Family: Out of Business

Scared

Claire's pov

I gulped when my new uncle looked in my direction. He's really scary looking when he's not smiling and right now he is not happy. His demeanor changed immediately upon seeing my aunt enter the room shortly behind me, though.

"Ah, le mie due adorabili ragazze (Ah, my two lovely girls). Siamo pronti per mangiare (Are we ready to eat)?"

"I know I am," I said, rubbing my stomach. "All that sleeping sure made me super hungry," I laughed.

My aunt chuckled as she took her seat next to her husband.

"You know we're always up for a bite," she said, patting her baby bump.

"I do, Babe," Luciano replied, leaning over to kiss my aunt on the cheek. Gently placing his hand atop hers, he smiled at her lovingly. "You do have precious cargo in there, afterall."

For some reason, bearing witness to his romantic gesture made me feel really awkward, like I'm not only intruding on a private moment, but I'm also terribly out of place. Thankfully, one of the servants came in to take our breakfast orders, in turn cutting through the uncomfortable atmosphere.

"I'll have a cappuccino, four slices of salami and two pieces of bread lightly toasted with jam," Luciano ordered, in a no-nonsense tone. It looked like my aunt was about to say something but her husband spoke for her instead. "She'll have an omelet with spinach and cheese and a cup of yoghurt."

"Oh, and a chocolate filled croissant please with a small glass of orange juice," my aunt added quietly, failing to notice the frown on her spouse's face. "What would you like for breakfast?" my aunt asked, turning towards me as the servant stood patiently by.

"Um, I don't know," I said more to myself than anyone, as I pondered my choices. "Maybe a..." I let my voice trail off as I changed my mind. "Um, uh..." My new uncle sighed loudly out of frustration as he leaned back and folded his arms. "I don't know if I want a waffle, or..."

"She'll have two small pastries and a cup of yoghurt with fruit and a glass of orange juice," Uncle Luciano snapped at the servant, as he rudely interrupted me.

"Uh," I started to protest, stopping quickly upon feeling my aunt squeeze my leg just above the knee in warning. That gesture, along with the pleading look in her eyes, convinced me to reconsider voicing my objection over my uncle's proposed meal choice for me.

"That'll be all," Luciano said sternly, dismissing the poor servant who nervously awaited his next command, consequently putting him out of his misery as one compassionately puts down a lame animal. Once he was out of the room, my new uncle looked at me and said in way of an explanation for his presumptuous behavior, "He has work to do, Claire. He doesn't have all day to wait around for you to make up your mind."

I slumped down in my chair, scowling at the unfairness of having my right to choose my own breakfast rudely stripped from me. We all sat in awkward silence until the servant returned with our food. Despite being really hungry and practically drooling over the delicious pastries set before me, I was compelled to resist consuming this meal that was thrust upon me without my consent. I feel so violated. I took a few quick nibbles to squelch the rumbling in my tummy though before pushing my plate away and slumping back in my seat.

"Is something wrong with your food, sweetheart?" my aunt asked, failing to hide the nervousness in her voice as we both witnessed my new uncle's unhappy reaction to my civil protest.

"I'm not hungry," I replied emphatically, stubbornly maintaining my resistance.

Uncle Luciano inhaled forcefully and exaggeratedly through his nostrils as he slowly and purposefully wiped his mouth before setting his napkin down hard, all the while narrowing his eyes at me in a terrifyingly piercing glare.