Work

“Zio Achille!” Ozzie yelled out as he opened the door, lifting his arms to initiate a hug.

“Nipotino!” Achille matched Ozzie’s volume, reciprocating the hug and spinning Ozzie around like he weighed less than nothing, “It’s been too long, Oswald!”

“Achille!” Ozzie pulled away slightly, laughing, “It’s only been two weeks!”

Achille also laughed, releasing Ozzie from the spin, “Well, I come with a new face!”

Achille moved to the side, revealing a lanky, but relatively young looking boy, “This is my figlio, Flávio! He’s my primogentio, and he wants to finally get into the family business!”

Ozzie smiled at the boy, “I’ve heard a lot about you, Flávio! I’m Oswald, but please, just call me Ozzie.”

Ozzie stuck out his hand, and Flávio hesitantly took it, “Are you the nipote that my padre talks about?”

“I’d like to think so!” Ozzie reeled back with a laugh, “Please, come on in, I’ll happily take you to the dining room!”

Achille finally spoke up again, “The dining room? Have you prepared food?”

“Of course!” Ozzie started walking, gesturing with his hand for his guests to follow, “I haven’t seen you in two weeks, so I thought you might want to eat!”

“And don’t tell me it’s —“

“Rump steak, medium-well, with homemade skin-on fries and gravy!” Ozzie laughed, “Exactly how you like it, zio.”

Achille laughed too, wrapping an arm around Ozzie’s shoulders, “I’m so lucky to have you as my nipote!”

Ozzie smiled wide, “Flávio, do you like the same thing?”

“Oh,” Flávio stood to attention, like Ozzie was far more important than he was, “I’m not hungry, thank you.”

“That’s ok! If you do get hungry, let me know!”

You wouldn’t assume, really, that this was Ozzie’s job. His entire income depended on his connections to the local mafia, but he treated it like any old meeting with family, not as though he was talking about anything in particular. And that’s how he liked it.

Opening the doors to the dining room, he gestured to the seats while he went and put on the new record he got from Wicker.

He always found he worked better when he treated this like simply a family gathering, more than treating it like work. Not that he did too much, no, he needed to save face. What he gave to the mafia was money, and the ability to be bailed out of most issues they might have.

What he got in return was money, but more importantly to him, protection. Being a rather rich young adult, he had a lot of enemies he didn’t even know the names of, but they wouldn’t go anywhere near someone so heavily liked as Ozzie. They’d die before he did.

This was to say, it was all very mutually beneficial, and that’s how he liked it.

And so, when Achille brought up plans, and what he needed from Ozzie, he was simply happy to oblige. He gives them money, for whatever they see fit, and he gets 40% of the profits. Just like every plan, he agreed, and dotted in his opinions here and there about safety, about how to hide from the police.

A lot of people considered Ozzie rather dumb, someone who had money and not brains. He was fine to let people think that, because it usually kept him clean from any of the crimes being committed.

And even when he was seen with the mafia, even when it was incredibly obvious he knew, there might be gossip about it, but who’s going to fight him on it. No one.

He was rather safe, all things considered. Money and power.