I Locked Two Rival Mob Heirs In, So Neither Lets Me Go novel · Chapter 11 of 24
Chapter 11: The Festa
On Pentecost Sunday the Holy Ghost festa took over half of Hilo.
The procession came down the hill from the church at noon.
Girls in white carried a silver crown on a velvet cushion, and a brass band marched behind them.
The Portuguese hall was draped in red and white bunting.
Under the tents in the yard, a hundred volunteers ladled bean soup into bowls for anyone who walked up.
The smell of linguica and sweet bread drifted into the street.
Every family on the island came, because the festa is free.
And that year they all came to watch us.
Dean walked on my left and Manny on my right.
Nobody had to tell the crowd who we were.
The parish parted for us, the grandmothers whispering behind their fans and the crews in their good shirts staring.
At the hall steps Dean put his hand on my hip.
He did it slowly, in front of everyone, with his palm spread flat and his thumb stroking once.
Four hundred people saw it.
Beside me, Manny grinned.
"Don't be jealous," Dean said.
"I'm not," Manny said.
"I'm going to do better."
He swung his ukulele off his shoulder and climbed up on the second step in front of the whole parish.
He played the song his grandmother taught him, the old Portuguese one, and sang the first verse in a rough, sweet baritone.
By the second verse half the hall was clapping.
By the third, the aunties were singing along.
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–6 of I Locked Two Rival Mob Heirs In, So Neither Lets Me Go are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
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