#mxpseudonym

It was warm enough and breezy. If she leaned to the right a bit, she could see the open window and balcony of the apartment 5 floors up that she'd just come from. If the music spilling from the window didn’t give it away, the radio on the windowsill that was the color of the Italian flag sure did.

She clenched her teeth at the thought of going back in. Supper wasn’t for another hour and a half so it was an apartment full of women, some Changrettas and some who married in (or, in her case, were soon to marry in) who were cooking the best food on the block. Their hands mixed, pinched, rolled, and chopped together food that tasted like home. But while their hands worked magic, their mouths ran wild.

Mrs. Changretta’s grievances may not have moved Luca, but they moved his aunts and grandmother. She may have been his Blossom, but to everyone else, she was someone to be tested and brought to heel.

But the worst part, was that she loved Luca Changretta. On her best day, she could argue with God himself and only lose by a thin margin. She was her own best advocate and a professional at being stubborn- difficult even. For every one thing said, she could return it tenfold with something witty. But for Luca, she was quiet.

How could she possibly fight the family she was going to be marrying into with her usually fire? She sighed, looking up again and wishing she was one of the pigeons flying from rooftop to rooftop or even a blouse fluttering in the breeze. The metal door next to her creaked open.

Luca’s Aunt Vera smiled gently when she spotted her. Vera married into the family decades ago, but from what Blossom heard, there were growing pains. Uncle Eddie was too head over heels for Vera for it to matter though. After two decades together, there wasn’t much the family could say without beating a dead horse. The only reason they bothered was because Aunt Vera had yet to have a child after so long of trying, and any weakness was fair game for vengeful gossipers.

But that morning, Uncle Eddie walked her all the way into the apartment and kissed her sweetly before leaving her in the battlefield of women while showing his strength. The message was clear: don’t mess with his treasured wife. Blossom wasn’t surprised though, Aunt Vera was kind and quietly funny. And in her late 40s, she was as stunning as ever. Uncle Eddie was lucky as far as Blossom was concerned.

“Here you are,” she said. Blossom nodded.

“Here I am.”

“Lonnie was right about the alley, then. But you can’t hide any longer, unfortunately. Nonna just got back from the market and is putting people to work,” Aunt Vera told her, then sighed. “I’ve been where you are. They’re a tough family. But avoidance makes it much worse, trust me.”

They locked eyes and said, in those few quiet moments, more than Blossom even knew how to put into words. Aunt Vera held out a hand and Blossom took it.

.:.

Cousin Marcia was the ringleader for the most drama. Blossom noted this as she sliced lemons quietly, biting her tongue as not-so-hushed whispers about her floated in from the hallway.

Lonnie, Luca’s youngest sister, was in charge of watching the children who were peeling potatoes on the stoop and Aunt Vera was arranging the tables in the large dining room. Blossom was without her allies while listening to Marcia spread all kinds of opinions to the younger wives of the family who eagerly jumped on the bandwagon. Blossom could hardly blame them. It was likely better to feel included with the Changrettas than an outsider never to be trusted.

“If you ask me,” Marcia said from around the corner, “That girl doesn’t think too highly of us Changrettas. Dana, how long did it take you and Tony to get hitched? A year and a half? And Nathaniel and Ruth, only 8 months. She’s an uppity bitch if you ask me.”

Blossom glowered at the cutting board, face enflamed. It wasn’t so much the words themselves as it was that she had to restrain herself. Piercing words flew through Blossom’s mind towards Marcia, but only manifested as slicing open the rind a new lemon. She knew what Marcia was going to say and how she was going to frame it.

“Now this girl has been stringing Luca along for half a decade at least. I bet she’s waiting for someone better, richer*, to come along. Like she’ll find it. And she’s got him so lovesick he’ll carry on for who knows how long. He’s so foolish, I can’t see how he could run anything with that judgment.”*

A gentle hand appeared on her back, taking her away from the scathing comebacks she was plotting in her head.

