Episode 4

Sophia

After the fifth try, and only because I left the sound of a heartbeat playing on my phone, am I able to walk away from the little one without waking her up.

I exhale with relief and begin to tiptoe towards the exit, soundlessly.

Once at the door, I open and close it very slowly, and I press my ear against it to make sure the baby remains asleep.

Convinced, I dash downstairs and search the house for Mrs. Anna, finding her in the kitchen, humming a tune.

"Wow," I exclaim upon seeing the enormous kitchen. "This is every grandmother's dream."

Anna laughs. "Yes. Your things are in the room next door."

Distractedly nodding, I run my hand over the massive marble kitchen island. Near one of the windows stands a simple, yet practical white piece of furniture adorned with small pots of numerous cooking herbs.

"It smells wonderful," I say, approaching a planter with basil. I bury my nose in it and sigh.

"Do you need anything?" Anna asks, distracting me from my sleuthing among the herbs.

"Yes, some baby items need to be bought."

"Give me a list and it shall be done."

"I'd rather buy the items myself, not depend on anyone."

"You cannot go out without permission."

"I know, but there are apps, you know, like Amazon, eBay, etc."

Mrs. Anna wipes her hands on a towel and turns to look at me before speaking: "I'd have to talk to the boss to see if I can get you a credit card.”

"Oh, and one more thing, what's the baby's name?"

Anna looks annoyed. "She doesn't have one."

"What?" I ask, fearing I've misheard.

"The father hasn't decided on a name yet."

"But we can't keep calling her baby forever, she needs a name."

"I know, but Gabriel is very busy right now."

"Too busy to name his daughter?"

"Watch it, young lady, you're talking about your Capo."

Crap.

"I know, sorry, it's just that... the little one needs a name," I grumble insistently.

She hands me a paper. "Feeding times and the formula recipe as per the pediatrician who checked her. I hope you have better luck feeding her, she doesn't take to us well, and when she does, she vomits."

"Poor little thing," I lament.

"It's almost time for her bottle, prepare it and try feeding her, but don't force it, you might choke her," she says, pointing to one of the overhead kitchen cabinets.

"Yes, ma'am," I say and walk to the indicated spot. I open the cabinet to find everything I need.

I put some water to boil and thoroughly clean the bottle and its nipple. Then, I carefully read the sheet Mrs. Anna gave me and make sure the formula container matches the instructions. They do.

I prepare the bottle with the milk powder mixed with the indicated amount of water. Once mixed, I let it cool down a bit; I don't want to burn the little one.

When it seems ready, I taste it and immediately have to sprint to spit it out into the sink.

"This is awful!" I exclaim, coughing harshly. "I'm not going to feed this to the baby; no wonder she doesn't want it."

"That's what the pediatrician recommended."

"Yes, well, they wouldn't recommend it if they tried this hellish concoction."

"It can't be that bad," she says, taking the bottle and trying a bit herself.

I can't help but smirk when she spits it out into the sink too. "You're right; we can't give her this."

"Of course not, it's like dirty water."

"So, what do we do?"

I think for a moment before responding: "I think the little one should choose her formula; we should buy every brand available and let her taste them. She'll let us know which one she likes."

"I don't know, the Capo told me to follow the pediatrician's instructions."

"Just call him. It's his daughter; she has the right to eat well; I'll talk to him."

"Gabriel is a difficult man. You can't just call him; not without a good reason."

"But we have a good reason. The baby isn't eating, and I'm no pediatrician, but I know a baby that doesn't eat dies."

"You're right," she says, taking out her cell phone from her pants pocket.

She starts typing swiftly.

"I thought you'd call."

"And I will, but I need his permission first."

I roll my eyes. "I'll check on the little one," I say. "You must tell him it's urgent."

"I will."

I return to the room and find the little one with her eyes open, but she's not crying. I think she likes the sound of a beating heart.

"Hello, beautiful. Your food's ready in the kitchen, but I know you don't like it. We're trying to fix that."

Her forehead creases and she starts to make irritated noises.

"I know, darling, I'm indignant too," I say before picking her up and holding her close to my chest.

I kiss her little head and bury my nose in her hair. It smells better than the herbs in the kitchen, and better than any perfume I've ever tried.

Walking with her in my arms towards the kitchen, I continue to rock gently.

"What are you doing with the child here?" Mrs. Anna asks, startled.

"I'm giving her a tour of her beautiful home, and she must be hungry. I guess I'll try to give her the bottle."

"The Capo has not authorized the baby to leave her room."

"She's his daughter, not a prisoner!” I protest indignantly.

"He is very strict."

I roll my eyes. "I'm not going to keep a baby locked up; it doesn't matter if he hasn't authorized it. Besides, I doubt it's such an important matter that it requires his permission."

"Oh, Sophia. I admire your concern for the girl, but the Capo is the master of not only this house and his daughter, but also of us. We must do as he says."

I roll my eyes again, provoking a reluctant smile from Mrs. Anna.

Her phone rings, and she checks it immediately.

"He gave me permission to call."

"Then do it," I say eagerly.

There are a couple of things I need to clear up with the Capo.

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