Road to Respect ~ Sopranos

Chapter 21

Joseph

As Joey was about to lay down for a nap, he heard a knock at the door. With a groan he got up to see who it was, and when he looked through the peephole, he saw his two uncles with Furio and a very pretty woman. The woman wore a white dress that was very revealing, long wavy brown hair with perfectly tanned skin and just the right amount of makeup. She had a strong jawline and beautiful brown eyes Joey was distracted by even through the peephole.

Joey opened the door and it was only then when the draft hit him that he realized he was almost naked, only wearing underwear. Furio snorted while his uncles were snickering. The woman however wore a straight face while Joey tried his best to keep one even though he felt his ears burning.

"You are Joseph LaRocca?" The woman asked. Her voice made Joey shiver, but he told himself it was the draft. "Get dressed." She walked away and all four men watched her.

"Who the fuck was that?" Joey asked Furio.

"Analisa Zucca." Furio answered. "Her husband, Mauro, is the boss." Furio's eyes widened. "Sorry, uh, her... Husband-"

"I understood you." Joey told him in Italian. Joey then turned to his uncles. "What's going on? I thought we were leaving later tonight."

"We're leaving now." Aldo told him. "Someone you should meet."

Joey grunted and closed the door, only to come out a few minutes later wearing a nice suit without a jacket, only a dress shirt and a vest. The men walked down stairs and saw Annalisa waiting by a car outside. "Joseph will ride with me." Annalisa said.

Joey looked confused and then turned to his uncles who were already walking towards the car down the street. Joey got into the car, the back with Annalisa, while Furio started to drive. "Where are we going?" Joey asked.

"How much do you know about your family history?" Annalisa asked.

"Hardly anything." Joey said. "Where are we going?" Joey asked again.

Annalisa turned to him with a smirk. "Don't trust me?"

"Not at all." Joey said apathetically.

Annalisa hummed. "A villa, up in the mountains. Your boss and friends will be there later on, but I had orders to bring you there along with your uncles."

Joey looked confused. "Somebody ordered the boss's wife around?"

Annalisa giggled a little. "Since my husband is in jail, I am the boss. And yes, the man who ordered me is very important. Now I ask again, what do you know of your family history?"

"That we came directly from Rome." Joey answered. "My father said we had ties to Alexander the Great once. He was high."

"You were lied too." Annalisa said. "Your family comes from here, Naples. Your grandfather grew up here."

"You know of my family?"

"How could I not?" Annalisa asked. "Your grandfather was the second oldest of four children. The oldest, Cosimo, died a few years ago. Your grandfather left for America after he watched his baby brother die in the war. The brother's name was Romano. The last child, the third born, Bera stayed. Cosimo and Bera were a part of the family here."

Joey chuckled to himself. "That's why I'm here, family reunion?" The car pulled up to a large villa, gated with armed guards. "Where are we?"

"The LaRocca family home."

Joey stepped out of the car and saw a very old man in a wheelchair looking right at him. He wore a nice tuxedo and had a cane in his hand, he smiled widely, allowing Joey to see his fake teeth. He seemed like a nice man, but there was an aroma around him demanding respect from anyone who looked at him.