Chapter 132 - Artistic Impression of Community Psychology

July 8, 2012 – Sunday 9 am – Ironstone, East Ouigab

"Oooh. I don't want a fight, baby

I hate that we're that way lately…" 

Ramil sang. The band is currently practicing one of Inson's songs. Since Tayaw decided them ready to release an album, the band has been working hard on arranging and writing lyrics for the songs written by Bay-an, Hoon, and Inson.

"STOP!" Inson shook his head.

"What's wrong?" Ramil asked.

"The lyrics are odd." Inson said.

"Agree. 'No, I don't wanna let you down, I feel we're crazy now.' Something feels off." Ike agreed as he sang a part of the lyrics again.

"It sounds okay to me." Jenna said, confused.

"It doesn't connect." Bay-an said. 

"Hmmm.." The band collectively contemplated.

A moment later, Ramil noticed something.

"What's up Payew?" Ramil asked Payew who has been watching them practice. 

"I didn't say anything?" Payew said.

"No, you didn't, but your face did." Ramil said.

"Come on, out with-it man. It may help." Ike said. 

"No no no. It's you guys' song. Don't worry about me." Payew said defensively as he waved a sheet of paper.

"Hmm…. You've been staring at the lyrics since we started. Oh? What's that that I see? Scribbles? Come on, you have something." Ramil said. 

With the band's gaze, Payew is finally pressured to speak up.

"Okay. But don't laugh, alright? You forced me, alright?" Payew said as he took a deep breath.

"Alright. Give it a try, will you? One. Two. One, two three." Ike led the band to play the verse again. 

"O--.. Oops." Payew missed the beat at first, but with the supporting gazes of the band, he tried again to catch the timing. 

"Ooh, I won't let you down

Or drop your body to the ground

Or leave you at a lost and found 

then watch 'nother woman come'r'ound."

Payew sang. While he does not have Tayaw's pipes, he still sang stably in tune. After he sang the verse, the band stopped playing and looked at each other. 

"Yep. That's our second verse." Inson said. The song, being his own, has the authority on the matter.

"I agree. I like it." Ike, being the singer of the song agreed.

"We've confirmed. You're really Tayaw's brother." Jenna said to the agreement of the group. 

===

Valley Stream, Long Island – Saturday 7 pm 

During the past few days, Tayaw has followed Lucas around Long Island and learned a few things. Lucas is a member of the Coniglio Mafia, a crime family that has originated in the 50s in Las Vegas and later branched out in New York. While Coniglio Family became big in the 1960s, decades later compared to the other Italian Mafias in New York, it is the most powerful.

Even after the government's purge of the crime families' illegal businesses in the 80s, Coniglio Family today, is still one of the most powerful crime family in New York City, and one of the most powerful crime syndicates in America. 

At first Tayaw was interested in watching and listening in on how Lucas, with his 'associates' would go around Long Island and collect debts from debtors. He found it ridiculous that the mob would actually loan money with at least 10% monthly interest. Tayaw, in his past life once took a loan from a bank and was given 19% ANNUAL interest and that was already considering his above average credit score. 

After a few days of watching Lucas do the same things, Tayaw felt tired of it and almost stopped scouting out Lucas when the day before, he overheard that Gonzalo Coniglio, the old 'Don' of Coniglio is planning on having dinner with the current top members of the crime family in a fancy Italian Restaurant as a simple celebration of his 92nd birthday. 

For assurance and protection, Sylvio, the current Don and Gonzalo's son, ordered all the capos and some of their most trusted soldiers to attend the dinner. Lucas, being one of those most trusted soldiers, was invited by proxy through Marco.

That brings Tayaw tonight, in his car, parked near the restaurant where the dinner will take place.

A few minutes of waiting later, he sees twenty or so cars fills in the parking lot behind the restaurant and around 50 people steps inside the restaurant. 

He spots a few people he only recognized after reading in the internet. Gonzalo Coniglio, his son Don Sylvio Coniglio, and the underboss Amos Baldini. 

After the members settled themselves in, Tayaw also goes out of his car and stands closer to the restaurant. He concentrates hard to filter out the other voices from the other mobsters and focuses on the most powerful table. 

"Father, why of all places, here? The villa is spacious enough and we could have invited the rest of the family." Tayaw hears Sylvio ask Gonzalo. 

"My boy, I'm an old man. I would like to be spared of the attention." Gonzalo says.

"We could have just had dinner at home. Immediate family only." Sylvio says.

"It's not me who called your people, no? Anyway, this place holds meaning to me." Gonzalo says. 

This statement makes Sylvio silent.

"What's the history, Don Gonzalo?" Amos asks.

"I worked in this restaurant's kitchen as a young man." Gonzalo replies simply.

Amos nods in realization. Amos is familiar of Gonzalo's sentimental nature and after knowing Gonzalo for decades, he understood why Gonzalo is so. 

