Peppino

by Seth Coleman

  “OK, I’ll do it.”

  Peppino arrived at the hotel in record time. He asked for his mother’s room number and was told that she had moved to the Santa Lucia Suite; the hotel attendant gave him directions. When he arrived at the door, he could hear a familiar voice speaking that was not the baroness. He knocked on the door and waited.

  It opened, and the expression on the person looking back at him was one of great surprise that instantly turned into wide-eyed happiness. “Peppino,” Vincenzo said. “Mama, Papa, look, it’s Peppino; he did come!” Vincenzo grabbed his brother and kissed him on each cheek as the rest of the family rushed to the door to meet him.

  Quickly he was surrounded by his family and hugging and kissing everyone. The baroness stood watching with one hand on the back of a chair, a look of joy on her face and her eyes beginning to glisten.

  Gaetana and Dominic guided him into the parlor at the same moment Antonia rushed out of the bedroom throwing both of her hands up to her face and letting out a shriek. “Oh dear God, thank you,” she said, lifting her hands in a prayerful position. “Oh, my Peppino, come here, let me hug you.” Antonia stood still, and Peppino walked over to her with both hands wide open and gave her a big hug, picking her up off of the floor and turning her around in a circle.

  The look of love he felt from her melted his heart until she took his face in both of her hands and proceeded to pinch both of his cheeks with as much might as she could muster.

  “Ouch, Antonia! Why do you do that?”

  “I have done that to you since you were a baby, and I do that now so you remember me forever. You remember your Antonia who loves you with all her heart, and you don’t forget me.”

  Peppino smiled. “You made it impossible to forget you. It still hurts,” he said while rubbing his face, while everyone else was laughing. The children understood how it felt and the love with which it was given. “That’s going to hurt all the way to New York,” he said, laughing.

  “Good, then you won’t forget me all the way to New York.” She took his face in both of her hands and kissed him again on each of his cheeks.

  “It is good of all of you to come see me off,” said Peppino.

  “It was the baroness’s idea; she sent a telegraph and asked us all to come immediately, even me,” Antonia said, smiling.

  “We were all so proud of you,” said Gaetana.

  “At first we did not know what happened, and we watched you running down the hill past the church,” Concettina said, wrapping her arms around her big brother. “I never thought you did something wrong.”

  Peppino hugged her back. “Thank you, Concettina,” he said while pinching her cheeks much more gently than Antonia. “I think if I had been watching, I would have thought me guilty.”

  “It was the priest from Bovalino. He said he saw the whole thing and told everyone that you were protecting Nicola. I am proud of you,” said Dominic, patting him on the shoulder. “We are all proud of you.”

  “And relieved,” laughed Peppino.

  “Yes, very relieved,” said Gaetana, adding her embrace to the others.

  “I am glad you are all here. I have something to say.” His voice took on a more serious tone, causing his family to move back a few steps and listen. Peppino fiddled with his hat, nervously looking at the floor. “What I have to say is to the matriarch of our family.” He lifted his eyes and looked at her standing with one hand touching the back of the chair, watching all of them. “I have seen you in that pose so many times in my life, standing back, observing all of us, but I never understood until now it was then you loved all of us the most.” Peppino looked at his family. “I was wrong to have treated her so badly my entire life, and I want to apologize to her in front of all of you.”

  The baroness looked at the family and then her son and nodded in acknowledgment, not smiling, but with tears welling up in her eyes. She reached for her hankie and wiped them.

  They all stood in an awkward silence until Concettina blurted out, “Peppino, it’s OK. We all still love you just as much now that you are only our cousin.”

  “Concettina!” Gaetana said, grabbing her daughter’s arm and shaking it. “I’m sorry,” she said, looking at the baroness.

  “It’s OK, Gaetana,” the baroness said, looking at her son. “Peppino, I told all of the family. I have been living with that secret much too long. They all know about your father and what a good man he was.”

  “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “Yes, I did. My secret caused the one I love most in the world much pain, and I would like to say in front of the family, I am sorry, Peppino. I should have told you all this long ago.”

  They all looked at the baroness, frozen, not from fear, but expecting to hear the words they all knew she was about to speak.

  The baroness of Bologna walked regally over to the veranda and stood between the open French doors, where she was framed by the beautiful Bay of Naples behind and The Son shining upon her. “Out of respect for your father, Peppino, I shall be changing the name of Villa Bologna to Villa Bologna-DeAngelis, and I shall change my name to Ippolita Medici Bologna DeAngelis. There will be no more secrets in my home.”

