Forbidden love for a Barkley
Part Thirty Nine:
"Jarrod's Plan, part 7: Fabula, Vetus Amor, et Situs?"
After explanations and clearing the air once and hopefully, for all, everything seemed to be going great for Nick and Stefania once again. Stefania even apologized for everything only for Nick to tell her that there was no reason for her to apologize as all things considered, her fears and notions were very understandable while also promising that he would be there for her and put those fears & notions to bed for good. The only thing was...she needed to give him a chance to do so which led him to ask her if she would. Without hesitation, she said she would and the two would share an embrace before he mounted her onto Coco and took her home. Back at the ranch, Audra and later, Eugene would hear a noise come from outside. A noise that sounded like footsteps to be exact. Understandably, the Barkley daughter and the youngest Barkley child were spooked by this, the latter grabbing a shot gun and preparing to shoot who or what was outside only for Jarrod to step in, take the shot gun from Eugene, and reassure the two that the noise they heard was nothing more than either something falling or an animal on an evening stroll through the valley. As the brother-sister duo went back to what they were doing, Jarrod sported a look of pride and nodded as if to tell himself he did good before going back into the study. Fast forward 25 minutes later, Nick and Stefania arrived back at the Mangano household and shared a tender moment before it would be interrupted by Paulie, Carmine, Vincent, and Andrea. After a few exchanges that ended with Carmine demanding Stefania get in the house, the latter and Nick shared another embrace much to the delight of Andrea, Vincent, and Paulie & the chagrin of Carmine. Carmine was very desperate the pry the couple apart and was possibly going to do so only for his bad leg to give him a jolt of pain, preventing him from doing so. This led Andrea to take over and lead him into the house while he protested which led Stefania to mount Nick onto Coco and send him on his way in the same manner. The next morning, Jarrod stopped by his office on his way to Sheriff Madden's office, indicating that he wanted to get on the ball in regards to finding hidden reports regarding the murder of Emilio and wrongful lynching of Santo, though he hadn't heard the full story of the latter, yet. By surprise, Paulie stopped by and went to Jarrod's private to wait, but not before witnessing an exchange of sorts between Jarrod and Violet which signaled that the new secretary had more than professional feelings towards her boss only for Jarrod to remind her that their relationship was strictly business. Nothing more, nothing less. Violet was dismayed to hear this, but offered to take Jarrod on a picnic as just friends to which the latter said he would strongly consider before heading into his private office. As of now, Jarrod and Paulie are in the private office & it is quite clear that the latter is ready to talk about Santo. The questions that remain are as follows: Will the story of Santo Mangano finally be told?, Will Fred be on board to help Jarrod dig around for the necessary stuff?, Will Judge Hagerty reopen and try the case of Emilio?, Will Carmine show up and hear Jarrod out for himself in regards to the plan?, Will Jarrod go on that picnic with Violet?, Who is Violet?, What hapened to Esther?, and most importantly, will Carmine finally accept the relationship between Nick and Stefania? Stay tuned and 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, Carmine Mangano Sr, Carmine's friends, Paulie Mangano, Italia Mangano, Emilio Mangano, Serafina Mangano, Chet and the men Heath rounded up, Jess and Mavis Chaney, the Animal Team, Leonard Barkley, Seth & his gang, Violet Pascucci, and the Mangano family. Also too, as you can very well see, this is the seventh of however many parts to another multi part chapter saga. Full disclosure, I'm not a legal expert or lawyer by any means, so please, bear with me during the parts involving Jarrod putting on his lawyer hat. Oh and as I previously stated in the second author's note, I'm modeling the relationship between Jarrod and Violet after the one between James Bond/007 and Miss Moneypenny & Marshal Matt Dillon and Kitty Russell which by the way, those characters, the James Bond franchise, and Gunsmoke rightfully belong to their owners.
Warning: There will be an intense subject covered in this chapter and possibly an intense flashback sequence plus some profanity and an offensive remark in this chapter. I do NOT condone such vile remarks or the likes, but seeing the time period "The Big Valley" took place, it was the thing to do unfortunately. You get the idea by now in regards to the warning label: If uncomfortable, bypass this chapter.
(Flashback to part 38)
"Ahhhh!" Audra was startled.
"I'm sorry, Audra. I didn't mean to scare you. I saw you staring out the window and got curious." Jarrod told her.
"It's alright, Jarrod, but do not ever sneak up behind me. You know I get jumpy at times." Audra replied.
"Seems like everybody in our family gets the jumps. Anyways, what's got your curiosity piqued and do you know what time it is, young lady?" Jarrod asked in his "Pappy" tone.
"It's nine on the dot and to answer your other question, I heard a noise outside. I'm just looking around to see if I can find the source of the noise." Audra said while still looking out the window.
"Oh, the noise is probably nothing more than something falling like one of our saddles or an animal passing by. After all, we live in the valley and it is full of animals of every kind." Jarrod reminded her.
"I know, but-" Audra was cut off.
"Audra, it was probably an animal or something falling. You mustn't worry your pretty little head off over something trivial. Now, why don't we go off to bed or back to whatever it was we were doing, hmmmm?" Jarrod started to gently guide his sister away from the window.
"I guess." Audra went with her older brother.
"Atta girl." Jarrod replied as he and Audra walked away from the window.
"You're probably right, Jarrod. It was probably nothing to worry about and here I am getting scared like a child." Audra lightly laughed before walking over to the table, picking her snack up, and heading towards the kitchen.
Jarrod smirked and lightly shook his head before starting to make his way back to the study.
Just then, the sound of footsteps could be heard and once again, Audra stopped in her tracks.
"Jarrod." Audra called to her brother.
"Yes, Audra? I was about to go into the study." Jarrod stopped and turned to her.
"I heard footsteps just now." Audra told him.
"Oh, it's probably Heath or Eugene coming downstairs with a-" Jarrod paused when he saw Eugene coming down the stairs with a shot gun before walking over to his baby brother, "And just what are you doing, young man?"
"I heard a noise outside." Eugene replied.
"So I see and you're going to shoot whatever is out there if my inklings are correct, right?" Jarrod was starting to get into "Pappy" mode.
"No. I'm just going to fire a couple of warning shots." Eugene tightened his hold on the shot gun.
"I see and don't you realize that you are going to shoot bullets in the air?" Jarrod folded his arms.
"Gee, I didn't think of that, Jarrod. Silly me." Eugene answered very sarcastically before getting back to serious mode, "Look, I heard footsteps."
"The footsteps were probably yours, mine, and Audra's combined. Now, go put that shot gun away." Jarrod sounded firm.
"Really, Jarrod? If they were our footsteps combined, how come they're still walking?" Eugene tilted his head to the side.
"Eugene, like I told Audra, the noise was probably either an animal or something falling. Basically, nothing to worry about. Now, if I "Yes, Audra? I was about to go into the study." Jarrod stopped and turned to her.
"I heard footsteps just now." Audra told him.
"Oh, it's probably Heath or Eugene coming downstairs with a-" Jarrod paused when he saw Eugene coming down the stairs with a shot gun before walking over to his baby brother, "And just what are you doing, young man?"
"I heard a noise outside." Eugene replied.
"So I see and you're going to shoot whatever is out there if my inklings are correct, right?" Jarrod was starting to get into "Pappy" mode.
"No. I'm just going to fire a couple of warning shots." Eugene tightened his hold on the shot gun.
