General Non-Fiction posted July 26, 2019 |
A boy search for a reason for his father's shame
To Discover a Family Secret
by HarryT
The author has placed a warning on this post for violence.
The author has placed a warning on this post for sexual content.
-19-
“No,” Marcella corrected, “Maria's your great-grandmother.”
“My great-grandmother?”
“Yes, Carmella, her daughter was your father’s birth mother. No one saw Carmella or Maria for months. Antonio, Maria’s husband, said she was pregnant, and she decided to go to Naples. Carmella went along to help. Maria pretended your father was her baby.”
Harry paced processing what he had heard. “You mean? You mean, Carmella was his sister, and his mother?”
“Yes.”
“Well, where’s my grandmother now?”
“No one knows, one day she was here, the next day she was gone.”
Harry shouted, “Who the hell is my grandfather?”
“He’s not good. His name’s Colonel Schullo.” Marcella’s face soured as she turned and spit into the fireplace. “Carmella cleaned his house and did his wash. One day Carmella came home early from her job, her face swelled, one eye was black. Carmella said she was cleaning the colonel’s bedroom when he came in with a towel draped around his waist. ‘He told me to kneel in front of him. I began to cry, but he grabbed my shoulders and forced me to my knees. Then he dropped the towel. I said, no, Colonel, please. It’s a sin to see a man’s part.’
“Bastard!” Harry yelled. “Now I know why my father gets angry when I asked about his father.”
“Schullo laughed at her,” Carmella said. He pushed her face up against him. He told her to take him into her mouth. She shook her head; the colonel got angry, pulled her up by her hair, punched her in the face and threw her onto his bed and had his way with her.”
Tears flushed from Harry’s eyes, he choked out, “Was…was he arrested?”
“He’s a big shot, a rich and powerful man,” Angela said. “The Trumfios were afraid to say anything. Without him, they’d starve. Schullo went into a rage, when Carmella told him she was pregnant. He slapped her and yelled, ‘How do I know how many men you peasant sluts sleep with? The bastard’s not mine. Get out!’”
Harry lowered his head and groaned.
“You need to know that your grandmother was a virgin, there was no mistake, she was a good girl,” Marcella said.
Harry turned to Angela. “Where does this Schullo bastard live?”
“Don’t go there. He’s a bad man.”
“I need to see him. He’s my grandfather.”
Tears welled in Angela’s dark eyes.
Marcella begged, “Don’t tell, Schullo will kill him,”
“He has a right, Mama. He lives over the second hill. Don’t go. He’s an evil man.”
“Thanks, Angela, for warning me. But I must I’ll go.”
“He’s Calabrese, Mama,” Angela said, “He’s going to do what he must do.”
Marcella offered Harry a place to sleep by the fireplace since they had no extra bed. He spent a restless night.
Harry’s eyes misted when Angela came into the room. “Thank you and thank your mama for being so kind and telling me the story. I’ll always remember you and your mama, Angela Fortuna.”
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-19-
“No,” Marcella corrected, “Maria's your great-grandmother.”
“My great-grandmother?”
“Yes, Carmella, her daughter was your father’s birth mother. No one saw Carmella or Maria for months. Antonio, Maria’s husband, said she was pregnant, and she decided to go to Naples. Carmella went along to help. Maria pretended your father was her baby.”
Harry paced processing what he had heard. “You mean? You mean, Carmella was his sister, and his mother?”
“Yes.”
“Well, where’s my grandmother now?”
“No one knows, one day she was here, the next day she was gone.”
Harry shouted, “Who the hell is my grandfather?”
“He’s not good. His name’s Colonel Schullo.” Marcella’s face soured as she turned and spit into the fireplace. “Carmella cleaned his house and did his wash. One day Carmella came home early from her job, her face swelled, one eye was black. Carmella said she was cleaning the colonel’s bedroom when he came in with a towel draped around his waist. ‘He told me to kneel in front of him. I began to cry, but he grabbed my shoulders and forced me to my knees. Then he dropped the towel. I said, no, Colonel, please. It’s a sin to see a man’s part.’
“Bastard!” Harry yelled. “Now I know why my father gets angry when I asked about his father.”