  They all looked at her with respect and admiration.

  “Peppino, when you arrive in New York, your name too will change. You are all grown up now, and only those few who love you will still call you Peppino from time to time. There you will call yourself Giuseppe DeAngelis,” she said, wringing her fingers, “although I am told that in America your name will translate to Joseph, an odd name,” she whispered under her breath. “But what can we do?” Then more loudly, “Your name will be Joseph DeAngelis, but still you will carry your father’s name.” Her last words were spoken with authority and in a tone of voice each knew as her final statement on the subject.

  Peppino reached into his pocket and pulled out the Medici insignia ring and the thin, worn one his father gave to his mother so many years before. He moved to her and took her hand in his. “Then you should wear this, Mama; it is yours, not mine.” He placed the old worn ring in the palm of her hand and closed her fingers with his, squeezing ever so slightly. “Someday I will cherish it in my own family, but now I will be happy knowing you are wearing it.”

  He embraced her with both arms, and soon there were tears all around as they moved closer to enjoy one big family hug: the baroness, Peppino, Antonia, Gaetana, Dominic, Vincenzo, Marianna, Antonia, Carolina, and Concettina. They all took turns crying for the next few hours until they reached the ship. The children promised to come and visit someday, and the adults felt an uncomfortable pit in their stomachs knowing they would not see him again in this lifetime. It was a day of much joy and much sadness.

  They all watched as he walked up the ramp to board the ship, then stood at the railing looking at each of them, perhaps for the last time. His friends were waiting and joined him, waving their good-byes to their friends and to their homeland. As the thunderous sound of the horn blew and the ship started to move away from the dock, he hollered his good-byes to each of them by name. He was yelling as loudly as he could to be heard over the deafening roar. When it stopped, he shouted the last one into the now silent air. “Good-bye, Mama!”

  Critical Transfer

  Kirkus Review: “Coleman’s characters are vivid and believable…(W)ell-drawn locations and intriguing characters keep this thriller enjoyable.”

  When American computer executive Peter Barrett’s multi-million dollar business deal backfires, his life is turned upside down as he becomes the most hunted man in the United States. He is accused of embezzling money from his father-in-law’s firm to be used by terrorists intending to fire missiles at South Florida and major cities on the East Coast. With the help of an old friend, he manages to outsmart the FBI, the CIA, the local police in California and Florida, and the entire government of Fidel Castro as he tries to smuggle himself into and then out of Cuba...but not without a lot of close calls. From an upper-class businessman to a
wanted criminal and eventually to a modern-day hero the American public is rooting for, Peter must risk everything to prove his innocence and get his life back.

  Critical Transfer is an exhilarating new thriller about a man attempting to accomplish the impossible while facing incredible odds. An adrenaline-charged pace combined with gripping suspense make this exciting novel a must-read for fiction fans around the world. By expertly traversing topics of love, devotion, revenge, and terrorism, this enthralling story by Seth Coleman will captivate readers from the opening page and won’t let go until the final words have been read.

  With Cuba as an antagonist, Critical Transfer crafts a truly unique story with the use of an enemy that is dangerously close to home. An integrated blend of action, adventure, and suspense, this compelling novel will fascinate readers from all backgrounds and keep readers leaping from one chapter to the next.

  Franchise

  One man’s decision to trust God when all the odds were against him.

  FRANCHISE is a white-knuckle thriller about Daniel, whose decision to trust God’s protection leads him through a trial of faith while standing alone against organized corruption, He is driven to safeguard members of a well-known international franchise.

  Fleeing for his life and hunted by professional assassins, a terrified Daniel watches in awe as angels spiritually guide and protect him. Sinister circumstances force him to ignore his instincts, determining within himself to allow his faith and the Holy Spirit to guide him. His mighty and merciful creator orchestrates the circumstances surrounding him to ultimate victory… and the antagonist into fearful confusion. The ordeal reveals the depth one must reach within one’s self to face formidable foes when the only one you can trust is GOD FIRST AND THEN YOURSELF.

  About the Author

  Seth Coleman graduated in 1973 with a degree in public relations and journalism from San Jose State University. Throughout his extensive career, Coleman worked in franchise marketing for corporations such as McDonald’s, Sonic, and PIP Printing. He started his own consulting company, Back on Track Marketing, in 1987 in order to work with both independent and franchise business owners. In addition to marketing, Coleman has written, produced, and directed television commercials for several well-known companies and organizations. Retired since 2006, Coleman has dedicated himself to a new career as a writer, beginning with the pulse-pounding thriller Critical Transfer.