Author's note: Hi. I am starting a new series where I tell the stories of some orphans before they come to the orphanage in my fic "Painful Bonding." This is the story of Kate. To continue the story, read my previous story "Painful Bonding." This is still based off of the 1982 version.
Across the street from a small bakery on a street corner in the Little Italy neighborhood of New York City rested a tired looking tenement building. It was weary and old, carrying in its many small apartments crowded families of poor immigrants, most from the home country Italy, precious and warm. Out of the window looked a young girl, about 4, coughing from the sickness that pervaded her living quarters. Her eyes teared with feelings of heat and loneliness, and her legs were cramped from being inside. She was ill, and the effects gave her no peace. In her arms she held a baby girl, her young sister, helpless and alone in a house full of family. Among her lay many children, some as old as 13, with the youngest in her arms. The single room apartment was full of cries, screams and shouts, but the neglected young girl looked silently out of her tiny window, trying to escape the life of hunger and sorrow in which she lived.
. . .
For Don Rucci, leaving his homeland of Abruzzi was a must, and he could see the fortunes that lie ahead of him as fruit ripe for the picking. His wife, Sara, was not happy about moving. She did not want to marry the Don, but her family had forced her to, and now the next thing she knew was that she was going to be taken across the ocean to a far away land that she had only heard tales about. She hated it, and cried to not leave. But Don Rucci had the last say in the matter, so they and their 3 children packed their belongings and sailed to America.
The trip was treacherous, and along the way Sara became very sick. But she recovered, and as they entered New York harbor, they saw the beauty of the nation in full. They cried, and prepared for a new life in America.
It was a breeze settling into Manhattan for the Ruccis, but at the same time it was difficult. Among the bands and the steam whistles, the pollution and poverty, the silver lining of it all was the vast amount of upward social mobility that the Ruccis were able to achieve in America. If only they could have held onto it, for they went from poor to well-off to extremely poor.
The Ruccis, fresh off the boat, applied for an apartment on Centre St. The landlord was also Italian, but he refused to lease to fellow immigrants, so they took up residence in a flophouse on the Bowery. Don Rucci began working on the docks, longshoring and contributing to the bustling economy of the city. A hard-working man, the Don was never reduced to a dishonest word or action, and provided for his humble family, if only just enough.
When there was spare money the Don went to the bars and community dances and listened to the performers and singers. A well-to-do, black-tie wearing man came in often by the name of Don Spazzi. Don Rucci did not know him, what he did for a living, or even where he lived, but he heard rumors, the kinds where someone starts their sentence with "Don't take this as fact." These rumors include that he was a member of the Italian Royal family, he was a massive businessman, and that he led a nationwide crime organization. Don Rucci insisted on learning who he was, and one day he found out that he was a little bit of each.
"What do you want?" growled the cigar smoking Italian.
"Don Spazzi, I see you come around and I want to get to know you a little. No hard feelings!"
"What? You want a job?" asked Don Spazzi sharply.
Don Rucci's first instinct was to refute this, but on second thought he saw in this man the opportunity to better provide for his family.
"Are you offering?"
"Take this and hold onto it for me until we meet here next friday. Alright?"
Don Spazzi handed the Don a cloth covered item which he could tell from the shape was a revolver. Before he could express his feelings about doing anything of this sort, Don Spazzi was gone.
Dutifully, Don Rucci spent his week with the revolver in his desk drawer, and went along his way. On the next Friday he found the Don sitting, drinking whisky at his table. He walked up to him and placed down the covered revolver on the table. Don Spazzi smiled at him, the first time he ever saw him do that, and placed $5 on the table.
Each Friday the Dons ended up meeting, and each weekend, Don Rucci began bringing back more money to his wife. Sara was elated and they moved to a nicer apartment on Mulberry St. But what Sara did not know was that her own husband had abandoned his honesty and had joined the Mafia. His regular doings involved extorting local businesses, bootlegging alcohol and doing other dirty work all in the name of the Spazzi family.
All the while Sara was having more and more children. 7 to count, and their names were Louis, Amanda, Leonardo, Angelo, Antonio, Evangelina and Francesca. One day, at the height of their means, Sara gave birth to a baby which they named Katherine.
