Читать книгу The Story of Charlie Mullins: The Man in the Middle - Jim Wygand - Страница 10

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Gina Ferrelli and Charlie first met after his divorce. He had looked up some of his old college-day friends in Philly and one evening while he and Joey Esposito were having dinner in a small South Philly trattoria that neither had been to before, Gina walked in with a group of friends. One of Gina’s friends worked with Joey and the group joined Joey and Charlie at the table.

Charlie and Gina hit it off immediately. She had an easy laugh and a relaxed way about her that Charlie found captivating. She was beautiful and sexy as hell but she did not flaunt it. She seemed almost unaware of or perhaps didn’t care about her effect on men – which was considerable to say the least. She possessed the kind of beauty and bearing that causes a restaurant to suddenly get quiet when she walks in as the patrons wonder what movie they had seen her in. She carried herself like the model she could easily have been if she wanted, and her smile was quick and natural. She was a beautiful woman who was comfortable with herself.

When the evening ended, Charlie asked if she came often to the trattoria and she said it was one of her favorite places and she and her friends often stopped in for a glass of wine. Reluctant to ask for her phone number after just meeting her, Charlie said “Great, I’d never been here before. It’s really a great place and I hope I see you here again.”

To his surprise, Gina said “Why don’t you stop by this Saturday night? My friends and I will probably be dropping in about 9-o-clock.”

Charlie could hardly wait until Saturday night to go back to the trattoria and hope that Gina would show up. She did. It was just a little before 9:15 when Gina walked in with a couple and a female friend. She saw Charlie and waved him over to her table. It was all he could do to keep from running to the table.

“Hello, Charlie, why don’t you join us? It’s nice to see you here again.”

“Thank you, Gina. Since you said you would be here tonight, I thought I would stop by. I really did enjoy meeting you last week.”

“Why, thank you Charlie. That’s nice and quite charming. It’s also nice to know you would drive up from Jersey just to see me again.”

“Is she nuts or just toying with me?” Charlie thought, “I’d drive from Alaska in a blizzard just to get a glance at her. God knows what I would do to be with her for an hour or two!”

For the first time in his life Charlie was flustered. He could think of nothing to say but, “Well, I enjoyed myself so much last week that I thought I would treat myself to a repeat.”

Charlie noticed that as soon as Gina had suggested he join her table a waiter was immediately standing nearby with a chair. He mused to himself that beautiful women must always get that kind of attention. Waiters, doormen, taxi drivers, traffic cops, department store clerks, hell, any male of the species will go out of his way to be helpful to a beautiful woman. He couldn’t decide if he thought such deference would be welcome or discomfiting to someone like Gina. Charlie noticed that she thanked the waiter by his first name and did not take such deference for granted.

The evening was a pleasant one. Gina’s friends were interesting and conversational and not at all part of the “fast crowd” that Mary Jo had wanted to run with. The lone female was a psychologist with a small clinical practice in Philly and the couple was part of Philly’s growing artist community that lived in the area known as “So-So” at the far end of South Philly.

Once again Charlie had one of the most relaxing and enjoyable evenings he could remember. The conversation flowed. There was no posturing or phoniness. Nobody was trying to prove anything to anybody else. Charlie could hardly wait for another evening like this one.

However, he was still reluctant to ask Gina for a date or for her telephone number. He was sure that a woman as beautiful as she was constantly being hit on and he did not want her to think he was just one more of the many that probably had tried to get her into bed. Not that Charlie thought that would not be an interesting proposition. He just found her so captivating and fun that he was reluctant to risk seeming to come on too strong. When the evening ended, Charlie once again asked Gina if she would be showing up at the trattoria again the following week. She smiled and said, “Well, if you are going to be here, I’ll make it a point to show up.”

“Deal!” said Charlie, not believing what he had just heard, “See you then, about the same time?”

“OK” said Gina “drive carefully back to Jersey.”

Charlie’s week seemed to drag by. He went bowling on league night with some of the guys from Shoreville, but his mind was in Philly. “Hey Charlie, snap out of it! We need a strike on this one!” Tony Mazza yelled, “Let’s go, you’re up.”

