If it were you, we'd never leave(written may 2013)

Marco and Anna had met on the Romagnola Riviera a few years back, when both held seasonal jobs in the restaurants in Riccione, in their final highschool year. Marco had noticed the slim, blue-eyed blonde Anna the moment he’d seen her, on one of his bartender shifts and had instantly fallen in love with her smile and overall vibe she was putting. His effect on her had taken more time to connect, as she, at first, had found him a bit too silly and immature, albeit all his persuasions, but had given in to his natural charm and robust physique. What had followed was a summer filled with passion and careless love-making as both had declared eternal love for one another. But autumn soon came and the two young lovebirds had to go back to Turin and Calabria, respectively, hence the season had ended. At first, the e-mails and sms’ exchanges were plenty, as news of Marco’s college admission made their way to Anna’s and the blonde related him about her job at her parents’ bakery. During the year after their initial meeting, the text messages grew rarer and both found less time for each other. The passion had lost its fuel. A year later, Marco travelled to the south of Italy for an assignment from college and ended up in the small town of Vibo Marina. Initially the meeting had been luke-warm at best, as both had almost forgotten each other, going ahead with their lives. But the summer they had spent on the Riviera brought up memories and it was more than enough to re-ignite the passion and get them together. Marco decided to come live in the small town, transfer his studies here and find himself a part-time job, as his life in Turin felt it lacked the excitement and liveliness his age was looking for. And soon the big question occurred. And the answer was yes. Helped by both families and close relatives, they got married having a small, intimate ceremony and left on honeymoon in Crete, Greece. Upon return, the young newlyweds looked for a house of their own, as Anna’s parents could no longer have them in their old apartment. The man’s eyes flickered upon the pc screen before returning to face and give the result to the customer in front of him. It was his fourth attempt already and each time a new document had stood way in his application for a loan. He had never liked banks, but this time it was a forced decision to ask financial help from one, there was no other way. The clerk cleared his throat and started banging his fingers on the office while fidgeting with his tie. ‘ I’m sorry, mr. Micheletto, maybe next time.’ Marco shook the banker’s hand, without saying a word and exited the establishment. He was disappointed, although he had seen it coming. He felt like he was a name on the black list, one they would never loan, for whatever obscure reasons, just a mindfuck game, so that the bank would be content it had denied happiness or its next of kin to at least one person. He took out his cell and called his wife. She should feel surprised, he thought. ‘ We didn’t get it, love.’ ‘Shit, what now?’ ‘I dunno, meet me at Giorgio’s and we’ll talk.’ ‘Where, the bar?’ ‘Yeah…’ ‘ Ok, I’ll be there in twenty.’ ‘ Love you!’ ‘Me too.’ Marco was already sipping through his second espresso as his wife joined at one of the tables overlooking the Gulf of Saint Eufemia. It was a sunny morning and the town expected a flock of tourists swarm into it, taking by assault the kitsch souvenir shops and cafés, bringing a small slice of GDP into the local budget and a lot of commotion and littering as well. Anna covered her husband’s hand with her own. Marco looked away, feeling a weight on his shoulders that had came from nowhere, he felt useless, it wasn’t supposed to be this hard, the road ahead didn’t have to crumble before him. ‘They have a problem with giving us the loan…’ ‘Yes, I know they had, but I thought that now, that my parents are credit vouching for us, we wouldn’t have to bang against the same wall.’ ‘That’s the problem, sweety. He said I have to have a steady job, thus a steady income and the co-signers…’ ‘ But I have a job, I’ve worked at my parent’s bakery for five years now. Gianluigi even comes to buy bread from the store, he sees me all the time. Why is he making this so hard?’ ‘He said we both have to have a job and then your parents as credit.’ ‘ Now he tells us that? After it took me over a month to convince my parents to co-sign?’ ‘And my five grand deposit doesn’t help with anything, either, he said.’ ‘ So what now?’ ‘I’ll just have to try my luck with other banks in Vibo Valentia and hopefully I’ll get a job too. Restaurants are starting to open up too, I’m sure someone needs a bartender for the season..’ ‘And what then, after the season? Work at the bakery is going slow, everybody’s eating supermarket bread, they won’t pay an extra euro for pane casareccio. I thought of asking my dad for a position, unfortunately don’t think he can employ any more now.ì ‘Sometimes I think your dad hates me.’ ‘Honey…’ ‘No, really, he really dislikes me, my choices I’ve done so far. I can see it in the way he speaks to me. Not your mom, she’s one of the sweetest and most humble persons I’ve ever met.’ ‘Marco, let’s not start this conversation again. My dad loves you just as much as he loves me, he’s just the typical calabrese: tough, hardworking, a man of few words. There may be a crust on top, but underneath he’s kind and loving.’ ‘Ok, if you say so..’ ‘I do say so, I know him better. Just give him time to know you and, believe me, you’ll enter what you think it is his good grace. He can be a difficult person to anyone. Just be open on your side, you’ll see.’ ‘Me, open? But I’m always trying to conversate, sweety, always trying to help around the house and be part of the family.’ ‘Marco, you don’t have a job and we’re living with my parents, of course they might be some friction between you and him, but this is not the time to talk about this.’ ‘But when is it, then? You know we’ll….’ ‘Shh! Let’s just focus on getting a loan and finding our own home. All this petty talk will be over once we settle in our own crib.’ ‘Guess, you’re right….’ Anna looked at her watch. ‘God, my break is over, gotta go! See you when I get home. Don’t look so grumpy, come and give me a kiss!’ Her kisses tasted sweet enough to take his mind off everything that was irking him. When their lips embraced, it felt like the world had shut off and they were the only ones out there, enjoying that perfect endless moment. A few months later the big news came: Anna was pregnant! It was a time of great pride and happiness for the couple, finally they were building themselves a real family. The good wishes from relatives and known-ones were received for a couple weeks, but the moment had raised the question where would the child be born? Anna’s parent’s house was already crowded as it was, hence she wasn’t an only child and her siblings still had a long way of leaving the family house themselves. There was no way they could raise their new-born on-the-spot. Marco repeatedly had asked other banks for a loan, but even now, that he had a full-time job, the answer had still been a no, for reason that his employer had already filed for bankruptcy twice, for whatever reasons, thus allowing the financial institutions to deny any economic requests from his employees. Three months into pregnancy and they had been left with only one solution, asking the Rinardi’s, the town’s wealthiest family. Anna’s parents had been adamantly against the choice but ultimately had to back out, hence there was nothing they could help with, money-wise. What they would do wasn’t very legal, but they weren’t the first ones using Rinardi’s wealth to fund any process needing capital. Domenico Rinardi, locally known as Don Gino, and his wife, Graziella, were part of one of the oldest families in town, being able to trace the lineage at least twelve generations back, when the town was called Monteleone. They owned a tuna processing plant and several casinos in Tropea, down the coast, but the real wealth came from their ties to various Ndrangheta clans, meaning they were posers for drug shipments and laundering. Graziella’s sister had married a powerful and influential Roman senator, allowing the mob family to run their under-the-table businesses out in the open, without risking having anyone nose around. The soon-to-be parents knew the risks of getting involved with them, yet they arranged a meeting. The Rinardi villa was situated 12 kilometres outside the town, nestled deep in the rolling hills, in an oasis of greenness and cypress trees. The building itself didn’t really look impressive from outside, as it resembled just another countryside hamlet, but the young couple remained in awe when they stepped foot inside. The old Don Gino greeted them, helped by a cane, and lead them through a number of rooms and spaces, specially designed and furnished to enchant and inspire ones that’d visit the house. ‘Yes, it’s all hand-made, the tapestries look like the originals in the Palace of the Doges. It cost me a fortune to finish all the adornments and frescoes, probably just as much as the originals.’ said the boss in a gravely, raspy voice. As they entered what appeared to be the office, they were introduced to another man, Nestore Luzzi, his accountant. He was tall and quite handsome, tanned artificially, yet very elegantly dressed. Only his Berluti shoes must’ve cost the same as everything in her wardrobe, Anna thought. The young couple got seated in a comfy, two seater luxury classic sofa, having Don Gino face-to face. The consigliere took a seat to the old man’s right and signaled the butlers for coffee. Even the tray and cups were of quality porcelain. For a few moments they even had thought they’d come to the right place. While he enjoyed his extremely tasty drink, Marco stared at the canvas portraits of what appeared to be Rinardi’s father and grandfather. The old man looked like a king in his regal armchair, resting his right palm on the sceptre-like cane. Luzzi gestured the couple to beging talking, as the old man would not lose any precious time for cliché ceremonies. ‘My name is Marco Micheletto and this is Anna, my wife. We’ve met three years ago….’ Rinardi waved his hand at him. ‘Stop, I only need to hear why you’ve asked to meet me, not your love story. Time is ticking and it costs money. Don’t make me stop you again.’ ‘We want a loan.’ ‘Ah, that’s more like it. Why?’ ‘Cause all the banks have denied me one.’ ‘Why’s that?’ the consigliere asked with a suave tone. ‘They think we’re not proof.’ ‘Continue…!’ threatened the old man. ‘Both me and my wife have jobs. Anna works at her father’s bakery, I’m a bartender at Vittorio Fiore’s restaurant…’ The boss turned to his accountant. ‘Isn’t he the one that went bankrupt twice and came to ask for money last year?’ Luzzi nodded. ‘Then, I’m not surprised the banks have refused you money. That restaurant will not make it to the end of this season. Not that it’s something wrong with tourism in town, but he likes dodging taxes and well, it’s the game he plays. Great for him, not really entertaining for his employees. You might just as well quit your job from tomorrow on.’ ‘What, why?’ The young man looked confused. ‘I’m doing you a favour. Come work for me at the plant, we are always looking for young hands, aren’t we, Nestore?’ The accountant agreed. ‘You’ll have everything taken care of ,Marco, pension fund, holidays, taxes, everything. What do you say? Marco looked even more puzzled than a few seconds earlier. It wasn’t the meeting he had imagined. ‘I don’t know what to say, we’re not here to….’ The old man grinned. ‘I was expecting a yes. Besides, you talk too much. Now, for the loan, how much do you need?’ The soon-to-be parents eyed each other, trying to read their thoughts and come up with the exact sum to ask. Marco cleared his throat. ‘We were thinking of 200 thousand..’ The old man sucked his teeth, turned to the fashionable accountant once again and started discussing with him in a low voice. He faced the young couple. ‘I’m afraid that won’t be possible!’ ‘One hundred and fifty would be great too. We were just thinking we’d need the extra fifty for furnishing and appliances but we can find something at a lesser cost and thus not need that much’ said Anna, thinking the meeting was over. Rinardi laughed. His consigliere took the lead. ‘No, you don’t understand. We only make loans of half a million or more. Two hundred grand is too small for us to even consider the request.’ ‘But we can’t pay that much money. It’d take us several lives to pay the whole sum’ Anna replied. The mob boss eyed them both well, his gaze falling on the blonde’s already prominent pregnant belly. ‘You don’t have to pay me back!’ The young couple stood silent. Either the old man was the kindest person they’d ever encounter and today’s meeting was turning into a miracle or he was gonna strike the grand blow on them. ‘Anna, I understand you’re pregnant..’ ‘Yes, Don Gino’ she replied in a shy voice. ‘You’re due when?’ ‘November, I’m three months into pregnancy.’ ‘I’m 63 years of age. My wife, who I’m sorry you couldn’t meet as she’s on business in Rome, is three years younger. We’ve never had kids. We’ve had our careers to think about and time slipped away around our backs and now we’re too old to procreate….I wish we could…..What I’m saying is I’m offering you the loan in exchange for your firstborn.’ The couple gasped. The old man remained still, his appearance not changing one bit. The woman stood and started walking away. ‘When you’ll agree, you’ll sign an agreement, a contract, if you will. After the child is born, we take it into custody like it’s our own and all the right of parenting got to me and my wife. You will not pay the money back and when needed, you will still visit the baby as aunt and uncle. You have a week to think it over. Nestore will reach you to settle the payment and to sign the contract, if you accept the offer.’ ‘Both me and my wife realize now that coming here was a grave mistake. I apologize for the time you’ve lost, but our answer is already no!’ Rinardi smirked. ‘Like I said, you have one week to decide. I wish you best of luck with your judgement. Bye-bye. Carlo, have our guests exit the premises and make sure they arrive safely at their destination.’ Anna was already waiting on the entrance patio for her husband, who’d barely saluted the boss, followed by staff members. As they left, the old man grinned and told his consigliere to start prepping the documents. A week had gone by and despite endless discussions and fights the young couple had decided to accept the offer and take the money. They figured the Rinardi’s wouldn’t live much longer and before their kid would grow up to call them mom and dad, maybe through a blow of fate, they’d regain their parents’ rights. Another meeting was appointed and along the accountant the boss’ wife made her appearance too. She was a real lady, dressed up in the finest fashion collection and donned so much exquisite jewelry that a bijou store would blush in comparison. When the signatures had been put on paper, the couple expected a check or at least an advance of the full sum but were met with another blow. In a very posh Milanese accent, although she was a local, the mob wife had told them that they weren’t allowed to buy the house on their own, as Finance officers would start asking questions of how had they gotten the money, without the loan taken out of the equation. Instead the sum would be handled by the Rinardi’s in a house they