A Mother's Love

Angie and Gaetano did have coffee and cannolis that day and for Gaetano it was a celebration. For Angie it was a moment in his life that would define who he was and what he would become. Gaetano was talking about how he sees his future in the business and Angie was pretending to listen and occasionally nodded his head. In Angie’s mind he was going over the events of the day. He may have acted like a man today but inside he was a boy who was dealing with a life or death situation. He saw today what it means to be a family member and to be connected. It wasn’t a game he was playing with his long time friend Gaetano it was a commitment. The price for this commitment was to lay down your life as payment. Seeing that boy die today at the hands of Vinetto scared him to the very heart of his soul. He saw the boy make his payment to the commitment without regret. Angie knew he must live with the guilt of knowing what had happened and promised to never talk about it. He knew that the guilt he felt would eat away his very existence like a cancer that infected his soul. He felt that deep down inside this life he had chosen to lead was not what was meant for him.

A young waitress with a nametag on her blouse that read Cindy placed down two cups of coffee and a plate of various Italian pastries. She was a pretty blond girl with a pleasant personality and she was defiantly trying to flirt with Gaetano. Angie could never understand why woman threw themselves at him. He wasn’t an Adonis by any ones standards, but woman seem to flock to him like bees to honey. Gaetano knew this and used it to his advantage. He was well adept in the ways of wooing a female and seducing them with his charm. At the present time he was using all his charm on the pretty waitress and she took to it like a fish to a tempting baited hook.

Angie ignore them an reached over and grabbed a pastry from the plate and bit into it. A delicious flavor flooded his taste buds like he had never experienced before. It was so good it made the guilt he was feeling fade away into oblivion. He took another bite and experiences an even greater ecstasy of taste and flavor. He kept on chewing the morsel not caring to swallow in fear that he may never experience such flavor again. This pastry must have been made by an angel for it flavor could only exist in heaven. Angie took the last bit of what was left of the pastry and put it in his mouth. The pleasure of its flavor was just as good if not better than previous ones. Angie interrupted the flirting going on between Gaetano and the waitress and said to her “Where is the angel that made this heavenly food? “ The waitress looked at his with a distained look in her face and said “His name is Rocco. He’s the one with scar on the right side of his face behind the counter.” Angie was about to meet a man that would change his life forever and put him on a path to his future.

Rocco was standing with his back to the counter so Angie said “Excuse me sir. Are you the person who made this food sent from heaven?” Rocco turned around and he wore a smile on his face that was as warm and inviting as sunlight. “Yes I am young man and thank you for saying how much you like my treats.” Rocco replied. “May I ask what is it that you put in there that makes it taste like nothing I ever experienced?” asked Angie. “There is a secret ingredient, and it exists for only those chosen few that understand the human need for the taste of sweetness and pleasure.” Rocco inform Angie. “And this ingredient is…?” Angie asked. “Why do you asked?” queried Rocco. “Well to tell you the truth it lifted me out of as place I was in emotionally and it wasn’t a good place. It made me wants to tell the world how wonderful I felt and share its flavor and sweetness with it.” said Angie. Rocco smile broaden more and a glow seem to come to his eyes. “You, young man, have answered my question correctly. You are the person I have been waiting for to share my secrets.” said Rocco with a hint of delight in his voice.” “How do you know I’m that person?” asked Angie. “Because, like you, I asked the same questions you asked thirty years ago to a bakery in Rome. He asked me the questions I ask you and you answered with the exact words I did. That’s how I know. I will teach you how to create that flavor and taste if you are willing to learn.” Rocco replied. Angie knew right then and there he had found his life calling and agreed to be mentored by Rocco.

Angie remembered the night he learned the secret ingredient to Rocco’s sweet delights. He had come to the bakery in the early hours of the morning. Rocco had all the ingredients laid out in duplicate laid out on a work table in the bakery to make cannolis. He instructed Angie to do everything he does exactly in the mixing process. Angie did so and followed Rocco’s instruction to a tee. First they made the dough for the Cannoli shells then made the filling. When the process was complete and the cannolis finally made Angie’s look as appealing as Rocco’s. “Now the test of whose taste the best.” said Rocco. He handed Angie one of the cannolis that Angie had made and asked him to taste it. Angie bit in to the cannoli and it tasted good, but not as good as the one he tasted earlier with Gaetano. Rocco then handed him one of the cannolis that he baked.

Angie bit into it and tasted the same heavenly flavor he had tasted before. “Yours is definitely better by far.

But how can that be? I followed your instruction down to the tee they should taste the same.” Angie asked in wonderment. “Because you lacked the secret 1ngredient.” replied Rocco. “I used the exact same ingredients as you in the same measurement. I couldn’t have missed one.” Angie said in a confident voice. “Before you got here tonight I prepared the ingredients that were laid out before you. The difference was that mine had the secret ingredient already added to it.” replied Rocco. “Well what was it that you added?” asked Angie. “A blessing from Edesia.” replied Rocco. “Okay your joking right. You’re just pulling my leg with some mumbo jumbo.” Angie said laughingly. “No, I am not. I will explain” said Rocco.

