Part 30.
Every new robbery plan developed by the Padrone rarely
resembled the previous one. Perhaps that is why they were always successful and
never encountered danger. Thanks to his ingenuity, many evil deeds had been
committed; he had embittered and destroyed many families, and he did it in such
a way that for years, no one could even find their trail.
The looted property was collected together and then
distributed equally. The Padrone included even the most insignificant items,
such as a book, in the common property, and no one had the right to
misappropriate even a simple thing without his permission. However, if they
found jewelry or anything else that someone had secretly hidden, they would be
duly punished and left without a share of the loot. A large part of the camp
members did not like the new rules introduced by the Padrone; many were angry and
snarled about it, often grumbling and longing for those old, much more
licentious times when the Great Grandfather led the group.
English: The Padrone, however, had other plans. He
would turn his share of the looted items into money in one city and then invest
it in an entirely different city. In this way, slowly and methodically, he
accumulated a great fortune. The invested capital, in turn, brought him huge
income.
The Padrone kept nothing from the stolen items; he did
not want to have anything to remember them by. He left only the items that Dada
liked for her, as he suspected that, in time, they might have been part of the
girl’s own property. It was precisely because of this that a clash once
occurred in the camp.
Many had their eyes on some of the items Dada had chosen,
and they even took them from the child behind the Padrone’s back. They knew she
could not speak and would not be able to tell anyone anything, and they even
intimidated her, flashing a knife right in front of her nose and threatening to
cut off her ears. But the crying girl somehow managed to explain everything
silently and even fearlessly pointed her finger at the scoundrel youths.
Zeki was barely restrained then, otherwise he would have
chopped the boys to pieces one by one. The enraged Padrone banished them from
the camp forever, without any mercy. In doing so, he acquired such blood
enemies who knew him by sight and also knew a great deal about him. The elders
demanded their execution; letting them go alive was absolutely out of the
question, because...
"The worst thing is to spare gypsies who have
become your enemies, and who knows where and when they will kick you in search
of revenge..."
But the Padrone remained adamant and announced for the
whole camp to hear:
- I am gifting you your lives on the condition that you
never approach the camp again! You will never bother any of its members! Go
your own way and live by your own truth, and never look back!
When the story of the Gardener unfolded, the Padrone did
think for a moment about those people he had banished from the camp back in the
day because of Dada, but it seemed laughable to hire a killer for people who
were already reckless. Or why was it necessary to stage such a grand
performance? People experienced in banditry would have handled everything so
cleanly themselves that they would not have left a trace. They would have even
killed the hired Gardener in such a way that no one would have found his body,
but something else entirely was hidden here.
And as time went on, he became more convinced that the
Gardener had a well-thought-out and much more structured plan, but...
"Who was the client?
...Or why did he stretch out the execution of the
order for so long?"
Then, he even changed his mind, thinking perhaps he had
crossed the client and was being punished for it.
"Was it really Ugo?
What did he want with that man?
Perhaps I was mistaken, and it only seemed so to me?
Or did I just make a resemblance?
Perhaps he really did look very much like him, because
after all, even Dada..."
The Padrone was dozing in an armchair on the wide, open
balcony. His head was splitting from the thoughts.
It was cold enough. A whole month remained until spring.
It was getting dark; the pleasant aroma of hot tea woke
the Padrone up. Dada was sitting near him, drawing the sleeping Padrone.
"Finally."
It flashed through his mind. He was glad that Dada was
truly returning to her old activities with all her heart. She had even prepared
delicious tea and silently covered the Padrone with a blanket. That
mischievous, spiteful, silly girl who had inhabited Dada's body seemed to have
disappeared somewhere, and now the old Dada was sitting in front of him again,
drawing.
"My caring girl,"
the Padrone thought to himself.
"Our stork
has returned, too..."
The Padrone was referring to Zeki, who had returned from
warmer lands.
"And our Dada has returned to us as well..."
Joy pleasantly coursed through his entire body. With a
look of satisfaction, he stood up and looked out over the yard.
Everything was beautiful to behold from there. Peace
reigned everywhere. He took a deep breath of the fresh air.
"Of course, healthy air and beautiful nature are
much more beneficial for the mind and soul. I did well to decide to live here
back in the day."
A pleasant feeling took hold of him, yet something still
pricked him unpleasantly in his heart; a lingering sadness pressed against his
throat.
And a few hours later...
LEX. Thursday, March 16, 2016.
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