A Mob Boss's Family (Book 2 Of The New York Mafia Trilogy)

74. Family Ties & Weddings (Part 5)

Francesco was walking alone around his grandfather's property breathing in the scent of roses in the gardens and fresh rain on the ground and soaking up the sun. It was a beautiful day. He couldn't ask for a more beautiful day on his wedding. But his thoughts were too occupied to enjoy the variation of scenery on his grandfathers' property.

Francesco was thinking about his wedding and how it was going to proceed. Many thoughts came to his mind. Was this wedding good enough for Adele? He hoped so. But his angel had given him her approval. Francesco admitted to himself that he didn't mind the wedding in Sicily either.

If someone had asked Francesco where he preferred to have his wedding he would have said anywhere that didn't have too many bad memories attached. When he came to think of it, a wedding in Sicily that Adele had agreed on was in some ways fitting since he didn't have any bad memories from Sicily that he didn't want to revisit. His Sicilian family had never done anything to change his family's life. They had never taken a step to make his family's life better but they hadn't made it worse either. They hadn't stopped the divorce and hadn't picked on how violent Paulo Rosario could get with his family if he was displeased. But they hadn't thrown obstacles in Francesco's life either. So he felt at peace. There were some fond memories he had of this place he could recall.

Francesco was smiling as he was walking past olive trees planted around a beautiful path that lead to a water fountain as though walking through memory lane. This used to be the spot where he hung out with boys his age. There was a pool around the fountain down the path that was massive enough to swim in. When his father was doing business with his allies, Francesco used to hang out with sons of those men his father did business with. The boys used to dive into the water and enjoy the sun for hours and hours splashing water around.

Francesco smiled at his memories of the summer holidays at this property. He used to love getting his expensive clothes wet alongside others and run or cycle with his peers to the near by town buying gelato and pastries while their clothes dried under the heat of the Sicilian summer sun. They used to eat any sweet delicacies in town that couldn't be found elsewhere and raced back to the property only to skip meals and Mama Adriana to complain why the boys weren't eating enough. Those were good moments and none of them included his father.

Francesco's father was almost always in meetings when he was at the Don's mansion and when he was not, he never even bothered to do what other fathers did. He never bothered to play baseball or football with Francesco or Costanzo like how other fathers did. There used to be teams of sons against their fathers playing ball and Paulo Rosario was never one of those fathers preferring drinking with his brother Piero in the shade while other fathers were playing and women were having picnics.

Paulo Rosario was a cold father, a dangerous father, a controlling father, a father that Francesco despised, a father that Francesco wanted to have nothing to do with and of course Paulo Rosario was a father who Francesco wanted to never resemble in any way in terms of how he treated family. He was determined that when he started a family he was not going to be like his father.

Francesco so badly wanted to make his father realise what he had done to his family was wrong. He wanted to marry Adele and live a prosperous life alongside her. He wanted to raise his children with care and love proving his father wrong that he was nothing like him. He wanted his wife and children to truly feel loved by him and never fear him or feel threatened by him. He wanted to make sure his father saw what he had lost amongst other plans that were forming in his mind.

Once Francesco reached the fountain, he stopped and stared at the water sparkling under the sun. He closed his eyes and pictured himself in a few years time with Adele living a happy life with children who were loved and felt loved.... It was his dream. It was a dream he was eager to achieve above anything else he ever wanted.