Chapter 7 - Traditions

A family wouldn't be what they are without a tradition they practice, perhaps it serves as a foundation of an everlasting bond. It could be materialistic, celebrated, or remembered. Every family should have this so-called ritual going on. And to pay respects to those who came up with it, a commemoration could be held. A tribute, rather.

Speaking of, the Manzo Family is being expected to drop by at Villa Marina by next week as Dino himself has convinced his wife Cristina to come to America. Of course, she will need protection and her husband will provide it. Being a mobster's wife sure has dangers in it, that is why the Don makes sure that she'll arrive in one piece.

On the other hand, the duo Vincent and Grant brought the car to the freights, deciding to take a flight back to New York after getting their job done to dissolve the Hopkins Crime Family and kick them out of the competition. Once a powerful family, they were now easily dissolved by the rival mob group.

Soon as the two arrive at the Marina family's mansion, a guest was also there to visit Dino. The guest made a good impression out of the novices. With the proper posture and how grim the guest is, even Grant who doesn't fear anything had a gulp to show how intimidated he is.

"Ah, good afternoon, gentlemen. You guys had lunch already? I made Risotto for everyone." Dino welcomed Vincent and Grant after their mission.

"No, thanks. Grant here had a little request to eat on Timid Timmy's." Vincent took a seat after replying.

"Fast food? No, oh no. You should eat more." Don Manzo shows how hospitable he is.

"I'm still full, Don Manzo. Let's save it for dinner." The hitman from Mexico insisted.

"Okay, got it. Um, oh. I would like you two to meet Luca Romano." He introduced the Romano Crime Family's Godfather.

"Ciao, gentlemen." Don Romano's profound voice greets them.

"Good afternoon, Don Romano." Vicente greeted back.

"What about this one? Is he mute or something?" Luca notices that Grant didn't speak.

"He doesn't socialize well, Luca. You know how kids act these days, and you gotta keep that in mind." Dino clarified it.

"Oh, I thought he got his tongue cut. But I'm glad he doesn't act up like my kids." Don Romano cheers them up with a chuckle.

"Fuck no, I don't do that shit." Grant was caught off guard with it.

"Good, now take a seat. Dino ought to introduce you guys to me even if you aren't some kind of Wiseguys that I do business with." Don Luca tells Grant to sit down.

"No, we won't induct non-Italians to be in this thing. But sure, we could do business with them." Don Manzo explained why he couldn't turn both of them into made men soon as they learn more about their thing.

"Right, old school, hmmm? I like that." Don Romano smirked.

"How many times do I have to say that I came here to resume the family tradition? Little Italy's reborn because of us. Our people are back where they belong and I love it." Dino also smirked, seeing his plans getting executed accordingly.

"You make it sound like we're extinct and suddenly resurfaced in this land." Luca realized how it looked like.

"You know what else is old school? Your mindset. I don't wanna feel I'm being left out." Dino had the nerves to poke fun at Don Romano.

"Very funny, Dino. You don't know what 'respect your elders' mean." Luca just kept his smile.

"Yeah, I know. So now that the major families are now in America, what now?" Don Manzo poured sambuca on each glasses on the table.

"Let's see... Marina Family from Sicily, Manzo Family from Florence, the Leones from Naples, the Cenni Clan from Milan, the Pisanos from Palermo, and us, the Romanos from Rome. I'd say we're up for yet another prohibition." Luca still couldn't stop with the gags.

"Pretty much, that's it. Six families, and we also affiliate ourselves with the small ones. A little helping hand wouldn't hurt, right?" Dino took a sip of the wine glass.

"That sounds about right... Don't you see how we're interconnected?" Luca was glad upon the realization.

"I love how it turned out. Our fathers became made men and worked for the boss of bosses that we never even met. Isn't that interesting?" Don Manzo mentions their roots.

"If we only met the legend himself." Don Romano held the goblet, inspecting the wine in it.

