Chapter 1 Debt To The Mob

• Illinois, Chicago
• Debt to the Mob
• Narrated by Mitchell
• The door to my house is opened with a bang and brutality.
• I cringe, seeing the number of men who enter my house armed and without asking permission.
• - Well, well, well, if it isn't Mitchel's rat that is here, in the quiet of his home, as if nothing is going on outside. - Mark says, opening his arms theatrically as soon as he enters last.
• - Mark, how nice to see you. - I speak trying to be nice, but I know perfectly well what's coming.
• He lights a cigarette and looks at me through the smoke that puffs from his mouth.
• - Mitchell, I didn't come here to chat as if we were old friends. - he says cuttingly - You have the money for your debt, or you don't!
• - Yeah, you know Mark, things are so difficult. - I try to apologize.
• - Um, so you don't. You don't have any fucking money, is that it?
• - I haven't got it yet, but I'll get it, I swear Mark, I just ask for a little more time, not much.
• He raises one of his eyebrows visibly disbelieving my words.
• - But do you think we do charity? You must, if you don't pay, things get complicated, - he pauses - for you, of course.
• He signals to his men, who start beating me mercilessly.
• In the end, I am stretched out on the floor, pouring blood from my mouth and head.
• Mark crouches down to give me the message.
• - You have until the end of next week to pay what you owe the Mafia. We won't warn you again, next death will come to visit you Mitchell and believe me, it won't be as nice as I am.
• He signals his men to leave again, but first he takes a small frame with him, where I, my dead wife and our daughter Flora are.
• They leave my house, without even bothering to close the door, which is left wide open like this.
• I sigh and try to get up slowly.
• I don't know what else to do, the debt is too big, I knew that the moment I borrowed money from the Mafia, they would never let me go.
• You don't mess around with the Mafia, much less the Chicago Mafia. Either I pay or I die. There is no middle ground and I know it.
• But at the time I didn't even think about it, I always thought I would win in that damn casino, but I didn't, I lost everything, everything I had and what I didn't have.
• I ended up making my situation worse, which was already bad in itself.
• And now what? What am I going to do?
• I feel my daughter's hurried steps entering the house and I already know that she is coming to bother me.
• - Dad! - she runs to me worried - What happened? Who hurt you?
• - Nobody, it was just a mix-up, but it's over now. - I speak as I stand up irritated.
• I go straight to the bathroom.
• Sitting on the rim of the tub, I think and think, and I think I already know what the solution to my huge problem is.
• In fact, it really can only be this one.
• I leave the bathroom, determined to put this plan of mine into action immediately.
• I can't waste any time.
• - Flora, I need you to come with me. - I speak to her, as I head for the door to the street.
• She turns her face to me in surprise.
• - Come where? - she asks suspiciously.
• - Come on, let's go to a little bar over there.
• - A pub? What are you thinking, Dad! I'm a bar woman! - she says, all flustered.
• - Come on, it's quiet. Besides, I need you to come. Come on, I don't have all the time in the world.
• Flora finally grabs her purse, but I can see how suspicious she is about this sudden departure.
• We then arrive at the place.
• Flora stops at the door and grimaces as she says.
• - Dad, this isn't a bar, it's a brothel.
• - Oh Flora, stop grimacing, you're not a child anymore, you're a grown woman of 28 years old. - I speak annoyed.
• - But I don't like to go to these kinds of places. For God's sake father, what do you come here to do that is so important that I have to come with you?
• - Come and see. - I just say.
• What a pain in the ass, she looks like an old lady.
• So we go inside and I go to talk to the owner of the brothel while Flora stays near the bar in a corner.
• Fortunately, the brothel owner is an old acquaintance of mine and we do business right away.
• We shake hands to seal the deal and I leave without Flora seeing and then leave her there, and I bring almost all the money of the debt, a part is missing that I will come back for tomorrow.
• When I get home I have Flora's grandmother at the door, the lady my mother, who loves her granddaughter more than her own son, who is me.
• - I thought I'd have to sleep here waiting. - she speaks arrogantly.
• My mother always seems to be angry, but only with me. Holy patience for her.
• - Where is Flora? - she asks.
• - Flora doesn't come home anymore. - I just speak, opening the door.
• I'm not in the patience to be explaining everything.
• I see her startled.
• - How come she doesn't come anymore? But you are crazy! What have you done to my little girl? - she asks a little hysterical.
• I turn to her.
• - Look mom, you know that I owe a lot of money to the Mafia -All'interno della famiglia-, to Don Brian...
• - And why do you owe? - she interrupts me - Because you're worthless and you spend it all on gambling crap. But what does that have to do with Flora? Don't get my granddaughter into your complications, you hear? - she points her finger at my nose.
• I back away from her, that close still gives me a thrashing.
• - Ah mom, I had to. - I speak nonchalantly and not feeling guilty at all for doing so.
• She narrows her gaze at me.
• - What have you done Mitchell? What have you done to your daughter? To my sweet little granddaughter?
• - I had to sell Flora to a brothel, to pay off my debt to Don Brian.
• My mother opens her mouth several times and closes it again without making a sound and suddenly she looks like a rainbow, turning all colors and finally she puts one of her hands on her chest, gives a shrill scream and falls hard to the floor.
• I roll my eyes not wanting to believe this.
• That's all I need.
• Despair
• Narrated by Flora
• As I'm leaning here near the bar, I look around and the nearly naked women in here are making me quite uncomfortable.
• I don't blame them for being here, each one knows her own and it's her body, but I still feel uncomfortable.
• I stopped seeing my father some time ago.
• But where did that crazy man go?
• My father only gets into trouble, he seems to have a magnet that attracts trouble.
• And it's gotten a lot worse since my mom passed away.
• My mother passed away suddenly, without anyone expecting it, it was a huge shock for everyone.
• The man who was just talking to my father comes up to me.
• - Hello beauty. - he says as he approaches me.
• - Where is my father? - I ask suspiciously.
• - Well, your father left but he left you here with me.
• I narrow my gaze at the man and feel a tightness in my chest.
• - What do you mean? He left me here with you? What does that mean exactly?
• - I don't know if you know, but your father has a huge debt to the Mafia - All'interno della famiglia - and the only solution is to sell you, to have the money to pay them back so they don't kill him. - he speaks nonchalantly.
• I am perplexed.
• Of all the things my father has ever done, this is by far the worst.
• Sell me? As if I were a mere object?
• What kind of madness is this?
• - Sell me? But what do my father and you think? I am a woman, a person, I can't be sold like this. But are you crazy?
• - You can and apparently you will. - he speaks as calmly as possible.
• Apparently this man is more than used to this kind of business.
• But what kind of crazy world do we live in?
• -So what now? What can I do? I can't be sold.
• My desperation is evident and shrill.
• - That's right girl, that's life and you can't do anything to change it. Your auction will be tomorrow night. Meanwhile," calls a very beautiful dark-skinned woman who is practically naked, "take the girl to one of the rooms, it's for tomorrow's auction. Feed her and treat her well.
• After giving the order he turns back to me.
• - Don't leave the room, so the customers who are coming won't see you.
• And he walks away, leaving me there with the beautiful woman, who quickly takes me to that room.
• I enter the large room and the woman closes the door and leaves without saying a word.
• I feel abandoned and upset, I am completely distraught at what my father had the courage to do to me.
• Selling his own daughter to a brothel and on top of that I will have to be auctioned off.
• Sitting on the edge of the bed I think about how my father has lost any and all sense.
• - He can only be so crazy from that bird head. - I say to myself.