Indebted to the Mafia King

*Heidi*

Despite my hopes that I would drop into a deep slumber and not wake at all during the night, my dreams were haunted by faceless men following Cal and I around town. Inevitably, one or the both of us got shot in each of my nightmares. In one of those dreams, these men get to my grandparents. That's when I wake up sweating and unable to fall asleep again.

I get up from bed and make some coffee before the sun is even up. After that, I grab my laptop and start searching for shops to buy again since my meeting with the owner of the Greenwich Village store yesterday wasn't successful. The guy wasn't willing to budge on lowering the price, and since I don't even have the insurance money yet, I couldn't commit to something I couldn't afford.

I spend the entire morning on real estate websites. However, none of them really stick out to me. I don't particularly love anything I see, and by the time the clock strikes eleven in the morning, I'm tired of looking at the computer screen, my eyes stinging from the effort. I get up from my couch, heading for the kitchen to pour myself another cup of coffee. I check my phone a couple of times, secretly hoping to see a text from Cal. But that doesn't happen.

Bored and suffocated inside my apartment, I decide to head out and grab something for lunch. Maybe afterward, I can pay my grandparents a visit again. They will probably be confused as to why I'm visiting them so frequnetly, but I can't stay in this

apartment by myself anymore.

As soon as I step outside the apartment, anxiety courses through my veins, but I force it away. I can't allow myself to be scared. I need to live my life. I can't stay at home, afraid that someone will be following me around town every time I step out of my building. Cal took the guy who was watching me yesterday, so I can only hope no one was sent to take his place overnight.

When I reach the sidewalk, I notice that the black SUV is not there anymore. Someone might have come to remove it, or maybe it was towed. I don't know. And I don't want to overthink this.

I signal for a cab and tell the driver the address to a restaurant near the retirement home. This way, after I eat, I can walk to meet my grandparents.

Needless to say, Grandma is surprised when she sees me. She's alone, reading a book in her armchair by the window, the sunlight creeping through the glass and illuminating her face and her white hair. "What are you doing here again so soon, dear?" she asks in a cheerful voice. She moves to stand up but I raise my hand in the air to prevent her from doing so. Then I walk over and place a kiss on her forehead. "Hi, Granny. I was just in the neighborhood and decided to pay you a visit again," I lie. She narrows her eyes at me, clearly not buying what I said. "You know I love you, sweetie, but you've always been a terrible liar. Plus, you look exhausted. Did something happen?" she carefully pries.

I swallow hard, feeling the urge to cry all of a sudden. I look around to prevent her from seeing the tears swelling in my eyes and pretend to be searching for something. Which in a way, I am.

"Where's Grandpa?" I ask, ignoring her previous question.

"He went to play pickleball. It's his thing lately," she answers, putting her book aside. "He should be back in a few minutes, though."

I make myself comfortable, sitting in the chair opposite from her. "So, what you've been up to?" I try making small talk.

"You were just here, honey. Not much has happened since then," Grandma replies in a teasing tone. "You should be the one with news, don't you think?"

I shrug. "Not really. Your life has always been busier than mine." I offer her a smile. If only she knew how excited my life has become in a matter of days, she'd be shocked. And not in a good way

The doorknob clicks, and Grandpa walks inside wearing a polo shirt and shorts. "Oh, Heidi, dear. I didn't know you'd be here today," he says, a huge smile spreading across his face.

I get to my feet, widening my arms and welcoming him in a hug. "It was a last minute decision. I hope that's okay."

"Of course that's okay. More than okay actually. You're welcome to come whenever you want,” he tells me, placing a kiss on my Grandma's cheek. "Is everything all right?" he adds, turning to look at me again.

"That's what I've been trying to discover. She looks so tired, doesn't she?" my grandmother asks him, her eyes still on me.

"Well, thanks, Granny," I grumble.

"Your grandmother is right. Is this about the bookstore?" Grandpa pries, studying me while pulling another chair over to sit close to us.

Now I have both my grandparents staring at me as if I'm in an interrogation room. What did I get myself into?

