Chapter 23- WINE

Aurora ran back into the clubs facility, almost out of breath. She had not realized that she had been gone for such a long period and she was not sure how her mother in-law would react.

She quickened her steps and took her seat next to her mother in-law again and it seemed as though they were too immersed into their conversation to care whether she was there or not.

'Where were you mi hija? I was looking for you, the race is about to start" her mother in—law whispered into her ear.

'Sorry, I had not realized how long I had been away" Aurora apologized, hoping that her words would pacify her mother in-law.

'It's okay, you are here now and that is all that matters" her mother in—law reassured her, making Aurora feel more relaxed than she was before.

'Ladies, your seats have been set at the polo game. Please follow me right this way" An employee dressed in his best formal wear appeared. All the ladies stood up from their seats. Grabbed their drinks and followed him.

They were directed to a different part of the club, with white painted stands but they walked all the way down to a white tent, front and center.

'Here is your seats ladies, please feel free to call if you are in need of anything. The club strives to keep our most important members satisfied" he smiled at them.

The women took their seats and not long, the stands behind them began filling up with people, or rather the people, which were considered not important.

'Mother in-law, why are we seated here in front"

'Oh my dear, this is the VIP section, it's only for people like us and not like those people" signora Carina told her daughter in-law.
Signora Carina's words rang in Aurora's ears, the players came onto the field but she could not see them, her vision blurred as memories of her real life hunted her.
Many times she had been referred to as lower class whenever Signora Mia's guest spoke about her, in the silence of the kitchen Aurora would cry by herself with the only comfort being signora Meta, the older helper's shoulder to lie on.

Moreover, here she was, mingling with the same people that she had hated for years.

How foolish of you to think that you are one of them, you are an imposter! Her mind taunted her so she shut her eyes, hoping that she could drown the voice inside her head.

'Avena, meet my grandson" Aurora heard Lady Sue called out her name and as she opened her eyes to see who it was, her heart stopped. The same steel grey eyes that she had seen earlier was now looking back at her and burning into her eyes.

'Howdy ma'am. My name is Cory—Cory Willow and you are?" Cory tipped his hat at her and smiled, his pearly white teeth in full display. No longer dressed in his plain grey shirt and denim jeans, now he wore his polo gear.

'Say something" her mother in-law leaned and whispered into Aurora's ear.

'Nice to meet you… Cory, my name is, is—"

'Her name is Avena Russo, well was a Russo but now she is a Romano and she is my daughter in-law. Forgive her, she is new and rightfully nervous" Signora Carina jumped in, saving Aurora from embarrassing herself.
The entire time, Cory never took his eyes off of her as she too had realized that she was caught in the lie she had told earlier.

'Well, I feel honored Auro—my bad, I mean Avena Romano" he greeted her and quickly turned his attention to his grandmother. 'I have to leave, the game is about to start"

'Please win for us" Lady Sue cheered her grandson on as he ran onto the field to start the game. Seeing Cory leave brought some sense of calmness to Aurora, being caught out in a small lie was one but the lie she was living was bigger.

The game began and Aurora watched as Cory rode his horse, grabbing onto his mallet as he tried to hit the ball into the spurs multiple times. The crowd cheered and even though Aurora had no understanding of the rules of engagement, she still marveled at the skill required to play such a game.

After two hours, the game had ended and like Lady Sue had predicted, her grandson had won the game for his team. The younger ladies all stood up from their chairs, running past the VIP section and onto the field.

'Where are they going mother in-law?"

'Avena my dear, they are stomping divots. You should not bother with that, it used to be for us the higher class but as always, the poor know just how to ruin things" her mother in-law explained, her explanation only making
Aurora feel more like an outsider than before. Aurora looked down at her hands, neatly folded in her lap, wishing that she would disappear into thin air.

'Did you enjoy the game?" a familiar voice asked her, looking up, she saw that it was Cory. 'Where are the other women?" Cory asked Aurora who looked around, her mother in-law, Lady Sue and Countess Alia were gone.

'They were just here" Aurora responded, looking into the crowd for the group of older women but she found none. Giving up on her search, she turned her attention back to Cory who played with the helmet in his hands.
Guilt gripped onto Aurora, knowing quite well that Cory would question her on their earlier encounter.