saw fit for the couple. Then, upon heavy words being spewed out and useless arguing, Marco and Anna finally realized they not only had sold their unborn child, but themselves as well. Seven days later, the new house was inaugurated and a banquet was held and most of the people present were the mob family’s ties and not acquaintances of the young couple. There had been made a huge mistake and though Marco and his wife tried to back out and claim their rights, Don Gino didn’t allow them to come to terms. Anna blamed Marco and vice-versa and their relationship found itself stuck in a cube of ice, drifting away further from their initial love feelings. He started spending more time at the bar, after work, just to drown all the thoughts and fears , while she closed within herself, barely speaking to anyone.The fact that the house bought for them was some twenty kilometres away from town had helped. It was a 6 bedroom, 4 bathrooms villa, on two floors, with such dependances as 3 hectares of land including olive groves, a small farm and a vineyard.Supposedly the boss had gotten the price dropped from 620 grand to 430, allowing the couple 70 thousand on their own, only and only for furnishing it, out of generosity.It was clear that the Rinardi’s had once lived in this house and now had found the right occasion to get rid of it by keeping it and make the couple owe them. It had been the boss’ plan all along. After she had heard of the deal, Graziella had been hesitant. ‘ Don’t worry, honey! Even if they decide not to give the baby up, we’ll have them bought for life. We’ll own them, their kids and their grandchildren, with no penny taken out our wallets. People tend to do stupid things when they’re desperately in need of something and I tell you, they will be stupid enough..’ the old man had said. Marco kept calm and didn’t speed up, although his wife in labor was cussing at him worse than a sailor to do otherwise. Her water had broken half hour earlier and waiting for the ambulance what had seemed like forever, Anna had screamt at her spouse to bring the car and take her ‘right now!’ at the ‘damn hospital’. The road was strangely clear and empty this Saturday afternoon, as drivers would normally use these country lanes to escape the traffic jams encountered on the highway. ‘Breathe, honey, breathe! It’s gonna be okay, we’ll get there in time..’ ‘Just drive, goddamnit, drive!! Don’t talk! Faster!!...’ ‘I can’t drive faster…’ ‘Drive fucking faster or I’ll have your baby splash on the back seats!’ yelled the blonde. Marco saw his wife scream her lungs out and hurting like hell but he was focused on bringing them safe, so that the baby’d be born in the proper conditions, despite the fact he wouldn’t be their own after tomorrow. ‘Shit!’ ‘What now? ‘There’s a train barrier ahead, I have to stop.’ ‘Don’t! Pass through, I’m fucking feeling my uterus explode, Marco, drive!!’ ‘But..’ ‘Marcooooo…..’ And just as the car’s bonnet broke the wood barricade and the front wheels had proceeded the first rails an old merch train shot forth and pushed its snout into the car, hitting with such force that the automobile ended up twenty meters into the backdrop, smashing it into smithereens, parts of metal flying off of it and its passengers reduced almost to pulp. Anna had woken up in a hospital bed with several IV’s connected to her veins. At first, she wanted to raise her head off the pillow, but couldn’t stand the weight, it felt like her body had been nailed to the mattress. Bit by bit, she started aching from every inch of her body, the pain taking over and she had a panic attack. The machine next to the bed started beeping so loud, proof her heart rate has gone berserk. When a nurse went to check up on her, she wanted to speak, but she felt her mouth was dried off every word and sound she could conceive in her mind. ‘Don’t speak, you’re very weak, you’re lucky you’re alive!’ the nurse said. Alive. She was alive! But where was Marco and most important, where was the baby? Had they already taken it to Rinardi’s mansion? Had he been injured? How much time had it gone by since the accident? What had really happened? These were questions rambling through her head, a sort of unknowns’ marathon running amok inside her brain. Later on, she was told she’d suffered numerous concussions and organ traumas and a total of five operations were needed to keep her on the beating heart path. Her baby had died right after the impact. Marco hadn’t escaped any better, only needing three surgeries, due to the fact he’d worn a seatbelt. The necessary time the doctors had given them to be able to walk without the use of canes, crutches or zimmer frames had reached its end and the couple, still limping slightly and not really out of shock were invited by the mob family for discussions. The atmosphere at the villa was tense. On one side of the chamber there was the young couple, stitched and looking like they had just come out a war and the wealthy seniors, on the other end, balancing the game with their nouveau riche mannerisms. This was yet another crossroad, there was no child to take advantage of. For some time after the incident, the boss’ wife had believed will all her self