THE YOUNG SOPRANOS PART 3--XXXII (CONTINUED)
THE
YOUNG SOPRANOS
PART 3--XXXII
BY
J. BECK
2024
. . .
(CONTINUED)
XXXII
Barbara reappears standing in the kitchen as A.J. finished eating & lighting an after meal cigarette. Barbara had disappeared & locked herself inside her bedroom as she would when she was a young girl like Caitlyn to lay face-down face first buried into her pillow to scream & cry while punching with her fist & kicking her feet until she became exhausted.
Barbara felt abandoned when her older Sister ran away from home & left Barbara behind to survive her childhood alone with their crazy mother Livia.
Barbara & her older brother Tony created a life-lasting bond. Tony became her safe-haven & protection from the city-neighborhood & their dysfunctional home lives as siblings in a Mob Family with a violent father & a mad mother.
This was the reason that Barbara & Tony had became so close during their childhoods after Janice ran away leaving them behind. Their bond of love & trust endured & lasted into their adult lives even after Janice eventually returned home.
There was no one that either of them ever trusted more then each other. That's why Tony called Barbara at least once a week or more after she married Tom & moved away to Brewster.
But as Tony became older he would be gone out running the streets & wouldn't return until their absent father would come home. Leaving Barbara alone to fend for herself.
Barbara became emotional when the realizations that this ill little girl was actually het young niece because it thrusted her back into the dark past when she was at this child's age. Dredging up all the black memories that she had experienced growing up & managed to contain all of her fears & insecurities in a forgetful way of denial that laid open as a shallow grave in the cold barren ground of her earliest childhood memories.
Barbara returned to the kitchen after collecting her emotions & refreshing herself before changing into a clean blouse.
Barbara picks up A.J.'s lighter off the table to strike it for him. Then she removes a red-pack cigarette for herself.
"So tell me A.J.: Did my niece have her surgery that I recall hearing about at Junior's Funeral was scheduled for yesterday on Monday?" As she inhales the cigarette deeply with her arms crossed to await his answer.
"Yes." (And?)
"And Caitlyn was resting peacefully afterwards before I left her." (You were there with her?)
"Yes.--I left the airport after seeing Alyssa & Mom's flights took off yesterday. I sat with her mother Kelli during the surgery. Then rejoining her post-op in the recovery room where the doctors told us that the surgery was a success & they had removed two large tumors."
"So then What happened this morning?" Barbara further questioned him about the blood-test.
"Well--All five us went to St Jude's Children Hospital to have our blood drawn after Caitlyn's mother gave them permission to draw a blood sample. All six came back as positive matches identifying Tony as their Father. So we all went to visit Caitlyn in her hospital room to officially welcome her into our Soprano Family. She was surprised & delighted to learn that she actually has three older brothers & two older sisters.
Then lastly before leaving the hospital I presented her with a small toy Yorkie puppy as a companion pet that she named Tori." (You are a Good Man Anthony!) Barbara places her hand on his shoulder. A.J. remained silent.
Barbara butts out her cigarette in the heavy glass ashtray as she looked up at the clock.
"It's still early enough to go visit her this evening. I will have Tommy drive me over to see my beloved niece." Barbara leans forward & kisses the crown of A.J.'s head. "I love you Anthony." (I love you too Aunt Barb.)
BARBARA (SOPRANO) GIGLIONE
WIDOW AUNT
Barbara strides out the kitchen door to the picnic table in the back yard where all the young people sat together eating pizza & talking.
"OK--This little party is over!" Barbara announced. "Tommy. Go inside & change your shirt & grab a jacket & tie. You are driving me over to St Judes Children's Hospital to visit my niece & all of your's new-found cousin Caitlyn Moltisanti Soprano!"
Everyone was pleasantly surprised & they all clapped & saluted their new family member.
Barbara asked Bobby & the Girls if they wanted to go with her to visit & welcome Caitlyn into their Soprano Family.
Bobby answered: "Nay". But he said the girls could go with their Aunt if they wanted. Which the two sisters answered by standing up together with Tommy to go inside to refresh themselves before leaving.
A.J. walked out of the house with a loose tie & his dress-jacket draped over his arm.
"Roberto & Raymond!--I want you two to meet Vito & I at the storage unit compound before you take Raymond home."
A.J. receives a phone call from his real estate agent Julianna Skiff while Vito followed Robbie & Raymond back to the T-Storage Unit Compound. Julianna wanted to meet him tomorrow morning to show A.J. a couple potential available properties for sale she found for him.
A.J. agrees to meet Julianna at 9 o'clock Wednesday morning at her office.
A.J. hangs up the call as Vito is turning into the storage compound behind Robbie & Raymond's handicapped accessible rental cargo van when Compagino's car darts out in front of them.
A.J. instructs Vito to stop Compagino as his fish-tailing vehicle approached the compound gates swirving throwing loose stones slams on his car brakes to stop beside them in a cloud of dust when Vito rolled his car window down to stretch out his arm for Cork to Halt.
"WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU GOING LIKE A BAT OUT OF HELL COMPAGINO?!" A.J. yelled out the driver's car door window in Vito's ear as he leaned across the front seat to address Cork.
