While Running With Wild Dogs: A Mafia Story (BWWM) ON HOLD

XI part 1.

Spencer Addison

It's been two and a half weeks since Yomi died. I barley slept or eaten, I cry even time I'm alone. B and I are complete messes. Yomi and I met in Nigeria, March 29 2006. We were twelve. Bianca's mom has taken us to Nigeria to watch the total Solar Eclipse. It just so happened Yomi was visiting her grandparents while we were there. We were inseparable from the moment we met, to the time B and I had to go back home to Brooklyn. Well apparently Yomi made such a fuss about not ever seeing her friends again that her parents agreed to let her live with her aunt in Brooklyn. Us three have been inseparable ever since...that is until now.  I lye in my bed staring at the ceiling. Thinking blank thoughts and good times that are now memories. I hear the door lightly open. Gianni stand taking up all the space in the door frame. He sits on the edge of the bed,
"How we feeling today?" He places a hand on the side of my head. "Today is Yomi's funeral." I say turning my gaze toward him. He places a kiss on my temple. "But I feel...better today." I give him a tight lipped smile. This is the first time in two and a half weeks that I've smiled. "Ok,good. Get up and get dressed." I have to be strong at this funeral, for Yomi's family who probably hate my guts right now. Especially Yomi's aunt who hated me in the first place. As we walk out to the car, Gianni to the right of me and Bianca to the left of me, Gianni's large hand is placed at my lower back. Bianca and I's fingers interlock as if one let go the other would disappear, never being seen again. The drive to the funeral was long and quiet, but it was very much needed, it gave me time to think. This funeral would be like closure for me, I needed to know that Yomi's family didn't hate me even though it was my fault. I needed to know Yomi didn't hate me. It was tearing me apart and I needed to know. As we make our way into the funeral we notice people were giving us strange looks, I'm assuming because of the unfamiliar face that tagged along with us. During the whole service Bianca waled like a colicky baby, while I just sat there I was all cried out. After the service Yomi's aunt approached me. I instantly thought she was going to blame me, tell me I was worthless and the Yomi was too good to be my friend, but...no. Instead of doing of the things I expect her to do, she just wrapped her arms around me. Squeezing me extra tight as she sobbed. After a good two minutes she finally spoke, "I'm so sorry for being so cruel to you for all these years, I should've treated you differently. I should have done so many things differently. If Yomi loved you, I should've loved you, but I didn't and for that I am sorry."
I couldn't do anything but cry and hug her back. "You loved me in your own way and It's okay. Yomi would want us to set aside our differences...she really loved you, you know that right." She just nodded and walked away. On our way home Bianca and I reminisce. We cry. We laugh. Then we cry some more. Once we get home we call B's mom to see why she didn't come to the funeral.

*Ring Ring*

*Ring Ring*

No one ever answers. We just brush it off and call it a night.

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It's now been a week since Yomi's funeral. As a way to cope, Gianni told me to finds ways to celebrate her instead of morning her. He said that's what he did when his parents passed away. He has kept me strong though this rough time on my life. Yes, he is super frustrating at times, but I wouldn't trade him for anyone. Gianni has admitted to being uncomfortable when people cry around him and I've seen it for myself. One of his men's wife left him and he came crying to Gianni. Well with Gianni being all socially awkward when it comes to people crying, he just kind of stood there and stared at him. Even when his sister, Gianna, and her wife Elouise, got into a huge argument and his sister was balling her eyes out, he just stood there. But for some reason when I cry, he comes to my  aid. Like it hurts him more than it hurts me, and damn does it hurt me. I'm starting to fall in love with him. I would never admit that to anyone, but it's true. Each time he is away on 'business', it kills me. I'm just so afraid he won't keep his promise and I'll be left here to get Bianca back to her old self and attempt to fix myself. I love how he can go from being so cold and heartless toward one person,
To begin loving and caring to me. It's quite the difference. I always tell him I wanna see him 'on the job' with my own eyes. He always replies, in the calmest voice, with "no you don't, I guarantee you'll become afraid of me, then I'll lose you. And if I lose you I'll lose myself. And we can't have that now can we?" I usually just laugh it off but if I'm going to fall in love with him, I need to fall in love with all of him. Even the dark twisted side of him that I know is going to scare the living shit out of me. But if that's what it takes, then so be it.
"Spencer there's a package here for your friend." Gianna yells entering the house. I enter the room, "Huh, that's strange...Momma Gonzalez is still not answering the phone." I say look down at the phone. "Ew, what the hell is that smell?" I ask scrunching my nose. Bianca walks into the room and stops the second her foot hits the ground, "It smells like I shoved my head up a donkey anus, where the fuck is that coming from?" "I think it's coming from this package," Gianna says contorting her face. "It's for you." She says sticking the package out toward Bianca. Gianni comes sprinting into the room, and stops in the entryway, "Bianca give me the package." He says in a unsettlingly calm voice. His eyes were dark. He had a face on that made it obvious that he was meant to be the Don of the most powerful mafia in Brooklyn. It was terrifying, I couldn't even look at him for more than 10 seconds without thinking he was going to blow my brain through my ear for being disrespectful. Bianca looked like the devil had just asked for her to suck him off but she still detested. "w-why...it's for me." As impossible as it seems, his face got even scarier, "Damn it Bianca give the fucking package! NOW!" He raised his voice. She drops the box at her feet and pulls her keys out of her back pocket to open it. I glides her key across the tape and pulls the box open. As soon as she took a look at what was in the box she released all the content of her stomach, causing Gianna to dry heave. I step closer to the box, as soon as I got close enough to see what was in the box, my eyes started to water from the smell. In the box was a decomposing cat. I felt as if I was going to throw up but I held it down to take another look. It wasn't just any cat, it was Bianca's mother's cat. In the box there was a note,

Hey little B, if you don't turn your 'friend' over to me, you can say goodbye to mama Gonzalez. The choice is yours.
     
                         Sincerely,
                      Santo Greco

I read aloud. Bianca was starting to hyperventilate. As Gianna tried to calm her down I begin asking questions, "Why is he doing this?" I ask Gianni and before he could answer Bianca did it for him, "isn't it obvious. It's because he wants you!"