Introduction
It was at my uncle Enzo’s funeral did it dawn on me, I was only twelve at the time but even I could see the relief in those large brown eyes of my aunt watching closely as the oak casket disappeared into the six feet deep hole as though making sure it was truly happening and that he was finally gone. Everyone knew what a bastard Nario was but the look on my aunt Patrizia’s face said it all. She had only been twenty when her parents had forced her to marry Nario a man thirty years her senior but that was something looked over in our world plus Nario was high up on the food chain a respected man amongst the Mafia that was enough it didn't matter that he mistreatment Patrizia, he was her husband and she belonged to him. Even as a child I could remember the bruises and marks that had tarnished her usually perfect olive skin. Now he was dead and so were her parents leaving Patrizia under the care of her older brother my father Arnaldo, I always looked up to the man, he was in his mid-forties now and aging with the lines on his face and the silver streaks of his raven hair, I knew that Patrizia was better off now, safe with my father he always promised me this would never be my fate and I believed him especially after my sisters wedding two years before. Sure she still married someone from the Mafia but it was her choice and she was lucky to marry for love it was something so rare in our world. “Arnaldo” Patrizia spoke once the coffin was finally resting at the bottom of the hole and everyone had paid their respects did she approach greeting her older brother with a tight embrace. She was the picture of the perfect widow a handkerchief in her clutches, mascara smeared eyes, dressed all in black.
“I would have done it myself you know” Arnaldo whispered. Considering the stature of Nario in the Mafia it took a lot of justification to have him taken care of unfortunately mistreating his wife wasn't high enough of a reason even if it was the Consigliere’s little sister. She was Nario’s wife and that was that but with overhearing Nario was found in his driveway with two bullet holes in his head some sort of strings had been pulled.
“I know” Patrizia smiled at him. It was small but sincere in appreciation of her brother's words.
“Sorella” the Italian dialect was always broader when he spoke his native tongue. Though the Rossi family had been living in America for twenty-seven years something’s tended to stick “you will live with us now. You have nothing to fear anymore” he kissed Patrizia’s cheeks “a promise” seeing what my father had done for his sister just to protect her made me feel fortunate for her family but even at twelve it dawned on me in our world, it was hard to keep certain promises.
