Act of Necessity Ch. 09-10

"Yes," she said immediately, knowing all along this was coming.

There were a few tears from the women when we hugged and kissed. Applause from the parents and brothers' families followed. A big hug and a kiss for me from Mama Rosina was better than anything that might have been said at that moment. Eduardo's now familiar clap on the shoulder and firm handshake was the finishing touch. Carlo's handshake and man-hug was welcome as well. I shook the hands of my future brothers-in-law and kissed the cheeks of their wives. It was a very special moment for me. The wives would decide when the wedding would take place as tradition would have it. I would be told the details when all was decided.

My only family would be Darlene. I had told her of my intentions Friday morning when I left for work. She knew it was coming and was very happy for me. She was now in a serious relationship with a man named Jared Burton. He was the assistant manager of the mall where Darlene's store was located. They had struck up an acquaintance as Jared toured the mall, making sure the tenants were all following the rules and getting the help they needed from his staff. I thought the two of them were headed in the right direction. I liked Jared and he appeared to be a solid citizen, unlike my sister's first husband.

The wedding was planned for mid-September during the harvest season. It was timed to be on the same weekend as the harvest festival in Magione, assuring that there would be plenty of food vendors available to us. It would be catered by the same people who had done Gio and Sam's wedding. Our honeymoon was being kept somewhat secret, since once again Eduardo wanted to do something special for his daughter and his new son-in-law.

The honeymoon trip turned out to be a rail tour of Northern Italy, beginning in Florence, then Genoa, across to Monaco, then Milan, before returning to Perugia. It would be ten days, with some time to enjoy each of the stops since the rail segments were short. We were very happy with their gift and said so a number of times. Francesca admitted that she had not been to Monaco or Genoa, so much of it would be new to her as well.

I got an even bigger surprise when Darlene was invited to the wedding, complete with airfare, just as I had been at Gio and Sam's wedding. I had a feeling Mama Rosina had something to do with this. My sister was thrilled, of course. She had never been off the North American continent, just as I had not until I went to Italy. It gave me a taste of Europe and some of the ancient history of that land. I promised myself that sometime in the future we would return..

~*~

Francesca and I have been married for almost eight years now. A lot has happened in that time. The most important apart from our wedding was the birth of our two children, Edward and Rose. Our son will be going into grade two this September, while his sister will be in kindergarten. Francesca looks as beautiful as ever. Motherhood becomes her.

I sold the old family home for an obscene amount of money. Apparently, that old real estate maxim of "location, location, location" was absolutely correct. We now own a very nice split level home in Burnaby, not far from Simon Fraser University. Oh, we also have a dog. Norton is a mixed breed we got from the SPCA, mostly Border Collie we're told. He's a great dog and a perfect companion to the children. He's no beauty, but we love him anyway.

Darlene married Jared and they now live in Richmond. They own a duplex and rent out the other half. Apparently it almost covers their mortgage. I split the profit on the sale of our family home with her. It seemed like the right thing to do. They have one child, a boy named William, after Jared's father. She's happy and I'm satisfied he's a good guy who won't let her down. We see each other regularly.

I don't suppose it will come as a great surprise, but Eduardo and his family were the people behind the numbered company that bought Day and Night restaurants. They owned fifty-one percent of the company, while Carlo owned the forty-nine percent balance. One of our wedding gifts was a share in the company. It came from the Mariani shares. I'm now a part owner of the business.

Carlo had come to Eduardo when the original owners wanted to sell. He couldn't raise or borrow enough money to complete the purchase, so he approached Eduardo. My father-in-law was looking for a way to promote his family wines and the restaurants were the ideal starting point. Today, there are six locations and two more being contemplated on Vancouver Island. The business is a success despite some heavy competition, but we've stuck to our original premise and, with a very high repeat business, we do quite well.

I still have the occasional nightmare about my encounter with Aldo Ferraro. I'm not proud of what I did, but I've rationalized it as a pre-emptive strike to preserve the safety of Francesca and myself. If that makes me a bad person ... well ... so be it. I did what I had to do for the family. It was an act of necessity.

END