Atavus

by S. W. Frank

  “A boon, what the fu-,” Alfonzo didn’t finish the cuss word. Aldonza’s bossy ass was costing him wads. She was like her mom; la niña didn’t forget shit. “Boon? Come on Nico, you’re in your forties, why are you using some archaic word? Get with the times primo and just say incentive.” Alfonzo snickered and shook his head. “Then again you are ancient.”

  Nico didn’t laugh. The twins busted his balls all the time. Young people didn’t realize their butts aged every day. One day when they awakened and discovered strands of grey, he hoped they didn’t off themselves or happen to fall in those shallow graves where lame jokes die.

  “Didn’t you go to a prestigious university?” Nico asked and then lit his cigar. The habit he inherited after Alberti’s death flourished thanks to his old man’s crates of the finest Cuban tobacco warehoused in the corner of Nico’s cellar. Alberti must have expected an impending prohibition or something. Why else would he stockpile the stuff? Nico eyeballed Alfonzo as he sucked hard. The line of skin on each cheek highlighted his prominent bones. “You have to consider the family kid,” he said, poking out his leg, unperturbed by his loss at billiards. “This isn’t the time to go hitting everybody we think had a hand in a conspiracy. We need concrete evidence to rally the other families support. We’re already in a precarious situation just having affiliations with Yosef.”

  “Nico, Yosef’s a smokescreen. A lot of these old farts hate I’m Latino. If I were Sicilian, heck, we’d all be strolling through the Coliseum puffing stogies.”

  Not enough time passed. Sores remained fresh over the Meroni hit and the Canadian. Nico pushed smoothly off the wall. “We’re losing support in Sicily eversince Yosef came on board and your refusal to do business with other families whose profits are tied to drugs. It has nothing to do with you being a Puerto Rican mutt.”

  “Came on board my ass.”

  Nico chuckled. Oh, the profanities were sliding out like warm honey.

  Alfonzo widened his stance. When an eyebrow arched, that meant he wasn’t buying the crap. “Yosef’s married to Sophie and isn’t on the board of shit. I thought I made that clear to those paranoid pendejos. I’m not going around parroting to the entire syndicate. You’re Sicilian, I’m not. I’m an Americano y bastardo. They’d probably prefer Geo or you over me!”

  “A profanity in español is still a curse. Aldonza is definitely making a killing off you isn’t she?” Nico smirked and then blew white cloud rings to the ceiling. Alfonzo’s frustrations were understandable. A person presumably in charge doesn’t appreciate answering to others, but there are times when it is beneficial to assuage fears by diplomacy with a give and take. “Kid, you still have a lot to learn. When it comes to money, every nickel and dime add up to a dollar that can also take away from the World Bank. Sure, you weren’t born in Sicily but you’re Italiani by blood. That surpasses all the other nonsense. The bottom line for these people is money and you’re King Midas not sharing enough.”

  Alfonzo cocked his head to the side. The long black lashes on the masculine face fanned his tan cheek as he laughed. Nico saw a boy’s gleeful mischief in the adult. This was Alfonzo preteen, unhardened by truths of his heritage. Nico took another tote, his eyes boring into the face of his blood, and experienced a whiff of sadness. Lighthearted moments were lost over the years. It was cool having an amicable and trusting relationship with Alfonzo again, especially now with the potential trouble at home.

  “And being the ancient scholar you are primo, you should know the ending for King Midas ends in tragedy.”

  Nico scoffed. “Legends are only embellishments.” He changed the subject. “Bianca’s getting married.”

  “Yeah?” Alfonzo said, leaning his backside against the pool table to hear more of Nico’s family saga. Another time he may have thought –good for the bastard, but Nico wasn’t the same callous sonovabitch anymore. He had changed over the years. His eyes twinkled happily and he had a jovial laugh like Vincent more often. Yeah, upon reflection, Nico appeared at peace. Alfonzo, grinned, the fierce mask of intimidation remained stuck there though. He supposed the years had set his face in stone.

  Nico scowled. “She says she wants to raise Alexandros without my input.”