“Good, even slices,” said Nonna Changretta. The old woman had made the trip to New York with Luca’s mother and two aunts at the start of spring when it was warm enough to travel and would stay for a few months to make the most out of it. Blossom had only met her a few times, but this Nonna reminded her of her own who had passed only a few years before. And at that moment, her praise was like a glass of water in the desert.

“Thank you,”

“Nonna. Just like everyone else.”

Blossom smiled at her warmly and repeated the name. And as if it was her stage cue, Marcia came around the corner with more smugness than Blossom though could fit in the house.

“Nonna is too kind. You’re not even family and you get to call her that,” said Marcia. Two of Luca’s nieces stood behind her and nodded, arms crossing like they had something to prove. Blossom reminded herself to put the knife down before turning to the grandmother of the family.

“You are too kind. And if you want me to do anything else, just let me know,” Blossom offered while wiping her hands on her apron. Nonna patted her hand with a smile then turned to Marcia.

“Let’s welcome her warmly. Good intentions make for good food,” Nonna said.

“But Nonna,” Marcia whined all of a sudden and made her way across the kitchen to grab her hand. “I’m just thinking about Auntie, oh! I mean Mrs. Changretta.” Blossom rolled her eyes at the mistake that simultaneously made Nonna’s eyes soften.

“Your mother in law may have been my goddaughter, but she was like my own child. Audrey is your Aunt, no matter what,” Nonna all but gushed. Marcia gave Nonna a hug with tears welling in her eyes, but she wasn’t so overwhelmed that she couldn’t give Blossom a pointed pout as she sniffled.

“You mean the world to me. And that’s why I said what I did. It may be a little mean, but whenever Luca brings her around, she never helps out. She just shows up and eats!” Marcia said. She stepped back from Nonna, wiping her non-existent tears as she turned to Blossom who could only watch the show with crossed arms.

“I haven’t been allowed to see a kitchen until Luca and I got engaged. I always bring food, Marcia, you know this,” Blossom said evenly. “Now I’m always here.”

“You never even use Changretta recipes,” Marcia accused. “How can you call it cooking?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Blossom stepped closer to her, and Marcia stepped back with a comical look of fear on her face that made Nonna place a hand on Blossom’s arm.

“Don’t get violent, dear. I’ve heard about your temper.”

“My temper?” Blossom asked, head whipping around to the old woman who was now several degrees colder towards her.

“You have given Luca such a hard time about getting married when we all see how much he spoils you,” Marcia carried on. “And then you make him wait, stringing him along. And now you’re in here, bringing your own recipes and ruining tradition.”

“Tradition?! Those recipes are from my family’s tradition. I was sharing it,” Blossom started, only to get cut off by one of the nieces.

“Who even asked?”

Blossom took a deep breath, ready to give each of them hell. But in a split second she clenched her hands closed instead.

“Dear, you may do things a certain way in your home, but Marcia is right,” Nonna said. Blossom’s mouth dropped open for a moment. She was the one who was wrong? “I don’t know why you’ve taken so long to agree to my grandchild about marriage, or why you’ve given my daughter such a hard time. But to become a Changretta, you must humble yourself,” Nonna told her with fervor.

“Yes, be humble,” Marcia agreed. Blossom pressed her lips together to stop any words from escaping. Anything she said now would be a waste of breath. Nonna tasked her with preparing the chicken because she was the only one who wasn’t busy and wasn’t squeamish about blood and feathers, while Marcia got pulled to sit for a bit of wine and catching up.

Even as she plucked feathers, Blossom didn’t blame Luca’s grandmother for any hardships. The matriarch had a bleeding heart for those in need and a fierce sense of loyalty. Not to mention Blossom was new to the whole family.

It was Marcia she had the issue with.

