Each time we listen to someone, really listen, we validate that person and his or her story. In doing so, we show great respect for the person. I know it is the way I want to be treated. In this 2 minute YouTube video psychologist Carl Rogers gives us great advice on how to listen.
Dear readers, The characters in my stories and I wish you the most joy-filled and peaceful Christmas. Here is to love filling your heart, homes, and all who enter. Merry Christmas, Ray
Chapter 12
Nick’s dad heard the doorbell. He moved his favorite Christmas tree ornament, a figure of a New England Patriots football player, from behind the tree to a prominent place near the top, by the angel. Nick’s dad knew as soon as Nick’s mom, Anna, saw it, she would take it down and put it behind the tree. It was game they played every year. It was two in the afternoon. It was his his wife, Anna’s brother, Tony. Nick’s dad opened the door, put his arms out wide and said, “buon Natale, Tony, the Italian greeting for merry Christmas.
Tony laughed and said, “Buon Natale, Tony.” The two men were best friends and liked to joke around with their golfing buddies by both answering to the name Tony whenever anyone used the name, Tony. Their friends decided to call Nick’s dad Tony 1 because he was a year older and two inches taller than Anna’s brother Tony who became Tony 2.
Nick’s dad took Tony’s coat, and hung it in the hallway closet.
Tony 2 said, “I’m heading for the kitchen. I want to sneak a couple of meatballs, don’t tell Anna.”
Tony 1 laughed. Nick will be home around 5. Morelli is closing at 4 for Christmas Eve. It usually takes Nick an hour to clean up. He’s only got one more week with that job, then I want him to quit and concentrate on his studies and running the 800 meters this spring.”
“Nick really wants to go to college out of state. How do you and Anna feel about that? Asked Tony 2.
“We talked about it. We both want him to stay home. But we understand it’s his life and if the right opportunity comes, we want him to take it. It’s hard on him because he needs a full scholarship. That’s everything, tuition, room and board, books. I don’t think it’s in the cards for him,” said Tony 1.
“You never know. You know what I always say, never quit. You keep trying and trying. Maybe God’s going to smile on him this Christmas,” said Tony 2.
“I wish,” said Tony 1.
The next voice was Anna’s. “You come in the house and you don’t wish me merry Christmas first thing. I’m going to hide the meatballs. Buon Natale, Tony,” laughed Anna. She and Tony met each other halfway and hugged.
Anna stepped back and held onto Tony’s arms, “I know what you need,” she said.
Tony 1 answered, “I need two meatballs with extra sauce, some Italian bread, and a glass of wine or a bottle of beer. I don’t much care about the drink as long as I have one.
“You’ll never change,” laughed Anna. She turned to head to the kitchen, stopped and then paused and turned back toward Tony 2. I didn’t ask if you had a girlfriend. Seeing anyone?”
Nick’s dad rolled his eyes, he knew Anna’s games and she was playing matchmaker.
“Nobody special. I like taking care of myself,” said Tony 2.
“You need a good woman in your life. Keep your eyes open, you never know when she’ll walk through the door,” said Anna who turned and walked into the kitchen.
“What was that about?” Said Tony 2.
“You know your sister, Tony. She’s always worried about you. Let’s watch some football, the Pats game starts in fifteen minutes,” said Tony 1.
The friends sat down in the living room. Tony 1 turned on the TV. He muted the sound. Anna was playing Christmas carols in the kitchen and had the sound turned up. She knew every word of every song and sang along with each song. At the moment she was singing White Christmas.
“If I could meet a woman like Anna, I might think about getting married. I don’t think they make them like here anymore,” said Tony 2.
The friends watched the game. At quarter to five, Nick walked in. He announced, “I’m home.”
“Hey, Nick, come over here and give your Uncle Tony a hug,” said Tony 2, setting his beer down and standing up. The uncle and his nephew hugged each and kissed each other on the cheek.
“Merry Christmas, Uncle,” said Nick.
“What’s with this merry Christmas. You got to say, buon Natale. I’m only kidding,” laughed Tony 2.
Nick looked at his dad and said, “Tino told me to go home at 4:30. He’s really a great guy, dad. I know I didn’t want to work there at first. But, I’m thinking of working there for the rest of the school year. I’ll have to give up running track.”
“I don’t want you to do that. You’re an exceptional runner. You never know, you may have a breakthrough season and get the scholarship you deserve,” said his dad.
“You really mean that, dad? You don’t need the money? I can concentrate on running?” Asked Nick.
“You helped out when we were in trouble. I’ll be working next week. You know what your Uncle Tony says, right?”
Nick grinned, “He and Johnny always said the same thing, never quit.”
“That’s right, Nick. You keep giving it your best. You do and you never know what can happen. I seen it happen before,” said Tony 2.
“Thanks. I’m going to shower and change, excuse me,” said Nick.
“What’s his rush?” Asked Tony 2.
“He’s got a new girl, Mary Genovese. She and her mother Louise are joining us at six for the evening.”
“I was like that once,” said Tony 2.
