Non Dimenticarmi

Chapter 1 - November 1945

     She had been thinking about it. It had been weeks, months, maybe even a year since this idea first came into her head. Although, now that she had the chance to do something about it, she didn't know how.

     The former consigliere to the Caruso family was gunned down outside of Serri's Laundromat last Monday. Giuseppe Marino, or Joey as his friends and family called him, was not only loyal to the bone but also a hell of a good attorney. Almost thirty-seven cases involving the Family and he won all but two. It was indeed a shame to see him go; Joey was like a brother to everyone he was on good terms with.

     Marsia Selini Caruso, the daughter of Don Riccardo Caruso, was destined to become the next Family consigliere. Her father had considered it before but didn't want her to get involved in the business.
    
     She felt differently about it, though. Marsia had watched from the sidelines as her father and brothers and other caporegimes made important deals and got in on the action. She thought it was thrilling. The chance of getting killed at any moment kept her on her toes and she liked that.

     Time and time again, Marsia tried to prove her abilities to her father. At the dinner table she gave intimidating looks and sat in her chair with dignity and pride. He dismissed the nonsense because all he ever wanted for her was for her to get a good husband, have some children and live a life of piece.
But that was not what Marsia sought.

     She knew her father would end up making her consigliere. As much as he talked about keeping her away from all of it, he needed her and she knew that. She was smart. She was calm, cool and collected and knew her manners well. Challenging her just made her more capable of coming out victorious. She took negativity and transformed it into fuel for her fire of life. She was a woman who most girls wanted to grow up to be like.

     As a young adult, Marsia was the friend that everyone turned to for advice. She was good at observing situations and figuring how to do things right.

     This is how she had come up with it. The idea that had been harvested in her mind since the first war between the Families. While the Carusos were strong, they were dwindling. Only 2 full-blooded Carusos remained in the business; Riccardo, the boss, and Marsia's brother, Gianluca. He preferred to be called Luca. He was the underboss and often seemed to be the brain of the group. When he and Joey put their brains together, they were powerful enough to take control of all the Families.

     All the other members of the Family were either friends from childhood or had proven themselves (sometimes unknowingly) to Riccardo or Luca. Take Leonardo Puglisi, for example. Leo was Marsia's partner in a project in elementary school. Riccardo allowed Leo to come over to their house to work together. They worked very well and seemed to get along just fine, so naturally, Riccardo took interest in him. Though young, Leo displayed honesty, smarts and perseverance. Riccardo knew that later, when Leo was older, he would be an excellent asset to the Family. He is now the best capo of not only the Caruso Family, but the whole state (according to his boss).

     Then there was Ricco and Carl Pellegrini, the former being the eldest brother. They were both very good capos but Carl seemed to be more street-smart than his brother. Those two were both very good friends of Luca's in high school, often partaking in shady activities together. Luca knew that Ricco and Carl would be loyal to the Family no matter what, so when he got older, he mentioned them to his father.

     Those were the only two caporegimes in the Family, and each controlled a total of seven soldatos. Ricco oversaw four soldatos: Francesco "Frank" Marino, Lorenzo "Enzo" Bruno, Samuel "Sam" Romano, and Sebastiano "Tino" Greca. Carl had three: Calogero Russo, Vincenzo "Vinnie" Zampa, and Geno Sagese.

      Considering the sizes of the other Families, this was extremely small. Marsia's goal was to become consigliere of the Caruso Family and talk about merging with the Corleone Family. The two Families never had any disputes and always fought on the same side in wars. Don Vito Corleone had sometimes asked Don Riccardo for favors and vice versa. Never did either one refuse. For this reason, it would not be difficult to combine. If the Carusos were to stay independent, they would soon fall apart, and they were already vulnerable enough.

     A few days after Joey's death, Marsia's father had come to her to ask about the position of consigliere. Of course, Riccardo was still unsure about it. He would hate to see his daughter die because of the business. He also wasn't entirely sure of her capabilities, seems how she was not a man. If he were to dub her consigliere, she would be the first woman in the history of the mafia to have a position higher than an associate. In the end, Riccardo accepted and made Marsia consigliere. Now she just needed to mention her idea to her father.

     She had been thinking about it. It had been weeks months, maybe even a year since this idea first came into her head. Although, now that she had the chance to do something about it, she didn't know how.