The Capo’s Daughter Needs No Permission Chapter 32
A month later, I used the signing bonus from my first full-time job to buy a ticket for a Caribbean cruise.
As the booking page loaded, I thought back to when I was eighteen.
I had stood in front of my family with that metal box in my arms, believing that five hundred and seventy-six slips of paper stamped with a capo’s seal would be enough to buy me one trip.
Now, I didn’t need my father’s approval to leave the territory.
I didn’t need anyone assigning guards or telling me where I was and was not allowed to go.
Before I left, I opened the metal box.
I didn’t tear up the permission slips or burn my father’s seal.
I put every last one of them into the paper recycling bin.
Then I cleaned the metal box until it shone.
Inside, I placed my bus ticket from New Jersey to California, my Westbridge ID badge, my first pay stub, a copy of my full-time employment contract, and the photo of the graduation cake with my name on it.
On the day I boarded the ship, the sea was bright and brilliant.
Standing on the deck, I sent Ms. Albright a picture.
She replied almost immediately:
*Have fun. And remember to eat.*
I smiled and put my phone away.
A new email from my mother was sitting in my inbox.
She had written only two lines.
*Safe travels.*
*No need to reply.*
I didn’t.
As the ship’s horn sounded, the people and buildings on the shore slowly shrank into the distance.
I opened the metal box and placed my cruise ticket inside.
I once tried to trade five hundred and seventy-six slips of paper for one chance to be chosen.
Later, I learned that protection is not restriction, and love does not need to be earned through obedience.
And my life would never again be decided by any Family, any surname, or anyone else’s guilt.
The sea wind blew in, salty and sharp.
I closed the box and walked toward the bow of the ship.
This time, I was the one choosing the destination.
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
It was the onboarding project plan from my new job.
The first item was a data protection system for educational institutions.
I thought of the education fund investigation email still saved in my inbox and hit confirm on the project.
From now on, I would be choosing the rules, too.Â