Chapter Nine

Calogero and Vito found Jane and Erica on a yellow and white chequered blanket not far from the bandstand at Poe Park. It was a pretty space, Calogero had always liked it. And even though it was closer to Webster Avenue, it was considered neutral ground. A group of black guys were informally entertaining onlookers with their rendition of Sam Cooke's, I'll Come Running Back To You.

Calogero looked around uneasily at the mixture of Black and Italian kids scattered around the park. He didn't usually care what people thought or said, he had learned to brush it aside- but he kinda got the feeling Vito wouldn't take any criticism towards any of them lying down.

His thoughts were forgotten when Jane stood up from the blanket and greeted him with a kiss. She looked beautiful in an orange dress he hadn't seen on her before.

"Calogero, you remember, Erica?" Jane stepped back and gestured at her friend. Calogero barely had time to compose himself from the kiss before he was face to face with Jane's friend.

"Sure..Erica, how ya doing?"

Erica gave him a smile.

"I'm good, how are you?"

"Yeah, good. This is my friend, Vito."Vito, Erica." Even as he said the word 'friend' Calogero started worrying about what would happen should Vito start a brawl out here. He didn't know how he let Jane talk him into this.

But Vito turned on his thousand watt smile and offered his hand to the immediately charmed Erica. Erica was shorter and slighter than Jane- not as pretty Calogero thought, nor as natural. Her hair and her nails were definitely not real as they seemed to change every other week.

"Jane…you didn't tell me he was so cute…" Erica laughed, as Vito gestured for Erica to sit down before he did.

"Good job too," C murmured in Jane's ear as they settled themselves beside the other couple.

Jane turned and kissed his cheek softly.

"I've missed you."

"I missed you too," he told her. He held out the bag he was carrying. "Eight cokes- they weighed a tonne on the walk here."

"That's why I asked you to get them," Jane laughed. "I brought sandwiches and potato chips."

"Smart girl," he said, accepting a sandwich from her.

Erica and Vito were already engrossed in their own conversation. Calogero and Jane ate in companionable silence as they watched the band.

"They're pretty good," Calogero said after a minute or so. Jane made a face.

"I've heard better. They just murdered Aretha Franklin before you got here."

Calogero tossed a look at the four guys.

"Yeah, they don't strike me as a bunch of Aretha's."

The two of them laughed intimately.

"Hey, what's so funny over there?" Vito said. "And wasn't I promised sandwiches?"

Erica put one hand on her tiny waist.

"Am I not enough for you?"

"Baby, you are all my Christmas' come at once but I'm starving over here," Vito complained. "C wouldn't let me eat, said I'd spoil my appetite."

Jane and Erica laughed and Calogero felt embarrassed. He wanted to sock Vito one.

"He wanted to stop at the cannoli place on the way here…I didn't want you to go to the trouble of a picnic that he didn't eat," he explained to Jane.

"Aw, that's very thoughtful of you, Calogero," Jane smiled at him as she handed Vito a sandwich. "But for the record, I love cannoli."

"You do?" He gaped at her. He thought only Italians ate cannoli.

"I been trying everything Italian since I met you," Jane confessed. Calogero stared at her, not knowing what to say. Jesus, he loved this girl.

"Well, if you're trying everything Italian-" Vito put in teasingly but Calogero pointed at him sharply. his voice gruff.

"Whatever you're gonna say, Santelli, don't even think about it."

Vito held up his hands innocently.

"I was just going to say she needs to try the Sfogliatelle."

"Sfoga- what?" Jane laughed.

Calogero was relieved although still pretty sure Vito had been going to say something lewd to Jane. If that had happened, he didn't give a shit about Manny Helnaz, or Carmine, he'd knock Vito's block off. Calogero turned to Jane, his voice soft.

"Sfogliatelle,,,They're pastries…I'll bring you some next time."

"And what about you, C? Have you tried some Black cuisine?" Vito asked, biting into his sandwich.

"Sure," Calogero said. "Just the other week Jane and me had some chicken and jollop rice."

"Jollof," Jane corrected quietly as Erica started to laugh.

