THE YOUNG SOPRANO PART 2--XXI (Continued)
THE YOUNG SOPRANO
PART 2--XXI
BY
J. Beck
2024
...
(CONTINUED)
XXI
Compagino opened the funeral home office door to inform him that the Hilton Hotel tour-bus had arrived with all of the family members. & That his two Aunts would like to see him.
A.J. stands to greet them while he straightens & buttons up the front of his black dress-suit jacket as he motions to Compagino to allow them in.
Aunt Barbara enters first with A.J.'s cousins Alyssa & Tommy III leading her older sister Janice with Sophia Nica & Bobby III Baccalieri as Cork closed the office door quietly behind their small parade.
A.J. greets each one with a sincere hug & kiss only shaking hands with Tommy & Bobby.
Before Barbara could finish thanking A.J. for paying for all of their expenses to travel there with the rental car for Tommy to drive them down from Brewster the day before the funeral as well as their luxury rooms at the Hilton.
"There! Get down now. You'll hurt Anthony's back!" Janice scolded Nica as she held a black hankerchief under her nose shedding alligator tears. "I have to apologize for your cousin Sophia's dressing apparel! She dresses herself like she's a goddamn dyke! Only "Butch's" wear baseball caps on backwards & a Yankees jersey around? I have failed her late father Bobby Jr may he rest in peace!" Janice crosses her heart. "I have failed her late mother as well. Why can't you be a normal young lady? I haven't failed with Bobby! Look at him! He's handsome--Big & Strong--He goes to work everyday!"
With that Sophia lashed back. "It's because I'm almost 21 & I don't have a fucking life. It's like I'm in your "Misery" being your prisonier & goddamn slave baby-sitting Nica who is 12 now & doesn't even need a sitter! One of these days I'm going to fucking run away!
"NO YOU WONT YOUNG LADY!" Janice yells at her as Sophia storms out the door past Compagino left holding the key.
Barbara interrupts her scattered sister Janice to finish informing him that A.J.'s Uncle Tommy had an important business meeting with private investors at his firm today that he couldn't afford to miss. But he intended to drive down from home early tomorrow morning to join the rest of the family for Uncle June's Funetal Ceremonies & Burial at the Jersey City Cemetery. As she excuses herself to locate the Lady's Room & Lounge with her daughter Alyssa who would be graduating from Syracuse University as an architect later that summer.
A.J. again kisses his Aunt Barbara's cheek & thanks her for coming. Then A.J. motions his two younger cousins over to the desk where he sat with Nica on his lap. A.J. instructs Nica to open the desk drawer & take out two rolls with 100 10$ instant scratch off lottery tickets. (From Mr Monte's Eleven7.)
A.J. tells Nica to give each of the boys a roll before he explained to them what they were & he wanted them to discreetly sell them to their guest for 5$ at half price. Then A.J. would pay them 20% of sales which would be 1$ for each 5$ ticket. If they sell them all for 500$--They would each make 100$!
Both young men took their roll out of the office to sell their wares. Leaving only A.J. holding Nica & his Aunt Janice still sniffling. Reaching out her hand for Nica to come with her to leave & get out of her cousin A.J.'s "Hair".
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