Mob Nanny

This record came to me three years ago. This young lady worked as a nanny. Not just any ordinary nanny. She was a nanny for the mafia.

Going forward, I will not use her real name for anonymity’s sake. I’m going to call her Clara to protect her identity. I definitely won’t use the family name here.

Anyway, Clara came to me on a Tuesday. She couldn’t keep still in the chair.

“You alright?” I asked.

“Yeah, yeah!” she blurted out. She cleared her throat.

“Yes,” she said. Clara crossed her legs.

“You wanted to talk about your job?”

“Can I?”

“Go ahead. Don’t worry. I won’t use your real name.”

“You won’t?”

“No. We are not required to. Some of the people who want to be recorded request that they use an alias.”

“Okay.”

“So, what do you do for a living?”

“I’m a nanny.” Clara paused before speaking again. “I work for the [Name Redacted] Family.”

I froze. “I’m sorry… What?”

Clara shifted in her seat. She lifted her chin.

“I am a nanny for the [Name Redacted] Family.”

“Okay… How long have you been working for them?”

“About a year now.”

“How old are you?”

“Nineteen.”

“So young? I see.” I paused to take notes. Clara took a moment to gather her thoughts.

“The kids are sweethearts. Maggie is four and Jimmy is ten. Their mom is cool. Their dad is kind of scary.”

I couldn’t blame her. The father was a powerful man. He could have anyone killed at the snap of a finger. Never get on his bad side.

“What is your day like?” I asked. Clara started fidgeting with her hands.

“I live in a guesthouse next door to the house. I get up early in the morning. I help with getting the kids’ breakfast together. Phillip or Rita [the mom] are the ones who do the cooking. I just pack the lunches and put the food on the plates.”

“Does everyone eat together?”

“Yes.” A little smile crossed her face.

“They’re like a normal family. The parents love their kids. Spoils them rotten.

“After breakfast, I get the kids ready for school. I go to school myself.”

“Do you pick up the kids?”

“Yes. I give them their snack and help them with their homework. I help with dinner. After that, the kids are ushered off to bed. I help them get ready and tuck them in. I do my homework, watch some Netflix, and go to bed.”

“Who takes the kids to appointments and after-school programs?”

“Me.”

“Play dates and children’s parties.”

“Me.”

“I see.” I took more notes. Easy part was out of the way. Now for the next one.

“Do you have any… you know. Mob dealings?”

“What?! No!” Clara looked flustered. I didn’t even ask the last part out loud. It came out in a whisper. Clara cleared her throat.

“No.”

“Your employer keeps you out of the loop.”

Clara slowly nodded. She trembled in her seat.

“I’m so sorry if I upset you,” I said. The girl shook her head. I had so many questions. But I had to stay neutral. There was still one question.

“So… How did you come to work for the [Name Redacted] Family?” I asked.

“I work for [Name Redacted] Agency. My profile was on the site. I had just started working at [Name Redacted] just before I started college. I had just moved out of my parents’ house. I needed work to support myself. I had always been good with children. So I figured, hey why not?” Clara smiled for a bit before frowning.

“I hadn’t expected his wife to pick me. The head of the agency was a bit nervous about it.”

“Had you heard of this family before?”

“I heard the rumors.”

“How did you end up taking the job?”

“A long debate of back and forth.”

“Between…?”

“Mrs. [Name Redacted] and the manager.”

I couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t. I had to ask. “Did she make you an offer you couldn’t refuse?”

“Yeah.” Clara laughed uncomfortably. Oh, crap. I did it again.

“My apologies.” I cleared my throat. I remembered the next question I wanted to ask.

“Do you like your job?” I asked.

“Yes. I love my job.” She was telling the truth. No one was making her say that. I smiled as I caught up on my notes.

“I’ m happy for you.”

“Thank you.”

I think she’s still doing well for herself.