As they began the trek out of the hospital, Vince fidgeted in his wheelchair. “I have a charge account at the Randall’s Pharmacy. The doctor called in the prescriptions, and Rose called in the other things we need so that everything will be ready. Thank you, for doing this.”
“No problem, Mr. S.”
“But answer me. Why are you helping us?”
“I’m not helping you. I just want Chrissy happy. And it makes her unhappy when she’s on the outs with her family. And the discord between the Serafini and Roccos upsets her. I don’t want her to worry that our respective families will start shooting at each other.”
“Hey, that could still happen.”
“There might be some competition between my mother’s lasagna and Mrs. Serafini’s. The rest of it I leave in yours and Uncle Vits’ hands.”
“How did you know that the Roccos and the Serafini were once one organization?”
“It didn’t occur to me until today. But the way my uncle and your father talked to each other that day in the diner was the clue. Like old friends—old, wary friends. Afterwards, I learned that that was an argument over your mother. And today I thought about how to get the Roccos and Serafini together. That’s when it hit me. You guys always did things in tandem. We were rivals, but no one ever got really hurt. It occurred to me the Roccos and Serafini acted more like family members in an argument than wise guys protecting their turf.”
“You’re right, son. It never occurred to me. When I heard of the shit that went down with families in other states, I would always shake my head.”
“There are two things that always draw family together. Weddings and funerals. And I’m not in the mood for the latter.”
“Well, I’m not opposed. But my father, you’ll have to convince him. And he’s not around.”
“I know. Finding him? That’s the next thing on the list.”
“List?”
“Things to do to keep Chrissy happy.”
Rose Serafini nodded. “You keep up that attitude, son, and you’ll be a member of the family before you know it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Chrissy and Gloria cleaned up the last of the dishes of food as the men of the Serafini operation left the house. There wasn’t any real business discussed, given they still needed to wait for another venue away from the prying eyes of whoever spied on them. Surprisingly, though, her father had announced that Saks was engaged to his daughter, and no one was to bother him. Beefy Mario and tall Saks standing behind Vince Serafini was an impressive sight. But it was Vittorio Rocco, showing up unannounced, who stole the show. He presented a box of very expensive cigars to Chrissy’s father, and made a show of handing them out to the men there. Vits addressed each one by name, giving each one a glance that communicated clearly that Vittorio Rocco was not a man to fuck with.
They got the message. Vince Serafini had a powerful new ally, one not entangled in different Serafini loyalties. One not afraid to make his displeasure known.
Chrissy was even prouder of Saks than she usually was. Where Uncle Vits and her grandfather danced around each other, making a mess of things, Saks in one move had everything working smoothly. The Roccos and the Serafini hadn’t rejoined yet, but with her grandfather’s blessing they soon would.
“Good lord,” Gloria said at the sink, rinsing the dishes for the dishwasher. “We still didn’t get all the food out of the freezer.”
Chrissy laughed. “Mama! She makes two of everything and freezes one.”
“In case of company,” they said together.
“Heaven forbid we should order food in,” Gloria joked.
“I thought we’d never thaw everything in time,” Chrissy muttered.
Rose glanced toward the fridge. “How many containers of sauce are left?”
Gloria snickered. “Enough to feed the masses in case of an apocalypse.”
Rose’s tongue clicked. “Are you
insulting the food in my freezer?”
“No, Mama,” Chrissy soothed. “It’s because you make so much of it. Really, with only you and Daddy, you don’t need to cook so much.”
“What else am I going to do? Except make wedding dresses.” Rose pulled a coin out of her pocket. “I’ll flip, and you call it.”