“It’s so cool that you already have all of this great stuff. You have an opportunity to make your mark in the music industry early on!” Nick replied.
“It’s very exciting for me to have an actual direction in my life after a number of years of a totally negative existence. I owe a lot to Daniel and Jason for what they did for me to turn my life completely around.” Tim then explained a little about how Jason and Daniel saved him from a hellish existence in a boot camp for teens.
Tim and Nick went back into the main rehearsal area where the others were hanging out.
“I would very much like to hear what some of your plans for the band are, Daniel,” Nick said. “It seems like you guys are already well organized and following a direction.”
“We don’t have everything figured out just yet, but we are trying to get ready with enough music so that we can start accepting playing jobs,” Daniel answered. “We also want to start writing songs and original arrangements so we can develop our own sound.”
“That sounds really interesting,” Nick replied. “I think it would be very important for the band to put together some real fast action-type original numbers to appeal to our age group. Not that what we just rehearsed wasn’t quality music!”
“I think I know what you are saying,” Eric said. “We need to be able to really rock out on our own material. Putting together original ideas is one of this summer’s goals for the band.”
“That is something I am really interested in doing — writing and composing music. As much as I like the classical concert music I have played throughout my life, I feel I need something more, a creative outlet that connects with this century!”
“You certainly have the talent to do that, Nick,” Daniel replied, “but do you have the time? As Mr. Ponticelli said, you can’t serve two masters!”
“He told you that?” Nick said with an incredulous expression on his face. “I think he is afraid of losing me as a piano student.”
“Well you must admit he has a point,” Jason said. “How many hours a day of practice does it take for you to be able to perform those pieces that you played at your recital.”
“It is a full time job, for sure,” Nick responded. “But I have done that all of my life! I would like some time to try other things. I can always go back to being a classical concert pianist if that turns out to be my destiny in life. Right now I am very interested in playing modern music and playing in a band. I want to write and arrange music for a band, and perform with other people my own age.”
“So what do you think of our band?” Tim asked.
“I think your band is great. In fact I would really like to become a member if you guys will have me. I will practice very hard and learn all the music. Tell me what it would take to get a chance to audition.”
“I’m pleased you really are serious about joining us,” Daniel said looking Nick in the eyes, “but will you have the time to be at our rehearsals with all of the other things going on in your life? What would your mother and your piano teacher say about that?”
“Oh, I am sure that they would be totally against it, at least at first. But I am now getting to the age where I feel I should have a say in my life!”
“Have you talked to them at all about this?” Daniel followed up.
“Not yet, but I will, I promise you that I will,” Nick replied.
“To join our band will require a very big commitment on your part, Nick,” Daniel continued. “I haven’t talked formally with Eric and Tim about that, but I think that we would be thrilled to have you join us, if that truly is what you want to do.”
“Oh, yes. When we played together on that first tune, I felt that something special was starting to happen. It was like I had found a new musical home!” Nick said. “You all have talent and when you play together I hear an exciting musical energy!”
Eric got up and said, “All this talk is great, but we are wasting time! Let’s play some more music together! I know I am up for another set or two of tunes.”
Everyone enthusiastically agreed, and soon the four musicians were working on more tunes. They rehearsed for another ninety minutes before calling it a day. Nick asked if he could get copies of their leadsheets so he could practice on them.
“Sure, that’s not a problem, Nick, but I think you should square away things at home before we get too serious about it. I don’t think it is fair to anyone if you make a commitment that you cannot keep!”
“You are right, Daniel,” Nick replied. “But it has been so great jamming with you guys I guess I just got caught up in the excitement of it. I sure would like to do it again soon!”
“I really hope you can work things out,” Eric said. “I’ve enjoyed playing with you today. Do you mind if I ask how old you are?”
“I’m fourteen right now, but will be fifteen later this summer,” Nick answered.
“That blows my mind,” Eric replied. “It’s hard for me to image a high school freshman having the skills and mature sound that you do.”
“Don’t worry, Eric. I’m almost a sophomore!” Nick said with a laugh.
Chapter 14
Fears and Concerns
(Monday Afternoon and Evening)
After the rehearsal ended, Daniel gave Nick and Jason a ride back to Jason’s house. As he dropped them off, Daniel said that he had to go back to Tim’s for a while as they had some band business to deal with. He promised Nick that he would drop by Jason’s after dinner. “I’d like to visit with you some more before your mom comes to pick you up.”
It was about four fifteen in the afternoon. It was a beautiful California day, temperature in the high seventies. Jason asked Nick if he would like to go inside or sit out in the porch. Jason’s house had a beautiful old-fashioned porch that was all screened in. Jason would often sit out there with his friends, especially when they were taking breaks from playing one-on-one basketball in the driveway.
“Let’s sit out here,” Nick said. “It’s just perfect outside right now!”
“Sounds good to me,” Jason replied. “I’ll get us some cold drinks.” A couple minutes later the two boys were sitting in comfortable chairs on the porch with chilled bottles of water.
