Chapter 2: Pietro

PIETRO

“Don Carusso!” Fazio, the Don of Serrano family welcomed me as soon as my head passed the archway of the church.

My consigliere, stood behind me quietly, holding the gifts I bought for the two girls who were having their first communion today.

In Italy first communions are celebrated with grandieur. In recent years it has been treated as important as weddings.

Holy communions marks the person’s puberty, it is a great occasion and a good excuse to flaunt your power and riches to your friends especially as a mafia.

It appears that I have arrived too early. There were few people sitting inside the church and aside from the Serrano family, I don’t see that the other families have arrived yet.

Serrano kissed me on both cheeks, the Italian way of greeting each other. Then he gave my consigliere a firm handshake before pointing me to the place where I should seat.

Fazio looked around, searching for something. His face lit up when his eyes landed on his beautiful wife, Concetta.

With a smile on her face, Concetta graced us with her presence, bringing along her kids with her to greet us.

Concetta gave birth to six children all in all, the youngest is still a baby, sleeping on Concetta’s arm.

Despite giving birth six times, Concetta looked the same way that she had before she married Fazzio. She is still young, so her body did not change that drastically.

I still remember when I attended their wedding. Concetta was just nineteen and Fazzio was thirty.

I had least expectations about their marriage and I’m surprised to say that their marriage had flourished. The two had learned to love each other and they were blessed with six children.

One by one, Fazzio’s children took my hand and reached it to their foreheads, giving me respect without being told by their parents.

There was Alessandro, his eldest still twelve years old; Leandro, age 11; Sebastiano, age 10; Sefora, age 4; then the little baby named Oliviero.

“Where is Nerea?” I asked Fazzio, looking surprised that I know one of his children’s names.

The other Dons get their names jumbled up, and most of them doesn’t even have their names memorized.

I know the names of his children and who’s oldest and youngest. I had memorized them including their age.

After all, it is my mission to become the mafia’s downfall. The world needs reformation and the reformation starts by getting rid of them.

“Nerea is having last fitting of her dress. Special occasions need special dress,” Concetta answered me.

Fazzio wrapped an arm around her, hugging her close to him. The two is as sweet as ever even after many years.

“Leuzzi’s granddaughter must be having the last fitting with her.”

“No, Don Leuzzi is there but his son and granddaughter, haven’t seen them.”

I looked at the place he pointed and sure enough, The Don of the Leuzzi family is there, the oldest Don among all the families. Despite being the oldest Don, Tiburzio Leuzzi could still walk on his feet without limping.

His mind is still sharp that you couldn’t fool him with a few dollars. He is still as shrewd as ever, especially with multiplying money.

“Carusso Ey!” Don Leuzzi noticed me staring at him, he walked towards me and I stood up to welcome him.

He gave me a side hug and patted my back as I give him my best smile.

“Your first grandchild is growing too fast. She just entered the mark of puberty,” I started the conversation to which he laughed.

“I can’t believe that I’m celebrating my first grandchild’s holy communion. It feels like yesterday when we were celebrating her first christening.”

“And soon we would be celebrating her wedding.”

The smile on his face melted replaced with a sour look on his face. “One lucky bastard. Whoever wants to marry her must face my wrath first,” he scowled, taking my words too seriously.

I doubt he would still be alive if that day comes. Seeing Tiburzio without tobacco on his left hand and brandy on his right hand is a rare sight.

I admire the resilienceness of his body. Until now he is cancer free, he doesn’t even have any maintenance medication. L’erbe cattiva non muore mai (The bad grass never dies).

“I think you already have a man for her in your mind,” Serrano joins in, his words made smoke come out of Tiburzio’s ears.

I couldn’t help the snort that came out of me. Serrano have three sons, free for Lavinia to choose from.

“Lavinia won’t marry any of your sons!” Tiburzio yelled, his annoyance brought humor to Fazzio Serrano.

“Don’t worry, I raised my sons well, but it will still be better if we sign an agreement now. It would be better if you choose Lavinia’s husband now instead of waiting later. My three boys might fight for her, you know. It’s better if we secure their future for them.”

“Stronzo rimbambito!” Leuzzi curses him, calling Serrano an Asshole and numbnuts. “Lavinia will marry someone she loves and I will still be alive when that happens so I can guide her with her future!”

Serrano took his words lightheartedly. Cursing at one another is normal for us. We curse each other a lot when we are angry, but our businesses had made us thick skinned.

Curse at us, shame on us, but don’t ever step on anyone’s toes or else rendere pan per focaccia (to give back bread for cake)

Serrano has always been suggesting an arranged marriage with Leuzzi’s granddaughter to ensure the place of his eldest son, Alessandro as the future Don of his family.

In the business, it’s common for the youngest brother to get so ambitious and covet the highest position in the business. It just so happpens, that it had happened recently.