Some families welcomed new in-laws with open arms and Blossom never expected the Changrettas to be one of them. They had a business and a reputation after all. Luca’s lobbying for her helped a lot, but it wasn’t enough to get anyone to deal with their least favorite cousin not cousin on her behalf. Marcia and Frank didn’t have much to do with the business and they weren’t exactly loyal to the Changretta name. So why on Earth was Marcia of all people spreading rumors about her amongst the family and taunting her?

Blossom speculated it had something to do with wanting to get on Mrs. Changretta’s good side, which meant Marcia and Frank were probably up to no good. But the truth wouldn’t stop Marcia from being a pain in her neck.

She washed her hands thoroughly when she was done, then headed downstairs to the place Lonnie knew where to find her. As the breeze fluttered through a white dress that was ready to be taken down and folded, she thought to herself that she did love Luca very much. It made all of this seem worth it.

.:.

Luca leaned over the passenger seat of his car to look out window with a furrowed brow. He’d just pulled up to the apartment and could already tell something was off. Blossom’s arms wrapped around herself while she talked to Lonnie and his Aunt Vera on the steps. Even with her back to him, she looked meeker than when he left her that morning.

He sat back in thought, a million reasons why crossing his mind before he stopped himself. The first order of business was seeing if she was actually upset and how much so. Luca hopped out the Ford, avoiding cars and kids in the middle of a foot race to walk around to the sidewalk.

“There’s my brother,” Lonnie alerted them with a chin jutting in his direction. She was newly 16 and already full of the Changretta loyalty and stubbornness. His Aunt greeted him warmly like she always did, but Blossom on the other hand barely looked over her shoulder at him even when he moved into his place next to her and slid the purse off her shoulder to hold it for her.

“Take good care of Sister,” Lonnie said with a big smile as she reached for Blossom’s hands. “We’ll have dinner sometime, just us. Maybe Thursday after school? You can teach me how to cook veal.” Lonnie grimaced at the idea of it, but quickly returned to a smile.

“I’ll help,” Aunt Vera agreed, patting Blossom on the shoulder. Luca looked between them and then at his fiancé. She glanced at him for only a moment and he knew. She was actually upset alright. They kept coming up with ideas until Blossom chuckled and begged them to stop.

“Alright, alright, we’re going now,” Blossom said. Luca went ahead and opened the door for her, helping her step up into his Ford then paused. He leaned into the door way. His eyes scanned her body as if he would find some sort of wound on her skin. She looked at him expectantly while he observed her.

“Did you have a good time?” He finally asked.

“Really good,” she said. She nodded for emphasis, and now he was certain. She was very upset.

The drive back was quiet, neither doing more than stealing a few glances. Luca wasn’t a genius, just a diligent detective when it came to his Blossom. After 5 years of going steady, she’d finally agreed to marry him. And while his mother was impatient for either a wedding or, preferably, a breakup, Luca didn’t mind going at her pace because now he knew her best.

Blossom was lost in thought and staring out the window to stop him from getting a good look at her expression. But he kept looking anyway, his heart not knowing whether to ache or ignite in rage.

“Pay attention to the road,” she told him suddenly, finally looking forward long enough to nod toward the streets he should have been navigating with more care. But half a glance was enough. Being 3 blocks from his apartment didn’t stop him from pulling his car over and taking out the key.

Luca tossed his toothpick out the window, ignoring her questioning. He angled himself to view her fully, then leaned forward to grip her chin. He tilted her head this way and that in the evening sun until she pushed his hands away.

“You’ve been sad since I came and got you,” he announced the problem he was trying to solve. His voice was tender but serious. Always serious when it came to her. “Did something happen? I know it, I can tell. What happened?”

“You always do this, saying you can see it in my face.” She huffed and pressed the back of her hand against her cheeks. She refused to admit anything at all. “Anyway, I just ate too much. I can walk the rest of the way.”

“Aht!” Luca grabbed her hand before she could turn to open the door. “You’re not going anywhere. Tell me. Did you talk to my mother? Is that why you were on the sidewalk with Lonnie and Auntie V and not inside when I picked you up? Hm?” He prodded.