“You never know, you might be like that again,” said Anna bringing in a tray of food for the two men to enjoy.
Tomorrow – The conclusion of the Christmas story.
Here is more advice for writers from one of today’s great fiction writers, Daniel Silva. In this brief talk, Daniel Silva shares with us how approaches the plot and character development. I hope you learn as much as me from this wonderful author.
If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help someone else. ~ Confucius
Each and every one of you has the power, the will and the capacity to make a difference in the world in which you live in. ~ Harry Belafonte
Chapter 11
Nick, his mom and dad, and Mary sat in the second pew on the right hand side of Saint Anthony’s Catholic Church. One woman sat in the pew in front of them. There was no one else in church. In the aisle in front of the altar was the casket with a white pall draped over it. The casket held the body of Johnny Balboni. Off to the right of the altar stood a large white candle. It was the Easter candle and used for all funeral masses during the year. The Easter candle was lit and its flame danced. There were candles on each side of the altar, both were lit.
The priest and two altar servers came out of the side of the altar and began mass. Johnny’s mass took fourth-five minutes. The burial service would talk place after mass in the Catholic cemetary behind the church. Nick and his parents and Mary left church after mass and walked to the cemetary. They followed the woman who sat in front of them.
The five mourners stood around an open and empty grave. A stand next to the grave awaited the casket. Nick was standing near the woman who sat in front of him in church. He said, “Did you know Johnny?”
The woman turned around and looked at Nick, “Yes, I knew Johnny. I’m his sister Josephine.”
Nick shook her hand and said, “I’m so sorry for your loss. He was such a good guy.
“What’s your name?” Asked Josephine.
“It’s Nick, Nick Moretti. This is my mom and dad, and this is Mary, she goes to school with me.”
Josephine nodded and said, “Thank you all for coming. Johnny didn’t have many friends. I didn’t think anyone would come.”
She turned back to Nick, “So you’re Nick Moretti. Johnny told me he was teaching you calculus. Sometimes he made stories up. I wasn’t sure if it was true or not.”
“It was true, Josephine. Without his help I would have been lost. I did really well on the math portion of the SATs because of Johnny’s help.”
Josephine smiled and hugged Nick, “I’m happy I met you. When Johnny was telling me the story it was the first time in years he seemed alive. He told me he was going to teach you everything he knew. It’s too bad he didn’t have a chance. He was a brilliant man.”
The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the casket and priest. The priest recited prayers and the graveside burial service was soon over. Nick placed his right hand palm down on the casket and said, “Thank you, Johnny. I promise I’ll do my best and never quit.”
Mary stood by Nick and put her arm around him. Nick whispered, “Thank you, Mary.”
“You will make Johnny proud, Nick. I know you will. I just know it,” said Mary with a strong sense of conviction in her voice.
Nick’s mom and dad were waiting in the car. Nick and Mary walked to the car holding hands.
Later that night at dinner, Nick’s Mom said, “Mary’s mom, Louise, is a signal mom, right?”
Nick nodded.
“Why don’t you invite Mary and her mom over for Christmas Eve dinner with us. We’ll have plenty of food. Uncle Tony will be here, he’s single and maybe I can play matchmaker. They’re both about the same age.”
Nick’s dad said, “You enjoy playing matchmaker. If Tony and Louise get together it will be your best Christmas present.”
Nick’s mom laughed, “I don’t like to see lonely people. The world needs to be filled with happiness.”
Nick said, “It’s a great idea. I’m going to call Mary right after dinner. I hope they’ll accept.”
Nick’s mom said, “I have a feeling Mary will convince Louise to come to dinner.”
Laura and Stella started laughing. Laura said, “You have a serious crush on Mary. Admit it.”
“We’re only friends,” said Nick.
“Right,” said Stella.
Will Mary and her mom accept the invitation to the Christmas Eve dinner? Will Uncle Tony and Louise like each other? The Christmas story continues.
We can sleep walk through life. It’s easy when we don’t pay attention to life as it comes toward in the present moment. When we wake up, we see life as it is. It isn’t always pleasant. When we experience life, we experience it’s joy and sadness. We experience love and pain. We experience hope and despair. It’s all part of life. In this brief YouTube video Anthony DeMello challenges us to wake up. Get inspired.
Chapter 10
Nick heard a knock on his door, followed by his mom’s voice, “Nick, time to get up. It’s Tuesday. Dad made a run to Rosen’s and bought fresh bagels.”
“Okay, Mom, I’ll be down in 15 minutes,” said Nick. He looked at his iPhone, it was 6:15 a.m. Usually his mom didn’t get him up until 6:30. It didn’t matter, he wasn’t sleeping anyway. He decided he would make an appointment to talk with his school counselor about college and what colleges might offer him a full scholarship. He remembered his dad telling him one, “You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take.”
Nick showered, shaved what little he had to shave, dressed, and went downstairs. His dad was sitting at the table reading the morning newspaper. His mom was making lunches for Laura and Stella.
Nick said, “Good morning, Dad and gave him a kiss on the cheek and hug.” He walked around the table and gave his mom a kiss on the cheek and hug, “Good morning, Mom.”
