Gutted, Tony's Burst Bubble.
Tag for South by Southwest
One Special Agent Antony DiNozzo sat looking lovingly at the Ferrari GTB 599, his heart bleeding the red colour, of what might have been. The Italian sports-car, he could feel the power of the engine, and being off Italian stock, many moons ago he might add, it so fitted his ego, the Italian dream. He felt an affiliation for the black prancing horse, and the colour, "Rosso Corsa"…Ferrari Red, but now it would never be, as he tossed the brochure into the trash can; it wasn't as if it was ever going to be a reality, it had been a nice dream.
"Grab your gear, dead Marine, Quantico," he heard Gibbs shout.
"So what happened Tony thought you had a test drive?" Tim smiled.
"Did, and well let's put it this way, it was never to be, I mean how can a car of that velocity, speed, the horsepower ever get to travel the roads of America? Hey tell me that," Tony replied back as they entered the elevator.
"GTB, what did it stand for anyway?" Ziva asked, "Gibbs Team Brigade?"
"Very amusing, but Gran Turismo Berlinetta…," as Tony now thought reflectively, "Just a car with a Tipo F140CV12, 5999cc engine."
"In other words, translated as a, Ferrari ,Maserati Fiat 140C, C being the next letter after B, Tim, but before the TipoF140E, both 12 cylinders shaped into a V, making them both 6 Litres, and so pretty powerful," Gibbs added smiling.
-oOo-
Flashback
It had started the week before, Tony getting a call from some Solicitors firm in London, England.
"Yes this was Antony DiNozzo Junior, and yes I do know Uncle Clive from Henley on Thames, he was my mother's brother Clive Paddington, yes as in the bear and the station," he had sarcastically replied, "Yes, I was there earlier, I was representing my mother's side of the family…I know I didn't always keep in touch, but my mother died when I was young, and my father never really liked me to fraternize with the enemy so to speak….and yes it was very kind of Uncle Clive to take me for my 17thyear in Blighty, I did learn a lot from him he was my mentor so to speak…..I will await the reading of the will, you say I got a mention," as Tony hung up the phone with a smile, "That was Uncle Clive's solicitors, I am mentioned in his will," as he looked at Ziva and Tim who just shook their heads an went back to work.
Tony had taken an early lunch but had come back with brochures.
The next day what happened should not have happened. The team had got a call, one of their own had been gunned down. Jack Pattinson, one time Agent Afloat, but now Gibbs and Tony were going to Arizona.
"But Boss I'm hoping…"
"And I'm hoping you're gonna behave DiNozzo, so pack a bag."
Tony had tried frantically to get a signal when he was away but to no avail; it was only on his return he was to hear the awful news and the sickening result.
-oOo-
"You got some calls when you were away," Tim had informed Tony on his return.
"Of any importance?" Tony asked.
"If you call London important, then yes," Tim added smiling, as he watched Tony dial the number.
"Damn, I forgot the time difference," Tony muttered but began to smile as he heard the connection, only to stop smiling and begin to what Tim could only say was cry, no, more of a whimper as he replaced the phone in the cradle.
"Bad news Tony?"
"No, not really bad news, more devastating," came the reply, "That slimy limey, Cousin Crispin has found an IOU which I must have stupidly signed when I was in England, and he has called it in….I mean where am I gonna find $10,000 plus interest? I mean I'm not made of money, I mean dad hasn't got,any that's why I borrowed in the 1st place."
"And now you have to pay back?" Ziva asked.
"Yes, gave me a month to find the funds," as Tony dropped the brochures in file 13.
"Grab your gear, dead Marine, Quantico," he heard Gibbs shout.
Present.
Tony had been subdued for a week. He had called around trying to get a loan, but to no avail, it looked like he was going to have to sell the piano and other personal effects. He had started to bring sandwiches in to work and drink tap water. Abby had felt sorry for him and was starting a "Save Tony from anything" fund, all Gibbs could say was, "Been there, 3 ex-wives and alimony, you'll get by."
It was the Friday afternoon about midday, high noon, and Tony was munching his way through a couple of slices of bread and butter, the middle a very thinly cut slice of Spam. He had found several recipes for the tinned meat, but was calling a halt to the forever innuendos and general laughter he was receiving for the 5th lunch.
"Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, baked beans, Spam, Spam, Spam and Spam," Tim had laughed humming the Monty Python theme tune.
"Enough," as Tony now threw the sarnie in the bin, "That's it….." he began to say as the phone on the desk rang, "What," he shouted, as his face went white and then the colour begin to come back to his face, "Thank you, thank you very very much, yes I will have a nice day, in fact nice weekend," as Tony now replaced the phone," That was Cousin Crispin's lawyer. Crispin just wrote off my debt, said let that be a lesson."
"So as Hamlet once said, "Neither a borrower nor a lender be, for loan oft loses both itself and friend, and borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry," Tim concluded.
The End.