Blossom sighed then gave him a tight smile and an arched eyebrow. It was a look that told him loud and clear not to make a fuss anymore. Luca’s head dropped for a moment. He lifted it again with a stern look and wagging finger.

“If you have a problem and you hide it from me, when I find out I’m going to keep all of your grandmother’s candied walnuts to myself when she sends them.” He ended his threat with a firm pinch to her cheek. She couldn’t resist the urge to smile for a moment as she pulled his hand down.

“Of course, I talked to everyone, it was a Changretta women’s evening,” she reminded him. She paused for a moment. Her fingers tapped his knuckles thoughtfully then looked up at his ever patient face with another smile.

“Your cousin, Marcia.”

“Oh no.”

“She’s good at making her opinions well known. She was telling some of your nieces that I was uppity and looking down on the Changrettas because we haven’t gotten married yet. She said I must be waiting for someone better and richer to come along.” She let out a sigh and looked at their interlaced hands. “Then she told your grandmother that I never help and I’m trying to ruin tradition by bringing my family’s recipes into Changretta kitchens, and your Nonna lectured me about marrying into your family meaning that I needed to be humbler.”

Luca let out a low whistle as he sat back in his seat, but never letting their hands separate. “Family” was a generous term for his cousins who were so distant they didn’t even share his blood. When his Nonna’s goddaughter passed, she took in her son because there was no one else to raise him well. But Frank was spineless and found a wife in Marcia who was after his money and the Changretta influence. It didn’t take long for him to act like he was owed everything.

Frank and Marcia didn’t work for anything but threw the Changretta name around like a badge of honor to get all sorts of benefits. Luca was sure they had a few hundred dollars on a tab at one of the best restaurants in the city. Angel said he’d take care of it, but his brother heeded his mother’s warning to tread carefully and now his pseudo-cousins were bringing the trouble to the house.

"She’s got some fucking nerve.”

“It’s not a big issue. I’ve got thick skin, and your grandmother’s just thinking about respecting your family.”

“You shouldn’t have to have thick skin.”

“Luca, this is your family, not some strangers. Even if you don’t like them, your Nonna does and she’s important to you. You treat me so well, too. I need to shoulder some of this.”

“Blossom, do you know I’ve known my family all of my life?” He asked, making her eyes roll. “We’re one hell of a force to be reckoned with, even when it comes to each other. Okay? When I met you I thought, ‘damn, she’s gonna give them hell,’” he admitted. “You haven’t tip toed around before and you don’t have to start now.”

“But it’s not so easy. Your mother, your aunts, your Nonna, and all of your family are here now. I’m just one person.”

“Since when?” He asked, pointedly.

“But when you’re not there,” she whispered earnestly, more earnest than he’d ever seen her. “And even if you were there, what if you end up getting cast aside in the business because of me? Isn’t Uncle Eddie a sitting duck because he went against the family?”

Luca suffocated the giddy part of him that wanted to point out that she cared so much about him. Now was not the time. He squeezed her hand instead.

“Uncle Eddie isn’t a sitting duck,” he said. “He’s been asking me to keep him in the city at his station for years because Auntie V is an only child. Her parents are older and stick alive, God bless ‘em.” Blossom didn’t look convinced even as he assured her that he was a capable son, and that an invaluable member of the Changretta business. “No one is making me a sitting duck.”

“That makes me feel better,” she admitted. Luca shifted closer to her in the small space. Blossom glanced around through the windows and suddenly wished they weren’t on the side of the street. Luca was too unpredictable.

“Don’t hold back next time. You’ve never needed me to protect you, but I still do it. I’ll talk to Nonna,” he said softly. It warmed her chest as he kissed her hand.

“You’re playing favorites,” she accused.

“Yes, definitely!” He nearly shouted, making Blossom startle then smack his arm.