'So…why did you lie to me?" He asked her, removing his focus away from his helmet and staring at Aurora only, this action making her more nervous than she was before.

'I don't want people knowing who I really am and that is why I lied to you about my identity. I apologize"

'Apology accepted and I must say pretty lady, I understand why you did that"

'You do?" surprised that Cory had been nice enough to understand and sympathize with her.

'Yes I do, it must be difficult having to be the only child of the Russo family because everything you do is scrutinized" Cory explained. A small part of Aurora was pleased that he understood her but another part, slightly disappointed that Cory might never know her truth.

'Yes, yes it is" Aurora answered and stood up from her seat but even with that, Cory towered over her.

'Where are you going to?"

'I have to go and look for my mother in-law, I am not very familiar with this setting"

'I will take you" Cory offered, happily willing to accompany Aurora.

'No need to worry about me, you have to change, I can imagine that you are tired after your game"

'Thank you for being so considerate meanwhile, I hope you remembered how you got here?"

'Yes, up the steps and straight into the glass building up ahead" Aurora responded to him. Cory's smile being infectious making Aurora smile as well.

'Bye" She waved at him, turning on her heel and walking away from him with her heart beating in her chest. Still feeling Cory's gaze burning into her back as she walked away, she smiled at herself.


**
'Oh my dear, come here!" Signora Carina welcomed her daughter in-law with by calling out to her from across the room, in a cheerful manner with a glass of alcohol in her hand, swaying and dancing along to the tune of the live band.

Even though the crowd of nicely dressed people had not made it obvious that they were looking, from time to time, Aurora would catch one or two people staring at her mother in-law with looks of disgust.

Aurora quickly walked towards her mother in-law, covering her with her body so that the crowd would not see her in her drunken state.

'Mother in-law, I think you have had enough now" Aurora whispered and tried to grab the glass of wine away from her but signora Carina pulled her hand away.

'Why are you trying to take my drink away? Come here and have fun" signora Carina slurred her words as she spoke to Aurora. Once again, Aurora saw signs of the world that she had always evaded, the world where the rich felt invisible and could drink as much as they wanted with no consequences.

'Mother in-law you are making a spectacle of yourself and it is only midafternoon"

'You are such a spoilt sport! Why can't you have some fun" Signora Carina exclaimed, taking a sip of her wine again.

'Mother in-law we have to leave"

'Why?" She stood her ground.

'Because there are people looking at you and from what I can tell, this is a small town and word gets around fast" Aurora tried explaining, hoping to deescalate matters before it got any worse.

'Let them talk, I am a Romano and no one would dare say anything against me" Signora Carina spoke all too proudly.

'But what would Leonardo say?" She asked her, signora Carina looking back into Aurora's eyes and all that was there was fear.

'I—I am so sorry, we have to leave now" signora Carina deposited her glass of wine onto the nearby table and quickly fixed her hair.

'Maybe you should say goodbye to your friends"

'No! I do not want to see them, not like this" signora Carina warned her daughter in-law, Aurora.

'As you wish mother, let us leave"

'Avena!"

'Yes mother"

'Please do not tell Leonardo about what had happened here" her eyes begged Aurora and just for that second, the look of a mother afraid of her son's disappointment mirrored in her eyes.

'Sure, I will not say a word to my husband" Aurora responded. Her words rang through her ears, she had made her first promise to her mother in-law and she was determined to keep it.

Both women walked out of the club and made their way to the car, the drive back to the Romano mansion was quiet as signora Carina nursed her head after a night of drinking. Aurora had always been an admirer of wines and often she would sneak into vineyards to steal some grapes when she was younger or have a taste of Signor

Giovanni's wines in his wine stellar when he was away.

'What are you thinking about?" Aurora turned her attention towards her mother in-law who was now staring at her.

'Nothing much… I miss home"

'Don't you worry as soon as your mother and father call us to say that they are fine, you would be allowed to visit Sicily" signora Carina tried reassuring Aurora but even as she flashed a smile at her mother in-law, she would never truly know how deep Aurora's pain went.

Her mother unlike Signora Mia was never going to return and her father, the man with no face, she would never see again.