"I see and don't you realize that you are going to shoot bullets in the air?" Jarrod folded his arms.
"Gee, I didn't think of that, Jarrod. Silly me." Eugene answered very sarcastically before getting back to serious mode, "Look, I heard footsteps."
"The footsteps were probably yours, mine, and Audra's combined. Now, go put that shot gun away." Jarrod sounded firm.
"Really, Jarrod? If they were our footsteps combined, how come they're still walking?" Eugene tilted his head to the side.
"Eugene, like I told Audra, the noise was probably either an animal or something falling. Basically, nothing to worry about. Now, if I sarcasm.
"Papa, must you always be rude? Let alone grouchy?" Stefania rolled her eyes.
"Stefania, get in the house and don't give me any lip!" Carmine pointed to the open door.
"Papa-" Stefania was cut off.
"In the house!" Carmine barked.
"You best do what your papa tells you before he gets madder." Nick whispered to Stefania.
"I guess, but I hate saying goodnight and goodbye." Stefania whispered to Nick.
"I know, but we'll see each other tomorrow. That's if you want to see me again." Nick whispered back.
"Was there ever any doubt?" Stefania smirked.
"Hey, wrap it up! Goodnight, goodbye, arrivederci, get in the house! Let's go!" Carmine commanded.
"Same time as today?" Nick said to Stefania.
"I'll be counting the hours." Stefania nodded before getting into an embrace with Nick.
"Awwww! Would ya look at that? My niece is in love!" Paulie held his hands over his heart and smiled.
"I must admit that I do like romantic moments." Vincent had a smile forming in the corner of his mouth.
"Do we need to see this?!" Carmine shook his head in disgust before snapping his fingers, "Alright! Alright! Break it up!"
"Oh, Carmine. Leave it alone." Andrea came outside and walked over to her husband, "Those kids are obviously in love."
"Woman, how can you-" Carmine was cut off.
"Shhhh." Andrea shushed him.
"Don't "Shhh" me." Carmine told her.
"Carmine, non rovinare il momento. Lascia che abbiano il loro momento. Per favore. (Carmine, don't spoil the moment. Let them have their moment. Please.)" Andrea whispered to her husband.
"Sì, Carm. Dopotutto, potresti dover affrontare alcuni fatti che potrebbero sembrare spiacevoli per te e belli per altri. (Yeah, Carm. After all, you might have to face some facts that may seem unpleasant to you and beautiful to others.)" Paulie whispered to his brother.
"Cosa intendi dire con questo?! (What do you mean by that?!)" Carmine glared at Paulie.
"Pensa a come tu e Andrea vi siete messi insieme e a quanto inizialmente si siano opposti papà, mamma, mamma e papà Dante. (Think about how you and Andrea got together plus how much dad, mom, and ma & pa Dante objected at first.)" Paulie playfully patted his brother's cheek three times before laughing and going back into the house.
"Ha ragione, Carmine. All'inizio mamma e papà non erano troppo pazzi di te e i tuoi genitori non erano troppo pazzi di me, ma alla fine hanno visto il nostro amore reciproco e il resto è storia. Potrebbe essere il caso di Stefania e Nick. (He's right, Carmine. Ma and Pa weren't too crazy about you at first and your parents weren't too crazy about me at first, but eventually, they saw our love for each other and the rest is history. That could be the case for Stefania and Nick.)" Andrea reminded him.
"Ma Nick è-(But Nick is-)" Carmine was cut off.
"Non è italiano. Lo so. In effetti, lo sappiamo tutti, perché hai fatto in modo di sottolinearlo molte, molte volte. È un uomo bianco, sì. La sua specie ci ha fatto del male, sì. Tuttavia, non tutti quelli della sua specie sono cattivi né sono responsabili delle azioni di poche mele marce. Nick e la sua famiglia non sono responsabili delle azioni atroci di coloro i cui nomi non ripeterò. Ciò che è successo a tuo padre, Santo, Serafina, Allegra e Stefania non è colpa di Nick o della sua famiglia. (He's not Italian. I know. In fact, we all know, because you have made sure to point it out many many times already. He's a white man, yes. His kind has wronged us, yes. However, not all of his kind are bad nor are they responsible for the acts of a few bad apples. Nick and his family are not responsible for the heinous acts of those whose names I won't repeat. What happened to your father, Santo, Serafina, Allegra, and Stefania is through no fault of Nick or his family's own.)" Andrea started.
"Aspetta un attimo, Andrea. Non...(Wait a minute, Andrea. Let's not-)" Carmine paused and winced when he put weight on his broken leg, "Ahi! (Ouch!)"
"Carmine, ti portiamo alla sedia più vicina. Meglio ancora, ti portiamo di nuovo dentro. Non dovresti essere qui fuori nelle tue condizioni. (Carmine, let's get you to the nearest chair. Better yet, let's get you back inside. You shouldn't be out here in your condition.)" Andrea gently grabbed her husband's arm and started to guide him to the door.
"Adesso, Andrea-(Now, Andrea-)" Carmine was cut off.
"No, no. Non combattere con me, Carmine Mangano. Torni a casa e torni a letto. Hai aggravato le tue ferite abbastanza a lungo e ora, il capo sono io come al solito quando sei malato o ferito. Vai a casa. (No, no. Don't fight me, Carmine Mangano. You are getting back into the house and back into bed. You have aggravated your injuries long enough and now, I am the boss as I usually am whenever you're sick or injured. Into the house you go.)" Andrea insisted as she continued to guide her husband into the house.
Carmine, clearly not wanting to rest, protested like mad.
"Carmine, sai che ho ragione e che è per il tuo bene che tu riposi. Ora, non voglio discutere o litigare. Non lo facciamo con i nostri figli o nipoti e non lo farò con te. (Carmine, you know I'm right and that it is for your own good that you rest. Now, I won't have any arguing or fighting. We don't have it with our children or grandchildren and I'm not having it with you.)" Andrea led her protesting husband inside and shut the door.
Nick couldn't help, but laugh at what just took place. Never did he ever think he would see the day that Carmine Mangano would be protesting like a kid. In a way, it reminded him of the times Victoria would take over when Tom was ill or injured and the latter kicked and screamed. Tom was one who always went down kicking and screaming whenever he had to let someone else take over for him. He was always the one who had to be in control/in charge and when he knew he wasn't up to the task, he would be in denial and work himself into the ground before eventually admitting it. Albeit, very reluctantly. This was one of the many traits that Nick inherited from his father besides the short temper and the tendency to shout & get into fights, mostly physical. Seeing Carmine protesting the way he did not only made Nick laugh, but it brought a smile to his face and made him hope to see more of this side of the Mangano patriarch & less of his usual side of being angry.
"That goes for you too, Nick." Stefania gave Nick a look.
"Now, Stefania-" Nick was cut off.
"Nope. You're going to get yourself mounted." Stefania led Nick to Coco and got him mounted, "There we are and you are going to go home. Then, once you're home, you will go up to your room and rest. Okay?"
Nick went to say something, but was cut off, again.
"Okay, good, okay. See you tomorrow and don't even think you're gonna fib to me by saying you rested when you didn't, because I will ask Audra." Stefania kissed his hand then tapped Coco, "Giddyup, Coco."
With that, Nick rode off into the night and Stefania went inside, but not before shooting a look at Vincent, who immediately darted into the house, clearly not wanting his sister to boss him around like how his mother did to his father and she did to Nick.
