Forbidden love for a Barkley
Part Eight:
"The late Nick Barkley, part 1"
After talking and talking about it, Tom Barkley's birthday/life celebration happened. Naturally, it started off as a solemn day of remembrance, but the day quickly brightened up when Stefania, having kept her promise, showed up with a freshly baked cake in order to pay respects to the late Barkley patriarch, to meet Nick's family, and help ease the blow of Tom's death. However, things quickly got uncomfortable and testy when Leonard made his appearance and not only showed disrespect to his late brother or his contempt towards Heath, but revealed himself to be a bigot upon finding out that Stefania was Italian. In fact, Leonard's presence and hatred made Stefania so uncomfortable that she offered to leave, but the rest of the Barkleys, Nick included, convinced her to stay. To add to the more brightened up day, Eugene Barkley returned home from being out at sea and was informed of all that happened in his absence, most notably Jarrod's marriage to Beth and how surprising it was to see Nick with a female again for the first time since his engagement to Hester, before abruptly changing the subject and discussing the night they (excluding Heath) lost Tom. Meanwhile, Nick apologized for Leonard's behavior, mentioned the women who were briefly in his life (his first ex fiancee Hester Converse, Belle Bleeck, Jean Price, Miranda the hardened criminal, Layle Johnson, and Michelle De Lacaise to name a few) and talked about Hester & how she dumped him before taking Stefania home and promising another day together after the sun rose the very next morning. Upon parting ways for the time being, Stefania had a argument with her father and Nick talked with Jarrod before retiring for the night. Now, the question that remains is: How will tomorrow's planned day together go? Find out!
Author's Note: I do NOT own The Big Valley or its characters. I ONLY own this fic and the characters of: Stefania Mangano, Leonard Barkley, and the Mangano family. There's going to be the continuation of the dream sequence started towards the end of the previous chapter and this chapter may be a two or multiple parter. I originally had this written as part of the previous chapter, but decided to split it (this section) up into two or more parts (still deciding ;) ) and make them individual chapters, if that makes sense :)
WARNING: There may be some graphic & violent moments in this chapter plus offensive terms. If you find it offensive, please go back. Also too, I do not condone such terms to be used, but considering the era "The Big Valley" was set in, it was just the thing to do, unfortunately. Don't say I did not warn you. Rated 'T' for a reason.
(Flashback to part 7)
Nick and Stefania had arrived back to Stefania's house. They were about to get out of the carriage, but decided to stay in a little while longer and even shared another kiss.
"I must walk you to your...door." Nick said in between the kissing.
"I know, but (kiss) I don't want to say goodbye or goodnight (kiss) just yet." Stefania replied in between the kisses.
"I'll see you again tomorrow." Nick started to gently pull out of the kissing part of the embrace.
"I know, but...tomorrow isn't coming fast enough." Stefania held onto him.
"That's true, but when the sun rises over that horizon tomorrow, I'll be here. I promise." Nick looked into her eyes.
"Do you really promise?" Stefania smirked.
"Cross my heart." Nick made a cross over his heart.
"I guess we should go to my front door now." Stefania sported a forlorn look.
"I guess so." Nick nodded in disappointment, before getting out of the carriage and helping Stefania out of it.
Stefania pulled him into a hug and put her head on his chest. Nick held her close and this embrace lasted for a few minutes, before they pulled out of it and walked up to her porch.
"I guess this is goodnight which is the worst thing I have to say." Nick took a good look at her under the moonlight and got mesmerized by her beauty, yet again.
"It is the worst thing for either of us to say." Stefania put the tip of her nose onto Nick's.
"I'll be back tomorrow at sun up." Nick put his hand on her cheek, caressing it very gently.
"I'll count the hours." Stefania told him.
"Goodnight, Stefania." Nick replied.
"Goodnight...Nick or should I say Ciao Bello?" Stefania smirked.
"Either one is fine by me." Nick smiled.
"Ciao Bello." Stefania pecked him on the lips.
"Goodnight." Nick said, again.
Neither one of them moved a muscle.
"Goodnight." Stefania opened her door.
"Goodnight." Nick put his hat back on and blew a kiss to her, before walking over to the carriage, getting in it, and riding off.
Stefania watched as he disappeared into the distance, before shutting the door and starting to cry softly to herself.
"Stefania, qual è il problema ? (Stefania, what's the matter?)" a woman walked into the room.
"Stefania, dove sei stato?! I tuoi fratelli e io stavamo per uscire a cercarti ! Cosa ti ha fatto l'uomo bianco?! Cosa non ti ha fatto bene Barkley?! (Stefania, where have you been?! Your brothers and I were about to go out looking for you! What did the white man do to you?! What did that no good Barkley do to you?!)" Stefania's father came into the room and slightly raised his voice.
"Carmine, non gridare. Tutti gli altri stanno cercando di dormire. (Carmine, don't shout. Everybody else is trying to sleep. )" the woman shushed him.
"Non mi interessa, Andrea ! Nostra figlia è stata fuori tramonto dopo aver fatto le regole più rigorose per tutti che tornavano qui prima che il sole tramonta e la luna si alza. Conosce i pericoli della notte proprio come chiunque sia qui e ci deve una spiegazione ! (I don't care, Andrea! Our daughter was out past sundown after I have made the strictest rules for everyone to be back here before that sun goes down and the moon comes up. She knows the dangers of the night just like anyone else here and she owes us an explanation!)" Carmine slapped the nearby table.
