by Paul O'Brien
“How the fuck would you even know how to treat a gem like that?” Joe said, as he pointed to Manhattan. “Just look at it! Look! The greatest fucking city in the world, and you think that you can have it?” Joe grabbed Lenny by the throat. “I can’t even remember the last time I grabbed another man by the throat. God in heaven, help me, I will fucking cut your head off and dump you in the river if I have to.”
Lenny was calm. “We both know that you’re not going to kill me, Joe.”
Joe punched Lenny in the face. “You think you’re going to outlast me?” Joe said. “You think your little magazine article is going to protect you? If you want to hide from me in plain sight, you better get yourself a way bigger spotlight than a fucking magazine article. You hear me?”
Lenny nodded. “I’m working on it.”
“I spent ten years putting this territory back together,” Joe said. “I bought a place and got to know the right people here. I nurtured New York back to her knees, when all the other bosses couldn’t give a fuck about her. I put in the time and I put in the money.”
Lenny was used to these types of negotiations. The ones where his face was beaten. But it was normally over much smaller stuff than a territory. “Neither of us deserves it,” he said.
“But I fucking promise you, I’ll end up with it,” Joe replied. “You have nothing left to barter with. You have no leverage, no wrestlers, and that means no TV show to submit to your station. You’re fucked.” Joe looked back over the river at the city, all lit up. “You know the difference between me and those other fucking apes that came before me? I always knew that there was a way to get rid of people without blood or bodies—or attention.”
Lenny watched Donta from the corner of his eye. He knew Joe wasn’t the killing kind, but Donta gave out the vibe that he certainly was.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Joe said. “You’re going to announce a unification match with your champion against the other titleholder, Emmet Cash, from the Carolinas. We’re going to do it ten days from now, which will fill your booking at the Garden. No more waiting, and no more risks for me. We will do this quickly, so no one has a chance to pull any fast ones. You’re going to drop the belt there, take ten-fucking-percent of the door, and leave New York to me.”
“Ten percent?” Lenny laughed. He had no idea what was making him so brave.
“You’re lucky that I’m giving you anything, you ungrateful little prick. You own a shell—a thin approximation of what a territory should be. No one knows who your champion is, and you bring nothing to the gate. You have nothing to leverage your position—you earn no money. You are a nobody, and you’ll be paid like a nobody. And fuck you for talking to me! Now you’re getting two percent of the gate. You add no value to this match—zero. Do you want zero percent of the gate?” Joe spat in Lenny’s face. “I didn’t play patience up here for a decade so you could come along at the last second and fuck it up for me. Ten nights, and all of this ends—and I get what I’ve earned.”
Donta hit Lenny in the gut, which folded Lenny over. He dropped to his knees, falling face-first at Donta’s feet. Lenny saw the opportunity. “Don’t ever come into my house again,” Lenny said as he found enough flesh to bite into Donta’s calf.
Joe laid in some kicks, and Donta laid in some stomps. Lenny was soon unconscious on the ground.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
1984.
Five days after Lenny got out.
New York.
Lenny’s wounds were all fresh and opened again thanks to his meeting with Joe. He couldn’t move his neck, and he had a couple more loose teeth at the back of his mouth. He was alive, though, and back at his father’s place. All he could think of was sleeping; he was nearly off his feet from exhaustion. Before he could open the front door, though, Edgar charged him, pushing Lenny toward the side of his house.
“How is Jimmy?” Lenny asked.
He knew the look—he remembered it from childhood. Edgar Long lifted his fist and punched his son in the face with it. There were no sounds, and no words. Edgar threw it, and Lenny took it. Both men let the moment sit for a minute.
“I want you out of here,” Edgar said. “You can lie to that parole officer about being here, but I don’t want you actually staying here and bringing all of this shit to my door.”
With those words, Edgar left Lenny on his own. Lenny understood. What could he say? His father was right.
