Dante helps me into the vehicle, sitting beside me and resting his hand on my thigh. We drive for thirty minutes along winding roads and arrive at a luxurious country house with numerous BMWs, Range Rovers, and a Mercedes.
As we get out, he reiterates that everyone is going to be floored when he shows up with me as he’s never brought a woman to meet his mother before. I take that as a compliment, even though I know the only reason we’re doing any of this is to save both our lives.
As we enter the warmly decorated house, its an open floor plan, more modern than most with a large family room and a kitchen on the left. There is a huge patio of pavers at the back and a row of trees on the right side. It makes a perfect covering for the large table set up for an afternoon feast.
“Dante!” A woman approaches us, in her late fifties judging from the streaks of grey in her hair and the cut. She’s rapidly removing an apron when her eyes fall on me.
“Mama!” Dante kisses her on both cheeks. “This is Juliet,” he continues, and I assume he’s saving the big news for later. “Juliet, allow me to introduce my mother, Regina.”
“Oh, my dear . . .” She looks me up and down, and for a minute, I think she might cry, then she kisses both my cheeks as I do in return. “Welcome, come in, oh, my hair is a mess. I’ve been cooking all day, so don’t mind me. Come in, come in . . .” She gives Dante a look of approval that she doesn’t realize I catch.
She links her arm thorough mine and escorts me to the patio where the rest of the clan is relaxing over drinks. Dante is so close I can feel his presence even when he’s not touching me.
She introduces me first to her son, Sal, who greets me warmly before moving to talk quietly with Dante. Next, I’m introduced to Marcello, the youngest of the three brothers. I assume they all have some hand in the business but know better than to bring it up.
I’m touched by the warm welcome I get. Dante’s mother’s housekeeper brings out the antipasti as a light summer breeze kicks up. My dress swirls gently around my legs, teasing them with the soft brush of the fabric. It makes me think of Dante’s fingers when he’s being gentle during sex, but I quickly drag my mind away from any naughty fantasy for now.
His younger brother excuses himself to talk with the guys, and I help his mother in the kitchen and setting the table with glasses, then I carry out a pitcher of iced tea and lemonade. His mother keeps trying to shoo me away by saying “Basta,basta”, but I was raised to be helpful, and I’m not used to being waited on by anyone, let alone my future mother-in-law.
“Nessun problema.” I fend off her protests and carry out a large plate of veal scallopini with arugula salad on top. She follows behind me with two other side dishes, and I glance over at Dante, who is in a serious conversation with his brothers. Then, I catch Sal slap him on the back in brotherly fashion as they all let out a familiar laugh as if they had a good joke.
I’m wondering what’s up. Did they know about Dante’s plan? Surely, they are part of the family business. Their dad and grandfather were heads of the entire region in organized crime. They all drive expensive cars, way too expensive for a normal Italian to drive, and they are dressed in nice casual wear with expensive shoes and Rolex watches. Yeah, they’ve got to be involved.
Then it dawns on me that their mother must know as well, and I realize with a thud that I shouldn’t do anything to piss off anyone around this dinner table.
23
Dante
Ican tell Juliet and my mother are getting along, and I’m happy and relieved. It buys me time to talk to my brothers on the side and fill them in on the change in direction that Conti has taken, giving in to our demands but then placing the sword of Damocles over our heads at the same time.
My brothers and I decide to increase security so that we don’t have a repeat of years ago with hits going out everywhere. It would attract unwanted attention, and the last thing we need is the government breathing down on us day and night and watching our every move. I doubt Conti would like that, either, with all the skeletons he has in his closet.
We sit down to a family meal with Juliet as the guest of honor. I excuse myself to go into the house and bring out a bottle of Italian sparkling wine, popping it by the table.
“Dante, what are you doing?”
“Well, Mama, it’s a special occasion.”
“What?” She drags the word out in disbelief that I would have such important news.
I look around the table, making sure I have everyone’s attention. “Juliet and I are getting married. I think that calls for a toast, no?” I look at my mother with slightly raised eyebrows as I continue to fill and hand around the crystal flutes.
After a brief stunned silence, I smile, laugh, raise my own glass to the group, and am the first to lead the toast with a hearty “Salute”. The rest join in, clinking their glasses, and conversation resumes.
The toast might be bittersweet to me but is genuine for everyone else around the table. Even though this is sudden, my brothers help to sell it by adding the traditional ‘ha-ha, our brother is no longer a bachelor’ guy talk and they give me a difficult time. But I can tell that deep down they are fine with Juliet and actually hope we’ll be happy.
Marcello wanders over and claps me on the shoulder.
“Congratulations, brother. You need companionship, however you can get it, and I’m happy for you. I would hate to see you become empty inside like Babbo was before he passed, and I have been worried for years that you’ve been on the same path.”
He’s a man of few words, so that’s a big speech for him, and I’m touched. When I think about it, Babbo must have been pretty unhappy. When we were younger, I think he had mistresses, but I’m more loyal than that and I don’t have any inclination to cheat on Juliet. Should she constantly refuse me in bed, yes, but I don’t anticipate that behavior in her. If anything, I think she loves sex as much as I do, and looking at her in that elegant but casual dress, I’m struck again by just how beautiful she is. I wouldn’t be surprised if she has men checking her out every time she walks down the street, and I’m happy that either Flavio or Enzo will always be with her to make sure she’s safe.
Marcello clears his throat quietly and it breaks my reverie.
“So, Conti?”
“I think it’s okay. We have associates in the south watching the port and Conti’s compound. I’d love to use drones, but of course, they can’t be flown at night, and I can’t risk Conti’s men seeing them.”