Mrs. Allegrezza puts her hands together, brings them to her lips, bows, cries, addresses Nonna by her first name, “Ercola…il bello e…Il Padrone e…” She cannot continue and Nonna grabs her hands to comfort her, but Nonna does not look at the woman, nor at her husband behind her. Johnny can tell she is aware that the funeral is behind schedule because of the near thousand people in attendance, is aware that the business of burying Il Padrone must proceed in a timely fashion for the ceremony to be dignified.
Johnny stands at the back of the viewing room with cousins Louis, Jimmy, Tony, Santo, and Henry. They are the pallbearers; are dressed in dark suits, white shirts, black ties, gray cotton gloves. Except Louis. He is clothed in an army dress uniform with first sergeant insignias. He stand