“You scared me,” she said, laughing at his outburst and incredulous expression. Luca suddenly reached up and grasped her face.

“Fuck Frank and Marcia. Doesn’t matter what you get into, just tell me. Even if it’s your fault, I’ll fix it,” he said, a heated promise. “I love you when you’re righteous and I love you when you’re about to rip someone’s face off. Sometimes I even like it more.”

“You’re sick,” she said, muffled from his hands still squishing her cheeks.

“As a dog,” he agreed then leaned over and pressed his lips against hers in a forceful peck.

Blossom finally made him get back in his seat and take them the few minutes up the street to his apartment. He held her hand tightly from the car to his front door. As he unlocked it, he checked again. “You’re sure Ma didn’t say anything?”

“Your mother’s problems with me have definitely made their way into the Changretta news mill. Your aunts fought me on everything today. My dress is tactless, the way I make arancini is wrong which it’s not. And I don’t respect my elders because I speak at the wrong times.” She smirked a bit. “That’s actually the most comforting part. Reminds me of my grandmother saying I was too rough.”

Luca held the door for her. He went on about how they were too hard on his precious Blossom while sitting her down in the living room. He put the radio and handed her her favorite wine in a glass, not stopping until he was next to her with her legs in his lap, hands massaging her calves.

“You’re too sweet to me,” she told him quietly then said through gritted her teeth, “Maybe we should try having you be rougher with me. Then they’ll pity me and treat me better.” Luca just huffed and focused on the task at hand.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I’d never. This the least I can do since you’re doing me such a big favor.”

“Favor?”

“Two, actually. Braving the Changrettas, and agreeing to marry me.”

Blossom sat her glass aside just as the radio announcer began reading the headlines. She moved her legs from Luca’s lap, but shifted her dress so she could straddle him before he could protest.

“I’m going to get you into a lot of trouble,” she told him. Luca nodded in excitement, earning yet another accusation that he wasn’t in his right mind. And yet, Blossom’s Bordeaux was left forgotten on the table as the latest films were announced, and Luca had a new lipstick stain to remove from his collar by the time they reached horse races.

.:.

Blossom’s short temper was the roughest part about her, Luca thought. But the rest of her was soft. If she knew they were sick, she’d make her fellow nurses soup whether she liked them or not. If Lonnie wasn’t wearing stockings in autumn, the teen would get scolded on her way to the shops so Blossom could buy her a new pair.

It was how she could be hot headed and sometimes careless with her words, but always deeply kind that made him love her. And it was what made him certain that her holding back with his family was probably doing more harm than good. The Changrettas knew tough love, and they were just as scared of her as she was of them.

It took two weeks for his mother to pull him aside and start talking about the things his Blossom would say and do at the family gatherings nowadays. How his mother was sure she’d lost her mind.

“Luca, Luca, Luca. Even Nonna can see that she is arrogant and crass,” his Ma told him. He slid a toothpick in his mouth and waited for his favorite phrase.

“She doesn’t know her place.”

He had a few Uncles and cousins talk to him over business lunches about how Blossom had ruffled their wives and mistresses by being blunt. A beating around the bush kind of way to say she was making trouble. But Luca just tucked the tie Blossom had made him into his suit before leaning over his steak.

“Why can’t she say it? It’s true.”

Meanwhile, he’d never been so close to his Uncle Eddie who was having a ball. Apparently his Aunt Vera had never felt more courageous around the Changrettas with Blossom around, and had actually started going to more of the gatherings. By the turn of seasons, his Blossom had her fire back, and a few of his nephews asked where he’d found a woman like her.

But even Luca knew that this wouldn’t be solved until one pivotal moment. And that moment would involve the two people who he hadn’t seen in weeks and was even sure they were avoiding him. His pseudo-cousins were likely stewing in this change of behavior, getting frustrated that Blossom wasn’t getting ostracized, but instead gained a few friends within the family. And knowing them, they would eventually cause a scene to turn the tides again. When that moment would come, he’d be ready.

