Brooklyn 1975

by Robert Moeller

  “Yeah. I emptied a gun into Dom’s car, shot out the back windshield, but I’m not sure I hit anything, like, shot Dom, or anything.”

  “You got to get out of here.” Betty said. “I’m serious.”

  “No shit. They already took a couple of shots at me.”

  “Fuck. Where?””

  “Never mind that. The point is that now I’m just unfinished business to them, you know what I’m saying?”

  “Yeah, they don’t like loose ends.”

  “Exactly.” I said.

  “You know, Junior told me some shit, made me promise that I wouldn’t say anything to you.”

  “What?” I asked. “You might as well tell me.” I said.

  “No, I know. Just that he was working for Vito, trying to set something up. Said that Vito was going to give him a role in things if everything worked out. Said Vito was looking to expand, if you know what I’m saying.”

  “Did he ever mention what he was doing? You know, like what Vito wanted him to do?” I asked, even though I sort of knew the answer.

  “Yeah, set Dom up, you know to get whacked. Then Vito moves in, takes over the Motor Service. It was all set up, Vito had friends there but these people weren’t going to whack Dom. They’d sit on the sidelines and see what happened. But Dom knew something was going on. That’s how Big Mike got whacked, he was talking to Vito, felt things had passed Dom by, too old-fashioned, too grease ball, you see what I’m saying. But that’s how Junior got involved. It was Big Mike that he started talking to. Mike must have said something to Vito about him. Then Mike gets it and Vito needs to pick up the pace. Dom might be old school but he’s not stupid. Been to the mattresses too many times.”

  I wondered how Junior got involved in all this shit, not that he wouldn’t have eventually but now it all made sense. I said the same to Betty.

  “Yup, he saw an opening and you know how he is, I mean, was.” Betty said, sounding like he was choking up again. “I told him it was too fucked up. I tried to convince him to just stay out of it but forget about it, he wouldn’t listen.”

  “Yeah, listening wasn’t his thing, I guess. He had his own ideas.”

  “You should listen to me, though, you need to get out of here for a while. Let shit play out. Then you can come home.”

  “I know, but first I need to go see Marty, tell her what happened. She’s going to be upset, you know what I’m saying?”

  “Yeah, no doubt. Listen, I’ll swing by with the car, drive you down there. From there, though, you need to keep going. Too many people will be looking for you now.”

  “I know.” I said, not really knowing shit. “All right, come over and wait by the car. If no one is out there I’ll come down. Honk when you’re here. If they are out there, I’ll go down the fire escape and meet me in front of the bagel place.”

  “All right.” Betty said and hung up.

  I packed a bag with some clothes and sat down at the kitchen table to write my mother a note. Then I remembered that my father was home and addressed it to both of them. I though about what to say before deciding just to be straight with them:

  Mom and Dad,

  They killed Junior today down on the avenue, shot him twice. I’m up to my neck in something but only because of Junior. Me, I didn’t do anything. Anyone comes by or stops you on the street, just say you don’t know where I am. I’ll call you in a couple of days when I figure out what to do. Tell Rainie I’m O.K. and if you get the chance, check on Junior’s mother, see how’s she’s doing. Don’t worry about me I’ll be home soon.

  I signed it with my usual scribble and went to the front window to wait for Betty. Five minutes later he pulls up and double-parks downstairs. He beeps twice and then gets out of the car carrying a baseball bat.

  “Lot of good that will do.” I say when I’m down there.

  “Better than nothing.”

  “I guess you’re right. Let’s get out of here.” I said.

  “Where you going to go?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll start with Marty and take it from there. It’s too hard to think around here, if you know what I’m saying. Every two seconds I’m looking out the window.”

  “Yeah, we get you out of the city, you’ll be fine. Take a little vacation.”

  When we got down to Marty’s house her brother and a few friends were sitting on the steps. Before I got out of the car I turned and hugged Betty. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. Go see Junior’s mother and make sure she has everything she needs. I’ll call you when I figure out what I’m doing.”

  Betty almost lifted me off the seat of the car. I could feel his chest heave.

  “Hey, come on, everything will be fine. We’ll get through this. Right? Right?”

  “Yeah, right.” He said, not sounding really sure about what he was saying. “I’ll see you around.”

  I stood there and watched him drive off before turning around and talking to Marty’s brother. “What’s up?” I said.

  “Same shit, different day.” He said, and his friends laughed.

