she is or something.”
Oh.
Well, then … Andino knew both of his aunts and mother had always been close friends, so Catrina’s assumption was probably truer than he really knew. Andino chose to let it, and his mother’s words from the day before, go.
“By the way, why is my father’s and Lucian’s cars outside?”
Catrina shrugged. “Dante invited them over earlier. He does it all the time. They’re upstairs in the office where they usually are. Probably smoking those awful cigars again.”
“Why wouldn’t he tell me that he invited them over when he called earlier?”
“I don’t know, ask him. And while you’re at it, tell him to snuff out his cigar, too. It stinks up the whole upstairs. You can’t even renovate that awfulness out.”
Andino chuckled, gave his aunt another kiss on her cheek, and left her alone in the kitchen to go search for his father and uncles.
Sure enough, as his aunt had said, Andino found his father and uncles in Dante’s office by following the sounds of their traveling voices. The topic of the conversation made Andino slow in his walk as he approached the opened oak doors.
“It’s time,” Lucian said quietly.
“You could wait another couple of months, brother,” Dante said. “Maybe even until after the next Commission meeting.”
“Are you ordering me or asking me?”
Dante laughed dryly. “Between family, us being brothers, that’s all. Not a boss and his underboss.”
“I don’t know, I get being over it all,” Gio murmured.
Andino stopped his walk when his father joined in on the conversation as well.
“I mean, Lucian is sixty, you’re fifty-nine, Dante, and I’m fifty-seven.” Gio sighed heavily and added, “Dad stepped down at this age, too. It’s not like we’re talking about a premature thing here.”
“I know that,” Dante said gruffly.
“Let Lucian do it,” Gio said. “In a few months, we’ll look at someone for me. Andino can handle doing this for a few months. He’ll have his hands accounted for. Trust that he can fill seats with the right men.”
Andino felt a dead weight settle in his stomach.
He couldn’t fill seats.
He wasn’t the boss.
“I want to enjoy my time with my children and soon-to-be born grandchildren,” Lucian said. “My oldest daughters are married, one is already gone, living in Chicago, and Cella is talking about moving to Florida with her husband for his job. Lucia just graduated, and she will be going to college in the fall out of state. And then there’s John …”
“Give him time,” Gio said.
Andino was grateful his father was taking his advice on that issue.
“That’s exactly my point,” Lucian replied. “I need to give my son time. Out entire life has been surrounded by Cosa Nostra. And that would be fine, Dante, if John was like I had been growing up, or even like how you and Gio were with Dad. But he’s not, he’s John. I can’t expect my boy to be like we were when he’s had an entirely different set of obstacles that he never asked for placed in his path. For once, I would like to have time with my son where I am not active in this thing of ours. Maybe then he can see me differently. Just a man, his father. Something. I’m ready to retire. I need to.”
“Fine. Informally, then?” Dante asked.
“Informally works,” Lucian agreed. “We can handle all the other nonsense when we need to.”
“What do you think, Gio?” Dante asked.
“About what?”
“You know what. Andino.”
“He’s my kid,” Gio said, chuckling. “He’ll do okay. He’s a damn good Capo, and he knows how to manage men just about as well as you do, Dante. Andino has been under our feet since he could walk. I have no doubt that he can run this family. He’s your best choice for a successor, the entire family knows it. The whispers are already out there, you just have to listen for them. La famiglia wants Andino for the next boss.”
“They do,” Lucian agreed.
Andino was stunned. Nothing had
Oh.
Well, then … Andino knew both of his aunts and mother had always been close friends, so Catrina’s assumption was probably truer than he really knew. Andino chose to let it, and his mother’s words from the day before, go.
“By the way, why is my father’s and Lucian’s cars outside?”
Catrina shrugged. “Dante invited them over earlier. He does it all the time. They’re upstairs in the office where they usually are. Probably smoking those awful cigars again.”
“Why wouldn’t he tell me that he invited them over when he called earlier?”
“I don’t know, ask him. And while you’re at it, tell him to snuff out his cigar, too. It stinks up the whole upstairs. You can’t even renovate that awfulness out.”
Andino chuckled, gave his aunt another kiss on her cheek, and left her alone in the kitchen to go search for his father and uncles.
Sure enough, as his aunt had said, Andino found his father and uncles in Dante’s office by following the sounds of their traveling voices. The topic of the conversation made Andino slow in his walk as he approached the opened oak doors.
“It’s time,” Lucian said quietly.
“You could wait another couple of months, brother,” Dante said. “Maybe even until after the next Commission meeting.”
“Are you ordering me or asking me?”
Dante laughed dryly. “Between family, us being brothers, that’s all. Not a boss and his underboss.”
“I don’t know, I get being over it all,” Gio murmured.
Andino stopped his walk when his father joined in on the conversation as well.
“I mean, Lucian is sixty, you’re fifty-nine, Dante, and I’m fifty-seven.” Gio sighed heavily and added, “Dad stepped down at this age, too. It’s not like we’re talking about a premature thing here.”
“I know that,” Dante said gruffly.
“Let Lucian do it,” Gio said. “In a few months, we’ll look at someone for me. Andino can handle doing this for a few months. He’ll have his hands accounted for. Trust that he can fill seats with the right men.”
Andino felt a dead weight settle in his stomach.
He couldn’t fill seats.
He wasn’t the boss.
“I want to enjoy my time with my children and soon-to-be born grandchildren,” Lucian said. “My oldest daughters are married, one is already gone, living in Chicago, and Cella is talking about moving to Florida with her husband for his job. Lucia just graduated, and she will be going to college in the fall out of state. And then there’s John …”
“Give him time,” Gio said.
Andino was grateful his father was taking his advice on that issue.
“That’s exactly my point,” Lucian replied. “I need to give my son time. Out entire life has been surrounded by Cosa Nostra. And that would be fine, Dante, if John was like I had been growing up, or even like how you and Gio were with Dad. But he’s not, he’s John. I can’t expect my boy to be like we were when he’s had an entirely different set of obstacles that he never asked for placed in his path. For once, I would like to have time with my son where I am not active in this thing of ours. Maybe then he can see me differently. Just a man, his father. Something. I’m ready to retire. I need to.”
“Fine. Informally, then?” Dante asked.
“Informally works,” Lucian agreed. “We can handle all the other nonsense when we need to.”
“What do you think, Gio?” Dante asked.
“About what?”
“You know what. Andino.”
“He’s my kid,” Gio said, chuckling. “He’ll do okay. He’s a damn good Capo, and he knows how to manage men just about as well as you do, Dante. Andino has been under our feet since he could walk. I have no doubt that he can run this family. He’s your best choice for a successor, the entire family knows it. The whispers are already out there, you just have to listen for them. La famiglia wants Andino for the next boss.”
“They do,” Lucian agreed.
Andino was stunned. Nothing had
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