9. IS HE SAFE?

|Irena|

He retracted from the door and marched over to my side once more. The discomfort on his secretary’s face was so obvious, but I couldn’t care less. I just avoided her gaze and bent down to pick up the remnants of my bike.

“You, what are you?” I heard him question at my back, but I didn’t flinch.

I comfortably packed my bike and stood up to face him. “It’s not what; it is who. How can one be so full of himself?”

His statement got me hissing as I turned to go on my way. I could feel his eyes on my entire body, but I struggled to get out of there as soon as possible without tripping. The fear of his presence had gripped me too much.

I could hear the car’s ignition after some minutes, but I never dared to look back and just continued on my way before it zoomed past me.

“I hope I am not in trouble; I just can’t control this mouth!” I mumbled to myself and sought cover before my heart almost dropped.

“Oh my!” The pajama man had jumped out of nowhere once again, demanding his money, of course.

In anger, I threw three hundred-dollar bills at his feet and yelled angrily, “That is enough to cover your f*e and the emotional stress. Just don’t come to me if what I told you happens in the future.”

I was tired of his childish tantrum. At that point, I didn’t know if I should be happy with the money or expect something else to come out of it. Considering who Rocco Lorenzo was, he was too calm with all the tricks I played back there.

I sighed tiredly. “I hope it doesn’t backfire,” and went on my way.

*****

It felt so refreshing to get the crazy leech off my back, and I couldn’t be happier. Throughout the night, I kept waking up in excitement because of the money I received from Rocco, even though a side of me was scared that something might come up due to the way I attacked and confronted him.

“Mafias don’t forget things. I hope I am safe.”

I found myself whispering as I tossed from one side of the bed to the other. I didn’t even know what came over me and made me behave that way. I was usually a reserved type. Well, except when I had to make money. When it comes to making money, to hell with being reserved because I go all out to rake in every single penny.

“I mean, who doesn’t need money? We all do. I was just trying to survive,” I blurted out.

I had to comfort myself so I would feel at ease and have some decent sleep since the next day was a busy one for me. I kept sorting my thoughts one after the other to keep my jumbled-up head silent and finally got to the point where I told him not to attend the meeting because he would die.

“I wonder if he’s safe, though. What I saw was bloody.”

Just like that, I got enveloped in another world of worry and wondered what the end result of the meeting he went for was.

“Did he not go?” I questioned myself but shook my head as soon as I said that.

He would probably be crazy to just listen to someone like me just because I said something like that. Mafias live each day with their lives on the line, so such a thing as death wouldn’t have moved him.

After pondering for over two hours, I finally drifted off to sleep, only to be jolted awake by a loud bang of a spoon against a pot. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest as I groggily sat up.

“Gosh! I slept in again.”

A loud growl escaped my throat as I rolled to my side, but I wasn’t careful enough. My left elbow kissed the floor before I could realize it, and the pain made me squirm hard.

“What a wonderful way to start the morning,” I groaned as I rubbed it endlessly and struggled to my feet.

In less than twenty minutes, I was out of the room, completely dressed in a powder blue striped shirt and my baggy jeans. I never liked the idea of dressing femme fatale. It was too much stress for me when I could just throw on something big and free. I also looked so good in them, by the way.

I walked into the mini restaurant with a yawn and a slight sneer. “What a weird way of being a human alarm. Were you trying to bring the entire building down?”

Auntie was busy sorting out the brunch menu and was almost done by the time I came out. I didn’t waste any time before I joined her.

“I told you to always sleep early! Why would a young woman wake up by this time?” she yelled, and I nodded.

It was expected! Auntie would never talk about my late sleep without yelling.

“Well, the young woman had nothing to do, so is it a crime for her to sleep?” I responded, and that only earned me a spoon chase.

Auntie was old but agile, way more agile than me. I don’t know where her strength comes from, but I only escaped her hot chase by luck. She was ready to bang the spoon on my skull for being a spoiled brat.

“Get the apron! People will start trooping in any moment from now,” she yelled again, and a sigh flew out of my throat.

I trudged to the back, pulled out my apron, and tied it lazily around my waist. The restaurant was small, but it had its regulars. I had grown used to them over the years, from the nosy old men who talked about politics to the college students who ate and barely tipped.

Just as Auntie predicted, the first customer strolled in and it was a familiar face. Mr. Lopez, a retired teacher who never missed his morning coffee.

“Morning, Mr. Lopez.” I greeted, forcing a small smile as I poured his usual.

He peered at me over his glasses. “Slept in again, didn’t you, Irena?”

I rolled my eyes. “And what if I did?”

“Lazy youth. You all want to sleep these days” He grumbled but took his coffee anyway.

As I moved behind the counter, flipping through the order sheets, my mind drifted back to Rocco. Something about him still unsettled me. The way he looked at me, the way he hadn’t reacted the way I thought he would.

What if he did listen to me?

I shook my head, pushing the thought away. It was ridiculous to think a man like him would take my words seriously.

But then again, I couldn’t shake the unease bubbling in my stomach.