Summer with Em - Chapter 48

By Julie D Cole

As I re-entered the restaurant Frankie was waiting and she immediately approached me and took my hand. She suggested that we say goodnight to dad and thank Nonno Rossi for a nice evening and then leave them all to enjoy their grappa and wine. There was no sign of Gabriella and Carlos. Elena was clearing the last dishes from the table.

I was looking around the room for dad so Frankie kissed me lightly on the lips and smiled and whispered to me. ‘I feel better now. Gabriella and Carlos are in the kitchen clearing up. Seems your dad beat me to it and gave them jobs as punishment. Elena doesn’t look too happy either. He took her to one side whilst you were out and laid into her. Probably it was because Gabriella was so rude to you.’

Then before we had chance to do anything I saw dad and he saw me at the same time so he came over to us. He ushered us towards a small table in the corner that was fairly private and dimly lit.

‘Kim. I’m sorry about Gabriella’s behaviour she was out of order and she had no right to say what she said. Her mother has spoiled her and she has spent too much time in Sicily with Elena’s family. They are a bad influence.’

‘It’s OK dad what she said about coming here to get in your good books is far from the truth. I told you why we came.’

‘Yes I know so don’t get upset. I’ll keep her in check don’t worry.’

‘The worst part was that she called me a freak. I am not and I can’t help being who I am.’ Frankie reached for my hand to give me support since this was an opportunity to open up to dad.

‘Kim look I know that you are not a freak and now I’ve seen you again face to face I realize that your mum and I were negligent and you needed more support and medical attention to deal with some issues that had come to light. I gave other things priority and I took too much notice of what other people were telling me and felt that I had to deal with threats that were being made by coming here to Italy.’

‘What threats?’

‘Well at first it was pressure rather more than direct threats. Blackmail I suppose.’

‘What sort of blackmail dad?’

‘Well at first it was to do with Nonno Rossi and Nonna Mia. They were still in Sicily and they were in danger from The Family.’

‘Which family, their family?’

Frankie spoke. ‘The Family.’ It seemed that she picked up what he meant quicker than I did.

‘The Family is a group of families that grew and became the Mafia. The early Rossi family had strong connections with The Family in Sicily which is where I grew up. Most families there had Mafia connections. They controlled everything in Sicily and they still do. In Nonno Rossi’s fathers times they spread into large parts of the South of Italy and even across to America. The Mafia is The Family and everybody contributes and those who don’t comply are outside and they may be encouraged or pressurised.’

‘But the Mafia were involved in crime and protection rackets, weren’t they? They used violence, didn’t they?’

‘In some places yes but generally they encouraged. They just used the stick rather than the carrot.’

‘But why did that affect our family? Did Nonno Rossi have an argument then?’

‘Sort of. Families were protected inside The Family and kept together as much as possible with marriages often arranged. I was supposed to marry Elena when we reached 18 that would bring our two families together and all the preparations were being made for a big wedding in Sicily. I had a close friendship with Elena, but I had never travelled outside Sicily or met many other girls.’

‘So did you love her?’

‘I didn’t know what love was back then. Our friendship was good and we went everywhere together so when a decision was made for us to marry I just accepted the instruction. But, Nonna Mia didn’t agree because she said we should make our own choice like she and Nonno Rossi had done. Nobody needed to instruct them. Nonna Mia never knew much about what was happening in The Family according to Nonno Rossi.’

‘So did Nonna Rossi stop the wedding?’

‘She resisted and they secretly left Sicily with me, leaving everything behind. They moved away from Mafia influence settling here in Terni where The Family had no influence. It was in the period of the war in Europe and they were lost from the Mafia network. This area was far enough North and after they found a place to stay they had enough money to set up a restaurant and a small vineyard and planted olive trees, The mountain side here is the perfect location.’

‘But then you left and ended up in London and that is how you met mum then?’

‘Yes Nonna Mia encouraged me to leave Italy and some friends found me a job in their family restaurant which is where I met your mum. We just seemed perfect for each other and we fell in love. We married in secrecy six months after we met. I wrote to Nonna Mia to tell her and she gave me her blessing. There were other Italian families in the area where we lived who had left Italy for safety.’

‘So you and mum just had a quiet wedding?’

‘Yes, just a few friends attended the church and we had a meal together to celebrate.’

‘So what about mums family?’

‘Only Em attended. It was your mum’s decision. She didn’t want any fuss and her parents divorced long before we met and mum and Em ended up in London with an aunt. After we married we started our business and it was developing quickly. We moved to bigger premises and employed staff. Italian food was becoming popular in London. Nobody in Italy knew about mum other than Nonna Mia and Nonno Rossi, or about our marriage, nor about you when you came along. Everything was going so well that we bought a house and we continued to build up the business in a new venue, all with the support of our bank.’

‘How did Elena find you in London and why did you leave?. Mum and you sound as if you were happy until she came along. Or was it me?’

‘It was nothing to do with you Kim. It was complicated and your mum and I were put under a lot of pressure. Somebody in the bank leaked information about my whereabouts. They obviously had some Mafia connections. Elena’s family were told. They then insisted she visit London to find me and they would then ensure that I was persuaded to return to Italy and marry her as planned.’

‘But they didn’t know you and mum had already married did they?’

‘No and neither did The Family.’ Elena was shocked when she found out and when she first arrived she convinced mum that she was just a family friend.’

Mum is too smart to have bought that isn’t she?’

‘Yes, she suspected her motif from the outset. Soon after her arrival I met her in private and told her I’d met and married your mum. She had a tantrum and after I calmed her down she said I’d betrayed her and that we were engaged, We weren’t engaged at all,’
‘So did she go back to Italy?’

‘No, she stayed in London and she acted as if nothing had happened. She showed friendship to your mum like her new best friend.’