"Carmine, nostra figlia è una donna adulta. Può rimanere fuori per tutto il tempo che piace. Non puoi impedirle di sperimentare ciò che questo paese non per non parlare di questo stato ha da offrire e da quando hai sollevato il nome di Barkley, sembra che, poiché potrebbe aver incontrato uno dei Barkley di Stockton di cui tutti hanno parlato. (Carmine, our daughter is a grown woman. She can stay out for as long as she pleases. You can't prevent her from experiencing what this country let alone this state has to offer and since you brought up the name of Barkley, it seems as though as she may have met one of the Stockton Barkleys everyone has been talking about.)" Andrea tried to reason with her husband before turning to her daughter, "Stefania, hai incontrato i Barkley di Stockton ? (Stefania, have you met the Barkleys of Stockton?)"
"Oh sì, mamma. Ho incontrato tutti i Barkleys tranne il defunto Tom Barkley. Dio riposa la sua anima. Sono persone così simpatiche soprattutto Nick. (Oh yes, mom. I met all of the Barkleys except the late Tom Barkley. God rest his soul. They're such nice people especially Nick.)" Stefania nodded and smiled after saying Nick's name.
"Sono felice di sapere che non sono come i tipici ricchi di cui senti parlare. Immagino che ti sia piaciuto questo Nick. (I'm glad to hear they're not like the typical rich people you hear about. I take it you have taken a liking to this Nick guy.)" Andrea noticed Stefania smiled after she said Nick's name.
"È un uomo bianco! Un uomo bianco! Andrea, non possiamo permettere che nostra figlia vada con gente come quel Barkley! (He's a white man! A white man! Andrea, we cannot allow our daughter to go with the likes of that Barkley fellow!)" Carmine protested.
"Carmine, Stefania è una ragazza adulta. Non possiamo proteggerla dal mondo. Se le è piaciuto questo Nick Barkley, beh, dovremo semplicemente accettarlo. (Carmine, Stefania is a grown girl. We cannot shield her from the world. If she has taken a liking to this Nick Barkley fellow, well, we will just have to accept it.)" Andrea tried to plead with her husband a little more.
"Sì, papà. Non puoi tenermi bambino per sempre. Mi piace davvero tanto Nick e lo incontrerò domani! (Yeah, dad. You can't keep me a child forever. I really really like Nick and I am going to meet up with him tomorrow!)" Stefania stood her ground.
"Non farai nulla del genere, Stefania! (You will do no such thing, Stefania!)" Carmine shook his head 'no'.
Stefania didn't say anything and just ran up to her room.
"Qual è il suo problema?! Conosce le regole! (What's her problem?! She knows the rules!)" Carmine threw his hands up in frustration.
"Basta, Carmine! Abbastanza! (Enough, Carmine! Enough!)" Andrea threw her hand up, shook her head, and walked off, "A volte non ti riconosco nemmeno! (I don't even recognize you at times!)"
*Many moments later back at Barkley Ranch*
Nick arrived back at Barkley Ranch and started putting the carriage and horses up for the night. While he was giving the horses a good brushing on their manes after washing them down, a hand grabbed his shoulder, startling him.
"Who goes there?!" Nick, startled and ready to beat up whoever snuck up on him, turned around and saw that it was Jarrod.
"Hi, Nick. I didn't mean to scare you." Jarrod chuckled and pat him on the shoulder.
"Jarrod, I have told you and told you and told you to never ever sneak up on me. I coulda shot, stabbed, or punched you." Nick was annoyed at his older brother sneaking up on him.
"I know, but you know me, brother." Jarrod playfully punched his shoulder.
"I should. I grew up with you. Anyways, I have a strange inkling that you want something." Nick kept on brushing the first horse's mane.
"You were gone for a long time." Jarrod started.
"And?" Nick asked.
"And...where did you go?" Jarrod shrugged.
"Why do you care about that? Since when do I check in with you?" Nick gave Jarrod his usual annoyed look.
"I care, because you were gone for an awful long time with Stefania." Jarrod walked over to a nearby table, leaned against it, and folded his arms.
"Gone for an awful long-Jarrod, I was taking her home. What? Is that against the law or something?" Nick continued to brush the horse's mane.
"No, but it was a pretty long time to be taking somebody home. Plus, Eugene was watching you guys from the living room window." Jarrod looked down at his wrist, only to look back up at Nick.
"That little sneak hasn't changed, has he?" Nick chuckled and shook his head, "I figured. However, regarding me taking Stefania home and taking an eternity doing so, I simply lost track of time by talking for a long time with her and of course, thinking of father while on the ride back here."
"You're not alone in that. We were all talking about father while I filled Eugene in on my marriage to Beth to a degree, mind you." Jarrod sighed, "We even talked about the night father was killed and you & Eugene brought him back to the house."
"Jarrod, I prefer not to relive that moment. I still struggle with that." Nick stopped brushing the horse's mane.
"I know, Nick. We all do. However, after everyone else retired for the night, I got to thinking about father and Beth." Jarrod walked over and stood next to Nick.
"You did?" Nick turned to face his brother.
"Yeah. I got to thinking of why Cass Hyatt targeted me." Jarrod told him.
"Jarrod, we all know why Cass Hyatt targeted you. You helped put him behind bars for a long time and he vowed to get you by any means necessary." Nick tilted his head to the side.
"Well, there's that reason, but as I look back on it, I've got a hunch for another reason he wanted to get me." Jarrod looked around before looking back at Nick, "Remember Handy Random?"
"Remember? How can I forget? He's the one who shot the man who murdered father and the man who murdered father was Patrick 'Pat' Hyatt." Nick nodded, before going back to brush the horse's mane some more only to stop in his tracks, "Wait a minute! Wait...a...minute! Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"I think so. I'm thinking that Handy Random shot and killed Pat Hyatt who happened to be not only father's friend turned murderer, but the father of Cass Hyatt and due to wanting to avenge his father, Hyatt wanted to get back at me for the murder of his father besides my involvement of sending him to Quentin for a long time. He sure got back at me alright, only he didn't get me. He got Beth." Jarrod walked back and forth in the barn.
"You can read minds apparently. How did you know I thought that?" Nick was a little surprised.
