The Sicilian Inheritance

The women gather for the funeral of the town’s oldest resident, Stefano Parlate. There are only a few men left in the village, and most of them joined the Mafia, now called Cosa Nostra. The Cosa Nostra control the village’s economy, and Cettina’s family are the only farmers who don’t work for the Mafia. Stefano’s widow, Gaetana, is not sad that her husband died, and the funeral becomes a celebration as the women toast to themselves and the realization that they “were essentially running the town” (166). They establish “the Ask” (169), where each woman lists her needs and works together to divide the labor. Cettina doesn’t join the celebration, as her husband is in town. Serafina hasn’t seen Marco since their journey to Sciacca, but she thinks of him often and is aware of the rumors about their relationship. Marco escorts Cettina home, and Cettina whispers a warning to Serafina to leave the funeral because what the women are doing is unsafe.

Serafina keeps a low profile when attending patients because of whispers that she is a witch. When she is called to an exorcism, she lets the priest take credit for healing the young girl, though Serafina treated her for a urinary tract infection.