Nick started their conversation by asking how Jason heard about his recital. “I know that somehow my grandfather got the information to you, but how did he do that? I’m sure that you don’t usually hang out with Mafia dons.”
“You know about your grandfather’s activities?” Jason asked with surprise in his voice.
“Yes, despite my mother’s desperate attempts to keep me totally in the dark about my father’s side of the family, I do know about the Feraducci family and their place in the world. I know that he and Grandmother are not happy about being cut off from us, but I agree with Mom that we should not have anything to do with organized crime!”
“Let’s just say that your grandfather invited Daniel and me over for lunch!” Jason replied cryptically.
“Oh no, this doesn’t sound good!” Nick said with concern in his voice. “My grandfather is super secretive about his house so I can’t believe he would just invite a couple of teenagers he had never met over for a meal!”
“Well it wasn’t exactly an invitation, more like a command performance,” Jason explained.
“What did Grandfather do? Please tell me, I have to know!” Nick insisted.
Jason told Nick the whole story about how Daniel and he were kidnapped and brought to Enrico’s residence under the ruse of winning a video game prize.
Nick was genuinely upset by the story. “Jason, I am so sorry. I can’t believe that Grandfather would actually resort to physical violence against you, especially after what happened to you last year. I feel terrible about that!”
“He was very apologetic about it, but nothing was going to stop him from having our meeting.” Jason went on to tell Nick about his grandfather’s motivation and the family stories that he used to persuade Jason.
“Wow, those stories abo
ut my father and mother really hit home. And I am blown away by that story about Grandfather being kidnapped when he was a boy in Sicily!” Nick exclaimed. “I had never heard about that before. For Grandfather, protecting the family honor is central to his existence! I know that his sense of family pride was very hurt when Mother cut him and Grandmother off from us. Yet I know he still feels an important family obligation to me. Whenever they get a chance to be with us, even if it is only at a public gathering for a few minutes, he is always there! For him to open up to you that way indicates that he was very serious about wanting you and Daniel to meet with me. Grandfather was right about one thing. You and Daniel are young men of honor. The fact that you even came to my recital proves that after the way he forcibly brought you to and from his house! Thank you for following through despite your rough treatment. I have really enjoyed meeting you, Daniel, Eric and Tim.”
“As soon as we heard your music and met you in person all the anger we felt from the way we were treated by Enrico Feraducci melted away,” Jason continued. “We came to your recital because I believed that the decision of whether or not Daniel and I would become involved depended totally on you, not what your grandfather did or wanted us to do.
“Your grandfather made it clear to us that he thought your life was in danger. He wanted us to check up on you and provide whatever assistance we could. I know I am bringing up a very sensitive and personal subject, but if Daniel and I are going to be able to help you out, we have to be honest with each other. There is no time to spare now that Ben Kessler, another kid from your town has gone missing, most likely kidnapped!”
“What exactly do you mean, Jason? I think I have been up front with you and Daniel.”
“You have been great, Nick. I hope I am not going to freak you out about discussing this, but somehow your grandfather has eyes and ears in your community. He knew all about the recent attacks on you and he is very concerned that your life is in danger!”
Nick’s whole expression changed after hearing what Jason said. It was like a cloud descended over his face. “My grandfather knew that I was attacked? I haven’t told anyone about it, except for Mom, who reported it to the local police.”
“Most likely your grandfather has informants in either the San Matthias police department, city hall, or in the local medical center where you were treated,” Jason said. “I’m sure that if he had his way, he would have two of his goons camped outside your house day and night watching you!”
“Those incidents were humiliating and embarrassing for me,” Nick replied with a frown. “I have done everything that I can to forget about them, but they still haunt me!”
“It is a truly terrible thing to be a crime victim, Nick. Even after you have recovered physically, your mind will play tricks on you for a long time afterward. That’s why I started doing detective work and the reason that my Whatever Foundation is focused on helping teenaged victims of crime. Some of things you are experiencing happened to me, Nick! The only way I could get over it was to try and fight back however I could. Predators are the worst kind of criminals. They don’t just rob you of your possessions — they attack your self-esteem and try to take away your pride and morality. They get their pleasure from degrading their victims!”
“You are so right about that, Jason. I felt so low and filthy after those experiences. I still shudder when I think about them.”
“If you are willing, Nick, Daniel and I will make a commitment to help you out. We want to help you fight back against the pervert who harmed you. We want to find out who he is and put a stop to his vicious attacks on kids!”
“You would be willing to do that for me? You would follow through on my grandfather’s request?”
“We are not doing this for your grandfather. In no way do we work for him! We have our own resources and connections that we would use as best as we could to help you fight against this predator. So far you have been incredibly brave and resilient about what happened to you. Until we actually met, I thought we would be meeting an introverted and terrified kid, confused and not knowing what to do. Your grandfather thought that the attacks were having a negative impact on your abilities as a musician. I have seen no signs of that at all!”
