A Mob Boss's Honour

29. Responsibility

It was night time. Lothario Alessandrini was still in his office working. He went through the paper work on his desk. He was almost done and was ready to go to bed. Just then the phone rang. It was Gerardo Bellagio. They had a conversation about their business meeting tomorrow. That took a few minutes and just when Lothario thought Gerardo was going to hang up, he mentioned that his son wanted to take Lena out on another date. Gerardo was asking if he had any concerns about them having another public outing.

Lothario approved of the arrangements and said he had no concerns. Why would he? He then hung up and started tidying up his desk. His thoughts went back to his daughter. He cared for his daughter so much. She was precious to him. He did not take her safety lightly. He had to be extra cautious with Lena now that she was a teenager and did not allow her to have as much freedom as his son Luigi. He had his reasons.

Ever since Lena was just a toddler he had built up walls around her. He had tried to protect her as much as he could. But one of his biggest worries had been for when she became a teenager. He had been concerned that she would have fallen for a boy who he did not approve of in terms of their personal values and capability of protecting her. He did not know how to reject the one she loved without breaking her heart if he did not approve of the boy she loved.

The only boy he could see as worthy of his daughter was Gianluca Bellagio. He was the perfect young man with honour that not only fit his criteria for anyone dating his daughter but he exceeded his expectations too. Gianluca was no ordinary teenager. He was fierce, he was smart, he had honour and respect, he had common sense. He was glad that his daughter had said yes to going out with him at that dinner party at the house of Belaggio. After she had said yes to dating him, she had become his official girlfriend. Gianluca and Lena were so young. They were years away from marriage. But the thought of possibilities of his daughter choosing to marry Gianluca at an adult age made him feel at ease slightly. His daughter was too young now. But she was the exact same age that his wife Lidia was when she had started dating Lothario. Years later, Lidia had become his wife.

If Lothario was an ordinary man and his wife was an ordinary woman, he would not have given much thought to who Lena was dating as a teenager beyond a family check in person to see if the young man had a family who knew to treat women with respect. He would not have even had to think of possibilities of them marrying one day in a decade or so. But he was no ordinary man and neither was his wife, Lidia. They were both from crime families. And that wasn't just all.

Lothario finished tidying up his desk and decided to pour himself a drink before he went to bed. He poured some whiskey into a glass and sat down on his chair behind his desk. He started drinking as the memories of his past came to him. He had fallen in love as a teenager with Lidia Marino, who was now the mother of his children. She was from a crime family like how he was and their fathers were friends and did business together. But the Marino family lived in Sicily. That was were they lived. Lidia had been sent to New York to live with her aunt and study. Her family wanted her to be educated in America and go to college just like how her aunt had been. Lothario's grandfather had made sure Lidia's aunt and Lidia were always safe and comfortable. Lothario had met Lidia in school and they had quickly bonded and made a connection. Their families approved of their relationship. They had gone to college and had gotten married. Their lives had been perfect. They had two children together, Luigi and then Lena.

Lothario was content with his life. Their children grew up slowly and Lothario could not be more proud of them. But then one day three years ago, Lidia had insisted that they attend a funeral of a close family friend of the Marinos in Sicily. Lothario did not think attending the funeral of a close family friend who was not a blood relative could warrant making so many arrangements for their safety to take the whole family with them. But he had been convinced by his wife. The trip seemed safe so they had made the journey. When they had arrived in Sicily they had stayed at the home of Lidia's family, the Marino crime family. They had attended the funeral and of course over the coming days Lothario and his family had interacted with the other mourning families over some, church time, lunch time and dinner time gatherings.