Death of a Hundred Kisses

Memoir of the Roses

Memories never betrayed me. They were in my mind castle, in every room.

I could remember the hall room. They had a special memory in my castle.

It was the start of my college years. The times were wonderful. I really had my best times in high school. But it was all over. New environment was like a new opportunity for me.

George had no interest in these things whatsoever. Well, that was presumable. He was like a runner, he liked to run, he wanted to run.

I knew about grandpa and his business before finishing my high school. It wasn’t hard to guess. Too much security, grandpa having too much guests all the time, and teachers being too much considerate to me was enough to guess either he was the governor or an important man in the underworld side. And if a shady guy like him became governor, half of America would be raised to auction immediately. So, underworld it was.

I had no interest whatsoever, neither positive nor negative. I always hated unethical things, so I never wanted a part in any of that. But you know, life is the part involving surprises.

I was back for holidays. Massachusetts was way far from my home, so I had a long flight back home. Despite all that, I was more than happy.

I reached the airport quite late than usual. The weather was a rusty b***h. When I got out from the airport, it was nearly midnight. And yet, George was there for me.

He screamed seeing me, ‘Aye Lazio, you b***h!’

I laughed seeing him, he was happy.

We went directly to Break-A-Beer directly. The beer, the pool, the feel of Illinois was like a remedy for me.

George gave a beer to me, ‘So, any girlfriends yet?’

I was laughing, ‘Man, I just spent four months there. I still see nerds everywhere.’

He chugged some, ‘You have to lay something, dog. It ain't the church.’

I silently drank mine. I knew, he was already wasted.

We drove off home at 3 am or so. Mostly I was driving and he was humming some Hawaiian seductive songs off tune.

When we reached the mansion, it was too much dark and silent.

I carried George to the bedroom. He had puke all over him. I had to take a shower afterwards.

In the shower, I felt quite dizzy. Maybe the aftereffects of hangover. But how could I ever got hangover if I didn’t get drunk?

I washed myself off and came out. It was a long night. The cold breeze touched my wet chin, to remind me I was home.

I knew grandpa was awake. I went to the meeting room.

The then security guard knew me. He let me go. I assumed that nobody was here for meeting.

I slowly walked into the room. I could see grandpa sipping whiskey in his chair.

He could hear me enter, ‘Lazio? So, you're back, eh?’

I laughed, ‘Yeah, more or less, though I have just one week off.’

He invited me, ‘Come, sit. Have a drink with this old man.’

I felt awkward, but I sat anyway. Having alcohol wasn’t forbidden like s*x in front of your elderlies.

He poured me a glass; the smell was enjoyable enough. I could feel the exoticness in it after the first sip, I knew it was specially ordered.

He tried to small talk, ‘So, how was the university?’

I nodded, ‘Quite satisfactory, indeed. The people, the place, the environment, not too good, but not unbearable.’

He laughed, ‘If it’s good, so it’s okay then.’

If I said something negative, what would he do?

He sighed, ‘So, it’s weird, isn't it? Seeing your family grow up and roam around by themselves, it's wonderfully weird. I remember Fiore bring you like yesterday; you were little and so scared.’

I laughed, ‘I was like five then. You can't expect from me to introduce myself and submit a resume.’

He also laughed, ‘True, true.’

There was a silence for sipping.

He asked, ‘Lazio, do you remember your parents? Do you miss them?’

I never liked beating around the bush, ‘You know, whenever I will see you, I will see their faces. So, I won't lie about missing them?’

He coughed for a bit, ‘Oh, okay. And why me? Do I have a face resembling to your beloved father?’

I sighed, ‘No, not that. Because you are the reason why I couldn’t see them more.’

He looked at me, ‘Come again?’

I repeated myself, ‘It was strange for a rich family like yours specifically choosing me for adoption. Then I dug more. The then governor of Illinois was on that flight. He was involved as an important witness on your roman cartel. So, you had to do what you did. I don’t blame you. But mother Florence, she couldn’t bear your guilt, would she? She was soft to the deceased, specially the couple who left their only child alone.’

He sighed, ‘So you knew? For how long?’

