As we return to the house, I consider what I’m supposed to do all day while he’s in school. Normally, I would plan for some after-school activities, but his schedule is already so packed he’ll scarcely have time for dinner, let alone anything else. It bothers me, and I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep my mouth shut, but I decide I should observe him for a week or so before I make any snap judgments. Perhaps he really does enjoy all these activities.
Manuel drops me off at the house, and I opt to spend the morning sitting down by the water, memorizing the landscape. I wonder about the boat docked inside the boathouse. I’ve never driven a boat, but surely, it can’t be too difficult to figure out, right? I decide it’s something I should research, just in case I need a quick escape, but I’m not certain I should be doing that even on my own phone. Perhaps tomorrow, I can spend some time at the library and use one of their computers.
The time passes slowly, and I find myself wondering what Nino is doing in school. If he likes his teachers. What his favorite subjects are. These are all things I want to ask. I also find myself wondering about Alessio. Why is he so cold? Why is he so oblivious to the needs of a child? There are so many lingering questions about him, and deep down, I know I don’t need the answers to them to successfully do what I came here to do. I would be lying to myself if I said there wasn’t a part of me that was curious though.
Stuffing those ideas down and locking them away, I decide to eat some lunch. When I walk into the house, I’m hoping to avoid Angelina, but I’m not so lucky this time. As soon as I enter the kitchen and open the fridge, I hear the telltale clip of her heels on the floor. It’s too late to sneak away, so I reach for a salad and shut the door to find her staring at me, arms crossed, eyes narrowed.
“What you did this morning isn’t going to fly,” she snaps.
Calmly, I set the salad aside and retrieve my phone from my pocket.
If you have an issue, perhaps you should take it up with Alessio. He’s the one who hired me to work with Nino, and he’s the one I answer to.
Her eyes are practically spitting flames as she takes a step closer, trying to intimidate me. “You think I don’t know what you’re doing, but I do. I can see it clearly, and I can tell you right now, you won’t last a month here.”
I refuse to acknowledge her with any outward emotion, but inside I’m shaking. I want to tell her I don’t care because I have no intentions of staying that long. Instead, I play dumb, even though I’m well aware of her issue with me. She’s threatened because she wants Alessio for herself. That was evident the moment I walked in the door.
What I’m doing is providing a service. Performing my job duties. Same as you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to eat my lunch.
Her gaze follows me, and I can sense she’s not done. I’m right.
“I’m watching you,” she calls after me. “One mistake and you’re gone.”
I roll my eyes and keep moving, climbing the stairs and opting for the privacy of my bedroom. Eating my salad alone by the window, I contemplate my plans, and doubt starts to creep in. What if Angelina does get me fired? I don’t know how much power she holds with Alessio, but she’s been in his employment longer, so reason dictates that it’s more than I have, but he doesn’t acknowledge her. I’ve seen it myself. From what I can tell, he seems to be aware of her, but they aren't close. At least, not that I can see. It could just be a farce. For all I know, she makes personal visits to the third level. The thought of it makes me irrationally annoyed, and I’m not sure why.
The one thing I do know is that Alessio seems to value his privacy. He hired me to do a job, and I had no intentions of getting to know him on a deeper level. But if I’m going to maintain my position here for the time being, perhaps I need to. Perhaps I need to form an alliance with him, and I can only hope that bringing my concerns about Nino to him will be the way. Though, it could also blow up in my face. He obviously thinks everything is fine the way it is. Maybe he was raised in a similarly sterile environment, and his mindset is that he survived, so Nino will too. There’s only one way to find out, so I decide to test the waters.