A Matter of Love in da Bronx

by Paul Argentini

  Incredible. Life was absolutely incredible to Sam. In the last dozen hours he had moved violently to the extremes of his emotions, raging at the madness that overtook him in the only way he knew how, he imbedded his whole self in work. If he had been given a sledge and the task of demolishing the Empire State, he felt he could do it in a day. Several factors took him almost to the pin of his depths. It began with seeing Mary go off with Vito. Then, learning the full breadth and depth of his father's intransigence concerning all aspects of the Dolorosso family relationship. Finally, Lou. For Sam to deny what he knew to be true would be to walk a lie he would never believe. Something was going to happen to Lou, something bad, and there was nothing, nothing, nothing Sam could conceive that could change it. Whatever it was, he was going to just watch the fucking thing happen, a dreadful aspect of his gift. He didn't know when, and for that insignificant fact he was grateful.

  He suffered this pall from the time he walked from Lou's in the breaking hours of the morning until he reached the shop to start his work. The effect was to have him perform so unlike himself, unmethodically, uncaring, dazedly. He painted, checked the mail, answered the phone, sold supplies, talked to customers. Precisely nothing registered...until the call.

  Her call. Mary's...

  --Mary! Mary!

  --Sam, listen...

  --Mary! I died! I actually died and went to camposanto.

  --Sam, will you please listen...?

  --I will, I will! You love me, you love me! Just say it once. You love me!

  --You love me.

  --Yes, I love you! I'm madly, passionately, desperately, frustratingly in love with you. Now say that you love me!

  --I love you.

  --You do? I mean, you do! She does! Oh! Glorygloryhalleluleah!

  --Sam, I'm helping my mother...you know...the Saturday morning chore she does. I don't have a lot of time. Don't you want to know what happened last night?

  --You're talking to me, and you love me. I couldn't care less what happened. I died last night, and you give me back my life this morning.

  --I'll give you more than that when I see you tonight...

  --You mean... He knew what she meant because his penis started to grow harder and harder. We'll still meet, just like last night, by the Santini place? Then, we can go...someplace. I can use some of the money I took in here at the shop, but I don't like to do that. I've never done that, but I will for us, for tonight...

  --You don't have to. The treat's on me. You just find the place. We really can't be choosey, but I'd rather not a motel...you know...it would make me feel...funny.

  --Like cheap, not the special thing it is. I know. I'll think of someplace. Oh! Darling! Whatever kept us apart last night was a miracle because it's given us so much more to look forward to today! I'm just like a schoolkid. My heart, banging...fast...madly. Oh! Mary! I love you so much. I thought, I really thought I lost you last night. I couldn't understand anything; the world just went upside down. I wanted to be a kid so I could cry.

  --Oh! My love, I'm so sorry. There wasn't anything I could do. Vito...he got to the house earlier...told my parents we had a date. He came back, and wouldn't leave. My father said if I didn't go with him, I couldn't go out again at all because I'd just be out whoring around. I knew I needed to get out just once to be with you, that's all we need sweetheart, then no one can ever make us part. We'd be like the smoke from two close fires, joining into one, together, you and me, always, right to heaven.

  --You talk like the angel you are...

  --I knew I could handle Vito, and I made him take me home early. I knew you were there when we left, I didn't dare look; but coming home I hoped I'd see you...somehow...

  --No, I was doing funeral services. And, darling, it's not just for us, but it's important I see you. It's about Lou. I have to tell you...I don't know what to do. I'm ecstatic with your voice, but a part of me is despondent; like my heart is holding fire and ice.

  --Darling...?

  --No, sweetheart, I just wanted to alert you; in case when we met tonight you detected something you misconstrued as directed to you. See, how in this short time, we have grown to depend on each other...

  --Yes, yes!

  --Yeah, like two drunks...

  --You dirty rat!

  --I love you.

  --I love you. Think of me until we hold each other tonight.