‘Did you tell mum?’

‘Yes and she said to just humour her and she’d go home.’

‘But she didn’t I assume.’

‘No because after that the bank started applying pressure and they refused loans to manage our cash flow. Suppliers started letting us down and some key customers stopped visiting us. It reached a stage where I couldn’t even pay our staff. The only way was to go on my knees to the bank. Instead of loans the bank took a 50% shareholding.’

‘So, did they help?’

‘To some degree they did. Then Elena told me she had asked her father to help me and he gave undertakings to the bank and acted as guarantor. She threatened to tell her father the truth so he would withdraw the guarantees. The bank insisted Elena be employed as their representative in the business. It didn’t take long before the bank told me they didn’t think the restaurant was viable so they intended to sell the shares. I had no chance to raise alternative financial support.’

‘So, Elena was not just a casual employee who you had an affair with?’

‘You could say that.’

‘So what made you give up?’

‘The economy was struggling so trade was becoming really difficult for lots of businesses and we had a lot of competition. The bank put me under a lot more pressure. Then they suddenly told me that head office had told them to reduce their exposure by selling their share and guess who they sold to?’

‘Was it Elena’s family?’

‘No, they were sold to an investment group with strong connections to the Mafia in Sicily. A company owned by The Family. I didn’t know they were involved at the time so I was trying to raise funds to buy back the shares and Nonno Rossi was helping me. We found a bank who were prepared to loan me the funds with his guarantee through an Italian bank. Then Nonno Rossi was visited and I had a call from Nonna Rossi to tell me he had been badly injured in an accident.’

‘Was it an accident ? What sort of accident?’

‘No accident. No such thing when The Family get involved. It was a warning with a clear message for me to return to Sicily to meet Elena’s family and fulfil the family pledge.’

‘But you were married. What about mum?’

‘I didn’t get chance to explain anything. I needed to see my father and be sure he was OK so I came here as soon as I could and Elena came with me that annoyed your mum. She accused us of having an affair and of course I intended to tell her everything but when I arrived in Rome, on the way here, we were met by The Family representative and Elena’s father. Elena told them that mum and I had married and that we had a son. They were angry and they made further threats and insisted I leave everything behind and go back to Sicily with them to be with Elena and they would arrange a wedding and ignore the one in the UK.’

‘Dad this sounds like the plot of a movie.’

‘Yes it felt like it at the time.’

‘So, did you do it? You were married. Poor mum alone in the UK worried sick.’

‘Yes poor mum. Poor Nonno Rossi who was hospitalized. Both our businesses were under threat. Nonna Mia was in danger. You and mum were in danger. I was in a difficult position.’

‘So you agreed to their demands?’

‘Yes, but with a compromise. I would ensure there was no debt and leave the house to mum. I insisted that we live here so I could protect my parents and run the business. The Family would stop applying pressure and Elena would effectively become my ‘wife’. Mum and I would still be legally married according to UK law and the Catholic church.’

‘But with the business closed and you gone mum would have no income.’

‘I offered a settlement but mum was adamant she wanted nothing to do with me but we did ensure the debts were paid off. Mum refused to meet me or give me access to you. I couldn’t leave Nonno Rossi and Nonna Mia and it was 2 years before Nonno Rossi had fully recovered.’

I was almost speechless and I stood up to go. Frankie grabbed my hand to try to calm me down. ‘Here him out, please. You need to know.’

‘So you left mum with the business to sort out and you lived here with Elena? But what about me? Was I part of the deal like the furniture?’

‘No Kim you were the hard part. I had to try to protect you both as well as my mum and dad. We were all in danger.’

‘But you left us and came here and built this business with Nonno Rossi and Elena. So, you were an Italian family and you all lived happily ever after. Carlos and Gabriella came along and mum kept me. They had a mum and dad and I just had mum.’

‘Kim it wasn’t like that. I understand why it may look like that but The Family are not normal people. They don’t behave like normal people that you’ve met in your lifetime.’

‘Why are these people so cruel? They behave like gangsters.’

‘Kim that is life in Sicily. Nonno Rossi didn’t just trip up over a tree root or a stone he was knocked in front of a passing car and knocked into the air. After I resisted threats were made against your mum. One afternoon you disappeared from our garden. On another occasion you were taken ill at school and you ended up in hospital. Eventually mum thought we were crazy people so we finally agreed to separate and stay apart. The Family won again.’

‘So, Elena’s family won. The Mafia helped them. Why didn’t they help Nonno Rossi?’

‘Because we left Sicily and moved to Terni and Nonna Mia would not follow instruction to integrate two families.’

‘Dad if I hadn’t come here would you ever have told me these things or even mum for that matter.’

‘Well that’s difficult to say. All I can say is that I deeply regret not bringing mum and you to Terni and resisting their threats. A lot has happened this last ten years to break The Family hold and the old ways are not as visible or obvious, but they still do exist.’

‘But they destroyed our lives. All of us. They should be punished.’

‘Well we survived. We can’t change history but I hope things can change and that I can make things up a little. Your mum may never be able to forgive me but you are still part of this family in Italy and I promise to do whatever I can to make the rest of your life as happy as possible.’

‘Like what dad? I have met Frankie and we don’t need money or inheritance. Gabriella and Carlos can take it all as far as I’m concerned. I needed you and mum needed you. I watched my friends having fun with their fathers. I just had memories of you carrying me on your shoulders.’

‘Kim I can only try my best. I want to help you to be the person you want to be and be at your wedding along with Nonno Rossi and Nonna Mia. I want to spend some time with you and come to the UK to be with you through any medical consultations and procedures that might be required.’

‘Yes dad I think I’d like that. It is the one key thing that I need to solve and I need your permission to move forward because of my age.’

We hugged and I burst into tears.