Alphonso's POV:
I could feel her anxiety rolling off of her in waves. I know that she is scared of us, but I believe that meeting my family could change the way she views us. We are not simply a pack of heartless criminals, we are a family and a great one at that.
I walked inside of the room and nodded in greetings. "Sup, guys."
"Hey, Boss. " they greeted in unison. "Ummm...who's that?" asked one of my men. They were staring intently at Avalon, who was adamant in avoiding their gaze.
"That my friends, is-" I started, but was cut off by one of the cooking staff members, Catarina. She is in her sixties and behaves more like a mother to me than an employee. She took care of me whenever my parents were away so it's no surprise that I have a special place for her in my heart. But that didn't mean that I wasn't itching for my gun to shoot her since she interrupted me.
To summarize her character, I would say that she's not scared to say her mind; she's strong, independent, loving; and most importantly she doesn't take disrespect too kindly. Her anger could best be compared to that of a volcano; hell on earth (one excuse for me not shooting her).But what she said next, shocked all of us.
"Your girlfriend." she said with full confidence, beaming at Avalon and me.
My men were silent. They all held shocked expressions as they looked from me to Avalon. I turned around to look at her, to see how she would react to Catarina's remark. She was still and starring bug eyed at her-it was actually pretty funny.
Then all of a sudden, laughter filled the room.
"Hahahahahaha. Boss with a girlfriend? Impossible!" laughed Franca, Fran for short.
"I know! The day I see him with a girlfriend would surely be the day I die."
"Hahaha. No offense boss, but I was kinda thinking you batted for the other team since I've never seen you with or show...uhmm...what's that word?" said Emilio, snapping his fingers as he scanned the table looking for suggestions.
"Interest?" suggested one of my men.
"That's it! You've never really showed interest toward females." He finished.
I stood there with my mouth gaping wide open. I couldn't believe that this was how they thought of me. "Shut it Emilio before I do it for you!" I yelled. At that they only seemed to laugh even harder.
"Guys calm down, this is very important and should be taken very seriously." piped Giovanni, Catarina's husband. I mentally thanked him; knowing that for sure he wouldn't make the situation more of a joke like my idiotic family.
"Alphonso, men, what I am about to say will be the most important thing you'll ever need to know, and quite frankly, what you all need to pay close attention to. Well, mostly the guys anyway." He began, his face looking so serious that the laughter from before, dissipated. We all gave him our full attention.
"In order to be successful, there are five words used by women that men NEED to know." he began. I dropped my head in utter embarrassment as Giovanni went on with his lecture about relationships. The men stifled their laughter and shook their heads in the process. I can only guess that Giovanni was unintentionally making fun of me.
"The first word is Fine. This is the word used to end an argument when she thinks she is right and you better shut the hell up!"
He got up from his chair and paced around the dining table.
"Next is nothing. This is the word that means something and you better be worried."
He looked directly at his wife who was smiling mischievously. "Then there is go ahead. This is a dare, not permission. So DO NOT DO IT....SERIOUSLY!"
The women who occupied the table were smiling and openly congratulating Catarina for educating Giovanni so well. Now all they hoped for was for the rest to understand.
"Whatever. This is a women's way of saying, "I hope you get shot, fall off a bridge, get raped by a shark, and then eaten by the shark that raped you." He stopped his pacing and walked the distance towards me. He stood in front of me and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Finally, there's the phrase that's ok. These are the words that mean you are fucked. You won't know why, when, or how, but you are seriously fucked man. This is the only way I've been able to survive being with Catarina. I just hope this bit of information helps you survive in your relationship as well."
Once his lecture was done the whole room erupted with laughter. My men either cried, fell out of their chairs, or shook uncontrollably.
I was completely embarrassed, but I gave my thanks to the old man anyway. I walked over to Avalon, who by the looks of it, was embarrassed as well. I took her hand in mine and quickly, but gently ushered her in the room.
"Calm down you morons. I have something I need to say." The laughing quieted down for bit but there were others who coughed to hide it.
"This is my guest, Avalon. She will be staying here until further notice so I expect you all to show her respect."
Everyone nodded, knowing that I was not playing around anymore.
"With all that said, let's eat!" I said, cheering at the end.
