The Seventh Family

A new dawn

Even though Van had no money, Sara did not regret her action of choosing him over Andrea. It was all about love and she was not going to let empathy, appreciation, infatuation or commitment send her into melancholy.

When Andrea appeared, looking better and having more money, it dawned on her that it was Van she loved. She could not imagine herself leaving him for Andrea.

Van as right: Fate.

The power of his love was what overwhelmed her and she refused to jump out of the ship on that day. If it was Van that was in the water, and Andrea was on board, she would have jumped.

She was not in love with Andrea. Maybe it was youthful exuberance or adventures.

They kept living in the rough neighborhood while Van sold things to feed them and pay house rents.

The one evening, Van was going back home when someone pulled him from behind and pinned him to the wall.

The man was tall, sturdy and full of strength. His eyes were glassy and cold.

His hat was almost covering his eyes.

Van recognized him: how could he forget the guy who had killed someone the first day he came to the neighborhood? Veeny .

“Do you know who I am?” He asked in a deep tone.

Van shook his head. “No.”

“I own Elwood. I went to make a supply and I was told you sold beer there.” He sent a punch into Van’s belly.

“Ohhhph!” Van moaned in pain.

“I am told you are new here.” Veeny said. “No one sells a drop without my permission. I rule this territory. The only reason I will let you live is you are new in the country. This is my warning to you. If you want to sell, then you will sell for me and you don’t even qualify for now.”

He searched Van and collected all of the money he found in his pocket before he lit a cigarette.

“Please, I need to pay my rent and get food for my wife.” Van begged. “She is pregnant and you know how it is.’

“No. I don’t know how it is because I never impregnated a woman when I can fend for her.” Veeny said and puffed out smoke onto Van’s face. “I don’t care if you are thrown out. You should have thought of these before selling liquor illegally.”

“We all do that illegally.”

Veeny sent another punch and hit Van again.

“I swear to God the next wrong word you say will get you to your grave! I do nothing illegally because I am the law.”

He pushed Van and he fell to the ground.

“This should be the last time you sell a drop in this neighborhood. Even the Outfit knows that I exist here. I don’t care if it Irish-American of Italian- American, no body rocks my territory.”

That night, they had to pass the night with no food. He had to wake up very early in the morning to borrow one dollar from Didi to get Sara breakfast.

Veeny made life difficult for them. He was feared in the neighborhood and most of the gangsters. He was the major dealer of alcohol and he distributed to others.

Didi had no choice other than to start collecting goods from Veeny while he gave Van some to sell.

On that fateful evening, Didi was in his room with his new bride when he heard a knock at his door.

“Who the hell is knocking at my door like that?” He said angrily. He walked up to the door and opened it but cringed as he saw the tall bogey man standing with hat almost covering his glassy eyes.

Boop!

Veeny punched Didi who fell to the ground. Veeny had two of his henchmen behind him.

“Didi, congratulations”

Did wiped off blood from his mouth. His wife, Diana screamed and ran to her husband. One of the henchmen moved quickly and pulled her away and flung her to hit the sofa.

“Do not break her bone Pato.” Veeny said calmly. “If she misbehaves, shoot her and let it be clean”

“Please don’t hurt her.”

“I won’t make such a promise. Just tell her to stay put.” Veeny lit a cigarette.

“Where is my money?” Veeny asked.

“I swear I will pay.”

“It has been two weeks. You used my money to get married huh? I am told you grabbed somebody’s wife’s boo*s in the name of quelling a rift and you get slaps. Is that reason you use my money to get married?”

“Please Veeny, just give me a few days.”

“I need my two thousand dollars now.”

“Two thousand? It is one thousand dollars.”

“It was one thousand dollars two weeks ago. Last week, it increased to one fifteen hundred thousand and this week it becomes two thousand. You can’t tie my money down and expect it to remain stagnant. My money flows and increases. Is that they call interest?”

“Okay, I will give.”

“I don’t trust you Didi.” Veeny said. “I need something for mortgage.”

Veeny looked round the room.

“I don’t see anything that is worth two thousand grand here.”

“I don’t have anything here but I promise you will get it soon.”

Veeny inhaled smoke and stared at Diana.

“What a pretty blonde you have here” He puffed out smoke still staring at her. “Nice face, nice t**s, small tight as*..hmmm okay, if you don’t have money right now, I will take her away until you get my money..”

“No! Please Veeny.”

“Did you sell the liquor?”

“Yes.”

“Did you get paid?”

“Yes but I lost the money to robbers.”

Veeny laughed and he looked more dangerous when he laughed.

“That is the robber.” Veeny pointed at Diana. “You used my money to marry her. If I don’t get my money now, then she goes with me. I promise you will get her back in one piece when you pay me. In that case, you don’t need top rush. Take your time to get the money. Even if it takes two months, I won’t bother you, I promise.”

“Please, Veeny. Just give me a few minutes.” Didi got up and left the room in a hurry. He went to a door and knocked.

Someone peeped through a spy-hole before the door swung open.

“Didi.”

“Van I am in a deep s**t!”

“Come inside.”

“I am okay here. I got Veeny  right in my room and he wants to take Diana away as a collateral.”

“Collateral?”