Charlie managed to force himself to concentrate and rolled the requisite strike for his team to win the evening. Later, over beer Tony Mazza asked him, “You’re not takin’ your work home are ya, Charlie? You look like you’re up in the clouds somewhere. No company is worth messing up your bowling average!”

Charlie laughed. “You´re right, Tony I was just daydreaming a little. But, we won, right? Let’s have another beer to celebrate. Hey Mildred, bring us another round, willya?” Charlie yelled to the waitress.

“That all you want is a beer, Charlie?” Mildred yelled back. Tony and Charlie both laughed. Mildred didn’t hide her needs. “Yeah, Millie, that’s all for today at least!”

Charlie poured himself into his work for the rest of the week and he took off again for Philly on Saturday.

He was back in the trattoria at 9-o-clock that night when Gina walked in. She was alone this time. Charlie waved to her from his table and as she started over to the table he noticed that she was wearing a simple black dress and a string of pearls. She was absolutely stunning and he had to work to keep his jaw from falling. Charlie got up to greet her and pull her chair but the waiter was already there holding it for Gina. “Thank you, Johnny.” Gina said. Charlie stood there for a minute before realizing he had to sit down again.

“Hi, Gina, how was your week?”

“Hi to you too, Charlie, it was fine. Nice and calm, the way I like it.”

The idea that Gina would like a calm week and could actually have one was something Charlie could not quite grasp. He imagined her having to run from guys following her around the entire time.

“Where are your friends tonight?” Charlie asked. “You look like you just came from dinner at some nice place. That’s a nice dress.” Charlie thought, “Mullins, you are sounding so damned stupid!”

“No, I’m not coming from a dinner. I’m going to one. I thought maybe you might be a bit tired of this trattoria, so I thought you and I might go out for dinner. I hope I am not being too forward. I mean we can stay here if you want, but I thought you might want to vary the routine a little. Is that okay?”

Charlie’s heart was almost in his mouth. He had not expected to be invited to dinner by this marvelous creature sitting across from him. “Why no, I mean, yes. I mean yes it’s okay and no, you are not being forward. Yeah, let’s go to dinner.”

Suddenly Charlie wondered where he should take Gina. Her outfit was appropriate for any nice restaurant but her looks justified only the best. He had no idea what she might be used to. This was not the kind of woman you would take out for a Philly cheese steak sandwich! On the other hand, he did not want to seem to be showing off or seeming to be trying to impress her. After only a couple of meetings, he knew that Gina Ferrelli was not easily impressed and would not be bowled over by the most expensive place in town. He thought, “Where the hell can I take her to dinner that we can eat well and have the right atmosphere without seeming to want to impress?”

He suddenly remembered a very nice restaurant on S. 17^th Street. “He asked Gina if she knew the place. She did and liked it.

“I know it, and it’s just fine Charlie. I would just like a quiet evening, a good meal, and some interesting conversation with a gentleman. That OK, Charlie?”

“I can’t imagine a better suggestion.” said Charlie.

Johnny, the waiter, suggested that they take a cab to the restaurant, leaving Charlie’s car in the parking garage across the street from the trattoria. He went outside and flagged down a cab for them. He told them not to worry about a reservation. He had a friend who worked at the restaurant and he would make sure they got a table.

Over dinner Gina asked Charlie about himself. He told her that he was a financial executive at the Shaw Corporation and that both his parents had died while he was in the Army. His father had been a technical representative – a kind of troubleshooter with customers and his mother a housewife. His father died of a heart attack during a visit to a client company and his mother died about a year later of cancer. He was sure that his father’s death just sapped his mother’s will to live. They had been close and were exceptionally dedicated to each other. Living alone for either would have been a death sentence. He told Gina about his days at La Salle and his friend Joey Esposito. He mentioned his marriage and divorce and what now seemed to be a rather boring life in Shoreville. Gina listened attentively. Charlie had never felt so comfortable around anyone and he told her everything about his life. He was surprised at his own openness given his almost obsessive concern with privacy.

He suddenly realized that he had practically monopolized the entire evening talking about himself. Gina, however, appeared interested. He was not boring her, or at least it appeared that way.