*The next morning*
While planning to see Fred and hopefully get him on board on combing through the sheriff's office for stuff Halloran may have left behind regarding the case of Emilio's murder, Jarrod stopped by his office and went inside.
Jarrod took his hat off and tossed it to the nearest hook, making it land just perfectly. This caught the attention of his secretary Violet.
"Mr. Barkley, where on Earth have you been? You're a little late." Violet said.
"I'm sorry, Violet. I didn't mean to cause you any worry. However, I don't plan on staying here for too long. I need to see Sheriff Madden about something. However, Mr. Barkley?" Jarrod replied.
"That's your name, isn't it?" Violet looked back down at the papers in front of her.
"Well, yes, but I think we-" Jarrod was cut off when there was a knock at the door, "Come in. It's open."
The door opened and in came Paulie.
"Well, well, Paulie. This is a pleasant surprise." Jarrod greeted with a smile.
"Good morning, Jarrod. I think I am ready to tell you...well, you know." Paulie had a solemn look on his face.
"As long as you're sure, Paulie." Jarrod told him.
"I'm sure. May I wait in your office?" Paulie asked.
"Good ahead. No need to ask." Jarrod nodded.
"Thank you or as my people say, grazie." Paulie made his way to Jarrod's office.
"Any time, Paulie. I just need to talk with my secretary for a moment." Jarrod said before turning his attention back to Violet and walking over to her, "Now, Violet-"
"Don't you mean Miss Pascucci?" Violet asked.
"No, I mean Violet, because we know each other well enough by now to be on a first name basis. Besides, Mr. Barkley was my father. Call me Jarrod." Jarrod got beside her desk and placed his hand onto it, "And like I said, I do apologize for worrying you."
"Apology accepted, Mr. Barkley and paws off the desk!" Violet grabbed a ruler and smacked Jarrod's hand with it.
"Ouch! Violet..." Jarrod, surprised at what she did, rubbed his hand for a brief moment before leaning against her chair, "What gives?"
"Me, Mr. Barkley." Violet started putting some papers into the nearby basket.
"Violet, call me Jarrod. Please." Jarrod insisted.
"Okay..." Violet looked up at him and grabbed his tie in a flirtatious-like manner, "Me, Jarrod. You know, you never ever take me out to dinner or for a ride around Stockton let alone show up for a picnic I have twice planned and twice ended up alone."
"Oh, Violet. Violet, Violet, Violet." Jarrod put his arm around her.
"Saying my name three times doesn't give me any sort of answer, Jarrod." Violet put her head against his chest while still holding onto his tie.
"Violet, I would take you to dinner and/or for a ride around Stockton & I would've shown up for the picnic either time, but-" Jarrod was cut off.
"But something came up, right?" Violet asked.
"Well, yes, but also too, it would be considered very improper for a boss and employee to have anything, but a professional relationship." Jarrod affirmed.
"I suppose." Violet sadly sighed.
"Violet, we can talk about this all day long, but I do have someone waiting for me, so business before pleasure or in this case, personal discussions." Jarrod replied.
"There's nothing more to talk about, Jarrod. However, could we go on a picnic sometime soon as friends, maybe?" Violet gently pulled away from him.
"Now, that I just may consider. Let me think about it and I'll let you know." Jarrod smiled.
"Okay." Violet smiled back and nodded.
Jarrod walked away from her desk and went inside his office.
*Inside Jarrod's private office*
Despite trying to be serious, Paulie couldn't help, but laugh at what all just took place. In fact, he was laughing so hard that not only did he have tears coming down his face, but he was also slapping his knee.
"What's funny, Paulie?" Jarrod chuckled a little after shutting the door.
"Two days in a row!" Paulie chortled.
"Huh?" Jarrod asked.
"Last night..." Paulie paused in order to catch his breath, eventually clearing his throat and composing himself, "After Nick brought Stefania home, Carmine went crazy as usual before getting a pain in his broken leg. Andrea, his wife, took control of the situation and bossed him around by leading him back into the house while he protested like a child. Afterwards, Stefania did the same thing to Nick, sending him off on his horse while he too protested and now, your secretary got a little sassy with you, even smacking your hand with a ruler. I never...I never thought I would see the moment where two days in a row, there was nullam et mattis ex."
"Nullam et Mattis Ex?" Jarrod asked.
"That's Latin for-" Paulie was cut off.
"It's Latin for noise and a lot of sass, but what do you mean?" Jarrod raised an eyebrow.
"Well, after Stefania sent Nick off and came inside, she and Allegra both heard a strange noise outside of our house. I told them it was simply a raccoon or probably a falling fence post. Stefania insisted she heard footsteps and grabbed Carmine's rifle. Of course, I got her to hand me the rifle after eventually convincing her that the noise was probably nothing." Paulie told him.
"Strange noise from outside, footsteps, and grabbing a shot gun or rifle?" Jarrod's eyes got big.
"Yeah. Why?" Paulie asked.
"My sister Audra heard a strange noise and my brother Eugene grabbed a shot gun after saying he heard footsteps!" Jarrod's expression remained the same.
"No fooling?" Paulie's eyes also got big.
"No fooling." Jarrod shook his head.
"Well, I'm pretty sure it was probably nothing to be overly worried about. What do you think?" Paulie scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah, it was most likely an animal." Jarrod nodded, "Anyways, you said you're ready to tell me. Are you absolutely positive?"
(Now)
"Yes, I am, Jarrod." Paulie nodded.
"Okay, Paulie." Jarrod walked over to his desk and sat down, motioning for Paulie to sit in the chair right in front of the desk, "Whenever you're ready. Take as much time as you need."
"Well, five weeks after the short funeral only consisting of my family with Carmine officiating as from time to time he administers the last rites, officiates a funeral, and occasionally, marries people, but after the short funeral, we buried papa next to ma in the hillside near our home, so that way he along with ma could still watch over us from the other side. Ma died after we got to Stockton. Anyways, five weeks after the funeral and burial, Santo went into town to get some wood and a few supplies, but mainly the wood, because he wanted to build gravestones and crosses to put over ma and papa's graves. None of us were there for this, but we later found all of it out." Paulie started after taking a deep breath.
"All of it?" Jarrod asked.
"Uh huh. You see, he was just going about his business. He wasn't bothering a soul nor did he ever cause trouble. You see, Santo was always a quiet kid. Very very quiet. Different from Carmine, Sal, Luigi, and me. Sal is always the first to be at the dinner table. Luigi is the musical one who ended up with a fiddle after years of begging papa to construct him one. Carmine...well you and your family already know by now. The eldest who is very protective and has a temper to match plus a tendency to brawl, the gross habit of cleaning his toenails with a pencil, the other gross habit of scratching his back with a fork, and the habit of singing, especially when he is taking a bath or outside tending to the garden or just about doing any chore. Santo who was always quiet and kept to himself plus very artistic and shy. He could never talk to a girl without fainting or having a few drinks of wine. He always needed red wine in order to gain the courage to talk to a girl. Otherwise forget about it. Oh, Santo. Santo, Santo, Santo." Paulie had tears in his eyes as he fondly remembered his brother, "Heh. Then, you have me. I guess you could say I am kind of the glue that used to keep the whole team together."
