It's not easy being the only dolphin in a family of sharks
"Giulia?"
Alessio tentatively opened the nursery door. His baby girl was on the floor drawing with her crayons. When she saw him, Giulia got up and ran to greet him.
"Hey, bambina." Alessio lifted her into the air and pulled her into a hug. "How was your day? Daddy had a lot of work, but I slipped away."
It's a half-truth, of course. Crimson was in such a good mood after the death of Percival Thurman that he gave Alessio and most of his inner circle the rest of the day off. Still, the consigliere arranged to have an 'I'm sorry for your loss' bouquet sent to the mafioso's home as a show of respect, figuring that Crimson would forget to do so.
Giulia pointed down at the crudely made drawings still on the floor. Alessio smiled.
"So you've been drawing? I can't wait to put them in the fridge. Speaking of which," Alessio sat on the edge of Giulia's bed. After placing her beside him, he searched in his suit for the drawing Cecilia had shown him earlier. It had five sharks grouped together and a lone pink dolphin to the side. "Your zia Cecilia showed me this one a while ago. You drew the entire family, right? But why are you apart?" Giulia's tail stopped wagging, and she looked down. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. You can tell me, my little dolphin."
It was brief, but Alessio noticed Giulia flinched at the word 'dolphin'. He looked back at the drawing as it dawned on him. He knew it would happen eventually but didn't expect it to be so soon.
Alessio sighed. Maybe it's time she knows.
"There's something I'd like to show you, Giulia."
Picking the three-year-old up, he took her to his room and sat her on the bed. Giulia watched curiously as he grabbed a photo frame from his bedside table.
Alessio stared at the picture with heartache. It'd been taken a few weeks before Giulia was born. A warm smile was on her face, hands resting on her pregnant tummy.
"This…" Alessio showed the photo to his daughter, smiling sadly. "Is your mamma."
Giulia stared at it with wide eyes. She tentatively reached out a hand to touch it, prompting her father to pull her into his lap so she could get a closer look at it.
"She was a dolphin, just like you. In fact, see here," Alessio pointed to the big belly. "This is you inside her tummy."
Giulia grasped the frame, a delicate hand running down the class. She looked up at her father. She said nothing, but Alessio knew what she wanted to ask.
He took another deep breath.
"She became ill and passed away when you were three months old." Giulia looked down, sniffling. "Don't be sad, bambina. You might not remember it, but your mama loved you very much."
Tenderly, he lifted her chin to look into her eyes. The eyes that reminded him so much of his late wife.
"Giulia, I love you just how you are, my little dolphin. Even if you'd been born a shark, I'd still love you all the same. What matters is that you're my little girl." Alessio smiled. "So you don't need to paint yourself green, amore mio. You look lovely in pink, just like your mamma."
Giulia wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug, prompting him to pull her into a hug. With the matter settled, Alessio placed the photo frame back in its rightful place as he got up, Giulia cradled in his arms.
"How about we go downstairs? Zia Cecilia made your favorite dish for dinner."