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For awasdrowned out as we lay in bed, trying desperately to sleep It was Mah on Christot no presents, no turkey and stuffing to eat And it was a painful reer, a soprano Mamma was from Florence My daddy’s folks had been Sicilian but moved to the States--Alabarandparents for a visit, Mamma was on tour with her opera society, and they ended up in Verona at the Teatro di Verona That night, while traveling around Italy, one for Chiara Stradi at one look: dark-brown eyes, long dark hair… She was beautiful Within weeks, he’dand family behind, and Daddy returned to the US with an exotic wife in tow Maain

But a nineteen-year-old Chiara Stradi hadn’t known about twenty-six-year-old Luca Carillo’s drinking problem She hadn’t known he was a slut She hadn’t known that years later, she’d wake up dirt poor, in a doublewide in the worst part of town, her husband gone, having run away from his responsibilities, her drea boys to clothe and feed

This song had lifted her spirits

This song had kept her unwavering Catholic faith intact

This song had kept her strong

I prayed to God it’dpeacefully, I almost broke down as her top lip crooked into a contented s the faded quilt around her sleeping body, I tipped my head forward to my steepled hands, closed my eyes, and offered a silent prayer, "Dio ti benedica, Mamma"

May God bless you, Ma the dirty laundry from Mamma’s room, I headed out of the trailer to the Laundro several ofthe shitty looks they were castingmy ass was the fact that Gio’d let me out without repercussion That and the fact that all the brothers were shit scared of what Axel would do to the through the doors of the Laundronored the coked-up junkie passed out on the row of plastic red chairs and loaded the washing ainst the heavy-with-graffiti wall, I tried to stop intense anger fro Ma snow andin a pool of her own piss, stinking of a week’s worth of sweat

And Levi! Where the fk was the little shit at nearlyto school Meaning shit grades…a scholarship to UA to play for the Tide

My nails bit into ht that I was sure I’d drawn blood This fkin’ gang was the bastard bane of my life First Axel, then me, now Levi

It was Gio

All Gio’s fault

He’d set his sights on the Carillos ever since ere kids All of us were tall and naturally strong--intihter life Perfect for Gio’s personal protection, and we all fell into it like his fkin’ devout sheep, following the wolf to slaughter

Everything onna die watching her sons falling right into hell

"Fuck, Carillo If football don’t work out, you could always beco my teeth, I liftedat as, I exploded and foundhi my fists into his face

"Motherfucker!" I screamed over and over as Gio lifted his arrabbedmyself free, I turned on the punk who’d pulled me off and came face to face with Axel

I just saw red

I slaainst his chest, and Axel’s wide eyes stared atjunkie barely acknowledging as happening right on top of him, too doped up hatever shit he’d pumped into his veins

Axel scra it on, fker, I thought I needed this It had been a long ti between him and me I was done with his dumbass ways