Chapter 4 Mother’s Approval
Four
Mother’s Approval
Serafina
My mother informs me that Nero is coming over for a visit with his wife, Felicia, this evening.
Felicia is one of the loveliest people I’ve ever met.
We had our first conversation at a women’s luncheon, and with so many women vying for her attention, our conversation was brief.
Still, she was kind and seemed sincere about wanting to get to know me and was patient while listening to my mother ramble about her cookie recipes.
This is the first time Felicia is coming to our home, and my mother is going a little nutty.
She’s changed her outfit three times and has made an emergency hair appointment.
She hasn’t been this excited in a long time, and I love seeing her happy.
Mom fusses in the kitchen, rearranging the cookie tray again.
It’s ridiculous the amount of food we’ve prepared for four people, and just for coffee.
We’ve got a fruit tray, assorted cheeses, and a variety of deli meats and olives.
Then we also have the sweets platter. I love baking, and these are all my treats.
Raspberry bars, mini chocolate cake bites, amaretto cookies, mini peach tarts, and homemade chocolate truffles.
The truffles are my latest obsession. I’ll never be a chocolatier, but I must admit they turned out pretty good.
“Are you sure Felicia said seven thirty?” Mom asks, looking at the clock on the wall for the hundredth time. It’s two minutes to the time, and my mother is getting antsy.
“Mom, calm down. This isn’t the first time you’ve entertained,” I tease. “Marco and Gloria have been here plenty of times.”
“That was when your father was alive.” Mom sighs.
“Times were so much simpler then. Your father always knew what to do. He took care of us.” She clasps her hands around the locket she wears with Dad’s picture inside.
There are times when I see her open the locket and have a chat with Dad as if he’s still with us.
There’s no time limit for grieving, and I don’t think my mother will ever get over my father’s death.
Dad did look after us. He protected us from the ugliness of the world.
Mom was his queen, and I was his princess.
He did his best to keep Mafia business out of our home.
Giusto was his pride and joy, but they butted heads more often than not.
Giusto is impatient and wants instant gratification.
He’s been this way since I can remember.
He’s still the same now. When Dad was around, he was able to fix Giusto’s mistakes and turn them into a learning opportunity.
After Dad’s death, Giusto inherited Dad’s title of underboss, but he stopped learning the lessons that a leader needs to know to be effective.
Giusto wasn’t ready to be an underboss, but out of respect for my father, Marco allowed it.
My brother has been impossible ever since he was given power.
I’d like to blame it on youth and lack of direction, but I can’t.
Giusto has grumbled many times that Marco sends Nero or Luciano to look over his shoulder to keep tabs on him.
Giusto hates it and makes it known that he’s not happy.
What’s worse is the way he treats his wife and girls.
Bianca does her best to avoid her husband and walks on eggshells anytime he’s home.
I can’t remember the last time Giusto showed any kind of affection to his daughters.
He’s upset that he doesn’t have a son and has gone so far as to tell the girls that they’re useless to him.
I think Dad thought Giusto would grow out of this phase, but he only became more self-centered.
It almost killed my father when Giusto was accused of raping Miranda Palloma.
Giusto denies it to this very day. I was too young to remember much of what happened, but I remember Miranda’s brother vowing to get justice.
It was horrible. My mother cried, and my father became a recluse because his illness was so far along and he knew he was dying.
I spent most of my time in my room because I knew Dad was leaving me, and he was my hero.
After Dad’s death, our lives fell apart. Giusto took over the business side of things, and he rarely came home. I thought that when he married Bianca, things would get better. Bianca’s adorable, and before my brother doused her flame, she was happy and full of life.
How did things get so messed up? I’ll never understand.
“Dad may not be here, but we are, and we’re going to make sure that Nero and Felicia have a wonderful time,” I tell her. Mom smiles brightly, and right on cue, the doorbell sounds. “I’ll get it,” I announce, giving Mom a moment to compose herself.
My heels click on the tiles as I hurry along to open the front door.
Eros
Serafina swings open the door and is stunned into silence when she sees that Nero and Felicia are not alone.
The last time I saw Serafina in person, she was just a young girl.
She’s definitely not a child any longer.
She’s a stunning woman. Her long, flowing dark hair trails past her shoulders and down her back, her large almond-shaped brown eyes gaze at me with curiosity, and her sultry lips are slightly parted in surprise.
Felicia is the first to break the silence. “Serafina, it’s so good to see you again. Can we come in?” she asks, jolting Serafina out of her stupor.
“My apologies.” She moves aside. “Please come in.”
“I hope you don’t mind that we brought Eros with us,” Nero says, glancing over at me. “We thought this would be a good opportunity to have the two of you meet.”
Serafina’s mother has raised her well because she immediately replies, “We’re delighted to have you join us, Mr. Palloma.” I take it one step further, stretching out my hand for her to take. Her hand trembles as it fits into mine.
“Please call me Eros,” I say, our eyes locked.
Her lips part, and she begins to speak, but is interrupted as an older woman who resembles Serafina comes to join us. Her hair is much shorter, reaching just under her chin in a chic silver bob, and her eyes are much like Serafina’s, perhaps a shade lighter than her daughter’s dark brown.
“You shouldn’t keep our guests in the hall, Serafina.
” Vera Candida has changed since I last saw her.
She was once a very self-assured, happy woman.
Vera is still a lovely older woman, but she walks much more slowly and seems shyer and more reserved.
However, she remembers me. “Eros,” she says with a gasp.
“Mrs. Candida, I hope you don’t mind that I came along this evening. I’d like to have a moment with you alone, if you don’t mind, of course.” I keep my tone soft and soothing, but her eyes hold concern. “I promise that you may be pleasantly surprised by my visit,” I add, giving my best grin.
