p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"span style="font-weight: bold;"Maria Cicero - Chapter I/span/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"It was a cold Monday afternoon in Gotham. The rain stopped temporarily but the piercing wind hadn't. A woman in her mid-twenties tried desperately to light up her smoke with shaking hands due to the bitter cold. Her knees were bloody, the stockings torn and the make-up from last night smudged. She was underdressed for this harsh weather./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;""Tsk."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"After clicking her lighter several times she gave up on her smoke, stuffed the cigarette and zippo back into her black jacket and continued her stroll towards Little Italy not without stumbling into a big puddle by accident./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;""Fuck!"/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"Normally anyone would have noticed, but the streets were busier than usual. Delivery trucks were blocking the road while big blokes unloaded them. And to be fair this was Gotham, nobody would help a "damsel in distress"- it was better not to be noticed at all, at least for a vulnerable looking girl. The young brunette stopped in front of an old door with crumbling turquoise paint, which was placed between a butchery and a flower shop. Slightly wet hair strands fell into her face as she fumbled in her purse for the keys. Before she could find them the door swung open. A chubby woman with brown curly hair in her fifties and a green kitchen apron with an awful silly flower print stood in the wooden frame./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"The pupils of the younger woman widened. Prior to reacting in any way, the older female slapped her./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Maria! Where have you been! You're a shame, look at you!"/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"Maria brought her palm to her reddened swollen face; the cold from the bare hand was soothing. Embarrassed she looked down at the brown slippers of the angry woman./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Doesn't matter…" mumbled the brunette./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Something could have happened to you!"/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" It's not like anybody cares…"/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"She expected another slap and ducked her head, but the slightly shorter woman grabbed Maria by her shoulders and pulled her into a hug./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" I do! I care! "/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" I'm sorry mama." she snuffled./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"Her mother released Maria from the hug and quickly wiped the incoming tears away./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" You look terrible. Take a shower, get dressed and come to the kitchen - we have a guest!"/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Who is it?" she asked curiously./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" It's uncle Gabe."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"After a hot and comforting shower, Maria put on an oversized green pullover with some black leggings and warm black-red hooped socks. On her way downstairs to the kitchen she heard her father Giuseppe Cicero loudly talking to his brother Gabriel - she opened the door slowly./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Ahh, there she is! My useless daughter!"/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"Maria glared angrily at her father./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Hi, uncle Gabe."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Well, hello Maria, you've looked better - are you alright?"/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;""Don't mind her current appearance - as I told you before, I live in daily fear that my ignorant daughter could end up dead or even worse, as a hooker."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;""What the f…" Maria tried to protest but was interrupted by her father./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Your lazy life ends now! You're 25, unmarried, had several boyfriends and are steadily getting fired from your jobs. Hell, you don't even help me out at the butchery, because you claim to be a fucking vegetarian."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" As I told you a thousand times before, I don't eat meat but I'm ok with fish and seafood."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;""Bap bap bap, totally irrelevant. Do we sell any fish? No, we don't, so it doesn't make any difference to me. I asked Gabriel to help you find a decent job - which you aren't allowed to quit, or I swear to god, I'll disown you and throw you into the gutter."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"Giuseppe hammered his fists on the big wooden kitchen table, the glasses upon it rattled./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Talk to your uncle, or I will throw you out this instant."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"Giuseppe stood up and slammed the door shut, as he left the kitchen./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"The tired looking Maria sat down and faced her uncle - she sighed./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" He's just worried - you know how he can be."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"Gabe waited for a response, but Maria showed no reaction, so he continued./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Anyway, I probably can help you to get a decent job. So what or where have you been working before?"/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"Maria filled herself a glass of water./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Here and there, nothing special."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Look, I'm not your enemy, could you be a bit more precise?"/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Sorry, I just had a rough weekend. … I've worked in a Japanese restaurant as a sous-chef, at the flower shop next door, as a bartender, as a mail carrier, as a burlesque dancer, as a massage therapist, as a dog sitter and my last job was a secretary at an accounting office."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Quite the resume, but for my brother's sake, let's concentrate on your decent skills. So you can cook, if it's not meat, you can arrange flowers and organize documents, data and numbers."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" You could say so."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" I've an idea, but so or so I'll ask around, don't worry. And now get yourself some sleep."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Thank you Gabe and see you soon."