Esposito's

Chapter 2

Lorenzo

"Siamo atterrati, capo", Leonardo informed me {we have landed boss}

"Qual è l'ora locale?", I asked him {what is the local time?}

"Sono le 13:45", he told me {It's 1.45pm]

"Lo stai facendo davvero?", Leo asked {You're really doing it?}

"Ho qualche scelta?", I said to him, {do I have any choices?}

Leo is my best friend and right hand man, there's nothing he doesn't know.

My grandfather really did fuck me over. A marriage. That too, a fucking arranged at that one, which was decided ages ago, who the hell does that ? And if I don't do that I will not be the head, and I don't want that. So here we are in goddamn village, where you can't even fucking call.

"Ci riposiamo in un albergo vicino o andiamo direttamente sul posto?", Leonardo asked

{Do we rest in a nearby hotel or go directly to the place?}

"No, prima risolviamo questa cosa, prima potremo portare a termine il resto degli affari", I said {No, the sooner we get this thing resolved, the sooner we can get the rest of our business done}.

Putting my sunglasses on, I expected a car, but then I remembered Leo telling me the place is very close by from the landing. After 10 mins walk we reached an unpainted house; it was literally just concrete. Who cares? I am here the for the girl, whoever it is.

Upon entering I was greeted by some man, who was getting on my nerves, where the hell was Leo? If I don't acknowledge this irritating man, I am sure he will eat my brain out. I was taking in the surrounding unpainted walls, no couches, no chairs, looks like they stopped the renovation, maybe because they didn't have money, anyways. That irritating man pulled up a chair from a corner, and requested me to sit there. As I was going to sit on the chair ; from the corner of my eye I saw a figure in white move backwards, I didn't acknowledge it that much and went to sit; but I did acknowledge the person who knows what I am here for. Granny.

After sitting and lighting up the cigarette , I started, " granny, you know why I am here for, right? We have kept our side of the deal, now its your time."

"What deal?", I hear someone say, I didn't even glance to the source of the voice , because my sole focus is on this old woman. I know her husband is dead, but she knows what I am talking about. "What deal granny?", I feigned innocence; "do tell them what you and your husband did", I said taking swig of the cigarette.

"Whatever we did, it was because your grandfather was set to kill us, if we didn't do what we did, we would have been dead by now. So no it was not our conscious decision, it was a decision made under pressure", she said.

"So you want to say you were forced by my grandfather?", I ask her in the most calm manner, I stubbed the cigarette while looking at her, I hope she doesn't lie. "Yes", she said. And I fucking lost it 'she is an old widowed woman ' I reminded myself. "Well, if it was by force, my dear granny, then why did we force you? you out of all people should know that we do not force innocent people, then please do tell me and everyone why exactly did we made that deal?". Her facial expression changed, she knew she fucked up, and now all the eyes were on her. "Look granny, I maybe mafia but I am not a liar. I agree this arrangement was made by my grandfather, but why granny? Are you gonna tell the truth to everyone or should I tell the summary of what happened?"

"काय डील होती आई?" {What was the deal, mom?"}, I hear a male voice; I look at the source of the voice, there was man standing with wheatish skin colour, may be he is her son

She took a few breaths and said "I will tell"

"Good choice granny. Now go for it. And then, complete your side of deal, so we both can live in peace". She looks at everyone but her eyes are mainly on three people, the wheatish coloured man, the irritating man and a lady. Now I am sure they are her children.

" In 1974, as you know we all were very poor. Your father was into gambling, but when he saw your sister was sick, he started to look for work, but no one hired him because of his gambling reputation, at the same time I was a maid in some houses nearby, but they were not paying well, when I asked for a raise they would just give me certain reasons. One day, me and your father, saw man just breathing heavily by the shore. That man was his grandfather. There was mafia war between Italy and Poland, and they attacked the main base of Italian mafia. His grandfather saved himself and 10 to 12 group of men, but we only found him on the beach. At that time we saved his life, and he created a secret base here, why? To survive. Over the months, he started creating a base and he was very fast at it, your father helped him a lot at that time. His grandfather did give us enough money and with that we cured your sister. In return we helped him as much we can but your father, he started gambling again and he sold the weapons to some local gangster which he was supposed to give to his grandfather. Then too his grandfather left him with a warning, but afterwards, your father's gambling obsession reached it's peak. He was so obsessed with gambling that he took upon himself to take up the bounty placed on his grandfather's head. At that time I didn't know any of this. But when his grandfather came to know about this he felt betrayed and he beat up your father at that time I begged him to stop, he did stop but he warned he would come to take debt. The mafia war between Italy and Poland began again and that time Italian mafia won and as promised he did come to take his debt. But we didn't have anything to give, so your father suggested to give your sister for marriage ; he just wanted money, but his grandfather rejected it because your sister was too young and he looked at her as if she was his own daughter, but he kept a condition that the first grand daughter will marry into his family, if we fail to do so under any circumstances all would be dead. That's the deal we made."

Grazie a Dio, she told the truth this time.
{Thank God}

"Why marriage only? It could have been anything. Literally anything." The wheatish coloured man asked

"I have no idea"

I cleared my throat "ask your questions afterwards, first let's complete the deal, so where is your first grand daughter?" At this question she looked at me helplessly and somewhat relieved, something is wrong. "Where is your first grand daughter?", I again ask with authority

"She eloped", at that Leo almost laughed, but than controlled it in, Fottuto bastardo {fucking bastard}. But I was not going just like this.

"Alright", granny was visibly relaxed, good for her, she should relax but where's the fun in that ; "Then who is the next older daughter?", granny tensed again . "Come on granny, we don't have time or else should we create a blood bath? I am ok with both". She was thinking.

'Pensa, pensa, nonna, abbiamo tutto il tempo' {Think, think, granny, we have all the time}

I got up from the chair, first jet lag and then this drama. I was checking out the place; it's not bad for a secret base, it's a secret location that no one knows ,best for a hide out. As I was checking the place my eyes again caught some movement in white, this time I didn't ignore it . I looked in that direction and then I just kept looking...

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