The tension at the Changretta gatherings weren’t gone, just different. Blossom set the tables in the church hall where Nonna’s birthday lunch was going to take place as soon as the food was ready and everyone was sitting. Nonna told her weeks before that all she really wanted at her age was to see everyone, young and old, in one place.

“I see you’re keeping busy.”

Forks were being pulled from Blossom’s hands before she could look up at Aunt Vera’s usual radiant smile.

“If I sit still, I’m afraid I’ll be asked to scale a fish all of a sudden.”

“You tried to hard to please at the beginning. Now they know you’re good at things like that.”

They chatted as the room filled slowly. It was reaching noon and Blossom had yet to see Luca, Angel, or any of the men who ran the business. Vera looked around for Eddie as well, but turned to Blossom with a small scowl before she found him.

“Marcia just got here with her followers.”

“Pay them no mind. Nonna’s birthday matters more than anything. I want to live until 93 too, so it’s good karma,” Blossom teased. Still, she glanced over Aunt Vera’s shoulder to see Marcia all dolled up with Luca’s nieces by her side once again. She also found a teen with a bow in her hair hurrying past the crowd toward them

“Auntie V, Sister,” Lonnie huffed. She was out of breath but had a big grin on her face. Aunt Vera quickly got her some water as she caught her breath. “I have an urgent message for you,” she continued.

“For me?” Blossom looked to Aunt Vera with a raised eyebrow, then back to where Lonnie was gulping water.

“My brother says no matter what happens today, to not get flustered and to not be scared. You can fight and scold all you want, he’ll be here soon.” Lonnie was giddy to be the one to let Blossom off the reigns. Aunt Vera couldn’t hold in her laugh.

“Luca reminds me so much of Eddie. If I had more of a fighting spirit, he’d let me go crazy,” she reminisced.

“The last thing we need is two troublemaking gold diggers, though. Isn’t that right?”

Marcia walked strutted over, haughty as ever. She looked Aunt Vera up and down, then Blossom.

“Don’t you know how to bite your tongue for the greater good?” Blossom asked her. “Be hateful all you like, but it’s your grandmother’s birthday.” Marcia scoffed and looked to the nieces who were just as ruffled.

“Hateful? You been reading a dictionary or something? And I know what day it is. You are the guest here,” Marcia reminded her. A few of the gathering Changrettas were tuning into their conversation as Marcia got louder. “Don’t be so uppity.”

“Is this how you treat guests then? Not to mention that we’ve been here all morning helping Nonna set up. You’ve been nowhere to be found.” Blossom pointed out, and went on to ask the nieces if their mothers knew where they had been either.

“Why do we have to tell you anything about where we’ve been? You’re not my mother, you’re just some hussy who crawled into Luca’s bed.”

“How dare you?” Aunt Vera gasped as she stepped forward. Turning to her, Marcia smirked.

“Do you finally have something to say? They’ve called you all sorts of things since I’ve been around, and this is the first time I’ve heard your voice. Feeling brave?”

“Don’t you have something better to do?” Blossom hissed. She glanced around the crowd that was fully watching them now and stepped in front of Aunt Vera. She may have had thick skin, but Aunt Vera wasn’t like her. “Stop it.”

“Let’s go all the way, actually. Aunt Vera, you’re forgetting about family aren’t you? This woman has insulted us so much already. When will you choose your actual family first. Oh wait. You don’t even have a child to attach you to the Changrettas. I guess you’re not actually-”

Blossom heard the slap ring through the hall before she felt the stinging in her right hand, or realized she’d reached up and hit the woman. The shock of the audience left the room quiet as Marcia slowly turned back to her, a hand reaching up to her cheek.

