THE YOUNG SOPRANOS PART 3--XXXIV (CONTINUED)
THE
YOUNG SOPRANOS
PART 3--XXXIV
BY
J. BECK
2024
. . .
(CONTINUED)
XXXIV
A.J. left Bellville after dropping Caitlyn off with his Aunt Barbara & Tommy to return her to St Jude's Children Hospital in NYC while he went to check on "Jackie-O" at Newark Hospital.
A.J. meets Vito in the hospital cafeteria & they hopped the elevator to ride up to the roof for a cigarette & a private discussion.
Vito told A.J. that Rhonda informed him that Kelli Moltisanti parents were called in because she had a living will & she would be unplugged from the life-support.
Neither of the two brothers had any reason to involve themselves any further into the family's distressful situation since they rescued their little sister Caitlyn from her other distraught & drunken grandmother.
"What do we tell Caitlyn?" Vito asked A J.
"We don't tell her or anyone anything. There is no harm in everyone believing that Kelli's death was a result of her own accidental fall. & Joanne Moltisanti will no longer be a threat to Caitlyn's welfare."
Vito knods his head in an understanding agreement with A.J.'s deduction.
"Our work here is done brother. Let's get the Fuck out of here!"
On the way back down from the hospital roof to the ground-floor to leave A.J. told Vito how he had a bad dream last night. He had drempt that he was entwined by a giant grape-vine of many licking tongues straggling him.
A.J. had gone to visit Kelli Aprile at her home the evening before after they had handed off the suitcases of Benny's money & weapons to Raymond Curto Jr & Robbie Pontecorvo at the T-Storage Unit Compound to take & count.
A.J. showed up at Kelli's front-dooe shortly before dinner-time with a loaf of Italian bread & a bottle of imported wine. Kelli asked him what was the reason for his visit.
"I showed her the bottle of wine & the bread-loaf under my arm answering that I was there because I was hungrey tired & lonely."
"Come in my Weary Prince!" Kelli embraced & invited him inside. Her mother Rosale was gone out on a dinner-date leaving her there at home alone waiting on left-overs warming up in the oven.
They sat together close on the sofa in the living room sharing a glass of wine while awaiting the delicious smelling food reheating in the kitchen.
Kelli told A.J. she heard through the "Grape-Vine" that he was stirring up a bunch of shit with the New York Families. (Really?!--How So?!)
Kelli continued to explain herself to A.J. by asking him if he remembered her cousin Macey (Makenzie?!)
Answering "Yes." saying that she had spoke to her who was friends of Jerry Basale Jr's wife Theresa who told her that Jerry Sr blamed A.J. for Romeo's murder after beating up & robbing him.
Kelli told A J. that Jerry Sr had traveled to Miami to personally speak to "Little Carmine" about restitution for the damages that Romeo suffered by A.J.'s hand. A.J. remained silent listening affording Kelli no reactions or answers.
Carmine Jr told Jerry that he forbid him of retaliation directly against A.J. Stating bluntly although Romeo was Jerry's first cousin that no matter how serious & grievous the injuries Romeo suffered--He was still merely an associate. & A.J. was well within his Right as a Made Man & a Boss.
Then Jerry recieved a call informing him that Romeo had been murdered during his absence requiring him to return home to NYC immediately.
Finishing Kelli deliberately paused affording A.J. a moment to respond which he didn't & the oven timer alarm "DINGS" alerting them that the food was ready to be served in the kitchen.
Half glaring Kelli rose up off A.J.'s lap to attend to the food instructing A.J. to go wash his hands & refresh himself before she served their dinner.
"So?!--You don't have anything to say?!" Kelli questioned A.J. as she removed her apron to sit at the dining room table with him.
"What do you want me to say?!" A.J. asked answering her question as he draped an open napkin across his lap & refilled their wine glasses.
"Should I say that everything smells & looks delicious?!" He suggested with a warm smile lifting his plate up for her to dish out the food.
"That's nice A.J. especially since the dish was actually made (& frozen) by your mother last week during her stay here before returning home to South Beach Monday--But that's not what I meant!" (OH--OK?!)
