Franco Pato was now officially a member of the Zacrota gang. The problem? He had no idea how to act like one.
The next morning, he woke up in a small, old apartment the gang had assigned him. It contained an uncomfortable bed, a half-broken wooden table, and a completely empty refrigerator except for a bottle of water that looked like it had survived two world wars.
"Great… I joined the mafia, and I'm still poor." He muttered as he stretched out on the bed.
Before he could continue complaining, there was a loud knock on the door.
"Open the door, you wretch!"
Franco recognized the voice immediately… Marco.
Lazily getting up, he opened the door, to find Marco standing with two other men, one of whom was short and had a thick mustache, and the other so large that the doorway couldn't easily fit him.
"Good morning!" Franco said with a wry smile.
"No time for idle talk, we have work today." Marco said as he pushed him out.
"Wait, I haven't had breakfast yet!"
"In the mafia, breakfast is the last thing that matters."
"That explains why you all look so angry all the time."
Marco ignored him and walked ahead of him, while Franco and the other two men followed suit.
First mission…disastrous
Marco stopped his car in front of a small jewelry store on a Milan street. He turned to Franco and said:
"Okay, this will be your first mission. We want you to go in, pretend to be a customer, and then give us a signal when the merchant is alone. After that, we'll go in and take what we need."
Franco blinked several times.
"Wait a minute… are you saying my mission is to go in, look at the jewelry, and then wink at you?"
"Exactly."
"That's not professional, that sounds like a scene from a school play!"
"Shut up and do what we say!" Marco said impatiently.
Franco sighed, then walked into the store, trying to look like a wealthy customer… even though his clothes screamed, "I'm broke."
The store owner was an old man, wearing thick glasses, and chewing gum in an annoying way.
"Hello, sir! How can I help you?"
Franco pretended to think, then said,
"I'm looking for a fancy ring for my fiancée."
"Ah! Great choice! Is she pretty?"
Franco smiled and said,
"Sure, she looks like… um, a famous actress, but I can't remember her name now."
"Maybe Monica Bellucci?"
"Yes! But with smaller eyes, a bigger nose, and a more aggressive personality…"
"So, she doesn't look like her at all."
"Exactly."
Marco was watching him from outside, and he gestured with his eyes for him to give the signal. Franco decided to do it in a dramatic way, so he stood up straight, smiled, and then winked at the shopkeeper instead of Marco.
"Sir… why did you wink at me?" the old man said, raising his eyebrow.
"What? No, I didn't wink at you, I was… I was trying to remove the dust from my eye."
"But it was your other eye that I closed."
Franco realized that he was in trouble, so he tried to correct the situation, but he made another, more obvious wink.
The old man put his hand over his mouth in shock, then whispered:
"I'm sorry… but I'm married."
"Oh my God, no! That's not what I meant!"
At that moment, Marco and the other two men stormed into the store, holding their weapons, and shouted:
"Everyone down!"
The old man didn't move, but looked at Franco and said:
"Is this all just to get a date with me?"
"Stop saying that!"
While Marco and the others were collecting the jewelry, the old man decided that he wasn't going to make it easy, so he opened a drawer and pulled out a small gun, shouting:
"You don't know who you're dealing with!"
Franco was shocked, then shouted as he threw himself to the ground:
"I told you I didn't want you!"
Before the old man could shoot, the big man from the gang jumped on him, and he fell to the ground like an angry bear.
"Well, that's it." Marco said as he quickly left with the jewelry.
Franco followed them running:
"Great, my first operation and it ended with the store owner thinking I love him!"
Marco couldn't stop laughing as they got into the car.
"Looks like you'll be a great addition to us, Franco!"
Franco sighed as he looked at his empty hands:
"Great, I've become a professional criminal... and I still haven't had my breakfast."
And so, his first day in the gang ended... in a way he never expected.