“Schullo laughed at her,” Carmella said. He pushed her face up against him. He told her to take him into her mouth. She shook her head; the colonel got angry, pulled her up by her hair, punched her in the face and threw her onto his bed and had his way with her.”
Tears flushed from Harry’s eyes, he choked out, “Was…was he arrested?”
“He’s a big shot, a rich and powerful man,” Angela said. “The Trumfios were afraid to say anything. Without him, they’d starve. Schullo went into a rage, when Carmella told him she was pregnant. He slapped her and yelled, ‘How do I know how many men you peasant sluts sleep with? The bastard’s not mine. Get out!’”
Harry lowered his head and groaned.
“You need to know that your grandmother was a virgin, there was no mistake, she was a good girl,” Marcella said.
Harry turned to Angela. “Where does this Schullo bastard live?”
“Don’t go there. He’s a bad man.”
“I need to see him. He’s my grandfather.”
Tears welled in Angela’s dark eyes.
Marcella begged, “Don’t tell, Schullo will kill him,”
“He has a right, Mama. He lives over the second hill. Don’t go. He’s an evil man.”
“Thanks, Angela, for warning me. But I must I’ll go.”
“He’s Calabrese, Mama,” Angela said, “He’s going to do what he must do.”
Marcella offered Harry a place to sleep by the fireplace since they had no extra bed. He spent a restless night.
Harry’s eyes misted when Angela came into the room. “Thank you and thank your mama for being so kind and telling me the story. I’ll always remember you and your mama, Angela Fortuna.”
“No,” Marcella corrected, “Maria's your great-grandmother.”
“My great-grandmother?”
“Yes, Carmella, her daughter was your father’s birth mother. No one saw Carmella or Maria for months. Antonio, Maria’s husband, said she was pregnant, and she decided to go to Naples. Carmella went along to help. Maria pretended your father was her baby.”
Harry paced processing what he had heard. “You mean? You mean, Carmella was his sister, and his mother?”
“Yes.”
“Well, where’s my grandmother now?”
“No one knows, one day she was here, the next day she was gone.”
Harry shouted, “Who the hell is my grandfather?”
“He’s not good. His name’s Colonel Schullo.” Marcella’s face soured as she turned and spit into the fireplace. “Carmella cleaned his house and did his wash. One day Carmella came home early from her job, her face swelled, one eye was black. Carmella said she was cleaning the colonel’s bedroom when he came in with a towel draped around his waist. ‘He told me to kneel in front of him. I began to cry, but he grabbed my shoulders and forced me to my knees. Then he dropped the towel. I said, no, Colonel, please. It’s a sin to see a man’s part.’
“Bastard!” Harry yelled. “Now I know why my father gets angry when I asked about his father.”
“Schullo laughed at her,” Carmella said. He pushed her face up against him. He told her to take him into her mouth. She shook her head; the colonel got angry, pulled her up by her hair, punched her in the face and threw her onto his bed and had his way with her.”
Tears flushed from Harry’s eyes, he choked out, “Was…was he arrested?”
“He’s a big shot, a rich and powerful man,” Angela said. “The Trumfios were afraid to say anything. Without him, they’d starve. Schullo went into a rage, when Carmella told him she was pregnant. He slapped her and yelled, ‘How do I know how many men you peasant sluts sleep with? The bastard’s not mine. Get out!’”
Harry lowered his head and groaned.
“You need to know that your grandmother was a virgin, there was no mistake, she was a good girl,” Marcella said.
Harry turned to Angela. “Where does this Schullo bastard live?”
“Don’t go there. He’s a bad man.”
“I need to see him. He’s my grandfather.”
Tears welled in Angela’s dark eyes.
Marcella begged, “Don’t tell, Schullo will kill him,”
“He has a right, Mama. He lives over the second hill. Don’t go. He’s an evil man.”
“Thanks, Angela, for warning me. But I must I’ll go.”
“He’s Calabrese, Mama,” Angela said, “He’s going to do what he must do.”
Marcella offered Harry a place to sleep by the fireplace since they had no extra bed. He spent a restless night.
Harry’s eyes misted when Angela came into the room. “Thank you and thank your mama for being so kind and telling me the story. I’ll always remember you and your mama, Angela Fortuna.”
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