Indebted to the Mafia King
l
f the elderly couple smile at me, and I head for their table to pick up their usual generous tip. I haven't tol
sp and perfectly tailored over an equally black shirt and tie. The only element of him that doesn't seem like it was mathematically designed for perfection is his curly hair, which tumbles just a little bit into his night-
rabs my arm. "I have something I
tom-" I squeak as
en us and the main restaurant, she re
ke my
ints." She pushes strands of graying hair out of her eye
dow in the swing door at the beautiful
ombardis and the Staten Island Saints have bee
sp. Dante doesn't look anything like Frank and the brutes he brings in.
me with blue eyes so much like m
ble, won't it be less trouble
answer, I pull my order pad out of the pocket
Greek Corner," I say. "
gyros. Would you recommend them?" He sm
oken to a man this handsome. "I do
look at me.
the owner's daughter. Tha
ay afternoons in her kitchen. She'd be bent over the marinara pot, stirring to the rhythm of the records she brought from the Old Country." He leans against the counter, and I c
e together enough fixings for everyone to have one last gyro, and Baba would tell the story of how they almost missed their boat to America because Mama ins
voice is dark and silky like ex
ere hasn't been much laughter arou
tering the bubble of memory around us.
When I return to the kitchen, Mama and Baba ar
say as I
ds. "What did he s
er thirty, and far too smooth. He can't possibly be in the sam
e doesn't mean anything, chryso mo
ounter behind him. "
m from Lombardi's men, so I don
nounce that you've heard myste
e. "She's right, Gregorio.
sizzling on the grill in front of him. "I've heard there is a turf war brewing between him and Lomb
ps. "Parikia?
ppears. "Is it re
ling meat and stirs. "It might be, Maria.
rd from him since, and no one has found his body. After six months of waiting, we buried an empty casket. Baba wants t
the dreams my parents had when they came to this country. It must be Lombardi's fault. And if it's Lombardi's fault, maybe the money I'll get from