"I got to thinking about it today more so than I have in a longtime. When did you put two and two together?" Jarrod asked.
"The night father died and the day Beth died. I had that feeling coursing through my veins for a long time. Besides two of the tragic days of our lives, I also had that feeling when Handy Random paid us a visit and we gave him that warm welcome before we found out what a traitor he was and how he tries to please both crowds, especially how he kissed up to Craddock and his family." Nick finished brushing the first horse's mane and went over to the second horse.
"I remember that dispute with the Craddocks like it was yesterday. Oh, father couldn't stand Mr. Craddock. Well, they couldn't stand each other." Jarrod shook his head while smirking.
"Come to think of it, I don't think father could stand anybody." Nick chuckled.
Jarrod didn't say anything and just followed suit. However, the chuckling was short lived when a saddle fell off of the hook it was hanging from. This startled the two Barkley brothers.
"Uh oh! I think father was just here and didn't approve of that." Jarrod put his hand on his chest.
"We're kidding, father. We're kidding." Nick ran a hand across his forehead.
"He knows, Nick. Anyways, in regards to Stefania-" Jarrod was cut off.
"She's a great friend, isn't she, Jarrod?" Nick smiled just hearing her name.
"She's a lovely young lady. In fact, she's better than that Hester woman you brought home that one time or your second fiancee Tasha." Jarrod made his way toward the barn doors.
"Jarrod, we're just friends and that's that." Nick shot him a glare.
"Nick, you've taken a liking to her, haven't you?" Jarrod still had that smirk on his face.
"Jarrod, as I just said, we are just friends. That is that." Nick finished brushing the second horse's mane, put the brush down, and walked out of the barn.
"He likes her a lot. He definitely likes her. In fact, he loves her. We all can feel it and see it. Especially, the glint in his eye." Jarrod thought.
*Two hours later*
After getting himself washed up and everything, Nick had since turned in for the night and was sound asleep. Judging by the smile he had on his face while sleeping, he was either having a good dream or he had Stefania on his mind or both.
Nick turned onto his left side and mumbled in his sleep.
*In Nick's dream*
It was a beautiful sunny day. After the sun rose and having breakfast, Nick and Stefania met up and were at the spot where they first met, sitting under the same tree. They were enjoying each other's company and just the beauty of nature around them.
"Nick, this place gets more enjoyable each time we come here." Stefania put her head on Nick's shoulder.
"And beautiful, too. Then again, nothing is as beautiful as you are, Stefania." Nick looked up at the sky.
"Oh, Nick. You've probably told other girls that. You probably even said it to Hester, Layle, and Michelle to name a few." Stefania shrugged.
"Stefania, I may have paid them some sort of compliment, but they weren't nearly as attractive or kind as you are and have been to my family and me. Had they been kind, well, you and I wouldn't be where we are right now and how we're keeping our growing relationship very very quiet." Nick turned to Stefania and looked into her eyes.
"That's true, Nick. If Pasquale had been faithful to me, I would've never met you." Stefania turned away and looked at the ground, "Nick...say if-say if Layle Johnson, Michelle De Lacaise, or Hester Converse were to come back into your life now, how would you react?"
(Now, but still in the dream)
"Stefania, why would you even ask that?" Nick was perplexed.
"Nick..." Stefania stood up and faced away from him, "You know your people don't want me around. You know that in their eyes Michelle, Hester, and Layle are the 'perfect' ones in their eyes and minds."
"Stefania, wait a minute. Wait, wait, wait a minute there." Nick stood up and got behind her, "You know that my family welcomed you with open arms and were very glad to officially meet you. You can't paint them with a broad brush."
"I know they did, Nick but that was only, because they are going with our ruse of being 'good friends'. If they knew that we were together as a couple, they may not be as kind and receptive." Stefania took a few steps forward.
"Stefania, you don't know that. Neither of us do. We'll just have to wait and see when that time comes. However, I know when that time comes, they'll accept you. I mean we eventually accepted Heath as a Barkley and the circumstances. We had to accepted Beth when Jarrod married her. My family accepted the other women in my life and since we accepted all of that, I know they'll accept you. I just know it." Nick got closer to her and put his hands on her shoulders.
"Maybe so, but your uncle Leonard won't accept me and how do you know your other relatives will accept me once they find out?" Stefania had a sad look on her face.
"Stefania, nobody cares about what my uncle Leonard likes or doesn't like. Nobody does, because we know his strong feelings and strong views. While he is entitled to them, they don't reflect us at all. Plus, my other relatives? Like Leonard, they don't live with us, so really, it is none of their concern." Nick gently turned Stefania around, so she was facing him, "That being said, their acceptance or nonacceptance doesn't matter. What should matter is that my mother and siblings accept you & most importantly, I accept you and you accept me. That should matter a lot more than anything else."
"Nick, it does, but it would be nice to have the whole family give their blessings and such. It just would. I mean you did say you and your family are close." Stefania looked up at him.
"Stefania, you must've misheard me. What I meant was that my immediate family and I are close. The other relatives? Not so much. Leonard is still carrying the torch over my mother not marrying him. My other uncle Jim was somewhat close to us, especially to Audra, because he did help her a lot during the aftermath of our father's murder. Those two were very close. However, it all changed when Jim became a recluse and was later murdered. I'll delve into more about him later on. Now, as for my cousin Alma, well truth be told, she only comes around when she wants money. The same applies for her mother, my aunt Adelaide Barkley-Smythe. My other aunt Ophelia has been married and divorced four times. Probably, because she always has a get-rich-quick scheme up her sleeve. She only comes around when she is cooking up a scheme and wants to rope one of us into it. The others, well, there's too many stories and origins to discuss for the time being. That being said, I am not close with the family as a whole. I am close with my immediate family Jarrod, Heath, Audra, Eugene, and mother. And father when he was alive. So, if I were you, I'd consider myself blessed if I never had to ever see Alma, Adelaide, Ophelia, Leonard, or any of them." Nick took a deep breath after explaining everything.