Vincent and Grant were then out of place again, until Dino brought them to the conversation. "Anyway, you should ask these two what they just did."

"Okay... What is it?" He asked enthusiastically.

"Vafanculo, they're now extinct. We should watch the news to find out." Dino then turned the TV on near the living room.

"The Hopkins Family? They're past their prime, right? They can't take back what's once theirs anymore. What happened?" The Romano Family's Don was confused about it.

"Just watch the report, will you? Even if we hate exposure from the media, we should take down notes." Don Manzo insists that they should pay attention to the news report.

"I'm sure they'll come up with a lousy conclusion with it, then the case will get closed." Grant knows how the news works.

"If you two left traces, we're done." Dino stared at the television screen while talking to both Grant and Vincent.

"The job's well done, boss. I assure you that." Vincent's confidence was through the roofs as he assures it.

"That old Seymour guy and the whole thing with the Hopkins... What's up with it?" Grant turned a chair around, oddly sitting on it.

"See, Seymour Hopkins was this gangster who disregarded every connection he put together just to take all the money and resources like he was running out of it. He grew old with no friends and his degenerate sons were the only ones left to continue his comedic career of a mobster." Dino tells them a hint of the past.

"Don't over-explain it, Dino. Man's just made poor decisions. And he had it coming..." Luca simplified what Dino said.

"Maybe he rewatched Goodfellas every single time and thinks he's Henry Hill or something," Manzo referred to the iconic film made by Martin Scorsese.

"Ah, Scorsese. My man." Luca shows much love to his favorite filmmaker.

"You do look like the old man." Dino notices the resemblance.

"Who? Seymour?" Don Romano didn't get what he said.

"No, Scorsese. But more... Plus-sized." Don Manzo turns the television off, sitting on the dining table along with them.

"You shouldn't have been a Mafioso, Dino. The door's always open for you as an entertainer." Vincent also joined them at the table.

"Like stand-up comedy? Oh, shut it." Don Manzo poured his liquor of choice in his glass then again.

"All jokes aside, but how does Antonella manage to get such astounding furniture?" Luca Romano couldn't take his sights off of the seat he was sitting in.

"You know her, she's the one with the eye of a connoisseur." Dino sees his childhood friend as some sort of a keen critique.

"I see. And what is she into right now?" Luca Romano asked curiously.

"A little designing, freelance modeling, and stuff like that. She recently made it to the papers, now that's what you call progress." Dino cared to explain.

"Would you call her privileged, Dino?" Luca then throws a critical question

"We all are, Don Romano." Don Manzo came up with a bold answer.

Luca didn't dare to respond but instead, a smirk in realization had him silent. Dino has a reputation to make everyone shut their mouths with straight-forward feedback, letting the factor of intimidation consume them. Amongst the families that have recently been destined to the United States, the Manzo Family is the most powerful and influential of them all.

A battle of intimidation has begun, and Don Romano wouldn't let it pass. "You have a fair point."

"Va bene, and?" Dino Manzo was just toying with his fellow man of honor.

"What I'm trying to say is when did one of us experience oppression?" Luca tweaked the subject slightly.

"The better question would be: Why would we?" Don Manzo threw a challenging question.

"Again, you are avoiding the question." Don Romano was in denial.

"No, you are." Dino grinned, wiping his hand with a clean, white handkerchief.

For obvious reasons, Don Romano was outmaneuvered. But he wouldn't just admit it with his pride oozing all over. He had the power, the honor, but Dino did it better despite him being the younger guy. "Can we just get into the business, shall we? You're making it hard for me."

"Sure, go on. As long as you give my boys some exposure." Dino implies that Grant and Vincent could be brought to their work as well.

"Alright, speaking of. I need them to wrap things up. You know, get the weekly payment for protections." Luca would like to use them to collect some money.

"And who are the ones who sought protection from the Romano Family?" Dino asked out of curiosity.

"There's this spa where our folks who for a good massage because they have this little, you know. They have their special methods. They finish off the customers and end up on a high note." Don Romano opens up about the spa that offers an 'extra service'.

