COOL JOE Chapter 29

Family Saga

COOL JOE

Chapter 29

TED

I just heard about the gun shots from Frankie late last night. They really scared him, but again it was dark, and he couldn’t see anything, but could smell the gun smoke. Geez, what’s going on here? I didn’t think the Boss’ revenge would start this early, but I guess he got word that two of his employees are missing and he’s really got it out for us. I’m hoping that Mike Lopez can help us earn more money so we can hire the right bodyguards. I have this sinking feeling that somebody is going to get hit in the cross fires, if it comes to this.

 

“Hello Pete? Great to hear your voice this morning. What’s happening buddy?”                      

“Well, I just spoke to Lopez, and literally begged him to move the meeting up to tonight. I want all the men in the family there, because this pertains to all of us; we all need the protection.”

“I got it buddy; are you going to let them know the time and where?”

“Yes, I will”, says Pete, and again we can have it at my place at 6:00PM. The only problem is that I don’t want Viv to know what we’re discussing, so I’ll have to get her out of the house somehow. Have any ideas?”

“You could suggest to her that you’re having a business meeting with your men from the dock and no women allowed. Maybe she could come over to visit Margaret and they can sit and drink wine, or she could go to Angela’s place and sit and drink wine. Will she go for that Pete?”

“I’ll work on it”, says Pete.

“Okay, do you have in mind your pitch to Lopez? Or do you want me to do it?”

“Actually Ted, I think you should do it; me and Frankie are getting too crazy, after hearing the gun shots; we might not be in our right minds, I mean to be clear enough as to what we’re asking for.”

“Sure, no problem Pete, I’ll be happy to talk for all of us. You just convince Viv to leave the house; I don’t think it will be a problem.”

“Okay, thanks for heading up the meeting tonight Ted, I’ll make sure to let everybody know”, says Pete.

“Hey, got an idea; I’ll tell Margaret to call Viv and invite her over for a “girls” night, just the two of them to chat and drink wine.”

“Sounds good to me; she’ll be happy to get rid of me and these meetings anyway. Well, I’ll see you later Ted, take care.”

 

I have to think about what we need from Lopez. We know he has some side businesses, they all do. We all need to make more money. Even before we laid out the dough for Lopez, we were and still are in debt; more so now because of the money we paid him.

 

I have to tell Margaret where I’m going tonight. I’ll be fairly honest and tell her that I’m meeting the family men to try to help us financially, but I won’t mention Lopez and his possible ideas.

 

I get home around 5:00PM from the office and I see Margaret in the kitchen fiddling with something.

 

“HI hon, I’m home, how’s my beautiful wife? What are you trying to do?”

“Open a can of string beans for dinner, but this damn opener is the worst!”

“Here, let me help you; there it’s done, no need to whine about it. By the way honey, I have a family men’s meeting tonight at Pete’s house. We want to limit this meeting to a few people, so we thought would just have the brothers and in-laws, not any wives. So, I thought you could invite Viv over to be with you and sit and chat “girl “talk and maybe even have a bite and drink some nice Italian wine. How does that sound? The meeting shouldn’t take long.”

“Not a bad idea; will you eat there?”

“Probably will have some munchies, but mostly talk.”

“Talk about what?”

“Well, we all need more money to pay off our loans, so we’re trying to figure out how we can earn a bit more, maybe ask our bosses for raises and other stuff.”

“You’re not going to do something crazy are you?”

“No, honey, just honest money. Why don’t you go ahead and call Viv and see if she’s free to come over? I know that Pete already spoke to her about it.”

Don’t worry, I’ll get Viv out of the house; I’ll call her now. What time are you leaving?”

“In about 45 minutes.”

 

Margaret is able to coax Viv into coming to our place. Perfect!

 

At 5:45P I head over to Pete’s house; everyone is there, all the men, except Lopez.

“Hey Pete, good evening, where is the most important person?”

“He called and is running a few minutes late, no worries, he’ll be here. Can I fix you a Bourbon?”

“You certainly may, my bro, and I take it that the girls worked something out, cause I don’t see Viv around.”

“Yes, it is working out perfectly; in fact, they are going to have dinner at the diner near your house.”

“Great, I’m glad they have a chance to visit together.”

 

I grab my bourbon and greet my other brothers. We chat for a while, then Frankie gets nervous that Lopez won’t show up. I tell him to calm down and stay calm during the meeting. He seems agitated. We keep chatting for a few more minutes, then finally the doorbell rings.

I open the door and Lopez greets me with a big smile; he is alone, I guess because his men are doing their “jobs.”

“Come on in Mike, you know all these people from our last meeting… we’re all related and we only have the men in the families attend tonight. Mike, can I get you a drink?”, says Pete with a grin on his face.

“I’ll just have a beer, thank you.”

