Page 186 of La Dolce Vita

“Ah, fuck that, Larry don’t mind. He’s not drinking just learnin.”

Giovanni’s attention returned to the conversation. He fixed his eyes on the youth. The boy had to be sixteen. Giovanni shared his first toss of strong alcohol with his father at that age.

"He got questions, but afraid of the answers," Robert joked.

"What is it you want to know? Sex? Have you had sex with her?" Giovanni asked.

Bobby shook his head no.

Robert chuckled. "See what I mean? He can't get nowhere with all that ducking and diving."

"Do you want to have sex with her?" Giovanni asked.

Bobby nodded yes.

"Why? For pleasure?" Giovanni asked. "For love?"

It was Lorenzo’s turn to pay attention. He too now stared at the boy. Clyde was the only one who looked away, mildly uncomfortable.

"I love her. I want her to love me," Bobby said.

Giovanni pushed aside his beer. He leaned in and looked into the young boy’s eyes. "Sex is easy. Love requires a little more work. The problem is for some girlssexmeanslove. So if you really want her, then you need to be able to understand and teach her the difference.”

"Okay," Bobby glanced at his father. "She's a good girl. She's not going to let me... you know."

Lorenzo laughed. “Good girls are the first to give up the pussy.”

“If you want love, then the main body part you need to be focused on is her mind,” Giovanni said. The boy's father goofy smile over Lorenzo’s comment faded from his lips.

"The problem is girls are smarter than us. Lorenzo over there. His wife is smarter than him. Clyde, his wife Minnie is smarter than him too. Mirabella is my wife. And yes she is smarter than me. When it comes to love. I’m sure your mama is smarter than your Pops too.”

“Yeah,” Bobby laughed. “Ma is smarter.”

“Bullshit!” Robert said.

“So, what do I do? She only lets me kiss her once. We talk all the time. All she ever wants to do is talk.”

“Then listen to her.”

“Huh?” Bobby frowned. “I am. That’s the problem.”

“What does she talk to you about?” Giovanni asked.

“Everything. She tells me everything.”

“Never trust a woman that tells you everything right away. It's probably a lie,” Lorenzo said.

"I told him to eat her pussy. That is what’ll do it." Robert said.

Lorenzo laughed out loud. Little Bobby dropped his head in shame.

Giovanni smiled.

"Hell yes, it works! That's how I got his mama," Robert said with a serious frown.

"That's a shortcut. Forget that mind business," Lorenzo said. "It's not her mind that gets her; your father is right. Let me teach you something, boy. Put your hands together. Like you're praying.”

The boy did as he was told.

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