Chapter 13
Mickey’s anxiety shot up like the temperature in Phoenix in July. He downed his fourth beer without so much as a single swallow. Then, he signaled Gus for another one. Twenty seconds later, Mickey’s hand went out and snagged the sliding mug of beer.
“You got good hands Mickey,” said Tony Gallino who was now close to the boys.
“I think I coulda made the Sox if I had a tryout. I had ta work the day I could have tried out,” said Mickey.
“Are those the hands that are taking care of my package?” asked Tony Gallino.
Zeke jumped in before Mickey could say a word. Zeke said, “Mickey’s the All State man. The package is safe with us. It’s safer than if it was in Fort Knox.”
“You boys didn’t open it, did you? If you did, I’d be very, very angry,” said Tony Gallino.
“Us?” said Zeke pointing an index finger to his chest.
“Yes, you two guys,” said Tony Gallino.
“The only interest we got in the package is to take care of it for you, until you tell us you want it,” said Zeke.
Mickey added, “Nice threads, Tony. I was thinking of going to Walmart and getting me threads like these.”
Gus almost dropped the mug he was washing.
Tony Gallino turned to the six foot two inch thug on his left. The thug wore a Miami Beach sport shirt with one hundred-fifty palm trees gracing his athletic, extra-large version. “Did you hear what I heard?”
“I heard what use heard, Mr. Gallino. Use want me to send this dog to the corner?”
Zeke cut in, “Mickey didn’t mean any offense, Tony. He’s never been out of town if you don’t count Brockton. The only place he buys his clothes is Goodwill. Walmart is a step up for him.”
Tony Gallino stared at Mickey who was staring into his empty beer mug, “He’s a Palitroni. I don’t trust Palitroni’s. Never trusted them since Beanie Palitroni tried to make a federal case against me saying I would do something like intimidate anybody. Now, can you believe that I would ever intimidate a baby?”
“Never. You would never intimidate a baby, Tony. Why would Beanie think that about you?” asked Zeke.
Tony Gallino reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out an index card. He handed it to Zeke, “See, that’s what I’m saying. I want you to bring the package to this mailbox tomorrow. It is a different mailbox. This one is up in Stoughton, off 138. You can’t miss it. Here’s another fifty bucks apiece. Call it for gas mileage.”
“Do we have to report it on our income tax?” asked Mickey.
Tony Gallino turned to his other thug, a shorter version of the first one. This one wearing an Under Armor short sleeve compression shirt. “You see what I mean about the Palitroni’s? You can’t trust them and their whole IQ is less than my Yorkie.”
“Want me to teach him a lesson, Mr. Gallino?” asked the second thug.
“He’s a Palitroni, I wouldn’t throw them left over pasta. Know what I mean?”
“Perfectly, “Mr. Gallino.
“I want this done by two tomorrow afternoon, boys. By the way, say hello to Nonna for me,” said Tony Gallino as he turned and walked out of Lombardi’s.
“Geez, what are we going to do, Zeke?” asked Mickey.
Gus scooted down the bar, bent over and whispered, “I don’t want to know about the package, but I know you two boys and you are in over your heads.”
“How did you know, Gus?” asked Mickey.
What are the boys going to do? Will Nonna give them the package? Does Tony Gallino know Nonna has the package?
The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. – Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Stuck in a rut? Need a rush of new ideas? Perhaps you need a creativity boost. Just like taking Vitamin C to help us fight off a cold, there are ways we can restructure our environment and how we interact with it to boost our creativity. The following brief YouTube video provides you with a creativity boost. Great tips to fire up your creativity. Enjoy.
Chapter 12
Nonna began rocking back and forth. She stroked the package and sang to it as if it were a new born baby.
“What, Nonna. What?” begged Zeke.
Nonna opened her eyes, a beatific smile appeared on her face, “I can’t tell you boys whats a in here. I’m a gonna hold it for safe keeping. I let nothing happen to it. You betcha your life.”
“Nonna, Tony Gallino will have us killed if we lose the package. Please give me the package,” asked Zeke.
“Tony G not gonna hurt you. He hurt you I put a curse on him make him wish he was in the morgue. I put a curse on him make him wish he was deader than a dead mackerel. I put a curse on him he come crawling to me to take it off him.”
“What about us? We’ll already be dead,” asked Zeke.
“That’s a chance you gotta take. Now, I give you something to fix everything that bothers you. You feel better right away,” Nonna placed the package on her lap. She still gripped it tightly with her left hand and arm. She reached into the top of her dress and fished around in her bra. She pulled her hand out and held it open to the boys.
She handed Zeke a handful of garlic, “Here’s what chu do. You eat a clove of garlic now, and you eat one before bed. You wear one around you neck. If you making love to a girl tonight, eat two cloves. It do wonders for you. Now getta outa my house until I tell you to come back for the package or I put a curse on you.”
Thirty minutes later, Zeke and Mickey are sitting at the far end of the bar in Lombardi’s. Three other men are sitting further down the bar. One of the men says, “The Sox need to pull the pitcher. He’s getting tired.”
The second man said, “I’ve never been tired and how hard does a pitcher work. What’s he do throw a baseball a hundred times and makes a million plus a year? Give me a break.”
The third man said, “You talking breaks, Jimmy Giano broke his leg in two places last week. That’s a break.”
