Mafia Marriage

VI (Revised)

The Meeting of the Five Families of New York

"Gentlemen, thank you for joining us today," Salvatore began the meeting as the other dons, underbosses, and consiglieres looked at him. Meetings were never called unless something big was about to happen. The Cotronis, Rizzutos, Santorellis, Grazianos, and Belluccis were gathered around the long conference table. The Santorellis were probably the most antagonistic of the group, they were the Family that were trying to move in on Graziano and Bellucci territory.

"What is the meaning of this meeting Don Bellucci?" Don Cotroni asked, the older man was polite and generally a quiet individual. "The Graziano Family and the Bellucci Family will be forging a permanent relationship," he answered. "Last week Don Graziano's son Giovanni asked for my daughter's hand in marriage." The room went dead silent as everyone sat there in absolute shock, a mafia marriage of this magnitude had never happened before. Giovanni sat to his father's right and analyzed the reactions of the other men in the room.

"This is bullshit!" Don Lorenzo Santorelli stood up, knocking his chair back. "This isn't some fucking love story! You two planned this! This was as orchestrated scheme!" Salvatore and Anthony stood there with stoic faces, not giving anything away. "They arranged for their children to marry, to push the rest of us around! Those two don't love each other!" Lorenzo continued on while banging his fist on the table. He knew that this marriage would just about diminish any and all chance that the Santorelli Family had of taking power from either one them.

"If you don't believe us then you can ask any person who was in attendance at our gathering last week," Anthony said. "Giovanni conducted himself very well and was respectful, he asked Don Bellucci for his permission to wed Giuliana. However fast it may seem, Giovanni was adamant about marrying her." There wasn't anything that the other Families could do to prevent the wedding from taking place, this meeting was just a technicality, a sign of respect to the other Families.

"He could care less about that girl," Lorenzo's face growing red. "The marriage is a pawn! This wedding will not happen!"

"Be quiet Lorenzo!" Don Cotroni snapped at Don Santorelli. "This marriage, whether it is real or not, is none of your concern."

"With all due respect Don Cotroni, this is my concern." He turned to openly glare at Giovanni, "This will change the landscape of the mafia in New York. Joe Bellucci will eventually take over as the new Don, and Giovanni will take for the Grazianos. If they both have sons, they will be cousins. Are we supposed to honestly believe that they will be impartial to each other?" The other Dons couldn't disagree with Lorenzo's argument, but they still could not dictate who Giuliana and Giovanni could and could not marry.

"We will deal with that if and when we come to it," Don Rizzuto spoke up. He was worried about the potential outcomes of this union, but was also looking for a way for his organization to distance themselves away from the Santorelli Family's antics and the problems they were stirring up. "For now I would like to offer my congratulations to Don Bellucci, Don Graziano, and to their children. I hope they have a happy marriage," he raised his glass of whiskey as the others around him did too. Lorenzo still scowled, unhappy that the other bosses didn't back him up. They were more than happy to side with Bellucci and Graziano over the Santorelli Family.

The meeting concluded and Giovanni was given a new level of respect, he was marrying a mafia princess as well as on his way to becoming the new Don Graziano. He was afforded the same praise and respect that any of the other bosses were. They all filed out of the conference room, to the elevator, and towards the parking garage. The meeting place had been the office of a attorney from Manhattan that was known to all of the mafia Families. It had to be a neutral location, as to not have an ambush on any member of any of the Five Families.