FURIO GUINTA, CENA

PART 1

The weekly silent staredown between Tony and Dr. Melfi was interrupted by a sharp knock on the office door.

"Excuse me." She gets up and opens the door.

"Are you Dr. Jennifer Melfi?" the man in the doorway asks.

"Yes, I'm in the middle of a session right now. If--"

"I have a message from the state medical board." He handed her an envelope and walked away.

"I'm really sorry about this," she said as she walked back to her chair and opened the letter.

"No problem." Her face turned red, then white, as she read the letter. Then her eyes brimmed with tears. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing. It's personal!" She buried her face in her hands and cried.

Tony walked over to her and put his arm around her. "Dr. Melfi, I'm worried about you. What's goin' on?" He glanced over her shoulder at the letter just as she folded it. "What's this about alcohol abuse?"

"They're making me take a leave of abscence for at least two weeks, effective immediately. I'm sorry, I shouldn't bothor you with my problems."

"No bothor. I care about you. I want to help you."

"Anthony, if you're thinking of threatening or bribing the state medical board, you can forget that right now," she said, shaking her finger at him.

"No, I want to help you get better."

"Who says I have a problem?"

"Dr. Melfi, I know when somebody's been drinking, and you've been gettin' yourself pretty loaded up lately, and I just don't want--"

"Anthony, I said I don't want your help! Just go home!"

Tony left, and started driving home. His cell phone rang. "This is Tony."

"Tony, this is Artie I'm in big trouble I shoulda called you first I'm dead meat help me--"

"Whoa, Artie, slow down! What's goin' on?"

"Well, you know, business has been kinda slow since September 11th, and well, I had to lay off your friend Furio."

"And?"

"Well, he started chasing me around the kitchen with a meat cleaver. He only backed off when I mentioned your name. What are you gonna do about this?"

"I'll talk to him, Artie." He drove to Furio's apartment.

"Please, Tony, may I whack Mr. Bucco?" Furio asked almost as soon as he saw Tony at the door.

"No, you can't whack Artie! He's a very good friend of mine!"

"I need cover, man. Looks very suspicious for Italian immigrant to have no job."

"We'll think of something. Hey, I got a friend who owns a body shop--"

"No, no, too close to old business."

"Whatever, Furio. What did you do for a front job in Italy?"

"I sshow you." He rummaged throungh a small trunk on the other side of the room, took our a businness card, and handed it to Tony.

"My Italian must be rusty. What's this mean?"

"I was nurse's aide."

Tony began to laugh hysterically. "What? You were a fuckin' nurse's aide? You gotta be kidding me!"

"No. Who you think took care of the old man?"

"Is he still alive?"

"Of course he is, Tony. I was very good nurse's aide."

"You couldn't do that here. They do background checks. You'd be deported in a New York minute. Wait a minute! Maybe if you worked private duty--. Hey, Furio, do you know anything about alcoholism."

TO BE CONTINUED