Alfred was
taking his time cleaning his favourite Old Church Bent Billiard pipe with his
Rodgers Rosewood Chancet pipe knife. He ran one of his chenille pipe cleaners
through the stem of the pipe; then picked up a fresh pipe cleaner, and dipped it in
a little Louis XIII de Rémy Martin cognac in the crystal goblet on the table, before
running it through the stem of his pipe.
He filled
the bowl of his pipe with Captain Black tobacco, lit it and lovingly drew a
little smoke, and blew a lovely smoke ring which drifted toward the ceiling
before saying, “Well, Mother, March 1st and the Talliaferro Family
Reunion is almost upon us.”
Mother put
down her Atlantic Monthly magazine on the Sheraton table and looked hesitantly
at Alfred. “I know, Alfred, I know,” said
she. “I’m not sure just how much
exposure to the family I can endure without saying something thoroughly
inappropriate.”
Alfred
continued, “Attending the dinner is fine Mother, but I thought that it would be
wise for us to limit the amount of time we have to spend with your family. In
particular I am eager to avoid having to respond to an invitation to stay with
your brother Calo and his wife Marilena. Calo is too busy playing the Underboss
and all kinds of people are trooping through their home; and Marilena is sure
to pressure you to attend daily Mass with her.
You don’t need to be explaining why you are not still a Roman
Catholic. Accordingly I have made a
reservation for us at the Mandarin Oriental in Boston. It’s on Boylston Street and a decent distance
away from the North End."
Mother
nodded vigorously, “Oh, Alfred, thank you! What a good idea. I love my brother
Calo, but I don’t love what the family does for a living. Marilena is sweet,
but I don’t want to feel trapped by staying with them and not being able to
take a break.”
“Mother,”
said Alfred, “Marilena always says that fish and relatives spoil after three
days, but three Talliaferro days only last about twelve hours. Not only do we
have reservations at the Mandarin Oriental, but I have also reserved a Bentley
Continental GT for the entire time we are in Boston. That will enable us to drive up the North
Shore and visit Gloucester and Rockport.
Maybe we can spend a night at the Peg Leg Inn in Rockport as a late
Valentine’s Day celebration."
“That would
be lovely Alfred. My family can be very difficult, but what I’m really afraid
of, is seeing Paolo Vizzini’s family. That was such a painful episode in my
life. By the way cousin Angelo called the other evening to ask if we were
coming. He said it’s a big deal and that Don Giovanni is coming up from Dade
County in Florida, and that all of the button men and bagmen are going be
there. How can I love my family when
they are involved in such terrible things?"
“In little
doses, Mother. In little doses,” said
Alfred. “Even Jesus spent most of his
time with the people who were responsive to him, and very little time with
difficult people like the Pharisees, even though he loved them.”
“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives
me receives him who sent me” [Matthew 10:40].
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