"Well, when you put it that way, I see what you mean and you're right. I should be happy I haven't had to cross their paths, yet." Stefania nodded, before sighing.
"Well, what's wrong now?" Nick started to have a smile form on his face.
"Maybe it is for the best that we only stay friends." Stefania started to walk off.
"Only stay fri-Stefania, you're acting crazy." Nick followed her.
"I am not acting crazy, Nick. I just think it is best that we remain friends. I mean think about it, I am foreign, you are American. You know just as well as I do that not many people would take too kindly to us being in a relationship. Look at the intolerance I have already dealt with from your uncle Leonard. You and I both know that it'll only get worse." Stefania continued to walk through the field.
"Stefania, I don't care what-" Nick was cut off.
"I know you don't care what they think. Neither do I. What I'm concerned for is our safety. We both know intolerance turns to violence real fast." Stefania told him.
"Stefania, you may have forgotten what I told you when we first met. Whenever someone hurts a person I love and care about, the gloves, in my case, these ones I am wearing, come off and it's a knock-down drag-out fight to the finish. When it comes to safety, I appreciate you being concerned, but I can hold my own when it comes to me. When it comes to you, your safety is number one. After all, a real man protects his woman." Nick tried to sound reassuring.
"That's true, but there's only so much you can do, Nick." Stefania kept on walking, getting a few away from Nick.
"Stefania, wait! Wait!" Nick practically had to run in order to catch up with her, "Stefania, I promised I would protect you and I will. I will protect you against anybody."
"Even your uncle Leonard and his friends?" Stefania looked up at him, again.
"Especially them. Yes! Look, I-" Nick paused as he struggled to get the last part out.
"You what?" Stefania asked.
"I...l-l-l-lo-" Nick struggled again.
*In reality*
Nick jolted awake before he could possibly say that last part in his dream. He looked around to find that he was still in his room and it was still night fall. That being said, he began to wonder if the dream he just had, had any meaning to it.
*Nick's POV*
'That was the most unusual dream I have ever had. It started out nice, but it got a little weird. I mean why on Earth would Stefania suggest we only be friends? Why?'
I get a confused look on my face and think it over, only to shrug and smile.
'What am I getting all worked up about? It was just a dream. Just one of those weird crazy dreams that seem all too real.'
I smile a little more and nod.
'Yeah, just one of those weird dreams. There's no way Stefania would suggest such a thing. There just isn't.'
I shake my head, but my smile disappears and gets replaced by a worried look.
'Then again, how do I know? How do I know she won't suggest such a thing? I don't! I just don't!'
I feel my heart beginning to race and sweat starting to trickle down the side of my face.
'Think about it, Nick. Uncle Leonard nearly scared her away today and her father hates you. You know what hatred does, don't you?'
I nod.
'Of course, I know what hatred does and I know what it leads to. Look what happened with Tom Lightfoot, Wong Lo and his wife, Heath's friend Sally, and Beth to name a few.'
I nod again.
'Yup. Poor Beth lost her life, Tom Lightfoot came close to it, but he managed to help get reparations for his people started, so that's a plus. Wong Lo and his wife were nearly murdered according to Jarrod, but they managed to get their root after all and settle in San Francisco upon selling their mine so that our mine and the Glover mine could merge & getting the murder charges against Wong dropped. I can still see the smile on Jarrod's face after getting all of it resolved so that nobody lost a thing. Sally came close to losing her life and being assaulted by Heath's old friend who turned out to be a righteous fanatic who couldn't practice what he preached. According to Heath, he hated Sally, because of her beauty and the fact that she looked like a saloon girl, yet he was lusting for her. Crazy!'
I get a solemn look on my face, as I think more about what hatred does and can lead to.
'I almost forgot...father lost his life to hatred, too. It was the hatred of Pat Hyatt that caused it which in turn resulted into his son Cass developing such a hatred that he took Beth's life while aiming for Jarrod.'
I shake my head.
'Why does there have to be such hatred in this world? Why?'
I shake my head, once again and shrug.
'Who knows? Hatred has been going on since the dawn of time. It won't change no matter how anybody looks at it. It doesn't make it right, but sadly, it just won't go away.'
I sigh.
'I hope hatred won't drive Stefania and me apart. I really like her. I really really do. In fact, I lo-'
My eyes get big.
'Was I starting to say what I think I was starting to say?! If so, I hope nobody heard it! Man alive, I would die if anybody knew, especially when nobody is supposed to know, yet.'
I take a few deep breaths.
'Calm down, Nick. Calm down. Easy. It'll all be okay. You'll say it when the time is right. As of now, that time can wait. Right now, you best get some shut eye, before it becomes morning.'
*Outside of Nick's mind*
Nick stretched and yawned, before going back to sleep for the remainder of the night, before sun up. As he drifted off into dream land, a smile formed on his face, signifying that he and Stefania had a big day planned.
*The very next morning*
The sun had risen over the horizon and a rooster crowed. However, due to being awakened by that dream of his, Nick was surprisingly oversleeping. This was most unusual, because Nick never overslept like this. Not even when he was either injured or sick. He was one to be active no matter what the circumstances were. That being said, something about today felt a wee bit off. It didn't have that usually bright and happy feeling. Today was starting to start off on a much different note. Nick continued to move around in his sleep when he felt a ray of sunshine beam through his window onto his forehead.
Nick yawned and stretched before sitting up, opening his eyes, and making his way toward the window.
"It can't be morning already." Nick said to himself, before pulling the curtains back and getting wide eyed, "Good Lord! It is morning and I overslept!"
He ran toward his closet, only to trip and fall plus knock a few things over, making a lot of noise.