Calogero laughed along, feeling a little silly but also strangely overjoyed at being able to share their differences so openly and with humour. It always seemed like a dark cloud was hanging over them but today, not so much.

"Who wants potato chips?" Jane asked with a grin.

Calogero was unexpectedly surprised by how well the evening went. There was a hairy moment when Vito and Erica got up to dance and a black kid yelled at Vito that he 'shouldn't be dancing with our females'. Calogero had almost got up, it was Jane's arm that stayed him, but he only wanted to get up because he expected Vito to lose his shit.

Surprisingly, Vito turned to the kid and said:

"Where are my manners?…I am very happy to dance with your males too..shall we?" He actually bowed toward the guy using an awful British accent and the crowd roared with laughter.

"Let them alone!" A black girl called from somewhere else. "They're not doing anything to you…and he's got rhythm for a white guy…"

"Thank you kindly!" Vito called back, saluting his fan in the crowd before turning back to Erica.

By now, Jane and Calogero were both laughing.

"I like your friend," Jane told him.

"Yeah, he's okay," Calogero dusted down his hands from the potato chips and offered her his hand. "You wanna dance?"

Jane hesitated a moment and he knew for sure that she would never get up if Erica hadn't first. Not because she was shy but because she was afraid of the back lash. The closest they'd ever got to dancing was on the pavement outside the movies, a playful shuffle to the faint music inside the movie house.

"I'd love to," she said, and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

As she rested her head on his shoulder to the sound of Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing, Calogero thought this was maybe one of the best nights of his life.

"I love this song," he said to her.

"This song, or this version of the song?" Jane asked, wincing. "'Cause I keep expecting Marvin Gaye to turn up in his cadillac and do away with those guys."

Calogero laughed and pulled her closer.

"I don't know when you became such a cynic."

"I don't know when you became so sappy," she teased.

"I do. The day you first looked at me on my father's bus."

He felt her shiver in his arms as he looked at her, and he knew she wasn't cold.

"I love you, Jane Williams. I'm gonna marry you some day. No matter what anybody says."

"I hope so," she whispered back.

The crowd started to disperse when the band packed up. Part of Calogero didnt want the night to end- the other half knew he and Vito had to go and find Manny Helnaz. However, it turned out that they didn't have to go looking for him after all.

They were walking the girls home; Vito and Erica were walking closely together laughing and talking while Jane and C walked a little ahead holding hands. The air was cool but not cold, perfect for an evening walk Calogero felt, stroking Jane's soft hand in his.

"Tonight's been great, thank you." Jane smiled shyly at him and he grinned back at her.

"It has, and thank you, it was all your idea."

Jane glanced back at Vito and Erica who didn't even notice.

"Looks like Erica and Vito have hit it off. What did I tell you?"

Calogero nodded but it wasn't them hitting it off Calogero thought would get awkward. Vito didn't really seem like a one woman kinda guy.

"You look real pretty tonight," he told Jane.

"Thank you. You look nice too."

If he hadn't been staring at her so intently, he might have noticed the car pulling up beside them.

"Hey Annello!" Almost instantly he was surrounded by four Spanish looking guys and Jane was jostled out of the way.

"Hey, take it easy!" C tried to pull his arm away from the brute who was holding onto it.

"What in the fucking Christ!?" It was Vito's voice he heard, but when he looked up all he could see was Jane's panicked face.

"Manny Helnaz wants a word with you," one of the men said. "Get in the car."

"Will he fuck!" Vito stepped forward menacingly but Calogero cut in before he could react.

"Vito, leave it alone, okay?"

"Leave it alone? If you're taking him, you'll have to take me too. He weren't the only one with Dante the other day!"

As Jane's panic turned to confusion, Calogero wished Carmine's big mouthed nephew would shut the hell up.

"Vito!" He said again, this time more urgently. "Just shut your mouth, and take the girls home, okay?"

This time Vito looked at him.

"C, man-"

Calogero was already following the men towards the car.

"If you want to help, just do what I ask, alright?"

"Calogero!" Jane sobbed, and he stopped at the kerb just for a moment to look her in the eyes.

"Jane, it'll be okay, I promise. Alright?"

And before she even got time to respond, he was bundled into the car.

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