"That sounds just like my siblings and me. You have me, the eldest and the lawyer. Nick who you and your family are familiar with by now. Heath who is very soft spoken and has a cooler head. Audra who is the only daughter in our family and has the tendency to be immature at times, but is a charming young lady nonetheless. Then, there's Eugene who is the baby of the family and is kind of a scrapper like Nick, but also has the tendency to be nervous around girls like Santo. Anyways, before we get off track, you were starting to tell me the story of Santo and what happened." Jarrod smiled at hearing Paulie fondly remember Santo and started to list off how different he and his siblings were in regards to personality only to get back on the topic at hand.
"Oh yeah. Well, as I was saying it was five weeks after the funeral and burial, Santo was going into town and basically minding his own business. As I previously said, none of us were there, but we found this out later." Paulie's mind started to drift back to that fateful day.
*Flashback to that time*
Santo Mangano was in town for wood and supplies. As always, he kept to himself and was intent on getting what he needed then heading back home.
He was within the store's vicinity when out of nowhere, a woman with long wavy blonde hair came out and walked in the same direction. Then, before the blink of an eye...it happened!
"Ooh! I...I'm sorry, signora." Santo bumped into the blonde woman, albeit by accident.
"You...You...You stupid idiot! Why don't you watch where you're going?!" the woman raised her voice.
"Signora, I said I was sorry. Can I uh...uh...uh...help you? Take you to the doctor in order to see that you didn't get hurt or anything? I mean it. Honest. I feel awful that-" Santo paused when he spotted gloves on the ground before bending down to pick them up and giving them to the woman, "Your g-gloves."
"Your g-gloves." the woman mocked him before yanking the gloves out of his hand and looking around.
"Signora, is there something wrong?" Santo looked concerned.
The woman looked back at and intentionally bumped into him before screaming her head off, ripping a big piece of her dress off, exposing her bare shoulder and camisole, messing her hair up, grabbing some dirt off the ground, and throwing it all over herself. She then tossed the piece of her dress at Santo, the piece landing perfectly into his right hand, something he hadn't meant to happen.
"Signora, what are you doing?" Santo asked after tossing the piece of her dress to the ground. What he didn't realize was that it landed onto his boot.
The woman screamed again, this time the word "r*pe" repeatedly as she ripped more pieces of her dress off.
"Signora, you're out of your mind. I...I need to get to the st-" Santo went to head to the store only to be blocked by three angry looking men, "Ummmm..."
"Ummmm." the first man mocked him before turning to his buddies, "Stan, Jack, looks we have another one of those filthy no goods who can't speak the king's good english!"
"Well, well, it looks like we do, Matthew and by the looks of it, he just attacked poor Jessica over there." Jack nodded before taking a step closer to Santo.
"No, No, signor. No, you-you-" Santo was cut off when Jack slapped him.
"Shut up!" Jack barked.
"We speak english here!" Stan spoke up.
"I know and I am so sorry my english is not very good. I just came here from Italy. My family and I just settled in Stockton." Santo explained.
"Another one of those, eh? Just great!" Matthew shook his head in disgust.
"Look, I need to get some wood and supplies, so if you'll-" Santo went to head to the store only to be pushed back.
"You're not going anywhere!" Jack growled.
"Yeah, the only place you're going to go is..." Stan started.
"The gallows!" a fourth man walked up and joined the other three.
"Robert, really? I was going to say that!" Stan gave him a look.
"You say a lot of things, Reardon and the same applies to Clevenger and Sturgis. You all say things, but I, Robert Theo McIntosh. I act." Robert slapped Stan before turning his attention to Santo, "So, you attacked Jessica, huh?"
"No, signor. I didn't attack anybody. She bumped into me then went crazy." Santo told him.
"Oh yeah. Very likely story." Stan chuckled.
"Yeah, wait'll Hiram, Halloran, and Bodine get a load of this." Jack shook his head.
"That's him, daddy! That's the man...That's the man who violently attacked me!" Jessica was heard saying as she and her father, Hiram, approached Santo.
"Oh no, signor. You-" Santo turned around and tried to explain only to be slapped again, this time by Hiram.
"That's enough out of you!" Hiram barked before deciding to really unload on him, starting with a series of punches.
Santo, feeling hopeless and alone, fought back as hard as he could, but the older man was getting the better of him. Naturally, this drew a huge crowd.
"That's it, daddy! Get him! Get him good! Kill him!" Jessica cheered.
The fight between Santo and Hiram continued for nearly two hours until the former managed to knock the latter into a nearby trough and stand up.
"Daddy!" Jessica ran over to her father.
As a now badly beaten and bloodied Santo stood up and dusted himself off, the crowd stared at him and was even heard murmuring.
"You'll pay for what you did! You'll pay dearly you dirty olive picker you!" Hiram yelled as he got out of the trough, "You'll pay the ultimate price for harming me, Hiram Ballinger and my lovely daughter Jessica!"
Santo, pale as a ghost and desperately wanting to be with his family, took off as fast as he could.
*Brief end of the flashback; Back to the present day*
Due to the pain being as fresh as it was when it all happened, Paulie had to stop telling the story in order to take a deep breath and wipe away the fresh tears that poured down his face. He needed to get himself composed in order to keep going, because even though he didn't want to do it, he needed to tell Santo's story. The truth about what happened. The truth needed to be known and heard. Not only for the sake of justice or because Paulie, Carmine, and their family wanted it to be heard and known, but so Santo's name could finally be cleared and he could finally rest in peace.
"Jarrod..." Paulie started to speak up only to pause when there was a knock at the door.
"Just a second, Paulie." Jarrod said before looking up at the door, "Yes?"
"I'm sorry to disturb you, sir, but there's a man here looking for another man named Paulie." Violet told him after opening the door.
"Well, I'll be!" Jarrod smiled at Paulie then looked back at Violet, Send him in, Violet."
Violet nodded and stepped aside in order for the man to come into Jarrod's private office. However, the man didn't come in.
"Ummmm..." Jarrod got a quizzical look on his face.
"He said he wants Paulie to come out. He will not step a foot further." Violet looked back at Jarrod.
Jarrod did a facepalm while Paulie stood up from his chair and exited Jarrod's private office. Once he was near Violet's desk, he saw Carmine standing there very close to the door, sporting a peeved look on his face. Annoyed himself, Paulie marched right over to his older brother.
"Carmine, cosa dà ? L'hai fatto così lontano. Non pensi di poter andare avanti, dire fino all'ufficio di Jarrod ? (Carmine, what gives? You made it this far. Don't you think you can keep going, say all the way to Jarrod's office?)" Paulie pointed at Jarrod's private office.
"Non è questo posto il suo ufficio?! (Isn't this place his office?!)" Carmine asked very snidely.
"Intendevo il suo ufficio privato. Dai. (I meant his private office. Come on.)" Paulie gestured for Carmine to follow him.
"Non c'è modo! No come ! Sono arrivato così lontano e starò così lontano. Grazie. (No way! No how! I got this far and I'll stay this far. Thank you.)" Carmine shook his head.
"Carmine, per favore ! Per favore, entra nell'ufficio privato di Jarrod. (Carmine, please! Please come into Jarrod's private office.)" Paulie pleaded before sighing, "Carm, è disposto ad ascoltare e-e il suo piano finora sembra promettente. Fratello, metti da parte il tuo odio e il tuo orgoglio. Per favore. Se non per te stesso, fallo per il resto della famiglia, io, papà, mamma e Santo. Per favore. (Carm, he's willing to listen and-and his plan so far sounds promising. Brother, put aside your hatred and pride. Please. If not for yourself, do it for the rest of the family, me, dad, mom, and Santo. Please.)"