"Dagnabbit!" Nick groaned, before scrambling to his feet and getting to his closet.
Soon enough, there was knock at his door.
"Who's there?" Nick grabbed some clothes was in the process of changing.
"It's Jarrod. Nick, are you alright?" Jarrod asked from the other side of the door.
"Yeah, I'm good, Jarrod. A little late, but good." Nick said, while struggling to button his shirt.
"You sure, Nick?" Jarrod asked.
"Positive. Just start breakfast without me." Nick called back.
*A few minutes later*
As the Barkleys were having breakfast, Nick ran into the dining room, poured himself a cup of coffee, and gulped it down, before making an attempt to leave just as fast as he got there.
"Hold it, Nick." Victoria put her hand up in a "hold on" gesture.
"I can't stay long, mother. I'm running a little late!" Nick persisted.
"Nick, just where are you in a hurry to go off to? You can't leave on an empty stomach." Jarrod chimed in.
"Plus, you've never been one to be in such a rush except that time you were trying to court that Layle Johnson girl." Heath added.
"I think he's always been in a hurry to meet a pretty face. School? No way. A girl? Well..." Eugene finished the last part with a wolf whistle.
"Oh, have a little maturity, Eugene! Please." Nick gave him a look.
"Nick, you still haven't answered mother and Jarrod's questions." Audra spoke up.
"Look, I can play 20 questions all day, but I promised Stefania a big day ahead and already I'm running late! Pretty soon, I'll be known as 'The late Nick Barkley'." Nick poured himself another cup of coffee and gulped it down, before leaving.
"More like the late Romeo." Eugene chuckled.
"Tell me about it, Eugene. I don't recall him ever being in such a rush to meet up with a "good friend", if you will." Heath shook his head.
"I don't think he's been in a rush to meet up with anyone or do anything." Audra added.
"Me thinks he and Stefania are more than just "good friends". Good friends don't rush to meet up with each other unless my memory is starting to fade." Jarrod took another bite of his breakfast.
"I think we're all having that inkling, Jarrod. In fact, I know he is, because his behavior takes me back to the days before your father and I became husband and wife. Your father behaved in the exact same manner. He was always in a rush to see me, had dreams about me, and kept his feelings towards me a secret from everyone else in the family. In fact, we didn't have to tell anybody anything, because they figured it out for themselves and I'll bet you anything that, that's what's going on with Nick and Stefania." Victoria smiled, as she started to remember the days when she and Tom were dating.
"That's beautiful, mother. However, I doubt father was as clumsy as Nick. In fact, I think I better go check on Nick before he falls off a horse like how he fell off Eustace that time." Jarrod wiped his mouth with the towel, before standing up and heading out to the barn.
*Out in the barn*
Nick was in the midst of saddling the horses up and hitching them to the carriage when Jarrod entered and walked up behind him.
"Nick." Jarrod tapped him on the shoulder.
"Ahhhhh!" Nick screamed, before turning around and getting ready to punch whoever was behind him, only to let an exasperated sigh when he saw it was Jarrod, "Jarrod, don't ever do that! I almost struck you!"
"Ah c'mon, it's fun. Anyways, what's the big hurry?" Jarrod laughed and playfully slapped Nick's shoulder.
"Jarrod, I promised a big day with Stefania and I'm running late! I promised I would be over at her place at sun up and it is past sun up!" Nick got the horses hitched to the carriage and started guiding them out of the barn.
"Nick, I understand that you don't like being late, but if I remember correctly, didn't you say that you and Stefania are good friends?" Jarrod followed him out of the barn.
"Yes, Jarrod. I did say that and I'll have you know that good friends don't like to be late meeting up with each other. When you make an agreement, you keep it and today, I overslept and didn't keep it." Nick sighed.
"Nick, I'm sure she'll understa-" Jarrod stopped midsentence when he looked up in the sky, got wide eyed, and pointed upwards, "Oh my God!"
"Jarrod, what is wha-" Nick also stopped midsentence, looked up at the sky, and gasped, "What on Earth?!"
Jarrod and Nick were in total shock after looking up at the sky and seeing what appeared to be a black cloud. A huge black cloud at that. In fact, the cloud looked more like a mountain than the average cloud in the sky. For what seemed to be a regular sunny day with a beautiful blue sky and seemingly no cloud in sight for a while, it was quite odd and shocking to see a huge black cloud. Who could blame Jarrod and Nick for being in shock? Everyone always told stories of moments where a dark cloud was over them or was lifted from them, but the dark cloud analogy always sounded like a figure of speech until today. Today, there was literally a dark cloud in the sky hovering over the Barkleys, but why? Tom's birthday was yesterday and since the Barkleys were feeling the pain of his murder, wouldn't it have made more sense for the cloud to appear yesterday? Why would the cloud appear today? Then again, it all was starting to add up as to why today was starting to feel completely. Why there seemed to be a semi-heaviness in the air. Nick and Jarrod continued to stare at the cloud.
"Nick, you may want to cancel your plans and postpone them until tomorrow. That looks like a storm cloud." Jarrod finally spoke up after a few more minutes of total silence passed.
"Nah, I'm not going to let that cloud interfere with my plans, Jarrod." Nick shook his head 'no'.
"But Nick-" Jarrod was cut off.
"Jarrod, I made a promise and despite the fact that I'm running late & didn't keep the being on-time part of it, I'm still going to keep the rest of it by going over to Stefania's place, picking her up, and spending the day with her." Nick got up in the wagon and tipped his hat to Jarrod before riding off.
'They're more than good friends. I know it, mother knows it, everyone in the house knows it. Good friends don't meet up three, four, or however many days in a row. They just don't unless my memory is failing me, which I don't think it is. Plus too, leave it to Nick to still ride off when a huge cloud is in the sky. Nothing stops that brother of mine. Absolutely nothing.' Jarrod thought.
