Elsa
Uncle Lorenzo gets up from his chair and starts pacing around, clearly perturbed by the truth of the matter.
“Why?” that’s the first thing that comes out of his mouth after a good amount of deafening silence.
“He saved me from that attack on that night of the party. He took me to his home and kept me away from Federico’s plans for these last weeks,” I respond, hoping they can understand my point of view of the situation.
“He what? He might have saved you, yes. We can’t deny that but why did he keep you that long without letting us know? We were so worried,” he says, throwing his arms in frustration.
I know you guys were worried.
“I have met with Don Marcello a couple of times since July. Like three times or so, and he didn’t even try to tell me a thing yet I told him how we have been looking for you? What did he want? How did he know that you had been attacked, anyway?
“He was at the party,” I begin.
“Yes, I remember inviting him, ” he cuts in.
“And he had been watching Federico’s movement the whole time. He noticed that he had been watching me closely and his guards had been following me around. When I left early, he also left immediately after. That’s why he followed him and then found him when he was about to kill me. I don’t know what happened because I passed out. After all, I was terrified. When I woke up, I was at his house. He saved me.”
“Why? That’s the biggest question right now, Elsa. He is not a town hero to go around saving people in Sicily. He obviously has a reason why he did it. If it was nothing to be suspicious about, then he would have brought you home thereafter. We would have been grateful and possibly able to understand his motives, but no. He took you to his home and kept you captive, hid you from your family, ” Lorenzo said, fuming with fury. He threads his hands through his long hair and puts his hands on his hips. He is so mad at Marcello, just like I was when I had just known about him
“He didn’t keep me captive, Zio. He does not want anything from us. He just wanted to protect me from Federico. Federico wants me dead, zoo. He wants our family’s wealth, and since I am Papa’s heir, I am like a block in his plans,” I try explaining.
“We all know about Federico and his intentions toward this family, but who gave Marcello Viscuso the right to intervene? Isn’t it suspicious that he would decide to protect you and keep you for that long without any motive? Didn’t it ever cross your mind that he could be siding with Federico? You can’t just believe what anyone tells you, Elsa. At some point, you should not believe even what you see with your own eyes. This world can be so full of deceit, especially the mafia. Marcello is the capo of the Sicilian Mafia. We sit on the same committee but I don’t trust anyone in that society. I don’t trust them to be good enough to do something like that, ” he says. I don’t know why it is so irritating that they have refused to believe that Marcello had no evil intentions.
“He could have at least let us know, dear. We are capable of protecting our family ourselves. We don’t need a stranger’s help,” Rosa says. I turn to glare at her but look away. Stranger?
She has the nerve to include herself in our family. She is the biggest intruder here.
“He had reasons why he kept this from you, Zio. You sit on the same committee, right? Maybe you can try to meet him and talk about it,” I suggest, but my gut wrenches at a horrible that that that may not be possible since he may be dead.
Please be alive.
“What reasons? Did you agree to be there for that long or did he force you, or threaten you? I don’t trust him, at all. He is a bloodthirsty gangster. Did he hurt you?” Diana inquires.
“He didn’t force me, ” I respond. Yes, he did. He made it impossible for me to escape and threatened to lock me up in his dungeon for the night if I disobeyed his orders. Yes, he threatened me. Threatened to spank at every little mistake, even just rolling my eyes. But I don’t want to make Marcello look bad in front of my family. I finally managed to understand him and his intentions, not because I was blackmailed by his bug dick but because I had finally got to know him, and fallen in love with him.
“He explained to me how much Federico wants me out of the way and how low he is willing to stoop to get what he wants. He even tried to attack Marcello several times, wanting to kill him and get his hands on but he managed to survive. I was finally convinced that he really wanted to protect me even when he wanted nothing in return. The only mistake he ever made was not letting you know but he has his reasons, ” I tell them.
“Then why did he finally let you go? Has he got rid of Federico? Is he sure you are now safe or did he just fade up from fighting a battle he can’t win? ” Rosa asks, her words hitting differently in my brain.
“Yes, Elsa. Why did he finally let you go? ” Diana inquires.
“I also don’t know. I had always pressed him to let me go. I really wanted to go home, because I missed you guys and my old life. I really wanted to go away. Last week, he just told me I was free to go. He just told me her doesn’t want to keep protecting me if I am unhappy under this guard. He just said that and disappeared. He went away. His right hand told me he usually goes away for business for some time without communication. I waited for him to come back because I was worried and scared at the same time. I just couldn’t come back just like that, until this morning when I heard the news that he has been shot in Naples,” I stop, feeling emotional and tears welling up in my eyes. I did not know that I was shaking until Zia held me tighter in her embrace.
“But Gabrielle told me that the press doesn’t tell the truth all the time. That there is a possibility of him still being alive but he also didn’t sound sure. ” I stop talking and blink back the tears. I don’t want to show off any emotion of that kind about the man whom they all probably think is the enemy. I think I have narrated beyond what is necessary, but I kinda got caught up. The memories.
Lorenzo sits down once more when things get tougher. The room is more silent than a graveyard for the minutes that follow. I look down at my feet, my mind lost in praying for Marcello to be fine. Lorenzo buries his face in his hands.
“I don’t think it is confirmed yet or else I would have already been informed. Don Marcello is so important in the Sicilian Mafia. He is an asset we can’t lose, but putting all that aside, he has a lot to answer to me. I will make sure I see him about that,” he finally says.
Then he looks up at me, his eyes red.
“If you are sure that he is a good person, then he won’t refuse to see me. He will be able to answer all my questions without hesitation,” he says.
“But what matters right now is that you are back home safe and sound. I think you need to have something to eat and rest.”
I nod, having nothing to say and feeling tired to the bones.