Tayaw, hearing all of this from the outside, feels his hope rise. His aim today is to introduce himself to Gonzalo, make a good impression, and set an appointment for an interview. After reading about the Coniglio Family in the past few days, Tayaw became curious about how a man from a humble background started and built one of the most powerful crime families in America. 

Now that he found out about Gonzalos' sentimental tendency, Tayaw is finding that his longshot method of initiating connection might just work. 

Tayaw then returns to his car and quickly changes from his hoody and jeans outfit into his fancy three-piece suit, boater hat, leather brogues, and his huge aviator sunglasses. After making sure he looks sharp, he takes what looks like a thin shopping bag from the passenger seat and gets out of the car with it. 

Tayaw walks to the front door of the restaurant and approached Lucas, who happens to be on guard duty.

"Good evening, sir." Tayaw greets Lucas lightheartedly.

"Get lost, kid." Lucas replies.

"Look. I don't want trouble. I just want to give something to Don Gonzalo." Tayaw said and held out his shopping bag. 

This catches Luca off-guard. The next moment however, Lucas flashes his gun under his jacket.

"Last warning, kid." Lucas warns once again.

"Okay. Give me one last chance. I'm going to slowly…" Tayaw says as he slowly reaches inside the shopping bag and pulls out what appears to be a painting or a picture, encased in a fancy wooden frame.

"It's just a gift man. I assure you; Don Gonzalo would like it. It's about Italy." Tayaw says as he hands his present it to Lucas. The mobster then hesitantly takes it. 

After taking a closer look at the present, "*Whistle*" The Lucas signals to the inside of the restaurant and another mobster comes out, ready to replace him. Lucas on the other hand, takes the shopping bag from Tayaw, puts back the frame inside it, and brings it inside the restaurant with him. 

Sighing in relief, Tayaw stands beside the mobster who replaced Lucas and is now acting as if he is also a guard.

"Aherm. What are you doing?" The mobster asks.

"Nothing. Just passing time, waiting to talk to your buddy who was here." Tayaw says. 

The mobster, seeing as Tayaw is doing exactly what he just said, chose to pay no mind to Tayaw any longer.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

"Aherm.. Don Gonzalo." Lucas approaches the bosses' table cautiously and greets Gonzalo.

"Hey. Can't you see us talking here?" Amos says, intimidating the soldier.

"Some kid says it's for you. 'A gift for Don Gonzalo', he said. It's safe, I checked." The mobster promptly reports, hands the shopping bag to Amos, and he backs off after doing so. 

"Give it to me." Gonzalo orders.

"Father, something must be in it." Sylvio says, stopping Amos from handing the bag over at the same time, signaling a capo to watch Lucas who he finds suspicious.

"Mio Dio! my boy. I'm not a threat to anyone now, who would harm an old man? Amos, hand me the bag." Gonzalo orders Amos again.

The people at the table also felt a little tickled at the image of a 92-year-old man calling a man in his 60s 'boy'.

Despite his words, Gonzalo still feels anxious as he reached inside the bag. Over the years, he has made many enemies in both sides of the law. Even though he outlived many of his enemies, he knows that one should never be too sure. He however, would still want to show a brave front to the younger generation. 

Soon, Tayaw's painting is revealed to Gonzalo and his son by his side. Sylvio is confused at the painting, but Gonzalo is stunned. The other people in the table are surprised to see Gonzalo's expression. A moment later, they are even more surprised when tears almost rolls down from Gonzalo's eyes. 

The people in the table gives Don Gonzalo time to either express his emotions or calm down. Even though the atmosphere turned strange, no one dares to say anything, except for Sylvio.

"What is it, father?" Sylvio asked Gonzalo.

"Ah. It brings back long lost memories… Quarteri Spagnoli." Gonzalo says as he shows them Tayaw's painting.

Quarteri Spagnoli is a neighborhood in Naples where the poor and middle class live. It was built in the 17th century by some Italian Viceroy and up to present, it still is a residential area for generations of Napolitano's. 

This painting by Tayaw however is special. It is not what the current Quarteri Spagnoli looks like, but a painting he based on an old photograph of the neighborhood in the 1940s. 

"It's been … more than 80 years. I almost forgot what it looks like." Gonzalo continues.

"Before I moved to America with your grandmother, Sylvio, we lived in this neighborhood." Gonzalo says. This revelation makes the people understand Gonzalo's reaction earlier. 

"Something's written in the back of the painting." Sylvio's consigliere notices and points it out.

Gonzalo flips the painting and takes a look.

"Un regalo da uno sconosciuto…" Gonzalo reads out loud; except for the phone number Tayaw  wrote in pencil.

"A gift from a stranger." Sylvio translates. 

Lucas, who brought the gift, witnesses what is happening and Tayaw became more mysterious in his mind. While he is lost in thought about Tayaw's identity, he is pulled out from his mulling by Amos.

"Hey! Are you listening? I said who is it from?" Amos asks. 

"Oh. Uh. It's this one kid who approached me at the door." The mobster reports.

The Lucas' answer got raised eyebrows as a response.

"Go see if he's still here. I want to thank him, personally." Gonzalo orders.