He stopped, “Jeez, Gina, I’ve spent almost the entire evening talking about myself. I’m sorry. Tell me something about you.”

Gina told him that her parents had died in an automobile accident when she was a toddler. She was raised by her uncle to whom she was totally dedicated. She went to Catholic grammar and high school and went to college at Bryn Mawr where she majored in Literature. Her uncle was a wealthy businessman and did not want her to work so he paid her a hefty allowance and put her up in an upscale apartment in a building in which he was a partner. To keep herself busy and not feel like a parasite on her uncle’s largess, Gina was involved in numerous local charities and did volunteer work at the Catholic grammar school where she had studied.

Charlie had a bit of difficulty getting his mind around the idea of not having to work for a living. He was from a working class environment. His father literally worked himself to death for the Shaw Corporation and his mother managed the house, saving every available cent to send Charlie to college. Charlie had worked his entire life starting as a bag boy at Joey Wilson’s father’s grocery store. He had held part-time jobs in high-school for spending money and to help finance his college education. He had worked part-time in the library at La Salle for spending cash. He could not even imagine a life without work. He wondered why Gina was so unpretentious given her circumstances. She obviously had the money and the poise to be running around with Philly’s “hoity-toity” crowd. But she was a down-to-earth person who appeared to be unconcerned for those people. The only people he had known who did not have to work were the daughters of Old Man Shaw and they were the most pretentious, self-centered people he had ever seen. If Gina had not told him about her circumstances, he would have thought of her as a young career woman maybe working for a publishing company.

By the end of the evening, Charlie was totally taken by Gina and he wondered what sort of chance he would have with someone like her. Having shared their respective pasts and mellowed by the good Tuscan wine that accompanied their dinner, Charlie said, “Gina, I really enjoy being with you. You didn’t mention any guys in your life and I wonder if we could see each other more often. I have to confess that I have never been around someone like you, but I really enjoy your company. Could we do this again?”

Gina laughed easily. “Charlie, do you think I had nothing to do this evening? My friends called me and wanted to go out. I said ‘no’ because I wanted to have dinner with you. Just the two of us. I wanted to get to know you because I like being around you too. As for any men in my life, no, I am not in a relationship. I am well aware that I am attractive to men and my financial situation makes me even more so, but I am totally bored by the guys I have met. They are all so bent on impressing me that they come across as totally phony and so damned self-centered that they have no time for me as a person. I’m not anyone’s trophy.”

Charlie was ecstatic and he was down for the count. Gina had him totally wrapped up and he had not the slightest concern about it. He had opened himself up as never before with a woman he had known for only a couple of weeks and he did not feel vulnerable. His privacy had not been invaded – he had opened the floodgates himself.

They finished their dinner, had some espresso and then called for a cab to take them back to Charlie’s car. The trattoria was still open when they got back to the parking garage. Gina turned to Charlie and said, “Don’t worry about taking me home, Charlie. I’ll stay in the cab and you can go get your car.”

“You sure, Gina? I don’t mind dropping you off.” Actually, Charlie wanted to spend as many minutes as possible with Gina.

“No, I don’t live far from here. I’ll just stay in the taxi. Thanks for a wonderful evening. I’ve really enjoyed it and I hope we can do it again. Shall we meet here next Saturday?”

“Yeah”, said Charlie a bit too quickly, he thought. “Same time next week?” He wanted to ask Gina for her telephone number but since she had not offered it, he decided not to. The trattoria would serve as a meeting place for the time being.

Gina gave Charlie a light kiss on the cheek and said good night. Charlie stepped from the taxi and offered to pay the driver when Gina said, “That’s OK Charlie, the dinner was my idea, I’ll handle the cab.”

“No, Gina, let me get this. You’re not supposed to pay your own way. I’m still a bit old-fashioned. I’ll get it.”

“No Charlie, I’m a liberated woman and one of independent financial means. I can handle a cab fare.” She laughed gently and Charlie realized that he was not going to pay the cab no matter how much he insisted.

“OK, Gina but next time I pay, OK?”

“Fine Charlie, see you next week.”