"And what does it do with them owing you protection money?" Dino doesn't get it, ignoring the fact about the menu they offer to the customers.

"Don't you see how we ended up having a deal with us? You see, they need to pay up, or else, we set them up. It's a dirty business, Dino. And we're making a business out of it." Luca explained why the spa needs the protection money.

"Okay, now that makes sense. Yeah, it's a dirty business we're in. But make sure that neither Vincent nor Grant will take the extra services." Dino doesn't want any involvement with the exotic spa exactly.

"I'm not requiring them to go undercover, Dino. You got it all wrong. I want them to become my one-off bag man." Don Luca Romano emphasizes what role are they going to play.

"Oh, pardon me for not getting it exactly. Sure, you could." Dino changes his mind, allowing them to work for Don Romano.

"You sure about that?" Luca might want him to change his mind.

"Yeah, so? Give them a little bit of exposure." Don Manzo willingly agreed.

"Okay then, but don't make them wear these. It's too flashy." Don Romano requested to not wear any formal attire during their designated task.

"Sure. Oh, I almost forgot. Some friends of ours are regulars there, yes? Who's been their most frequent customer?" Dino wants to learn more about the goers.

"That would be Marcello Bandini." Don Luca Romano mentions yet another substantial Mafioso.

"Davvero? Don Marina's capo?" Dino couldn't believe that the man is a regular customer that is getting extra services.

"Yeah, you heard it right. Marcello Bandini." Luca insists that it was Don Martin Marina's capo who simply loves the bizarre spa treatment.

"The man doesn't have plans on settling down, he just got here and he wants to get someone's hand down his junk." Don Luca explains his addiction to sorts of indulgence.

"Then why not go to places that offer it as a whole?" Don Manzo questioned it.

"Would they help them with his muscle problems?" Luca jokingly asked, reminding him of the capo's stiffening body.

"I find it utterly exotic, Don Romano." Don Manzo shows how much he can't bear the news.

"I thought you're going to say something like 'I can't take the guy seriously anymore after that.' Well, you're not wrong." Don Romano persists about the thing with Bandini.

"Still, he does something that would benefit Don Marina's part. Why would a simple addiction ruin our partnership?" Don Manzo sets it aside, not letting it affect their relationship.

"You don't usually see this but I think the Dons are the ones who exert effort now instead of his men to gain power." Speaking of Dons, Luca opens up what he noticed towards their pyramid.

"Tell me, did the other Dons refrain from doing it in the first place to get to the highest point of their status? Respect has to be earned, Don Romano." Dino wasn't joking around now by throwing an answer that even Luca himself wouldn't dare to touch.

"It's hard, sure. I don't think it all started with a pre-established significance." Vincent shared his thoughts about their history.

"That's what I think back then, you know. Now I realize I was wrong. Fucking hell... I thought this was all about relaxing and shit like that." Grant admitted.

"We are grateful that we have come to this point, and I expect nothing but respect to each associate we get close to." Don Manzo

"Alright, I get it now." Don Romano heard him right.

"From getting called a 'guinea', what else do we get here in this country?" The questions from Don Dino Manzo just wouldn't stop from flowing through.

"What's a guinea again?" Grant doesn't remember what that meant to men in front of him that has an Italian descent.

"Think of it as the Italian equivalent of the 'n-word', Grant. You don't call them that or you'll be sleeping with the fishes." Vincent explained in a warning manner.

"Alright, it's not like I'm one racist motherfucker. I wouldn't dare to use it, trust me." Grant made a promise.

"Don't expect us to give you a pass, kid." Don Romano couldn't hold his laughter.

"I wouldn't even think of discussing such a sensitive topic because, for some reason, you wouldn't know who's watching or listening. If one of us is wired right now or even know someone from the Feds who's straight, this is some serious trouble we're facing." Don Manzo spoke about the agency against them, and Vincent was slightly sweating upon hearing it.