“Edesia is the Roman Goddess of food who presides over banquets. She makes sure that the food is plentiful and tasty. Her name comes from the Latin verb edes, to eat or consume. The Romans made offerings to her during the preparation of the food. These offerings were given to the hungry and the poor in her name. A prayer is spoken over the ingredients asking for the blessing of Edesia. The price for the blessing is the offering. If the offering is not made then the food would spoil before being served.

After the introduction of Christianity into Roman culture the blessing was eventually discarded and lost.

But three hundred years ago a beggar by the name of Roberto DiNucci found a scroll, written in Latin, while digging through a pile of trash for food. On it was the prayer to Edesia. That scroll changed his life. He became the greatest chef in all of Italy. Many came to study under him as apprentices, but he never taught them his secret. As he got older he realized that he would have to pass on the secret to someone so it would not be lost again. So he set out in search of a person worthy to inherit the secret. He searched for five years and could not find a person worthy of the secret. He had totally given up on his search and accepted the fact that fate had decided that the secret ends with him. He was just about to burn the scroll in his baking oven when a young boy who worked in his kitchen asked him the same questioned you ask me about the heavenly flavor and how it made him feel. DiNucci realized then that Edesia would find the right person to pass on the secret too and send them to the keeper of the blessing. Through the centuries it has been passed down from person to person using this method. You Angie have been chosen by Edesia to be the next keeper of the blessing.”

With that said Rocco removed a small scroll from under his apron and handed it to Angie. Angie unrolled the scroll and there written in Latin; a language which Angie knew little of, was the blessing. “The problem as I see it is, I can’t read or understand Latin.” said Angie. “Neither could I. In fact at the time it was given to me I couldn’t read at all. So my mentor taught me the blessing which I memorized in Italian. It doesn’t have to be spoken in Latin. It just has to be spoken over the ingredients in any language. Edesia will hear your prayer and give you her blessing.” said Rocco. He continued talking and said aloud the blessing in English for Angie.

I call upon Edesia the Goddess of the Banquet

Behold my offering before you to bless this food

May this food quench the hungers we all know

And fill us with its glorious scents and flavors

Let no person go hungry under thy rule

May both kings and beggars benefit from its abundance

For all of us are equal at your table

I give you this offering for your blessings

And thank you from all that shares it delight

Angie wrote down the prayer, word for word, as Rocco recited it. When finished reciting Rocco told Angie that he must keep his word to Edesia How Rocco did it was by distributing for free to the homeless shelter four dozen of freshly baked pastries daily. Sometimes he would see a person in need of a meal looking in his shop window. He would go out with a drink and a few of his heavenly pastries and feed this person. These were the offerings Rocco made to Edesia for her blessing.

Like Rocco, the right person found his way to Angie and he passed the secret on to this person. That person was Parker Garrett.

Chapter 25:

Peter and Angie had finally reached the house and not a vocal word had been said between them. As they approached the house Peter asked if they could sit and talk on the front stoop. Angie was okay with that so they sat on the front stairs of the house. When they sat down Peter said to Angie, “Papa Angie, those memories that you shared with me on the walk home they made me think about certain things.” “Like what in particular?” asked Angie. “Well fate for one.” answered Peter. “Okay little guy, you’ve got me wondering what you’re trying to get at. So tell me in plain simple words where this conversation is going.” Angie said while rubbing Peter on his head and messing up his hair. “Well I was thinking that if you had not been at the abandoned pier that day and seen Mr. Vinetto kill that man, you would never have become the man you are today.” replied Peter. “How’s is that the case?” asked Angie. Peter thought for a few seconds and said “You see it’s like this. If Mister Vinetto hadn’t given you that money to go and get coffee and cannolis, you may have never met Mister Rocco. You would never have learned what the secret ingredient was and you would have never become a pastry chef. So the guilt you felt that day and all these years over that incident was meant to be. If you hadn’t felt the guilt then your reaction to the pastry you ate wouldn’t have happened and you wouldn’t have asked the right questions to Mister Rocco. It all happened for a reason.” Angie thought about what Peter had said and realized the kid was right. “I never looked at it that way kid, but now that you bring it up I see it all falling into place; just like you said.” Angie replied.

Peter nodded his head in agreement and said, “I need to talk to your friend Gaetano, if that’s okay by you?” Angie looked startled as he replied “Why in the world do you want to talk to Gaetano?” Peter sat silent for a few moments then said “I need to know if he has any information about a place I have to find.” “What so important about this place and why would Gaetano have any information on it?” asked Angie. Peter looked away from Angie and said with a sadden tone in his voice ”I made a promise to help some people.” Angie could tell by Peter’s actions that the child had a great concern about the promise he made. “Okay kid. Spill the beans. What’s this all about? The only people I know that need Gaetano help are people that really have problems. So what problem can a kid your age have that would need Gaetano’s attention. You tell me the problem and if I think it’s big enough to call Gaetano in on it, I’ll make sure you see him” Angie said to Peter with a challenging tone in his voice. Peter could sense in Papa Angie mind that every word he said was true.