"Cosa ti ha preso, Paulie?! (What's gotten into you, Paulie?!)" Carmine gave him a look of disgust.
"Carmine, niente mi è entrato in me. Jarrod ha fatto sembrare promettente che papà e Santo otterranno giustizia. È disposto ad ascoltare e aiutarci in ogni modo possibile. Anche se il giudice Hagerty potrebbe non riaprire e provare il caso dell'omicidio di papà, la cosa principale è che Jarrod ha provato. In effetti, Jarrod sta facendo di più solo ascoltando e pianificando di qualsiasi altro tipo di avvocato mai pensato di fare. Carmine, vederlo nel tuo cuore per dargli una possibilità. (Carmine, nothing has gotten into me. Jarrod has made it sound promising that dad and Santo will get justice. He's willing to listen and help us in any way he can. Even if Judge Hagerty may not reopen and try the case of dad's murder, the main thing is Jarrod tried. In fact, Jarrod is doing more just by listening and planning than any of those other lawyer types ever thought of doing. Carmine, see it in your heart to give him a chance.)" Paulie looked his brother dead in the eyes, "Sai che papà e Santo vorrebbero che tu lo facessi. Inoltre, sai che vuoi. (You know that dad and Santo would want you to. Plus, you know you want to.)"
"Per favore, signore. (Please, sir.)" Violet spoke up in Italian.
"Parli anche italiano, signorina ? (You speak Italian too, miss?)" Paulie was impressed.
"Oh no! Ha uno di noi che lo serve e lo chiama signore! (Oh no! He has one of us serving him and calling him sir!)" Carmine groaned before turning his attention to Violet, "Ascolta, signorina, non devi essere il servo dell'uomo bianco. Il suo trofeo. (Listen, young lady, you don't have to be the white man's servant. His trophy.)"
"Al contrario, signore, non sono né servitore né trofeo. Sono il segretario di Jarrod Barkley e molto dannatamente orgoglioso. (On the contrary, mister, I am neither servant nor trophy. I am Jarrod Barkley's secretary and very damn proud of it.)" Violet replied in a firm, but polite way with a smile on her face.
"Sono profondamente e profondamente dispiaciuto che tu sia stato ingannato. (I'm deeply and profoundly sorry that you have been fooled.)" Carmine put his hands over his heart.
"Nessuno è stato ingannato. Fuorviato dall'odio, sì. Ingannato ? NO. (Nobody's been fooled. Misguided by hatred, yes. Fooled? No.)" Violet still had that beaming smile on her face, "Ora, devo tornare al lavoro e se fossi in te, andrei nell'ufficio privato di Jarrod e lo ascolterei. (Now, I must get back to work and if I were you, I'd go into Jarrod's private office and hear him out.)"
"Bene, che ne dici, Carmine? (Well, how about it, Carmine?)" Paulie asked.
"Bene. Entrerò, ma non mi piacerà! (Alright. I'll go in, but I won't like it!)" Carmine huffed.
Paulie smiled and hugged his brother before leading him to Jarrod's private office.
"Scendi di me ! Non ho bisogno di una fiocina di Nursemaid su di me come se fossi un bambino. (Get off me! I don't need a nursemaid fussing over me like I am a baby.)" Carmine said as he and Paulie made their way into Jarrod's private office.
*Inside Jarrod's private office*
"Well, well, Carmine. This is an even more pleasant surprise. No offense, Paulie." Jarrod was very glad to see Carmine was standing in his office. He had to admit that he never thought he would see the day that the Mangano patriarch would step out of his comfort zone, but it had to happen eventually. Who knows? Maybe this was a sign that Carmine just might finally put his hatred and pride aside for good.
"None taken, Jarrod." Paulie sat down in the chair in front of Jarrod's desk.
"Like I told Paulie, I'm doing it, but I won't like it." Carmine leaned against the wall.
"Carmine, you may want to sit down. I mean with your leg being broken and all." Jarrod gestured to a chair adjacent to the one Paulie was in.
"No, thanks. I will stand." Carmine shook his head.
"Okay, if you say so, Carmine." Jarrod said before turning his attention to Paulie, "Now, Paulie, where did we leave off?"
"I told you about Santo bumping into Jessica then fighting with her papa Hiram after Reardon, Sturgis, and Clevenger confronted him before he ran home. Like I said, neither of us were there for this, but we found out the minute he got home." Paulie sighed.
"Oh, so you're telling about Santo, huh?" Carmine asked.
"Carmine, his story needs to be told. The truth needs to be revealed." Paulie replied.
"I suppose." Carmine ran a hand through his hair.
"Carmine, feel free to speak up. He was your brother, too." Jarrod pointed out.
"You're damn he was!" Carmine said as he walked over to the chair adjacent to the one Paulie was in, sat down, and took a photograph out of his pocket, "He was my brother. My baby brother and I loved him very much. He didn't deserve what happened to him! They had no right to-"
"Carmine, I still haven't finished telling the story, but I am not sure I can continue." Paulie faced his brother.
"I'll continue it. You always start the first half and as usual, I always continue it. This time is no different." Carmine placed the picture of Santo onto Jarrod's desk.
"Thank you." Paulie replied.
"Any time you are ready, Carmine." Jarrod's voice had a gentle tone to it.
"No time like the present." Carmine took a deep breath, "Well, after Santo went through what Paulie has told you, he came back home and by how pale he got, you'd swear that he had seen a ghost or went through pure hell. We all wish that he had seen a ghost, but unfortunately, that was not the case."
Jarrod nodded in response, sorrow filling his eyes.
"Anyways, he came rushing through the front door right when I was tending to my granddaughter Cara's skinned knee. Poor kiddo was crying her eyes out." Carmine started to slip back into that time in his mind.
*Flashback to that time, again*
Cara Mangano had been outside playing when she fell and skinned her knee. The crying little girl was found by her aunt Allegra and brought in. As of now, Carmine stepped and was in the process of tending to her knee.
"Ci andiamo, mia piccola Petunia. Tutto meglio. (There we go, my little petunia. All better.)" Carmine got finished wrapping Cara's knee with a bandage and gave her a kiss on the head.
Cara hugged her granddad tightly and cried into his shoulder.
"Silenzio ora, piccolo. Ti ho preso e non ti preoccupare. Questo Owie sparò davanti al battito di ciglia di un occhio. (Hush now, little one. I've got you and don't worry. This owie will be gone before the blink of an eye.)" Carmine tried to sooth the child.
Just then, the front door burst open and in came Santo, who immediately slammed the door.
"Bene, beh, questo è un modo affascinante per tornare a casa, fratello. (Well, well, that's a charming way to come home, brother.)" Carmine teased.
Santo, pale as a ghost, breathing heavily, and covered in sweat, didn't say word.
"Cosa c'è che non va, ragazzo ? Hai visto il più grande ragno del mondo? O un topo enorme? (What's wrong, kid? Did you see the world's biggest spider? Or a huge rat?)" Carmine teased some more.
"Fratello Carmine, non sono di umore scherzoso. Abbiamo avuto seri problemi ! (Brother Carmine, I am in no joking mood. We got serious problems!)" Santo's voice was hoarse.
"Cara, vai a vedere le zie Allegra e Stefania. Le grandi persone parlano. (Cara, go see your aunties Allegra and Stefania. Big people talk.)" Carmine said to his granddaughter.
