by Jim Wygand
“Gina, give me a minute to digest this. I never suspected that you were Carlo Rizzo’s daughter. I mean you are the same girl you were an hour ago, but you are Carlo Rizzo’s daughter, niece, whatever. Having spent the most wonderful night of my life with you last night and then hearing you tell me you are Carlo Rizzo’s daughter, niece, I mean wow, that’s some 24 hours, and it’s not even 24 hours yet!”
“Charlie, you’ve got a week to think about this. If you want to call off the meeting, you can. I know what you might be thinking. I’ve been through this before so I am not surprised. I told you I am resilient. Let me just say that I do love you, Charlie. But if my uncle’s reputation creates a problem for us, for you, I will understand.”
“No, Gina, I love you. Your uncle is not a problem for me – at least I don’t think so. The fact that he is….ah, Carlo Rizzo…doesn’t bother me. I mean, I had not expected this particular information. I don’t know why not, because you could be anybody’s niece, right? It just happens to be Carlo Rizzo. Why not? Why would I think that Carlo Rizzo would not have relatives, huh? I mean he puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like me, right? He most certainly had a mother and a father. He has a beautiful niece. Why should Carlo Rizzo be any different than any other human being?”
“I’ll tell you why, Charlie. Because he is powerful, that’s why. People are afraid of him the way they are afraid of other powerful people.”
“Gina, look, I don’t want to discuss your uncle. I want his approval of our relationship and our love. He is the person who raised you and it is not up to me to judge him. I want you. All I want from your uncle is his blessing and approval.”
Gina broke into tears. “Oh, Charlie. Oh my God, Charlie,” she was sobbing “I am so happy that you said that. You can’t know what I have been through. I love you so much and I was so afraid to lose you but there was no way I could hide you from my uncle or him from you. I had to do this.”
Charlie pulled him to her and hugged her. He kissed her forehead and her tears. He lifted her face to his and said, “Gina, I have never felt about anyone the way I feel about you. I loved you the first time I saw you. I confess to being surprised at your uncle’s name and fame, but so help me God, I cannot love you less and I can’t leave you. I don’t want to and I won’t!’
Through her sobs Gina smiled and said, “You got balls, Mullins. Man do you have balls!” then, still sobbing, she let out a laugh. “You’re going to meet the most feared man in Philly. Do you know that? I know him as an uncle, everybody else knows him as a terrible man. No one ever refers to him as ‘mister’ in the press. They call him The Don, or Don Carlo! How stupid! A poor peasant kid from Sicily who made it as best he could and they can’t call him Mr. Rizzo.” She looked up at Charlie, “Are you sure, Charlie, I mean really sure?”
“Gina, my father taught me that life is short and it can be tough. He also taught me never to stand in judgment of anyone else. This man is your uncle and I will consider him as such. I want you. I have never wanted anyone more in my life. I love you, more than I ever thought I could love someone. I’m not going to lose that because you’ve got an uncle with a reputation.”
“You know, of course there are some implications for you because you are my guy, Charlie. A lot of people will avoid you and a lot will try to get close to you because of my uncle….”
“So how is that different from the corporate world I inhabit, Gina? A lot of people avoid me because of my contacts in the company and a lot try to suck up because of my contacts. Doesn’t strike me as a whole lot different.”
“Charlie!” Gina was still sobbing, “God how I love you. You are the most wonderful man I have ever met. I was right when I said you had character. You are a man’s man Charlie and you are a woman’s man. You are what I want in my life. But you have to listen to me. Being the boyfriend or fiancé, or whatever, of Carlo Rizzo’s niece is a bit special Charlie. People will look at you differently. The press will bother you. They don’t do that in your job. You might find yourself being harassed by the FBI. There are a lot of things ‘special’ about my uncle.”
“Gina, let me be clear. If not having to deal with any of that would mean not being with you, I don’t give a shit. I mean it! If I have to put up with idiots and harassment, I’ll do it. What I don’t want is to be without you in my life. OK?”
