He let out a yawn. Sitting in the passenger seat of the car, Jessica drove fourty-five on the broad avenue. The city of Truckee River was unfamiliar to him. To be frank, he had never been fond of the city, or the larger metropolitan area of Reno itself. In all honesty, he wasn't too fond of Las Vegas, either. He felt the cities were bright, and loud. Too much for his opinion. Though, while he had been away, Jessica and the family had decided it was in their best interest to move to the suburban city. He had been relayed through kites, that the area was booming economically and was a promising location for the family, and it didn't hurt that it cut the travel time to the prison in half.
"Almost there, sweetie," Jessica said softy, with a smile. God, how he had missed this woman. The way she smiled at him that made the hairs on his hands stick up; the way she smelt that drove him crazy; the way she wore her hair everytime they would go out, in the city. Luxuries that he couldn't enjoy while being away. Luxuries he had taken for granted. Being locked away for years can change a person's perspective around. He had done a few things to Jessica, that she knew about and that only he knew about, that hurt their relationship. At the time, he didn't care. Before he went to prison, he still didn't care. But when a woman can stick with you for close to three years, while you being away, and not faulter in her love for you then that is something. She wasn't some cheap broad you pick up every couple weeks, she was one of those special ones. The ones' where you take them out all dressed up to meet your parents. His parents adored Jessica. "We're here, are you excited?" she said with enthusiasm, it seemed as if she was more jubilant than he was; and, his other option had been prison.
"Of course, I am darling," he responded, leaning over the middle compartment, and gentling kissing her on her lips. "Let's go inside," he said softly, and she nodded with agreement. She turned the key switch over, shutting off the engine, and placed it in her purse. Stepping out of the car, his eyes focused in on the sign hung above the giant windows, which read, "Bonoventi's Italian Dining". All he could do was smile.
Hand in hand the two walked into the entrance hallway, he could feel Jessica's arm shaking causing his to do the same. The wide, swinging doors to the dining center were pushed open, and the couple walked in to a giant roar from the patrons inside. A surprise party. Oh how he hadn't seen this coming from his first day in the pen. Whistles and shouts of encouragement came full force from the crowd of people; navy blue, golden yellow, and bright red balloons covered the cieling to the point he couldn't tell the color of it; and claps came from each direction which created a state of nostalgia for him of the old days where he would watch the Dodgers play in Brooklyn. He couldn't pinpoint an approximate number in the gargantuan main hall. In the first row of tables, he spotted his mother and father, no doubt flown in from New Jersey earlier this morning. His father sat proudly, smiling at his son, as his mother gripped his hand tears streaming down her round cheeks. Allison, his older sister, sat with her husband, Charles [ Eboli ] and his twin brother, Carmine at one of the nearby tables. Rachael, another of his sisters, joked with her husband, also a good friend of his, Agostini [ di Pietra] as they waved at him. "The guy is in the pen for two years, and hasn' even bulked up, what's that all 'bout," came a loud, boisterous voice from behind him. He turned around and was met with a bear hug from his childhood friend and brother-in-law, Michael Bonoventi; of whom this restaurant belonged to. His youngest sister, Cassandra, was behind him with little Michael Jr. at her side. "It's so good to see you big brother," she said, leaning forward meeting his lean, as he planted a kiss on each of her cheeks. The size of the party was huge, the environment spectacular, as he made the rounds meeting with relatives, 'family', old friends, new acquantinces, and the like. A lone figure caught his eye. The man was standing near the back of the crowd of people, leaning against a far wall. Was that who he thought it was?
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