The Bookie's Daughter
Page 31
There resides in me an element of pride in my father’s refusal to deny his crimes or hide behind a veneer of moral hypocrisy. He was a bad boy who made no excuses for his behavior. He did not attempt to hide his faults. The consequences of his actions demonstrated to his daughters that we had choices in our lives. What was “normal” for our parents need not be the blueprint for our own lives. An awareness of the abnormality of our family dynamics and our parents’ addictions served as a roadmap and a promise for a different kind of future. Although we build our lives on the bone yard of our past and stand the sum total of our experiences, the past does not necessarily have to define us, or the future we build. An awareness of choice is a powerful tool in forming the future.
As for me, I am a work in progress, navigating this wonderful mess called life and looking forward to the adventure, the possibilities, and the lessons that await me in my eighth and subsequent renewals.
Big Al senior year high school (1949)
Big Al with boxing legend Sugar Ray Robinson
Author watching the family store
Author and older sister Vanessa
Bonnie enjoying a night out.
Big Al and Bonnie during a cease-fire.
Author around the time of the Skin Runner incident (79-80)
Author with the Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neill (1983)
Author and Vanessa
Author about a year before
“The Troll Under The Bridge” incident
1 Miller, Dave, “Abraham Takes Stand as Chief Prosecuting Witness at Trial,” The Jeannette News Dispatch, October 19, 1971, evening edition.
2 Although my parents used the term “Feds,” to describe these officers, I do not know from what branch of law enforcement they worked or if this is an accurate description.
3 Lucky Numbers, a 2000 film starring Lisa Kudrow and John Travolta, is very loosely based on this event.
4 Thornburgh, Dick. Where the Evidence Leads: An Autobiography (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2003), 48.
5 Thornburgh, 41-42.
6 Miller, Dave, “Abraham Finishes Testimony at Trial,” The Jeannette News Dispatch, October 20, 1971.
7 United States v. Riehl, 460 F.2d 454 (1972), United States v. Michael A. Riehl et al., Appellants. Appeal of Arthur J. Rinaldi. Appeal of James L. Chick. Nos. 71-2133 to 71-2135.
8 Miller, Dave, “Abraham Finishes Testimony at Trial.”
9 For more on Pittsburghese visit the official website at http://www.pittsburghese.com/.
10 Miller, Dave, “Choosing Jury in Jeannette Trial,” The Jeannette News Dispatch, October 18, 1971.
11 Lies, George, “Witness Hints Police Officials Linked to Gambling Conspiracy.” The Tribune Review, October 20, 1971, county edition.
12 Miller, Dave. “Abraham Takes the Stand as Chief Prosecuting Witness at Trial.”
13 Thornburgh, 48.