Family Matters Chapter 3
Later after I leave my Ma's, I headed towards the bar where Mikey usually hangs out. Most of the people there are a bunch of no good jag offs. Ya know at a bar, gamblin' the most recent pay check away, when their wives think they are at work. I walked in and the bartender was talkin' 'bout bookie shit. I rolled my eyes in disgust.
"Can I help you?" He asked, knowing he's never seen me in this bar ever before.
"Yea, I'm lookin' for Michael Boscorelli?" I ask him, well really I'm not askin' I'm tellin'. The bar grows quiet and all the jag off's pretend they are jus' there for a drink. They act like they too have never been there.
The bar tender looked away from me, I knew right then he knew him. "Never heard of him."
Liar I knew he was lying. "He's my brother. Look I jus' wanna talk to the guy."
Next thing I know I'm walkin' into a bathroom. "Hey almost done man." Mikey says bent over a sink wiping coke on his gums.
"Another Hallmark moment." I say in disgust. I have an anorexic sister and a druggie bother. Wonder family.
Mikey looks up at me, he shock and surprised to see me there. He also knows I've busted him. "Hi - Hi, what are ya doing here man?" He asks tryin' to act as if he wasn't doin' anythin' at all.
I sighed. "Mikey, I thought ya were cleaning up?" I said throwing the rest down the sink.
"Heyyyyy." He tells me, like I should have jus' let him do the rest. "What? What that? Thats nothin' ya know jus' a little celebration."
I look at him and nod.
"Yea, I got a job. I'm a night guy at a store." He says as he tries to then walk out past me. I push him back.
"Yea and that'll last how long? A week until they find out you're tappin' the tilt?"
He looks at me, like I broke his hear or something. "Why ya always pissin' on me. Huh Ya know ya need to loosen up once and a while."
I look at the sink and what was left of the coke. "Like that?"
He gives me a smug look. "Hey ya might like it."
I shake my head at him in disgust. "Clean ya face off." I say to him as I walk out of the bathroom.
I'm sitting at the bar when he comes out, a turn and look at him as I open my bottle of beer and take a drink from it. He sat down across from me.
"Where's dad?" I asked him sipping on my beer again.
"Why?" He asked a small confused look came over his face.
"I dunno - need to talk to him 'bout somethin'" I said to him putting my beer back on the bar counter.
Mikey lit a cigarette. "Ya know I saw him the other, sittin' across from me at smokys strip joint. That dude still has the bull up the skirt." He said waving the cigarette in the air.
"How does her afford a lap dance?" I ask, taking another sip off my beer.
Mikey looks at him and blows a stream of smoke out. "He drives a cab here in the city, on swing shift."
"How do ya get a hold of him?" I ask him, knowing full well he has the answer.
He held his cigarette in his hand and stares at me. "Somethin' happen Ma or Mercedes?"
"Like ya care if it did?"
He sits there and gives me this smug look. "I page him. He comes to the corner of 81st and 1st."
I nod. "What's his number?" I ask. I know he knows this too.
He looks at me. "What'd ya wanna talk to him 'bout?" He asks.
I'm really not in the mood for his bullshit. "Give me his number."
Mikey shaked his head as he begins to write down my old mans number on a napkin. "I page him with the code 69."
"S-sixty-nine? Figures." I say with a small laugh. It really didn't surprise me.
Mikey again give me a blank stare. "Ya should jus' leave him alone Reese. The - the guys' been through enough."
That comment jus' pissed me off and I shot him a dirty nasty look. "He's been through enough?" I ask him like he's crazy. "Ma puts Whiskey in her coffee, Mercedes can't sleep with the light off and is starvin' herself to death, and he's been through enough?"
He looks at me. "Ya know - let it go, I did."
I shake my head at him and get up from the bar stool. "Stay out of trouble Michael." I say as I walk out.
"Nice seeing you." He yells at me.
I walk out of the bar and stand there for a minuet. I can't believe he had the nerve to say that dad's been through enough. With Ma the way she is and Mercedes sick like she is. And Mikey says that Dads been through enough.