  --I wouldn't dare. The way things are standing up, I wouldn't have anything left by tonight. Mary...he whipsered...I want you so bad...

  --You mean badly...

  --No, when it's this hard, and hurts this much, it's bad.

  --Mary fix.

  --Ohhhhh! Jesus!

  --For now I'll blow you a kiss, tonight I'll give you both.

  --How you talk. I think I just lost the upper quandrant of my skull--right through the skylight.

  --Tonight, till I love you, my love.

  Sam let out a warhoop that almost took off the paint he had just put on the outside wall. He didn't remember it, however. Nor did he remember completing the painting, cleaning everything up, nor anything else he did until he got to the bathroom at home where he spent an inordinate amount of time giving his whole self a wax and shine. That was when he decided they'd go back to the bar and take the room they were offered, which he had filled in the interim with a thousand and one fantasies of Sam, The Lover, and Mary, The Lovee.

  When Mary walked up to the Santini doorway that evening, they were both riding such expectant highs they didn't kiss, just one sweaty palm grasping another sweaty palm.

  They walked to the park near Louisa's where they stood in the dark of a tree, and kissed tenderly, easily; holding back the passion they both knew had been driven by hot desires to the force of a tornado waiting to be unleashed. Lou arrived first, then Louisa; the four of them not saying a word once Sam gave Lou directions.

  Seated in the booth in The Family Dining Room, the woman in black waited by the doorway, as if she knew the scenario beforehand.

  Lou turned to Louisa: --Shall we stay and have dinner down here...first? She nodded, trying to keep a straight face.

  Sam and Mary got up, fighting to keep themselves from running headlong up the stairs.

  In Sam's mind, he had decided beforehand that if he could do it, he wanted to remember every single moment, every touch, every breath, every sensation, every utterance. And if he couldn't? Again, the strange experience of talking to and about himself as a second individual to a third, surprising himself by his own lasciviousness: --We'll just have to do it over and over until we remember! So, when Mary broke apart from the kiss to command throatily, --Hurry! Darling, hurry! he pulled her tighter to him, kissing her hard, pulling her by the cheek of her ass against his bulging erection.

  --Oh! Sweetheart...!

  --Darling!...

  --I want to savor every moment...

  --Yes! Yes! She threw her head back; her fingers digging into his body as he first kissed, then sucked, then bit her neck. Oh! Darling! The sensations are like bolts of electricity!

  He released her to undo the front of her blouse. She helped him with the bra catch at her front, then, with it undone, her breasts spilled out to all their fullness, nipples pointing out hard demanding attention. So beautifully curved, so artfully formed, they filled his eyes with their wonder. He could see the softness, like eider in shadow. Though he would recall he stared at them for hours, it was only a moment before be sprang to encapture them both in his hands, the giving of them going straight to his gonads, his lips surrounding a teat, pulling it hard into his mouth as his tongue stroked it roughly.

  She moaned out loud as she reached down to grab his swollen penis, holding it tightly, wanting its fullness to feel the depth of her love place already moist and receptive.

  The heat of the moment turned his blood to steam. With barely a thought, he moved her to the bed where with wild abandon his hands moved all over her, from her boobs, to her ass, to her legs, up her dress to her panties, on he
r pussy as he kissed and tongued first one boob, then the other; then her neck, and mouth, then down her chest to her stomach.

  --Darling! Take me! Take me!

  --I want you! I want you so bad!

  --I've got to have you! I want to feel you inside me! Sam! My darling, hurry, hurry! Before I explode with desire!

  He rolled onto his back, struggling to undo his belt so he could discard the troublesome clothing. In one movement, he pushed trousers and underwear down to his ankles. Now freed, his glistening, steaming penis stuck out like a structure from Pisa, and he would recall later how it felt three feet wide and ten feet long, though it was really somewhat less than that. At that instant, he was amazed to see Mary sit up, slide off the bed, and dash to the bathroom.