Edgar reappeared around the side of the house and hugged his son. “I’m very sorry for hitting you, Lenard. But I can’t go through something else bad again. I’ve had my fill.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t know if you were dead or not. I didn’t know whether to call the cops or not. I don’t know what you’re doing. I don’t know what you’re thinking.”
“It’s nearly finished,” Lenny said.
“Well, it’s not going to end here,” Edgar said. “I wish you’d see that you’re so very far out of your league with these people. You’re not bad like they are. You don’t have that streak in you that makes people nasty. You’re a fucking driver who stumbled into a contract.”
Lenny could see that his father’s eyes were full when he broke from their embrace.
“Leave now. Please,” Edgar said as he walked back into his house.
Lenny was tired, hurting, and without a plan. The players had all revealed themselves. The snakes were all out in the open, but Lenny was drifting. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to go when he got out. He had no idea what was happening in the bigger picture, but he figured it might just be time to find out.
“You could always come home and stay with me and Mom,” Jimmy said, his face pressed through the gate at the back of the house.
Lenny smiled. It was great to see his boy again. “Not yet, son.”
“Why not?” Jimmy scaled the gate and half fell over it on Lenny’s side. “Where are you going to go?”
“I’ve got a place.”
“Can I come?” Jimmy asked.
Lenny put out his hand for Jimmy to slap; Jimmy obliged. “I’ve got some business to do,” Lenny said. “It’ll just take me a couple of days, and then I’ll come back here for you, and we’ll do something together. What do you think?”
Jimmy nodded. “Was that man going to kill you last night?”
Lenny knelt down in front of his son. “No one is going to kill me. Do you hear me?”
Jimmy tried to smile, but he wasn’t convinced.
“There are a few people out there who are trying to—to bully me. They’re trying to get me to do something that I don’t want to do. And do you know what they can all do?”
“Fuck off?” Jimmy answered innocently.
Lenny laughed. “Exactly.”
Jimmy hugged his father. “I can get us some money.”
“Money?” Lenny said. He leaned back and looked his boy in the face.
“That’s all we need to get out of here. No more problems,” Jimmy replied.
Lenny knew his son was right. Jimmy’s summation was simple, but correct. “I appreciate the offer, son. But I’m going to make this all better. I promise you that.” Lenny stood, but his son wasn’t done hugging yet.
“I’m going to help out too,” Jimmy said.
Babu’s wife opened the door with an air of suspicion. Lenny stood outside with Bree’s old, faded garden gnome under his arm. “Oh, I’m sorry,” he said. “I must have the wrong place.”
“Lenny?” Ava asked.
“Yes?”
“I’m Ava,” she said, as she opened her door wider for Lenny to come in. “Is the gnome sleeping here too?”
Lenny nodded and smiled as he walked in the door. The rooms were alive with the smells of food and baking. Ava was fixing her hair like someone who was in a hurry to go out. “I don’t know where Chrissy is,” she said. “But he said that you should hang out here for him.”
Lenny stood silently and uncomfortably in the hallway. He really felt b
ad about going back to Babu’s place.
“You’re welcome to anything in this house. Just help yourself,” she said as she disappeared up the stairs.
“Thank you very much. I really feel bad about … but it will only be for a couple of days,” Lenny said loudly in her direction.
“How are the boys?” Ava shouted back down.
Lenny wasn’t sure who she meant. In wrestling, “the Boys” were the wrestlers.
“I hear Luke—or Kid—is the champion, now, right?” she continued.
Lenny was surprised to hear a stranger talk about his boys. “Yes. That’s what I hear.”
Ava hurried back down the stairs and along the hallway.
“Did I make you late?” Lenny asked.
Ava was polite in shaking her head, but they both knew that her waiting for Lenny to get there had made her late for work. “I’m really sorry to be running out like this, but they’re short-staffed and I—”
Lenny stood aside and smiled. “No, please. And thank you.”
Ava had a kind face. “Any time.” She left in a rush.