Cara nodded and went to walk out of the room only to be stopped when a hand grabbed her little wrist.
"E dov'è il mio bacio, Petunia ? (And where's my kiss, petunia?)" Carmine asked with a smile.
Cara giggled before giving her granddad a kiss on the cheek and leaving the room.
"Ora, Santo, di cosa si tratta in questi problemi? (Now, what's this about problems, Santo?)" Carmine sported a look of concern.
"Carmine, cosa sta succedendo qui? (Carmine, what's going on here?)" Paulie walked into the room and sat beside him.
"Fratello Carmine, Fratello Paulie, ero fuori città per andare a prendere legna e altre cose quando, dal nulla, è apparsa una donna-(Brother Carmine, Brother Paulie, I was out in the town on my way to get wood and stuff when out of nowhere, a woman-)" Santo was cut off.
"Una donna, eh? Sei troppo timido per invitarla a uscire? (A woman, eh? You too shy to ask her out?)" Paulie asked while smirking.
"Paulie, vorrei che fosse così semplice. Davvero, perché non starei temendo per la mia vita in questo momento. (Paulie, I wish it was that simple. I really do, because I wouldn't be fearing for my life right now.)" Santo sighed.
"Temi per la tua vita? (Fearing for your life?)" Paulie raised an eyebrow.
"Aspetta un attimo! Sei tutto ammaccato. Cosa è successo? (Wait a minute! You're all bruised up. What happened?)" Carmine asked.
"Bene, come stavo dicendo, stavo solo badando ai fatti miei mentre ero in città per prendere legna e roba del genere quando, dal nulla, una donna mi ha attraversato la strada e mi ha urtato. Mi sono scusato e mi sono persino offerto di portarla dal dottore per assicurarmi che venisse curata per eventuali ferite o tagli prima di prendere i suoi guanti e porgerglieli dopo averli scoperti. (Well, like I was saying, I was just minding my business while I was in town to get wood and stuff when out of nowhere, a woman crossed my path and bumped into me. I apologized and even offered to take her to the doctor in order to make sure she got treated for any possible injuries or cuts before picking up her gloves and handing them to her after discovering them.)" Santo added.
"Questo non spiega i lividi, Santo. A meno che tu non sia inciampato e caduto. (That doesn't explain the bruises, Santo. Unless of course you tripped and fell.)" Paulie shook his head and shrugged.
"Paulie, se fosse così semplice, sarei imbarazzato e con la faccia da pomodoro, mentre voi due ridete come iene. (Paulie, if it was that simple, I would be tomato faced with embarrassment while you two laugh like hyenas.)" Santo gave him a look and shook his head, "Comunque, mentre facevo quel gesto gentile, questa donna si stava comportando in modo molto molto maleducato. Mi stava persino prendendo in giro. Ma non è questa la parte peggiore. (Anyways, while I did that kind gesture, this woman was being very very rude. Even mocking me. That's not the worst part, though.)"
"Dopotutto, c'è una parte peggiore in tutto questo? (There is a worst part to this after all?)" Carmine asked in a somewhat facetious way.
"Mi prenderete sul serio o no? (Are you two going to take me seriously or not?)" Santo groaned in annoyance.
"Ci dispiace, fratellino. Ti stiamo solo prendendo in giro. Continua così. (We're sorry, little brother. We're just joshing you. Keep going.)" Carmine patted him on the knee.
"Beh, la donna è semplicemente impazzita come un animale rabbioso e ha urlato come una banshee. Voglio dire, è stato come se qualcosa dentro di lei si fosse spezzato. Davvero spezzato! (Well, the woman just went mad like a rabid animal and screamed like a banshee. I mean it was like something in her just snapped. Really snapped!)" Santo continued on.
"Vuoi dirci che questa donna ti ha picchiato? (You mean to tell us that this woman beat you up?)" Carmine asked.
"Credi onestamente che la tua vita sia minacciata, perché una donna ti ha picchiato? Santo, dove sei stato? Questa non è una minaccia alla tua vita. (You honestly believe your life is threatened, because a woman beat you up? Santo, where have you been? This isn't a threat on your life.)" Paulie chuckled and playfully slapped Santo's arm, "Ciò significa che piaci alla ragazza e che vuole uscire con lei. (That means the girl likes you and wants to go on a date.)"
"Avevi promesso che avresti fatto sul serio! (You promised that you were going to get serious about this!)" Santo slapped the arm of his chair.
"Lo siamo, fratellino. Ci stiamo solo divertendo mentre siamo impressionati dal fatto che una ragazza americana sembra piacerti così tanto da aver fatto ricorso agli istinti primitivi di una donna delle caverne! (We are, little brother. We're just having fun while being impressed that an American girl seems to fancy you so much that she resorted to the primitive instincts of a cavewoman!)" Carmine chortled and slapped his knee, "Dicono che alcuni americani impazziscono quando si tratta di romanticismo! (They did say that some Americans get very crazy when it comes to romance!)"
"Cavolo, voi due non capite proprio la serietà della cosa, figuriamoci se mi lasciate finire! (Boy, you two just don't get the seriousness of the whole thing let alone let me finish!)" Santo slightly raised his voice.
"Santo, come ti aspetti che prendiamo sul serio alcune delle cose che dici? Pensavi che la tua ex ragazza Donatella ti avrebbe ucciso dopo averla sentita dire che voleva prendersi cura di te se vi foste sposati, pensavi che un ragno ti avrebbe mangiato e, per finire, pensavi che il gatto del vicino stesse per picchiarti. (Santo, how do you expect us to take some of the things you say seriously? You thought your former girlfriend Donatella was going to kill you after you heard her say she wanted to take care of you if you two got married, you thought a spider was going to eat you, and to top it off, you thought the neighbor's cat was fixing to beat you up.)" Carmine shook his head while trying hard to stifle any more laughter.
"Non dimenticare che pensava che i bruchi e le farfalle fossero creature molto diverse e che in realtà sono le cicogne a partorire i bambini. (Don't forget that he thought caterpillars and butterflies were very different creatures & that storks really deliver babies.)" Paulie added.
"Capisci il nostro punto, Santo? (Do you see our point, Santo?)" Carmine asked.
"Quello era allora, questo è adesso e per la cronaca, non puoi dirmi che non vi ha fatto venire i brividi il gatto del vicino. Tutto quello che ha fatto è stato fissarti! (That was then, this is now and for the record, you can't tell me that you two weren't creeped out by the neighbor's cat. All it did was stare!)" Santo shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, "Ma basta con tutte queste cose, perché a differenza di quelle cose, questa è molto, molto diversa! (But enough with all of those things, because unlike those things, this is very very different!)"
"Sì, è diverso. Hai catturato l'attenzione di una ragazza. Forse ora puoi finalmente voltare pagina, lasciandoti alle spalle la tua ex Donatella e la tua defunta moglie Graziella. (Yes, it is different. You caught the attention of a girl. Maybe now you can finally move on from your ex girlfriend Donatella and your late wife Graziella.)" Carmine replied.
"Sì, Santo. E poi, le tue figlie Italia e Serafina capirebbero. (Yeah, Santo. Besides, your daughters Italia and Serafina would understand.)" Paulie said.
