Читать книгу The Story of Charlie Mullins: The Man in the Middle - Jim Wygand - Страница 16

XI

After eight-o-clock Mass on Sunday Gina drove over to her uncle’s house. She pressed the control device to open the gate to the property, pulled into the long driveway and drove around to the back of the house. She entered through the back door into the kitchen. Her Uncle Carlo was sitting at the kitchen table sipping an espresso. She walked over and kissed him on the cheek. “Hey, Uncle Carlo, how was your week?”

“Same as always, Gina, it was calm, thanks. How ‘bout yours?”

“Actually pretty busy, Uncle Carlo. Charlie and I went out a couple of times and again last night. I want to talk to you about us.”

“Eh, ma ché, bambina mia, this sounds serious!”

“It is serious, Uncle Carlo. I really do want this guy in my life. He makes me truly happy and I told him so. This is going to grow into something, Uncle Carlo, something very serious and very beautiful.”

“Well, I know he hits a mean softball, Gina….”

“Uncle Carlo, have you been spying?” Gina said, surprised.

“Ah, bambina, you are so excitable. Maybe you could call it spying. But I was just checking on him. Nothing invasive, just a kind of overview. You know how important you are to me.”

“Yeah, I know Uncle Carlo, but I’m willing to bet you came up with nothing bad, right?”

“Right, my little niece. And you were right about his looking ‘Italian’. Nice lookin fellow, your ‘Irish’.”

“Well, you don’t need to spy anymore. I want you to meet him!”

“Well!” Carlo replied, “It sounds like you got something really going with this guy. Are you sure you know where you’re going with this?”

“I’m positive, Uncle Carlo, I’ve thought it through over and over. I’m sure he’s not perfect, but he’s perfect for me. He can hold his own with me. He’s neither intimidated nor mesmerized by my financial situation. He’s a gentleman at all times. My friends love him. He’s from a nice solid family. He’s loyal. He’s….”

“Managia,” interrupted her uncle, “you make this guy sound like Saint Anthony!”

“God, I hope not!” laughed Gina, “I’m not looking for a saint. I’m looking for a man in my life.”

Carlo laughed out loud. “Ah, that’s my bambina. You always did know what you want. I’m sure that even if I said I didn’t like the guy, you would see him anyway.”

“No, Uncle Carlo, I wouldn’t see him that way. I am just sure that you will like him so I don’t think that is going to be an issue.”

“Gina, my little baby, you know how to wrap me around your finger so easily. It scares me sometimes. Here I am a tough businessman and I’m like soft clay around you. You know I trust you, I brought you up so I know how your devious mind works when you want something and nobody, I mean nobody, can resist.”

“Well, Uncle Carlo, will you meet him or not?”

“How could I say no? Of course I’ll meet your ‘Irish’. I have to travel up to New York next week, but the week after, I’ll be home. The guy works, right? I figure you will want to bring him by on a Saturday or Sunday. Why don’t you bring him by for lunch on the Sunday after next?”

“Oh, Uncle Carlo, thank you. I just know you’ll like him! I just know it!”

“How like a little girl you are sometimes, Gina. If this ‘Irish’ meets with your approval and he makes you as happy as you look right now, you know I will approve. I think the meeting will be more for him than for me.”

“You’re not going to call him ‘Irish’ are you Uncle Carlo?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. It will depend on his sense of humor.”

“Uncle Carlo! Be serious, please! This could be the man of my life!”

“Not to worry. I’ll be on my best behavior, I promise.”

“That’s what I was afraid of,” Gina laughed.

Carlo laughed with his niece.

Gina joined her uncle in another espresso before going home to get ready to meet Charlie.

Charlie made a trip to the cemetery that Sunday morning. He made his way to his parents’ gravesite as he had done so often since his parents had both died. “Hello Mom, Dad. He crossed himself as he approached the pair of headstones, “I’ve got some things to tell you. The girl I’ve been dating could easily become my wife. We went out last night and we decided that we really care a lot about each other. I mean in a really serious way. I’ve never felt this way about anybody. I’m almost certain this is going to work out. I hope you can bless me and pray for me up there in Heaven. Dad, the job is going really well. Fred Perkins is his usual pain-in-the-ass self, but I’ve got him under control. The guys in the department say I drive him nuts. I know you never had much contact with Fred but I also know that you didn’t think much of him. Sometimes I feel sorry for the poor bastard, but the operational word here is not ‘poor’, it’s ‘bastard’. He really can be nasty. I remember that you once told me that when you left the company parking lot you would keep your windows shut and wave to the ‘big shots’ and say, ‘Good night’ and then whisper ‘asshole!’ I feel that way sometimes when I leave the company. I work around some nice people, but I’m not too big on the corporate scene. There are a hell of a lot of phonies looking to screw their buddies for a promotion. It can be pretty nasty sometimes. Mom, I don’t know what to do about some of the women in this town. A couple of them followed me up to Philly yesterday. It was the weirdest thing I ever experienced. I mean what the hell do they care about my life, you know? Well, there’s nothing I can do about it, I guess. I’ll just have to wear them down. Well, that’s the news for the week. I hope you and Dad are together in some place beautiful. I love you both.” Charlie said a brief prayer and went back to his car.

