Less Kisses, More Kills

Chapter Ten - Soldiers and capos

"why do the soldiers do all the dirty work?" Bianca asked her uncle Luigi. it was forty five minutes after eight in the morning and her uncle showed her around the warehouse behind their house. even after all her uncle Luigi taught her yesterday, her mom still insisted on her learning afresh today again. her mom had suddenly turned to a disciplinarian since her dad's death. she guessed the passing of her father was still taking its toll on her mom.

"they have the lowest ranks in all mafia families" answered her uncle Luigi

"oh" she exclaimed "what about the capos?" she asked

"they have a higher rank than the soldiers" he said "they are assigned to take care of the soldiers"

"how?" she didn't understand

"each capo is assigned a particular amount of soldiers, to control and give them orders " her uncle explained

"are the soldiers usually bigger than the capos?" she asked

"it isn't always like that" he said "in most cases, yes"

so mafia families were all about hierarchy? this was a new experience. she squealed mentally, she liked learning new things 

"so when new people are initiated into the mafia, what rank will they start from?" she asked

"that depends on the boss" he then clarified "that depends on you, Bianca"

she gulped. she'd forgotten why she was learning all these in the first place, that she was learning to be don of. the mafia. since her mom was so serious about this whole family thing, couldn't her mom be the boss instead of her? maybe her mom had a reason for training her to be a boss. maybe it was her destiny.

"but normally, when a group of potential mobsters get newly inducted into the mafia, they become soldiers" her uncle Luigi explained further  

"what then will happen to the soldiers who were already in the mafia?" an intrigued Bianca asked

"some of them get promoted to capos, according to their performance " he said "the higher the rank, the higher the pay"

"capos can't get promoted?"

"yes" he said " the next rank after the capo is the underboss"

"how does the underboss become the underboss" she asked "how did you become the underboss?"

"your dad trusted me" he said to her "look, Bianca, everything depends on you. whichever way you bend the rules is okay. you're the don now, the mafia don chooses the person he or she trusts the most to be his or her right hand man " he explained.

her uncle Luigi said it like she was going to be a boss right now. she wasn't ready to be a boss, she wasn't sure if she could will herself to order any one around.

not just yet.

"and finally, we'll talk about our mafia associates" said her uncle

"what about them?"

"they aren't members of our family, but they help us get bad stuff done" he said

"they can be in form of lawyers, officers, politicians and you know the rest" 

"oh!" was all she could manage. this business was truly a complex one, but it was her family's legacy.

"why does the mafia make up of a family? the soldiers aren't my family members?"

"it's been called that for generations now. I don't know, Bianca, the name 'family' traces back to the generation before us" he explained.

"I see" she said 

"so Bianca, that's all for today, we'll continue tomorrow" he said

"okay, thanks Zu"

"my pleasure " he said and left her.

she stood in the warehouse and continued looking at the place as her uncle gave orders around.

Her phone suddenly rang and she picked it.

"hi babe" it was Matt. her darned ex boyfriend who didn't care to comfort her when her dad died.

"what do you want?"

"I miss you, Bianca, that's why I called"

"you didn't miss me all this time? you didn't miss me when my dad died?" she asked, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"I figured you weren't lying to me" he said with a low voice

"okay. look Matt, I've got things to do with---"

"I'm sorry babe, I admit I was a jerk..."

"a total jerk" she interjected in a sour tone

"I'm sorry I didn't call when I heard about your dad's death. I felt betrayed because I thought you were cheating on me" he gushed "Kim told me everything" she said

"how convenient for you to believe Kim when she tells you the truth but you disbelieve me when I tell you the truth"

"I'm truly sorry. I---"

"you dumped me on the day I heard about my dad's death" she said as tears well up in her eyes " you couldn't even wait...."

"Bianca let me---"

"how could you date me for over seven months and harbor a feeling of distrust through out our relationship?"

"I really do love you. I couldn't think straight after we broke up" he said "I wanted to reach out to you but then I heard you've gone back to Italy"

"yes, Matt" she firmly said " the world doesn't revolve around you. my dad died!" that realisation still pained her soul. she wished for the thousandth time that her dad was here with her.

"let me make it up to you" he offered 

"you left me when I fucking needed you! what could you possibly do to make up for that?"

"I want to see you "

Bianca scoffed. how did he plan to do that?

"I'm not at Los Angeles, Matt " she told him

"I know. I want to travel to Italy to see you"

"I don't know, Matt"

"all I need is a yes from you, then I'll be there before you know it"

she didn't know what to say. a part of her still wasn't over her ex boyfriend and she wanted to see him. but then she thought about Lorenzo. she didn't know where she was going with him and she didn't care. she wanted to continue to hang out with him. she wanted to continue seeing him and getting to know him. she didn't crave Matt's company the way she craved Lorenzo's. she had to choose between the both of them.

"we are over, Matt" she said to him "you made that clear when you accused and dumped me "

"please let me make it up to you "

"you should have said this when the pain of losing my dad was heavy on me" she said, recalling the anguish she felt "when I suffered so badly and I needed someone... you should have told me this when I still loved you"

there was silence at the other end of the line. Matt finally said

"there's someone else right?"

"that shouldn't be your problem, considering the fact that you are now my ex" she said in an icy tone.

"don't call me again Matt" she hissed "and I don't want you to visit me" 

she disconnected the call as 

she made her way out of the warehouse. it was twelve o clock now and her mom wasn't at home. she had to get ready to meet up with Lorenzo.