Chapter 20 - The Beginning
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The restaurant was packed.
Friday night. Full house. Every table taken. Every seat filled.
Karen was behind the bar. Pouring drinks. Laughing at jokes. She'd come a long way from the girl in the freezer.
Sophie was in the back. Helping with prep. She'd moved back to town six months ago. Said she missed us.
Danny was working the door. Greeting customers. He'd gotten a job at a warehouse, but he came by on weekends to help. His way of making amends.
Jake was at a corner table. His family with him. He'd left the FBI. Started a security firm. Said he wanted to do something good with his life.
I was in the kitchen. Cooking. Dad's recipes. The ones he'd taught me.
The ones he'd learned from his grandmother. In Italy. Before he came to America. Before he became an agent. Before he started lying.
I thought about him. About his sacrifice. His courage.
He'd given his life to bring down a criminal empire.
He'd failed.
But we hadn't.
We'd finished what he started.
I plated the last order. Handed it to the waiter. Looked out at the dining room.
My family. My friends. My life.
It wasn't perfect. It wasn't easy. But it was ours.
Karen caught my eye. Raised a glass. Smiled.
I raised one back.
We'd survived. We'd fought. We'd won.
And now... now we lived.
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Later that night, after the last customer left, after the doors were locked, after the lights were dimmed, Karen and I sat at the bar.
"Long day," she said.
"Good day."
"The best."
We sat there. Drinking wine. Listening to the silence.
"I miss him," she said.
"Me too."
"Do you think he's proud of us?"
I thought about Dad. His smile. His laugh. The way he'd taught me to cook.
"Yeah. I think he is."
"And Mom?"
I thought about Mom. The letter. The apology.
"I don't know. I hope so."
"She did terrible things."
"She did."
"But she loved us."
"In her own way."
"Yeah."
We sat there. Quiet. The city sleeping outside.
"What now?" Karen asked.
"What do you mean?"
"What happens next?"
I looked at her. My sister. My hero.
"We live. We cook. We love. We do the best we can."
"That's it?"
"That's everything."
She smiled. Raised her glass.
"To Dad."
"To Dad."
We drank.
And the night went on.
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THE END
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