by Seth Coleman
Vincenzo heard the sound of Peppino’s horse before he caught a glimpse of him through the trees.
“Peppino, what kept you? You’re late,” he scolded.
Peppino stopped his horse next to his brother. “I’m sorry; it took longer than I thought. There were some problems.”
“What kind of problems? Did you get the girl?”
“Yes, she’s with Nicola and Emilio right now. She wasn’t hurt as badly as we thought.”
“Then what happened?”
“While we were there, one of the guards accidentally got killed.”
“Oh no! “Vincenzo gasped, squeezing his eyes shut, picturing the trouble they would be in now. “How? Did anyone see you?”
“I’m afraid there were quite a few people who saw us, including a priest. It was an accident. The guard was trying to grab for a gun. Nicola is furious. He didn’t want anything like this to happen.”
“Will they hold you responsible?”
“I don’t know. Nicola thinks that Emilio will be blamed for the guard’s death. But there is no doubt they know who I am. One of the guards recognized both Emilio and me.”
“What’s going to happen now?”
“I told you!” Peppino said in frustration. “I don’t know!”
The two boys rode quietly for several minutes before Vincenzo spoke. “What can I do?”
“Nothing, I guess. We’ll just have to see what happens. Nicola says that Emilio and I may have to leave the area for a while. He’s got some friends near Naples he can send him to. And…” he paused.
“And what?”
“I might have to go with them.”
“No, I won’t let them take you away!” cried Vincenzo.
“You have to be strong. Our sisters are going to need you. Tell the baroness I tricked you and left you in the woods this morning and you didn’t have a choice.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Yes, you can,” he insisted. “Look, no matter what happens to me, you have to be all right. You understand?”
“Why?”
“Because you’re my brother; besides, if I have to go away, you’ll be number one in the family. Maybe that’s the way it was supposed to be in the first place.”
“Don’t say that, Peppino. It’s not true.”
“Sure it is, and we both know it. You’ll grow up and be a doctor, and I’ll always be the renegade. Vinny,” Peppino said seriously. “I’m not at all sorry for what happened, and I would do it again. As long as there are people like the monsignor and the baroness in the world, I’ll be around to fight them. I knew it the day I heard Nicola speak in the town square years ago. You remember? You were there too.”
“Yes, I remember, but, Peppino, there must be another way. You can’t just go around killing people.”
“I’m not! We didn’t intend to hurt anyone.”
“Well, what if it just happens again? Even if the baroness can pull you out of this, you just can’t keep going on like this. If nothing else, the Black Hand will do something to stop you. You’re only fourteen, but they don’t care; they will kill you.”
“Not if I get to them first.”
“Peppino, stop. It’s gone too far.”
“I’m not a child, Vinny. Not anymore.”
The two boys talked the rest of the way home, deciding that this time it would be useless to try to keep it from the baroness. It would be better to face her wrath tonight than to have her find out tomorrow.
As they approached the house, they could tell that the girls had already been put to bed. The lamp in their room had already been snuffed out. The boys put their horses in the barn and walked into the house, Vincenzo carrying five dead rabbits and one live one for Concettina.
Antonia, busy cleaning up the kitchen, looked up with relief when they walked in.
“You boys were out a long time,” she said, shaking a finger at them. “I saved you some dinner; it’s on the stove. Go get cleaned up, and I’ll set it out for you. Vincenzo, put the rabbits out back; I’ll clean them in the morning.” Antonia wiped off the table, then, looking up again, noticed the expressions on their faces. “What’s wrong?”
“I think we need to speak with the baroness,” said Peppino.
“You want to speak with her? What’s wrong, Peppino?” she asked, her mood turning to fear.
Vincenzo walked out the back door with his head lowered while listening to Peppino.
“I helped Nicola rescue the girl today.”
Antonia threw her hands over her mouth with shock and apprehension.
“And someone got killed.”
“Mama Mia,” she said, crossing herself and running into the other room to get the family.
Moments later Gaetana and Dominic came running into the kitchen, followed by the baroness.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” asked Gaetana, grabbing both of her children, looking them over carefully.
“Are you all right? Did one of you get hurt?” asked Dominic.
“Nothing like that,” volunteered Vincenzo, while turning to his brother.
The baroness stood there, not saying a word, looking directly at Peppino.
“I think you’d better sit down,” Peppino said. “I’ve got something to tell you.”
Chapter 8
Peppino searched for the right words, his eyes moving nervously to each person in the room. The baroness stood with her hands on her hips, an expression of anger in her eyes, while Dominic’s face revealed a sense of helplessness. He knew that no matter what Peppino was about to say, he could not influence the outcome. Gaetana let go of her husband’s hand as she sat on the divan, her eyes in stark contrast to the baroness’s. She looked at Peppino with an expression of love and concern. Then Peppino turned momentarily toward Vincenzo who, like himself, stood in fear. He decided to address Gaetana and began to speak, when he was interrupted.
“Look at me, Peppino, not Gaetana,” demanded the baroness. “What have you done?”
Uncharacteristically timid, he began to tell his story. “We went to Bovalino today to help the girl. Her name is Elena, but first we stopped to see Nicola.”
