Luis Raphael Mancini looked more like a movie star than an Italian Mafia boss. He was well over six feet tall, with an athletic body he had nurtured to the right proportions in the gym. Had a chiseled jawline, carrying a delicate chinstrap on a face that would make a male Hollywood star suffer an inferiority complex.
He scribbled his name in elegant writing on the designated areas of the guest register.
He raised his emerald green eyes at the lady tending to the register, looking at her already pinked face. The soft curve of his lips twisted slightly in an easygoing smile, causing her ogling eyes to retreat in embarrassment.
He threw his hands in his pockets, continuing into the colourful and festive ambiance of the massive outdoor garden that served as the graduation reception. Looking over the sea of people either donning blue graduation gowns, or various designer attires, he spotted, calling him into the midst of a smaller mob of gowned boys and girls, his cousin, Asher Mancini. Raphael strode up to him, carrying himself with pride.
Asher squeezed Raphael in a hug. "How have you been, big cousin? I never thought you would come. It was a surprise to me when you called that you were here", Asher cried, ecstatic. His eyes went over Raphael in silent scrutiny, glinting with excitement.
Raphael smiled. "I promised uncle on his deathbed to attend your graduation, and I want to honor that promise", he said. Raphael should be on his estate, punishing one of his men whom he recently discovered had been systematically stealing from his family, but to any Mafia, family was important.
Asher led the way, introducing him to the rest of the mob of gowned youths. Having him go through the ritual of shaking hands with the boys and girls one after another. Then Asher introduced him to a very beautiful lady. She was sensationally petite, with delicate features. Her long blond hair flowed down her back, sharpened to an angelic golden yellow by the bright sunlight. Her azure blue eyes were fringed with thick black lashes.
Raphael took her hands gently for a handshake. This wasn't the first time he would be smitten by a woman's beauty, but this was the first time in his life that he showed it. He kissed the back of her hand gently. "You are a beautiful lady, signora" he said, releasing her small fingers, just as his eyes took a lustful sojourn down her revealing dress beneath the graduation gown.
Another of the graduating guys, equally dressed in a graduation gown, stepped forward, planting his lanky self firmly between him and the lady. He offered his hand grudgingly for a handshake.
"Yes. Thank You. I am Pete Harrison" he said spitefully. His face hostile. "I am also a friend of Asher."Ā
"Yeah. I can tell. So get away from my face boy.", Raphael returned. And when the youth wouldn't budge, Raphael made to push him from his face. Asher stopped him, pulling him away from the crowd gently, most of whom had begun to stare at Raphael with explicit hostility, grumbling their grievances, including the lady.
Asher led him to a group of empty tables, one of which hosted a couple of wine glasses. They all looked to contain champagne. Raphael picked up one of the glasses, and poured the contents down his throat. He monetarily relished the refreshing icy feeling trailing down his throat, as he waited for Asher to find his words.
"I understand the urge to get that girl, but she is a no-go area. She has been completely hooked up with Pete since our freshman year, and no one has been able to get him off her. I have tried, just as so many other guys in college have, but no one has been able to." Asher said, turning at intervals to throw a reassuring smile at his friends, during the speech.
"Have got no business with that. Nobody gets between me and a signora, that I fancy. I always get the dames. Correction" he raised a finger at his last word. "They come flocking themselves to El Capitan. Just wait, that girl is going to be all over me in a couple of minutes", Raphael boasted, confident in himself. He had never had a problem with any lady, and he wasn't going to have one today.
"Don't say I didn't warn you", Asher mumbled in defeat. Raphael wasn't listening, he was returning to the group, ambling specially to the lady. He shoved the lanky youth aside. The lady's expression could as well plunge a dagger into his heart, as she watched him come, eyes flaring with hostility. "Get lost you local pig" she yelled. "Go and work your charm on a sow, perhaps she might find your barbarian manners interesting. I don't" With that, she snatched the wrist of the lanky youth, marching off with him.
Raphael watched them go, bitter with rage. It was the first time a woman would ever turn him down, especially as rudely as she had done. He grinned devilishly, stroking his beard. He would make her the last.Ā
Ā
Elena Smith left with Pete Harrison, her long-time boyfriend, still quivering in anger at Asher's cousin's rudeness. She hated those kinds of men, men who were very proud of themselves. She decided to forget about him and resume her search for her father in the party ground. She searched the crowd of people in every direction, looking past the arranged mass of decorated tables, past the ornate decorations over the beds of colourful flowers that made the expansive garden. Still, she couldn't find him. He had promised to attend her graduation reception since her mother couldn't, having passed away from cancer half a year ago.Ā
She should be able to recognize him, Elena thought. He had sent her his recent pictures as she'd sent him hers. It had been almost twenty years since her father left her and her mother to chase a gang life in Brooklyn. His goodbye speech ended with the line that they were safer without him in their lives. Then he had vanished into thin air, only sending them monthly, via an untraceable contact, exorbitant amounts of money along with a five-sentence letter that had little or no information about him.
"Are you sure your father wasn't pulling your leg? He has been away from your life for twenty years. There is no reason for him to show up now. He might even be ashamed to", Pete said. "Like being guilt-tripped", he threw his hands up helplessly.
"Since mom passed away, his letters have been frequent and lengthy. He had become more concerned about me. Mom's death gave him a change of heart. He gave me an address to mail my letters to, and he replied to them duly. Besides, this was the first time he ever promised to visit. I can't help but feel something has gone wrong with him. I can'tā¦" her words broke off in an incoherent mumble, as she was suddenly overwhelmed with worry.
Pete dragged her into his arms. "Don't worry, and be calm. I am sure he is fine. He probably got delayed by one thing or another," he assured her, patting her hair carefully. She felt the tension in her body ease, her worries slipping off her. That was one of the reasons why she loved him. He had a way of making her worries fade away.
He broke off slowly, staring into her eyes. "I am sure your dad is fine, but to ease your nerves and quell your worries, we will go look for him tomorrow. He is somewhere in Brooklyn, right?" Pete asked.Ā
"Yeah. I think so. The address he asked me to mail my letters to is in Brooklyn", Elena answered.
"Where in Brooklyn", Pete inquired.
"I don't know. I have never been there. But the address says Mancini's Paperwork Corporation"
Pete grabbed her shoulders gently, leaning low to stare into her face. "Cheer up. With the address, we will find him. Did I ever tell you, my dad was a detective, and I inherited his skills."
Elena chuckled softly. Then suddenly, she recollected the name, 'Mancini'. Strangely, it sounded very familiar, more familiar than it did before.