He drove home and took a shower and changed before heading off to Philly to see Gina. While he was toweling off after his shower Gina called. “Charlie?” her voice was excited.

“Hey, Gina. I’m getting ready to drive up there. Trattoria again?”

“Yes. Can you be here by about one-o-clock?”

“Sure,” answered Charlie.

“Charlie, I can’t wait until you get here to tell you that I have set up for you to meet my uncle. He agreed and I’m so excited. I’m sure you two will hit it off! I’ll tell you everything when you get here. Kisses! See you in a little while! Bye!” Before Charlie could say anything, Gina rang off.

Charlie laughed to himself. Gina sounded really happy and like a little kid. He was sure that her uncle’s approval would determine whether they got together or not. It was clear that he had a lot of influence, if not control, over Gina.

After dressing in jeans and a rust-colored sport shirt, and putting on a pair of sport moccasins, he walked out to his car to drive to Philly. He looked up and down his street and saw what he thought was the same car that had followed him on Saturday. He could see what looked like two women in the car. The car was parked some distance away so he decided to drive right by it. When he got fairly close, the two heads disappeared below the dashboard. He made a mental note of the license plate and without even checking what he had written down before, he was sure it was the same as the one on the car that followed him yesterday. He pretended not to look into the parked vehicle as he drove by. His peripheral vision allowed him to see into the passenger seat and he could see what he was sure was a woman hunched down. He couldn’t see her face.

Because he was going the other way and the street was practically deserted on a Sunday, the other car did not give chase. Charlie chuckled to himself. “Too bad ladies,” he said to himself, by the time you get turned around I will have lost you! Why don’t you go home and fix lunch, do the laundry, or something?”

Charlie went straight up I-95 again because he was sure he had eluded the two women who were watching him. They couldn’t get their car turned around until he had traveled down the street a good distance and by that time he had taken some evasive maneuvers and then gone down to the entrance to the bridge to Wilmington to connect to I-95.

He checked along the way just to be sure the two women had not caught up to him on the interstate. “Coast clear,” thought Charlie, ‘maybe I’d make a good spy!”

When he got to the trattoria Gina was waiting for him. She was fantastic in a pair of jeans, a cream-colored silk blouse, and a pair of cross trainers that didn’t look like she ran in them very much. “Don’t you look great!” said Charlie, “I’ve never seen you in jeans. You’re a knock out!”

“Well, aren’t you the gallant one, Mr. Mullins? I’m not always dressed to the nines you know!”

“Anyway, Wow!”

“Charlie, you know what I would like today before going to the park?”

“Your every wish is a command,” said Charlie.

“I’d love to go for a Philly cheese steak sandwich with lots of pepper and onions! Got a problem with that?”

“Not in the least! You got a favorite place?” Charlie knew that there were Philly cheese steaks and Philly cheese steaks. Philadelphians knew the really good places. The others were for tourists. The first thing you noticed about an authentic Philly cheese steak place was the Tasty-cake display. Every place that had good cheese steak sandwiches always had a generous display of the famous (and regional) Tasty-cakes. They were standard fare in Charlie’s lunch box for years. Charlie remembered the butterscotch krimpets, the chocolate cupcakes, Tandy-cakes and the pies that the Tasty Baking Company made in Philly and sold only in the Delmarva Peninsula and Philly. You couldn’t find them beyond the area for years. They were always fresh, and above all delicious.

Gina said “I sure do!” and it was the place where he and Joey Esposito had gone to talk about Gina. When they sat down Charlie laughed and said, “Gina, I’ve known this place for years and Joey Esposito and I had lunch here no more than a few weeks ago when I told him about you – and us.”

“Charlie, Joey knows and so do I. This is the only place in Philly for a cheese steak sandwich.”

Charlie ordered two sandwiches, “all the way”. “Drink, Gina?”

“Beer of course, Charlie! You can’t eat a Philly cheese steak without a beer!”

When their meal was served, Charlie watched Gina delicately, but with resolve, devour her sandwich. “Gina, I swear, you are the only woman I ever saw eat a Philly cheese steak sandwich with class. I’m truly impressed.”

“Practice, Charlie, practice!” she laughed.

“So, Gina, tell me about your uncle. He said he wanted to meet me?”

“Of course, Charlie. He’s my uncle, my father, and a friend. Why wouldn’t he want to meet you?”

“So what’s his name, Gina? I’ll have to call him something.”

“His name is Carlo – a common Italian name. I’ll tell you more before you meet him. But for now, just know him as Carlo.”

“Wow, what a mystery!” Charlie said, “Is there some reason why I can’t know his last name?”

“No, but as I told you, he is a wealthy businessman. You’ll know his name when your hear it. Be patient, Charlie Mullins. Go with the flow. C’mon, Mullins, let’s walk off the calories in the park.”