  Alfonzo crossed his arms. They were in the soundproof billiards room in the basement of Alfonzo’s home talking business as his family slept. Since returning from Africa after burying Nicolo Giacanti, they hadn’t discussed anything other than conspiracy theories while maintaining low profiles. The media had moved on to other sensational stories, celebrities fighting in elevators and a sex-scandal recording of a Jewish racist and his Mexican-black mistress. Alfonzo supposed hypocrites like that loved sexing what they profess to hate. At least these are the stories the media chased and not the rumors of mafia wars.

  “And?” Alfonzo asked, wanting to get to the heart of the problem so he could hit the sack.

  “That’s not happening.”

  “All right, then it’s not happening.”

  Nico stared at his cigar. “Ari’s pissed Bianca’s returned.”

  “It’s a natural reaction,” Alfonzo stated, feeling uncomfortable because there’s a time he’d been in Ari’s shoes, except he later learned the babies were his after all. He exhaled, giving Nico an unbiased opinion. “You’re a father…period…end of story. You have a right to see your child…exclamation point.” He frowned. “Ari’s a good woman Nico…be a loyal husband and eventually she’ll realize she doesn’t have to worry that you’ll do something to hurt her again, tu sabe?”

  Nico looked around for somewhere to stub out his cigar. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”

  “And don’t drag her into your custody battles with Bianca. Handle your business discreetly because I swear the minute I start hearing about this shit from my wife, I’m coming after you.”

  Nico laughed, as he pushed the cigar down the neck of a beer bottle. “And do what kid?”

  “Kick your ass for always making trouble with these women.”

  Nico laughed harder. “Ah, that’s funny. I recall you and Giuseppe already tried that. You’re good but I’m the top ass kicker in this family. You cazzos never learn!” He retrieved his jacket from a hook. “Buongiorno giovani.”

  Alfonzo scoffed. “Nah, that’s your title. Call the meeting for next week –and make sure to choose neutral ground,” he said to Nico’s back. “And make sure we have that big-mouth Don present, he’s the perfect pick for this La Cupola.”

  “I guessed you’d say that. The meeting is next Saturday in Paranea. That’s as neutral and secluded as we can get close to home.”

  “Why couldn’t you schedule it on a weekday Nico? Geez, asshole I’m trying to spend quality time with the kids on the weekend and Selange.”

  Nico replied, “That’s the only day you appear to have free.”

  “And you know that how?” Alfonzo asked walking behind the energetic man.

  “You told me.”

  “Bullshit!” Alfonzo spat, climbing the stairs on Nico’s heels in order to escort him to the door.

  When Alfonzo reached the landing, reset the code on the cellar door, Nico had already crossed the center of the wide floor. “Ciao!” he exclaimed, without admitting to Alfonzo how he often hacked into his cell to check his appointments in order to do advance surveillance of his contacts and to ensure the firewall encryptions remained uncompromised.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Chapter Four

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  “What are you kids doing up this late?” Alfonzo asked when he busted Sal and Aldonza sitting on the floor in Sal’s bedroom. The light from the computer and giggles when he passed th
e closed door is what had given them away.

  Sal’s finger pressed a button. “Nothing, I was just helping Allie look for a present for Uncle Nico.”

  “Goddamn liars!” Alfonzo blurted out, which received a snicker from Aldonza and her hand went in the air for money. He slapped her palm down as he walked over and snatched up the laptop. Fucking kids thought he didn’t know his way around computers. They had a lot to learn. He pulled up the history and opened the most recent link. “What the fuck is this?” he asked.

  Aldonza had her mother’s pout. “We’re reading.”

  Alfonzo spread his legs as he perused the fan page in his honor, or maybe dishonor, who knows with these unauthorized shrines to the famous and infamous. He couldn’t believe people were following media gossip about his family, or started a fan page in homage to an individual they never met. The illusionary lifestyle of glamour he supposed was appealing to some. Money, clothes, cars, watches and shit like that are a joke in his opinion. As a younger person, he had believed that mattered, however after everything he went through, he learned material stuff is fluff.

  When a bullet bores a hole in a designer suit and an expensive car crushes an occupant, the trail of tears widen to a river of wisdom. Yeah, having material crap is nice; having a loved person breathing is a million times better.

