Page 15 of Waiting Game

“I didn’t think you’d come,” she smiled.

I shrugged, looking around.

“Mum’s over there, nagging at Rome,” Zarina pointed to a darker corner of the club.

I looked in their direction, and Rome had an expression on her face as if she were about to tell my mother exactly where to go.

“We should go save her,” Zarina said, dragging me in the direction of them both.

“Zar, no-” I tried to say, but it was too late.

She had noticed me.

“Well,” Vera turned, crossing her arms and looking me up and down, “you could have at least dressed up.”

“Hi, Mum. Nice to see you too,” I rolled my eyes.

“At least you came,” she said simply, “even if I think a bachelorette party at a strip club is ludicrous,” she turned her attention back to Rome.

“How am I going to explain it to the other wives? They’re much more traditional than myself. It’s just going to give them more to gossip about, you know.”

“I don’t think Rome should worry herself too much with the gossip of the women who will soon be under her. That is, if we’re still caring about theludicrousranking system in this family.”

Mum’s lips pressed into a tight line, and the expression brought back many memories. She stormed off in a huff, to join the other older women who had no business in being here. I was sure that most of these guests had invited themselves.

I checked my phone for the time.

Three minutes.

It had taken three minutes before I pissed her off.

It was still not even close to my record.

“Your mum still doesn’t like me,” Rome laughed, pulling me in for an awkward hug. Antoni had always been the hugger in the family, I was not so much.

“Join the club,” I smiled.

We sat around awkwardly in three separate groups.

Mum and her friends, the older wives of the family who should not have bothered coming.

Rome with her friends, plus Zarina who had attached herself to Rome’s side.

And then me.

I sat with my drink, smiling politely and nodding along whenever one of Rome’s friends were kind enough to try and include me in the conversation.

Hours passed of polite yet tense mingling between the two different worlds.

I could see the way that Mum looked Rome up and down, and it was obvious that she was still not happy about her golden boy marrying an outsider. Up until now, her whole life was consumed with finding Antoni the perfect wife.

A girl from a prestigious family who was already with the mob, preferably Italian, and most importantly - quiet and obedient. A submissive little house wife that every mafia Don should want. To wait on him hand and foot, and serve The Family as she did.

The women in our family existed for one reason - to make the men’s life easier.

To cook them food, to scrub the blood stains from their clothes, to raise the next heirs to the throne.

Rome was not that, and the displeasure was clear on my mum’s face.

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