Of Mobsters and Men

Chapter 4

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Raelyn

I helped mother set the plates onto the dining table. Tonight we were eating roasted lamb and my stomach growled in anticipation. It's been such a long time since we've eaten it and I wanted nothing more than to hurry and dig in.

Of course we had to wait for my father to join us at the table first.

When he joined us, we prayed and afterwards, we all hummed in delight. Mother and I had prepared dinner together. It has been a while. Usually I didn't get off work until late so I didn't get the opportunity to cook with mother. She didn't really like the fact I worked because she feared it was taking time out of learning how to prepare home-cooked meals.

Although that was true, I knew enough recipes to where she didn't have to worry.

"How is it at the restaurant, Raelyn?" Father asked, wiping his mouth with the napkin. Mother raised the glass of wine to her lips, watching me with a glint in her eyes. "It's great, I like working there."

He nodded his head. "No one's giving you trouble?"

I shook my head no.

He never asked how my studies were going, neither did my mother. It bothered me because I was very serious about my school work and my dreams of going to University to explore my options and opportunities.

For them, that meant me leaving them and this community to become a rebel.

My mother wanted me to stay so she could continue to raise me to become a decent and proud lady, and eventually a good wife. That's what all the mothers in this community expected to do with their daughters.

As for my father, I wasn't sure exactly how he felt about me chasing my dreams. All I knew was that if I stayed here too long, he'd eventually marry me off to someone. That's what the other girls in my school expected of their fathers.

"We've been invited to a thanksgiving celebration." My father said with a straight face.

My mother raised her perfect eyebrows in amusement. "That sounds exciting. Who has invited us?"

In some ways I wanted to be just like my beautiful mother. In some ways, I didn't.

"Vanzetti."

I accidentally bit down on my tongue. I felt my heart jerk from the skies and down to the concrete.

"Vanzetti? What business do we have with him?" My mother asked in shock.

Yes, what business did we have?

I kept quiet. Hopefully this wasn't what I thought this was. I didn't want my parents anywhere near Stefano Vanzetti. What if this was a plot to tell them what had happened?

"Richard, did you get yourself into some kind of trouble?" Mother asked worried. Why was she so worried? Why would my father be in trouble? He had nothing to do with Vanzetti...

Judging by my mom's kind of concern and the knowing look he gave her, I knew they knew something that I didn't.

My mind flashed back to earlier when we were at church. Father was in a conversation with one of Vanzetti's men.

It scared me to think my Father could now be one of them. He couldn't be though, they wouldn't accept him right? He's an outsider.

I laid on my back on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. After dinner I was given more of the details. I was still in major shock because of Vanzetti's reputation. I was informed wealthy noble families and businessmen will be there.