"How was school today?" My mother asked me. The family was sitting down to a meal of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans.
"It was fine mother" I say. Every day she asks me about how school went as if something interesting happened. The same stuff happened every day at that boring old school.
After dinner I took a bath, and laid down in bed and watched some television. I flipped through the channels until I found something I liked. My mind drifted away from the TV, and instantly I thought about him. The kind boy at the bus stop. A part of me was curious to get to know him, I wanted to know everything about him. But truth is I'd probably never see him again. I wish I had gotten his name. I think it was Monte, or something like that.
The boy's point of view:
I wrapped the towel around my cold naked body. I just got out of the shower and I was freezing. "Would it hurt to turn on some damn heat around here" I complained on my way to the bedroom. I had to get out of this house or else I was going to freeze to death. I got dressed turned off my lights, and played some music on my stereo. I sat on my window bench and stared off into the night. Ever since I got home I couldn't stop thinking about her, the black girl from the bus stop. She was really beautiful, and she had a nice smile. I wondered what her name was. Beatrice, she looked like a Beatrice. Or maybe Monique, yeah Monique fitted her I thought. Over and over in my head I kept picturing her smile. Her voice sounded so sweet when she thanked me. I looked down on to the streets and it was live. Normally I'd be out there causing some trouble with my friend's but tonight I didn't feel like getting a speech from my father for having to bond me out of jail. There were men sitting on cars smoking cigars and cigarettes. Prostitutes standing on corners, and flirting with men. There were homeless people sitting around looking pitiful shaking their cups in hope for some change. Usually I'm one of the guys who go around harassing and beating them up. I even saw a man yelling at his girl to 'get in the fucking car' in Italian. It was funny to me, how in my neighborhood at night it was the most alive. In the day time people would be out but not nearly this much.
I was born and raised here in New York. But my parents were from Sicily, the mother land. My mom moved here when she was just a little girl. My father came in his late teens. My father came from dirt, and he was constantly reminding me that I came from it too. He would always remind me how poor he grew up, and how poor we still are today. He was a bus driver, and he was angry at himself for being so. He didn't have much money coming in. And my lazy good for nothing mother didn't work at all. She just stays home and complain about how small our house is, and how she wished she didn't have so many kids. She was right our house was small. We lived in a 3 bedroom apartment. And it was two adults and 6 children in the house. Myself being the oldest.
My name is Montecito but my friends call me Monte, and that's what I like to be called. I'm 19 years old and I'm apart of the biggest neighborhood gang they call us "The God Fathers" anyone and everyone was afraid of us. If someone saw us walking down the street they'll move out of the way, that's how good we got it. My best friends were Idagio, Pauly, and Benjamin. I called them Gio, Pauly Paul, and B-Dog. You don't want to fuck with us. We're your worst nightmares. Growing up everyone knew we were trouble makers and tried to keep their kids away from us. That's why we never had any other friends but each other, and we were cool with just that. The three of them all had girlfriends, and they were Italian. Considering the fact I'm the handsome one out of the group people would always wonder why I'm the only single one. People even made up rumors about me saying that I was a crazy murderer, and that I worshipped devils. All of that crazy stuff. But the true reason I was single is because I don't like Italian women. I like black girls, and black girls don't go for Italian guys. Simple as that. No one knows this about me and I don't plan on them finding out. They would all bash me, I know it. That's why I keep it a secret. I can't stand Italian women, they annoyed me with their big loud mouths and they think they know everything. Just like my mother. The thought of dating one made me cringe. I don't know why but there's something about black girls that I've always liked, they turned me on. Well at least some of them.
** The Next Morning**
I walked out my apartment and went across the street to the bar. That's where the boys always met up. Gio, B-Dog, and Pauly and I were getting a ride to school from Ronaldo, also known as Ronnie Bang, and he was known as Ronnie Bang for two perfectly good reasons. One, he loves to bang women and when I say he loves it I mean it. Ronnie has a way with women, they throw themselves at him. He probably banged every woman in town. Including my mother. He would joke around about how he's my father, but deep down inside I always wanted him to be. The second reason being whenever someone got shot in our neighborhood and you hear a loud bang, even if it was blocks away, it was Ronnie. All his guns had to have a big bang sound to it when he shoots or else he didn't want them. He would give the ones that didn't to us. He was a God in our neighborhood, the leader of God Fathers. Everyone wanted to be him including me. But pauly hated him low key. That's because Ronnie considered me his son, and they would always say I get special treatment from him that they don't get. Which was kinda true, but being a God Father gave them lots of special treatment too. Ronnie always warns me about Pauly and how he thinks pauly is bad to be around. He says he always has visions of me lying dead on the street all because of something pauly did. Pauly had connections with other gangs which always made us wonder if he'd sell us out. Ronnie thought pauly was a rat, and being a rat was the worst thing to be in my neighborhood. He'd always tell us Never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut. But pauly was my best friend, he'd never do that no matter what anyone else thinks.
"Monte this is my new girlfriend Angela, but call her Angie. Angie this is my best friend Monte-"
"Don't say it!" I say in a threatening manner also cutting pauly off.
He laughed, " Monte, and nothing else. What ya think I'm stupid to tell the girl ya name monte?"
"Don't be a wise guy Pauly I'm not in the mood today. Nice to meet you Angie" I say irritated. Pauly and his new girl toy continued to talk and he paraded her around the bar like she was a sight to see. She was nothing but a loud mouth, Italian bimbo who was wearing too much red lipstick, and cheap clothes. Ronnie walked in with the rest of my guys.
"You guys ready to go?" He asked.
"Yea yea of course, I want you to meet my new girl right quick" said pauly. Ronnie looked her up and down and said, "uh-huh let's go".
Pauly frowned and I began to laugh so loud, Ronnie gave me a look and started laughing too. "I swear Monte is the only one with some brains". We got in the car and I hopped In the front seat, it was a cherry red Cadillac. "Get in Angie" said pauly making room for her.
"The girl coming along too?" Asked Ronnie lifting an eyebrow.
"Of course Ronnie she's my gal" said pauly offensively.
"Get out of the car" demanded Ronnie.
"Come one Ron-" pauly started to say but was quickly cut off by Ronnie.
"Get out of the fucking car you knuckle head. Are you kidding me? gangsters never ride in the car with hookers".
"She's not a hooker you.." pauly yelled in rage getting out the car.
Ronnie stopped the car and got out, "You what? What were you going to call me?" He asked
"You son of a bitch" pauly said. Ronnie laughed,
"You're right I am the son of a bitch but that's non of your damn business" Ronnie said. All of a sudden Ronnie punched pauly so hard he fell on the ground. Ronnie got on top of him and started punching him and slapping his face hardly.
"What happened Ronnie?" Asked the big guys. The men who were up there with Ronnie in rank. "This Pussy called me a son of a bitch!" Ronnie yelled. All of sudden all you saw was foots stomping Pauly. His little girlfriend ran away. "Stop it! Get off of him Ronnie stop it!" I yelled trying to pull pauly up. I didn't want to get in the mess but I couldn't just sit there and watch my best friend get jumped. But pauly knew what he was doing. He messed with the wrong guy. Pauly picked the wrong day to be pauly. There was going to be consequences and I know I was going to be apart of them.
