AUGUST 2004

That night of the supper for the two most prosperous people in The East Bronx neighborhood, that was once called Fordham Village when Poe walked the cobblestone streets trying to distance himself from his inner demons while married to his younger sister-cousin and where Vince Lombardi just up the street at the Jesuit university was among the seven blocks of granite stopping most college football teams from scoring any points, and good potential prospects for becoming godparents, the baby's siblings fought even more vigorously knowing that since company was present no eye threats were going to come from their parents..

The boys seven and eight years old, Tom and Leny One N who just that summer lost the n from his name forever by smashing the eggs of bird on the sands of Orchard Beach due to his mother paying more attention to his polio-legged younger brother, wrestled vehemently by the table - almost knocking it over twice - as sixteen year old Tina was constantly trying to strangle them to quiet. Ten year old Alice kept busy by setting the table but every once in a while would join her brothers in warding off an especially strong strangle by Tina who was doing her best to maintain discipline; believing the two visitors were going to take the baby home with them - if they had a good time.

Through all this the baby Johnny, born the day before Christ, slept.

After a delicious supper of home-made pasta, meatballs almost the size of golf balls, a salad drenched in olive oil, joined with just a bit of vinegar along with thick crusty slices of well done Italian bread bought from the corner bakery fresh that day along with vegetables that were being sold by vendors along the Avenue whose days were numbered; finally ordered by Mayor La Guardia to get their carts off the street making for the market to be born , the boy's father resumed his goal of placing their last born into the safety zone that even bad evil Catholics knew was the right thing to do.

"So André! André! André, my good prosperous friend who takes his beautiful new wife to the Paradise three times a week to see the new movies made in our own Long island!"

André tensed visibly; feeling something bad was coming on - for why had they been invited for a meal by these very, very poor folk?  He did believe like an icky New York politician who insisted these kinds of people were essential for if it weren't for them how would they - the rich like he - really know they were well off?

"We have no money and"- André began to say; trying to be very careful knowing that a tongue though boneless could break bones with the appropriate heavy words.

"André! André, my little man child has hair the color of the sun and his smile makes dark days become bright and his cry is like a tune that brings to mind the melody ''Serenade in the Night'', the baby's father whispered; forcing his eyes to water just a little bit by blinking rapidly fifteen or so times.

"To the baby! I can't wait to have our own!" Francey shouted - having had three glasses of wine - two more than she should have had according to her husband's stern expression.  In their culture men could drink as much as they wanted while playing cards to see who would be boss of all and determine who could have a drink and who could not while women - good ones who were nearly saints - would hold one glass for the whole evening.

"No more wine for her!" André said trying to smile but his upper lip became entangled between his teeth.

"André and you too Francey I'm asking you from deep respect to help me put our last born into the arms of God - if He or She wishes to take him back - to be Johnny's sacred holy godparents!"

Francey could not contain herself shouting: "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Andre's back was against the wall. Quickly he reasoned a "No" could offend this man who had the strength of ten men and proved it too by being among those who had lifted the Empire State Building, five floors a week, up to the clouds and had also helped lift the Rockefeller Music Hall to grandeur from the old Dutch cesspools that existed below the streets and that word in Dutch gave the street Broadway its name and perhaps this evening of a free meal would end in a disruption that would become a "Forty-eight" that marked the people of Europe rising up against monarchies only to die killed in the year of Eighteen Forty-eight and then what good would his fortune - harvested from his plumbing business - be in these dark days of the Great Republican Depression?

"Yes, all right then - to make you all happy!" he said.

Even Tom and Leny stopped sword fighting with their forks and joined the applause as Tina strangled their necks in a good-nature like way; excited the baby was going to be taken away and be one less rival for her father's affection. 

The baby's shrieks made the mother jump up grabbing her breast as if being shot while the future godfather gulped his last glass of wine in one sweeping stroke; allowing a grimace to hang on his face several moments after putting the glass down for good while continuing a sad sad nodding.    END   7-9-04















Crest Theatre entrance Broonx.NY, now demolished.