*Meanwhile, with Stefania*
Despite being excited and promising she would be waiting at sun up, Stefania was also running late due to oversleeping plus the day felt completely off and unusual to her and no surprise, the feeling was only exacerbated when like Jarrod and Nick, she too saw the black cloud in the sky. However, despite her mother, who believed the cloud was a storm cloud and tried to talk her into postponing her plans with Nick for tomorrow, Stefania had insisted that she was going to spend the day with Nick and nothing, not even a big black cloud was going to stop her. She wanted to keep her promise and not be one of those girls who promised one thing and backed out at the last minute. That being said, when Nick wasn't showing up for a while, she grew worried and after pacing her porch, she decided that she had best go look for him. She went into the house, grabbed her shawl and a sun hat, put them on, and left in order to go look for Nick. Seeing this, her mother followed her.
"Stefania, aspetta! Stefania! Stefania, c'è una nuvola temporalesca! (Stefania, wait! Stefania! Stefania, there's a storm cloud!)" Andrea ran up to Stefania.
"Mamma, devo andare. Sono preoccupato per Nick. La scorsa notte ho fatto un sogno orribile e voglio solo assicurarmi che stia bene. (Mom, I have to go. I'm worried about Nick. Last night, I had a horrible dream and I just want to make sure he's alright.)" Stefania told her mother.
"Capisco, tesoro. Capisco che sei preoccupata per lui, ma non mi piace l'idea che tu vada da sola. Soprattutto dopo che stamattina mi hai detto che Leonard Barkley aveva cercato di spaventarti. Le persone che lo fanno tendono ad avere qualche tipo di male nella manica. (I understand, honey. I understand that you're worried about him, but I don't like the idea of you going all by yourself. Especially after you told me this morning that Leonard Barkley tried to frighten you. People who do that tend to have some type of evil up their sleeve.)" Andrea had a look of fear on her face.
"Mamma, lo so, ma in questo momento sono molto preoccupata per Nick e che razza di... di... di... di amico sarei se restassi seduto senza fare nulla? Voglio dire, potrebbe giacere in un buco da qualche parte o sanguinare per quanto ne sappiamo! (Mom, I know, but right now, I'm very concerned about Nick and what kind of...of...of...of friend would I be if I sat around and did nothing? I mean he could be lying in a hole somewhere or bleeding out for all we know!)" Stefania insisted while trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.
"Va bene, zucca. Se ti darà un po' di sollievo ti lascerò andare avanti da solo, ma promettimi che starai attento. (Alright, pumpkin. If it'll give you some relief, I'll let you go on ahead alone, but promise me that you'll be careful.)" Andrea told her, finally relenting.
"Lo prometto, mamma. Lo prometto con tutto il cuore. (I promise, mom. I promise with all my heart. )" Stefania hugged her mother.
"Grazie piccolo. So che posso contare su di te per ascoltarti davvero, a differenza dei tuoi fratelli o, peggio, di tuo padre. Comunque, scherzi a parte, per favore, quando trovi Nick, per favore digli che lo saluto e che mi scuso per il comportamento di tuo padre. (Thank you, baby. I know I can count on you to actually listen unlike your siblings or worse, your father. Anyways, all jokes aside, please, when you find Nick, please tell him I say "hello" and that I apologize for your dad's behavior.)" Andrea held her daughter close for a little bit, before slowly breaking away from the hug.
Stefania nodded to her mother and continued on her way.
"Padre Dio, per favore proteggi Nick e la mia piccola Stefania. (Father God, please protect Nick and my little Stefania.)" Andrea whispered to herself as she did the sign of the cross.
"Andrea! Andrea! Andrea, dove sta andando quel bambino? Dille di tornare qui... adesso! (Andrea! Andrea! Andrea, where is that child going? Tell her to get back here...now!)" Carmine came out of the house practically running.
"Oh, lasciala stare, Carmine, e per l'amor del cielo, mettiti dei pantaloni prima di uscire! (Oh, leave her be, Carmine and for heaven's sake, put on some pants before you come outside! )" Andrea shook her head and went back inside.
"Eh? (Huh?)" Carmine sported a confused look on his face before looking down and blushing after noticing that he was not in fact wearing any pants.
"Che succede, papà? (What's the matter, dad?)" a young man came outside.
"Non ti preoccupare, Junior! (Never you mind, Junior!)" Carmine barked, before going back inside.
"Cavolo, cosa lo sta mangiando o meglio ancora, cosa gli ha messo la fresa sotto la sella? (Gee, what's eating him or better yet, what put the bur under his saddle?)" Carmine Jr shook his head, clearly annoyed at his father for practically biting his head off, before looking up at the sky, seeing the black cloud, and getting bug eyed, "Whoa! Mamma, papà, Vincent, tutti! Guarda fuori! Guarda fuori il cielo! (Whoa! Mom, Dad, Vincent, everybody! Look outside! Look outside at the sky!)"
"Junior, che senso ha urlare come un matto?! Non ne abbiamo già abbastanza?! (Junior, what's the idea shouting like a mad man?! Don't we have enough of those already?!)" Carmine came back out and sported an angry look on his face.
Before Carmine Jr could say anything, Nick showed up, got out of the carriage, and walked up to the fence.
"Oh, quindi il ragazzo bianco ha deciso di fare un'altra apparizione, eh?! Indietro, uomo malvagio! Indietro! Indietro! Stai indietro, dico, altrimenti questo forcone potrebbe tornarti utile! (Oh, so the white boy decided to make another appearance, huh?! Back, you evil man! Back! Back! Get back, I say or this pitchfork may come in handy!)" Carmine grabbed his pitchfork and shouted, as he lunged at Nick with it.
"Whoa! Whoa! Easy, Mr. Mangano! Easy! Easy!" Nick tried his best to get as far away from the pitchfork as he could.