  --Mary...! She was out of sight before he said it. What is it? He glanced around, only to find his reflection in the overhead mirror. After the height of the last moments' expectation, the shock of his aloneness caused his penis to thump-thump-thump itself to detumescence. It was no more than a few moments when he decided he should dress, and wait patiently for the outcome. Except to blame himself for some error he wasn't aware he had committed, he couldn't conceive of what caused her sudden and hasty departure. He stepped toward the bathroom.

  She was sobbing!

  --Mary... Quietly.

  Sniffles. --I'll be right out. Hand me my purse?

  --Sure. He picked it up off the floor, and passed it through the door. Mary, what is it?

  --Wait.

  He did. At least ten minutes, in which time he had a chance to do a replay of their fiery vignette. Everything seemed to move right along toward the proper conclusion until Mary lit out.

  She appeared smiling shyly. --Sweetheart. Sam, I'm sorry... I should've known...

  --Mary, what the hell happened? What did I do?

  --You were doing fine! I was doing fine! We were doing fine. Just our timing was off a little.

  --Mary, you scared the holy living shit out of me. For a second I thought your mother and father walked into the room. I thought, too, you were going through a religious trauma, and saw the error of our ways. Mary, maybe you can wait until we're married, I can't.

  Her hands lashed out and grabbed him around the neck. She yanked him forward. Her tongue slipped through his lips, touching his, and then sucked hard to draw his deep into her mouth. She sucked hard.

  Sam felt her pussy back and forth rubbing his cock. He pushed the steel pipe back at her. He grabbed her by the cheeks of her ass and hoisted her against him. He felt himself fill with molten lead. He felt her body turn hot and melt into his. She pumped hard against him, whimpering as she sucked his tongue to its extension.

  In a swooping apportamento, they spun and fell onto the bed.

  Sam was between her legs. She released his tongue and clawed at his back to bring him down to her.

  He stared down at this wondrous women. In that instant he wondered he must have been insane to have waited for this so long.

  The tip of his penis felt the moisture of her lips.

  Uncontrollably he catapulted forward, ramming deep inside her.

  She rolled up on the back of her head growling with ecstasy as their pubes crashed together.

  He knew now what to do. He had dreamed often and long enough. He had seen enough of the crash and bang, the frittering spasms causing spastic numbness, which was crazy lovemaking better for bulls and mules, not lovers.

  He drew out slowly, feeling the wetness as she held him tightly. Almost all the way out, he moved back in but not as quickly this time. Again he bumped her and knew her clitoris was looking for him.

  He hesitated long enough to tease her and withdrew again, almost completely. Then, he lunged into her completely but holding back to allow his inflamed penis caress her love button.

  The lips of her vagina were folded in somewhat. Sam slid off to one side of her to have his penis roll it out of the way, and then the other side. It was time, and they were ready for the passage to ecstasy.

  Sam carefully pushed his way in until the head of his penis was filled to bursting. He could feel her tiny jab of flesh that flicked up and down waiting to splash the semen to the mouth of the vagina. When it hit the opening of his penis he had to concentrate not to let the orgasm begin.

  He held himself in tight to her, and slowly pushing against her clitoris he rocked against her leaving his inflamed penis hard inside her.

  Staying pubis to pubis tight to her, he rocked her faster and faster. He had moved their rhythm up as fast as when they would orgasm.

  Now, he started to withdraw from her on his outward strokes infinitesimal bit by infinitesimal bit.

  When he was coming out from her no more than a half-inch he felt the sensations thrill his body. They tingled and titillated him almost beyond endurance they were so pleasurable.

  Mary gasped at his movements as if she were gulping air, emitting moans at every touch of her clitoris every time he thrust back in.

  Sam knew he was indulging himself a bit too much. He was playing with disappointment. The orgasm could blast out of him at any moment. He knew he would lose control soon because he could feel Mary thrusting hard back into him, calling for faster and deeper invasions.