"I meant--What do you make of Jerry Basale's accusations?!"
"Nothing."--(Nothing?!)
"No. Nothing." (Why Not?!)
"It doesn't matter what Jerry thinks or says. Like it doesn't matter what I think or say." (Well--What you are saying about it doesn't make sense to me?! What do you mean?!--It doesn't Matter?!)
A.J. grins at her & wipes his lips with the napkin before speaking.
"What else is Jerry suppose to think & say?! It would be expected considering the situation--Would it not be?!
And what do you believe my answer would be whether his accusations are true or false?! Just because he says I did it or I say I didn't won't make it true for one or prove the other false.
"You make it sound like you want him to believe you did it.?!" A.J. doesn't answer her. "Macey added that Jerry is leaning on Larry to retaliate against you & seek a consensus amongst the Captains to remove you as the Family Boss."
"Let Them.--And then we will find out who within the family ranks that are complacent & those who is not!"
"Aren't you fearful that it could begin a civil war within the Family?!
"For one thing Kelli--I'm not fucking afraid of a goddamn thing! Secondly--By the way you make it sound we are already at war no matter what anyone says?! Thirdly. I won't start a war but you can be assured I will finish it!"
A.J. stands up to excuse himself before taking a bite to eat.
"To tell you the truth Kelli?! I came here this evening hoping to get some "PUSSY"--But I wasn't expecting you to "UNDRESS" me like this before dinner?! I've lost my appetite for dinner & sex. I can show myself out."
"You actually walked out on her?!" Vito sheepishly grins asking.
"Fuck Yea I did.--I don't need or want her shit. Although--Everything she said we already anticipated & expected." (We Have?!) Vito half laughs.
"Yes.--Fully. Jerry & Larry are both impeccably predictable between their Greed & Pride which merely mask their Fear of Lack & being Disrespected."
" I know Kelli cares & means well but I can't & won't answer to her or anyone for that matter. She is pushy--Which is admirable enough but she needs to learn to haress her own passions instead of imposing herself upon mine."
A.J. lights a cigarette as they exited the hospital lobby entrance for the parking lot.
Then he asked Vito to leave there & go over to St Jude's Children Hospital to guard their little sister Caitlyn's room for him until A.J. came to relieve Vito after he. attended the political fund-raiser dinner with Meadow at Honeywell Mansion in West Orange that evening.
"Aunt Barbara said she will stay there with Caitlyn until the doctors released her to come home. But I want our visual presence there to make Caitlyn feel safe & secure. & We don't know how Kelli Moltisanti parents are going to react with the impending death of their daughter."
"Will Do T!--No Worries. I will be there. Don't feel rushed to relieve me."
"Good Man!" A.J. slaps Vito across the back as they departed to leave in their separate vehicles in different directions.
A.J. arrived at St Jude's Children Hospital shortly after 11PM Wednesday evening after attending the sham political fund-raiser dinner at Honeywell's Mansion in West Orange with Meadow. Who had drove herself instead of meeting A.J. in Jersey & traveling there together so she could leave early.
Vito leaves & informs A.J. that their Aunt Barbara was staying the night there in the hospital's family visiting residence. & That the doctors were pleased with Caitlyn's physical & emotional recovery progress in spite of her stressful post-surgery circumstances between her mother & grandmother's demise. The doctors intended on releasing Caitlyn the following day if she continued to improve over-night.
A.J. will fall asleep in the chair at Caitlyn's hospital room bedside as she rested peacefully.
Vito left St Jude's Children Hospital to return home to their Fleet Street apartment building Newark NJ shortly before midnight.
But he was pulled over by a police car's flashing lights before he could escape NYC back across the George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River to Jersey City.
A female police officer approached Vito's curbed car's driver door shining a bright blinding flashlight in his face asking for his ID & Vehicle Registration.
. . .
(To Be Continued)
ALL
AI GENERATED IMAGES
CREATED BY
USING WORD PROMPTS
2024
Comments
Post a Comment