“Nicola!” shrieked the baroness. “How could you do such a thing after I commanded you not to see him again? He has done nothing but get you into trouble since you first spoke with him.”
“I know, you are right; I should not have gone,” Peppino said with a true sense of remorse. “I…I think Emilio and I killed one of the guards.”
“You what?” roared the baroness.
“It was an accident. The guard came at me with a knife, and I knocked it out of his hand just as we smacked against each other, and it got pinned. Emilio stuck his hand between us, grabbing the handle. The moment he got hold of it, we pulled apart, and the blade went straight up into the guard’s neck.” Then trying to justify it, he added, “But he deserved it.”
“Peppino,” Gaetana said in horror. “How can you say that?”
He looked sheepishly at his family, then the floor, knowing that what he’d said was wrong and that he was trying to vindicate himself.
The baroness remained silent for a few moments and then walked over to Peppino. Taking his chin in her hand, she moved it so that they were looking directly at one another.
He was surprised to see her eyes starting to water and a deep sadness on her face.
“I’m sorry, Peppino, I cannot help you this time.”
Everyone stared at her in surprise, having expected her to hit him or at least enter into a tirade, but instead she walked to the window and then turned back to him.
“Peppino, you are fourteen years old now and no longer a child. From what you just told me, it was not your hand that was on the knife, but all the same, you are clearly involved. Do you know for sure that the man died?”
“No, but he fell to the floor, and there was lots of blood. We left fast, but there was a priest there, and I think he knows who we all are.” Peppino lowered his gaze toward the floor.
>
“I see,” replied the baroness in despair as she turned to look out of the window. Fearfully and in a whisper she uttered, “The polizia are here already. They are coming up the path.”
Dominic rushed to the window and pulled the curtains to one side, squinting into the darkness. “No!” he said, relieved. “No, it’s not the polizia. I think it must be some Jews. Yes, they are wearing kipas and tzitzis.”*
“How could they possibly be coming here now? You must get rid of them quickly,” said the baroness. “Everyone leave the kitchen. Antonia, answer the door and nicely ask them to leave. We do not want them to become suspicious that something is wrong.”
“Yes, Baroness,” said Antonia, bowing slightly. “Go, all of you! Go now! I will take care of it!” Antonia said with a shockingly firm tone in her voice. “Go on now, hurry!” Nudging Dominic and Gaetana on the shoulder, she guided them to the doorway. The baroness gave her a startled look and then followed everyone into the living room, closing the door behind her.
Antonia quickly rushed to the cutting board and grabbed an apple out of the fruit bowl and began slicing it, when they knocked at the back door.
“Yes, who is it?” she said, trying to remain calm.
“We are Sephardic Jews; we mean no harm,” came the response. “We are traveling through your fine village and were told by the priest at the church behind the main road that you might provide us with some food.”
“Yes, wait a moment,” Antonia replied through the locked door. “I will gather a few things and give them to you so that you can be on your way. It is late, and the baroness does not like anyone knocking on her door after dark.”
“We understand and appreciate anything, as we are very hungry. There are two of us.”
Antonia laid an old rag on the table and threw several pieces of bread, leftover lamb, and two apples onto it and then closed the edges, tying them into a knot. She then hurried to the door and fumbled with the lock, trying to get it open. Finally, she stood looking at the two men standing before her. Both were dressed in the traditional Jewish garb and wearing brightly colored skullcaps and dark outer cloaks that dropped to just below the waist. From either side of the hem, several pieces of long white thread hung down to their knees. The taller of the two was carrying an old worn-out valise.
“Here is some food. I don’t wish to be rude, but you must go, as everyone is retiring for the evening,” said Antonia.
“Thank you for opening the door. I hope you don’t mind if we come in for a moment,” one of them said as he brushed his way past her. “We have something we would like to discuss with the baroness. Would you mind going to get her?”
“You must go now, please. I do not know what you want, but now is not the right time. Come back in the morning if you wish, but I cannot disturb her now.”
“I am afraid I cannot do that, Antonia. I must speak with her immediately.”
“How do you know my name?” Antonia responded warily.
“I am a friend of Peppino’s, and I am here to help. I know you care about him very much, and it is important for his safety that I speak with the baroness right away. I am afraid the Carabinieri are not far behind us.”
Antonia considered the situation for about two seconds before responding. “Who should I say is calling?
“Nicola Bagnara and Abramo Ginzburg.”
“Oh, Lord, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death,” Antonia managed to utter as she made the sign of the cross and then clasped her hands to her face with a terrified look. “You must leave, and you must leave now!” she said, looking toward the dining room, while trying to push the two men out of the door.
“Wait!” came the voice of the baroness as she entered boldly into the kitchen to confront her nemeses. “How could you possibly have the audacity to come into my home! Get out!” she said forcefully. She grabbed a knife off of the counter and started flailing it through the air menacingly at the two men. “You have done enough harm to my family, and I will kill you myself for what you have done to my son.”