Lenny didn’t know what to do, really. He thought about napping on the couch. Maybe see if they had any of that amazing soup left. As he tiptoed into the sitting room, the phone began to ring. He thought about answering it; maybe it was Babu checking in. On the other hand, it might be Ava’s mom or something, and Lenny didn’t want to have to explain his situation, so he let it ring. He lay on the couch, making sure to not put his feet up on the material.
The phone stopped ringing, but almost immediately started again.
Lenny closed his eyes and tried hard to sleep. His night with Joe hadn’t been the most pleasant, and sleeping alone, after all his years of sharing with people he didn’t trust, was a weird and hard thing to adjust to.
The phone stopped, but started up again.
“What the fuck?” Lenny covered his ears and crunched his eyelids closed. The phone kept ringing, and it was a bell phone, which made it all the more piercing.
Lenny sat and the phone rang.
Even though she had to rush, Ava made it to work with a couple of minutes to spare—just like always. She stopped in the dreary alleyway at the side of her job and lit her cigarette. She reached behind the stacked boxes and pulled out her trusty, rusty tin can that she used for her ashtray. New York might have been a shitty town, but Ava was going to do her bit to keep her part clean.
She thought about her husband and how she would love one more summer in Hawaii; one more great vacation together. She was sure that a month away from the city would rejuvenate Babu—but she also knew that might be asking too much. She tapped the butt of her cigarette into the can and watched a car pull up a few feet from her.
Donta Veal rolled down the driver’s window. Ava didn’t know him, but she could sense that he wasn’t good news.
“Do your husband a favor. Tell him to pick up his phone,” Donta said.
Ava walked away fast.
“Lenny, do you think my ass looks big in this?”
Lenny had found the spare room and closed the door. His tired and beaten body melted into the mattress. He was snoring.
“Lenny, do you think my ass looks big in this?”
Lenny woke up and tried to comprehend what he was seeing ten inches from his face.
“How cheeky am I?” Babu asked.
Lenny stared at Babu’s bare ass hanging out of a homemade toga. “What the fuck?”
Babu turned around and began to wiggle his stomach and hips. “I think I’ve put on some weight—what do you think?”
Lenny flopped back to his sleeping position. “What time is it?”
“It’s time to tell the truth.”
“What? What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I need to know,” Babu said.
“Need to know what?” Lenny asked.
“I need to know if you find me attractive,” Babu said as he launched himself into a big splash across the bed. His gigantic body, even in slow motion and in jest, crushed Lenny and collapsed the bed on all sides, until the mattress hit the floor. Babu howled with laughter as Lenny struggled for air. His panic only made the giant laugh even more.
“I can’t fucking breathe,” Lenny tried to shout.
Babu lifted most of his girth off of Lenny so he could remain conscious, but just for a second. “How many times did this happen to you in prison?” Babu asked.
Lenny tried to push Babu off him, but only managed to fart from the strain. Both men laughed. Babu in a toga and Lenny with a giant man-boob pushing into his left eye. The more he laughed, the more Lenny farted.
“Jesus Christ,” Babu said, as he tried to lift himself off Lenny. Lenny was gone: no sound, just completely silent convulsions of laughter. Babu could see tears run from Lenny’s beaten eyes. It became infectious, until Babu was laughing at Lenny laughing. Both turned into fart-producing children.
“You know, I owe you an apology,” Babu said.
“Oh yeah?” Lenny said, wiping his eyes.
Babu was suddenly more earnest. “I should have told you about your boy.”
Lenny hugged what he could get his arms around. “Thank you for watching over them, and making sure that they were looked after.”
Babu patted Lenny’s arm. “I know you’ll do the same for me.”
Lenny looked at Babu’s face: it was white and haggard. Enough to change the mood completely. The giant’s eyes were shadowed, gray around the outside. Lenny knew what his friend was saying, and he could only nod.
With Lenny’s acknowledgment, Babu became lighter, more free. “Thank you,” said the failing giant.
“I have a confession, too,” Lenny said.
“What?”
“Your phone rang on and off today for about four hours, and I didn’t answer it once,” Lenny said. “Sorry.”
