STORY: He Sings in the Presence of His Enemies

"We will crush your name." The scowling woman in a red power suit pointed at his face. "No one with the last name Romano will ever be hired in this city again."

Claudio winced at her threats only slightly, and went back to looking mostly unbothered. So she threw at him: "Or in the entire nation!"

A middle aged man across the boardroom table picked up where she left off. "Why would any sane lawyer ever tell a client that big that you--" He held up air quotes, "Don't align ethically with them." We lawyers define ethics! You could have made senior partner, but I think instead you should set your sights on jail. We'd find a way. That's what we do here."

The barrage had gone on like that for almost an hour when the meeting director, staring aghast at how Claudio could simply look bored for all this, said to the group, "Let's take five, and then we can discuss how to clean this up."

As Claudio stood up he saw he had a message on his phone. He smiled, tapped it and held it to his ear. He spoke quickly in Italian, almost excitedly. His demeanor was light. His gait was calm. The others watched him walk lightly to the balcony door and then lean outside on the glass railing of the 23rd floor.

In 7 minutes or so they had mostly reconvened and the head started his strategy meeting, projecting his hardened attitude toward Claudio still. But five minutes into his talk he stopped and looked at Claudio. They had all noticed the same thing and looked at Claudio. He was looking down, scanning the document the head had placed before them.

"Are you humming, Claudio?!"

Claudio looked up and covered his mouth. "I'm so sorry. Continue. I'm sorry."

"I'm just curious," the head shook his head still flabbergasted at Claudio, "What could you possibly be humming... that sounds like... that right now." They had all been thinking how joyful the song sounded.

"Ah! Sorry," Claudio mumbled. "It's just a song we sing while picking grapes at our vineyard. I'm so sorry. My dad reminded me of it on the break."

A week later Claudio did what they had all been pressuring him to do: resign. They didn't see him again. But many of them often wondered, for decades, what conversation he could have had that let this man seem so unbothered that he could sing among his enemies.

The conversation between Claudio and his dad that day on the balcony, had gone something like this.

"Hi Dad! What are you doing?!"

"We're soaking the corks today. And your brother is pruning. What is going on there, my boy?"

"Oh, I'm in a meeting. They're really mad at me."

"Oh no." His voice dropped. "What for?"

"I realized that we were about to take on a really crooked client. Even though it would earn the company tons of money, I realized we were about to screw a bunch of their employees. So I just said no. And they're really, really mad at me." He laughed lightheartedly.

His father laughed. "Americans and lawyers indeed living up to their reputation. We both know the real reason you went out there."

"Yeah, I know. I've tried hard, but if they won't let me help people, I'm just gonna come back home."

"My boy, there is always a place for you here. We'd love to have you."

"I think I will. I'm glad for the experience and that I did my best here, but I'm honestly looking forward to being back there with you guys. Can we do the Penne Pesca the way mom makes it when I come home?"

"Of course and I'll open the oldest bottle we have." Claudio's father broke out in song, out of happiness to hear his son was coming home.

It was only after people left that law firm that he started to hear from them. A text here. A phone call apology there. He invited them all to visit. And some of them did, and were introduced to a love and a life so good that any grinding from the outer world could do nothing to shake a resident of Vineyard Romano.

---

What can give us peace enough that we can sing among our enemies? It comes from knowing that we always have a father that loves us and a home awaiting us after this broken world.

And might others see the beautiful peace it give us too, and may they want to be a part.

Raw Spoon, 4-23-2026