A young Man wearing a trench coat and a pinstriped Fedora enters the street under a dim street light which was flickering at times due to the lack of maintenance within that part of town. 

For years now these shores have seen Mafioso arrive and depart. Some departing then arriving again. Which is where my discussion begins. My Ancestors for instance. Many times my bloodline has stepped down and out of the world of crime. Why? Well because at time's it seems a bit overwhelming. Distracting priorities or at time's, siblings wanting to live a straight life. One without crime or living with the paranoia of death or prison. Then all it takes is a grandfather to sit down with his grandkids and tell stories of his parents or grandparents and the life they lived with an exciting tone in his voice while bringing their lives to life with descriptive, colorful story telling. So then the inspiration begins, one day the grandchild is determined to begin where their ancestors once left off. 

Even in the streets these days it can be a dangerous place. You can say the wrong thing to the wrong man, and end up in the Hudson with a cement block tied around your foot without Scuba gear. The stress's of the life we live is real, regardless whether your the lowest of Mafioso's picking pockets, to the highest of Godfathers looking over you shoulder and wondering when the day your time is up. Thinking exactly who will be the one to betray them and taking everything someone says serious while trying to figure out exactly what they meant when they said, "Damn Sally has a big butt, and that red dress is flowing nicely." (Did he just say red dress? Flowing? Like blood flowing? I knew it, that bastard is out to get me!)

The man then lights a cigarette and raises his left brow

So I ask you all, why do you think the life we live is so intriguing that we all chose to put our live's on the line knowing the stress's it put our ancestors through?

The money. The money brings me back to this life, a normal legit wage doesn't cut it for me. Desk jobs are awful. It's the money that'll always bring me back and the thrill of the lifestyle.

Fair enough. I can't complain with that. Wiggling my ass at the car wash just wasn't cutting it anymore. So I can say money had a big play into coming back, but what brought you outside of the money?

Is it the feel of cold steel in your hand? Is it the running the prostitutes on the corner daily? 

It's about carrying on the bloodline and the relationships that have been established by our fathers and our fathers before us.

People say it's the money, but many of us would have earnt more than enough to ensure our children and our childrens children wouldn't need to want for anything. So why then do we soldier on? For some it's the allure of power and the respect that comes with that shiney bold suit we all wear with pride. I would argue however that these days the responsibility associated with that suit is greatly dimished, it is no longer the sole responsibility of one man to look after the well being of a city and with that comes a great amount of shared responsibility and indeed the opportunity to take a step back from day to day duties that have keep our ancestors so busy and indeed so stressed.

For myself, it is the friends my father and my father before him made. It is promises to friends that when they need assistance with their own businesses one day that I will be able to repay the debt your bloodline once paid to my father. The ties that bind more than anything is the people.

There will always be money and women and power but without the people you have gotten to know, respect and love it wouldn't be worth the trouble.

My families blood lines have come and gone numerous times. My family has always believed our friendships and connections was what always had them coming back. Its hard not to when all you hear at family gatherings, is about the life. Which as a child can be very impressionable upon you.

Wigglebutt I must say this is something that I have asked myself quiet a few times. Over and over again I have read through my journals of one in my family dying from a bullet and yet their daughter always comes back. It's like an addiction, maybe it's the drugs or perhaps it's the other families that my journals speak of in regards to friends. 

Many different things can lead me to think that it's primarily those that my family lines have surrounded themselves with, but then again there's also the likely hood of wanting to strive for more and see how well one can do.  That yearning to do and be better!

Roquelaure shrugs a bit as she continues to think back as to how she herself ended up on these streets and then she gave a slight shake of the head as she remembered a young Stefano bringing her to Kpacumup.

I think early on in our ancestral lines, we see opportunity knocking at every corner. The desire to advance in this world is great, and many of us make some sort of progress.

But what happens when your great-grand times however many times has obtained ranks such as Godfather? When it is their time to depart from the world, what makes their descendants come back? For many, they come back for their friends and family. Some come back because they like the fact that many people in their bloodline has held leadership positions, and thrive on the privilege that it holds. Others come back because they don't know another life but the one that their predecessor had lived, and may not know exactly how to move on until certain circumstances force them to depart.

WhereWasI puts his hands in his pockets and shrugs,

"Who is John Gault? I have little concern for the reasoning of others but I guess I'll share my ancestral story. This is a question that I myself feel is too broad to get any one answer determined to be best but I will give my answer anyways out of respect for the speaker."

WhereWasI looks up and left and begins to think of all the reasons his ancestral journals told him why they walked the streets as a mob man rather than a simple wanderer.

"My belief, as the reoccurring theme to why my ancestors have come back is because they've all been wanderers. Men with their heads lost in the clouds, asking questions that made others think they'd never understand anything. I choose to live this life as a means of self-expression, walking the streets as a common man presents little open conflict the likes of which can be settled by force or by wit and have such rewards. Having something to do, along with a reward of some kind for this action, to channel my thoughts and efforts while I continued to think and wonder about the things around me in the back of my mind has been my only motivation. I hope I will come across the day where my mind stops wondering and I can truly rest, but I fear the day will never come and many of my decedents will walk a similar path in search of answers to questions never openly asked, that can't be answered by anyone but myself. Questions such as, why do I react the way I do when confronted with a situation of a certain nature? Is there really a benefit to sticking to a strict moral code? And what is it that truly makes me happy?"

Well WiggleButt my bloodline has come and gone as well for quite some time now, I think the reason they've always eventually come back is because of the exciting life style.  Not knowing when your last day may come can be exciting as well as stressful.  I know most of my ancestors have come back to try and out do there ancestors, make more money, become more powerful, create a better reputation.  Though it doesn't always work out that way cause you never know what this life will bring you.

Like many others my ancestors have been visiting these shores for some time. Maybe not as long as others did but based on their journals,some of my ancestors have stories from way back to Marrieta's time. And like some of you,the reason they keep on coming back is the friendship they have made with the bloodlines of those who are here. Friendship that was forged by sweat and blood is really hard to forget.