“Well, I’ve seeing this woman who works in a sewage treatment plant.”
“What?!” Alessandra exclaimed.
“Yeah,” Raffaelo said very seriously, “but it’s a shitty situation.”
I left Alessandra groaning at Raffaelo’s joke as I walked out of the kitchen.
The clock was ticking…
And I wanted to get back to the coffee shop in Florence as soon as possible.
15
Dario
Long after the meeting, I peered out the window and thought about the things that Giorgio and Raffaelo had told me.
I also pondered the things Niccolo had said afterwards.
There were many uncomfortable topics in those conversations…
But the worst was yet to come.
I knew I had to discuss the situation with Alessandra. It might as well be now.
I wondered if Papa ever had any talks with Mama that he dreaded.
I doubted it. Though Mama had been a strong woman, there was always a clear line: she was never to ask questions about the family business.
She probably had her opinions, but she always kept them to herself – at least in front of me and my brothers.
But this was different. And it was a prison of my own making.
When I proposed to Alessandra, I made her a promise – a blood oath of theCosa Nostra.A vow onlyshecould release me from.
Her words were etched in my memory:
I don’t want their father handing a pistol to my son when he’s 15 years old. I don’t want that for any of them. When Fausto was here, Roberto said the family would be legitimate in two years. Can you promise me that our children won’t have to be in danger like you and your brothers were? That they’ll be safe?
My reply:
I swear upon my family’s name that they will not follow in my footsteps. They will inherit an entirely new life… one where they can be doctors, or lawyers, or actors, or artists, or anything else they want to be… but not mafiosos.
In retrospect, I wish I hadn’t given my word… but I had wanted her so much, I would have promised anything to keep her.
Papa once told me,A vow that’s easy to keep is no vow at all. When you make a blood oath and it’s HARD to keep, but you follow through – that’s the true measure of a man. So make very few promises. But when you do, you keep your word, no matter what.
I would keep my word to my wife.
But I doubted it would be quite as easy as Niccolo had made it sound.
She’ll understand if you tell her people are dying, and that we would prefer to keep them alive.
Had he nevermetAlessandra?
Did he not know that my innocent wife would immediately see through all myconsigliere’sself-serving bullshit?
Niccolo wanted us to stay in the family business. He didn’twantto go legitimate.
