The Grounds Keeper

Chapter 6 Unwelcome Reminiscence

The smell of the ocean breeze calmed him, and he awoke laying on the timbers of the pier in Calasetta, He was home. The warm air filled his lungs as he breathed it in greedily and the scent of salt and rotten fish wafted in from the docks he could see his father Giuseppe in his white singlet and overalls running his old sharp plane over the edge of a luxury cruise yacht removing razor thin strips of timber with confident sweeps of both arms  "So what have you decided my boy?" Eathon shook his head to clear his mind. About what Baba?

"About the generous offer or sinore Mercenaro?

Eathon grit his teeth, he hated this topic. Salvatore Mercenaro owns the largest export company of timber in Sardinia, he was the only supplier to every timber yard or trader on the island and as a result, held the occupation by it throat. For whatever reason he had decided it was time for his daughter to marry, but not a single man on the entire coast would want to involve themselves in the Mercenaro family, the timber yard was one thing but Salvatore was a menace to the world. He ran the entire island of Sardinia's underworld, the victorious Mafioso who had crushed every criminal syndicate attempting to establish itself on the islands. Everyone payed him, the butchers, the fish mongers the builders the holiday hotels. He was the underground king of Sardinia, and everyone with any sense feared and avoided his family.

But dangerous and powerful as he was he couldn't simply beat the hell out of every man in Sardinia till they offered their sons like a sacrifice to a blood thirsty god. But Eathon was different. He wasn't from an old line of family's who stretched back multiple generations on the islands and had the respect of his neighbors. He was just Giuseppe's stray bastard, absolutely no member of society would care or come to his or his father's aid.

He knew he could force Eathon to do anything he wants by pressuring the livelihood of is old adoptive father. There were zero repercussions for forcing his marriage to his daughter and everything to gain, a whole new legitimate company to clean his dirty funds and the chance of a male heir to his crooked dynasty. The Mercenaro Lorenzo Carpentry pty ltd.

Eathon looked down at his feet and shook his head "father I can't even hold a woman's hand. How am I to marry a stranger?" Giuseppe stopped his work and stretched his back. The pops and crunches of his sore muscles could be heard audibly. "my boy you are strong , talented and sweet, but I worry for your future, our business isn't a large one and given another few years of slow work we will suffer terribly, I'm getting old, and need to retire soon, Eathon you aren't lazy I know, but in this world nothing is guaranteed."

"Marry the girl, Mr. Mercenaro is very generous, and Claudia is a very beautiful young lady. Many men would be thrilled at your prospects considering..." he cut himself short as Eathon's rage blazed, the un welcome rage that had been his companion from childhood,"considering what Baba that I'm a bastard? That I'm some whores dropping that was left to die at sea and you saved me. That I'm the only Italian in Sardinia that's nearly six and a half feet tall with light hair. What do I need to do to prove I'm Sardinian? I've done more than any man on the island should!"

Giuseppe walked to his son and placed a hand with great difficulty on his shoulder "Eathon you are a Lorenzo, you are my boy, the day that ship came in and I found you on the deck I thought you were dead. I carried you to shore in my arms with a fever from exposure and chilled to your bones. You were the only one left on that hell that was a ship. I don't have a clue what type of mother would leave her child exposed to the elements like that, but you were my whole world. I was 56 when I found you, my wife had died the year prior to cancer and I was lost, you gave me strength to live, I raised you as an Italian and so you are one, let's leave it at that, so tell me what is your eversion to the proposal made by seniore Salvatore?"