Charlie and Gina left the sandwich shop and headed for the park. It was about a six-block walk and Gina grabbed his hand as they left the shop. “Fantastic day, isn’t it Charlie? Light breeze, sun shining, and the two of us together. You want any more in life?”

“Well, right now I can’t think of anything, Gina. I’m working on it.”

Gina squeezed his hand. “Don’t work too hard, Charlie. I don’t want you thinking of alternatives. Who knows, you might decide you want one of those Shoreville ladies!”

“Speaking of Shoreville ladies, Gina, I think a couple of them planned to follow me here again today. I saw a car on my street and when I drove in the direction of the car, I saw what looked like two women ducked below the dashboard. I couldn’t tell who it was but why would they hide unless they intended to follow me? It was the same car that followed me yesterday.”

“Didn’t I tell you, Charlie? They are not going to let up until they figure out what you are doing. You sure neither of them has the hots for you Charlie?”

“I don’t think so, Gina. I don’t even know who they are. I’m going to have a friend check out the license plate to see who owns the car. When I do…”

“You’re gonna do what, Charlie Mullins? Punch ‘em out? C’mon, there’s nothing to do. They’ll keep following you until they get tired of it or until something else occupies their tiny minds. Based on what you told me about Shoreville, you’ll know soon enough anyway.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right sweets.” Charlie turned to look at Gina and could not resist kissing her.

“Hey Mr. Mullins! I might get used to that!”

“I sure as hell hope so, Miss Ferrelli. It’s something I enjoy a lot. Gotta keep Charlie happy, you know.”

“Chauvinist pig!” Gina laughed, “Only you have to be happy, huh?”

“Well, I didn’t want to presume. I figured I would only worry about what pleased me on the assumption that you might not be inconvenienced.”

“Oh yeah?” Gina turned and gave Charlie a kiss. Her body melted into his and he felt desire like he had never felt before. “Happy now, Mullins?” Gina laughed lightly.

They sat on the grass for a while and Charlie laid back with his head in Gina’s lap. “You know, Gina. I had never thought about my job at Shaw before and how dull it is. I was content just to show up and do my work but now, it seems so sterile and so dry. I think if I were around you every day, things wouldn’t be so bad or so boring. But now, when I go home to my house, it seems very, very empty.”

“Same here, Charlie. I was always busy with my promotions, charity, and volunteer work. I find myself wanting to talk to you about things at the end of the day. You’re not there and the apartment seems terribly empty.”

“OK, Gina then when do I meet Uncle Carlo – the guy with no last name?”

“Two weeks from today, Charlie. We are going to have lunch with him.”

“Lunch, huh? Am I going to need to wear a suit?”

“Oh, jeez, Charlie! This is my uncle you’re talking about. Of course you won’t need a suit. Just wear your usual casual business stuff – that blazer, khakis, those Guccis, and a shirt. I wouldn’t suggest anything very weird like sandals and Bermudas, but you don’t wear that stuff anyway. Just be your usual buttoned down self.”

“Gina! You make me sound like some sort of corporate weasel!”

“Not at all, Charlie. My uncle is not going to look at what you wear unless it is weird. He’s going to look at you – and quite well I should add. Like I said, just stay away from the ‘California look’ and you’ll be OK. If you wear a suit, he will be equally formal. Relax, Charlie. Like you say, he puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like you.”

Charlie broke out in a laugh. “Boy do you pay attention, girl!”

“I hang on your every word, Mullins, or haven’t you noticed?”

They kissed again.

It was time for Charlie to head back to Shoreville so they reluctantly got up and left the park. They walked back to the trattoria which was a reasonable distance. They didn’t talk – each savoring the presence of the other. When they got back to the trattoria, Charlie noticed that Johnny was once again in the alley, smoking.

“Gina, how does Johnny know to be outside when we arrive?”

“Oh, c’mon Charlie. He’s just having a smoke.”

“He’s always having a smoke or standing around when we arrive, Gina.”

“I told you already, Charlie. He’s known me for years. I tutor his kids. He is as protective of me as my friends.”

“Well, he protects me too. I noticed that he always waits until I get inside the parking garage before leaving what looks like his ‘post’.”

“It’s just Johnny, Charlie. He’s no different than many of the others around me. He thinks I have to be protected. It’s harmless.”

“If you say so, baby. You gonna call me during the week?”

“As always, Mr. Mullins – I cannot resist your sexy voice!”

“That’s the first time anybody ever said that to me, Gina!”

“Good – see how original I can be?” I’ll call you Charlie. “See if you can dream about me. And get back here as soon as possible, OK?”

“You bet, see ya’ later Gina.”

“You’re forgetting something, Mullins. Give me a kiss!”

Charlie gave her a passionate and long kiss. When they parted he was flushed. “Whew – Gina you are tooooo much.” He walked toward the parking garage, waved goodbye to Johnny, who nodded as before. He got his car and drove south to Shoreville as he had done for the past few weeks.