“I will explain later. I need to lend some money. Please, Van help me out.” Didi was perspiring. “You know h is going to rape her until I pay him. That is my wife. It is one grand but the i***t is asking for two grands. He gave me liquor to sell and I was losing Diana so I had to get married”

“That guy is one son-of-a-b***h! Didi I don’t have any money on me but just give me a few minutes.”

“Okay, I will pay back, please my life.”

“Did he smack you? You are bleeding.”

“That is the least of my problem now. Time is running out.”

“Okay, just give me a few minutes.”

Didi ran back to his room.

“I will get it in a few minutes, please.” He said.

“Ten minutes.”

Five minutes passed. Diana was crying.

“It will be okay honey.” Didi said.

“Okay, time up! It is ten minutes already.”

“No! No!” Didi said.

Pato grabbed  Diana and she screamed but he put a gun to her head.

Pato grabbed her and they left while she kept screaming. No one opened their doors for the fear of Veeny.

Didi tried to grad his wife but he was kicked by Veeny and beaten for a few minutes. They took her away, out her into his car and drove off.

Van could not get the money.

Veeny stopped the car in his garage and asked the lady to be taken to his bedroom.

“Hello Veeny.” A voice said and they saw someone in his living room.

Veeny could not believe his eyes. This was someone he never expected.

“Let her go.” Van said holding the Hudson Machine gun.

“Van, do you know who you are fuc*ing with?”

“No I don’t.”

Ratatatattatatat!

Van pumped bullets into his henchmen’s body. Pato and his partner dropped dead in their pool of blood.

Veeny stood still.

“You owe me Veeny. You let my woman sleep with hunger and stop my hustle. I never forget debts. I owe some people too and I would understand if they don’t forget too. That is how the game goes but you had it coming. No one stops Don Van Marco. You him me and collected my money. Did you think you will f**k with me and go scot free? That is a taboo to my Sicilian blood. Now you want to lay somebody’s wife for two grands. Now, let bring out everything you have in your pockets.”

“You are making a mistake.”

Van squeezed the trigger and riddled some bullets into Veeny’s legs.

“Ouuugh!” Veeny yelled and fell down.

“I swear they will come after you.” Veeny threatened.

“They are welcome. I got my list.” Van moved and kicked him, used a bottle and smacked him on the head.

It seemed he broke his skull because he Veeny was bleeding profusely. Veeny dropped the bottle, saw a baton which Veeny used as a weapon to break legs and kept hitting Veeny until he broke his arms.

Veeny was moaning in pains. He could not move. He felt Van deep his hands into his pockets and removed all of the contents. He saw a jack knife, money and packet of cigarette.

Van drew out a stick of cigarette and lit it.

He counted the money.

“This is three thousand dollars.” Van said. “That is for collecting my money and if you get one from me, I take ten back.” Van Laughed.

Van went into his bedroom and wore his clothes.

“I need your clothes and car for the night.” Van said. “You have just five cartons of beer. You act like Al-Capone. I will manage that.” He went and packed the beers. Diana joined him. She spat on Veeny.

Veeny could not believe this was happening to him. Did she just spit on him?

Who was the Van Shoe man? A Sicilian mafia in disguise?

After Van was done packing the liquors, he came back to Veeny.

“I am going away. I told you I got a list. I have been stalking you and your gang. I know how you role. I am going to pay a visit to Laroyale.”

Van set the gun to Veeny and riddled bullets into his body.

“Let’s go.” He said to Diana.

They went out of the house and Van drove the car away.

He drove straight to Laroyale club where Veeny and his gang members used to spend time drinking.

There were seven of them. When they saw the car, they thought it was Veeny.

Van came out and all they could see was his silhouette but they soon noticed that Veeny was taller.

“Who the hell is that?” One of them asked.

“Don Van Marco.”

Van said and opened fire. He kept riddling bullets into them until they all died. He went and searched their pockets and removed every dollar he saw.

He gathered the money and had the sum of twelve thousand dollars.

“Come on, let’s leave.”

“Okay.”

“We will leave the car here.” He said. “I need an alibi so come with me.”

“How?”

“When I left home, I went into a brothel and bribed a prostitute who let me go out through her window. I will go back and come out through her door to give an impression that I was with her. It won’t take long.”

One hour later, they were back to their block. They met Didi in his room crying. He did not even lock the door.

“Holy s**t!” He exclaimed. “What is going on here?”

“I never knew s**t could be holy.” Van said. “This is three grands. We own Lawood now. I got four cartons for a start. We will go back to business tomorrow. It is small time but at least we will feed with no fuse. I am moving to the next block tomorrow. Thirty dollars a week. I will pay for one year.”

“Can someone tell me what is going on?” He got up and hugged Diana, checking her if she was okay.”

“I am okay, Didi.” She said. “Veeny is now history.” She dropped some bottles of beer.

“Have a lovely night Didi. I got beer to pop.

“I guess you and your wife can enjoy beer while you talk about it.”

Even though the police did not get to Van, gossips filtered that he was responsible for the deaths and they began to fear him.

They kept operating in a low volume until February 14, 1929 when he killed and took hundreds of thousands of dollars and the whole liquor in his warehouse.

A new dawn was born and he was on his way to claim his name: Don Van Marco AKA Shoe-man.

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