Walking down the long, winding road down a steep hill on the outskirts of a small town named Sorrento, on the outskirts of Naples, Maria dutifully checked the growth of the olive trees that lined it. Was this her life now?

"Non posso vivere in questo modo"

she murmured sadly, to nobody in particular. And, she knew it to be true. As she approached the bay, pulling the odd olive from a branch and tasting it, checking for ripeness, she dug her feet into the warm sand. She'd had a plan now for quite some time. Several years ago, a distant cousin had moved to America, hoping to make a new life away from the beautiful but future-less Italian coast. And, things seemed to have gone okay over there. Ups and downs, as with every great adventure, but they'd made a life for themselves with excitement and money. Money. That itself was the problem. How much simpler her life would've been if she'd been born related to one of the great crime families, or knew one of their own better. But she didn't, and that was why she had to do things this way. Her cousin hadn't been the only one she'd known to make the journey from Italy across the Atlantic. She knew the crime families in the four great cities of the American mob were somehow more accepting of new recruits than they had been in this neck of the woods.

But her first challenge - that would be to learn English. A more arduous task than it might sound in the small town she came from. But, if she moved to Milan, perhaps she could find herself a job, maybe with one of the fashion houses, or working as a secretary? But again - money. She lived on her parents farm with her six siblings. They lived a hand to mouth existence. How would she ever get the money to make such a move?

'Solo un sogno', she thought to herself sadly.

-Six Months Later-

The rain came. The first rains of the autumn, after a scorching, bone dry summer. People often believed that living in the shadow of the Volcano helped to fertilize the soil, but Maria couldn't see it. The crop had been poor that year. Her family had done quite well from milking the goats that they had, and from the pigs they had reared, but there still would be very little to last them throughout the winter. It was getting to the point where, as the oldest daughter, with limited usage on the farm, her parents were starting to talk of Maria finding herself a husband - not a thought that Maria enjoyed. Even if she did marry, as far as she could see, this would still be the rest of her life.

And then came her miracle. Walking through the town one afternoon, having spend most of the morning trying to sell cheese from the goats at the market, Maria was enjoying the solitude of the empty streets, it being around siesta time. Suddenly, she heard the commotion of a large train pulling into the station and whistling loudly. Having little to do that afternoon, she diverted her walk home to pass the station. Stood at the back of the platform, she saw an elderly lady step off, accompanied by a harassed looking porter, juggling three trunks and several hat boxes.

Instructing the man to lead her to the front of the station, she catches sight of Maria lurking in the shadows. With funny, clipped sounding Italian, she addressed her.

"Ciao cara, si potrebbe essere in grado di puntare me verso un affittacamere?"
(Hello dear, might you be able to point me towards a guest house?).

Hesitantly - this woman clearly came from money, and didn't seem to be Italian, despite her competency with the language - Maria replied.

"La mia famiglia ha una camera per gli ospiti nella nostra azienda agricola, dalla baia. Si tratta di una breve distanza a piedi, ma la camera è confortevole e le tariffe ragionevoli."
(My family have a guest room on our farm, down by the bay. It's a short walk away, but the room is comfortable and the rates reasonable.)

She watched with unhidden curiosity for a moment, as the woman worked out her words. She was curious as to where this lady may come from. And more importantly - what language did she speak?

"Aprire la strada poi, mia cara. Ho avuto una lunga giornata, e non vedo l'ora di prendere un po 'di riposo."
(Lead the way then, my dear. I've had a long day, and I'm looking forward to taking some rest.)

She'd lead the lady on foot to the farm, dragging along two of her trunks.

This is what she learned, that first night. The lady was called Jane. She had visited the small town and the Almalfi coast many times over the course of a 43 year marriage that had come to an end the year before with the death of her husband. And now, she sought to bring herself to the place where they had spent many happy memories. She came, most importantly, from England.

Over the fortnight the lady had stayed on the farm, Maria had taken every chance she had to learn bits of English from the lady. When she had found herself a small villa nearer to the town, she was sure to drop by on almost a daily basis - the arrangement was beneficial to both. Maria was like a sponge, soaking up English from Jane, and in turn, Jane got company, and the youngster was always happy to help her out, to grab her a few items from the small corner shop, to reach things from tall shelves. The arrangement worked for both, and Maria found herself growing in confidence in her new language.

Autumn turned to Winter, Winter turned to Spring. And as Spring begun, Maria had reached her decision. Her English was now fairly fluent and the hours that she had spent sat talking with the elderly lady had turned into days spent as a carer for her, as Jane's health begun to deteriorate. Sat beside the old lady one day, she had told her of her plan, of her goal.

