The only way to calm his condition was with the blood of someone from the folk doctors’ bloodline. Unfortunately, that bloodline was nearly gone. I couldn’t let anyone else in my community suffer. So, I followed her down the mountain alone.
Whenever Angelo lost control, I held him. I gave him herbs, gave him my blood, cooked medicine and stayed by his side day and night.
Little by little, he went from hating me to treating me kindly. We even had one warm year together. But then, at Angelo’s birthday party, Maria showed up. She held two urns and cried while accusing me in front of everyone.
"You folk doctors told my parents to invest in medicine. But then you went against the Lombardi Family and tricked them. They lost all their money and owed hundreds of millions. They jumped off a building. They’re dead now. Are you happy?"
I realized then that it was Maria’s parents who had tried to force my people down the mountain a year before.
I wanted to explain, but Maria shaved her head right there and said she would become a nun. She looked at Angelo and said, "If I hadn’t carried you down the mountain when we were young, you would’ve been eaten by wolves."