Rise (Alfie Solomons)

Chapter 15

After their wedding ceremony, Shirley and Alfie were now one.  She entertained her family by letting them do the Hora. According to Jewish tradition, they should have done a dance called the Mezinke, but her mother was the only parent to show up.

Everyone ate, danced, and had a good time despite their small numbers. Her brothers didn't give Alfie a hard time, although she's sure they had a chat with him while getting ready. She could hear some of it when she walked into the synagogue.

Everything was fine until her father showed up. Alfie visibly tensed up when he saw him. He stood to his feet and made his way over to him, blocking him from entering.

Shirley saw what was happening and walked as fast as she could in her heels to deescalate the situation. She grasped Alfie's shoulder with her hand, trying to get him to relax.

"If this cunt thinks he can miss out on my wife's wedding ceremony and then show up for the meal, he's got another thing coming. I'll tell you that right fucking now." Alfie fumed.

"Alfie, baby, let me handle this, okay," Shirley said gently, but he still wasn't convinced. "He's my father. Just let me talk to him."

Alfie nodded reluctantly and walked away far enough to give them space but close enough to interfere if anything happened.

"You look beautiful, Shirley." her father teared up.

"Thanks," she said awkwardly. "We invited you, but I didn't expect you to show up after the first hour."

"I know I've been horrible to you, but I want to make amends if you'll let me."

"Of course," she nodded.

He turned around, crouching a bit, and waved for someone to come over. Tiny footsteps filled the hallway until a small face peaked from the side of the wall. He didn't have to say anything; Shirley knew who that was.

Her baby sister, of course. The sister she never met, the one she forced herself to hate out of humiliation for her mother. Looking at her now, she couldn't make herself hate anything about this girl. She was so tiny with big blue doe eyes, just like Shirley. They could have been full siblings if it weren't for the shape of their noses.

"This is Shirley, Carmella. She's your big sister."

Shirley crouched to be at eye level with her sister.

"Hey there, do you want to sit down and have some food?" Shirley offered her.

Carmella hid behind their father's waist, clutching him shyly. Shirley chuckled at the sight of it. She was the most adorable thing she'd ever seen.

"Go with your sister," Robert told the girl.

Shirley took Carmella by the hand and led her to the buffet table, where she served her a plate of food. She spent so long hating this girl because of her mother but looking at her now; she couldn't find one thing she didn't like. In Shirley's eyes, Carmella was perfect.

"So, do you have any siblings?" Shirley asked the small girl.

"A big brother."

"Oh, yeah? What's his name?" she asked as she watched her eat up the pastrami sandwich.

"Lorenzo,"

"Give me a moment. I have someone I want you to meet."

She left the little girl sitting at the table to bring Alfie over by the hand. He was chatting away with her brother Aaron when she interrupted.

"Hey there, lass. Look at the size of ya." he greeted her.

She ignored him and continued to eat her food, making Shirley giggle. Her eyes were fixated on Alfie's baffled face when a hand touched her shoulder, getting her attention. It was her father.