Page 2 of Beguiled and Broken

“Vincenzo, Vincenzo, Vincenzo!” She shook her head at me and walked back into the small kitchen, tossing the rag she had in her hand over her shoulder. She sat at the old Formica table and said, “Come… sit,” pulling out a chair for me to sit with her. I shook my head thinkingNow what?

Clasping her hands together, she went on. “I never wanted to tell you this way. I should’ve told you when you turned eighteen, but then... your papa died, and I didn’t want to lose you. I didn't want you to resent us or run. Our family in Italy expects you to marry someone else.”

It felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. Marry someone else. I couldn’t even think about that, and I couldn’t understand it. “What do you mean marry someone else? We don’t live there. We don’t even talk to them. Ma?...”

“Vinny, our family…”

"I don’t know enough about our family to care.”

"I said, Listen!" She slammed her fist on the table. “Our family in Naples is powerful...but so is another family? the Romanos. To keep the peace, we promised you to their daughter. Lovely girl, they say. She wasn’t theonlyone interested in you, of course. Other powerful families wanted a union with ours, too, and you as their son-in-law.”

“Ma! I don’t give ashitabout any of the women or other families in Naples. I don’t live in Naples. I live in New York. That’s it... I’m marrying Bianca and moving to the Midwest to get the hell away from here, where none of this shit can touch us. Where we can start a life together.” I was so angry, I was shaking. My hands hurt from being clenched into fists. I felt my blood pressure shoot through the roof. My mother’s eyes looked miserable, concerned…but more than that, they looked scared. “Ma, what is it?”

“Rules in the old country mean more than they do here, and I’m afraid of what can happen if you don’t make good on what was agreed. But your papa has been gone for a long time now and the Romanos haven’t called. Maybe they’ve moved on. I don’t know. But I want you to be careful, no matter what you do. Promise me.”

I leaned in, hugging my mother and whispered, “I promise, ma. I’ll be careful. I love you.”

*

March 20, 2001 | First Day of Spring

We had spent the winter getting everything ready for the wedding and it was finally time. We chose the first day of spring to get married. New beginnings and all that. Bianca was really into it, so I said sure.

Giving Bianca the wedding of her dreams was all I wanted to do, even though I knew the Romanos might not be too happy about it if they ever found out. I couldn’t believe arranged marriages were still a thing. It felt like something out of an old movie.

March is cold in New York so we couldn’t get married outside. I also thought Ma might have an aneurism if we didn’t get married in the church. Given the situation, we didn’t put up a fight. Bianca wanted to at least make her happy with the event, even if she was against the marriage. Bianca didn’t know anything about the pre-arranged marriage in Italy, and I didn’t want her to know. I didn’t think she would’ve been able to fully enjoy the day if she had. I made the sign of the cross thinking about it because I knew I was going to need someone to forgive me for not telling her about it.

I was standing in front of the mirror, feeling nervous but ready. I couldn’t wait to take Bianca away from New York and start fresh someplace new.

“Are you ready, mio figliomy son? Your bride is Bellissimabeautiful.” My grandfather, Giuseppe Santorelli, the patriarch of our family, helped fix my tux.

“Si, nonno. I’m ready.” I couldn’t wait to see her. I chuckled and said, “Doesn’t seem fair you gettin’ to see my bride before me, yeah?” He smiled until it reached his eyes. My grandfather was a good man. He worked hard to make sure me and my ma were taken care of, and I could always count on him.

His bushy eyebrows raised while he spoke in his thick Italian accent, saying “Vinny, listen to me. I know what you are planning. I need you to be careful. Always watch your back. Always watch Bianca’s back. No matter how far you go, it will never be far enough. If you ever have a problem, you call me right away. Do you understand what I’m telling you?” He was dead serious. I’d never seen him that serious before.

It shook me a little, but I said, “I understand, nonno. I will. I’ll never let anything happen to Bianca. Please watch out for ma.”

He nodded and reached in for a hug, then patted me on my cheek and said, “Come on, figlio. Let’s go get you married.”

*

Bianca looked stunning. It had taken everything in me not to cry. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Her father walked her down the aisle, beaming with pride. I laughed to myself because my knees were shaking so bad. I let out a slow breath and relaxed them. When she finally reached me, her father kissed her and went to sit with her mother. I lifted her veil over her head and her eyes looked like she’d been crying. With a hopeful tone I had whispered, “Tears of joy, I hope.”

In a classic Bianca move, she smiled and whispered, “Shut up.” We laughed making Father Stephano clear his throat. A warning sign it was time to turn our attention to him. After the small introduction and mini sermon, he said, “Vincenzo has something he would like to say to you, Bianca.” Father Stephano nodded at me. I hadn’t rehearsed my vows, but I needed her to know how I felt.

“B, you made me the happiest man when you said yes. You’re my best friend before anything else and I’m going to spend every day of the rest of our lives reminding you of why you said yes. Sure, I might be a good kissa…” I shrugged my shoulders as she blushed. The attendees laughed but Father Stephano was strict. Thankfully, he just cracked an awkward smile and gave me a look. I straightened up and said, “Jokin’ aside, you make me the happiest man alive, and I can’t wait to start our new life together and for everything the future holds for us. I promise to always protect you and love you with everything I have. You’re stuck with me now, B.” Father Stephano looked at Bianca for her to say something.

Bianca cleared her throat. “Vinny, you are certifiable, but I love you and you’re mine. You’ve always been mine and I think deep down, I always knew I would marry you someday. I promise to always have your back and put us first. Your life is my life now, and mine yours, and I can’t wait for our next chapter. I love you, Vin.”

After Father Stephano declared us husband and wife, he looked at me and motioned towards Bianca, smiling and said, “Vincenzo, you may now kiss your bride.” I leaned in, grabbed the side of her cheek with my hand and brought her into me for the kiss.

Afterwards, we stood at the back of the church, and greeted everyone as they left. Bianca wore her big dress, walked down the aisle with her father, and we were husband and wife. She was mine. I was hers. That’s all that ever mattered to me. It was perfect.

Chapter 2

Vinny, 30 y.o. | Bianca, 28 y.o.

Lynn Falls, Illinois

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