I notice that Lopez is dressed well, khaki pants, long sleeve blue shirt, no tie, but very clean looking. I get a beer for him and he takes a big swig. I speak quietly to him, almost like a whisper, and tell him to explain his ideas slowly and carefully, as some of our family is very scared. He smiles and agrees to be very clear. Everybody takes a seat; there is silence.

 

“Good evening folks, I think you know me by now. I want to just assure you that your job has been taken care of, so you can rest easy on that one. Now, I have spoken with a few of you about some kind of financial help needed, is that right?”

Everybody says yes.

Well then, let me start with a few ideas for you. First, I know you guys need protection as Pete tells me; I can get it for you, but it’s expensive; we can discuss this at a later time when you have earned some cash. I do have a few side businesses goin on at the moment. They involve black money, which means it’s not good in the banks. Any questions so far?

“I think we all realize this, Mike; we don’t deal with banks anyway”, says Frankie.

“These transactions don’t leave this room; anything we talk about here, stays here, no shoutin to friends, your wives, etc.

Any profit we make goes to me and you each get a cut. So, basically, I’m the new Boss.

One business is buying and selling cocaine, right here in Brooklyn; I have my sources.

Another business is a cash only jewelry shop on Long Island; I give my customers a discount, but we’re still makin profits the government doesn’t know nothin about. I have a night guard business; this is where you would go and stand guard on small businesses in shady neighborhoods that need them, cause they get broken into. I also have my sharp shooter business; you all know about that one, but we can always use extra hands and guns. I also have an interest in a gas station here in Brooklyn, where I get oil cheaper off the docks and keep the profits. Does everybody understand these ideas?”

 

I can see that each person’s eyes bulge, mouths open and frozen in their seats. It’s like a silent movie going on; but hey these are pretty big ideas and we want to make sure that all of us are clear on this.

“Any questions from the peanut gallery?”

“Yes”, says Frankie. If we’re interested in your ideas, do we get to choose our added profession? And, what is the pay?”

“It depends on what you choose and if I have room for you; it also depends which jobs, the risks, the hours, etc. but I have varied interests, as you can see. So, I suggest that you think about the different ways you can make more money to pay off Boss Bellini. So, just let me know who wants to do which job, and I’ll try to make it happen. Any more questions?”

“Yes, Tommy here; what kind of risk are we talking with these ideas?”

“Well, I’ve been in these various businesses almost since I was a teenager. My dad started most of them and I’m still alive and kickin, so I’d say if you’re careful and you work quietly and don’t do any blabbing, you’ll be fine and you’ll have money which you can stash away anyway you want. Any other questions?”

“Mike, when would you want us to begin” asks Pete.

“Whenever you all decide on your new side jobs, just ring me up and we’ll get you started. Remember all of this talk stays right here, or all hell will break loose.”

I ask Mike: “Do you think Boss Bellini will catch on to what we’re doing?”

“We stay close to each other in our own families and we don’t mix with the Bellini’s.”

“But Frankie and me have heard gun shot near our houses the past night or so”, says Pete. “Is that some kind of revenge warning?”

“Who can say?”, says Mike with a grimace.

 

Reviews

[Lorry]

It's an expensive business this, what with the hit and then protection from the boss's possible/ probable revenge. I guess whackin' the boss outright is a no go, as there will always be someone else to take the reins and the books, so maybe they best choose their extra job wisely, as they will no doubt need to react to what comes next.
Still speeding along and keeping me hooked as to the whats/ When's etc. Wish I had some popcorn now 🍿😊

[Betty Hermelee]

I'll but you some popcorn!!! Thanks my loyal friend for this great and funny review!!! It gets better!!!
Best, B.

[John the Baptist]

The story continues, this time with Ted as the narrator. He and Pete set up a meeting with Lopez to make arrangements for how to finance protection for all the families in case the Boss realizes they were behind the recent hits. These guys are not feminists; this meeting is just for the men in the family, and they find ways to make sure the wives are diverted to other activities beforehand. When the meeting convenes, Lopez reveals that he will provide employment for the family members, paid jobs of the extra-legal type. They will in fact become members of a crime family. They ask Lopez for time to think about it. Here is a great irony. Whereas before they were just on the fringe of the mob, now they are poised to become part of it. It is all their choice.

[Betty Hermelee]

Yes , I guess a choice they have to make, or else....
Thanks my dear friend,
Always, B.

[Dave Brown]

Is there an extra opening?
I'd like to get in on the gas station deal because the price of gas is crazy!
Speaking of crazy, how about lifting a container load of plywood for the blackmarket?
Have you seen the prices lately??
Just sayin

[Betty Hermelee]

I like my ideas better, maybe there’s a special opening for you! Which one do you prefer?
Best, B

[Betty Hermelee]

putting up another chapter, it's going to get twisty....