  “Listen, I’ve got some bad news.”

  “What, man. Tell me.”

  “It’s about Junior. They shot him, he’s dead.”

  “What? Who shot him? That’s fucked up.”

  “The Italians. ”I said. “You know, wise guys. Just this afternoon.”

  “Oh man, my sister is going to be fucked up, you know what I’m saying. Those two were close.”

  “She here?” I asked.

  “Yeah, upstairs.”

  “I better go tell her.” I said.

  “Hey, you need anything, something, anything?”

  “You have a small gun. You know, something I can stick in my pants.”

  He snapped his fingers and one of his friends went down to a parked car and pulled a gun off the top of the tire. “Here, take this, semi-automatic, eight in the clip. I’ll give you eight more in a baggy. Maybe you’ll get some on Junior’s account, fuck those people up.” He said.

  “Nah, I’m just looking to split town for a while, let things cool off.” I pointed at the door. “I’m going to go up and talk to her.” Then, I pointed at my finger. “And give her his ring.”

  He crossed himself. “This is a fucked up place.”

  “Tell me about it.” I said.

  Upstairs, I knocked on the door. Marty’s mother answered and I held up my hand like an Indian. “Marty here?” I asked.

  She smiled, said something in Spanish and let me in. Marty was sitting there in the kitchen doing here nails. “What are you doing here?” She said.

  “Something happened.” I said. “Something bad, to Junior. He was shot this afternoon.”

  “Oh my God, is he all right. What hospital did they bring him to?” She stood up and came at me like she was attacking.

  “I don’t know. I couldn’t stick around. Marty, he’s dead.”

  “No. No. No.” She whimpered. “Not him. You’re lying to me.”

  “Marty, I’m not. He got involved in some shit. You know what I’m saying. You know how he was. He got in over his head.”

  “The Italians?” She said.

  I nodded. “Yeah, the Italians.”

  She put her hands up to her face and started to cry. Her mother went to her and wrapped her in her arms. I stood there not really knowing what to do. I was feeling tired and dirty. I looked down at my shirt and flecks of Junior’s blood were splashed across the bottom of it. I took the ring off and held it in my hand. Marty looked up at me.

  “I brought this for you.” I said.

  She reached across her mother’s shoulders and took it. “It’s his ring, his lucky ring.” She said, and continued crying.

  I sat down on one of the chairs and hung my head in my hands. Junior was dead and my life was complete shit now. I didn’t even feel the spark that usually flared whenever I saw Marty. I felt cold and empty, dead inside. I’d go off somewhere because staying here now was suicidal. But beyond that—I was fuc
ked. I mean, really fucked. And now I needed to get out of town, how funny was that? I mean, I really haven’t been anywhere unless Bear Mountain counts as out of town. I had no idea where to go and I said as much aloud and then I saw it, there on the wall beside a velvet painting of a black Jesus was a calendar. The picture above the date part was a sandy beach stretching for as long as the eye could see, Cape Cod.

  I asked to use the phone and Marty pointed to it on the wall. I called Angela and told her what happened. She didn’t say anything but just listened as I rambled on. I told her I needed to get out of town, Cape Cod maybe, and I needed a ride.

  “I’ll pack some stuff and be over there in a hour.” She said. “You need money, or anything?” She asked.

  “No, I’m fine. I’ve got plenty.” I said.

  “O.K. Just wait there.” She said and hung up.

  I hung the phone up and took the calendar off the wall. For each different month there was a different beach or at least they looked different and on the back of the calendar there was a map. Turns out Cape Cod stuck out into the ocean like this arm, or something and there was this highway that went all the way out to the end, like where the fingers would be. I tried to imagine what it was like and figured like this road had the ocean on both sides of it with waves crashing into the side of your car.

  “Angela is coming over.” I said.

  Marty, who was sitting at the table with her mother standing behind her rubbing her back said, “I’m coming with you.”

  “What?” I said. “You can’t, it could be dangerous.”

  “I need to, I’m telling you. I need to get out of here too. What am I going to do, huh, put on a nice dress and go watch them bury Junior? I can’t take it anymore. I’m coming. I’ve have some money, a hundred bucks…”

  “It’s not the money, I have plenty its just…” It made no sense, her wanting to come and so it made no sense to argue with her. “It’s not a good idea. Plus, I’m not sure when I’ll be able to come back.”

  “I don’t care. I’m coming with you. I hear it’s beautiful there. I need to be with someone that knew him, like you, you see what I’m saying. I can’t stay here by myself.”