"Partially, yes. I need to figure out what to do, but I can't find a nice place to buy or rent. Everything is so expensive in New York," I explain with a huff. "I loved this one place in Greenwich Village, but the guy doesn't want to lower his price. We can't afford that."

"I'm sure we can figure it out somehow. In fact, I was about to call you later. I just received a call from the insurance company, and the money was transferred to my account this morning," Grandpa starts, surprising both me and my grandmother. "And it's all yours."

"Oh, thank God," Granny muses.

"Grandpa, that's great! But I can't accept all the money you guys received. I will accept some help since I promised you I would, but you both worked so hard for your entire lives," I protest kindly. "I won't be comfortable if you give me all of it."

"Sweetie, you're already living in this new apartment God knows how. It's okay to accept help. Also, it would give us some peace of mind to know you're taken care of. We only have you, and we don't need this money. I still have some saved for this." He waves a hand around their tidy apartment.

My grandfather's words leave me even more unsure of what to do. I feel bad for accepting their money, but I also understand where they are coming from. If the situation was the other way around, I'd have done the same for them. I can't blame them for wanting to take care of me.

"Fine," I finally concede, receiving a smile back from both of them.

"As for the shop at Greenwich Village, see if you can make a better offer. Maybe they just want to see you fight for it a bit," Grandma chimes in. "Real estate brokers can be

a tough nut to crack, but they are not that unbending if they need money."

"Okay, I will think of what I can do," I promise them.

Cal's offer rings in my ear. He had offered to buy the place for me before. I'm glad I didn't accept it. I would be regretting it so hard right now if I had.

"Now, will you tell me who made you cry?" my grandmother's gaze hardens.

I almost choke on my saliva. "Who said I was crying?" I retort, clearing my throat.

They both chuckle at the same time.

"As if I wasn't the one who raised you," she replies, a little offended. "I know you better than you know yourself."

I roll my eyes, knowing there is no way out of this conversation. I consider what to tell

them, what to share about what happened with Cal.

"I was seeing this guy, but it's over now," I say, not bothering to give too much information.

"Why?" Grandpa is the one who addresses me this time.

"He wasn't who I thought he was. He kept things from me. I know it was for my protection, but still, I..." I trail off, knowing I can't go into details with them. The less they know about this, the better.

"Do you love him?" he asks, surprising me.

I was not expecting this question. The mere mention of it is enough to make all the tears I've been keeping inside since last night, when I promised myself I wouldn't cry anymore, to bubble to the surface.

Grandma immediately stands and comes to me, patting me gently on the back. "Oh, honey. Don't be like that," she comforts me. "Love is hard, but I'm sure you will figure this out."

"I-I can't, it's...over," I stammer between sobs.noveldrama

"If this is real love," Grandpa adds, "you will work it out eventually."

I sniff, looking up at him.

"You know,” he continues. "If life has taught me anything, it's that things hardly happen according to plan. It might not be how you imagined it would be, but there's always a way go get around anything-except for death and taxes."

"Your grandfather is right," my grandmother says, still holding me close to her. "You need to follow your heart. Now, I don't know what happened, but if you love him, and he loves you, too, which I'm assuming he does, there's probably a good reason for him

to have kept things from you. Am I right?"

I nod. I hate that Cal had to lie to me about all of this, but thinking clearly, I can understand why he did it. I believed him when he said he did it to protect me, even if I hate to admit it.

"Communication is essential in any relationship. I'm sure if you guys talk, you can make it work," my grandfather encourages. "And if not, well, as much as it hurts, no

י

one ever died from a broken heart before. You'll get over it one day. And we'll be here

to help you."

"Thank you." I wipe my nose with the back of my hand and chuckle. "I really love you guys. And I miss having you in my life everyday."

"I know," Grandma agrees. "We miss you, too. But we're here. We always will be, no matter how far away we are."

With just that sentence, everything instantly feels better. Maybe that was all I needed

to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I might be lonely, but I'm not alone.

I still have my family with me. And even though I can't see them everyday, I know they will always be there for me, no matter what.

That's all I need to know to carry on.