It Takes Two

Chapter 20

Donovan

Sometime ago...

I don't think I ever anticipated what it was actually like to be in the mafia. Of course I've watched Dad do his thing, but I guess you never really know until you're in it.

Well, I'm not in it yet, but I know Dad is planning my made man ceremony pretty soon. This is the life I've been waiting for. The risk was serious, don't get me wrong...the rewards are endless though. I'd say there is so much more good with the mafia than bad.

"Donovan..." Dad's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "There you are. We got a meeting soon, are you ready?"

"Yeah..." I said. He was analyzing me. He rubbed his lips as he continued to look at me. "What..."

"You're daydreaming again, aren't you?" He sounded displeased.

"No-."

"Don't lie, son. I know you." He sat down next to me with a hefty sigh as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. "Donovan, I know your made man ceremony is coming up. Do not confuse this life with glory."

"What do you mean? If not glory, then why are you in the life?"  I knew he was going to tell me that, but I never understood it. He seems like he enjoys the life so much so how could it not be glorious for him?

"You like to eat, don't you?" I nodded, confused. "I had to feed you somehow. I had to get you a bed somehow. I did what I had to do, son. That's what you don't realize. I've been in this for so long and of course I know what I'm doing. But Donovan, killing people just because someone told you to or you felt like it, is nothing glorious..."

He checked his watch, probably to make sure we were on time.

"My circumstances revealed who I truly was. I wanted to put us in a new circumstance. It is a privilege for people to choose their path. Now, I have flipped our situation." He smiled at me.

"You are now able to choose yours..."

____________________________________

There was a different aura in the air when we returned to the condo. It's like, where do we go from here? I took off that damn wet suit and showered to clean myself up. I had little knicks and bruises, but nothing drastic.

I sighed as I went downstairs to sit on the couch. Damiano was leaning against the counter top, observing me. It was actually quite annoying.

"What?" I hissed out.

"I'm just trying to make sure that's actually you sitting on a couch and not your spirit." He sounded like he couldn't even believe what he was saying. I scoffed as I crossed my arms and put my head back. Sleep was going to takeover anyway second. I was tired as hell.

"Well, you did it." He said.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"You don't even know what to do now do you?" I heard his footsteps near and him sit on the couch.

"Absolutely not." I put my head back up to look at him. "But at least I don't have to run for my life anymore.." That earned a laugh from him. I gave him a confused look.

"You see the big picture and nothing but the big picture. I will say, the thing I got from dad was his logic." I had no idea where he was going with this.

"What do you mean?"

'"I remember that talk Dad gave you before your induction. Looking on the outside, it seems like a pretty picture. When you move closer and look at the brush strokes, it's fucked up. You put down Clemente, Vinci, Scaletta, Carlo, Franco AND Falcone..." He motioned to me. "You damn near took all of the top mafia leadership."