  He read the title,ALFONZO’S VIP SPOT.

  Amused he grinned, another place to kickback, in cyberspace, go figure.

  There were pictures of Selange, decked out during Fashion Week with Amelda and other designers. Admittedly, his woman was ‘oomph’ hot.

  Alfonzo examined the collages. There were photos of him and Selange at various functions. He liked the creative way his suits were displayed.

  The caption didn’t swell his head, if he believed everything he read then he needed to stop reading.SEXIEST BEST-DRESSED MAN IN THE WORLD!

  Really? The world? Talk about embellishment, this fan had exaggeration down to a science.

  “Sal, is this a prank?” he asked, although he hoped Sal had more sense than that.

  “For real pop, you think I want us on blast?”

  Alfonzo glanced at Aldonza. She twisted her lips to the side, but her eyes were sincere. “Lo siento, pero no. You and mom are boring.”

  “Yeah, we’re boring until you want something, then we’re cool, eh? Put that hand down, you're not extorting any more cash out of me hija. I curse; get over it. Pay attention to how well you're treated. I don’t want my little girl believing profanity is worse than ill-treatment. People will lie their asses off and speak very nice to get something from you when you’re grown up. If you believe cursing is the only bad thing in the world, wait until you deal with some of those schmucks.” He wanted to hug his daughter to keep her safe from the hard future. However, a dad’s power isn’t that strong. Aldonza was starting to sprout buds. They were small now, but in a couple of years she’d be a gorgeous young woman and boys were going to start sniffing in her drawers. If he didn’t cut this bullshit out now, he feared his daughter would fall victim to charmers looking to fuck her out of money and the ability to reason. “Maybe I need to start whooping that bottom for having a smart mouth that does more damage than bad words. Now go to bed, and computers are off limits until I get to the bottom of this!”

  Sal decided to come clean. “It’s like this dad; Aaron stumbled on the site. Allie and I were only reading to find out what people were saying about us, that’s all. Aaron investigated the page administrator already and found out she’s some person from New York who had worked for Tio Domingo. I guess she met you, because she seems to have a really big crush.”

  Alfonzo sniffed. He wondered if it was that loca secretary. He also felt uneasy. Having a crush on somebody is one thing, but stalking people isn’t normal behavior. “Yeah?”

  Aldonza stormed off to her room. “Good night meanie!”

  “Hey…hey…get back here my love and give papa a kiss.”

  She turned around and blew him one. “There, catch it.”

  Ah, shit, Allie tested his nerves. No wonder Selange was at her wits end with the adolescent. “Allie, ven aqui!”

  She huffed over to her dad and planted a dry smack on his cheek when he bent down and then said, “Happy?”

  “Si and I’ll be happier if you drop the attitude.”

  “Maybe tomorrow if I’m not mad at you. I don’t like being fake.”

  Hey, he had to respect that statement, because that’s the way he felt all day, every day. Was he that bad to have karma return in an innocent faced girl? Alfonzo waved the pajama-clad smart mouth out of his face. ”Go to bed and pray that I don’t beat your ass.”

  Aldonza exited and he paid her no mind. He scrolled down the thread to read some of the postings. There was an open letter addressed to him and Selange; say what?

  “Good night Sal, te amo hijo,” he said before stepping into the hall to read the members comments.

   

  If You Had The Opportunity to Write An Open Letter to Alfonzo and Selange What Would You Say?

   

  Holly:I would tell them to be careful with little Ms. Allie. Do not spoil her; she is a smart kid, who needs a lesson in humility. Selange needs to get Allie involved from a young age in charity work, so that she can appreciate all that her parents provide, as well as empathize to the less fortunate.

  Karen R: These two went through so much in a short period; I actually think they are doing pretty well. The only thing I would say to them is to be up front with each other and keep communication lines open. I also would say don't do anything behind each other’s backs you wouldn't feel comfortable doing in each other’s presence, and use that as your guide as knowing when you're doing something wrong. Even in Alfonzo's business life, I know there are things he keeps from her to protect her and his kids though, but be as open as possible, because you don't want to lose the trust you have with each other.

