Sal Gabrini: Burning Love

by Mallory Monroe

  But just as Gemma was about to rush in, Sal drove up. And he and his men drove up shooting. Sal jumped out of his car as his men easily took out Herb’s men, and Gemma ran to him.

  “Lucky’s in the house,” she cried. “Our baby is in that fire!”

  “Where?”

  “On the sofa,” Gemma said. “He’s on the sofa!”

  Sal slung away from Gemma and ran up to that porch. Although the front door was clear, both sides of the door were consumed in flames. But he covered his face with his shirt and ran through anyway.

  Herb was already coughing, and on his knees inside the house, and Sal shot him successive times as he stooped down and ran to the sofa.

  Gemma’s mother and father and Robby, too, grabbed Gemma to prevent her from going in behind Sal, and the police arrived on scene. But as Gemma waited, and there was no Sal, and no Lucky, and the house was only burning worse, she couldn’t bare it.

  Her parents had a death grip on her, and she knew breaking free from them was not going to be easy. “There they are!” she yelled, pointing toward the side of the house, and all of them eased their grip to look. And Gemma took off. She ran up to that porch, covered her face with her shirt as best she could, and ran inside that burning house.

  By the time she got inside, the side walls were consumed in flames and Sal was on the floor, passed out, and the baby was inside of his shirt. She grabbed the baby. She knew she should have run out right then and there, but she couldn’t.

  She grabbed Sal by his shirt and dragged him with strength she didn’t know she had. She dragged and dragged. It seemed as if they weren’t moving at all. But they were. Inch by inch she dragged them. The side walls began to collapse inward. The ceiling began to collapse, and she was about to pass out too. But she kept on dragging and moving inch by ever loving inch. Until she saw her father run in and take her over the threshold, as she took Sal and Lucky over.

  Robby and police officers came to help them, as they made it off of that porch and out of harm’s way.

  And just as they did, the house itself collapsed into itself, and into a ball of smoke and fire.

  One officer gave the baby mouth-to-mouth, while another officer attempted to revive Sal.

  Gemma couldn’t help that time. She could barely breathe herself. And her parents had her in another death grip as they watched their grandchild and their son-in-law that they now thought of as simply their son.

  The baby came back easily. Lucky coughed and cried. Gemma crawled to him and put him in her arms. But she turned to her husband, as they continued to work on Sal.

  And they continued as the fire truck came.

  And continued as paramedics got out their gear and relieved the cops.

  And Gemma prayed. And prayed. And prayed.

  And finally, Sal didn’t cough and cry like the baby did when he came to, but he came to. And coughed and coughed. When Gemma heard him cough, and saw him open those big blue eyes of his, she knew they had crossed over. They were going to make it. All three of them were going to be just fine.

  EPILOGUE

  Sal and Gemma, with Lucky in his stroller, along with Reno and Trina, with Dommi and Sophia at their side, were all at the carnival for a Saturday fun day. But when Dommi started bothering Reno about getting on that rollercoaster ride, a ride Reno despised, Reno got the bright idea to change the relaxed, Saturday fun day to a let’s have fun at Sal’s expense day.

  “Hey, Sal,” Reno said, “why don’t you go ride with Dommi?”

  “Oh what?” Then he looked at the rollercoaster. “That?”

  “Ever rode one before, Uncle Sal?” Dommi asked him, excited to play along too. He was his father’s son.

  The unsuspecting Sal was easy prey. “I think I rode a few when I used to go to Coney Island as a kid,” Sal said. “I don’t know. I don’t remember. Even as a kid I didn’t have time for all of that kid’s stuff.”

  “Ride with me then,” Dommi said. “Dad won’t let me get on one unless I have an adult with me. Will you ride with me, Uncle Sal?”

  Sal looked up at the rollercoaster. “Yeah, sure. Why not?”

  “Sal,” Gemma said, “I don’t think so.”

  “What? It’s just a little ride.”

  “Yeah, that’s what Reno thought,” Trina said.

  “Keep Reno out of it,” Reno said. “Sal wanna ride, let him ride,” he added with a smile.

  Sal looked at him. “What’s so funny, Reno? You think I’m afraid to ride that little toy over there?”

  “Yes, as a matter of fact,” Reno said, egging him on. Trina looked at Reno and shook her head.

  “Yeah, Uncle Sal,” Dommi said, egging him on too, “let’s show Daddy we ain’t afraid of no stinking ride!”

  Sal laughed. “Okay. Come on, Lil’ Boss, let’s do this.”

  “Let’s do this, Uncle Sal,” Dommi said jovially. “Let’ do this!”

  “Wanna come with us, Sophia?” Sal asked, but Sophie quickly shook her head no and moved behind Trina.

  “What’s her problem?” Sal asked.

  “She still has nightmares from the time she rode on a ride with Reno and his scary butt,” Trina said.

  “I told you to keep me out of it, Tree,” Reno insisted, but couldn’t keep from smiling.

  “Whatever,” Sal said. “Let’s go, Dom.”

  “Let’s go do this,” Dom said happily, winking at his Dad, as he and his uncle got in line for the rollercoaster.

  Gemma looked at Trina. “Reno don’t like rollercoasters?” she asked.

