Affliction (4 page)

“How
dare you say that?” Selange screamed hysterically. “How fucking dare you talk about souls when yours is rotten you nasty bitch!”

The screeching of car tires
resounded and then stopped. Arms were around Selange’s waist and soon hoisted her off the ground. Shoved inside the confines of the vehicle she’d recently exited is where she sat as the skidding noise of tires peeling away from a Brooklyn street where the injured woman lay.

S
elange didn’t hear anything, not even the bodyguard on the phone with her husband because she had shut out sound.

How long she sat there
replaying Mrs. Johnson’s words must have been lengthy because the car was at the airport where a singular jet waited.

Cloudy and overcast was the weather and her spirit.

The door swung open. There stood her husband with an angry expression she hadn’t seen in a long…long time. Oh she heard everything then, even smelled her turkey bacon sandwich. What in the world possessed Mrs. Johnson to wear that jacket, she wondered.

“Hi honey,” she said trying to diffuse the
oncoming verbal lashing, but his eyebrow was already heightened.

Alfonzo
stuck his head in the car before she could put out her leg. He was seething mad when he shouted, “Honey my ass. This is exactly why I didn’t want you in goddamn Brooklyn. Vamanos nena, before you’re thrown in jail!”

C
HAPTER TWO

Sergio listened to the clinking of china as everyone ate
heartily. This was Lucia’s entire family. They were gathered for a dinner to celebrate their impending wedding. Siblings, cousins, uncles, nieces, nephews and grandparents talked and laughed. Such a merry bunch they were. The running joke spoken in his presence was they never thought Lucia would ever marry after hitting thirty. Then a cousin referenced the scandalous secret relationship she had with Giuseppe Dichenzo as the reason. The snatches of conversation Sergio deciphered lay blame on Giuseppe for ruining Lucia’s virtue and other inappropriate things.

Amelda took no offense to the slighted remark
s, but Sergio did and spoke out, translated courtesy of Lucia of course.

“Lucia’s past is not wh
y we’re here, we are celebrating our future.
And
can you please chill with degrading my cousin.”

This seemed to end the Giuseppe bashing, but sour is the taste that clung to Sergio’s mouth. What kind of sister sits
mute and allows people to rag on her brother, he wondered as he glared at Amelda’s smug face?

Lucia tried to defend the teasing. “They mean no
thing by it, this is what famiglia do, no?”

“Not in my family
they wouldn’t,” Sergio whispered angrily as he tried to maintain his cool.

“Every famiglia is
different; some are not as sensitive as others, no?”

“No, yes, what the fuck.” Sergio mumbled and then put the wine glass to his mouth before her gang jumped his behind for
having ‘sensitivity.’

Sergio noticed Matteo constantly glancing in his direction as if he might bolt out the door. That wife of his wasn’t any better in the attitude department; in fact Sergio liked her less than her husband.

He wasn’t accustomed to large gatherings of relatives. In fact, he found it hard to relax with all the noise. They had no idea he was on the verge of telling them to shut up.

Lucia sensed Sergio’s discomfort. “Bello, more food, si?”

“No thanks, I’m full.”

Her pouty mouth formed a smile. “Mi famiglia can overwhelm, yes?”

Italians and their questions. He started to feel caged. Maybe, if he had someone from his side in the mix he wouldn’t.

“I
’m okay Lucia, stop babying me.”

She caressed h
is cheek. “We can go if you like.”

Amelda was staring him down.
That fucking woman had a problem. “Yes, let’s get out of here.”

Lucia tapped her glass with a fork to get everyone’s attention. When they quieted her charm is what Sergio admired. “Grazie famiglia. Sergio and I thank you for this lovely dinner.” She rubbed her distended abdomen. In
four short months the bambino would appear and join those she loved. She was excited at the prospect and happy to have another chance to be a mother. Sergio was young and virile, and with him she was certain to have many more bambini. She was not like Amelda who cared only about business. She preferred to stay at home. Let the men go out and toil in stressful surroundings and then return to a peaceful abode. For her life, enjoying motherhood is what she wanted. She could do as she pleased in leisure and bring pleasure to her husband’s loins. Frown on Amelda, she thought and then beamed with the radiance of pregnancy. “I am tired, so we must go. Ciao!”

As the couple prepared to leave, Lucia’s mother who spoke very little English asked about Sergio’s choice of best man. Lucia translated as they stood near the door perched to exit.

“My mama says the wedding is soon and she must know.”

Sergio had considered asking
Uncle Nico to do the honors, but in light of the latest deaths, he decided to forego tradition and have his sister step in. The more he thought about it, the more he loved the idea of Tonya being at his side at this whirlwind event. “My sister is who I have in mind.”

When Lucia turned to tell
her mother, she shrieked and held her chest. “Aye…aye…no…no!”

Sergio was shocked by the theatrical response
. Mrs. Peglesi continued to wail bringing her elderly parents scampering to her aid. His eyes bulged when she shook a fist in his face, while shouting, “Heathen…ah mio…santo…santo…perché?”

Lucia tried to calm her mother
to no avail. Her other siblings appeared, stroking and talking in a language Sergio didn’t understand, yet
.

“What
have you said to my mama?” Matteo scowled.

A shrug. “That my sister is my choice
for Best Man.”

“Are you
stupido?” Matteo bellowed.

“Eh, fratello, por favore, this is not your wedding.” Lucia
intervened in Sergio’s defense.

Matteo’s eyes were granite. “Cazzo, you will give my mama a heart attack. Best man means
un uomo!”