Later after I leave my Ma's, I headed towards the bar where Mikey usually hangs out. Most of the people there are a bunch of no good jag offs. Ya know at a bar, gamblin' the most recent pay check away, when their wives think they are at work. I walked in and the bartender was talkin' 'bout bookie shit. I rolled my eyes in disgust.
"Can I help you?" He asked, knowing he's never seen me in this bar ever before.
"Yea, I'm lookin' for Michael Boscorelli?" I ask him, well really I'm not askin' I'm tellin'. The bar grows quiet and all the jag off's pretend they are jus' there for a drink. They act like they too have never been there.
The bar tender looked away from me, I knew right then he knew him. "Never heard of him."
Liar I knew he was lying. "He's my brother. Look I jus' wanna talk to the guy."
Next thing I know I'm walkin' into a bathroom. "Hey almost done man." Mikey says bent over a sink wiping coke on his gums.
"Another Hallmark moment." I say in disgust. I have an anorexic sister and a druggie bother. Wonder family.
Mikey looks up at me, he shock and surprised to see me there. He also knows I've busted him. "Hi - Hi, what are ya doing here man?" He asks tryin' to act as if he wasn't doin' anythin' at all.
I sighed. "Mikey, I thought ya were cleaning up?" I said throwing the rest down the sink.
"Heyyyyy." He tells me, like I should have jus' let him do the rest. "What? What that? Thats nothin' ya know jus' a little celebration."
I look at him and nod.
"Yea, I got a job. I'm a night guy at a store." He says as he tries to then walk out past me. I push him back.
"Yea and that'll last how long? A week until they find out you're tappin' the tilt?"
He looks at me, like I broke his hear or something. "Why ya always pissin' on me. Huh Ya know ya need to loosen up once and a while."
I look at the sink and what was left of the coke. "Like that?"
He gives me a smug look. "Hey ya might like it."
I shake my head at him in disgust. "Clean ya face off." I say to him as I walk out of the bathroom.
I'm sitting at the bar when he comes out, a turn and look at him as I open my bottle of beer and take a drink from it. He sat down across from me.
"Where's dad?" I asked him sipping on my beer again.
"Why?" He asked a small confused look came over his face.
"I dunno - need to talk to him 'bout somethin'" I said to him putting my beer back on the bar counter.
Mikey lit a cigarette. "Ya know I saw him the other, sittin' across from me at smokys strip joint. That dude still has the bull up the skirt." He said waving the cigarette in the air.
"How does her afford a lap dance?" I ask, taking another sip off my beer.
Mikey looks at him and blows a stream of smoke out. "He drives a cab here in the city, on swing shift."
"How do ya get a hold of him?" I ask him, knowing full well he has the answer.
He held his cigarette in his hand and stares at me. "Somethin' happen Ma or Mercedes?"
"Like ya care if it did?"
He sits there and gives me this smug look. "I page him. He comes to the corner of 81st and 1st."
I nod. "What's his number?" I ask. I know he knows this too.
He looks at me. "What'd ya wanna talk to him 'bout?" He asks.
I'm really not in the mood for his bullshit. "Give me his number."
Mikey shaked his head as he begins to write down my old mans number on a napkin. "I page him with the code 69."
"S-sixty-nine? Figures." I say with a small laugh. It really didn't surprise me.
Mikey again give me a blank stare. "Ya should jus' leave him alone Reese. The - the guys' been through enough."
That comment jus' pissed me off and I shot him a dirty nasty look. "He's been through enough?" I ask him like he's crazy. "Ma puts Whiskey in her coffee, Mercedes can't sleep with the light off and is starvin' herself to death, and he's been through enough?"
He looks at me. "Ya know - let it go, I did."
I shake my head at him and get up from the bar stool. "Stay out of trouble Michael." I say as I walk out.
"Nice seeing you." He yells at me.
I walk out of the bar and stand there for a minuet. I can't believe he had the nerve to say that dad's been through enough. With Ma the way she is and Mercedes sick like she is. And Mikey says that Dads been through enough.