“That was Ricky,” Babu said hopefully as he got up. “He always calls like that.”
Unfortunately, Babu couldn’t have been more wrong.
Jimmy tiptoed up to Babu’s door. He was on a highly secretive mission, and he knew it. “Hello?” he said as he knocked on the door. “Pop?”
Inside, Lenny couldn’t believe the voice he was hearing. “Jimmy?” he said to himself as he came to the door to investigate. Lenny opened Babu’s door and saw his boy standing there. He looked up and down the alley for signs of anyone else, but Jimmy was alone. “What are you doing here?” Lenny asked.
“I have an important message,” Jimmy said.
“You have what?” Lenny asked as he put on his jacket and closed the door behind him.
“What are you doing?” Jimmy said.
Lenny grabbed his son’s arm and marched him up the alleyway. “I’m taking you back to Granddad’s. How did you even get here?”
“I’ve been here a million times before,” Jimmy replied.
“On your own?” Lenny asked.
“No, this is the first time on my own,” Jimmy said. “But what am I supposed to do if I need you?”
“You call me here. I’ll go to you. Understand?” Lenny said. Jimmy nodded. “I’ll get you the number, hang on,” Lenny said as he turned to walk back to Babu’s.
“I already know it,” Jimmy said. “And Ricky’s. And Kid’s, too.”
Lenny knew that his father would be worried. “Okay, well, you call here, let it ring twice, then stop. Then call again. That way I know it’s you and answer it. Okay?”
Jimmy got it. He loved this spy secret code stuff. “Twice, and stop, then call again.”
“Does Granddad know where you are?” Lenny asked.
“No, I swore to not tell anyone, and I didn’t,” Jimmy said as he handed Lenny his note.
“You swore to who?” Lenny asked. Jimmy nodded at the note. Lenny opened the folded piece of paper and read the message.
“Where did you get this?” Lenny asked.
“He called me,” Jimmy said. “Asked me to make sure you knew what was going on.”
> CHAPTER FIFTEEN
1984.
Six days after Lenny got out.
New York.
Everyone turned to watch the giant walk through the airport. He was Godzilla, or King Kong—something freakish. Babu hated people staring at him. He hated navigating crowds, turnstiles, and doorways. He just wanted a more normal life, but that was never in the cards for him; a man his size was always going to draw attention. A few deeper male voices booed him and told him how much he sucked as he walked toward arrivals with his head bowed. The giant knew the date was right, and the time was right; he and Ricky were both meticulous about such things. In all his years in wrestling, Babu’s mind was a constant Rolodex of dates, times, venues, and flight numbers. It was the way he and all the other successful wrestlers lived their lives.
But when the Pan Am 747SP aircraft, flight number 801, arrived at JFK without Ricky on board, alarm bells began to ring in Babu’s head. As much as he hated to be stared at, the giant needed to check for himself. Ricky didn’t miss flights—not his style.
Babu saw with his own eyes that the gate was empty, and that everyone was long gone. He hoped that Ricky found his van outside or something. But Babu knew it was something more serious. It was more than a no-show. He knew that if someone had taken Ricky out of the equation, New York had no chance of stringing together a miracle fast enough to keep them afloat. If Ricky wasn’t able to get home in time, then New York was ripe for the picking. Babu couldn’t help but feel like it was all his fault; he needed to know if stringing Joe along had gotten his friend hurt, or worse.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Kid Devine sat in the front row of an empty Madison Square Garden. He thought about his match that was coming up, and how it would play out. He thought about his father, the wrestling business, the threats, and how all that would play out too.
He heard footsteps on the risers behind him.
“Let me smarten you up,” said the voice in the darkness.
In wrestling, this phrase meant everything. A veteran saying those words to a rookie was a passing of the torch; a sign that you’d been truly accepted in the wrestling business. It involved a lot of trust—a lot of faith that the person learning would take on the old traditions, the proper way of doing things. That they would protect the secrets of the wrestling business.