Page 23 of Family Matters

“I’m sorry, sir” Brian’s heart broke for the man in front of him. “We can't change the past. We can only ensure he has a good life now and is loved.”

“You are so wise and caring... I owe you so much...” Don Calogero’s voice was a mix of affection and gratitude. “Gaspardo talks my ears off about you, every single day.”

“Thank you for your kind words, you don’t know how much they mean to me. I love all the kids like they are my own, and, if I can help them, I will.” Brian spoke the words with the affection of a father determined to protect his children at all costs.

“I'm counting on you to feed my grandson's young mind, just like you did before.” Don Calogero’s voice was thick with emotion. “Thanks to you, the Sedara bloodline will continue for at least another generation.”

“I will.” Brian dipped his head. “As long as I live I’ll make sure the heirs and future heirs are protected.” He paused for a few moments. “And don’t worry, the Sedara bloodline will continue to grow and live on.

“Although I didn't have the privilege of directly teaching you, I can say you are my favorite disciple.” Don Calogero started after examining the librarian for a few seconds. “In fact, it's a tie between you and Luca.” He smiled, left his seat, and, going next to the other man, caressed his hair.

“Thank you, Educator.” Brian spoke in a polite, respectful voice, using the old man’s honorary. “Forgive my curiosity, but is there a reason Luca and I are your favorites?”

“There’s nothing to forgive, your curiosity is natural.” Don Calogero smiled warmly, then let out a soft sigh. “Luca was treated by his father like dirt, punished for the smallest mistake, but he chose to stay dutiful and loyal. He studied and worked, rising above his humble status and earning Don Giovanni's respect. You went above and beyond for some kids who weren't yours, and did your damnedest to help them be where they belong.”

“I only did what was right.” Brian swallowed thickly. “Those poor kids had no one in their corner, and I just happened to be there.”

Don Calogero didn’t offer a reply; instead, he continued to study the man sitting in the armchair with the same attention and affection as earlier. He truly doesn't know how important he is, the old mafioso thought, remembering the conversation about the librarian he and Luca had a few days earlier.

As the young Sicilian said, Brian was not aware of his importance for those around him, or of how much the boys love him. Ian and Oisin, who owed their happiness to the man and were so devoted to him, they would give their lives to save his. The librarian will never know how special he was, Luca added, and he was right. A man too good for this world, but whose existence made a lot of people happy.

Of course, Don Calogero said to himself, the affection goes the other way around; Brian loves those two so much. And all the other heirs, who are his family, just like his own children. He has a special place in his heart for them, especially for the youngest. He'd do anything to keep them out of harm’s way.

The silence that overtook the room threatened to become uncomfortable, Brian broke it by offering the Educator a complete report of the progresses Mauro made since the old man placed him in his care. At first, the librarian started, the poor kid was a ball of fear, always cowering in a corner, flinching at the faintest sound, always on the brink of crying, shaking and shivering all the time.

With every day that passed, with patience and gentleness, Brian managed to earn Mauro’s trust and found out bits and pieces about what he liked and disliked the most. Sometimes,the kid answered the librarian’s questions right away, but in other cases, it took a few days. Anyway, the man didn’t insist, he let the teenager do things at his own pace.

This is how Brian found out about Mauro’s preference for chocolate cake, melon, and mushroom-based dishes. As for the teenager’s great love for horses, the librarian unintentionally heard him one day whispering the word in a dreamy voice, following a visit of Baldassare, who stopped by his protector’s house on his way to the stables, for one of his riding therapy sessions.

Later, when Brian tentatively brought the subject into discussion, Mauro confessed he was crazy about them. The boy lived all his life in the city, and was a member of a riding club, where his mother took him three times a week, but it wasn't enough. The librarian didn’t say anything right away, but the next day he brought a book on horses from the library, and left it where he knew the teen was going to find it.

Brian wanted to continue his story with the moment of the first meeting between Mauro and Legend, when he felt the temperature suddenly dropping and sensed a shifting in the air, the telltale signs of a spectral presence. He raised his head, his eyes meeting the ones of the tall, sandy-haired, blue-eyed man standing in front of him.

Don't kill him, please. He must live, to see Mauro shine,the ghost telepathically told Brian, who could feel his pain and desperation.You'll help Mauro heal, you are a wise, kind man.the bastard will suffer more if he sees his brother rising andbecoming a great leader, than if he would die,the message reverberated in the librarian’s mind.

To Brian’s great surprise, the specter disappeared a few seconds later, without adding anything. That was quick, the man thought, watching the last tendrils of the spirit’s materialized form dissipating into the air, as the temperature went back to normal. Also, the librarian realized it was the second time when a spirit chose to visit him in a place that wasn’t his home and the library.

Suddenly, Brian remembered he wasn’t alone in the room, and his blood froze at the thought that he might have said something out of place or acted in an unusual manner. A haze surrounded the librarian’s brain and he couldn’t tell exactly if Don Calogero was aware of his special gift. Most likely, right now, the poor man must doubt my sanity, he said to himself, as his eyes met the old mafioso’s confused look.

“Excuse me, Educator, for a moment I’ve got distracted and couldn’t follow you.” Brian blushed in embarrassment. “Would you please be so kind and repeat what you were saying.”

“Well, I didn’t know you can read minds, too.” Don Calogero replied, slightly amused. “I was about to say something.” His voice became harsh. “Mauro was supposed to rule over one of the biggest Mafia organizations in the US, if his traitorous half-brother wouldn't have taken him to that party and left him there. The evil creature knew what he was doing, in fact he hoped the poor boy would die by the hands of those depraved monsters. Here is a pic of him, I want him to suffer before you kill him.”

“I…um…I have a message for you from someone who knows Mauro and his brother.” Brian swallowed hard a few times before continuing. “This…person told me it’s better to let that scumbag live, so he can witness Mauro’s rising from the ashes.”

Don Calogero nodded, a somewhat melancholic smile playing on his lips. “He was a very wise man while he lived, it seems he stayed the same in death.”

So he knew it, Brian thought, letting out an audible sigh of relief. “Who was the man?” He asked with undisguised curiosity. “The one who communicated with me?”

“My darling niece’s husband, Mauro’s father.” Don Calogero sighed. “That traitorous piece of shit is the product of his first, ill-fated marriage. He has his mother’s bad blood, but a father is still a father, even in death. In spite of that dirtbag’s crime, he doesn’t want him dead.”

Brian nodded, a frown creasing his forehead. “I wouldn’t want to be in the shoes of a father whose son hurt his brother so badly, like that pile of shit did to Mauro. I understand where he stands, but the evil deed of that monster will not go unpunished.”

“Of course not.” Don Calogero’s voice was colder than ice and sharp as a blade. “Torture and cripple him, make him crawl, but let him live. I think this was the essence of Mauro’s father’s wish.”

“I’ll take Luca and Tanner, find that piece of garbage, and give him a lesson he won’t forget too soon.” There was a dark promise in Brian’s voice.

“The Italian and Italian-American Mafia organizations obeying our Laws want Gabriele to be confirmed as Judge now.” Don Calogero abruptly changed the subject. “Their representatives said three years with an ad-interim Judge is a long time, and some of them even insinuated you may try and seize the power for yourself.”

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