that the blonde and her husband had planned it from the very beginning, with so much precision that they’d be injured badly, but remain alive, but the baby not. Yet this raised the question why would have they gone to such extreme lengths. The dame had dismissed it all, afterwards. But what now? Another agreement had to be made, the family had to show the young couple who were the ones in charge. They couldn’t have cared less they had lost their baby in a tragic accident and that their lives and health would never be the same, it was important to benefit off of them. The child was just a trick pawn, they didn’t need it at all, they could’ve just adopted one, but the old man wanted to achieve the deal of the century: the young couple’s own lives. Don Gino had known he’d get them in his back pocket as soon as they had asked for the loan. Once the conversation started, there was no eye contact from any party. ‘You owe us a baby!’ said the old viper. ‘Owe you a baby? Since when did we become a child supermarket? We don’t owe you anything. It was our child! We should had never come here in the first place!’ scoffed Anna. ‘Ease up, pretty! You’re still one baby short. We’re happy you’re alive and all, we wish no harm to nobody, but still, the case here is something else. We agreed on having your baby, you said yes, you even signed a contract. Now, months after you should’ve given birth and no sign of a child, where does that leave us?’ ‘We’re lucky to be alive and walking and you’re more interested in a contract? What kind of heartless people are you?’ shouted Marco. ‘People you should think twice before crossing them, I’d say. Here is what we’ll do….you keep the house, but we still want another child, so, in case you weren’t having twins and one miraculously escaped, we suggest you get to work’ said the boss. ‘How? The doctor told me my uterus and ovaries have to heal first. I can’t have babies for another year!’ shouted Anna. ‘You can have your house back, we don’t need it!’ replied Marco. ‘No, no, no. This is not how it works. We don’t need your house. As you can see, we already have one and it’s quite exquisite. What are we gonna do with a house in the middle of nowhere? Thus, if it’s no baby, it’s the money. You owe us five hundred thousand!’ said the Rinardi dame. ‘What? You damn well know that’s not a sum we can afford to pay you back. We haven’t even asked for it…’ ‘Not our problem. You could sell the house….if only it was on your name. Whatever option you choose to pay us back, is of no importance to me, I only want my money. If not, I’ll come and take your parents’ house, the bakery, hell, I’ll even wait for you to have kids and snatch those too. And when you’ll be broke I’ll strip the flesh off of you and sell it in the market, just to get the rest of my dough. Understood??’ yelled the old boss. ‘You bastard!’ ‘Young lady, watch your mouth! Consider me generous for not adding any interest to the initial sum’ threatened Don Gino.’ Our consigliere will fill you in about how and when to make the monthly deposit. You may leave now.’ The angry young Anna wanted to spit in their faces but was held back by her husband, telling her they’re not worth it. The viper and the old boss stood arms crossed, watching how the young couple had given up on their lives so easily. What followed was Marco and wife left the villa Rinardi had bought for them and relocated to her parents’ old apartment till they could find a studio to rent on their own. Now, everything they were gaining went directly into the mob family’s vaults. They’d opened an account at the same bank that had denied the loan and on the day Don Gino had chosen the payment was consummated. Some time after, Anna had left her job at the bakery, due to difficulties in paying the debt, and found something with a larger revenue. Marco, cutting all social ties with the mob family, had been fired from the plant and been received back at the restaurant, which, contrary to all predicaments, had kept its business even when summer had ended. For a while, it seemed like things for the now-aging couple were going to be flow smoother, regardless of the money they owed and past problems. That until one day, the dark clouds started rolling above their fates once again. The fish market had already emptied by the time Anna purchased the last seafood ingredient for today’s lunch. She’d taken the day off and, waiting for her at home, Marco would have already been setting the table and chilling the champagne. This was their third anniversary. Not really much to celebrate, except the love that had kept them together, still, through all the strife. It was better to look ahead than just turn the head around and stare at all mishaps they had been through, they thought. She exited the market south and began trotting her pretty, slender legs on the narrow cobblestone streets of the centre. She had bought a pair of shoes and a nice, rather revealing dress, no wonder men stopped and gazed, even smiling at her more than the usual, just to disguise their drooling. Two men in their mid-thirties picked up their pace behind her. She didn’t realize it at first, she kept calmly walking, enjoying the sunny, bright