“Oh, God, yes, Charlie. OK, OK, OK! I love you,” Gina broke out in tears again. She was crying for years of frustration and disappointment. She was crying out of sheer relief that this time she was free. She had found a man who was not intimidated, fearful of losing his job, or trying to get “mobbed up”. She had found a man who simply loved her. It was what she had looked for all her life.
Gina sat down, still sobbing and trying to control her tears. “Charlie, would you pour me a drink? Just a little scotch. I need to come down. I’m a wreck.”
“Charlie got the bottle of scotch and poured a couple of fingers worth into a glass. Here Gina, relax. When you are more composed we can talk.”
Gina took the glass, took a sip, shuddered and took another small sip. “Thanks, Charlie. Give me a minute and I’ll be OK.”
“It’s Sunday, Gina. I’m not going anywhere. Relax. I’ve got all day and hopefully the rest of my life to talk to you. No rush.”
“Thanks, Charlie,” Gina replied between sobs, “you brought years of frustration to an end and I guess I just let it all out. I feel exhausted.”
Charlie embraced her and she fell into him. She felt emptied. She felt as if an enormous weight had been removed from her back. She felt light and dizzy. Charlie continued to hold her, rocking steadily and stroking her hair. “It’s OK, Gina. I’m here and I always will be for you. I’m here. I love you and I’m here for you. Relax, baby. It’s over now. We have each other. We can deal with it and worse if necessary. Shhhh!”
Charlie felt her sobs diminish in intensity and frequency. She was coming down. A lot of pent up emotion had spilled out of Gina Ferrelli. She had inherited a new life this day. Everything about her past that haunted her was eliminated in one fell swoop. She was free and overwhelmed by her freedom.
The enormity of the decision Charlie had taken was yet to be understood. He was concerned for Gina. He was comfortable with his decision. He wanted her and would do anything to keep her. But he sensed that trouble lay ahead. He would have to deal with some tough issues and he had no idea at this time what they might be. It was his woman who was upset and had been scared out of her wits. Charlie knew now how much Gina loved him and he was overcome with emotion himself.
“Charlie?” Gina said weakly, “can we lie down for a while? I feel exhausted.”
“Sure, baby. C’mon, let’s go into the bedroom. He led Gina to the bedroom, took off her shoes, and laid her down. He laid down next to her and she immediately fell into his arms. “I love you, Charlie”, and then she fell sound asleep. Charlie held her in his arms and dozed off lightly himself.
Two hours later, Gina woke up. She was refreshed but still seemed a bit dazed. “You OK?” asked Charlie, “You slept like a log. You even had me worried for a while!”
“I’m OK, Charlie. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off me, or like a festering infection had been lanceted. It was like everything just came out all at once.”
“Can we talk a bit now, Gina? While you were sleeping I started thinking about a lot of things that happened since we met.”
“Like what, Charlie?”
“Well, for example, let’s start with Johnny the waiter at the trattoria. Does he know you’re Carlo Rizzo’s daughter? Is that why he hangs around whenever we go out. He waits until we leave and he is always there when we come back. Is he kind of watching over you?”
“Yes to all, Charlie. Johnny knows my uncle. My uncle once helped him out of a difficult scrape. He was on welfare. His kids were always sick. His wife couldn’t find a job. My uncle got him the job at the trattoria and enrolled his kids in the Catholic School – the school is e
xpensive you know. Johnny has always been grateful for my uncle’s help. My uncle still pays the tuition for the kids and I tutor them for free. Johnny loves my uncle and he would do anything for him. He sees it as his job to make sure I’m safe whenever I am at the trattoria. I remember one night some obnoxious yuppie type started giving me a hard time. He tried to grab me. Before he even knew what was happening, Johnny had him by the throat. He literally carried him out the door by his throat and was about to really work him over when I ran out and asked Johnny to stop. He did, but not before giving the guy a punch in the ribs. I think he must have broken three of them. Johnny put him in an ambulance and told the driver to take him to the nearest hospital. Somebody told me the guy had moved to Seattle when he got out of the hospital. Johnny must have whispered something to him before he put him in the ambulance.
“Sounds like I better not argue with you at the trattoria,” Charlie joked.
