage his shoulder.
"The Marino have been relaxed about meeting. They have not been rushing it, so I assumed there were not problems here like in the mainland."
"They haven't complained to you or anything?" Simone questioned. "Have you at least gotten any inklings of rumors that Rossi-affiliated men are causing problems here?"
"No! I don't understand what is happening or why this is happening, amore. It felt out of nowhere when zia Claudia called us with the problems in Campagna with the Montella. Emiliano told us what Teresa said about the Valentini's region, and now this with the Marino region... And Marco Marino has not told me a fucking thing!"
"It is weird that Marco hasn't said anything to you, especially since he knows you are here to meet with him. And it's supposed to finally happen in the next few days, right?"
"I'm making it happen tomorrow... We should tell Emiliano about tonight as well, just to be safe."
"Got it. I'll call him now."
+++
A/N: Thank you for reading!
I'm going to be cryptic here as not to spoil it for the people who haven't figured it out, but there are some cliches/tropes that I love and this is one of them.