  “I don’t know if he likes them or not,” Trina said, “but I know he’s afraid of them.”

  Gemma smiled. “For real?”

  “No!” Reno said. “You believe everything Trina tells you?”

  “But you are afraid, Daddy,” Sophia said.

  “Didn’t I tell y’all to keep me out of this?” Reno said angrily. “Geez. Can’t go to a carnival without being attacked!”

  He headed over, to talk with Sal and Dommi while they were still on solid ground.

  Sophia smiled. “Daddy’s embarrassed,” she said. “Daddy doesn’t like people to know he’s afraid of anything. And he’s not. Except these little rides.”

  Gemma laughed. “Well, Sal won’t have that problem, trust me. He’s a man’s man. He’s gonna show Reno how it’s done.”

  “Un-hun,” Trina said doubtfully. “Sure he is.”

  “Okay,” Gemma said, looking down at Lucky in the stroller. “Watch and learn, Tree. Watch and learn!”

  “But for real,” Trina said, moving on, “how are you guys managing? I know it’s only been a few weeks.”

  Gemma nodded. “But we’re doing good. The baby’s healthy as an ox. Sal is his old self again.”

  “What about Leftwich, Junior? Did Sal let him go?”

  Gemma nodded to that too. “He didn’t have anything to do with it. His father blamed Sal when his daughter died of a drug overdose. He believed it was because of her son’s death, and he blamed Sal for her son’s death. Not the other cops that were there that night. Only Sal because he was the man in charge. He was their sergeant. But Leftwich, Junior wasn’t involved. Sal ordered his release.”

  “I heard he’s going to build your parents a brand-new home.”

  “You know it. They told him it wasn’t necessary, that they had insurance, but Sal told them to pocket that insurance money. A new house is on him.”

  Trina nodded. “You’ve got yourself a good man, Gemma. I always had a soft spot for Sal, even when he was a narrow-minded idiot. I saw his heart. But what about you? How are you holding up?”

  Gemma smiled. “I’m doing good. Really and truly. I’m doing great. I’m getting my campaign staff together. I’m winning cases again. I’m working it out.”

  “Good.”

  “They’re about to go up,” Sophia said, looking over at the ride.

  Gemma, pushing her stroller, and Trina and Sophia, walked over to Reno, who was standing near the platfo
rm. Sophia went and grabbed her father’s hand. He lifted her up and into his arms.

  And Sal and Dommi, sitting side by side on the ride, were buckled in.

  “Ready to do this, Uncle Sal?” Dommi asked with a grin.

  “Hell yeah,” Sal said excitedly. This was actually feeling like it was going to be fun. “Let the games begin up in this mug!”

  Dommi laughed. Sal was his favorite uncle.

  And then they were off.

  At first, Sal was enjoying himself. It was inching higher, but that was alright. He could deal with that. But when it started going down faster than fast, and that feeling he felt where his heart was still at the top of the ride, suddenly overwhelmed him. “No, hell no!” Sal cried. “What the fuck is this?”

  Dommi was laughing. “Not another one!” he said. “You’re afraid too, Uncle Sal?”

  Sal caught himself, especially since they were back at the bottom of the ride and was itching up again. “Afraid? No. Who says I’m afraid? I ain’t afraid of nothing.”

  “Let’s do this?” Dommi asked, excitedly jerking on the handlebar.

  “Let’s do this,” Sal said, smiling again.

  And he continued to smile as the ride slowly climbed. But when it shot back down, he was upset again. “No, I don’t like this!” he cried. “I wanna get off. Get me off! Get me off, y’all, get me off of this motherfucker!”

  Reno was laughing his head off. So was Trina. But Gemma was amazed.

  “He’s sure showing us how it’s done, Gem,” Trina said. “He’s sure showing us!”

  “Sal,” she yelled when the ride came back down and they were close enough for her to yell at him. “Stop all that noise!”

  But Sal didn’t care anymore. Because this time, when they went back up, they not only shot downward, but they went underneath a track and began riding upside down.

  Sal was screaming this time, hollering worse that a woman, and Dommi was laughing his head off. But it was no laughing matter when Sal, so overcome with fear, lost his lunch. He threw up. But the wind blew it right into Dommi’s mouth.

  And now Dommi was screaming and wiping out his mouth with the back of his hand.

  And now Sophia was laughing. Her stupid brother, she felt, got away with everything. But not this time!

  And when they finally got off of the ride, and Dommi was spitting, and Sal was walking like a constipated cowboy, Reno couldn’t help it. He fell on the ground with laughter. Sal wanted to kill his ass, and Dommi did too. Until they saw Sophia. Even she was laughing at them. They knew then, that it was only right. They had both been carrying on like pure fools. And it was only then could they laugh at themselves.

  “Gemma said you was going to show us how it’s done, Sal,” Trina rubbed it in. “She said you were a man’s man and you were going to show us.”

  Sal shook his head. “That’s the thing with my wife,” he said. “When it comes to me, she believes the hype.”

  “And when it comes to her?” Trina asked him.

  “Oh, there’s no hype to believe. Gem’s the best,” Sal said. “That’s just a fact.”

  And Gemma, with even Lucky smiling and eating his knuckle, gave Sal a big, big bear hug.

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