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"Maria was truthfully thankful and hugged Gabe previous to withdrawing to her room. She had always liked her kindhearted big uncle./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"It was a cold Monday afternoon in Gotham. The rain stopped temporarily but the piercing wind hadn't. A woman in her mid-twenties tried desperately to light up her smoke with shaking hands due to the bitter cold. Her knees were bloody, the stockings torn and the make-up from last night smudged. She was underdressed for this harsh weather./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;""Tsk."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"After clicking her lighter several times she gave up on her smoke, stuffed the cigarette and zippo back into her black jacket and continued her stroll towards Little Italy not without stumbling into a big puddle by accident./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;""Fuck!"/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"Normally anyone would have noticed, but the streets were busier than usual. Delivery trucks were blocking the road while big blokes unloaded them. And to be fair this was Gotham, nobody would help a "damsel in distress"- it was better not to be noticed at all, at least for a vulnerable looking girl. The young brunette stopped in front of an old door with crumbling turquoise paint, which was placed between a butchery and a flower shop. Slightly wet hair strands fell into her face as she fumbled in her purse for the keys. Before she could find them the door swung open. A chubby woman with brown curly hair in her fifties and a green kitchen apron with an awful silly flower print stood in the wooden frame./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"The pupils of the younger woman widened. Prior to reacting in any way, the older female slapped her./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Maria! Where have you been! You're a shame, look at you!"/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"Maria brought her palm to her reddened swollen face; the cold from the bare hand was soothing. Embarrassed she looked down at the brown slippers of the angry woman./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Doesn't matter…" mumbled the brunette./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Something could have happened to you!"/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" It's not like anybody cares…"/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"She expected another slap and ducked her head, but the slightly shorter woman grabbed Maria by her shoulders and pulled her into a hug./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" I do! I care! "/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" I'm sorry mama." she snuffled./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"Her mother released Maria from the hug and quickly wiped the incoming tears away./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" You look terrible. Take a shower, get dressed and come to the kitchen - we have a guest!"/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Who is it?" she asked curiously./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" It's uncle Gabe."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"After a hot and comforting shower, Maria put on an oversized green pullover with some black leggings and warm black-red hooped socks. On her way downstairs to the kitchen she heard her father Giuseppe Cicero loudly talking to his brother Gabriel - she opened the door slowly./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Ahh, there she is! My useless daughter!"/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"Maria glared angrily at her father./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Hi, uncle Gabe."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Well, hello Maria, you've looked better - are you alright?"/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;""Don't mind her current appearance - as I told you before, I live in daily fear that my ignorant daughter could end up dead or even worse, as a hooker."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;""What the f…" Maria tried to protest but was interrupted by her father./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Your lazy life ends now! You're 25, unmarried, had several boyfriends and are steadily getting fired from your jobs. Hell, you don't even help me out at the butchery, because you claim to be a fucking vegetarian."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" As I told you a thousand times before, I don't eat meat but I'm ok with fish and seafood."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;""Bap bap bap, totally irrelevant. Do we sell any fish? No, we don't, so it doesn't make any difference to me. I asked Gabriel to help you find a decent job - which you aren't allowed to quit, or I swear to god, I'll disown you and throw you into the gutter."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"Giuseppe hammered his fists on the big wooden kitchen table, the glasses upon it rattled./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Talk to your uncle, or I will throw you out this instant."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"Giuseppe stood up and slammed the door shut, as he left the kitchen./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"The tired looking Maria sat down and faced her uncle - she sighed./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" He's just worried - you know how he can be."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"Gabe waited for a response, but Maria showed no reaction, so he continued./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Anyway, I probably can help you to get a decent job. So what or where have you been working before?"/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"Maria filled herself a glass of water./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Here and there, nothing special."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Look, I'm not your enemy, could you be a bit more precise?"/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Sorry, I just had a rough weekend. … I've worked in a Japanese restaurant as a sous-chef, at the flower shop next door, as a bartender, as a mail carrier, as a burlesque dancer, as a massage therapist, as a dog sitter and my last job was a secretary at an accounting office."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Quite the resume, but for my brother's sake, let's concentrate on your decent skills. So you can cook, if it's not meat, you can arrange flowers and organize documents, data and numbers."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" You could say so."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" I've an idea, but so or so I'll ask around, don't worry. And now get yourself some sleep."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"" Thank you Gabe and see you soon."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"Maria was truthfully thankful and hugged Gabe previous to withdrawing to her room. She had always liked her kindhearted big uncle./p