   

  Alfonzo’s mouth tugged down at the solid advice from strangers. He logged out when he reached the master suite and closed the device before he entered the bedroom.

  Selange was completely engrossed in that book. She only realized Alfonzo had entered when he spoke. “You’re still up reading again?” he asked, sitting the computer on the dresser and then unbuttoning his shirt, eyeing her inquisitively.

  She bookmarked the page and then placed the heavy tome on the nightstand. Her eyes widened when she noticed the time on the digital clock. “Wow, it’s that late?”

  Alfonzo removed his shirt and then his trousers. “Si, apparently the children wanted to hang out, too. I busted Al and smart mouth on-line. We have a fan page I understand.”

  “What?”

  “People like our outfits.” He laughed. “I wonder if we’re on any of those fashion blogs.”

  “That’s too funny. We’re just irregular people living our reality. I never understand the fascination with other people’s lives. Do people sit in their homes and compare themselves to the pictures or media hype about someone and believe ‘oh wow’ they must have a ‘fabulous’ life? If they only knew…whew…the stuff we go through.”

  “Word.” His eyes stretched open. Someone had a rocky day. “Anyway, check this; we have to become more diligent with the older ones. I’m not a fan of these social networks. They can do more harm than good to kids.”

  “I agree. They’re not ready for that stuff anyway. Ugh, if it’s not one thing with them it’s something else. Today I had to chastise Allie for talking back to Anita at dinner.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yes indeed. She told Anita don’t get it twisted, everything she cooks isn’t delicious.”

  Alfonzo shook his head. “Aye ya-ya. She didn’t like the fried shark?”

  “No, and Anita told her it’s ‘mucho bueno’,” Selange said imitating their longtime cook and surrogate everything. “And that’s when she made the remark. I ejected her from the table and sent her to her room without dinner, but I r
eally wanted to pop her in the mouth, and you know I’m not a supporter of corporal punishment but –oooh honey she’s causing me to revisit that decision.”

  “I thought the food was banging,” Alfonzo replied. He and Nico tore the meal up.

  “She’s inherited your sharp tongue but she’s using it on family.”

  “Yeah, I see that, too.”

  “She doesn’t get it.”

  “Nah, she doesn’t. But, what I say isn’t for a laugh or attention.”

  “The problem is she’s getting too much attention. This phase has gone on long enough. When the heck is she going to grow out of this Al?”

  “When I spank that behind.” He observed his wife’s fatigue. “It’s all right babe, she’ll straighten up. Some of the baddest kids turn out decent. I’ll step up the discipline but you’re going to need to hold firm in a supportive position when I do, okay mami?”

  “Al, just keep in mind that she’s at that age where she can take what we say to heart and think she’s not loved.”

  Selange tried everything positive with Aldonza and he felt bad she believed somewhere she failed. Parenting is a lifelong test of wills and sometimes –tough love is required. “Hey, but you love us, and trust me, right babe?”

  “Of course, even when you’re both working my nerves.”

  “I won’t rough her up too much, all right.” Selange cringed when he said that. She should know by now, he wasn’t abusive to his family. He saved that shit for people who deserved it. He finished his sentence. “Aldonza is officially on lockdown. No extracurricular activity, she must help Anita in the kitchen for two weeks, do a five page report on the struggles of Latina and African women throughout history. How that has shaped them into the strong people they are today and why such women, especially seniors deserve respect.”

  “Dang, okay. Harsh.”

  “It’s not harsh enough. I’m in charge with the punishment Corporal, time to whip Allie in shape in the Diaz Boot to the Butt Camp.” He joked wearily to cheer her up.

  Selange smiled. She understood what he sought to accomplish by the assignment. Opening Aldonza’s eyes through education was a great idea. Maybe, the juvenile delinquent might feel bad when she read the stories of brave women seeking rights to vote and in some cases to be able to marry for love instead of a loveless arrangement. There was a time, beating women was not a crime. Yes, she hoped Aldonza learned to appreciate the many benefits she received carved from suffrage and oppression by the mavericks of her gender. Being disrespectful for fun to others is twisted and cruel. “Yes sir.”