Charlie walked over to the parking garage. He saw Johnny the waiter standing at the door of the trattoria until he got inside the garage and Gina’s cab pulled away.

* * * * *

The next day Charlie went early to his parents’ gravesite. He sat down on the grass facing their grave markers and “talked” to them as he had done since they died. “Mom, Dad, I still miss you guys a lot. I always want you to know how much I appreciate the sacrifices you made for me. The job at Shaw is going along well. A couple of weeks ago Joey Esposito, you remember him from my days at La Salle, introduced me to a really wonderful gal. She’s the first person I’ve met since my divorce that has really impressed me. You’d like her. There’s a little bit of a glitch because apparently she is very rich. Her uncle is a businessman in Philly and she gave me the impression that he has a lot of money. She went to Bryn Mawr and doesn’t have to work. Her uncle gives her an allowance. She might be too rich for my kind of upbringing but she is a real down-to-earth person. I feel good around her and I guess she feels good around me too. She’s hardly the Shoreville type and I have to admit that I feel a little intimidated around her. But she is so unpretentious that you would never know she is rich. I wish you were here so I could hear what you think. I like her but I don’t want to seem to be after her money, you know? I don’t want to ruin the first easy relationship I have ever had. She is so unlike Mary Jo that I hardly know how to act around her. So, as you have said before, Dad, I just relax and try to be me. Well, that’s the news for this week. God keep both of you.” Charlie said a silent prayer for his parents and then went back to his car and drove home.

When he got home he called Joey Esposito. “Joey? Charlie here, you in the mood for a cheese steak sandwich? I gotta talk to you.”

“Sure Charlie, c’mon by. I was gonna watch the Eagles game but a cheese steak and a beer sounds like a better idea.”

“Be there in about an hour, Joey. Bye.” Charlie rang off and walked to his car. He needed to talk to Tony about Gina.

He pulled up to Joey’s apartment building in Philly. Joey was in his usual weekend attire of sweat pants and a cut-off sweat shirt. “Hey Charlie, what’s up? Want a beer?” Before Charlie could even answer, Joey tossed him a can of beer. Charlie popped open the can and sat down. “What do you think of the Eagles’ lineup this year, Charlie? They goin’ to the Super Bowl?”

“Who knows, Joey? They always surprise me. Some years you think they have a shitty team and they go to the finals. Other years they have a five-star lineup and they tank. Just have to wait and see, I guess. But I need to talk to you about something else, Tony. You remember Gina, the gal you introduced me to a few weeks ago?”

“Everybody remembers Gina, Charlie. You don’t forget a gal like that. Yeah, you guys seemed to hit it off pretty good that night. What about her?”

“Well, Joey, I am really impressed by her. I mean, really! I barely know her but last night she showed up at the trattoria looking like a million bucks and alone. She suggested that instead of sitting around over a couple glasses of wine, we go out for dinner. Joey, I swear to God, I never had such a pleasant evening in my life. She is a terrific person. And I think she likes being around me, too.”

“OK, I see nothing special about Gina looking like a million bucks. She’d look that way dressed in rags, Charlie. As for going out to dinner, so what? I mean she does eat, you know. And she probably likes being around you. There are so many phony guys that hit on her that you are probably somebody she can relate to easily. What’s the beef?”

“I don’t know, Joey. She told me that she doesn’t have to work for a living because her uncle, the guy who raised her, is a wealthy businessman who doesn’t want her to have to work. Joey, I’ve worked all my life and she has never worked. Know what I mean? Would we hit if off?”

“C’mon, Charlie. You’ve only known her for a couple of weeks. You’re hitting it off so far. Why not just relax and enjoy her company? She seems to like you and you like her. Just relax my friend. It’s a little early to be in love, isn’t it?”

“Oh yeah, I’m not talking about being in love. In fact, I don’t know what I am talking about. I guess it’s just that I have never met a woman like Gina. I think about her all the time. I can’t wait to see her at the trattoria. The other day the guys in the bowling league thought I was daydreaming, and I was! I was thinking about meeting Gina at the trattoria on Saturday.”

