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This woman is a goddess – literally sparkling from head-to-toe. I’m just as excited as the first time she surprised me as ‘Misty.’ Though this one is different. Back then it was all lust and early crushing. Now?

This is the woman I’m going to spend the rest of my life with.

As she approaches the altar, I step down and give Rocco a big hug, then offer my arm to my bride.

“I’m shaking,”she whispers to me.

“What for? We already got married. Remember?” I try to calm her.

“How could I not. Those crusty mustardy walls… yuck.” She giggles.

“I miss them, actually.”

We turn to face the priest, and I squeeze Capri’s hand to tell her it’s alright and then lean over. “You look beautiful, by the way.”

She squirms in place, batting her eyes at me.

The priest holds up his hands for silence in the audience. “Welcome, everyone. Friends, family, loved ones. We are gathered here today, to celebrate the loving union of Tristano DeMatteo, and Cipriana Dotelli, in holy matrimony.”

He goes on for a few minutes, telling some allegory I don’t give a damn about. The only thing I’m paying attention to is Capri’s nervous hand clasped with mine. I want to crack a jokeabout her being able to dance on a poll in front of a bunch of horny men, but breaking for this?

I’m the same, actually.

I’d much rather be roughing someone up in Star Dust than suffer the gaze of family members who probably washed my ass as a kid.

I put my arm around her and rub her back as the priest talks to the audience. When she rests her head on my shoulder, all is right in the world.

“And now, I’d like to call up Stanzo DeMatteo for a brief reading—”

My neck tightens, and it feels like a centipede is running down my back. Pop can hardly walk…

Capri and I turn to watch. This is unexpected. When the hell did he talk to the priest and get this approved?

Dicey bastard.

“Excuse me, hunnie.” My father slowly makes his way out of the pew. He laughs and slaps five to one of his old friends. “My time to shine.” He coughs uncontrollably just as he makes way onto the aisle, folding forward with a red face.

I grit my teeth watching him. The way his limbs shake from the quakes of his illness…

The man next to him gets up to help, but Pop waves him away with his handkerchief. “I’m fine.Fine—”he wheezes. “Allergies.”

The row laughs sadly, and I shake my head.

He winces while straightening, then flaps his suit to close one of his buttons. Pride runs deep in him. He’ll stand tall just for a moment so everyone can remember. And it works… it’s sticking in my head, flashing back to the strong man he once was.

As he takes a deep breath eyeing the altar, I wonder if that looks like the steepness of a mountain to him. Poor bastard should’ve just stayed in his seat.

I catch him mumbling to himself as he takes a hesitant step. It’s hard to watch such a powerful man struggle to walk. Hardly a year ago we were carrying out jobs together. He was even taking point.

My fists clench again. Every part of me wants to run off the altar to help him along. But that’d be the end of his dignity, and I know how important that is to my father.

Thinking back to our times together flash through my head – going to Stonelli’s Deli to get chicken parm heroes. He’d cut the line while holding his hand on the back of my neck, and no one dared say a word. The manager would give him a double-kiss on the cheek and hand over two piping hot sandwiches wrapped in tinfoil.

“You see how you’re treated when you do favors for people?”he’d say with a sly grin.

We’d sit outside and he’d tell me about the owners of each of the establishments across the way. He beat this guy in poker, saved that guy from getting evicted. The stories were endless… and entertaining. I’m afraid though…

I’m afraid they’re coming to an end.