"Sei un uomo malvagio! Un uomo malvagio! Una bestia per aver corrotto mia figlia! (You're an evil man! An evil man! A beast for corrupting my daughter!)" Carmine kept lunging at Nick with the pitchfork.
"Mr. Mangano, put that thing down before you hurt someone and also too, are you aware that you have no pants on?" Nick continued to try to dodge the pitchfork and the angry man behind it.
"Carmine, smettila! Smettila, Carmine! (Carmine, stop it! Stop it, Carmine!)" Andrea came out of the house and grabbed the pitchfork away from her husband.
"Thank you, Mrs. Mangano. Now look, I came here to get Stefania, is she ready?" Nick took his hat off, acknowledging that there was a lady present.
"Stefania è pronta? Come osi?! Lo penseresti, vero, Barkley?! (Is Stefania ready? How dare you?! You would think that, wouldn't you, Barkley?!)" Carmine slightly raised his voice.
"Carmine, entra in casa e mettiti i pantaloni! (Carmine, go in the house and put some pants on!)" Andrea turned to her husband and pointed at the house, before turning back to Nick, "Tu devi essere Nick Barkley. Piacere di conoscerti, giovanotto. Se stai cercando Stefania, lei non è qui. In effetti, ti sta cercando. (You must be Nick Barkley. Nice to meet you, young man. If you're looking for Stefania, she isn't here. In fact, she's out looking for you.)"
"Huh?" Nick clearly didn't understand what Andrea just said or what any of them were saying.
"My mother says that Stefania went out to look for you. She not here." Carmine Jr spoke up in broken English language.
"Thanks...uhhhh...I don't think I got your name." Nick put his hat back on.
"Carmine Mangano Jr is my name. I go by Jr." Carmine Jr extended his hand for a handshake.
"Nice to meet you, Junior. Well, I hate to cut things short, but I must go find Stefania. Thanks, again." Nick shook Carmine Jr's hand, before tipping his hat to Andrea, Carmine, and him, getting back into the carriage, and riding off.
"Nick Barkley...non è un buon uomo bianco! (Nick Barkley...no good white man!)" Carmine muttered to himself, before shaking his head and going back inside.
*Meanwhile, somewhere else*
Stefania had been walking all over town looking for Nick. Her dream from last night was still fresh in her mind and clearly haunting her, because every second she hadn't been able to find Nick made her anxiety levels skyrocket. As she kept on searching around, unbeknownst to her, there were men peeking out from corners of buildings. It appeared as though these men were watching her. After she was a good distance ahead, the men started to follow her.
At first, it didn't seem to phase her until she started hearing footsteps behind her.
"Huh?" Stefania stopped in her tracks, lifted her foot, looked at her shoe, shook her head, and kept going.
The footsteps got closer and closer and pretty soon, before the blink of an eye, a hand came over her mouth. The person whose hand was over her mouth started trying to pull her into the alley, but she put up a fight almost immediately.
"Oh, come on now, honey. Me and my friends just want to show you a good time!" the man tried to gain the upper hand, but to no avail.
Stefania yelled in Italian and kept on fighting with fiber of her being ranging from squirming to scratching to hitting all at the same time.
"Hey now, you best cut that out!" the man said in a threatening tone, "Or I may call my friends!"
Stefania ignored him and continued the fight like there was no tomorrow. She scratched the man again, drawing blood and leaving semi-deep scratch marks.
"I said cut that out! You hear?!" the man was getting angry.
Stefania scratched him again and bit down very hard on his hand, breaking the skin.
"That tears it!" the man threw her to the ground, pounced on top of her, held her down with one hand, and started beating her about the face with the other.
"Feccia! (Scum!)" Stefania spat at the guy.
"We speak English here!" the man slapped her for the umpteenth time.
"Wait until Nick Barkley hears of this! He will have your head!" Stefania reverted back to English.
"So, it's true?! Nick old boy is seeing one of your kind...a swarthy hot blooded olive picker! Leonard was right!" the man cackled, before yelling over his shoulder, "Oh boys! Looks like I got the right dame! We don't have to go to Leonard after all in order to get the description."
Four other men came running into the alley and formed a circle around Stefania and the obvious ringleader of the bunch.
"Man, ain't she pretty!" the first of the four men wolf whistled.
The second of the four men didn't say anything and just nodded, before grinning like a Shark.
"We're going to have ourselves some fun with you, baby!" the third of the four men took a puff on his cigar, leaned down where he was practically nose-to-nose with her, and blew the smoke right into her face.
Stefania closed her eyes tightly and started coughing which resulted in the man repeating his actions three more times.
"Okay, Orville. I think she's had enough smoke. Wouldn't to get her sick now, would you?" the leader snickered, as he got up from the ground and joined Orville and the others in the circle they formed around Stefania.
"No, that wouldn't be a gentleman thing to do to such a pretty girl. Besides, if she gets sick, why it would spoil the fun." Orville threw his cigar onto the ground and stomped it out.
"Oh, honey. You know somethin'? You're prettier up close." the fourth man spoke up after getting close to Stefania and sitting next to her.
Stefania didn't say anything and tried to scoot away from him.
"Oh no, you don't! You don't do that now!" the fourth man scooted close enough to grab her and forcefully kiss her.
Stefania fought against the forced kiss as much as she could, but the man quickly overpowered her.
Orville and the other men watched as the forced one-sided make-out session ensued, laughing like a group of Hyenas.
"Help me! Help me, please!" Stefania broke away from the kiss and tried to crawl away.
"Oh no, you don't!" the second man dragged her back into the center of the circle he and the others formed around her.
"Now, that was very rude, missy! You don't leave without saying: 'Goodbye'. Plus, we ain't ready to say 'goodbye' as of yet!" the third man pulled her by her hair before tossing her back to the ground.
"What shall we do, Seth? You're the one leading this party." Orville turned to the leader.