“Marcia Gallo, we have the same amount of Changretta blood as you. None. You have been a brat this whole time because you married Nonna’s goddaughter’s son. That I can endure and bite my tongue about. You’re spoiled rotten and use the Changretta name to run up tabs and do illegal gambling. God knows what else.”

“How did you,” Marcia started pathetically, but Blossom kept on.

“But this? It’s come to this? You feel brazen enough to call out such a thing here? Are you in your right mind?” Blossom asked loudly.

I hand on her waist made her jolt and rip her heated gaze away from Marcia and turn to see the comforting face of Luca Changretta.

“What,” she stammered as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. “When did you get here?”

She looked around him to see the missing Changretta men in toe, including Frank who was sulking as he walked through the crowd.

“I’ve got good timing, huh?” He praised himself and sent her a wink. But all amusement dropped when he turned to Marcia. Even in his linen suit, a casual look for the occasion, he was still menacing in his own right. “What’s this about?”

Marcia let out a laugh in disbelief, eyes watering from the pain and her own frustration. “Your girl just hit me, Luca. Can you believe it?”

Luca perked up in surprise and whipped his head down to his Blossom. Their eyes only met briefly, but it was enough to let Blossom know her partner was about to put on a show. She let her eyes fall to her hands as she nodded.

“Well, no. I can’t believe it,” Luca said. He took a breath as he looked around and said loudly, “You see, my Blossom is the gentlest, most caring woman I know.” A Changretta acquaintance questioned him from the crowd of bystanders, but Luca glowered at the man, which was enough to shut him up for the rest of the day. “Virtuous even, like a little lamb.”

“A gentle woman with a strong right hook. There’s a first time for everything,” Marcia spat. Her own eyes held contempt but had met her match in the Changretta’s youngest son.

“For her to be forced to do something like that. I can’t imagine what you’ve put her through,” Luca said. He tsked her and squeezed Blossom’s shoulder. Luca looked down to see Blossom surpressing a smile, and that was enough for him. “But I did happen to hear something on my way in. You called me wife a name. I dare you to repeat it.”

“I didn’t,”

“Hussy,” Lonnie said, popping up from behind her aunt. “You did call her a hussy.”

“Hussy,” Luca said the word slowly. “You must not value your wellbeing.” Marcia’s eyes quickly scanned the room for her husband just as Frank was pushed through the crowd.

“Don’t try to come in here and scare me, Luca. This girl here is nothing but trouble. I won’t go easy on her just because you’re here. I’m thinking about the Changrettas,” Marcia said. She used her lifeline then looked at Frank. He couldn’t meet her eyes, but grabbed her arm.

“Shut up, woman,” he told her under his breath. Marcia gasped. Blossom would bet that he’d never said a word against her before. There was shuffling behind them, and Blossom looked to see the crowd parting for Nonna.

“Have you all had enough fun making a mess of this sacred hall? On my birthday of all days?” The old woman asked as she came to stand in the center of it all. Blossom quickly moved to get her a chair and helped her sit. Nonna patted her hand and gave a gentle smile. “Good girl.”

“I’m sorry we’re making a ruckus on your birthday,” Blossom apologized.

“Don’t apologize now. Isn’t it always like this when you’re around?” Marcia scoffed, then looked at Nonna. The tears gathered in her eyes as if a director somewhere just said ‘action!’. “Nonna, I was just telling her about family. Your family is a precious thing. Mother’s family,”

“And who is your mother’s family?” Nonna asked.

Everyone turned to Nonna in surprise. She’d never asked such a question before. It separated the beloved goddaughter’s family from the Changrettas themselves. Frank looked up at her, eyes wide and hands ready to tremble.

“Frank,” Nonna began, “I’ve disappointed your mother and further disappointed you.”

“No, never,” Frank pleaded. He kneeled by her chair and grasped her hands.

“I’ve spoiled you, and made you stupid. I’ve let you bring this woman in our house. I’ve let her be unkind. I’ve let you both drag the Changretta name through the mud for your pleasure,” Nonna listed until her voice wavered. Her children and grandchildren all took a step forward to comfort her but she raised a withered hand to stop them. “Angel and Luca have already shown me what you’ve done. The debts that you owe, all attributed to our name.”