“Not funny, Charlie. Johnny really hurt that guy. I felt awful.”
“Well, God knows what I might have done if I’d been there. Maybe Johnny let him off easy.” Charlie continued, “So that’s why Johnny was always there with a chair, always watching and protecting. And here I thought it was only because you are so beautiful. Was it because of Johnny’s relationship with your uncle that we got such good seats at restaurants and never had to have a reservation?”
“I’m sure it was, Charlie. Johnny’s an important person in the restaurant workers’ union. He knows practically all of the waiters in Philly. If you ever need a good table in a hurry without a reservation, Johnny can arrange it with a phone call.”
“Wow! Again I was sure it was the fact that you are beautiful.”
“Why don’t you keep thinking that way, Charlie? It’s a lot more flattering than knowing that people are scared, ah, shitless, excuse my French, of my uncle.”
“OK, Gina. Maybe I will be able to think it’s because I am Charlie Mullins, too.” He laughed.
Finally, Gina laughed back. She was coming out of her shock and getting back to her normal self.
Emboldened by the change in her attitude, Charlie said “I mean it Gina. What you told me changes nothing. I love you and that’s that.”
“I believe you Charlie, especially about loving me. But don’t say it changes nothing. It will change everything in your life. Think about it. Just spend next week thinking. You will see how it will change everything. People will never be the same around you. You might even have to leave your job. You might be persecuted, investigated, your privacy invaded, and I know how important that is to you.”
“Gina, no matter what you can say, nothing changes the fact that I love you. I want the rest of my life with you. If that means I leave the Shaw Corporation that’s fine with me. I’m not letting you go and that’s that.”
“Oh Charlie, I am so happy. Let’s stay in tonight and just be together. I really don’t want to go out.”
“Neither do I.” said Charlie, “I’ll have to get back to Shoreville to get ready for work tomorrow. I can leave late, but I will have to get back, Gina.”
“No problem, I’m okay now Charlie, just a bit shook from the emotional flood but otherwise, I am just fine. In fact, I don’t know when I have ever been finer.”
“What do you want to do then, Gina. You want to send out for Irish Stew?”
“Send out for what, Charlie? What is Irish Stew?”
“Actually, I don’t know Gina. I never had it but I did read the recipe for it once and it’s got mutton in it. I hate mutton. I would hate it more boiled like it is in Irish stew. Listen, Gina, the one thing the Irish learned from the English is how to cook – badly. No flavoring. Just take a piece of meat, cover it with water and boil the hell out of it. I used to hate lunch time when I was in school with all the Italian kids. They all had these lunches that smelled of tomato sauce and oregano. I always had an apple jelly sandwich. You ever had an apple jelly sandwich, Gina? It’s a grade above cardboard! It was a treat when I got some peanut butter with it.”
“Poor boy,” Gina laughed, “I’ll fix you good Italian fare every day.”
“So, Gina, what I meant to say after that little story was, let’s send out for a pizza. OK?”
“Marvelous, Charlie, I’ll call.”
Gina ordered the pizza and a couple of beers and they both moved to the living room where they sat together on the sofa. Gina kissed Charlie gently. “Charlie, I want you to think about all this during the week. Your life is going to change. I know now that you love me but we now have to think about what our love means for your life. Mine is already cast. I’m Carlo Rizzo’s niece and that’s that. Those who know who I am understand and accept me when they are friends and ignore me when they are not. Those who don’t know I leave to their ignorance because it is easier for all concerned. My uncle is a wealthy man, but you won’t see him on the society page of the newspaper. Bankers seek him out in private but he is never invited to their soirees or cocktail parties. The only time he is photographed is when he is being hauled in by the FBI. Then he is photographed in handcuffs. When people learn that you and I are together and that you are an important executive, you’ll see what I mean. I want you to be ready to deal with that Charlie. It won’t be easy, believe me.”
“Let’s deal with that when it becomes an issue, Gina. We’ve been out a number of times and nobody has printed our picture in the papers or made any offhand comments.”
“That’s because you’ve only been around my friends, Charlie. Remember all those events we went to. No press, right?”