"Vorrei che fosse così semplice e facile, ma non lo è. Vedete, se alla ragazza piacevo, perché avrebbe dovuto strapparsi pezzi di vestito, sporcarsi, scompigliarsi i capelli e urlare stupro a Dio e a tutti di sentirlo? Risolvimi questo enigma. (I wish it was as simple and easy as that, but it is not. You see, if the girl liked me, why would she tear off pieces of her dress, throw dirt on herself, mess up her hair, and yell rape for God and everybody to hear? Riddle me that.)" Santo put his head in his hands.
"Lei non ha urlato allo stupro. (She didn't yell rape.)" Paulie shook his head in disbelief.
"Di sicuro l'ha fatto, perché dopo, tre uomini mi hanno affrontata, un quarto si è unito a me, uno di loro ha detto qualcosa sulla forca, e poi, un altro uomo si è presentato e mi ha fatto tutti questi nei di bellezza. Ho reagito e ho finito per buttarlo in una mangiatoia prima di dirigermi a casa. (She sure did, because afterwards, three men confronted me, a fourth one joined in, one of them said something about the gallows, and then, another man showed up and gave me all of these beauty marks. I fought back and ended up tossing him into a trough before heading for home.)" Santo's voice got shaky and pretty soon, he grabbed both of his brothers by their shirts, "Non sapete cosa sono le forche? (Don't you two know what the gallows are?)"
"Certo che sì, ma di certo non ti manderebbero lì senza un processo. (Of course we do, but surely, they wouldn't send you there without a trial.)" Paulie's tone shifted from joking to serious.
"Non dovrebbe nemmeno esserci un processo. Da quello che ha detto Santo, non è stato commesso alcun crimine. Solo una ragazza che è andata in crisi isterica. (There shouldn't even be a trial. From what Santo said, there was no crime committed. Just a girl flying into hysterics.)" Carmine's tone also shifted from joking to serious.
"Oh, certo, ora lo prendi sul serio! (Oh, sure, now you take it seriously!)" Santo retorted.
"Santo, ti stavamo solo prendendo in giro prima, perché pensavamo fosse una delle tue storie ridicole o qualcosa del genere. Non sapevamo che eri stato minacciato con la forca. Guarda, andremo all'ufficio dello sceriffo e diremo allo sceriffo normale che tutta la faccenda-(Santo, we were just joshing you earlier, because we thought it was one of your ridiculous stories or whatever. We didn't know that you were threatened with the gallows. Look, we'll go to the sheriff's office and tell the regular sheriff that the whole thing-)" Carmine was cut off when there was a knock at the door.
"Chissà chi potrebbe essere. (I wonder who that could be.)" Paulie stood up and walked over to the door.
"Non ne ho la minima idea, ma puoi coprirmi, per favore? (I haven't a clue, but cover me, will you?)" Carmine grabbed his shot gun, loaded it, cocked it, walked over to the door, and slowly opened it, pointing the gun at whoever was there.
"Whoa! Whoa! Easy, mister! Easy!" a man was heard saying.
"Who are you?! What do you want? Why are you on my property?!" Carmine asked in a very stern way while inching his finger towards the trigger.
"By the way you talk, I can tell you have a very thick accent of sorts. Where are you from?" the man asked.
"Don't worry about where I am from. Answer my questions first, please." Carmine told him.
"Carmine, è lui! È quello che mi ha fatto questi nei! Credo che il suo nome sia Hiram! (Carmine, that's him! That's the one who gave me these beauty marks! His name is Hiram, I think!)" Santo recognized the man almost immediately.
"There you are. I knew I'd find you." Hiram grinned like a shark and attempted to make his way into the Mangano household, only to be pushed back by Carmine's gun barrel.
"One step into my home uninvited and I'll put a hole the size of my fist into your chest!" Carmine warned.
"Easy, fella. Look, I just want to ummmm...to ummmmm...to talk to that guy right there. That's all. You know, clear the air, give a warm welcome, that kind of thing." Hiram was clearly lying through his teeth.
"È un fottuto bugiardo! (He's a f*ing liar!)" Santo shook his head.
"How do I know you're being honest? I mean you attacked my brother earlier and your daughter had a skirmish with him that ended with her yelling r*pe! How do I know that you're not going to send him to the gallows?!" Carmine was suspicious and understandably so. He didn't know this Hiram fellow from adam, so how did he know whether or not he could be trusted?
"Oh, that was just bluster from one of my friends! That guy is always so full of bluster! Also too, my daughter admitted she went overboard and wants to apologize to your brother, but is too shy to make the first move, so is it possible if he could come over, so they could make ammends?" Hiram asked.
"I don't know. I mean-" Carmine was cut off.
"Carmine, maybe the nice man is telling the truth. Maybe there will be an apology given for this huge skirmish and misunderstanding. Who knows? Shouldn't we give it a chance?" Paulie chimed in before turning to Santo, "Santo, how about it?"
"Signor Hiram, do you speak the truth? Does your daughter want to really apologize?" Santo asked after stepping forward.
"Of course, my dear, Santo. Of course." Hiram's answer sounded almost rehearsed.
"Do you want to apologize for giving me these beauty marks?" Santo raised an eyebrow.
"I apologize. It was very very terribly horribly inexcusable for me to behave in such a manner. I should've known better. Do you accept my apology?" Hiram's apology sounded very phony at best.
"I think so. Well, let's ummmm...let's go." Santo said.
"Wonderful, my dear boy." Hiram walked a few feet away from the front porch.
"Thank you so much, signor Hiram. I think this is the beginning of something good." Santo joined Hiram.
"Remember to be back before sun down, Santo." Carmine put his shot gun down.
"Don't worry, brother Carmine." Santo was heard saying as he and Hiram disappeared into the distance.
*Back to the present day*
"He told me not to worry." Carmine stared at the floor and took a shaky sigh, "Santo told me not to worry. I should've been worried the whole time. In fact, I should've gone with him!"
"Well, answering the door with a shot gun is an indication of worry, Carmine. However, I'd say that the reason you didn't show more signs of being worried was, because you wanted to be the strong arm for the household and your family. The strong arm never gives off signs of fear or worry." Jarrod affirmed.
"Oh, what the hell do you know?!" Carmine snapped.
"My father was the same exact way." Jarrod replied.
"I guess you do know then." Carmine nodded before wiping a tear away, "Poor Santo! We thought he was telling us one of his ridiculous stories and-and-Ohhhh, I should've known and been more suspicious! I should've followed them close behind!"
"Carmine-" Paulie was cut off.
"He'd still be alive! He and papa!" Carmine barked.
"Carmine, you had no way of knowing that your father was going to be killed like he was or that Santo would be led into a trap that resulted in his lynching! You had no way of knowing." Jarrod gently told him, "I take it that during the night, he was-"
"He was, but we didn't find out until the very next morning!" Paulie had fresh tears in his eyes.
"Oh my God! Hiram stopped by to brag about it?! How much more pain could that man cause?!" Jarrod had horror filling his voice.
"No. Our niece Italia-" Carmine paused, unable to finish what he was saying.
"You don't need to say any more in that aspect." Jarrod shook his head in disgust while his eyes glazed over, "Finding your own father's...corpse! I-I can't! I can't! Then again, my late wife Beth was murdered in front of my eyes and my brother Nick discovered our father laying out by our mine, slowly dying, so I can't really say that I can't imagine finding the corpse of a loved one. Our father even died in Nick's arms."
"Jarrod, is that true?" Carmine and Paulie asked in unison while sporting horrified looks.
"Huh?" Jarrod seemed a bit taken aback by their question.
