the fuck the Secondigliano Alliance was. And Ciro La Bruna, being the top guy he was, sent a message to Carmine Gullotta saying, âSorry, Don Carmine, we must have made a mistake.â
Carmine Gullotta was left speechless.
In return, every now and again Don Giorgino Favarotta has to cut the La Brunas in on a job being done by some crew up in the north, and every now and again he and Sal Scali have to perform a service for the La Brunas of Forcella and America.
*Â Â Â *Â Â Â *
In the hotel bar, Uncle Sal spots the three men and walks toward them deferentially. The meeting is taking place in a hotel because thatâs what protocol requires. Don Giorgino has to reprimand Uncle Sal in public and tell him to straighten out this sergeant business. To do this, he canât invite Uncle Sal to his house, he canât threaten a guest whoâs paying a social call, he has to go to Sal. And he canât go to his house, because his family and kids are there.
âDon Giorgino,â Uncle Sal says, âyouâre here.â
And he stands there, waiting for a sign.
Don Giorgino doesnât move.
One of his picciotti goes up to Don Giorgino and whispers in his ear, âSal Scaliâs here.â
Don Giorgino jumps. âTuruzzeddu is here?â
âHere I am, Don Giorgino!â
âHere he is,â the picciotto says.
âSo why donât you tell him to sit down?â Don Giorgino says to the picciotto.
The picciotto signals to Uncle Sal that he can sit down.
Uncle Sal sits down and looks around him.
âIs it true Turuzzeddu fucked up?â Don Giorgino asks the picciotto on his right.
âItâs true, Don Giorgino, I fucked up!â Uncle Sal says.
âItâs true, he tells me,â Don Giorgino says. Then he turns to the picciotto on his left. âIs it true or not that I always say, when somebody fucks up they gotta put it right?â
âItâs true,â the picciotto confirms.
âItâs true!â Uncle Sal says.
Don Giorgino nods and turns to the picciotto on his right. âI know if Turuzzeddu fucks up, we gotta give him time to put it right. Heâs a quick thinker, Iâm sure heâll straighten things out within a week, because I got some business to take care of in town next week, and I need everything to be clean. Minchia, â he says, laughing his toothless laugh, âitâs a good thing Turuzzedduâs a quick thinker, otherwise Iâd be in the shit!â
The picciotto turns to Uncle Sal and says, âDon Giorgino is sure youâll straighten things out in a week.â
âTell Don Giorgino that Sal Scali has already straightened things out.â
âSal Scali saysââ
âI heard him, what do you think I am, deaf?â Don Giorgino says. âWhy donât you two boys go for a walk? Did you hear? Turuzzedduâs already straightened things out. Now sit here, and tell me about it.â He squeezes the arm of the picciotto on the left and says, âTuruzzeddu says heâs straightened things out, then he has. You think somebodyâs going to say things are straightened out when theyâre not?â
The picciotti look at each other, take off their dark glasses, and go out without a word.
Once theyâre alone, Uncle Sal sits down on the chair next to Don Giorgino.
âTuruzzeddu, tell me about it!â Don Giorgino says.
âEverythingâs fine,â Uncle Sal says, âjust like you ordered. Tonight, that kid Sciortino meets the junkie. He already went to see Uncle Mimmo and threatened him ⦠That way, like you ordered, we talk to the cops, tell them the americano is trying to fuck things up for Sal Scali, shifting the blame from that junkie dipshit onto two of my picciotti who just happened to be passing through Uncle Mimmoâs store! Heâs trying to make the cops think Iâm some nobody whose wordâs for shitâthatâs
Annie Murray
Aki Ollikainen
Ahyiana Angel
Jake Logan
Love's Destiny
Jane Kirkpatrick
Selena Blake
Kathleen M. O'Neal
P.G. Burns
Andy Holland