"I will go to America, one day, Jane. I will join one of the great families of the American mob, and I will dedicate my life to them. I will have all the things that over here, a person cannot. I will do things that only those born into greatness can do in this country."

Jane had smiled a sad smile at her, that day.

"I know you will go, my girl, and I know that you will do well for yourself out there. But, I fear for you. I've heard the stories and the tales. Many do not survive. But I can see that it is what you truly want, and I can see that your determination will give you at least a fighting chance."

Several days had passed, with Maria paying regular visits to her elderly companion, checking in more often to ensure she was well. To her shock, a little over a week later, she knocked on the door, as she usually did, and entered without waiting for a reply. But the house, it was empty. The calls of the name of the elderly lady yielded only echos. Walking to the sitting room, she found Jane's usual chair empty, barring an envelope with her own name written on it. With a shaking hand, she tore it open, finding first a letter inside.

Maria,

My doctor called in on me today. He said I have a terrible illness, a cancer. They cannot cure it, they only can keep me alive and keep the pain managed. They have taken me earlier today by ambulance up to Rome, where they feel they can care for me better.

Thank you for your companionship in my time in this town. Now, girl, it is time for you to live your dreams. The money is here in this envelope for you to find your way across to America, probably aboard a merchant ship. I have every faith in you.

Jane.

Shocked, surprised and full of sorrow, knowing that Jane's letter meant that she was sure to never see the elderly lady again, Maria pushed her hand into the envelope and was shocked to pull out a large wad of money - surely enough to see her cross the ocean! It came at a price, though. She knew her parents would never approve of her plans. So, without noise or fanfare, she that very evening announced that she was going out for a walk, having slipped her most precious worldly goods into the bag she usually used to carry goods to the market, and left the house.

Walking down to the docks, she found herself a boat up to Naples, and then onwards to New York. As the boat drew away from the busy port, she watched the volcano she had grown up around disappear into the clouds, and felt her excitement be tinged with sorrow.

"Addio Italia." she whispered softly, turning to face the dark night and her new life.

NealCaffrey had just awoke from his late night out on the town with the boys. His head was heavy and he could barely open his eyes. He must have drank everything there was in Chicago last night. He knew he must get up and get his butt into gear. The day was young and there was many new adventures for him. He got dressed in one of his better suits, put on his watch, shoes, tie, and finally his hat. He stumbled out the door before leaning back in and grabbing his coat. It was a rather chilly day as he felt the air hit his face walking outside.

He took a few steps before scratching his head. He knew that there would be a boat of foreigners coming into town shortly and he could use a little extra help at his brewery. He headed down to the docks and watched as they exited off of the boat. He looked them over to see if he saw any signs of good workers or friendly people. A few moments had gone by and he saw the most beautiful girl. She was struggling to offload her bags. He walked up and grabbed one of them sticking out his hand. 

"Why hello there. My name is NealCaffrey. Can I help you with your bags?" 

Tired wasn't the word. Exhausted, perhaps, was. The long days on the boat had been made even longer by Maria's inability to sleep for more than an hour or two at a time, and now that she was in America itself, she had no idea what her first steps into the world she so badly craved to belong to would be. As the boat moved slowly into the docks, she picked up her bags and shuffled off in a crowd with the rest of the passengers. Intending to make her first impressions on America only the best, she had the previous evening used some of the last of the money that'd gotten her onto the boat to start with to buy a pair of heeled shoes from the women in the next cabin along. As she made her way off the boat, her legs still wobbly from the long time at sea, she caught a stone with the heel of her shoe and stumbled slightly, dropping one of her bags on the floor as she struggled to remain upright. Her eyes were about to fill with exhausted tears when a man walked over to her, and put the dropped bag on his shoulder, holding out his hand and introducing himself. Grateful for the kindness of another human after so long spent merely trying to survive the journey, Maria took his hand and shook it with a small smile.

In her accented but confident English, she responded to him.

"It is a great pleasure to meet you, Mr Caffrey. My name is Maria, and I would be most grateful of the help. I had never been on a boat before, I did not realize how difficult the journey would be. I definitely do not possess the... what is it now... the sea legs, for this trip?"

Sighing softly, she rummages around in her small handbag with her now free arm, and pulls out a pack of Italian cigarettes that she had won in a game of cards. Taking one from the box, she offers them to the kind Mr. Caffrey.

"This brand is so expensive at home, but maybe not so here? I think maybe people make more money here, anyway. They are nice, anyway."

Neal looks the young woman up and down. He can see what she is tired and weak from the long journey over here. She hasn't brought that many bags leading him to believe that she wasn't super well off and was without much of a plan. She offered him a cigarette. 

