Chapter 2

“Gentlemen, before we carry on with the ceremony, I have to clear a little confusion on my part. Please refresh my old memory again; how are you two related to the bride and groom. I had been made to understand that there would be no guests at this wedding.” the priest asked as soon as Moira and her father reached the altar. His gaze shifted from Angelo to Mario, suggesting that it was them whose presence needed justification.

“This is my father and that’s my mother over there. I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting them to come but they can stay.” Moira whispered to the priest.

“And I think your information is a little old and flawed, Father. I am the groom; this young man is my….”  Angelo added without changing his blank expression for even a second.

“What?! Are you out of your mind? I don’t know what this man is talking about but I am the groom at this wedding. Perhaps he is in the wrong chapel or…” Tony interjected but was forced to abort his interjection by Angelo’s raised palm, which seemed to be ready to give him one mighty slap in the face.

“… this young man would be my best man, in spite of what he might have told you earlier. Now, let’s get this wedding started, I have more important business to attend to.” Angelo said after a moment of awkward silence.

Deep in confusion, Moira chuckled when she heard Angelo’s remarks. To her, it was a hilarious mix up… just like what Tony had suggested. It was the only sensible explanation for this weird situation that had brought the Mafia Boss to her wedding.

“And who gives away this young woman to this gentleman…?” the flabbergasted priest said as he made signs with his hands for Angelo to say out his name. Angelo quickly complied.

“I do.” Mario Viscoli said sheepishly as he took his daughter’s hand and extended it towards Angelo.

“Papa, no! What are you doing? I never agreed to this; how can you betray me like this? Mama, are you part of this deception?” Moira pulled away before Angelo took hold of her hand; yelling at the top of her voice. “I’m here to marry Tony, not this…. I have nothing to do with this man.”

Moira took Tony’s hand and added, “Unless all of you leave right now, Tony and I will. Papa, how can you do this to me, your only daughter?” Moira cried bitterly.

When nobody moved, Tony assumed it meant that it was Moira and him who had to leave. He quickly stepped down from the altar and was about to make a run for the door with his girlfriend when he noticed that one of Angelo’s men had positioned himself to guard the only exit.

Confused gazes were exchanged between Tony and Moira. Each one had already come up with a version of what they thought was going on. Neither of them was far off the mark; so they simultaneously shifted their gazes to Moira’s father.

“Papa…!” Moira whispered as she signalled her father to explain Angelo’s claims.

“She’s marrying Angelo Manzini” Mario said to the priest. “You can go ahead with the ceremony, Father.”

The doors suddenly opened and another half dozen strange men walked in. Clearly, they were Angelo’s goons. Tony was about to protest and fight for his girlfriend but the sight of those thugs invading the chapel told him it would be a lost cause.

“Why don’t we all remain calm and get this wedding done with. Now everybody, settle down and let the Father do his thing. Like I said, I have other commitments elsewhere.” Angelo remarked as though he was some innocent peacemaker.

The priest could clearly see that the wedding had been hijacked but with the bride’s father giving his blessing and the groom clearly imposing  himself on the bride; he figured that there was no need to seek the bride’s consent.

Moira was too shocked to comprehend what was happening. When her father showed up at her wedding, she knew that something was horribly wrong.

“Papa, can I speak with you and Mama privately, please.” Moira finally gathered the guts to speak.

“There’s nothing more to say, Moira. You’re marrying Angelo, now; and that’s final. Your mother and I already discussed it and we have given our blessing.” Mario said emphatically/

“I don’t believe this…. What about Tony… Moira tried to protest as she backed away from Angelo who was trying to pull her away from Tony. Inevitably. Angelo soon grabbed her hand and ripped her our of Tony’s now trembling hands.

“Just do as you’re told, OK? Forget about Tony and focus on your future with Angelo. Don’t make it any harder for all of us than it already is. Let the Father finish this ceremony, will you?” Mario persuaded his daughter.

Moira looked around the chapel again as if she was desperately appealing for help; but her silent pleas seemed to fall on blind eyes and deaf ears. Another glance at her boyfriend, Tony, confirmed that there was no rescue coming her way.

Reluctantly, Moira nodded in agreement with her father; tears of bitterness and resentment trickling down her cheeks.

The ceremony wasn’t much longer than Moira anticipated long. Had it not been for her delayed responses, the whole thing would have lasted less than five minutes.

For Moira, it definitely was the longest ‘few minutes’ of her life. She had been forced to exchange matrimonial vows with a man she hardly knew… let alone loved… in front of the man she truly loved. And to make matters worse, she still had no idea why her parents were making her commit such a horrible sin against her moral values.

As for Tony, he felt like it would have been better for Angelo to just kill him than to make him experience the anguish he experienced in those few minutes. Words would not begin to express how much more he hated the sound of the name, Angelo Manzini.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife.” The priest finally said, “Would you like to kiss the bride?” he hesitated before asking; it was more of a question directed towards Moira than it was to Angelo.

“Nah, we’ll save that for later.” Angelo responded arrogantly, “I don’t have time for this mushy stuff, anyway.” Angelo scoffed before stepping down from the altar.

“I need to speak to my Mama and Papa.” Moira exclaimed as she dragged her father away.

“Make it snappy, will you?” Angelo said before turning to Tony, “You can get lost now.”

“But I too need to speak to them; I also need answers.” Tony exclaimed, pointing at Mr and Mrs Viscoli.

“Get this, Tony; they are not your in-laws and she’s a married woman now… they don’t owe you shit, OK? So walk away while you still have the chance.” Angelo sneered viciously.

By then, Tony was fully aware that it wasn’t a request but an instruction demanding nothing except compliance.