His mom and dad both returned the greeting. Nick looked over at his dad, “How did the Celtics do last night? Did they win?”
His dad put the paper down, he said, “They won in overtime. It was a thriller. I stayed up late to watch it. Johnson made a jump shot right before the buzzer and Celtics won 101 to 100.”
“I wish I saw it,” said Nick taking a plain bagel and the cream cheese.
Nick’s dad said, “We got you up a bit early for a reason, Nick.”
Nick stopped spreading the cream cheese on his bagel and said, “What’s wrong? Is gramma okay?”
Nick was referring to his mom’s mother. She was close to Nick. She was the only grandparent left for Nick and his sisters. The rest of his grandparents had died.
Nick’s dad used the Italian expression for grandmother and said, “Nonna’s okay. She went to the doctor yesterday and got a good report. Your mom and I were both happy with the news.”
“Well? What’s wrong? Why did you get me up early?” Said Nick, his voice as tight as a violin string.
Nick’s dad set aside the sports’ page and picked up the first section of the newspaper. He opened it up and turned through the pages. He folded the newspaper in half and handed it to Nick. He said, “It’s not good news, Nick. Johnny’s dead.”
Nick let out a gasp, then said, “No!” He took the newspaper from his dad, and on page four of the newspapers the obituaries were listed. Nick read the small headline,
Giovanni Luigi Balboni Dies at 87.
Below the headlines was the story.
Giovanni Luigi Balboni was found dead in his one room apartment after police were called by his sister, Josephine. The police believe Mr. Balboni died of natural causes, no foul play is suspected. Mr. Balboni was know as Johnny Balboni. John being the English equivalent of Giovanni. Mr. Balboni had a masters degree from MIT and worked at MIT for nearly 30 years until he was involved in a serious car accident. According to a New York Times article when Mr. Balboni was at the height of his career, the Times said, “Mr. Balboni is among the five top innovative scientists in the world. When he finishes his career, he may be remembered as the Italian Einstein. After Mr. Balboni’s tragic accident he stopped working and never fulfilled his promise. He is survived by one sister, Josephine. He will be buried Wednesday after a funeral mass at 10 a.m. at Saint Anthony’s Catholic Church on Center Street. Burial will be in the Catholic Cemetary.
Nick wiped his eyes with the back of his hands. His mom handed him a Kleenex. “Thanks, Mom. Can I go to the funeral?” He said.
“The three of us will go together. I’ll call the school and have you dismissed for the funeral at nine-thirty,” said his dad.
“Thanks, Dad. I really liked Johnny. He was always nice to me for as long as I remember. I never thought of him the way other people did. I only thought of him as Johnny. I only wish I got to know him the way I know him now earlier in my life,” said Nick.
“People look at the externals and never try to discover what is underneath what they see. Some of the people with the best clothes, biggest houses, and more money than they can use are people I wouldn’t want as friends. I never heard Johnny say a mean word toward anyone. Even when people insulted him, he never returned the insult, he went on his way,” said Nick’s dad.
“Too bad more people are not like Johnny,” said Nick.
“Nick, you’ve not eaten your bagel. I know it’s tough news this morning, but you have school. You’ll need your energy for your classes,” said Nick’s mom.
“I know, Mom. Can I wrap it up and eat it at school when I feel a bit better?” Asked Nick.
“Okay, but drink your orange juice, you’ll make me feel better,” said Nick’s mom.
Nick went to school and went through the motions. He was happy no teacher called on him. At lunch he sat by himself at a far corner of the school lunch room. He took his bagel out of his backpack, unwrapped it and placed it on the table in front of him. He held it in his right hand stared out the window toward the street.
“Can I sit with you, Nick?” Said a female voice.
Nick looked up and saw Mary Genovese. Mary was a senior, like Nick. She was smart, but very quiet, some would say shy. She always wore her dark brown hair in a ponytail and didn’t wear makeup, Nick always thought of her as cute. He said, “Sure, Mary. I’m afraid I won’t be much company.”
Mary smiled, she placed her plate with a bean and cheese tortilla on the table alongside her bottle of water. “I watched you in class today. You didn’t seem like yourself. It’s not that I stare at you or anything like that. You were different today. You usually raise your hand. Today, you didn’t. Most of the time you seemed to be in a different world. Want to talk about it?”
Nick put his bagel on top of his wrapper and said, “Johnny Balboni died. I really liked him. He was helping me with calculus. He didn’t seem sick when we met. He seemed just, I don’t know, just like Johnny.”
Mary said, “I heard. I liked Johnny. He’d did our lawn. Mom always invited him in for lunch after he cut the grass. He was such a gentleman.”
“I’m going to the funeral mass tomorrow with my mom and dad. It’s the least I can do,” said Nick.
“Can I go with you? My mom and dad are working and can’t go. But they wouldn’t mind if I went,” said Mary.
“I’d like that, said Nick.
A chapter closes in Nick’s life and another opens. Where will it lead?
