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“A real man knows to always protect himself from unwanted…” I can see he’s searching for a good word, “mold.”
He says it so confidently, but it sounds so bad that I burst out laughing, placing a hand over my mouth.
“Okay, that sounds more like a disease than a child analogy,” he admits sheepishly.
I nod. “At least we know your feelings on children.”
“I’m an amazing uncle,” he says, removing his arm and sitting straighter.
I shake my head, but I’m smiling brightly. “No one denies that, Luigi. Just whether or not you’d be a father with only your wife.”
A few nearby family members laugh.
“Is she giving you a hard time?” Natalia asks, coming up behind me and kissing my head.
Luigi smiles at her, “No, ma’am, she’s just schooling me.”
“Well, be careful. Russian women are really dangerous,” Natalia warns, going around the table and sitting opposite us.
Natalia leans on her elbows. “Any idea what’s on the menu?”
“I briefly passed the kitchen, and I saw lots of platters of mouth-watering garlic bread steaming away! Ready to come to this table.” Luigi grins, rubbing his hands together.
I fall silent as he and Natalia, my first cousin, once removed, start talking.
I try to pay attention, but as I watch Natalia, I realize I don’t even know where she came from. One minute she was in Europe with my second cousins, her parents, but she just showed up and has been here since.
She’s a mystery all of her own.
I’m quickly distracted as everyone stands for Alessandro and Ivan walking out of the house together, followed by their wives and children.
Everyone takes their seats, the nannies take the children, and I sit back down with a smile as our wine glasses are filled. Luigi groans happily as a platter of garlic bread with melted butter is placed on our table.
“Luigi!” his grandmother calls as he reaches across before disciplining him in Italian. When she’s done, I giggle as Natalia asks, “So what did she say?”
“She said I have short arms,” he chuckles. “It’s an Italian thing that means I’m greedy.”
We all laugh under our breath as dishes upon dishes of spaghetti, meatballs, and sauces are brought out by various women of the family.
I would be lost in an Italian kitchen, but I love cooking with my babushka. I wonder if we could ever get Luigi’s grandmother and mine together and have a cook-off.
It’s a pipe dream—those sorts of fun things don’t happen in families like ours.
Luigi is talking to Natalia again about how he wants to travel through Europe, and I go over my plan again.
Arrive at the rave, and establish where Mateo is. Shoot him and exit in the chaos. I just need to get far enough away to where I can order a cab.
There’s a tinkling of glass as Alessandro gently hits the side of his glass with a fork. “Everyone, please settle. We have some news to share.”
We all watch. “Before we start this festive meal, because we are celebrating, let me give you the reasons. As most of you know, the Sorvino family has united many families to achieve this beautiful and diverse group of people. However, we each still have our own territories to run, which comes with its challenges. I want to announce that should something happen to me, I have chosen my brother Francesco as my second and my brother Dominic as consigliere. I am honored to have both of you on my side.”
Everyone erupts in applause, and Frankie and Dominic stand up and shake hands with the people around them. Alessandro holds his hands up. “There is more than enough time to congratulate these old men. Let’s enjoy our meal. Cheers.”
He raises his glass, and we follow suit before taking deep sips from our glasses.
Everyone talks excitedly among themselves. Natalia turns to Luigi, “I get he’s named Frankie as his number two, but what’s a consigliere?”
“It’s a family adviser, someone who counsels the leader of the family.” Luigi shrugs as he dishes up food. “I’m surprised it isn’t the other way around. If he’d picked Dominic over Frankie, it would have defied Frankie’s right as the older brother. Besides, Dominic has got a wiser side to him when it comes to the family business.”
