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Vari’s business behind the scenes is equally as successful as the things I’m doing in front of the public eye. Hisborgata’s designer drug business has grown and is thriving like never before. The theatre has provided the perfect covert headquarters for expanding his more illicit business dealings, and everything is kept under much tighter control than before. The designer drugs are especially appealing to some of the big names that the theatre has been bringing in, and the symbiotic relationship between the two is working to benefit everyone.
There was, of course, a small period of “growing pains.” The other mafia crime families weren’t at first very happy to hear I was the new director at the theatre. And there were a few performances in which Brutus and his crew, and even a few of the remaining Irish Mob members, came to sit in the audience and watch some of the shows. But after a while, when they saw there was nothing here that threatened them or their businesses, they came around to the idea of letting go of the grudge that they still carried against me for my past performance inBlood Rose. Over time, and much faster than I expected, all the bloodshed and chaos that occurred under Hector’s leadership here was forgotten about and replaced with rave reviews of the new theatre Vari and I have created.
When Vari and I got married, I was already starting to show, but I had my heart absolutely set on wearing the gown from my Eve performance to the wedding. Not only was it the most magnificent gown I’d ever seen, it was also a reminder to me of all Vari had done to make my dreams come true. So, thanks to our brilliant costumer and seamstress, the dress was let out a little around the belly and I was able to wear it during the most gorgeous fairytale wedding ceremony ever.
After that, I was brought totally and officially into the fold of the Robertoborgataand earned the respect not only of the theatre community due to all of my directorial successes, but also of the mafia world. That was something that I had never expected in a million years.
Word soon got around that I was a pretty fearlesscapo’s wife, who not only helped to expand Vari’s drug business, but didn’t back down from threats inside my own theatre. Thankfully, there were no other threats after the last one. Vari and his brothers made sure the security around me and our children is fortified enough to be stronger than Fort Knox.
After years of being fearful of the mafia, I now find myself embracing a little of my mother’s secret life and enjoying my life inside the mafia as part of the Robertoborgata. There’s just enough thrill to it without the constant threat of danger to keep me feeling as if my life is exciting but not too dangerous. And there’s one other thing that also makes me think of my mom frequently, and the relationship that I have with her—my beautiful baby daughter.
“Aw, you’re the very best big brother in the whole world,” I tell Lucas as he picks up the stuffed owl his little sister Marietta dropped on the floor.
“That’s because she’s so important to me.” Lucas smiles proudly as he hands Marietta the doll and then tickles her cheek to make her smile and giggle. “I’m going to always protect her because that will be my job to do.”
I smile at him and give him a kiss on the top of his head. “Yes, it will,” I nod.
My heart is full of love for our little family, and I’m grateful I’ve been able to fill the space in Lucas’ heart that he needed a mother to step into. We all now form the perfect, albeit still dangerously criminal, little family. My mother also loves her role of grandma and comes over almost every day to play with Lucas and hold Marietta.
“Are you ready to go?” Vari asks as he walks into the room. He hands me my coat and I trade him to hold our baby girl so I can put it on.
“Yes, I’m ready,” I say.
“Me too!” Lucas exclaims as he practically jumps up and down. “Can we sit in the front row again?”
“Of course,” Vari laughs. “I own the theatre, remember?”
Lucas shakes his head at himself for being silly, and then assumes his duty of guarding to make sure Marietta doesn’t drop her stuffed octopus on the way to the show. It’s somehow become her favorite toy and she wouldn’t be able to sleep without it. Therefore, Lucas has made it his utmost job to ensure that it never gets lost or left behind.
When we get to the theatre, Vari walks me backstage with the children. Several of the actors and castoohandahhabout how cute Lucas is and how sweet the baby looks with her little fancy dress on to attend the show. She’ll probably be asleep within the first five minutes, but at least she gets to be here with us too.
“What’s this one about, Dad?” Lucas asks as I give a few final directions to the cast and crew before getting ready to go and change for the performance myself. “Are there bad guys and good guys in it?”
“Yes,” Vari answers much to Lucas’ delight. “And even a fair maiden to save and a dragon to fight!”
“Really? Cool!” It isn’t often that Broadway plays are such fantasies, but since this is our theatre we get to pick. And I picked this one especially for Lucas.
“Alright,” Vari says as he reaches out to take Marietta from my arms. “Time for us to go and take our seats.”
He gives me a kiss for luck and Lucas tells me to “break a leg,” a phrase he heard one of the other actors say a while back and hasn’t been able to drop since. Then I go and get ready. Since I still love to act, I sometimes take on a role in one of the plays to perform myself. It feels good to be on stage and also behind it in both roles. But when I get to act, I feel most free and most like myself. Especially on nights like tonight when I get to sing.
From the stage, as my voice echoes through the performance hall, I look out into the dark to see my little precious family sitting in the front row. Lucas, as always, is on the edge of his seat, and Marietta is surprisingly still awake and looking at me with big, curious eyes. Vari stares back at me too, with a smile that fills my heart.
Beside him, Petre and Alessio are also sitting there, as they frequently accompany Vari whenever he has the children with him, to act as extra protection. They’re wonderful uncles, and I’m fairly convinced Marietta has Petre wrapped around her chubby little pinky finger, even though he’ll never admit to it.
After yet another highly successful opening night, I stand backstage offering well-deserved congratulations to the entire cast and crew, most of whom have stayed with us since the start of reopening this theatre. Then, Vari and the children come backstage, and he hands me a lovely bouquet of roses that smell divine. “Stunning performance,” he says as he kisses me softly on the cheek. “As always.”
He hands Marietta to me, who’s instantly entranced by my sparkling costume. She reaches out to grab the fabric with her tiny hands while Lucas picks up a prop sword and starts to swing it around. “I might want to be an actor someday,” he says. “That way I can have a theatre just like you do, Dad.”
I try to stifle a small laugh because little does the boy know this is also an entire illegal drug operation that one day he’ll likely inherit. “That’s a great thing to be,” I say, encouraging his enthusiasm. “You can be whatever you want to when you grow up.”
Lucas swings the sword around until he sees Marietta drop her octopus again. He stops playing and rushes over to pick it up and hand it to her.
“Here you go, fair maiden,” Lucas says with a deep bow as Marietta reaches her little hand down to grab one of the stuffed tentacles and take it from her big brother. She coos and giggles and then Vari and I both burst into laughter at how cute they both are.
“I never thought I’d say it,” Vari whispers as he leans over close to my cheek and gives me a kiss. “But I think that perhaps happy endings happen in real life too. Even if there is still a bit of dirty work going on under the surface.”
I look down at Lucas who’s gone back to playing, and Marietta who I’m holding between us as she snuggles her face against her stuffed octopus, and smile. “They definitely do,” I say with a smile. “We’re proof of it.”