"What you just said in regards to your late wife and your papa." Carmine told him.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I must've said my thoughts out loud, again. However, yes, it is true, Carmine, but this is not about me or the tragedies my family and I endured. This is about getting justice for your father and your brother." Jarrod replied.
"That's true, but we are very sorry you and your family went through that. Truly, we are." Paulie told him.
"I appreciate that." Jarrod said before taking a deep breath.
"I should've gone with him." Carmine's voice sounded like it was beginning to break.
"You and me both, brother." Paulie added.
"And what would've happened if you two or anybody else did? Hiram Ballinger and his bunch would have a much bigger body count." Jarrod told them.
"Not necessarily. He'd be alive!" Carmine fired back.
"You don't know that, Carmine." Jarrod shook his head.
"Maybe I don't, but what Paulie and I do know is that we both sentenced Santo to his death!" Carmine slightly raised his voice while on the verge of breaking down, Paulie nodding in agreement.
"No, you guys didn't. If anybody did, it was Hiram and his bunch." Jarrod reminded them.
"But we promised to be the protectors of our family! I promised since I am the eldest! I made that promise to my papa when we buried him! I made that promise and I failed with...Santo, Allegra, and Stefania! I...failed!" Carmine finally broke down despite his efforts to keep his composure.
"Carmine, you didn't fail anybody. Neither you nor Paulie failed a soul." Jarrod walked over, placed a comforting hand on Carmine's shoulder, and started rubbing it, "Nobody failed anybody. Hiram Ballinger and his bunch plus many like them are evil. Just pure evil. Not worthy of being in the human race."
Carmine continued to cry his eyes out and soon enough, his breath started to hitch.
"Carmine, Paulie...I-I know this isn't much, but I am awfully sorry about your father and Santo. Truly, I am." Jarrod said in a solemn tone before handing a green handkerchief to Carmine.
"It isn't your fault, Jarrod." Paulie told him.
"I know, but I just feel awful about what you two and your family have had to endure." Jarrod replied, "I just feel awful."
"You feel awful. How do you think I feel? I'm the eldest child out of my siblings and the eldest is next in line to take care of his or her younger siblings & I failed. I failed BIG time! Then, not too long after, Allegra gets assaulted by Clevenger and more recently, Stefania went through what she went through, so not only did I fail as a brother, but I failed as a father, too!" Carmine sobbed after taking the handkerchief and dabbing his eyes with it.
Jarrod didn't say anything and continued rubbing Carmine's shoulder.
*Meanwhile, out in the town somewhere; 2 minutes later*
Eugene had ridden into town in order to get some things, mainly bandages to re-wrap Nick's leg. Just as he was finishing up loading the stuff into the buckboard, he started to make his way over to a nearby bakery.
"Eugene Barkley, do my eyes deceive me?" a voice with a thick Austrian accent said.
Eugene turned his attention to the source, seeing that the voice belonged to a woman with blonde hair that was parted in the middle and tied neatly into a bun, his eyes becoming the size of plates.
"How are you?" the woman walked over to him.
Eugene, completely awe struck, didn't say a word or move a muscle.
"Don't you recognize me?" the woman asked.
"I...I...I..." was all Eugene managed to get out.
"It's me." the woman told him.
"Is this Eugene Barkley or one of his brothers?" another voice with a Russian accent asked.
"Yes, Julissa. This is Eugene Barkley." the woman said.
Eugene turned his attention to the source of the second voice, seeing that it too belonged to a woman. This woman had auburn hair that was also tied neatly in a bun.
"Privet." Julissa greeted Eugene.
Eugene nodded to Julissa in response.
"Vhat iz vrong, Eugene? Cat have your tongue?" the blonde woman humorously asked.
Eugene opened his mouth to say something only to stop himself from doing so when he saw a distressed woman looking around for something. Wanting to help her out, he motioned for Julissa and the blonde to follow him before running towards the woman.
"Vhat iz he doing, Julissa?" the blonde asked.
"I think he is going to help that woman and it wouldn't be proper if we didn't join him, so let's go." Julissa said before following Eugene, the blonde gal following suit.
*Over where the woman was*
"Miss? Miss, is everything-Stefania, what's wrong?" Eugene had concern in his voice.
"I'm not Stefania. I'm...her sister...Francesca. Nick, shouldn't you be resting?" Francesca turned her attention to Eugene while trying to catch her breath.
"No, it's Eugene. Francesca, is everything okay?" Eugene asked.
"I'm afraid not. Where's Jarrod's office?" Francesca looked around.
"Down this way, but first, what's happened?" Eugene was curious.
"I'll tell you after we get to Jarrod's office. I need to find my zio Paulie and papa first." Francesca insisted.
"Okay. Well, let's go." Eugene gestured for Francesca and the other two women to follow him to Jarrod's office.
With that, the quartet took off and headed straight for Jarrod's office.
*Back at Jarrod's office*
A few more minutes had passed. Upon telling more about Santo and his lynching, Carmine and Paulie had their fair shares of tears and expressing their guilt over it all plus how much they missed their father and brother.
As of now, the Mangano men were in the process of trying to compose themselves, especially Carmine as he was one to never show any other emotion than his short temper. He was the tough one. The strong arm of his family. A fierce protector who by nature, never gave off any indication of fear or shed tears. However, sometimes, even the tough ones needed to show other emotions/shed tears, right?
"You okay now, Carmine?" Jarrod asked.
"I think so. However, I'm...embarrassed." Carmine sighed.
"Embarrassed? What for? You needed to get all of that out." Jarrod couldn't believe what he just heard.
"I'm embarrassed, because I cried in front of you and Paulie which is something I never do. I never break down and cry like a baby!" Carmine dabbed his eyes, again.
"Carmine, you're not a baby for crying. It makes you human." Jarrod reassured him or at least tried to.
"Easy for you to say, Jarrod. You're not the one known for being the strong arm of your own family. You're not the one who's tough as they say." Carmine barked.
Jarrod opened his mouth to say something only to be interrupted when the door opened, yet again.
"I'm sorry to disturb you and these two gentlemen, Jarrod, but there's a young man and three women here. One of them says they are looking for you and the other one says they are looking for their uncle and papa." Violet told him.
"Send them in, Violet." Jarrod replied.
Violet moved aside and in came Eugene, Francesca, the blonde woman, and Julissa.
"Eugene, what's-" Jarrod was cut off when Francesca stepped forward.
"Zio Paulie, Papa, Signor Barkley, there's-there's been a-Something's happened at the church!" Francesca's voice was shaky.
"What do you mean?" Jarrod asked, "Oh and you can call me Jarrod. Mr. Barkley was my father."
"Francesca, what's happened?" Carmine managed to compose himself a little.
"Papa, you know how Cara and Mariah go to Sunday school and Signora Audra is the teacher? Well...something's happened!" Francesca looked pale as a ghost.
To Be Continued...
Jarrod: What's happened at the church, Francesca and why does the blonde lady look familiar?
?: Jarrod, do you not recognize me?
Paulie: I think we have had a case of fabula, vetus amor, et situs.
Violet: Fabula, Vetus Amor, et Situs?
Jarrod: That's Latin for Story, Old Love, and Situation, but who's the old love?
Victoria: What is taking Eugene so long?
Heath: Where's Audra and who are the two women Eugene met up with?
Stefania: Wait until the next chapter.
Nick: R&R, people! R&R!