After a long and arduous boat ride, Marco's short slumber on the ship deck was interrupted by footsteps and loud gasps from passengers on the ship. Most of them were immigrants just like him looking for a new life and little ray of hope in a place they call America. He slowly opens his eyes and almost everyone was peering towards the outside of the ship. Marco could hear everyone chatting excitedly about something but he really couldn't catch exactly what they were saying to each other. He reluctantly pushed his body against the floor and stood up to see what all the commotion is about and when he turned his head, he could see it. America.

His eyes widened with excitement, his tired and aching body now feels energetic and refreshed. A smile formed on the corner of his lip and finally he thought, no more lousy food that were sometimes not even enough for everyone on board. He could finally start to realize his dream of making enough money and finally buy that land near his home that he was always dreaming about. He had plans once he manages to purchase that land and America was the first step to make that dream come true.

Everyone was eager to get off the ship and start their new life. The smell of sea water was finally getting lesser as he got further and further away from the ship. He turned around and bid farewell to his temporary home, the ship that carried him all the way from his hometown up until here. Processing and registration was another tiring process. Marco waited patiently for his turn and once all the formalities was done, he was ready to step into "The New World" and start to work hard for his dream and return to his hometown as a successful man.

The moment he stepped out from the immigration office, he was already surrounded by people offering jobs and work. All of them were talking at the same time and pulling him in all directions. His english was not good so he had a bit of a tough time trying to understand them, and since everyone was talking so fast it was almost impossible for Marco to catch what they were saying. Instead he gave a dazed and confused look to all them, he tried to push them away as all of them were so close to him and almost suffocating him. He pushed, squeezed, elbowed and also maybe scratched a few faces as he was trying to escape the line of people offering work but he finally made it out onto the streets where his new life will start.

Marco was never someone with a huge variety of skills. The only thing he knew back in his hometown was how to be a farmer. Plant seeds and watch them grow. It was easy and most probably the only thing he could do right. He often worked in someone else's farm, earning little pay for the amount of work that was done. Times were tough back there and money wasn't easy to come by resulting in Marco spending late evenings with a crew in his hometown. One of the crew member, Paulie, was a close friend of Marco and that was how he got accepted amongst the crew. He was a friend of a friend so to say.

His mind was snapped back to reality when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and there was a well dressed man smiling towards him. Without any proper introduction, the man almost instantly asked him, "Hey, wanna join a crew?" Marco was a bit puzzled and confused. He could understand a little bit of english so he knew what the gentleman was saying to him.

He politely shook his head and continued walking. Who was the gentleman? What crew was he talking about? A dozen question popped in his head as his steps took him wandering across the block. He turned his head and the gentleman was still there stopping the immigrants who just got off the boat asking them to join his "crew".

He thought to himself, if it was a crew like the one he used to hang around back in his hometown. Is it that simple over here to get accepted into a crew? He had to just simply say yes and he was invited? More questions lingered in his mind. He needed to get answers and he knew just where to get them. Little Italy.

Little Italy, the Soldato's back home always talked about this place and how it was a haven for Italian immigrants to find jobs and work. The specific skill set that Marco had other than farming was more towards the life of the underworld. He would on a daily basis do odd jobs for his Soldato from sending messages to running the numbers for his Soldato's illegal business. That was how you gained people's trust back in the Old Country and from there, after you have done all you could to prove yourself, you keep doing it until your opportunity comes. "Good things always happen to boys who wait." That was what his Soldato always used to tell him and the other lesson was, never trust a dirty cop.

In Little Italy, Marco started asking around for the right kind of people he was looking for but as usual most of them won't open their mouth about things connected to Cosa Nostra. He knew it was a bad idea asking openly about things like this but he was desperate and he knows he won't survive alone for long. He spoke in Italian then asked in English from almost everyone he saw but no one would say a thing. His final effort was a fruit stall that was being manned by an old lady.

The Old Lady almost spitted out the apple she had in her mouth when Marco asked about Wiseguys or Soldatos in the area. She looked at her and said, "Are you kidding me?" Marco knew that it was only a matter of asking the wrong question to the wrong person and his days in America would be over. "Everyone is somewhere in Seattle fighting something with someone over something," the Old Lady said while chewing her apple. "They're only coming back in a few days time, you just came at the wrong time," the Old Lady continued as he took another bite from her apple.

Marco lets out a long and disappointed sigh and just as he glanced his head to the side, he noticed two cops walking towards his direction. He immediately knew that if he was caught talking to any cops, his chances of finding work would change from slim to zero. He turned and walked the other way, he moved as fast as he can hoping that the cops were not actually following him.

"Hey kid!"

Marco heard one of the cops shouted towards him, the sound of hurried footsteps from behind him quickly turned to a sprint and as soon as he heard that , his heart raced and the only thing he knew he had to do then was run.