  I just didn’t have the energy to fight with her so I said she could come with us. “Pack some clothes, if you’re coming.”

  “Where are you going? Marty’s mother said to her. “Where?” Marty said something back to her in Spanish and they went back and forth and I didn’t understand a thing. I could see that her mother was mad at me because she was glaring in my direction. “What?” I said. “I didn’t do anything.”

  She turned her back on me and walked away. Marty was ready a few minutes later. She came out of her room carrying a small suitcase. “I brought some weed if we need it.” She said.

  “Let’s go. We can wait for Angela downstairs. I think your mother is mad at me, or something.”

  “She gets like that for no reason.” Marty said. “Besides, she’s mad at me not you.”

  “Whatever, at least say goodbye to her before we go.”

  Marty put her bag down and disappeared into the apartment. I few minutes later she came back and we went downstairs. “You say goodbye to her?”

  Yeah. She’s fine with it. Me going, I mean. What’s she going to say anyway?”

  That’s a nice shirt you got on.” I said, trying to make conversation.

  “Junior got it for me, took me shopping at Kings Plaza, bought me lots of stuff, you know, for the summer.”

  “Well, it’s a nice shirt.”

  “Thank you.” She said.

  Downstairs Marty’s brother was waiting for us. “I got people out, up and down the block in case the Italians come.” He was pointing up and down the street. See that guy on the steps over there he’s got a sawed-off under the newspapers. These people bother you here we’ll fuck them up. Least we can do for Junior.”

  “Thanks.” I said. “Only one coming is my girlfriend. She’ll be here in a minute. We’re getting out of town.”

  “I hear that. Lay low, or whatever.”

  “Your sister is coming too. I told her no but she’s not listening.”

  He smiled. “No shit.” He said. “Not listening.”

  Just then, Angela pulled up. I leaned into the car to kiss her and she asked how I was. “I’m fine.” I said.

  “Marty coming?” She asked.

  “Yup.” I said.

  “Where we going?”

  “Cape Cod.” I said.

  “Hi Marty.” Angela said. “I’m really sorry about Junior.”

  Marty didn’t say anything so Angela let her be.

  “How do we get there?” She asked me.

  “I think you just take the West Side Highway until up by Yankee Stadium there’s a sign for New England. Some shit like that.” I said. “I’m not really sure, though. We’ll just drive up there, can’t miss it.”

  Marty held up the back of the calendar, with the map on it. “I brought this, so when we get there we’ll know where to go.”

  She handed it to me and I looked at it while we drove. Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet… It sounded like pirate shit, these places. What were people thinking? Better yet, what was I thinking?

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Angela was a natural when it came to driving. She could have been a getaway driver for any stick-up crew in the city. It seemed like she never sped up and never slowed down, it was all about cruising along enjoying the ride. When we were out of the city, I tilted my seat back and went to sleep. The radio was on low and Marty was leaning up between the seats with her arm on my shoulder talking softly to Angela.

  I woke up a couple of hours later and the car was parked and the girls were gone. I got out and looked around. We were in like the wilderness, I’m telling you. The air smelled like the forest, or something, and the birds were out of control, chirping like maniacs.

  I took a deep breath and the air felt so good, it was like cool and fragrant, like perfume, or something.

  We were a rest stop somewhere and I could see the girls walking back to the car. I lit a cigarette and stood waiting.

  “Where did you go?” I asked. “I thought for a minute you deserted me.”

  “We had to pee.” Angela said.

  “Really bad.” Marty added.

  “Where are we?” I asked. “Looks like the middle of nowhere.”

  “Bout an hour outside of Boston, maybe an hour and a half.” Angela said. “There’s a map by the bathrooms.”

  “Probably bears out here.” I said. “And the birds are going crazy. Listen.”

  “Those are crickets, you dumb ass.” Marty said. “You know, like grasshoppers.”

  “Could be frogs too.” Angela said. “They make a lot of noise at night.”

  Me, give me the D Train filled with every variety of human scum. Hey, I’m not happy about it but it’s familiar, you know what I’m saying. If I have to fight, I’ll fight. But this nature stuff was insane, I’m telling you. First of all it was darker than I’ve ever seen it, so dark that I could barely see the girls and they were standing next to me. Then you had the bugs and animals, forget about it. “Let’s get going.” I said. “This place creeps me out. Too many trees…”