Mafia Marriage

I (Revised)

Giovanni Graziano saw his future bride for the first time, at a wedding of a high ranking mafia member. He didn't know if she was informed that she was in an arranged marriage to the future Don of the Graziano Crime Family. He assumed that she was blissfully unaware, judging by her excited demeanor to be at a big, Italian wedding. If she knew what was to come she would probably be irritable or fearful of the impending marriage

'No,' Giovanni shook his head from his spot on the other side of the reception, 'She doesn't know, but once she finds out she won't be so carefree. No, Giuliana won't be so happy.' Gio had seen the wives of other members of the mafia crack under the pressure of the lifestyle. They would slowly spiral into a depression and find happiness in designer clothes, or throwing massive parties, or redecorating their enormous homes over and over again.

He didn't know Giuliana Bellucci well, he actually had never spoken to her and this was his first time seeing her in person and not from a photograph. She was pretty in her bridesmaid dress, sitting in between her two older sisters. It was the wedding for her cousin Laura, her father had died when she was young and Salvatore Bellucci had welcomed his wife's sister as well as her two children into his home. Being under the protection of Salvatore Bellucci meant that you would want for nothing and be afforded all of the opportunities that money could buy.

But make no mistake, Salvatore Bellucci was a ruthless and cunning son of a bitch. He could smile in your face and all the while order a massive execution of rival mafia members. Gio never understand why his own father, Anthony Graziano, would be such good friends with him. But there was still so much he had to learn before he would become the Boss of the Graziano Family.

He silently observes Giuliana as she sits completely oblivious to the fact that someone is staring at her from across the room. 'Must be nice to be so untroubled, so unworried about life,' Gio thought as he spotted Salvatore crossing the room to greet Anthony, with his two sons in tow. "Hello my friend," Salvatore shared a hearty handshake with Anthony. His father returned the greeting, "Great wedding Sal," Anthony nodded towards the Don of the Bellucci Family. "Thank you, Laura has never given me any problems. I can't say the same for my own daughter." It was apparent that the middle Bellucci daughter, Monica, was wild and defiant but the two others were not well known outside of their immediate family. So apparent in fact that he didn't even need to say her name, her name was synonymous was trouble. 

"Come on, you have great girls. How's my future daughter-in-law?" Anthony asked before sending a wink towards his oldest son. Salvatore let out a laugh before saying, "Giuliana is doing well in school, she's one of the top students in her class at St. Mary's. She's still quiet and polite, she's going to make a good mafia wife." Anthony nodded towards Gio.

"Does she know?" Gio asked, sneaking a glance towards Giuliana as she laughed at something her sister said. "No she will find out on her birthday this year," the mafia don replied. "She's turning sixteen on the first of May?" Gio made sure that he had the date correct for when he sent her a birthday gift. Salvatore nodded to affirm Gio's question and then continued, "We will all be meeting after she turns eighteen, so that you two will be able to meet, then we will schedule regular meetings leading up to the wedding." The wedding was to be a month after Giuliana turned twenty, by that time Giovanni would be twenty-seven. The age difference of seven years wasn't uncommon in the mafia, but at first it would be awkward.

Gio glanced at the two men standing behind Salvatore, Giuseppe and Marco Bellucci openly glared at their friend. The two brothers were against the inevitable marriage, they knew about Giovanni Graziano's reputation with women and they were not happy about it. The only reason they kept quiet was because they knew to respect their father/Boss and Don Graziano. They had spent hours upon hours pleading with the father to let their youngest sister out of this arrangement. They had even suggested replacing Giuliana with Monica. But Salvatore told them to mind their business, and that he was the Boss of the Bellucci Crime Family and the immediate family and what he did was not to be questioned.