Road to Respect ~ Sopranos

Chapter 18

Romeo

He tapped his fingers against the metal table, the noise echoed around the empty stone walled room. Suddenly the alarm went off and the steel door opened to reveal Corrado Soprano in an orange jumpsuit. He was in chains, slowly waddling over to the chair across from Romeo. The LaRocca could tell Junior didn't recognize him, which made Romeo angry. The guard who brought Junior there left, slamming the door shut and left the two alone.

"Corrado Soprano." Romeo said softly. "Tell me... how is it inside for you?"

"Who the fuck are you?" Junior asked.

"A former friend." Romeo smiled and reached over to take the man's glasses. He put them on and chuckled. "No wonder you can't recognize me, you got the wrong prescription. My time on the inside showed me who I truly was. What are you, Junior?" Junior didn't say anything. "You're an uncle. Janice, Anthony, and Barbara. A brother to Johnny and Ercole. You're not a father though. Which makes sense, I mean, look at you." Junior grit his teeth and Romeo smiled to himself. "If you look like this, I can't imagine how you looked in your 'prime.'"

"Who are you?"

"Another reason why is because you make it so easy... ordering other men to kill other men's sons." Romeo let out a bitter laugh. "You see, in my time here I found out who I was. A monster. I had a son, a son I loved but I hurt him... badly. I wasn't a father. But my boy, you gave him what you promised me. A home, a family to watch his back. Power."

Junior squinted his eyes at Romeo and leaned back sharply once he realized who he was. "Romeo?"

"One job, you told me." Romeo said. "One thing that would have brought everything down. Kill a rat to save everyone and would have become a legend. The youngest made man in the DiMeo crime family. You lied to me about him being a rat, you lied about pushing me forward."

"You didn't have the guts." Junior spat. "One bullet in some cunts head and you turned into a junkie."

"That cunt was my friend!" Romeo yelled. "He wasn't a rat! You just had your ego bruised too many times and you sent me to deal with him! Less competition for your brother's approval. You fucked up my life, fucked up some poor kids, and then you tried to kill MY SON!" Romeo flipped the table off to the side and grabbed the old man by the collar. "My fucking son!"

"He wasn't supposed to be there!" Junior yelled. "And your dumb cunt of a son got in the fucking-" Romeo punched Junior in the mouth and sent the old man to the ground.

"I killed my best friend for you." Romeo said with a shaky voice. "Dickie Moltisanti was a good man, he had a son."

Junior scoffed. "You really gonna get pissed off at me? It's fate."

"Fate?"

"If you ever paid attention you would know." Junior chuckled. "LaRocca and Moltisanti. Friends to enemies for generations. Your grandfather, Julius LaRocca, killed Alanzo Moltisanti. Your father killed Aldo Moltisanti for that Italian whore. You killed Dickie for a place in the family. And I bet my bottom fucking dollar Joseph will kill Christopher. See? It's fate."

Joseph

"Are you even allowed to drink?" Chris asked as he watched Joey down a glass of whisky.

Joey slammed the glass down in annoyance and rubbed his head. "Just came back from Marleen's place."

"Marleen?"

"I never told you?" Joey asked. Chris shook his head and Joey sighed. "Marleen is some old lady I rented the place over on Sundance too. Old lady's memories are scrambled and when I got there, she thought I was her husband who's been dead for the last twenty years."