Page 2 of Tommy Gabrini: All Fall Down
“Yes?”
“A young lady is here to see you.”
Sal frowned. “Get rid of her, what are you bugging us for?”
“Yes, sir, I tried to. But she insists--”
“Tommy!”
It was the sound of a woman with a crying voice. When they turned to the sound, they could see a tall, slender, gorgeous black lady hurrying to their table. She was crying so desperately that her mascara was running. “Oh, Tommy, how could you do me like that?”
“Here we go,” said Reno. Tommy and his women!
But Tommy’s heart dropped when he saw Marjorie in such a state. He tossed his napkin on the table and began standing up.
“You know how I love you,” she was crying. “How could you do this to me?”
“I haven’t done anything to you,” he said as he took her by the arm.
“Want me to call Security, sir?”
“Shut your face!” Marjorie blared out at the prim and proper maître d. “You don’t know what he did to me. So shut your face!”
“Let’s go,” Tommy said as he kept his hand on her arm and led her toward the exit. The maître d, flustered, followed them.
Sal shook his head. “Those people,” he said with bite in his voice. “Embarrass you everywhere you go. That’s what he gets for always fooling with dames like that.”
Reno looked at his cousin. “Dames like what?” he asked him.
Sal snorted and dabbed his cigarette ash in the tray. “Your ass know who I’m talking about. All these beautiful Italian girls around here, and he always got to go black. Like that’s the only color that can turn his ass on.”
Reno shook his head. “You’re a piece of work, you know that Salvatore Luciano? A fucking piece of work. I’d go a step further than what Tommy said about your future. Because oneof these good ole days you’re gonna fall madly in love with a black chick.”
“Me?Like hell!”
“And she’s gonna rock your world.” Then Reno’s anger rose because his wife was one ofthose peopleSal was referring to: His wife was black. “And you know what else she’s gonna do for you? She’s gonna show you how fucking stupid your racist ass is!” Then Reno threw his napkin on the table and got up and left too.
“Leave!” Sal called out. “Who the fuck cares about you leaving?” But then he took a long drag on his cigarette. “Me with a black chick. Get real,” he said.
“Make a take your order, sir?” The black waitress stood at his table.
When he realized she had heard his last comment, he felt embarrassed. And stupid too. But he wasn’t taking it back. “What you asking me what I want for? You ain’t got no menu around here?”
The waitress picked up the menu that was right there on Sal’s table and handed it to him.What an asshole, he figured she was thinking. Because that was exactly how he felt. But he still wasn’t taking it back.
He opened the menu and ordered.
Outside of the restaurant, Tommy’s driver opened the backdoor of his limousine as Tommy assisted Marjorie, who was still crying, onto the seat. Then he got in beside her as his driver closed the door. “Didn’t I tell you to stop pulling this shit?” he asked her.
“But how could you do this to me?”
“I haven’t done anything to you, Marjorie.”
His driver got in behind the wheel and closed the door. “Where to, sir?”
“Take her home.”
“I don’t wanna go home!”