“Holy shit! Charlie my Sicilian grandfather would say you were hit by the ‘thunderbolt’. You’re about to fall in love, Charlie! Let’s go have that cheese steak sandwich – I want to hear this story! The most eligible bachelor in Shoreville, New Jersey meets the most beautiful girl in Philadelphia, what a story!”

“C’mon Joey, I’m serious. This is not some movie. I’m really confused.”

“I don’t doubt that one bit, Charlie. Let’s go. We’ll talk about it at my favorite greasy spoon.”

They took the elevator to the street and walked to Joey’s favorite sandwich shop where they ordered a couple of beers and a superb Philly Cheesesteak – the trademark sandwich of the city. When they were served, Joey said, “OK Charlie, start talkin’. I’m all ears!”

Charlie told him about meeting Gina at the trattoria the week after they met. He talked about how easy it was to be with her, about her friends that showed up with her, and about their dinner. “Joey, I hardly know this woman but it feels like I’ve known her forever. I mean besides being a real class act, she is just so composed and relaxed anywhere. I don’t want to push her but I love being around her. Know what I mean?”

“Look Charlie, I’ve known Gina for a while. I was never close to her but we went to the same grammar school. She was a class act even when she was 9 years old. I also know a lot of her friends, so I know exactly what you mean. You have to understand only that she is a very special person, Charlie. She detests phonies and those ‘fast track’ attorneys and bankers that cross her path. She is as comfortable going out for a meatball sandwich as she is at some hoity-toity joint. Her uncle is very rich and very discreet. He is protective of her and loves her even more than a father probably could. He is a widower and never had any kids, so Gina is his only child.”

“What about this guy, Joey? Gina only told me that he is a wealthy businessman.”

“Why don’t you just let Gina tell you herself? You don’t like gossip and second-hand information and neither do I. She’ll tell you when she is ready. There are no secrets so just relax. If you like her and she likes you, I wouldn’t go any further. Things will either develop or they won’t. Gina is cool and believe it or not really works hard in her volunteer work. She probably works harder than she would if she had a regular job like the rest of us working stiffs. She loves the kids at the grammar school and she is always involved in community stuff. Like I said, she has been chased by every phony asshole in this city. You’re a genuine guy, Charlie, and probably someone she can be comfortable with. You’re not somebody who has to have the latest BMW, a thousand-dollar fountain pen, a fat salary, and maxed out credit cards to impress people. I’ve always known you as a genuinely nice guy and maybe that’s the way Gina sees you too. If it doesn’t turn into romance, it will be an easy friendship so just relax. Frankly, I’m betting it turns into romance, but what do I know?”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right Joey. I’ve got nothing else to do anyway, so why not go out with an intelligent, beautiful woman?” Charlie laughed. “Gina is smart, fun, and easy to know. I’ll take your advice and just take it easy. It’s just that she blew me away, you know?”

“Yep, the ‘thunderbolt’ Charlie. My grandfather was an ignorant peasant but he wasn’t dumb. He knew people and a lot about life. He died sitting in his rocking chair after busting his ass in construction work all his life. Tough guy!”

Charlie and Joey finished their meal and then made small talk about old times, the outlook for the Eagles this season, what a boring place Shoreville was for a bachelor, and a little about work. Joey was a loan officer at a large bank and he and Charlie were both on ascending career paths. Both were a little bored with corporate life and they shared a few laughs about some of their colleagues who were trying to be “movers and shakers”. They walked back to Joey’s place where Charlie had parked his car.

“You want another beer, Charlie?”

“Naw, thanks Joey. I’m going back to Shoreville. Gotta put the house in order and do some yard work. It keeps my mind busy. Not a helluva lot to do in Shoreville on a Sunday so I keep busy with the house.”

“Boy, it is a good thing you met Gina, Charlie. That’s a real exciting life you got over there!” They both laughed and Charlie headed home.

* * * * *

Gina, too, was talking about her feelings that Sunday. She went over to her uncle’s place for Sunday brunch and to tell him about Charlie.

“Uncle Carlo, I met a guy a couple of weeks ago.” she started.

“Nothing new about that, Gina. You got guys chasing you all over this town.”