Sergio shrugged. “Not to me.”

The shrieks continued. Sergio was officially a heathen in their eyes. He refused to bend on who he wanted for Best Person, they could scream to the rafters. Once he started bowing to demands from Lucia’s thuggish family, he’d find himself always kissing their Italian shoes.

“You will reconsider for tua madre’s heart will not take this, capisce?” Matteo sneered close to Sergio’s face with his garlic breath.

“I didn’t know she had a heart condition, she looks healthy to me.”

Matteo’s fist didn’t connect because he was rushed and detained by the
bulky men who had joined the chaos. Their beer and wine stomachs did not hinder the strength of arms holding Matteo from doing harm to Lucia’s future husband.

The sinister woman he called a wife said, “I suggest you take
il ragazzo home Lucia and nurse him with your tit before he receives a beating from mio marito!”

“Zitto Amelda!”

Amelda was as belligerent as her husband.

The yelling match that ensued between the women joined the
chaotic wails of Lucia’s manipulative mother. Sergio escorted Lucia from the mayhem. “Come on Lucia. This isn’t good for the baby. To hell with this craziness.”

“Sí, va!” Amelda smirked as she stood on the side of her husband who had shaken loose
but allowed Sergio to leave without harm due to the pleas of a pregnant sorella and elderly Nonna.

“Your family is
nuts,” Sergio commented when they were safely in their car.

Lucia laughed. “We are passionate that is all.”

Sergio shook his head. He was taking Lucia home and afterward driving down to visit his Uncle Nico. He needed somebody insane but sane to talk him out of calling the wedding off!

***

Nico gripped his wife’s waist.
She had waited for him to come home after another long day of training his protégé. She wore jeans and a tank top that displayed her hefty breasts. He liked the simple attire. Minimalistic is what they were and that’s why they fit so well. He loved how athletic and pretty Ari appeared without effort.

She was very attractive
and the sparingly applied make-up when she ventured out only accentuated her lovely features. Her pixie cut was always perfect. He’d seen her with long hair and honestly he preferred the shorter style. Waiflike and ethereal is what Ari represented.

“You stayed up sweetheart, you didn’t have to.”

Her hands were on his forearms. “I wanted to. Besides, it’s still early.”

“
Yeah, the city that never sleeps fits you to a T.”

“Give me a kiss and be quiet.” She ordered
and when he did she moaned and then chuckled during the lip lock.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, when he detached and
they walked to the kitchen with his arm around her waist.

Ari
’s hand massaged his lower spine. “You missed the drama today.”

Nico was peering in the pot she kept on the stove heaped with pasta and meatballs. He released her for utensils and a plate. As she slid in a chair
she watched him pile a mountain of food on his dish and begin eating before he reached the table.

“Umm, what drama?” he asked with a long spaghetti sliding in
his mouth that Ari considered sexy.

“I went
out today and when I came home I caught Darren making out with a girl.”

Nico
almost choked. “In the house, where was Aaron and ‘Mira when this was going on?”

“They were with me
all day. That son of yours was fully engrossed. Nico, if he gets one of these local girls pregnant I’m whipping his ass!”

“Who’s this girl?”

“Hell, I’ve never seen the girl in my life. I barely see a neighbor, look where we live.”

Ari was right. Their secluded villa was surrounded by hectares of land.
The boy must’ve met the girl at school or in town. “All right, I’ll handle Darren.”

“He did say the girl’s name is Anna
.”

“I’ll talk to him.”

“Yeah, do that and make sure you reiterate the importance of condoms because you’re not the most consistent in that department.”

Nico didn’t argue. He had foregone the prophylactic with two women. He kind of lost his senses on those occasions because he let emotions take over when usually they didn’t. Fucking and making love are separate acts, what he hoped Darren did was fuck, ‘cause if the boy dared say anything about ‘love’ he’d whip his ass and spare Ari the headache.

Love is what he had for Ari…years of tests…some he failed. But, when he got on track he saw through the fog. His self-deprecating behavior had come to an end. He had duties though, Bianca was one of them. He had called to check on her, he’d never tell Ari that. His job entailed keeping secrets and this was one of the many. Bianca was an enforcer, and like any business, it must run efficiently despite any scandals. There wasn’t anything he could do about their past sordid relationship except ensure to avoid any sexual contact in the future.

Anyway, Bianca agreed. He’d keep his
bargain; protect her as vowed and only in extreme emergencies call upon her expertise.

“…and they were humping like gorillas. The boy has moves his daddy doesn’t even have.” Ari was saying.

Nico slurped the noodles. “Um, yeah, care to show me?”

He slid
out of his seat and loosened his pants.

Ari laughed. “We can try but I warn you, you might hurt your back.”

Nico went to stand behind his wife’s seat. He bent over her shoulder and whispered, “My back’s fine sweetheart, worry about your spine.”

He had his hands on her breasts when a light flashed. The
ground sensor had detected a vehicle approaching. His first thought was this girl Anna’s parents had come to address their daughter’s loss of virginity, but when he peered up at the monitor and saw the make of the car; he sighed and zipped his trousers. “Goddamn Sergio.”

Ari said, “Hurry up and get rid of him so I can demonstrate what those kids were doing.”

Nico’s mouth squeezed her cheek. “You bet.”

When Nico allowed Sergio’s car through the gate, he opened the front door and leaned on the frame to await Sergio’s arrival. His
nephew had driven out to the boondocks to visit. Nico surmised that meant he had love troubles.