"Well, Zeb got to kiss her first, so the next one to kiss her will be Jeff then Dodie then you then me. After we get through with the kiss, well...naturally, we all take turns having our way with her, if you catch my drift." Seth grinned and winked at Orville, before turning back to Stefania and sinisterly rubbing his hands together, "Honey, you'll be thanking us for showing you such a wonderful time."
"Siete tutti un mucchio di luridi ratti! Ratti sporchi e disgustosi! (You're all a bunch of filthy rats! Filthy nasty rats!)" Stefania said in Italian, before spitting at them.
"We speak English, you filthy Italian trollop!" Dodie kicked her in the stomach, before turning to the other guys, "You fellas know that the girls of her persuasion tend to be trollops. It's all of that mighty hot blood they have! Same with the male counterparts of her persuasion."
"Owwww!" Stefania grunted, as she grabbed her stomach and become doubled over in agony.
Dodie proceeded to kick her about six more times, resulting in her screaming in pain each time.
*Meanwhile, with Nick*
Nick had been riding around looking everywhere for Stefania, but saw no trace of her whatsoever. Unbeknownst to him, she was being assaulted at this very moment. Oh Nick, if only you were in the same area where Stefania was!
"Stefania! Stefania! Stefania, where are you?" Nick yelled out, before riding off into a different direction.
Just as he started riding into said direction, hoof beats were heard. Nick turned around and there came Jarrod and Heath on their horses.
"Nick, where are you headed?" Jarrod rode up to Nick, followed by Heath.
"To find Stefania." Nick sighed.
"To find Stefania? Nick, weren't you supposed to pick her up from her house?" Heath asked.
"I went to her house. One of her brothers told me that she went off to search for me for some reason I have yet to find out. Her father lunged at me with a pitchfork while that brother of hers told me, but luckily, her mother stopped the old man just in time. However, that is besides the point. My point is that I've been searching for Stefania and I can't find her anywhere!" Nick had worry in his voice, despite trying his hardest not to indicate any inkling that he was worried.
"Maybe you're just not looking in the right places, Nick. Now, she couldn't have gone that far." Heath told him.
"Would you feel better if we went along with you and helped?" Jarrod asked.
"No. I'd rather do this alone." Nick shook his head, before riding off.
"Should we listen to him?" Heath turned to Jarrod after Nick disappeared in the distance.
"Does he ever listen to us?" Jarrod smirked.
Heath chuckled and shook his head.
"Let's go." Jarrod told him before riding off in another direction.
"Hyah. Let's go." Heath said to his horse, before riding off in a direction opposite of both Jarrod and Nick's.
*Back in the Alley*
Seth and his men went from taking turns forcefully kissing Stefania to knocking her around, despite her efforts to fight each of them off. Poor girl was trying to prove she had that Mangano toughness in her, but these awful men were overpowering her. In fact, they were overpowering, bullying, and assaulting her and worse, they may have been sent by one Leonard Barkley to do this.
"Hey, baby!" Zeb grabbed a hold of Stefania and ripped the left sleeve of her dress completely off, partially exposing her white cotton camisole.
Stefania slapped Zeb in the face repeatedly and kicked him in the shin which caused him to rip off the top of her dress completely, fully exposing her white cotton camisole.
"Oh man! You ripped her pretty dress, Zeb!" Orville snickered.
"And that was just the top portion." Dodie chimed in.
"You best get it all off, Zeb!" Jeff had a sinister smile forming on his face.
"Looks like, I best do that." Zeb made a move to tear off what remained of Stefania's dress.
"No! No!" Stefania pleaded, as she slapped Zeb yet again and thrashed around in his arms.
"Oh yes, darlin'! Yes, let's take it all the way...off!" Zeb started ripping at the rest of her dress.
Stefania kneed Zeb in the chest and put him in a headlock, only to be pulled off by Orville and tossed to the floor. Fully exposed in nothing but her camisole and bloomers, Stefania gasped in horror and tried her best to cover herself up with her hands.
Seth, Orville, Zeb, Jeff, and Dodie all stood there laughing up a storm at the girl's humiliation and horror.
"Why don't you filthy rats just leave me alone?!" Stefania sounded like she was about to cry, despite her efforts to hold back her emotions.
"You don't belong here in Stockton!" Seth walked up to her and back handed her in the face.
"Let alone the United States!" Jeff added.
"Well, boys, we've been having fun with her so far, but we need to do one more thing to make her time with us very memorable." Dodie looked at Stefania with lust in his eyes, before taking his gun belt off of his pants and tossing it aside.
"What do you have in mind, Dodie?" Orville turned to Dodie.
"I have the inkling that she is still untouched, if you know what I mean." Dodie removed his belt from his pants and tossed it aside, before getting closer to Stefania.
Stefania, knowing what Dodie was suggesting, got a look of fear in her eyes and shook her head while mouthing "No".
"Oh yes, baby. Ohhhhh...yes." Dodie pounced on top of Stefania and pulled at the straps of her camisole, slowly lowering them.
Stefania thrashed around on the ground and kicked her feet around.
To Be Continued...
R.I.P.
Shannen Doherty
April 12, 1971-July 13, 2024
Richard Simmons
July 12, 1948-July 13, 2024
James Sikking
March 5, 1934-July 13, 2024
Dr. Ruth Westheimer
June 4, 1928-July 12, 2024
Shelley Duvall
July 7, 1949-July 11, 2024
Happy Heavenly Birthday to Barbara Stanwyck!
(July 16, 1907-January 20, 1990)
Nick: Stefania! Stefania! Stefania, where are you?
Jarrod: Did anybody find her?
Stefania: HELP ME!
Nick: Did you hear that?
Heath: I did!
Jarrod: It sounded like Stefania! Stefania, where are you?
Nick: R&R, people! R&R!
Stefania: NICK!