Marrying Into The Mafia

Chapter 1

"Quiy!" I called out, feeling embarrassed now that my nervousness had been replaced with shyness as I finally found him.

"Mommy!" His eyes widened when he turned to me, but he kept his small hands wrapped around the man's thigh.

"Hey. Why are you hugging him? Do you know him?" I asked as I knelt in front of him to level our faces.

"No," he replied.

I looked up at the man, who was still in shock, his eyes nearly bulging out, and seemingly holding his breath.

"Do you know my child?" I asked the man. He didn't speak but shook his head. I turned my attention back to Quiy.

"You don't know him, so why did you call him Daddy?"

The questions just kept coming.

"You wouldn't buy me chocolate, so I looked for someone who could. I saw him here and thought I’d give it a try, Mommy…" the child explained.

I ran a hand over my face and closed my eyes. How many more headaches will you give me today, Quiy?

I held back the urge to pinch his side. This kid has no shame!

"I… I really thought I got someone pregnant," the man finally spoke, shaking his head while looking at the child. "Geez… your daughter is something," he added, causing me to glance at him again.

"I-I'm sorry, Brother. I'm so embarrassed by what my child did, but I hope you can forgive her. To ease your worries, let me assure you that you didn’t get anyone pregnant. Congratulations, Brother" I said with an awkward smile, still embarrassed.

I stood up and took hold of Quiy's hand, but he continued to whine about buying chocolate.

"Why don't you buy her some? I'll pay," the guy offered, but I quickly shook my head.

"No, that's okay. I can buy it for her, but she's not allowed to have it because, well, look at her teeth." I turned to Quiy, who was pouting like a duck. "...they're incomplete," I added.

He glanced at my daughter too.

"What else do you want besides chocolate, baby? I'll buy it for you," he offered again.

Who is this guy? Is he a saint?

Quiy looked at me as if seeking permission. If it were up to me, I’d say no. But to avoid dealing with a crying child later, I agreed.

It's so hard to calm her down once she starts crying. It's like a slaughtered animal when that happens.

"Thanks for the treat, Brother, even though it wasn't necessary. I should be the one treating you to make up for the scare my child caused you."

"It's nothing. Plus, I wasn't nervous because I don't want kids. In fact, I’d be happy if I did," he said, surprising me.

What? Isn't it usually the case in movies that guys get scared when they find out they’ve gotten someone pregnant because they don't want the responsibility? Or not?

"You're surprised, I suppose?" he asked. He sighed before continuing. "My parents are so obsessed with me having kids. Every birthday, that’s their wish for me," he shared. I didn’t ask, but I decided to listen, so his words wouldn’t go to waste… and, of course, to make up for what Quiy did.

"They pray every night for me to finally settle down with someone and have kids. I want that too, but of course, marriage is not something to be rushed. It has to go through a process because I know how sacred it is," he narrated.

If that's his perspective, why would he be happy to have a child (if what Quiy did earlier were true) even if he’s not married yet?

"So, you're okay with having a child before getting married?" I inquired since that’s what I understood from what he was implying.

His eyes darted at me. We both raised our eyebrows at each other—me, waiting for his answer, and him, as if debating whether to respond or not.

"Depends on the situation. If it was an accident—say I got drunk and accidentally impregnated a woman who was also under the influence of alcohol, which is what I thought happened when your daughter introduced herself as my kid, then yes—"

"Because you had no choice, right?" I cut him off.

"Nope. Because that is what should be done, not because I have no choice, because if I wanted to, I could have refused to acknowledge the child. That's if I were someone who’s an a**hole," he replied.

"Mommy, what does a**hole mean?" Quiy asked while eating chocolate. Despite my attempts to avoid buying it, she still insisted on having it, so I gave in.

"Don't ever say that word, okay, Quiy? It's a bad word," I advised her, and she immediately nodded in agreement.

She didn’t ask any more questions after that and continued eating her chocolate.