A Mob Boss's Territory (Book 4-About Vincenzo)

51. Allies Always

Just then O'Neil's car pulled in and so did many Irish cars.

O'Neil got off the car and signalled his men to wait as he walked to Francesco. He walked straight upto him without showing emotion "Can we have a word, in private."

Francesco nodded silently.

O'Neil could see him glancing at the building where his son was one last time and he could see a hint of a mixture of pain and rage in his eyes. He walked with Francesco until they reached an open space next to a lake. Francesco stopped facing the lake looking into the horizon "Do you know what this place is?"

O'Neil said "Yes. Hell. Your hell... But your son calls it his grandpa's limbo or is it Limbus for him since he likes his latin."

Francesco turned to his best friend who was standing a step behind him "It is not time for jokes."

O'Neil shrugged "It is never time for jokes with you. The monster never allowed humour in your life. Your life cant get any worse Francesco. The least you can do is see the irony and humour here... You are going too easy on Vincenzo and you know it. You allow him to do as he wishes so you can see what is there left to fix. You could stop him from running here but you didnt. You allowed him to get away to see what are his intentions. I would not do that with my son. My parenting is different to yours."

Francesco said " Your way of parenting wont work with my son."

O'Neil said "You want me to fix him up your way, I will. But I think you are being too kind to him. Go in and tell him what exactly your father did to your life. Every time you say your father's name I can see what it does to you. Why dont you let your son know exactly what happened to you all those years. Twenty five years you were living under the dictator. He will understand."

Francesco said " I have no doubt that he will understand. But I dont want him to understand. He will be crushed. He will break to pieces. It was my choice to keep him in the dark. Not his. He will suffer if he hears the whole truth."

O'Neil said "Give him more credit. You just implied you were forced to murder people by your father. He flipped and came running here to give your father a proper trial on his own terms and thinking he takes the burden off you. If he hears the truth he can see clearly..."

Francesco said "I can't. I cant tell him that the man who mentored him is not worth being called a man by Vincenzo's standards. Vincenzo lives by principles. He will be crushed. I cant allow my father to ruin his life like how he did mine. I live with it everyday. Those memories are not going away. I dont want to give those memories to my son to live with too. He will feel guilt. What does that make me? I dont wish to hurt my son..."

O'Neil sighed "You wont hurt him. He is not soft. Give him credit. He can handle it. He is strong. He is wise. His choices are unwise because he is acting on emotion as he is ambushed by glimpses of the truth. He needs to know what your father is capable of..."

Francesco said "He has a pretty good idea now not to trust him..."

O'Neil said "It is time he knows."

Francesco argued "He is only seventeen."

O'Neil said "He is. But he will handle it. He is your son."

Francesco said "He can handle it but it can damage him. I dont know the exact details of what my father has done to his life. I will get every single detail from Antonio. But I trust my son to build his future without looking back into the past. He has to."

O'Neil said "Francesco, your son can build a future and achieve all his dreams. But if you tell him about your father it helps him see so much that is unseen to him."

Francesco said "I can't burden his conscious. I cant do it."

O'Neil said "What burden? Francesco he will understand. Share your memories with him. He is bound to find out."

Francesco said " He wont find out unless you tell him. I forbid you to do it."

O'Neil closed his eyes shaking his head. Francesco was right. No one was going to tell Vincenzo. Those people close to Francesco respected Francesco's privacy and wishes. Even Adele had only dared to say to Vincenzo that his father still saw nightmares. She even knew not to speak of the forbidden topic. Francesco was right. Only O'Neil would have gone against his advice if he wished it.

O'Neil opened his eyes "If you are not willing to tell him, let me tell him."

Francesco said flatly with a strain in his voice "No Terrence."

O'Neil knew Francesco wanted to end the talk when he called him by his Irish name. O'Neil looked away " I wont make your life harder than what it has become. You are making a mistake by hiding your secrets..."

Francesco said "Swear to me you wont tell him about my past."

O'Neil turned to Francesco and said "I cant. I am sorry Francesco. I will try to respect your wishes. I cant swear it. There is so much I can take. I wont stand by and watch your son take steps that hurt you. You put him first. He is your son. I put my son first. I protected my son by not telling him about everything I knew about Jackson like how my father protected me. You know more about Jackson than I do. I can understand why you are trying to protect your son. I understand it. But it doesn't mean I agree with it. Jackson never caused pain to me personally. Well he did make my life difficult but he didnt ruin my life. Your father ruined your life. He took away so much from you. Even I cant have this conversation with you without feeling guilt... I know its hard for you to even acknowledge his existence. Why are you keeping him alive? I keep Jackson alive because its best. Your father cant do anything. He has no power. Your son is the new Don. Why dont you just order his death?..."

Francesco stated " I am waiting for your affirmation. I asked you to swear to me you will not tell my son about my past..."

O'Neil said "I asked you why you dont kill your father... Get rid of him..."

Francesco insisted "Swear to me..."

O'Neil said "No. Never. I am done here. I am going to get your son out of there and will give him a piece of my mind" He then turned around to walk away.

Francesco said "You turn your back on me?"

O'Neil closed his eyes and stopped. He then turned around looking at his old friend with his icy blue eyes "Never. I will never turn my back on you... But I cant swear. I am sorry Francesco." He then turned to walk away again.

Francesco said "Remember our pact. We made it when we were in high school .."

O'Neil said as he was walking away "I remember our pact... Allies Always. Allies come first. Allies fight together. Allies dont hurt one another's families." He then stopped and turned " I will never hurt your family Francesco."

Francesco said "Then swear it... Swear to me you will not reveal my secrets... "

O'Neil couldn't believe how stubborn he was. "What if I dont? Does that break our alliance? Is that it?"

Francesco shook his head "No. It will not. It will only break my heart."