Page 69 of La Dolce Vita

"Is he hurt?" Rosetta asked.

"Not badly. But several other men were. He says he can't drive because of his hand. I tell him to be careful with those shipments. He doesn't have to work so hard. We have the money because business is good thanks to Mirabella." Francesca fretted.

"Go on, go see to him," Rosetta said.

"Catalina will be here. I want to get her settled. And we were to go to the house." Francesca said with her hand to her head.

Rosetta smiled. "I can bring her. It will give us a chance to talk."

"No, no, I wanted to show her my work. What I've done with the place..."

"Please, Francesca. You know how she feels about me. Let me clear the air with her and start fresh. Please," Rosetta pleaded.

Francesca hesitated a minute and then released a deep sigh. She reached into her drawer and gave Rosetta the keys to the store. "I'm trusting you not to upset her. Make peace. This is your chance to start over. Lock up and have the men bring you home immediately. Don't stay in the city after dark. It's Mancini territory, and, well you know it's not safe."

Rosetta hugged her cousin. "I promise. Catalina is safe with me."

ChapterTwelve

Rocco

Chianti, Italy

Marietta felt as if she were boiling on the inside. She dug in her suitcase for a hand towel. And from the open windows in the room, she and Lorenzo would share, she heard the laughter and fast talking of men along with the slamming of car doors. Someone arrived. She wiped her face clear of sweat and under her arms. She walked over to the window and peered out of it. A car had indeed joined the others who worked for Giovanni and her husband. And amongst the men, she saw a familiar face. Carlo.

From the second floor, she had an aerial view of the property. He wore dark sunglasses, and his hair was a bit longer. It was Carlo. The way his muscular body filled the wrinkled silk suit he wore. The wide leg stand he gave when he faced off with his friends as if they would wrestle at any moment. And of course his deep coarse voice when he spoke went deeper when he laughed. He seemed the same. She knew he wasn't. Shae called her. She told her how they ended things. Marietta didn't think Shae was right for him, but she knew Carlo needed someone. Maybe he'd find that someone soon.

"Lunch is ready," Zia said from the door. "Come down and join us. I made some sandwiches."

"Okay," Marietta smiled.

Zia smiled at her. The old woman looked better. Maybe returning home helped with her fatigue and arthritis.

"Are you okay, Zia? Besides your time with the kids or cooking I never see you."

Zia nodded. She left without saying a word. Marietta looked out of the window again. Carlo was gone.

***

Giovanni opened the door. He went inside the silent cottage. He could smell nothing distinctive. No food was cooking from Zia's kitchen, or musk from Rocco's work boots. The place felt hollow. He walked around the living room. He stopped and looked at a few pictures, and then his gaze shifted to the Bible and reading glasses over by Rocco's chair. The old man was near. Giovanni went to the back of the cottage, out of the kitchen, and to the yard. There he saw Rocco standing with the help of his cane. He wore his overalls and workman boots caked in mud. A straw hat was on his head to protect it from the blistering sun. From Rocco's perspective, he had a perfect view of the villa where Giovanni and the family had gathered. And to the right, he could see the men out in the fields hard at work along the olive groves.

"I saw you arrive," Rocco said without looking back.

Giovanni approached. He stopped at Rocco's side. Though his uncle was shorter than he remembered him as a child, he stood erect, even with his cane. Straight and unrepentant had always been Rocco's way.

"It's time we talk," Giovanni said.

"Talk? You and me? Why talk when you've already made up your mind that I'm the enemy?" Rocco asked.

When Giovanni didn't respond Rocco looked over to him with an impatient frown. "It's been months. Why are you here now? And don't say to talk. You never talk. You give orders, and they obey. There is no talking. Like father like son."

"I'm here because of Mirabella."

"Va bene,Zia tells me she has nightmares. That she screams for no reason in the middle of the night. Is it poison in her making her do it?"

"Maybe. We aren’t sure. She’ll get better."

"How could she, after all she's been through?" Rocco asked.

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