The baroness lunged at Nicola, who easily brushed aside the knife as he grabbed both of her wrists and held her before him. For a split second they stared at one another, until the silence was broken by the clanging of the metal knife as it hit the tile floor.
At the same time the kitchen door was thrust open, and Dominic, Gaetana, Vincenzo, and Peppino came rushing into the room.
“Please don’t hurt her,” said Gaetana.
“Gaetana! He will not hurt her. Be quiet,” said Peppino. “Why have you come here?” he demanded of Nicola.
“I wish to speak with the baroness alone.”
“Why alone?”
“Peppino, if I wanted you to know, I would invite you into the conversation, wouldn’t I? I told you that you were going to have to trust me, and this is one of those times. Now take your family upstairs, out of earshot. I promise all of you that the baroness will be okay.”
Peppino knew that if he argued with him, the family would not respect Nicola and that if he obeyed, they would surely see that he was a leader of men.
“Everyone, let’s go upstairs and leave them to talk. We will all learn what he has to say after they are done with their conversation. Mother,” said Peppino, addressing the baroness, “listen to what he has to say.”
“Baroness,” Nicola began, “I know you do not like me, but—”
“Not like you,” she said coldly, cutting his sentence short. “I loathe you.”
“Regardless, I am here to help your son.”
“You have helped him enough! I want you to get out of here now and to get out of his life! I don’t ever want to hear that you have even spoken to him again.”
“If you refuse to listen to what I have to say, it is quite possible that Peppino will either end up in jail or be sent to the guillotine. It is not important if you hate me or not, but you must listen for his sake.”
She thought a moment. “I will listen to what you have to say,” said the baroness, clearly stressed and unsure of what to do. Nodding at the kitchen table, she gestured to Nicola and Abramo to have a seat, while she sat down rigidly, clasping her hands together on the table and staring at them with disdain.
“I do not know if the guard died or not, but either way, Peppino is in serious trouble, regardless of whose fault this is. I can offer help and a solution,” Nicola said calmly and with an air of confidence. He continued, “First, I must tell you a few things. I know your son is a handful, and I can imagine he has been a trial for you. He has been for me as well.”
The baroness seemed genuinely surprised at his comment, raising her eyebrows ever so slightly.
“However, he is a boy with great passion. Nonetheless, if that passion is not harnessed, it will continue unhampered, and I am sure you can see how this will cause him great trouble as he becomes an adult. He must have some serious intervention, and I know how that can be done. I will not do it myself, and it will be done in a place and with people who I am sure you would approve.”
All three became silent for a minute as they listened to the faint sound of distant horses.
“Baroness, we must act quickly. I will get your son safely away from here, but you must trust me right now, or you may lose your son.”
“What should we do?” she asked with a slightly softening change of attitude toward him.
“Get Peppino quickly. We have brought a change of clothes for him. It is not safe for us to leave now, so it is best if we stay in your stable overnight. If we run, we are more likely to get caught, but if we stay here, the constable will think we are just a group of itinerant Jews and leave us alone. Peppino will appear to be one of us. After they go, we will get him out of Calabria.”
Quickly the baroness went to the bottom of the stairs to call Peppino and saw him standing with the others at the top of the steps.
“Peppino, you must go with Nicola to the stable immediately,” she said with urgency. “He will explain when you ge
t there.”
Gaetana gave him a quick kiss while Antonia grabbed his hand and caressed it for a moment. Vincenzo had tears in his eyes as he watched his brother hurry down the steps to where Nicola and Abramo were waiting.
Nicola threw a robe to Peppino, who quickly put it on while Nicola adjusted the skullcap on his head and Abramo stuffed tassels into his waistband so that they hung down on either side of his pants.
“Let’s go! We must get to the stable before the polizia get here. I will explain there, Peppino,” said Nicola.
They had started to rush out the back door when the baroness called Nicola by name. “Where are you taking him? I need to know.”
Nicola quickly walked to the baroness’s side and whispered into her ear. Peppino tried to hear what was said, but he was too far away.
The baroness looked at him and nodded, then addressed Peppino. “You must do as Nicola says and not argue with him, and you must not come back here. We will find you when it is safe.”
Peppino took a last look at his family, and as he made haste out the door, he yelled back to Vincenzo to take care of Concettina for him.
“What did you say to her?” Peppino asked as they made their way to the stable.
“I told her I would send you to a safe place and not to worry.”
“Thanks, Nicola.”
Notes
* Kipa: slightly rounded and sometimes colorful skullcap. Tzitzis: fringes or tassels worn on either side of the trousers. Both are still worn today by observant Jewish men.
Chapter 9
Antonia responded to the three firm knocks at the door. “Just a second,” she hollered mustering irritation in her voice. “Who is knocking so loudly at this time of the night?”
“This is Constable Abruzzi. I need to speak with Baroness Bologna immediately!”
Antonia opened the door in the night clothes she had quickly changed into and said, “Sir, it is late, and she has retired for the evening.”
The constable pushed his way past her and into the foyer along with two other polizia. “We have come to take Peppino into custody. You two, go upstairs and search the bedrooms,” he ordered his men, who immediately started scaling the stairs.