  Sam had worked his withdrawals out to almost the full length of his penis, keeping the same rapid tempo from the beginning.

  Mary was calling out wildly, exhorting him to make her come for God’s Sakes!

  Now Sam felt the head of his penis come out to touch her lips, swollen, wet, demanding.

  He knew there would two or three more thrusts at the most before he would explode.

  He felt Mary around his cock like tightening bands of steel.

  Fire had reached the explosive parts.

  Sam pulled completely out of Mary. She screamed, urging him back in.

  Unerringly his cock rammed into her swollen open cunt and connected with her stiff firescream indicator. She gasped, called out, and blew burning breath.

  He pulled out all the way again, and this time as the orgasm tore at his insides, his eyes clamped tight, he went breathless as their bodies scorched and welded one to the other.

  They both imploded as ionizing radiation tore through their systems.

  Lips seared lips. Cojoined, barely a whisper of a ripple their animas rocket past the atomless serenity of Jupiter beyond life itself. The ascension would not be duplicated in a rebirth of Earth. Completion. Come what may.

  The Gods were jealous.

  Their door was pushed open swiftly, noiselessly by the woman in black. Her hand flashed for them to get dressed quickly in the name of God! And to follow her. Her voice was hoarse, strained. --Men are looking for you! Out the back! Vite! Vite! She pointed down the hallway. He asked about Lou and Louisa. She replied: --Go! Just go!

  Sam turned to take Mary's arm. She led them out the door, past the woman. Mary turned in the direction she pointed. Sam headed for the stairs to the family dining room.

  --Sam, this way!

  --Allez! Allez!

  --Sam!

  --Lou! I've got to get to Lou!

  But he made it only as far as the bottom step when the hunk of garden hose filled with bee-bees caught him on the back side of his neck. He was just about to call out Lou's name, but it only came up on the screen of his mind, stopped before his voice could execute the command. As he started to go down on one knee, another blow cracked him soundly on the forehead, just above his left eye. Instantly, he saw blood, and decided he had just lost the orb. He barely felt the second blow before he found himself flung to the welcome blackness loosing the name: –Mary . . .