Eros Cassiano, the guy who had no right in the business is now the Don of Cassiano family, the third most powerful family in the five families.

It is suspected that he killed his father and older brother to become the Don of the Cassiano family at an early age. However, there’s no evidence that points out he diid that.

His father had a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital. Doctors said he still had chance to live, but he suspiciously died in the hospital a week after. Then he told us that his brother wasn’t interested in the business, but no one saw his brother after that.

His brother just vanished and that usually meant that he’s in the ocean swimming with the fishes.

Everyone knows in their mind that Eros Cassiano killed his own family to become the new Don, but no one says a word about it.

Speaking of the devil, he is finally here looking as dashing as ever in his fine expensive suit. He walked near us when he saw us all bundled together.

“Congrats Leuzzi, Congrats Serrano,” he gave them both a firm handshake as he joined us in the conversation.

I couldn’t hear what they were saying when the woman I’ve been expecting finally entered the room.

“Lucrezia!” My mind shouted her name when I saw her enter the church. She brushed her hair off her shoulder, putting it behind her as she walked right in like a model.

My eyes trailed on her neck and on her exposed collarbone then my eyes dropped on her long legs. I gulped and tried to force myself to take my eyes off her, but my body seemed to have a mind on its own.

It’s been years since I last saw her, and I did not expect that my body would react this way now that I saw her. It must be her dress. Yes, that must be it.

Her dress is too sinfully revealing, that shouldn’t be allowed in church.

“Rocchi’s here!” Leuzzi announced, his loud voice caught Raimondo Rocchi’s attention, including his daughters.

Lucrezia’s eyes met mine, making me avert my gaze and turn back my attention to the men in front of me. My heart raced inside my chest at the simple eye contact that we made.

“Bellissima!” Eros complimented and took Lucrezia’s slender hand in his, placing a light kiss on her fingers.

Lucrezia smiled warmly at him, my heart fluttered at her smile as if it was meant for me. “Grazie,” she muttered in strong Italian and heat flushed inside of me.

She still had that effect on me.

I’ve never heard anyone speak Italian the way Lucrezia speaks it. Her voice is strong, her tongue rolling it off easily, Italian sounded seductive with her voice.

When she speaks Italian, I always react to it like an animal. I hated it. I hated that she has that kind of power over me.

Lucrezia glanced at me, openly welcoming my gaze. I stared at her alluring eyes, until now I still couldn’t tell what color they are. Sometimes it’s blue, sometimes it looks gray, sometimes a mixture of both.

I’m not color blind, but her eyes is a new color that hasn’t been discovered yet. Her eyes is a treasure chest filled with mystery, you couldn’t get enough of.

She smiled, that wicked knowing smile, and before I expose myself to her I spoke, “Is it not gonna start yet?”

Everyone turned quiet at my question, not realizing that I just interrupted them from their close conversation.

Damn you Lucrezia!

“My granddaughter hasn’t even arrived yet, you want me to start the event without my granddaughter?!” Tiburzio Leuzzi snapped at me.

On cue, her granddaughter finally arrived, her hand on his father, Orenzio, Tiburzio’s son.

“Amorino! You look fantastic like a spose bambini,” Tiburzio had forgotten about his anger when his granddaughter arrived in a white floral dress,” Lavinnia smiled at her grandfather, giving him a toothy grin.

“Papa, let her be. You can cuddle her later,” Orenzio stopped her father from tearing up at the sight of his granddaughter. He looked at his son sharply like he wanted to kill him.

Papi is the Italian way of calling your father, but papi sounded like the “puppy” in English, which would be an insult for a Don.

“Looks like its about to start, we should go on our seats,” Serrano informed us, dispersing the little crowd that we made.

Finally, I could breath again and think more clearly now that Lucrezia is leaving. However, as if fate is playing a cruel joke, her seat is just right in front of mine where I will have the full view of the back of her head.

In the whole ceremony, I couldn’t focus on anything but her. We are sitting just beside the wall, so no one could really notice us.

While everyone is so focus at the ceremony, Lucrezia took her chances, giving slight glances to me as I pretend that I did not notice.

She sat beside her sister, while her father is sitting with the other Dons.

“Vaffanculo! (Fuck)” Lucrezia curses in a whisper when she dropped something.

I clenched my jaw tightly when I heard her curse. We are at the church and she’s cursing out loud, as if her dress is not bad enough already.

“Don Carusso, keep it down.” My thoughts were interrupted when Pericle Laurenti, my consigliere spoke softly beside me.

My brows furrowed, thinking what the hell is he is warning me about, until I looked down and saw a bulge between my legs.

Fuck you too, Lucrezia.

I might have worn decent clothes and kept my mouth clean, but lusting on someone else is also a grave sin… and in church at that.

Lucrezia will be the reason I’ll go to hell. I think that’s a good reason too.