Road to Respect ~ Sopranos

Chapter 34

Joseph

"I haven't seen you in almost a year." Dr. Jennifer Melfi said from her soft cloth chair. The only thing keeping him from her was a wooden coffee table with nothing but a box of tissues on it. "I believe we only had one meeting."

"Yeah." Joey nodded. "I had that fucked up dream."

"Right. So, what brings you in now?"

"Nothing too serious." Joey said as he scratched his cheek. "I'm just... moving up in my family's business. More responsibility leads to more stress. I'd rather get a handle on it now before it becomes too much to deal with."

"That's smart." Melfi says. "If I remember correctly, you are in the pharmaceutical industry."

"Yes." Joey smiled. "I sell drugs for a living."

Melfi laughed, not realizing that Joey was telling the truth. "Tell me about the family business. Who owns it?"

"I do. I know, I know, uh, my foster father loaned me the money, so he gets a cut, but I run it completely with my uncles and cousins."

"Your foster father sounds like a good man if he's willing to lend you money to start your own business." Melfi said. "But I can see by that look on your face that that may not be the truth."

"Tony and I are... on the outs nowadays. His nephew slighted me a few times and Tony did nothing about it." Joey shrugged. "I'd rather not talk about that right now."

"Of course." Melfi nodded. "What about your uncles? What do they do in the business?"

"There's two of them, twins, Aldo and Antonio, who manage two of my stores." Joey explained. "They're nice guys, I'd think you'd like them."

Aldo

"You motherfucker!" Aldo grabbed a wrench from off the desk and slammed it down onto the man's kneecap. The man screamed in pain through the piece of rebar Antonio was using to keep the man's mouth open and his head pinned down to the table. "Matthew Bevilaqua! You know where that little shit is!"

"I don't man! I swear I don't!"

Antonio scoffed and pulled the piece of rebar out of his mouth before walking over to the woodchipper and turning it on. Aldo chuckled at his little brother's flair for the dramatic before saying, "You were seen with him many times at the Bada Bing. Him and that little shit Sean. I also have quite the recite of what exactly you were doing there. It would be a shame if Silvio Dante found out you were disrespecting the Bing by selling coke in his club." Even through the pain the man looked terrified by the sound of Silvio Dante. "Tell us where Matthew is, and drop you off at the hospital, all expenses paid. We'll even give you a few coupons for the medication you need."

The man was silent for a second which was a second too long for Aldo's liking. "Fuck it. Antonio, do it."

Antonio smiled widely as he walked towards the table, lifted one side up, and started to push it towards the woodchipper. The man, who was strapped down to the table, screamed and begged while he watched his feet get closer and closer to the chipper. "Okay! Okay!" The man said, making Antonio stop. "H-he's at some old museum or some shit. A- uh, historical sight."

"Which one!" Aldo yelled.

"I don't know!" The man cried. "It's fucking New Jersey, do you know how many historical sights are here!"

"At least it narrows it down." Antonio said with a shrug. Aldo sighed and shook his head.

"It's good enough." Aldo said. "Well... not 'you're free to go' good enough."