“Yeah, you’re right. There were no press people there now that you mention it.”
“That’s because they weren’t invited Charlie. And some of them wouldn’t go if they were invited. Why should the niece of an accused mafia don show up on the society page with the cream of Philadelphia society?”
“I guess you’re right, I hadn’t thought about that. Well, what the hell, I’m in for the duration. You’re mine and that’s all there is to it. As Martin Luther King used to say, ‘ain’t nothin’ gonna turn me ‘round’. So, I will think about it and I will adapt, and we, you and me, will overcome. OK?”
‘OK, Charlie. I love you so much. Oh, before I forget. Here, I want you to have this.” Gina pressed a key into his hand.
“What’s this for?” Charlie asked.
“It’s the key to this place, Charlie. We don’t have to meet at the trattoria any more. If you want to, you can bring some clothes up here. Maybe you want to leave a couple of suits, some ties, and dress shirts so you can leave here for work. Bring up whatever you want. I don’t lack for closet space as you can see.”
“Are you sure, Gina? This is your home. I don’t want to invade your space.”
“Oh, that’s just great, Mullins. You take me to bed. You hear me out. You tell me you love me and then you don’t want to invade my space? Charlie, you’ve already invaded my space more than anyone ever could and you are welcome in it. Bring up some clothes if you want. I think you’ll find it more comfortable.”
“OK, baby. I’ll bring up some stuff during the week and some more over the weekend.”
“That’s better, Charlie Mullins, and enough of that ‘invasion’ nonsense. You invaded my heart and my body and I love it.”
Charlie looked at his watch. It was eleven-o-clock. “Gina, I’m going to have to go back to Shoreville. Are you sure you will be all right? I can call in sick tomorrow at the company…”
“No, Charlie. No need for that. I’m fine now. You get yourself home and get a good night’s sleep.” Gina took out a pad and wrote down her telephone number. “You can call me now. Give me a call tomorrow morning. I’m ready to pass out now so I won’t call to see if you arrived OK and if you call, you’ll just get my answering machine. I’m exhausted.”
“OK, Gina, I love you and don’t forget it.”
“No way I could, Charlie, good night.”
Charlie took the elevator down from Gina’s apartment, flag
ged down a cab, and went to the trattoria to pick up his car. The trattoria was closed but Johnny was still standing there in the alley, pretending to smoke a cigarette. Charlie waved to him and flashed a big smile. Johnny waved back and offered what Charlie thought might be a grin. He got in his car and drove back to Shoreville. It was the happiest night of his life.
XVI
Charlie woke up at his usual 6:30. He showered quickly and had some breakfast. After putting the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher, he got dressed for work. Before he left for Wilmington, he called Gina’s number.
Gina was still asleep and her voice told Charlie that he had awakened her. “Gina, did I wake you? I’m sorry…”
“No, Charlie, I had to answer the phone anyway”, she giggled.
“Aw, jeez, I’m sorry Gina. I was just going to leave for work and I wanted to tell you again how much I love you.”
“I love you too, Charlie and because I do I want you to think very carefully about what everything I told you yesterday will mean to you and your life.”
“I promise, Gina. But my life is already changed anyway because you are in it. Everything in life has a price and if the price of loving Carlo Rizzo’s niece is a major change in my life, so be it. I can’t imagine a life without you, so I guess I have to think about what it will be like with you.”
“Just remember, Charlie, I love you. If you were to be unhappy with me, I couldn’t stand it. So, please, I mean it really. Please think this all through very carefully.”
“OK, Gina. Let’s drop it for now. I promise I will think it through.”
Charlie was careful to make sure that his conversations with Bob Simms and Bill Gallagher were still having the desired effect. He looked up and down his street and watched his rear view mirror carefully on the way to the bridge to Wilmington. The coast was clear.
While driving to work he thought about his conversation with Gina. He was beginning to appreciate the enormity of the changes that would occur in his life. Would he be able to remain as a financial executive at the Shaw Corporation when it became known that he was engaged and eventually married to the daughter of the capo of the Philadelphia mafia?