A Mob Boss's Family (Book 2 Of The New York Mafia Trilogy)

72. Family Ties & Weddings (Part 3)

Paulo Rosario was trying to keep his weight on his non injured leg as he was slowly moving to the rhythm of the music leaning to his wife. He winced from time to time as he had to move slightly. He was recovering fast but it could hurt when he was accidentally putting his weight on his injured leg.

As Paulo was looking around searching the room for his son. He spotted him entering hand in hand with his fiancé. He could see the hate in his son's eyes as he spotted Paulo in the middle of the room.

Francesco tensed up and Adele felt it. He whispered "Who says he is dying? He seems alive to me." He lead Adele to an empty table and pulled a chair out for her. As they sate down, Adele whispered "I am so sorry..."

Francesco's stare was on his father. He spoke "Don't be sweetheart. I will handle it. I know I can."

When the music stopped and a new song started playing, some people carried on dancing but some scattered away and got on with stuffing their plates with food and drinking wine while laughing and getting busy with their conversations.

Francesco watched as his father nodded to guards who immediately handed him his crutches. He immediately made his way towards his table where the Don was sitting and of course Paulo sat next to his wife keeping his hand on her waist as he was speaking with his father. Francesco felt relieved. At least he didn't have to watch his parents dancing right in front of his eyes.

Francesco was sitting next to Adele on a table where no one else was sitting with them. No one dared. The hard look in Francesco's eyes kept every one away. Even the servants carrying trays of food around the room felt reluctant to drop by and disturb him. Only one servant got the courage to place two trays of cheese, olives and bread on their table. There were already glasses of wine there.

Adele looked up at the servant and smiled saying thank you and the servant nervously walked away. Adele then turned to Francesco who's stare wasn't leaving his father's. Francesco was holding Adele's hand in his from across the table as he had a battle in his mind. Adele's calming touch was helping him breath in and out but he felt like a volcano erupting silently on the inside. All these years he had waited to confront his father only to be held back by his own grandfather who he did love as a child. His grandfather did play with him and taught him how to ride a bicycle. He didn't have many memories of seeing him but his grandfather never hurt him or Costanzo unlike his father. His fight was not with the Don. His fight was with his father. But of course it didn't look like it as the security was as tight as ever. He looked at how the guards were surrounding his father's table and all around the room as they kept giving Francesco cautious glances. They expected a confrontation and were ready to shoot him.

Adele whispered " What is on your mind? How are you feeling?... Francesco .... Say something?"

Francesco closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he heard her say his name he felt calmer. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes trying to resist looking at the direction of his father who was touching his mother's back rubbing circles on her waist.

Francesco looked at Adele " You see them... I would have given anything to see my parents like this together years ago. I was willing to do anything. I only wanted my father to go after my mother and bring her back. That's all I wanted. I used to blame myself. I used to think it was my fault they separated. ..... Anyhow only when I went to college I read that it was part of the child psychology to think that way. When parents separate, the children blame themselves and think it's their fault. But come to think of it, I wasn't far off back then. Their divorce had something to do with my existence..." He then laughed bitterly.

Adele put her hand on Francesco's hand that was resting on the table "I am sorry you blamed yourself. It's your father's fault for ruining his family's life. He signed the divorce papers. He condemned your mother to exile for betraying him. You said, there were pictures of your mother being intimate with the senator she ran away to. Your father would have divorced your mother for that. It is not all because she endangered your life since she ran away when she was pregnant with you. You can't think of it this way now. If you had a normal father, he would have arranged for your mother and himself to attend marriage counseling sessions and would have made his marriage work. He knew what he was doing.... Please tell me you don't blame yourself anymore."