Page 39 of Mila: The Godfather

So exciting and freeing.

I couldn’t do this before.

I was afraid, and now… here with him, I am not.

The plane shakes some more, but my nerves are long gone.

Riagan said he would offer me silence if that were what I wished but I do not.

I don’t mind his voice. I quite enjoy the sound of it and of his laugh.

I notice he is not one of those people who has to fill the silence with a random, basic conversation like what’s your favorite color? Instead, he breaks the silence after a while, “You like plants, Mila?” He mumbles with an unlit cigarette hanging out of his mouth while pointing at my right wrist, where I have a handcrafted bracelet with a small four-leaf clover charm on it. I made this bracelet for myself and one for Carlotta a couple of years ago.

Nodding, I look his way. “I do.” I brightly smile his way. “Do you?”

Grinning, he flicks a tattooed finger to his left underarm, where there is a tattoo of a three-leaf clover. “Yeah, sweetheart, I do.”

Interesting.

Giddy, I lean forward in my seat towards him. “Did you know the clover was associated with the Irish people after the druids were driven out of Ireland?” I know all about it. I made it my mission to learn as much as I can in case a day comes when I can’t anymore. Learning was difficult for me because all I knew was taught to me either by my sisters, Carlotta, or the internet since I was deprived of an education. Most people take the privilege of school and learning for granted, but I know what it feels like to look at a book and have no idea what it says or how shameful it feels to avoid conversation because you’re afraid that you don’t know what they do and you’ll get mocked for it.

So, I used the little resources I had because of my parents’ neglect and worked hard. I make it my mission to learn about everything and anything every hour of the day. I am always learning something, and plants? I am already an expert on them. I will toot my own horn.

“I did not know that Mila. Tell me more.” He says in a tone I can’t decipher.

What a strange feeling. My chest feels tight, and my belly flips as if every molecule in my body recognizes him. His voice.

Beaming, I do as he says.

And I tell him more all the way till we land in another place.

A magical place.

With this strange but familiar, at the same time, man.

Riagan’s Secret Thoughts

Steal my time, rob me of air, but this dream? No one will take it from me.

Plants & Shit

RIAGAN

“I saw a shooting star and thought of you.” – R

“I did not know that, Mila. Tell me more.” I hate listening to other people speak. It is mainly due to the fact that most of the time, they have nothing useful or of substance to say. Nothing that interests me in any way, aside from business and money.

But this girl could easily talk about literal shit all day, and I would listen patiently and ask for more.

I also lied to her. I said I wouldn’t lie to her, but some lies are justified.

Little white lies, they’re called.

I did it regardless, just so I could listen to her voice and watch as her face lit up while she talked about things she loves. Of course, I know what the clover means to my people. I also know what it means to the Irish clan.

The three-leaf clover was used to explain the holy trinity. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It also represents faith, hope, and love.

In my world, the three-leaf clover represents power, money, and chaos.

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