Gus was standing behind the bar halfway between the three guys talking about this and that and Zeke and Mickey. Gus is wondering if he’s in hell and doesn’t know he died.
Zeke says, “Mickey, we are in deep trouble. If Tony G finds out, he’ll have us whacked. If we take the package away from Nonna she’ll put a curse on us. I been using my brain and I can see a way out of this. I think we gotta get out of town. Go someplace with Gallino can’t find us and Nonna’s curse won’t work.”
Mickey was finishing his third beer. He signaled Gus for his fourth. Gus drew a draft and slid it down the bar. Mickey stuck out his right hand snagged it.
“I can catch with either hand, Zeke. You think I can make it in the majors as a shortstop? Hernandez is terrible at short for the Sox. He can’t field and he can’t hit. At least I can field.”
“Did you hear anything I said?” asked Zeke.
“About what?” asked Mickey.
“About anything?” asked Zeke.
“Nope. I was thinking about what Nonna told me about garlic. You think if I eat it and wear it around my neck it will attract women? I’m willing to try anything.”
Before Zeke could answer, Tony Gallino and two of his bodyguards walked into Lombardi’s. He walked four feet inside, scanned the bar and said, “Just the two guys I’m looking for.”
What does Tony Gallino want with Zeke and Mickey? Will the boys figure a way out of their dilemma?
The wise read the markers left by those who have blazed the trails. They learn the lessons that others in their generosity share. They adapt the lessons to their journey. Umberto Eco shares his wisdom to anyone who aspires to be a writer in this brief YouTube video. His wisdom can be applied to all aspects of life. Enjoy.
God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer. – Saint Teresa of Calcutta
Chapter 11
The door opened. Nonna, stood there in her black dress. She held her kitchen carving knife in her right hand. She looked at Zeke, “It’s you, I was a making sure. You tell that no good Palitroni fellow you hang out with he make one move to me I gonna cut him.”
Mickey spoke up from behind Zeke, “I’m not going to make a false move, Nonna.”
“I’m a no you Nonna. You betcha you not gonna make a move to me. I’m a gonna go swish and swish, you never get married, believe me.”
“He believes you, Nonna. Honest,” said Zeke.
“Okay, now we know a my house rules, you boys can come in and have some wine with me. I only drink after noontime. Then I drink until I go to sleep.”
Nonna led Zeke and Mickey into her living room. The boys sat on the sofa. Nonna came back with a bottle house red wine and two wine glass. She handed Zeke and Mickey a glass, then filled them. She returned to the kitchen and came back with a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and a crystal class. She sat in a chair, filled her glass, and placed the bottle on the floor.
“I give you boys the cheap stuff, because one of you is a Palitroni. No way I’m a gonna waste the good stuff on Palitroni’s. Salute,” said Nonna raising her glass.
“Salute,” answered Zeke and Mickey.
“Whatchu boys what? I’m busy. I got a big night planned.”
Nonna piqued Zeke’s curiosity, “Nonna, what plans do you have tonight? There a senior dinner at Saint Anthony’s?”
“You make a nother wise crack like that, I gonna smack you across the head, Zeke. I expect that from Palitroni, but not from you. You one of us.”
Zeke held his hands up in surrender, “No offense, I was just thinking.”
“You never been good at thinking. That’s why you dropped out of school.”
“I didn’t drop out, Nonna. I stopped going. There’s a technical difference,” said Zeke.
“You watching too much Judge Judy and think you a lawyer. You last name’s Pratti, not Silverstein. You don’t think I know the difference?”
The conversation is getting away from Zeke. Mickey, who is not as bright as Zeke rises to the occasion, he slides the package in front of Zeke.
“Nonna, the reason we’re here is to ask you for help. This is the package Tony Gallino had us pick up. We want to know what’s inside it. Can you use your inner eye and tell us?” asked Zeke handing the package to Nonna.
Nonna took the package. She set it on her lap. She placed both palms flat on the package and began singing a song in Italian. She moved the palms of her hands to the sides of the box and began chanting. Then she said loudly, “Rocco, you tell me what’s a in this a package or I gonna sleep with Mario tonight.”
Nonna’s eyes were closed. Her lips moved, but no words were heard. Her head nodded. She picked the box up and pressed it close to her chest. Then she said, “It’s a good thing for you, Rocco, you tell me whats a in here because you best friend Mario he’s a making a big time play for me. He tells me this is what you want. Now, I gonna put a curse on him because you tell me to be true. Ciao.”
Mickey couldn’t help himself, “Nonna, what did Rocco tell you?”
Nonna opened her eyes, she looked at Zeke, “Who asked Palitroni to speak? I didn’t. Besides his feet stink. You tell him to wash his feet if he want to come with you next time to my house.”
Zeke nodded.
“This is whats a in this package.”
What is in the package? Will Mickey wash his feet? What will Zeke and Mickey do?
When you’ve lost everything, you’ve got nothing to lose. ~Ken Follett
Pride often gets in the way of our ability to love. It gets in the way of discovering who we really are and what is our purpose in life. It stifles our growing into authentic human beings. Every once in a while a good dose of humility opens our eyes to the reality of our life and asks us important questions. The following time-lapse Vimeo video taken in New Zealand offers us an opportunity to see our place in our vast, beautiful, mystical cosmos. Enjoy.