"DONT ASK!" Compagino waved dismissingly.
"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN COMPAGINO?--DONT ASK?--WHO ARE YOU FUCKING TALKING TO HERE?!
DO I HAVE TO GET OUT & DRAG YOU FROM YOUR CAR TO BEAT YOUR GODDAMN ASS?!"
"NO--NO ANTHONY! YOURE RIGHT--I APOLOGIZE A.J.--IM SORRY!" Compagino nervously responds holding up his hands.
"I'm Late!" (For What?)
"For a Poker Game at the ALBATROSS SOCIAL CLUB."
"Yea?!--So?!" A.J. continues pressing Cork.
"Namely?!--The Bareses--They're going to be all uptight & shitty over Romeo's murder!" Compagino answered.
"Fuck them Compagino.--I told you already that we had nothing to do with that Fat-Fuck's death. Don't you take any of their shit & shut them down before they insult us. If they want to start something?! You assure them that we will fucking finish it--GOT IT?!" A.J. asked pointing his finger at Cork through the open window.
"Yes Anthony--I Got It T!" Compagino answered shaking his head up & down "YES."
"OK--Now Get the fuck out of here & slow down!" A.J. leans back in the front passenger seat & instructs Vito:
"LET'S GO V.--THAT FUCKING GUY COMPAGINO?--REALLY EATS AT MY ASS!"
Inside the Storage Unit Compound Vito pulls up behind the white cargo van to meet Robbie & Raymond at a predetermined private storage unit.
Vito unlocks & lifts open the unit door where there were six suitcases. A.J. points them out & instructs Robbie to load all six of the suitcases into the cargo van to take to Raymond's house to securely store for him. Vito assisted Robbie lifting two suitcases when Robbie struggled to lift one. "CHRIST!--WHAT'S INSIDE THESE FUCKING THINGS?!"
A.J. & Raymond laugh at Roberto struggling to drag one out of the storage unit. "Don't be such a Big Pussy Rob!" Raymond teased him.
"I WILL BIG PUSSY YOU--YOU FUCKING CRIPPLE!" Robbie said in a hateful love way.
& Raymond responded with a roar of laughter! "See why Roberto & I make such a great team?! We love hating on each other!"
"Alright Boys!--We need to discuss other more serious matters!" A.J. informs them as he lights a cigarette & points out the last remaining suitcases to be loaded.
"There are three suitcases of cash that I need you two to count for me three times. Then there a two suitcases with old stolen guns that I want you Raymond to inspect examine & sort them out according to value. Then the last suitcase has 500K$ worth of coke & smack kilos inside. All i ask Raymond is the combination of the large wall safe in his ammo-dump basement bunker benenth his house. Just in case something happens to you."
"Yea.--I get that T.--The combination is actually writtened on an old dusty poster-girl calender hanging in the basement. The combination is Betty Page's measurements 36-24-35.
"She was the Oldman "Buffalo Ray's" fantasy girl!" Raymond laughs. " My father would get drunk & want to argue with you about which model had the nicest ass between Betty Page & Marilyn Monroe?!--He always claimed Marilynwas a big ass & not a nice ass!" Raymond shakes his head chucking.
"OK--I want you both to work from home at Raymond's house while you sort out the guns & count the money. We will discuss the drugs later. But we need to have the money & weapons available first for business & work."
"Gotta it T.!"--(Good Men.)
A.J. & Vito stepped up to the cargo van's open side door after Raymond reloaded in his electric wheelchair with a moving blanket to toss over & cover up the six suitcases of booty & lute in transit.
A.J. informs them that if they can manage & secure these idems for him he would have more--much more to entrust them both with.
Then A J. asked: "Do you two still want to "Make your Bones?!"(Make our Bones?)
Raymond firmly back-hands Robbie in the drivers seat behind him. "SHUT THE FUCK UP & LISTEN!" Raymond hisses over his shoulder to Rob."-- "Go on Anthony."
"I have a piece of work that I believe will suit you two to do together--The contract is for two persons who will be together at the moment of the Hit! If you both agree to it & afterwards?! We will Make you both in the same day."
(WHEN & WHERE?) Raymond turns around to shoot Roberto a glaring look & lifts his arm to threaten to hit him again. "I said: Shut Up & Goddamn Listen. YOU FUCKING NUMB-SKULL!"
Raymond returns his gaze towards A.J. & Vito knodding his head "Yes.-- We will do it Anthony!" Peering back again at Robbie who also knodded his Yes in agreement.
"Good Deal--All I can tell you is it will be sometime Sunday. That's why I gave you those suitcases of guns. Find two good ones to pull off this job that have no serial numbers which you can drop behind as you leave the crime scene."
The two young Italian American men both agreed together assuring the two Young Sopranos Brothers that they would be "Ready & Waiting" for Sunday to come!"
"GOOD MEN--NOW. GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" A.J. slams the sliding door shut behind the conclusion of the conversation & could hear Raymond giving Robbie the guff about asking the Boss such stupid questions.
Laughing Together A.J. & Vito climb into their car to follow them out through the compound gates to depart in opposite directions.
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