day without forgetting the Rinardi affair and the loss of her child. It was something that would cloud her whole life, but she’d find the hope and strength to conquer that dark, damp and cold place in her heart. The future would not hold her hostage, she wanted to live free of all restrictions and accusations. Their apartment was a couple minutes away when she noticed the two guys pursuing her. She had only a glimpse at their faces but she decided she hadn’t seen them before. The town, being a small close-knit community where everybody said hi to each other, was far from being a major tourist attraction. These two were not tourists and they were not lost. She was being followed. Why, she thought? When she started hurrying, one of them sprinted in front of her, blocking the way in the tight alley, whilst the second stood back, making sure no one was around. Before she could react in any way, the first thug threw her to the wall, causing her to drop the grocery bags, covered her mouth and grabbed her by the wrists. The second one had already obtained a knife from his pocket and started caressing her neck and breasts with it. The hand over her mouth had been placed so tight it was leaving small bruises on the jaw, obstructing her screams. ‘You know why we’re here, don’t you?’ Her face turned red, the veins becoming more visible through her forehead, soon her makeup was smudged. ‘You have a debt with a certain someone!’ said the second assailant. ‘They say you can’t have babies anymore….’ and he slid his fingers between her legs. ‘Feels normal to me, but beware! I’ll cut you so bad down here you won’t be able to piss properly, let alone have kids. This blade cuts flesh like butter…’ ‘Pay Rinardi or we will come back to finish what we started and next time, be certain you won’t keep your clothes on’ The two thugs fled the scene quickly, leaving Anna shattered, crying on the asphalt. Upon returning home, when Marco saw her in that state and having heard what had happened he decided to pay the boss a visit. ‘I can’t take it anymore, Marco! Please do something!’ she had said through sobs. It had to end, once and for all. No more threats, no more blackmail, no more debt. Their lives would have to go on, without having to fear that someone could pluck out a gun and shoot them in a driving scooter or having the bakery destroyed or the rest of the family destroyed. It had to end. Marco kissed his wife and comforted her for a while, got a knife from the kitchen, hid it under his jacket and went out. The next day, after 8 hours of gruesome torture, beaten to a pulp, with his left eye torn out of the socket and his upper lip cut, Marco was writing the last letter to his love. ‘Don’t make it too syrupy’ Don Gino had said, holding a handkerchief to his neck, where Marco had struck him, before being rushed by the boss’ commando. ‘She has to believe it, not have it for dessert.’ Marco’s trembling hands could barely move. ‘’Dear Anna, I’m sorry if I’ve been a bad husband. Actually there are no if’s, I have been one. I’ve let you down, I’ve put your life in danger, I’ve killed our baby with my recklessness. That’s something I’ll never forgive myself with. Cause I’m a coward, just like now. I’m a coward cause I’m leaving you. You’ll be better off without me, I’ve only caused you trouble ever since you’ve married me. I’m doing the right thing now. Rinardi will leave you and your family alone from now on. Please forget me, I’m sorry. With much love and affection, your husband, Marco.’’ ‘Done?’ asked the consigliere. The beaten man had to concentrate his energy to nod. Three of the old man’s henchmen stood behind him, while the boss himself eyed him with disgust. ‘I’ve never liked you Northerners. Always coming here in the south with some sort of superiority, thinking you know us just cause we speak the same language. Now you know, you don’t! Any last words?’ Marco tried to lift his head. To what use, his vision with his intact eye was blurry? ‘If it were you, we’d never leave….’ He said mumbling the words, gasping for air. Not really the answer the boss would’ve wanted, but then again, he had a man on the verge of dying before him, he couldn’t had expected any more. Gesturing to one of his men, a gun was pulled out. ‘Luca, terminate him. Giacomo, harvest the organs and send them to Firenze, then dispose of the body. Nestore, call me a doctor, I have to have this cut checked.’ The loud shot was heard through the meadow, the blood staining the ground. Anna hadn’t slept in three days. She’d kept herself awake looking at the watch, looking at the window, tucking her man’s pillow to her chest. When the letter came, after she read it, her heart stopped. She couldn’t breathe, she collapsed to the floor, beating her head on the tiles. It was the worst piece of news she could imagine. That day, she didn’t even eat, didn’t talk, just stood lifeless on her bed, crying her eyes out, not allowing anyone to speak to her. Her life had ultimately been torn to shreds and thrown to the sharks. After midnight, dressed in her nightgown and shoeless, she took the keys of the apartment and went outside. She knew she would never come back. She hadn’t even said goodbye. THE END.