It's been a week since I came home. I am leaning against the large railing of the outdoor terrace with a glass of cognac. I have reached the point where this is what I need to keep up with the hectic pace and function. I have not slept for several months now. I am in a constant state of stress, and the number of problems I have to deal with seems to grow daily.
I am only 26 years old and already carrying the workloads my father started in his 50s. I am doing my best, but I am exhausted. I have managed to free up some time to spend with my brothers. It's been a week of calm among the Cosa Nostra families. I greatly appreciate the presence of the daughter Luciano. She keeps my little brothers busy and happy, which is the only thing that matters to me today. But I do not know why. My brain kept looping the moment I caught her and Santo in the kitchen. It was easy to take on the role of Don after the accident that took my parents away. Our father trained(Elio)I do not know when the last time I slept so well was. I open my eyes, and I can't help but smile as I see my two little brothers lying asleep around me. Santo is sleeping on his back; arms crossed against his chest. Even asleep, he keeps his eyebrows furrowed. I can't help but laugh inwardly as I hear his stomach growl. On the other side, Matteo is also lying on his back. He has put an arm against my stomach, and his leg is crushing mine. Even here, our latest brother is trying to take all the space for himself. I stand up and let out a sigh of satisfaction, looking at my watch. 5 AM. I must have gone to bed around 8 PM after spending the rest of the afternoon listening to my little brothers complain that I work too much. I have not slept that much in ages. I leave my room quietly, making sure to make as little noise as possible so as not to wake them up. I went downstairs to take a shower in one of the guest rooms and just put on one of my eternal cotton pants. I forg
I have been at peace with my feelings for Lucia for a few months and concluded that I am even more pathetic than I thought. I am waiting for my obsession with her to fade, but it is only getting stronger by the day. Does she think I see her as my little sister? Va bene. (All right*) If it keeps me around her, I am okay with it. Since she thinks that, she dares to look me in the eyes from time to time. I never scolded her the times I caught her looking at me. However, I also know she immediately looks down and seems to blame herself for daring to have a look at my face. I want her to look at me. I know I am crazy about her, but I am also aware of our age difference. Only one more year and I should start receiving marriage proposals between her and the other Families. Like a big brother, I will make sure she is in the best family for her and that the stronzo (asshole*) I choose for her knows he is no better than the dust under Lucia's shoes. I am sitting at my desk. I purposely as
I am Elio Ganovese. I am the Don of the Ganovese family. People fear me and tremble at the mere mention of my name, and I am an all-powerful god. Thus, I reign as a master without sharing with an iron hand. People throw themselves at my feet to obtain even a word from me, a gesture, or a look to give meaning to their mediocre existence. And here I am today in my office. I am not moving, waiting like a pathetic sub-shit for the slightest word from Lucia. Santo enters my office with Matteo. All three of us frown at each other. None of us understands the presence of each other here. "Cazzo, what are you doing here?" I ask icily. "I finished my mission, fratello," Santo replies, slumping into the seat across from me. "That was quick. Stronzo saw me and spilled the beans." Ah, yes, the Santo effect never disappoints. "Where exactly do you want me to go? With the girls outside?" Matteo answers me with a disgusted look. "No, no... but don't you have somewhere else to go right now?"
My brothers can think whatever they want. Me ne frego. I will not deny or affirm what I feel for Lucia. It is not their business. I know what I am. I know what she provokes in me, and I also understand that the age difference between us must be considered. But I also know that some Dons have wives or mistresses with much more significant age gaps. But they are still of legal age. Cazzo. I have to stop. She said it very well herself. I am just a "teenage crush." And, I am almost convinced, somewhere in the corner of my mind, that's what she is to me. A crush. Nothing more. "Elio..." Matteo says to me, continuing to stare at me. "Why don't you say something?" I pretend to pull on the collar of my shirt and walk out of the office, giving them the finger. I am disgusted. By me. By the leaps, my heart has been making in my chest since my name left the lips of my light.
Santo looks at me in the characteristic way of the men of our Family. "I thought you did not want to get married." "Never." That was the decision I made when I inherited the Don's title. I would never put my Lucia's life in danger like our father did with our mother. They both liked to party from day to night and show off way too much. Over the years, they became easy targets. So our father, by holding our mother so close to him, was just showing everyone his weak spot. It was easy for our enemies to kidnap our mother, get our father out, and then shoot them both. Santo clenched his fists and glared at me. "Cazzo. Lulu is like my little sister. If you are not going to marry her, you better let her marry another stronzo. No way are you going to make her your bitch, or I will not keep my mouth shut!" My brother's words sound like a bucket of ice water being poured over my head. "I do not intend to make her my whore..." I start to tell him, revolted b
I lean against the back of my leather chair and just watch my little brother. "Santo, no drugs. No prostitutes in our house. No strangers outside our own Family. Have security tripled." He nods immediately. "They know that, Elio." I start laughing and dig my index finger into the dark wood of my desk. "Stronzi did the exact opposite last time. I. DO NOT. WANT. TO. SEE. ANY. DRUGS. AND. NO. PROSTITUTE. HERE," I insisted, pressing my finger down each time. My house must remain clean. It must stay immaculate, so I will not be ashamed when my Light returns for holidays. Santo gets up and trots to the door. He turns his head toward me and looks at me mockingly. "Go get your dick sucked in one of the clubs. You need to relax a little." I toss my glass of brandy in his direction. And all I can hear is the sound of the crystal exploding against the door and Santo's laughter in the hallways. Cazzo. My birthd
I finally get back to my desk and feel like a ball of nerves. I grab a bottle of whiskey and start downing it straight from the neck. The truth is, I really don't care if my cousins are out partying, and they know it. I also don't care if they fuck their whores or get high in my backyard. I take another swig of whiskey and set my alarm clock. Yes. That's it. That's all I need right now. I'll sleep for an hour to calm down, and then I'll go out and find them. Cazzo, when did I finish the bottle? I pull back the leather chair and put my feet on the desk. Then I place an arm over my eyes. Cazzo. This is the moment when the alcohol, combined with the cumulative fatigue, hits me hard. I sleep without sleeping. I can never fully relax, and my mind is always on edge. I hear a knock on the door, and I grit my teeth as I hear the door open. Cazzo, if it's fucking Tina or Gina, it doesn't matter. I am going to burn the house down. "Don Elio?" a voice calls timidly. I abruptly op
What more can I say, except that I was nothing before I heard these words from the mouth of my light. I have the sensation of floating, of being there without being there. It is a fucking miracle or a nameless catastrophe. That I love. And that I am loved in return by the person I love. I pull Lucia by the waist and have to lean over her so I can place a multitude of small kisses on her face. She is mine. Mine and only mine. Lucia starts to laugh and turns her head whenever I want to take her lips. Why do you want to do that? She raises an eyebrow in my direction and gently pushes me back. But I do not let her. I want her to stay against me forever. I place a hand behind her back and block the wrist with which she tries to push me away. "Don Elio," she whispers, scolding me. "Elio, Amore mio. Call me, Elio," I beg her. "E No" (it's no), she says firmly. However