"You worry too much, Dino. How about this? After your two boys get the money from that shithole of a spa, I'll throw up a celebration?" Don Romano tweaks their subject.

"And what kind of celebration are we talking about, Don Romano?" Dino gets enthusiastic.

"My second daughter's sixteenth birthday is coming up next week and her mom's already sending invitations. The whole family's automatically invited, so attendance is a must." Luca asked for them to attend his daughter's birthday.

"Should I bring these two?" Don Manzo sought permission to take them to this special occasion.

"Nessun problema, they should be dancing or nothing." Don Romano approved them to celebrate along with them.

"Alright, it would be nice for them to see how we celebrate someone's birthday." Dino would like to introduce them to how their practices go.

"Is this for real?" Vicente, who was adjusting his chair, was shocked in awe.

"It is real as it gets, Vincent." Don Manzo makes sure of it.

"Although there would be some kind of inconvenience that might ruin the fun. The jibe towards our friends, rather." Luca gave a fair share of warning.

"Who? Bandini? Marina? Cenni? Pisano? Or someone else?" Don Manzo persists to prove a point by figuring out who doesn't like his ways.

"Yep, Pisano doesn't do well with aliens." Don Romano could agree with Fabricio Pisano not liking Dino Manzo's soldiers.

"Could he do anything to change my mind?" Dino's visions sharpened, his eyes narrowing from the contempt he felt.

"We already warned you about that, Dino. No offense, but your boys would still be considered aliens. As far as I want them to play a part in my daughter's birthday, you should consider the heat they would bring." Luca Romano spoke of the reason why.

"So? Let them talk shit!" Grant had enough of it, cursing in front of the table.

"Grant, no. Keep it cool, amico." Don Manzo tells one of his men to back down.

"Pisano is my daughter's Padrino, and you wouldn't like to ruin it for him, Don Manzo." Romano with the reminder of how Fabricio, his daughter's Godfather, is tied to them.

"No, he wouldn't like to ruin it for me. Who went here first to start over? Me. The other families just want to tail me, including you. What are you, huh? Some sort of baby sisters?" Don Manzo just snapped, and he doesn't like doing it particularly.

"Dino, it's bad for you. So please, don't be a hypocrite." Don Romano does not want to see him get furious about family restrictions.

"We'll make it happen no matter what it costs, capiche? A proper introduction wouldn't hurt." Don Manzo's will just wouldn't let him down.

"Alright, you made your point." Don Romano sighed, knowing that he would seek admission to the Pisano Family's Administration.

"If I could do the talking, then it's done already." Vincent with his enthusiasm again.

"How bold, but no. Your ideas are outlandish. For now, you two should do me a favor. Get me the money on that place who gives massage." Don Romano reminded them of their mission as bag men.

"When's the due again?" Vincent followed up on the deadline.

"Tomorrow, after dinner. Blast the place. If they don't pay, threaten the broads. That'll give the owner a heart attack." Luca Romano specified what they should do to make them pay up using cash.

"If that's the case, then they need to come heavy," Dino suggests that they should invade the place with guns.

"That is a must so yeah, bring them with you." Romano requires them to have a firearm in their arsenal.

"You heard that, Grant? You get to play with your favorites again." Vincent teases his partner-in-crime.

"Shit's itchy... Get this shit off me." Grant wasn't focused enough to comprehend what his partner was stating as distraction troubles him.

"I'll take that as a yes," Vincent answered his own testimony.

"So, are we clear? Go to the spa, stand on the counter, and ask the clerk where their boss is. You just follow what I told you earlier." Don Luca Romano reminded them the instructions clearly.

"Yes, Don Romano. Consider it handled." Vicente takes full responsibility for it.

"Good, I'm heading out now. I bought my driver some time to enjoy his meal. He must be done now so... Arrivederci, Dino." The Romano Family's head stood up, and his broad back must be a pain for him to carry.