"Well I can't say that I smoke cigarettes my dear. The rumor is they could be bad for you. I'm more of the cigar type myself." 

Neal looks her up and down and thinks to himself, maybe if I help this young lady out somewhere down the line the favor will be returned to me in someway. He looked down the street and saw a hotel owned by a friend of his. The place was nice and would give her somewhere to clean up and have a good nights rest. 

"How about we take your bags to that hotel down the road. It is owned by a friend of mine and I'll even take care or the price tonight. You need a shower and a hot meal and hopefully you'll be feeling up to speed again. What do you say young lady?" 

As Neal declines the cigarette, Maria lets out a small laugh - she'd heard that rumor too.

"They say that back home too, to the men who smoke night and day. But, when it helps you keep a meal down on stormy seas, it is healthy, no?"

She pulls a lighter from her bag, and lights up the cigarette, inhaling deeply. It does seem to fortify her a little and straighten her up a little. She pushes her hand through her hair, suddenly conscious of her very unkempt appearance in contrast to the well dressed man stood before her.

At the offer of a roof over her head for the night, Maria is visibly torn. On the one hand... the idea of a bed that doesn't rock, a floor that doesn't sway before her, and a hot shower sounds delightful, better than she ever could've hoped from her first night in the states. On the other, she hated to take a favor from somebody that she wasn't sure she would ever be able to repay, and this man, he seemed nice.

"I can't lie to you, Neal, the idea of the room for the night sounds... ah, amazing. But, I cannot take your help if I cannot repay it, you understand? You are a nice man, you have a good heart, I think. I would not like to think I was taking advantage of that. No, if you are to help me out, there must be some way for me to help you out in return."

Neal looks at the young lady. Her eyes are clearly tired. She is still swaying ever so slightly from side to side as if she is on a boat. He thinks to himself she must be tired and hungry. This is something I must do.

He looks her in the eyes.

"I will simply not take no for an answer."

He grabs two of her bags and starts walking in the direction of the hotel. He looks back to make sure she is following. They approached doorway and he can tell that she is still hesitant. 

"I will do this favor for you out of the godness of my heart. There were a few people who helped me along when I first came here and without them I wouldn't be half the man I am today. Please let me help you at least just this once." 

Neal reached into his pocket and pulled out some cash. He stuck it in the front pocket of her overcoat. 

"Now what do you say we head inside and talk to someone about getting you a room?" 

Neal smiled. 

Maria bites down on her lip as Neal sets off towards the hotel. Ah, how she hated to think that she might be taking advantage of this mans kindness, but she was so very tired, and besides, she had his name. He looked well dressed, important, and she was nothing if not resourceful. Perhaps she could track him down in the city over the next few days, and try to even the score a little. Taking a deep breath, she puts out her cigarette and follows along behind him.

As he speaks, she places a hand lightly upon his arm.

"I appreciate this help more than I can say, Neal, I truly do. I didn't dream of coming across anybody willing to help a person so soon into my stay on these shores. May I ask, though - what kind of man is it you are today? You seem smart, you seem powerful... but a good heart. That is something I have not seen too often. But yes, perhaps if we go inside and speak to somebody about a room - it is so cold over here, I do miss the warmth of the bay already!"

Neal holds the door as he watches Maria walk past. He walks inside and heads straight up to the counter. He notices the man working he knew quite well. He approached. 

"Hey there Bruce my man. I need you to set this young lady up with a room. Something nice and preferably on the first level. She has just arrived on the boat and is new to this land. I can't imagine she'd want to be walking up and down stairs." 

Neal puts some cash on the counter and Bruce hands him a key. He takes the key and grabs the bags once again. He leads Maria down the first hallway on the lower floor. He approaches the first door and puts in the key opening it. He heads inside and sits the bags on a table. He looks back at Maria.

"Here you are dear, all set for the night. Is there anything else I can help you with while I'm around?" 

Making her way into the room, Maria relaxes visibly at the sight of the large, inviting looking bed. Yes, a good nights sleep was most certainly well in order, as well as a hot shower, and if she could find it at this time - food. Thinking of food, she thought of a small way to try to repay the kindness of NealCaffrey. 

"I appreciate all you have done for me tonight, Neal, I truly do. And I do hope to repay the kindness in some small way. Tomorrow, I will be looking for a small flat to call home, and if I manage it, I would like for you to come over for dinner - my Mama's special recipe lasagne, it is beautiful, delicious. And maybe you can help me figure out my next steps in this world?"

Smiling, she tilts her head to the side, hoping that Neal will let her repay him in this smallest of ways.