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DOMINIC, HIS MOTHER, and siblings climbed into the limousine that would follow the hearse to the cemetery. Dominic’s mom had not stopped crying since his father passed away. The doctors confirmed that he died that morning at the breakfast table. They said it was as if his heart had just exploded. The surgical cardiologist stated his dad had more than likely suffered from an undiagnosed enlarged heart for quite some time, and it couldn’t take the strain anymore. Dominic still found that hard to believe.
He looked out the window and watched as the funeral procession meandered down the streets of New Orleans. The limo followed directly behind, while the other cars followed suit.
The wrought iron gates that separated the cemetery from the rest of New Orleans were exquisite in their design. Within this cemetery were buried some of the most famous and infamous citizens of New Orleans. Death played no favorites when it came to your social status. In the end, everyone was the same, ashes to ashes and dust to dust.
This cemetery would be the final resting place of his father. Over one hundred cars lined the small roads in the cemetery. It appeared everyone wished to pay their final respects, or to possibly spit on the man’s grave. Dominic wasn’t sure which. His father was not a well-loved man and had many enemies. Over half of these people probably wanted to make certain that the man was buried six feet under.
As they drove up, he noticed the manager of the cemetery waiting for their arrival. One by one, the mourners emerged from their cars and somberly surrounded the family mausoleum. Chairs were set up for the family members, and there was only room for a few of the mourners inside the mausoleum.
Dominic watched as tears flowed down his mother’s face. He wondered if they were from anguish, sadness or regret. His father had been a hard man, but he made sure they knew he loved them, even if he never said it. Dominic wished he had told his father that he loved him as well.
He placed an arm around his mother to help console her, “It will be all right.” She buried her head in his shoulder as grief consumed her once again.
He watched as the coffin was wheeled into the tiny room overflowing with flowers. As the priest made his way to the front of the mausoleum, Dominic let his thoughts wander. He hoped that he could fill his dad’s shoes. He had been the backbone of the Family and his absence would be greatly apparent.
Through heartbreaking sobs, his mom said, “I can’t imagine my life without him. He was my everything!”
Dominic wondered what would happen to their tight knit family now that their dad had passed away. Would they still meet on Sundays for dinner after mass? It was the one day where work was put aside so the family could get together to laugh and swap stories. It was one of the only times he saw his dad happy.
As he gazed down at the casket, he told his father, “I promise to keep the family traditions alive and the business successful Dad. I will make those who did this pay. I will take this to the mattresses.” Dominic knew that the Scarcelli Family had made good on their threats no matter what the doctor said. Somehow, they got to him, if only he could find out how.
Dominic looked around the room overflowing with mourners. As the priest spoke, the room fell silent. “Our Father, who art in heaven...”
The priest’s voice resonated in the small room. Even though the room was full and his family was here, he felt alone. He wanted to scream to those around him that his father should not have been taken from them. Most of the mourners weren’t concerned with his family’s grief; they wanted to make certain that the man was dead.
From the back of the mausoleum, he caught a movement in the crowd and his guard immediately went up. Frankie and Alfonso Scarcelli walked into the mausoleum as if they owned the place and Dominic saw red. How dare these men come here!
Dominic forced himself to ignore the Scarcellis and brought his attention back to the funeral. The funeral was a solemn, unifying ritual that reminded Dominic how short life was.
After the funeral, several of the mourners met back at the house. Everyone had a story to tell about his father. Some stories were about how kind his dad had been to them and how he had helped them out in a time of need. As each story continued, they held Dominic’s attention. He never knew his dad had done some of these great things and he was amazed at his father’s generosity and compassion for these people. He always considered his dad to be strictly interested in money and nothing else. Now, he knew better; unfortunately, it was after he was dead and buried.
After the guests departed, Dominic walked into his dad’s office. He had been in this room numerous times, but he felt as if he was invading his father’s space today. There were so many memories in here and now this office, this business, was his. He had some big shoes to fill.
He spotted the decanter of scotch and the humidor near his dad’s desk. If Dominic closed his eyes, he could see his dad sitting at his desk with a tumbler of scotch and smoking his Cohiba cigar. Several newspapers remained scattered about the office just as his dad had left everything.
A gnawing feeling began somewhere in his heart and worked its way to his gut. If only he could have saved his dad. They’d assumed he was untouchable, but they were wrong.
Dominic poured himself a tumbler of scotch and walked around the office as he gathered his thoughts. He grew up in this house, but now he felt like an intruder. He found it difficult to believe that his dad would no longer walk through those doors.
No longer would his dad take his mom out to their favorite restaurants or grumble about escorting her to the opera. His Dad had no more society soirees to attend or business meetings to oversee. He didn’t need to worry about his enemies, constantly wondering if the other Mafia Family would finally make good on their threats.
As Dominic made his way into the family room, he caught a glimpse of the family photos and walked over to where they were proudly displayed. His father never liked having his picture taken so there were very few pictures memorializing him; however, his dad made sure he had pictures and videos of his children’s lives.
The rest of his siblings looked like his father; however, Dominic had more of a resemblance to his mother. Dominic’s dad constantly jested that if his mother had been a boy she would have looked just like Dominic. Dominic inherited his temper and business sense from his dad though.
He couldn’t believe how much his life had changed in the blink of an eye. Soon, he would be twenty-one, yet he felt as if he was already thirty. Not only would he marry soon, but now he was also head of the Family. A lot of people counted on him, and he didn’t want to disappoint anyone.