Luca pulled out a thick stack of folded papers from his pocket. and tossed them on the ground next to Frank. The man didn’t have to look, and Blossom gathered it was because he’d already been confronted before he arrived. Now Marcia was flipping through papers helplessly while Frank pleaded with the woman he saw as a grandmother.

If Blossom didn’t already know what they were, the look on Marcia’s face was enough. Pages of IOUs, loans, property purchases, and the like.

“You’ve been following us since the beginning?” Marcia asked quietly. But she didn’t need the answer.

“Nonna. I just wanted to make my wife happy. I wanted to live in pride like the Changrettas, but nothing ever made me feel like one,” Frank muttered. His head dropped.

“You eat at our tables, you drink our wine. You run for the business, and you get all the opportunities we do,” Luca said. He wouldn’t let the man gain an ounce of pity. “And now, you let your wife bully my sweet Blossom like this for months? When will it end?” Luca asked as he pulled Blossom into his side. She didn’t dare look at her fiancé. She would laugh at his dramatics if she did. Nonna stopped Luca from going forward.

“Frankie,” Nonna called, making him raise his head. “It’s time for you to leave the nest. Go to Chicago. Never use the Changretta name. And don’t come to our city again.”

Blossom watched the most gentle version of a family exile that she could ever imagine. The Changrettas’ gang led Marcia and Frank out of the hall. The room was abuzz and if there was anyone left to spread gossip to, Blossom was sure the grapevine was moving as fast as ever. The nieces who followed Marcia were pulled aside by their mothers and Blossom could only imagine the tongue-lashings.

“My dear,” Nonna called to Blossom who was by her side in a moment. “I heard every word Marcia said to you. You’ve endured it all this time for Luca haven’t you?”

“For that crazy man? Never,” Blossom teased. “I never thought the Changrettas were a soft family. So I expected a few trials. But Marcia made me protective over you all. Forget about me. I didn’t like how she treated you all. She was always rude or lying.”

Nonna patted her hand then looked for her grandson. Blossom pulled Luca down to kneel so he didn’t tower over them.

“You’ve found a wife we can all be proud of, Luca,” Nonna said. “Audrey will always be your mother and she’ll never think anyone is good enough. But I’ll talk to her. I see how much you love one another.”

“That means so much to me,” Blossom said with a squeeze of her hands.

Blossom watched as Luca placed a toothpick in his mouth and leaned against the the wall of the alley outside of his cousin’s wives’ home in Brooklyn, then turned her eyes to the clothing lines.

The baby shower inside was winding down, and Luca had pulled her out to escape any questions about their own children. Now that Marcia and Frank had been gone for a few weeks, the gossip about her had come to a close. She would take the baby talk over getting her character questioned any day. Still, she stood beside him and looked up at the clothes on the line in thought.

For so long, her mother begged the saints to give her a husband who could tame her. Her mother never went to church, which she thought actually helped show that she really meant it. They’d never agreed on much. Every day was a competition to see which would win out, her mother’s pride or her own stubbornness. So while her mother prayed for that, Blossom prayed that she would find someone who could understand her. She never would have thought the saints were actually on her side the whole time.

She no longer desired being something light and airy, blowing in the wind. Her eyes fell to Luca again. He was lost in his own world as well. Next to her was a partner who would tell her that her only jobs were to never doubt herself, to not be afraid, and to let him love her well.

Luca turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

“Admiring my profile?”

“Oh yes. You’re very handsome,” she said quickly. He grinned at her and crossed his arms.

“What are you thinking about that’s put you in a good mood?”

She raised up on her tip toes and pressed her lips against his, to which he wasted no time letting his hands find her waist.

“I was just thinking that you’re doing me a big favor.”

~