Page 189 of La Dolce Vita

Answers he would never have.

“Keep driving,” Cutter said.

“Boss?” Jerome answered.

“Back to Norfolk. Get me the fuck out of this town.”

"Right. Whatever you say, boss."

ChapterTwenty-Eight

The Brotherhood

Apple Grove, Virginia

“Papa! Push faster! Faster!” Eve squealed. Her little cousin clapped her hands and cheered for her. Gladys had allowed the girl to spend the night so Eve could have more time with her playmate. Eve sat inside the donut hole of the black empty tire with her feet dangling out of one side and the rest of her body on the other side. Giovanni caught the tire and stopped it from swaying.

"Aaw!"

"Share it with yourcugina," he said.

"Okay!" Eve grinned.

Giovanni put the little girl inside the tire with Eve. They both gruipped it. He made sure the children were secure and could hold the handmade rope handles that were punctured inside the tire.

“Hold onlucciola,” he said.

“We will!”

Giovanni began to spin the tire slowly and then gave it a gentle push. His heart raced even after taking such care. But his daughter had the spirit of a daredevil.

“Yaaaay!” Eve cheered with delight.

The little girl named Maven squealed as well. Giovanni stepped back and smiled. Eve wore blue jean shorts a bright pink shirt. Her curly blondish-brown locks were captured in a ponytail by a matching pink ribbon. The top of her head was a crown of curls that glistened in the sun. She was growing so fast. He wished there was a way to slow the process down. He missed the baby with the cherry red pacifer.

“Looks like she and her cousin are having a good time,” Mirabella said. She handed him a glass of water. Giovanni accepted the offering with a smile. It was hotter today than the others. He had large sweat stains under his arms. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand.

“I used to do this when I was her age. My Me-Ma would be so upset. But granddaddy made it secure. He told me once that Me-Ma used to be upset when my mother swung on it too. I could spin all day.”

“So, three generations of Ellison women have ridden on this swing?” he asked.

“That’s right. Three generations,” Mirabella repeated with a smile.

“I’ll have the boys tie a tire to the tree out nearvilla Rosso. It’s perfect and there’s more shade.” He sipped the water and watched Gianni chase Gino in the grass several feet away. The boys could run in circles for hours if left to it. But under this sun it didn’t seem wise.

“Is it me or is it hotter today?” he asked.

“It’s hot. August in Apple Grove can be brutal. It’ll cool off after five,” she said. I turned on the AC unit inside. It’s almost time for lunch.

He finished the water and handed her the glass. He walked over and spun Eve and Maven once more to their delight. This time a little faster.

“So you got in late last night. You didn’t wake me up,” Mirabella said.

“You look beautiful when you sleep,” he glanced back at her. “Didn’t want to disturb you. Besides, I was horny. Too many kids in the bed to make that a possibility.”

“I waited for you. Where did you go?”

He stepped back so Eve had enough room to swing and spin. “A bar called Larry’s. Had a pint and then left. Oh, met your cousin Robert and his son Bobby.”

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