Peter nodded his head and said “Okay.”

Peter gathered his thought and began to tell Angie everything. “There are these twelve children being held against their will by a man named Doctor Scull.” Angie immediately recognized the name of the doctor.

He’s the one who was looking for Peter years ago. Peter continued “Yes I know that he is the man my parents have been hiding me from, but I have a responsibility to help these kids.” Angie quickly replied “And what responsibility is that?” “It’s what my fate has made me responsible for, Papa Angie. Just like you with that killing and Mister Rocco. I was meant to do this.” Peter stated with a bit of fear in his tone. Angie could see the fear in Peter’s eyes and said “Peter you’re only a kid. What could you possible do to help these children and what in the name of fate makes it your responsibility?” Peter shook his head and said “You don’t truly understand Papa Angie. I was spared from the life those children now lead because my mother chose a different path for my life. I was given the chance to lead an almost normal life, as normal a life that a person with my abilities could lead. They are just like me Papa, but they haven’t had the chance to know what it means to be part of a family. To have someone who cares from them and protects them from danger; like Mom, Dad and you do for me. Right now they are being held in a semi conscious state somewhere under the streets of Boston in a clear cylinder fill with a gas that keeps them in that state. We may have had different mothers, but our father was the same. That makes them my brothers and family, and you taught me that family is the most important thing in the world. Fate has seen to it that our paths in life would cross and if I was spared their existence it was for a reason. What that reason is only time and fate can tell but I know I must do this.

Angie knew that what Peter was saying was all true. May and Parker and he himself knew deep down inside that a day like this would come. They had hoped and prayed that it would never come to pass but in reality they knew it would. Peter was family to Angie and he couldn’t turn his back on his request. Setting up a meeting with Gaetano was the easy part. He could just show up at his house. Angie had an open invitation to show up at Gaetano’s residence whenever the he felt inclined to. He could just take Peter along with him. The problem would be getting Gaetano to talk about the information Peter needed. If Gaetano knew anything about the matter Angie knew he wouldn’t spill the beans to anyone. Not even his oldest friend and one time partner. Angie looked down at Peter and said “Okay kid I’ll get you in to see Gaetano but I don’t think we can get him to talk about what you’re looking for. Gaetano doesn’t like to talk about business to people who aren’t connected with it. It’s an unwritten rule in his line of business to keep your mouth shut. I can tell you from experience he’ll never talk. If we out and out ask him for the information he’ll just say it’s none of your business. That’s his polite way of saying mind your own business and keep your nose out of mine. Peter looked up at Angie and smiled a big grin, then he said “You don’t have to get him to talk about it just get him to think about it. I’ll do the rest.” Angie face took on a concerned look as he said “Listen kid. Getting into Gaetano’s mind and fooling with his memories may be more than you can handle. There may be things there that a kid like you couldn’t handle. You may not like what you find there.” Peter responded quickly and said “I’ll only listen to what he’s thinking. I promise I won’t search his memories.”So how do we get him to start thinking about it without asking him what you need to know?” asked Angie.

Peter sat silent for a moment and tried to remember his encounter with James and the Lost Boys. He closed his eyes and started playing the memories of the incident over in his mind. Neither had mentioned a location. The only information he had was that they were in a clear plastic cylinder and James was not. He kept playing the memory over and over in his mind. He must be missing something and he knew it was there, but he couldn’t identify it. Peter kept running it over in his mind inspecting every detail he could remember and then he found it. There was a noise in the background during the communications with James and the Lost Boys. Peter focused on the sound and tried to identify it. He knew he had heard the sound before but couldn’t place it. Peter focused even harder on the sound until that was the only thing he could hear in his mind. It was a clicking and clacking sound that went from soft to loud and back to soft. It was like something was passing by the place where the Lost Boys were located. Peter finally recognized the sound. He had heard it many times in the subway. It was the sound a subway train makes when passing through a tunnel with a curve in it.

Peter opened his eyes and looked at Angie and said “Get him to talk about the subway somehow. I think the location I’m looking for is underground and near the subway. Angie thought for a moment then nodded his head and said “I think I can handle that. Now let me ask you this. What if he doesn’t know anything about what you’re searching for?” Peter looked up at Angie and with a big grin on his face he said “You always say “If you want something done and don’t want anyone to know or find out about it. Gaetano Mucci is your man.” Who else in this city could anyone turn to build a secret high tech laboratory beneath the streets Boston without the proper paperwork?” Angie smiled at Peter and said “Young man, you’re quite a character and a fast learner.”