“Yes, I was terrified by those attacks, but I still have some Feraducci bravado in me, Jason. As long as I am capable, there is no way that I am going to show fear of some pervert, even if he is bigger and stronger! There is no way I am going to let him get in the way of my music. Music is my greatest strength in the face of adversity. It has a wonderful healing power! I have used that power to help myself recover from those attacks!”
Jason put out his knuckles to Nick. “You are a true fighter, Nick. Now I feel even more committed to helping you out!”
Nick connected back with his knuckles and gave Jason his big smile. “You have made my day, Jason. I feel honored that you and Daniel want to be my friends and look out for me. So where do we go from here?”
“You need to tell me what happened to you so that I know something about who we will be fighting against. If this is too painful right now, I suppose we could talk about it another time.”
“No, let’s get it over with,” Nick said. “Just understand that this is difficult for me.”
“I know, I had to go through the same experience after I was kidnapped,” Jason replied. “Take your time and don’t worry about the order of things.”
Nick shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Jason sat back in his seat, took a drink of water, and waited for Nick to begin.
“It happened to me twice. The first time was almost like a dream. It was more of a warning than anything. I guess the plan was to set me up for the second attack. The creepiest thing about both attacks was that the man must have keys to our house somehow, because there was no sign of a break-in, yet there he was in my bedroom on the second floor! He got inside and up the stairs without making a sound!
“I was sound asleep and then something woke me up! As my eyes opened I found myself looking into the face of a masked man. He had a dark ski mask on and was smiling at me with an evil grin. I was shocked and frozen scared at the same time! It was like a nightmare, Jason, but apparently the man was real. He had a sinister voice, and the man said to me, ‘You are mine, Nicolo. Whenever I want you, you will obey and cooperate with whatever I want. Understand?’ He said that several times until I shook my head ‘yes’. He then said, ‘If you tell anyone about this I will kill both you and your mother!’ Then the man held me down and put held a cloth soaked with a chemical over my nose and mouth until I passed out.
“When I woke up in the morning, I felt groggy. Then I recoiled as I remembered the man with the ski mask. It was such a weird feeling. I didn’t know whether it was a dream or real. As I looked around the bedroom, everything seemed normal. All my possessions were in their usual places. Gradually my mind began to convince itself that it was just a nightmare. Then I got up out of the bed and my eyes focused on the floor. There was a ripped piece of piano sheet music, spattered with red, I guess to simulate blood. There was one word written on the music page. ‘Remember’ it said. I’ll tell you that sent a real chill down my spine.”
“That was a scary experience, Nick,” Jason responded. “How did you deal with it?”
“I’m sorry to say that I totally caved in to the creepy man. I didn’t tell anyone about it. I burned the music page in the fireplace. Later I realized how stupid I was. That page was proof that there was an attack.”
“Don’t feel bad. Your reaction was very normal,” Jason said in a soothing voice. “That’s how predators get their way. They alternately shock and threaten you. A decent person like yourself doesn’t have much defense against something like that.”
“I buried the hurt of it inside myself, and gradually as the days and weeks went on, the experience receded from my memory,” Nick continued. “Then several weeks ago, the second attack occurred. This one was a lot more degrading and brutal.” Nick paused for a minute and took a large
drink of water.
“Again I was sound asleep when I was awakened by a man with a ski mask on. Quickly he grabbed one of my arms and twisted it behind my back. Then he stuffed a handkerchief in my mouth. “I own you, boy!” he said in that same sinister threatening voice. “You are here to serve my pleasure whenever I want! Don’t forget that, boy!” He then ripped open my pajama top and began fondling me. I squirmed and tried to resist but he just tightened his grip on my arm. His hand was becoming more invasive over me, when I somehow gathered all of my strength together and head-butted him right at his crotch. It caused him to lose his grip on me as he fell backwards. That absolutely infuriated him, but as soon as he released me, I pulled the handkerchief out of my mouth and began yelling for help as loud as I could. My resistance freaked him out I guess, and the man got up and ran out of the room. He must have had his exit planned well because later we could find no sign of him even being in the house! God, I was scared, but at the same time had some grim satisfaction that at least I was able to fight back!
“My mother came running to my room after she heard me yelling, but the man in the ski mask had already escaped. That in itself is scary. How did he have such command of my house? The police were contacted and they wrote down my story, but with no real leads nothing has been done to catch the predator,” Nick finished with exasperation in his voice.
“Predators are really difficult to catch, Nick. This is not going to be an easy struggle. This guy is becoming more and more daring! In the past month he has attacked you in your bedroom and kidnapped another kid in your community, assuming this is the same person.
“The good news is that you are willing to fight back, Nick!” Jason exclaimed. “You showed real courage. I’m so proud of you for what you did to resist! Predators are such human slime! More than ever I want to help you defeat this lowlife scum. Daniel goes even more ballistic when he hears stories like what you have just confided in me. That is why it was so important for you to tell me your story — it gets us motivated to fight with you. Nick, I want you to know that you have a team on your side now. No longer do you have to face this asshole alone! I am willing to commit every possible resource I have to help bring this creep to justice!”
Family Matters Page 10