“But this guy is different, Uncle Carlo. He is really a nice guy. He lives over in Jersey and we met through some mutual friends a couple of weeks ago. He’s different than all those other guys I’ve met. He listens. He is nice. He doesn’t treat me like a china doll and he doesn’t try to impress me with who he knows and how important he is.”

“Sounds to me like he did impress you, Gina. You say he is different and that you like him. That’s the first time I’ve heard that from you about a guy you met.”

“Yeah, I even asked him to take me to dinner last night. I’d never done that before.”

“You invited him, Gina?” Carlo laughed, “That’s a new twist. Usually you’re turning down dinner invitations.”

“I know. We met at the trattoria that I always go to with my friends and got together there again a week later. He seemed a bit shy about asking me out, so I thought I would take the initiative. I showed up alone and dressed for an evening out. He is such a gentleman and so different that I thought it would be nice to get to know him one-on-one, you know?”

“Well, he might be timid, but you sure aren’t Gina. You’ve always known your own mind. I’m not surprised. Tell me something about this guy.”

Gina told her uncle everything that Charlie had told her over dinner. Her uncle listened attentively and when she was finished he said, “Mullins? Irish? Jeez Gina, you never did anything by half measures!” Carlo laughed and continued “You gonna teach him to dance the tarantella? Couldn’t find a nice Italian boy?”

Gina laughed. “No Uncle Carlo, I couldn’t care less about that kind of stuff. You know that. He’s just a nice guy. I mean we’re not talking marriage or anything like that. It’s just so hard for me to find genuine male friends. He doesn’t seem to care about my money. In fact, he seemed to be a little bit uncomfortable when I told him that I didn’t work at a regular job.”

“Well, that’s a good sign, I guess. If you like the guy, I don’t see any harm in going out with him. I care about you, Gina and I just want you to be happy. You are my only child, my sister’s beautiful daughter, and I have been your father as best as I know how. I trust your judgment and if someone makes you happy, what the hell! If it winds up getting serious, I’m sure you will tell me.”

Gina kissed her uncle. “Thanks, Uncle Carlo. You know I would never disappoint you. You have been more than a father to me. You have been a friend and a counselor. You brought me up to always do the right thing and to be faithful to my principles. You can be sure I will tell you if this becomes more than friendship.”

“I’m not worried Gina. I know your life has been lonely sometimes. You’re a beautiful young woman and a great catch for a guy. You’re the only heir of a rich uncle and you are right to be cautious about guys who approach you. You’re demanding about the kind of guy you want to meet. Not many can measure up to your standards and that is tough for you. You’ve suffered a lot of disappointments as a result. If this guy makes you feel good, then go with the flow, as your generation puts it, and see what happens. I get the impression from what you told me that he is not pushing, so if you are happy around him, enjoy! If this guy gives you a hard time, just let me know.”

“It doesn’t bother you that his family is Irish, Uncle Carlo? He does like Italian food.” Gina said innocently.

“Everybody likes Italian food, Gina. Besides, the Irish flag has a green stripe and a white stripe in it, just like the Italian flag so what the hell, he’s two-thirds Italian. If you get serious about this guy, bring him around.”

“Thank you, Uncle Carlo. We’re still a long way from that. So far it’s just a nice easy relationship that makes me comfortable. But, yes, if it were to develop, I would certainly bring him around to meet you. You’re my father, right?”

“You bet, sweetheart. Now, forget about this for a while and enjoy your meal, OK?”

They finished their brunch while Gina told her uncle about her volunteer work and they made small talk. She felt good that she had told her uncle about Charlie and even better that he seemed to approve of their friendship. He was a doting uncle and protective of her but he always gave her the freedom she needed to be independent. He trusted her and the upbringing he had given her. She never gave him a reason to mistrust her and she did not want to hide her relationship with Charlie from him. If he found out from anyone else but her, he would have been disappointed.

After their brunch, Gina went home, relieved and anxious to see Charlie again. She too, was confused by her feelings. The word “love” had not entered her thoughts but she had to admit to herself that Charlie was a special person and that she wanted to see him again, and soon.