Kate had brown eyes, and brown hair. You could see her immense beauty from birth, and it only grew richer and stronger as she grew into a young girl. As a baby, she was quiet and peaceful. She had a soft voice and a happy smile. She made everybody feel warmth and pleasure when they saw her sweet face. As her mother cradled her in her arms, she saw something special about her that she carried in her heart. Sara broke down crying with love as she held Kate close.
…
On a windy summer evening, Don Rucci was playing checkers on the road with some pals when a man walked up to him with a revolver and fired two shots at him. The first one missed, but the second hit him in the chest. Don Rucci fell to the ground with halting calamity and cried for help. His assaulter then ran from the scene at the top of his speed. People in the vicinity began to treat Don Rucci for his wounds with cloth and alcohol, as he coughed up blood.
"Papa!" Cried his daughter as she saw him being dragged into his apartment. Sara was in shock, and his children crowded around him to see the damage. Rucci's vision swirled around as he heaved lost and wandering breaths of air.
This was the first assasination attempt on Don Rucci, caught as the man of blame for various criminal swindlings and robberies of certain rival gangs. He survived, but he had to break to his wife the truth of his life, the slimy mobster dealings that he had been involved with for years. Sara and the Don fought and cried, and threatened to leave each other, even though they had a baby and 7 other children. But Sara succumbed to the pressure, and gave into his life of gangster related activities, as long as it kept them with a roof over their heads.
…
Kate was growing up well-fed, well loved and well taken care of. Her family had enough money to give her a childhood that she could look back on fondly. But when she turned 3 that all changed. Her loving mother came home one day with a scared expression on her face, and sat down with her hands in her face.
"Nanna, what's wrong?" asked Amanda, wanting to comfort her usually joyous mother.
"Nanna can't talk now, please leave her alone." said Sara, with calm, anxious words.
Sara sat alone for a long time, and even though she had come back from the store, she did not cook dinner. Something very bad had happened.
Earlier that day, Don Rucci was sipping wine with the Spazzis in a speakeasy when a squad of feds broke down the door and arrested each member of the mob. Don Rucci was charged with numerous felonies and was held without bail.
This marked the end of the Rucci's illicit funds and therefore the end to their prosperity. There was no way for Sara to get Don Rucci out of jail, and she was left to take care of her 9 children alone. Kate, only a toddler, was plunged into the world of need.
Soon after the bust, the food in the pantry ran out, then the rent, then the money. Then came the sadness. Destitute, Sara had no money and was kicked out of her apartment. She moved back into the flophouse and spent her days waiting in breadlines and begging for change. Her children were taken out of school and were stuck at home all day, leading to restlessness and anger. Then came sickness, where each child came down with an illness. Sara had no money to call a doctor, so they were left to suffer.
Months went by in this miserable existence, and as time went on, Sara became more and more removed. She stopped tucking into bed her children, and ended looking after her baby, Sophia, leaving that for her children to take care of. Sometimes she didn't even wait in the breadline, and the children were left to find food on their own, leading to many hungry days. The older children stole and ran the streets joining gangs.
Kate grew thin and tired, and all she had to do was to hold her breath and wait for better times and try to make the most out of her confusing life. She was an innocent soul cast into a life of punishment that she did not deserve. Her clothes were ragged and her stomach was empty, for what?
All Kate had was love. She radiated love, and all those who saw her were given a feeling of love, just enough to go on. And she showed love too, especially to her sister Sophia, holding her when no one else would. She didn't see many people, but when they did they were left with a feeling of warmth and comfort.
One day, Louis did not come home. This was normal, because Kate's siblings stayed away some nights, sleeping on the streets or spending their night in jail, but Louis never came back.
"Where did Louis go, Nanna?" asked the children.
"He has run away children, I don't know where he has gone." responded their mother.
Kate was sad, but life must go on, and so they moved on. But things began to get strange when Angelo "ran away" as well. Kate began to worry, along with her siblings, but things stayed the same for the most part.
One day, after taking care of Francesca as she was sick, Sara tucked Kate into bed for once.
"I love you Kate." she whispered as she kissed her hungry daughter on the cheek.
"I love you too Nanna." Kate squeaked back.
…
That night when all were asleep, Sara wrapped the unwoken Kate in a warm blanket and picked her up. She brought her outside the door and walked with her in her arms down some back alleys. Laying Kate down on a dry patch of concrete behind an orphanage, she kissed her on the forehead and said a prayer. As it began to rain, she left, crying.