how I filled out, as well as how I wasn't eating enough and how I still looked so young. I smiled and nodded, appreciating that they didn't have any real questions about myself. They only asked what they wanted to know. None of the hard stuff.
“Now Xavier, you're getting to a certain age. Gloria here wants grandbabies. When are you going to settle down and find a nice girl? It would make everyone so happy.”
Well, that was the question I wasn’t expecting. “You know me, ladies, not really a one woman man.”
My mother slapped me playfully. “You silly boy! One day, he will give me grandchildren. But until then, he should have some fun. He was away for so long.”
They all nodded understandingly. Women were strange. I really didn't want to have a conversation on my sex life with them.
“Mama, the bells are going to ring soon. We should take our seats.” She waved goodbye to friends and I escorted her into the church. Members of our family took up almost half of the chapel. At least ten rows were other guys like me in suits, with old Italian mothers sitting next to them. My family sat right in the front row. Another level of respect. We received communion first and were blessed by the father first. Everyone else waited behind us.
When mass was over and we walked back outside into the summer sun, I felt free again. I never had any issues with my Catholicism before, but suddenly bringing my knife and a gun into a place of worship did not seem like the right thing to do. Besides, nothing had ever happened to us at mass. I should've just left them in my car. I saw Dante standing uncomfortably near the door, and I wondered if he felt the same way.
“It's been a while since I've been here.”
He nodded to me, but his eyes were elsewhere. He was always on the lookout. It was his job.
“You haven't been here in a long time. What did the father say? Did he ask where you’ve been?”
I shrugged. “He told me to make sure I start coming back to confession. But I did my confessions in prison. I was one of the most religious guys in there. I didn’t want to take up all the father’s time when I got out.”
We both laughed. A man walked up to us in a dark blue suit. I didn't recognize him. I noticed that his body was tense.
He had sandy blonde hair and a light complexion. I looked into his eyes but there was no recognition there.
He extended his hand to me. “I assume you’re Xavier.”
Irish accent. My body went rigid.
“And you are?” I extended my own hand.
“Ian. Ian McLaren. Is there somewhere we can go and speak in private? I don't want to disturb the parishioners.”
I lifted my hand toward the church. He nodded and walked up the steps back into the chapel. He sat down in one of the pews about halfway in. I looked over my shoulder to Dante. “No one comes in and no one comes out. Understood?”
Dante nodded and closed the doors behind me. It was so quiet. Rarely had I come to the church when it was empty. A couple times, I'd come to pray as a teenager. Especially after Farrah had been taken. I felt small in its presence. I sat behind him and he turned around to face me. I wasn't expecting that.
“It seems you met with one of our dealers. He wasn't very pleased. I appreciated the handiwork.”
“I'm glad. But that doesn't tell me why you're here. We don't do business on Sundays. It’s the day of rest.”
He put up his hands. “If it wasn't important, I wouldn’t drag you away from your family time. I only just got out of mass myself. I understand.”
“Fine. What is it you want to talk about?”
“You have a rat. And he is playing you. My father wants to set and meet with you and your father. Smoke them out. You take care of your side of the city and we take care of ours, and we've never had problems. I don't want some idiot changing that now.”
He was smart. And this was our chance to get out of this mess. I had bigger things to deal with, like telling my family about Farrah and
“Now Xavier, you're getting to a certain age. Gloria here wants grandbabies. When are you going to settle down and find a nice girl? It would make everyone so happy.”
Well, that was the question I wasn’t expecting. “You know me, ladies, not really a one woman man.”
My mother slapped me playfully. “You silly boy! One day, he will give me grandchildren. But until then, he should have some fun. He was away for so long.”
They all nodded understandingly. Women were strange. I really didn't want to have a conversation on my sex life with them.
“Mama, the bells are going to ring soon. We should take our seats.” She waved goodbye to friends and I escorted her into the church. Members of our family took up almost half of the chapel. At least ten rows were other guys like me in suits, with old Italian mothers sitting next to them. My family sat right in the front row. Another level of respect. We received communion first and were blessed by the father first. Everyone else waited behind us.
When mass was over and we walked back outside into the summer sun, I felt free again. I never had any issues with my Catholicism before, but suddenly bringing my knife and a gun into a place of worship did not seem like the right thing to do. Besides, nothing had ever happened to us at mass. I should've just left them in my car. I saw Dante standing uncomfortably near the door, and I wondered if he felt the same way.
“It's been a while since I've been here.”
He nodded to me, but his eyes were elsewhere. He was always on the lookout. It was his job.
“You haven't been here in a long time. What did the father say? Did he ask where you’ve been?”
I shrugged. “He told me to make sure I start coming back to confession. But I did my confessions in prison. I was one of the most religious guys in there. I didn’t want to take up all the father’s time when I got out.”
We both laughed. A man walked up to us in a dark blue suit. I didn't recognize him. I noticed that his body was tense.
He had sandy blonde hair and a light complexion. I looked into his eyes but there was no recognition there.
He extended his hand to me. “I assume you’re Xavier.”
Irish accent. My body went rigid.
“And you are?” I extended my own hand.
“Ian. Ian McLaren. Is there somewhere we can go and speak in private? I don't want to disturb the parishioners.”
I lifted my hand toward the church. He nodded and walked up the steps back into the chapel. He sat down in one of the pews about halfway in. I looked over my shoulder to Dante. “No one comes in and no one comes out. Understood?”
Dante nodded and closed the doors behind me. It was so quiet. Rarely had I come to the church when it was empty. A couple times, I'd come to pray as a teenager. Especially after Farrah had been taken. I felt small in its presence. I sat behind him and he turned around to face me. I wasn't expecting that.
“It seems you met with one of our dealers. He wasn't very pleased. I appreciated the handiwork.”
“I'm glad. But that doesn't tell me why you're here. We don't do business on Sundays. It’s the day of rest.”
He put up his hands. “If it wasn't important, I wouldn’t drag you away from your family time. I only just got out of mass myself. I understand.”
“Fine. What is it you want to talk about?”
“You have a rat. And he is playing you. My father wants to set and meet with you and your father. Smoke them out. You take care of your side of the city and we take care of ours, and we've never had problems. I don't want some idiot changing that now.”
He was smart. And this was our chance to get out of this mess. I had bigger things to deal with, like telling my family about Farrah and
Similar Books