I laughed, ‘To be honest, any decent adult, with a slightly above average brain can guess that. You know, you have a funny tendency to not cover the trails you leave behind. Courageous or not, I don’t know. But it’s not enjoyable all the time.’

He laughed more, ‘Ah man, you may not be my blood, but you carry the nerve. It’s good, will help you in the long run.’

My glass was empty, ‘Can you pour me some more whiskey? This one is quite smooth.’

There was a knock on the door, I stood up.

Grandpa sighed, ‘You can sit, it’s nothing.’

He shouted, ‘Get your filthy ass in here, Ranko.’

A guy came in, quite a nervous one. By the looks, either he was a poorly paid lawyer, or an immensely paid janitor. I didn’t guess, it wasn’t worthy.

He stood near grandpa, ‘Don, I need to talk about the Rho case.’

He was constantly keeping his gaze at me. That was way more annoying.

I stood up, ‘Grandpa, I think I should leave. We'll drink tomorrow.’

He looked at me, ‘You are no snitch, son.’

He looked at the lawful janitor, ‘He ain't, Ranko.’

Ranko was satisfied, ‘Okay then. The case became complicated. Remember Durante? You said he will be out on this, but he is backfiring for the old enmity. We have to talk to him, officially.’

Grandpa looked tense. I knew that it wasn’t my jurisdiction anyway, but what the hell are rules?

I asked, ‘So, this Durante is the downside leader in Milan, right?’

They both looked at me, it felt pretty weird.

Grandpa nodded, ‘Yeah. I can remember us, loitering around Milan streets, for food, for respect. I got mine, he got his. Long story short, his foot was stuck to his home, Milan street, more than having any actual vision.’

Too much emotions, so obviously he wouldn’t make to the higher places. I asked, ‘Mr. Rankin, so what exactly is the case?’

He was startled, ‘Wait, how do you know my name?’

I didn’t expect that question, ‘Well, you most certainly don’t look Italian to me. So, grandpa was implementing his old habit of making everything Italy. That brings me to your real name, because you know, rethinking the nickname Ranko doesn’t have a lot of original one. My two best ones were Rankin and Ranker. And you surely don’t look like any Ranker.’

He rolled his eyes on me. It was disrespectful, but I ignored that. This thing maybe was bigger than my deduction things.

He pulled a file, ‘One of our cartel storehouses was discovered recently. Police busted the place out of nowhere. Most importantly, it was closed, for nearly 5 months.’

He gave the file to me, I looked into it. Half of it was not worthy for understanding. But I could say, it was a dead end for us.

Grandpa took a sip, ‘Hire somebody to talk with Durante.’

Ranko sighed, ‘Don, it's too much for me. I already have so much on my plate. It will be better if you go to Italy.’

Grandpa stood up and shouted, ‘Don’t you ever suggest me what will be better for me, you imbecile.’

Both I and Ranko startled. I never saw grandpa being this furious. What was the reason? Self-respect, or having the thought of going back to Italy?

Ranko was like a little child. He became anxious, ‘I am so sorry, Don. It was so bad of me. I will be better the next time.’

He started to leave. Grand shouted, ‘Did I ask you to leave?’

Ranko stopped in the midway. I was being stuck in an awkward banter.

Grandpa came near me, ‘Can you do me a favor?’

I nodded, ‘Sure.’

He looked at Ranko, ‘Ranko, take Lazio. He is a Renovese. He can take care of it.’

An involvement? That will be the last thing I want, really.

I asked, ‘What! I don’t understand.’

He laughed, ‘Boy, I am a wizard. I know you want to know Durante, I read your brain. Pack your bags, or don’t, you can buy something from there. And also, don’t worry about university. I'll talk to them. I owe you a favor. Don’t ruin anything for me.’

So, I was involved in the crimes of my family. Was it unethical? Perhaps no, I was not breaking any law, I just needed to know a person, to feel the people.

I had a much worse time in Milan. But that wasn’t in this room. My memory palace was an organized b***h. I could remember the first drink with this old man, and here I was, coming to cash in the favor after three years.