“I’m talking to my future son-in-law,” Vicari said without looking away from me.
Niccolo shut up and just sat there unhappily.
“She’s a pleasant-looking girl,” Vicari said. “Not a great beauty, but nice enough. But she’s an odd duck. Always got her nose in a book. Always reading.
“I’ve brought her suitors before. She didn’t care for any of them. But she’s 24 now. It’s time. She waits any longer, she’s gonna be an old maid.”
Jesus…
Niccolo had told me a lot about Sicilians, but he didn’t mention they were assholes.
“I can’t promise she’ll be a great wife, but we’ve got servants for cooking and cleaning,” Vicari continued. “You’ll have to make do with the rest. Any other questions?”
“Why me?” I asked.
“I remembered you. I figured you were pretty enough for her. Plus, your family’s desperate,” Vicari said. He wasn’t mean-spirited, just matter-of-fact. “And I want to expand out of Sicily. It’s a good match. Anything else?”
“What about Mezzasalma?”
“Ah. The elephant in the room.” Vicari nodded, almost approvingly. “Mezzasalma controlled the southern part of Sicily. Ragusa, Pozzallo… Rosolini, too. That’s where your grandfather Vito came from.”
I’d heard that ever since I was born: that my family’s name was the same as the town my grandparents came from. I’d never seen it, though. I’d never even set foot in Sicily before today.
“Jacopo Gargano took over Vito’s territory when he left,” Vicari explained. “Mezzasalma was his enforcer. Then Mezzasalma killed Gargano and his entire family. Wiped them all out one night as they slept in their beds.”
“And you were okay with that?” I asked incredulously.
“Myfatherwas fine with it. He was in charge back then. He never had a problem with Mezzasalma. Mezzasalma was respectful to him. And he always paid my family our cut. Besides, Gargano was weak; Mezzasalma was strong. In Sicily, the strong eat the weak. That’s just the way of things. My father saw no reason to get involved.
“When my father died and I took over, I could tell Mezzasalma was going to be a problem one day. He was getting too rich off the drugs he was smuggling in from North Africa. Of course, he was makingmerich with the percentage he waspaying me – but I knew he’d eventually try to do tomewhat he did to Gargano. So I was always on my guard.
“That’s why, when he came to me and asked to go the mainland, I gave him my blessing. I took over his territory, promised him a cut of all future profits, and off he went.” Vicari shrugged. “Mezzasalma stopped being my problem and became someone else’s.”
“Yeah –ours,”I snapped.
Niccolo glared at me, but I ignored him.
Besides, Vicari didn’t seem offended.
“I never thought he would try to take down your family. He was always sentimental about your grandfather. I would’ve never guessed he’d try to kill the rest of you.”
“Would you have told us if you’d known?” I asked.
“No,” Vicari said matter-of-factly.
“Why not?!”
“Because I didn’t owe you shit. Just like you didn’t owemeshit. Which is another reason this marriage is good for you.”
“And why’s that?”
“Because once you marry my daughter, you becomesangue di mi sangue.”
The words probably meantBlood of my blood…
But the right way to say ‘blood of my blood’ was actuallySangue del mio sangue.
The literal translation ofSangue di mi sanguewasBlood from my blood.