  #

  CHAPTER 41

  WOMAN. MARY KNEW what it was to be a woman, to feel like all women of all ages, an ability peculiar to no other creature. Not that it could be identified as a role, though women had their roles; not that it didn't have something to do with duty, or birthright, or some other such, though women had all these and more; it was more a kinship born
of something similar to a secret society that knew alone some sacred noble and worthy task entrusted to it. Deeper than the source of intelligence, deeper even than instinct, it was innate, pervasive, and powerful. Mary had never searched out this feeling. Most women never do. It's just there. Mary wasn't necessarily more aware of it, somehow tracing it by following the sensations she felt as she toured her daily doings; but, more especially, this burbled when she saw a child, any child, of any age; before her, in a picture, on television. It came to her at times no more than an instant, sometimes long enough to involve her thoughts, but rarely paid any particular attention to it because she assumed it was part of her equipment as a human being, as a woman. Which, of course, it was, but futile! any attempt to explain what it was to a dog, or a tree, or say! even a man. So, if it came as naturally as breathing it wasn't something she was hardpressed to search out. For one thing, it was difficult to discuss such abstract concepts with her mother, but several times, when she was very young, she did bring up the subject with Louisa's grandmother who knew instantly! of what the little lady was exploring. Mary knew that by the look that passed to her persipient face. Mary didn't understand at all the explanation she tried to pass between them, yet Mary did sense that she was not ready to comprehend. The tack and travail of womanhood was already swinging through bone and skin to the eons ahead, which is what the little girl was inclined to know, yet, for the moment, was satisfied that it would be coming to her, it would be coming to her. What the gramma tried to tell her was that a woman could be born, and put to sleep for thirty years, when she awoke, she would know first all about being a woman, in every thought, word and action. Whereas, a man, for example, on awakening, would call for someone to bring him breakfast. And here, significantly, was the necessary other on the boulevard of being, man, though not anywhere close to being her all unlike in his world where woman was everything. It was only an underlined reason why He always found Her so mysterious. He need only have looked to his own limitations to get a good peek at the feminine mystique. For her, life was boutiquy, a delicious bit of a bite of everything in sight, whereas he was a gourmand, gulping globs until whatever it was he was interested in at the moment was gone. The embodiment of this ideal--and difference--was, Mary recalled, when Sam and she were eating Chinese in the shop, just before they were unable to keep their hands off each other. Sam had fed her a shrimp. --I want to take care of you. That's what he said. It was the universal, consummate inanity of men. Women have ignored the statement for ages, part of the choreography, but not entirely, it was so fictitious. Mary was to respond, --Sam, I don't want someone to care for me, I can take care ofmyself; what I want is someone to care for me. Only another person--you--can give me that; as only a person can return it to you. Gross ignorance has fostered the misconception. Moreoften it's the woman who takes care of the man. Proof is they outlive 'em. We let you believe what you want. Egotistical bastards performing self-fellatio. And what just happened in the hotroom was quite revelatory, if not damnably frustrating. Think of an actress practicing a role for weeks, then no chance to toss it off. No question, I wanted to see and feel your schlonga; how big, how talented, how exciting. Have you any idea how long I've wondered what it would be like to have a male organ inserted into my vagina, then with a series of thrusts and withdrawals to induce in me an orgasm, the ecstasy of which is supposed to be divine. I was ready in many ways. I practiced contracting the muscles in my vagina, which Gina said done at the right moments would make a man strip a gear and split on the spot. Also, Louisa said talking was better than a tongue in the snatch. I was ready to give you the whole dialog: --Oh! Darling... darling! that feels so good. Oh! Yes! Your cock seems so huge I feel it all over! Oh! Baby! Do I love that! Yes! Yes! Fuck me good, Honey, I can't get enough. Yes, deeper, deeper! really get it in there, Sweetheart. Oh! I love it! I love it! More! Deeper! Harder! Well, whatever...you've got the idea. Louisa says it's just like putting a flame thrower under a pot, it doesn't take him long. Best she says is to give him an orgasm. Just like this, she said it, --Work his cock hard, then just gasp, and die. I tried it one night, just went limp except to twitch my pussy a little, and Pst-Wang! he blew a gasket right then and there. Something like mob psychology, when one sees another do it, they all gotta. Oh! I don't know if I could've done all those things. I imagine it would've been fun, and I would've learned for myself, experienced it; then, knew better for the next time. What the hell. It could keep. What I didn't think could keep was everything ever after, the wedding, the apartment, the kids, the holidays, the being Mrs. Sam Scopia, and so on and on. I didn't think that was there when I got to the head of the stairs and looked down, and saw you in a heap on the floor leaking blood. Lou stopped to see that you were alive, and went on after someone going out the front. By the time I got to you, Louisa was there. I sent her out to get Lou back. I pictured--down through the ages, mind you--your return on the shield. Woman? You bet I felt like a woman. We know better two essentials of life: birth and death, as the ebb to the sea, the cast of the sky, the wend in the wind. It is as the concept to the form; not as evolution has worked on the artifact, rather to what bourne was it conceived? It surprised me when I felt the strength of it! Sam and I were active together less than a month! It might just as well have been a lifetime. Creation's concept was there, besides, or too, I loved him beyond words. And he lie dead, or dying. I took the stairs to join him, dead or dying. No, it wasn't so; not there. It was just up the street. Where he knelt. And I stood back. To see. To feel. The flooding that came over me to see the aura that surrounded the two of them as they made contact, not by the hand Sam held, but by the instant, profound communication, where everything was known, understood and assimilated; a corona of peace, the one mystery man held out to woman.