Vera returns a weak smile, but when I hold out my arm for her to slip hers through, she graciously accepts. Vera looks to Nero, who gives her a nod and a smile. “Let’s go into Egidio’s office. We will have privacy,” she says.
I look over my shoulder and see that Serafina is clearly concerned, but Felicia quickly steps in and takes her into the room adjoining the hall, speaking quietly in her ear, with Nero right behind them.
Vera opens the door to her late husband’s office.
It’s neat and tidy, without a speck of dust. She’s maintained this room as if Egidio is still with us.
Photos of the family adorn the walls, with a family portrait over the fireplace.
It’s a very old picture. Egidio was in the prime of his life, standing tall and very proud of his young family.
Vera is by his side, her arm linked with his, looking adoringly up at her husband, who holds their daughter in his arms. The little girl is wearing a frilly pink dress and has rosy cheeks.
She leans into her father, resting on his shoulder.
Giusto is completely uninterested in posing for the photo, but what boy wants to sit still when they’d rather be playing?
He was a cute kid and had more of his father’s olive complexion and larger bone structure.
Even as a toddler, it was clear that Serafina was going to be a beauty. She’s a dainty little thing, and it’s obvious from the picture that she loved her daddy.
“What has Giusto done now?” Vera asks, interrupting my thoughts.
I guide her to the armchair next to the fireplace and sit across from her. “What makes you think Giusto’s in trouble?”
“Giusto has distanced himself from Serafina and me since Egidio’s death.
He calls when he needs something and only comes to visit on holidays.
Most of the time, he calls when he needs a babysitter for the girls.
My son, I love him, but he’s not the man I hoped he would become,” Vera tells me.
I can see that her son’s actions, or inactions, cause her strain.
“Mrs. Candida—”
“Please let me finish.” She holds up her hand.
I nod for her to go on. “My husband had high hopes for Giusto. Egidio took him everywhere, doted on him, and I was worse. Such a handsome young man, and the girls loved him,” she says with a grin, then immediately frowns again.
“What happened to your sister, Miranda, should never have happened. I cried for your family.” The sound of Miranda’s name has me clenching my jaw.
I want to interrupt but allow her to continue.
“A mother wants to believe their children. I need to believe that Giusto is telling the truth. To even contemplate anything different is…unfathomable. My husband suffered greatly, and before his death, he said he needed to protect his family. Right or wrong, he was a dying man, and he too believed his son. If you are here this evening for the truth, then I will give you this: I don’t know if Giusto was the man responsible for what happened to your sister, but I have to believe”—she pounds her fist to her heart—“in here that he would never hurt a woman the way your sister was abused.”
The plea of a mother, I can understand. It doesn’t change my opinion on Giusto. I know he’s responsible, and therefore, his tragic ending will not alter. However, to inflict more grief on Vera is unnecessary.
“I have not come here to discuss Giusto. I have come for Serafina. Am I correct in assuming that you are unaware of the role I played in removing an enemy from the alliance of the Mafia capos?” I ask.
“No. I rarely hear about business.”
“It’s the way Egidio would want it. I’m sure he wanted to shield you from family business,” I say, and she nods.
“I am moving into the role of underboss. And to be perfectly honest, I will be relieving Giusto of his duties, and he will work for me. This is not a decision made lightly by our capo. It seems there have been many issues that have arisen in Giusto’s territory, and his men are unhappy.
Marco is trying to unite two families that have been tore apart by Miranda’s death, and to do so, he would like a marriage to take place between Serafina and me. ”
She reaches out to take my hand and squeezes it tightly. “Serafina is a good woman. She deserves a man who will care for her. You can’t give her that with all the hate you hold in your heart for our family. Please don’t do this to my girl.”
“I can see that Serafina is a kind and gentle soul. She takes care of her mother and dotes on her nieces. I hear nothing but lovely things said about her, and much of that from my own mother.” This catches Vera’s attention, her brows rising.
“Yes, my mother. Mom also tells me that you are a fine woman, and she misses having you as a friend. I can’t promise to be the perfect husband, because I’m a hard man and will need to spend much of my time undoing the mess your son created.
However, I will promise you that Serafina will be protected, respected, and treated with care, as long as she does the same for me.
Her allegiance will be to her husband and La Famiglia.
If Serafina is the woman I believe her to be, then our marriage will work. ”
“Giusto—”
“I am putting my feelings aside. As long as Giusto does the work I need him to do, we’ll get along fine. If not, I’m afraid I will need to involve our capo,” I respond honestly.
Vera sighs. “Giusto will fight you.”
“I’m sorry, but if he does, I will fight back.”
“This is no real choice, is there? You’ve come to tell me, not ask me, about our future.”
“Mrs. Candida, I want this to work for both you and Serafina. My mother and father are willing to make peace and unite our families, as am I. Neither you, Serafina, nor I can control Giusto or his actions. My mother has already asked that we call her once Serafina agrees to the marriage because she would love to meet with you and visit her friend again.”
Her hands clasp my cheeks, and she says quietly, “Take care of my daughter. Keep her away from Giusto. I’ve seen the bruises when she comes back from his home. She goes for Bianca and the girls, and it would kill Serafina to be separated from Anita and Alia.”
“We’ll find a way to make it work,” I vow.
“This has been unexpected and a little frightening, Eros. But I feel hopeful, and I believe you when you say that you will do your best.” Vera kisses my cheek. “We’d better join the others. Serafina is probably climbing the walls,” she says with a laugh, and with that, I have a mother’s approval.