"We'll see you at your daughter's birthday, Don Romano." Don Manzo led him to the door, waving goodbye at his comrade.

Vincent and Grant were up to yet another objective, and that involves them extorting the money from a rather questionable place they picked to do business. It might be slightly hard for them to pick up everything they encounter, but they are sure to learn from it. Then again, they live up to their reasons why they commit such things.

Meanwhile, at a coffee shop, the boss of the Marina Family, Martin, joins his niece Antonella for an afternoon meal. Umberto, the owner of the coffee shop himself has already befriended several mobsters including Don Marina himself. Making his shop as their place for hangout, he couldn't refuse to serve them. Martin has been too generous, otherwise.

"You know, Umberto. For the first time in so many years, a man comes to prove his loyalty personally." Martin was giving the owner his gratitude.

"Since when did your family have become a burden, Don Marina? I heard stories back in the motherland, and it's too good to be true." Umberto was the one who served them their food, and Antonella could tell that he is being nervous while placing their coffee on the table.

"Grazie." She just drank her stress away after she spent her afternoon staring at flashing cameras.

Soon as Umberto left both Antonella and her uncle Martin, the Don sparks a conversation. "Say, how's our return here in America?"

"Never been better, uncle. Except for one thing." She sighed after opening up.

"And that is?" Don Marina lends an ear to his niece as always.

"Dino." Antonella talked about her long-time friend, the Manzo Family's Don.

"What's wrong with him? Don't you like him as the new boss of their circle?" Martin asked why.

"I do not like how he tries to lead us, uncle. Tell me where he got this superiority complex of his." Antonella pointed on what she doesn't like about Dino.

"They are starting over, nipote. Give him some time. He got tired of doing business in the old country, so do I." Don Marina told one of the reasons why they moved out.

"How come that he becomes the new Don? And how did he connect the four other families that we're dealing with? That's not how it works." She just grew weary of it.

"Since when did you start to show interest in getting involved? I thought you wouldn't think of getting in." He reminded his niece about entering the business.

"Alright, I'm not the one making a clear point here." Antonella took a bite on the ciabatta she ordered, forgetting what she talked about instantly.

"You have to understand, Antonella. Dino's doing it for his family. He's still the boy you played with back in Sicily. And if you still see him that way, that's good." Don Marina defended the younger Don.

"What are you trying to say exactly? Like, I still see the human left in him?" She thinks of Dino as an ascended monster nowadays.

"No, that's not it. What I'm saying is that he's one hell of a family man." On the other hand, Martin sees Dino Manzo as a saint.

"Right, just because he's trying to bring his whole family here doesn't mean he's that legitimate of a person..." She muttered, but his uncle still has keen ears.

"What? You don't want to see Cristina? The woman that he cared the most?" He mentions Dino's wife, Cristina Manzo.

"Of course, I do. Cristina's been a good friend to me as well." Antonella couldn't do anything but fake a smile.

Don Marina didn't say a word, waiting for his niece to react to it. But considering that she had a bad day, he finally spoke about the thing between her, Cristina, and Dino. "Are you jealous of what they have?"

"What? No... Why would I be jealous of the both of them?" She denies it.

"I think this is the right time for you to settle in now, my dear." He urges Antonella to find a partner.

"I'm glad that the thing about Lucia and her bastard of a boyfriend isn't going to be a thing." Antonella was glad for her cousin.

"Do not try to change the topic, Antonella. You keep on avoiding serious matters." Don Marina revealed what he has noticed about his beloved niece.

"It's just hard for me, zio. I feel like I'm not the woman who deserves to receive a fantabulous wedding just like what Cristina had back in Florence." She finally admitted what she felt about herself.

"How so?" He questioned.

"We all have choices, and that includes freedom. I could do whatever I want without restrictions." Antonella provides the concept of being carefree.

"Even if it's bad for you and your sake?" Martin thought of its negative effects.

"...We'll see about that, uncle. It has been quite an adventure I'm having, so far."

To be continued...