The moment I stepped into the bowling alley, I knew things were going to be okay. Nelson met me at the door with a big hug and everyone else from the crew was right behind him. There was a large "Welcome Back Tony" banner hanging across the wall. There was even a bottle of Peruvian wine for me from the Don. It was an ironic gift that everyone laughed over. I enjoyed the party, and when it was over, I looked forward to getting back to work. My time away had taken some of the heat off of me too.
I looked in on all my protection/extortion rackets. I checked in with Keith Mason and got back money from the loans and bookies and my money from before that I had stored and got back my Glock and my pick up.
It turned out that the Family had taken care of this for me. I found a ticket for a long-term parking lot in living in a small apartment near Lucky Lanes. I took a cab to the lot and found my pickup waiting for me. Tentatively, I looked in the glove box. I was pleased to see my Glock .45 sitting there as well. Someone from the family must have moved it for me.
Keith was strangely happy to see me when I met him. I soon realized that he genuinely liked me. I was supplementing his pay, after all. He was still getting paid through my various activities. I thanked him for the tip he'd given me and told him to be sure to keep the law away from me and tell me what was going on.
My no-show job as Assistant Manager for New Daria Airlines International Freight Storage Department was back and better than ever. I had gotten a substantial raise as my various business ventures had their funds laundered through my weekly paycheck.
My tax bill was $2725 and I made sure that I paid it all. The last thing I wanted was to get on the radar of the IRS.
It was great to be back with Jill again. I was overjoyed until she told me it was over. She had cheated on me while I was in prison.
It was after a date at a nice restaurant. Some paparazzi had taken our photo as we left the restaurant and I had waved lazily at them. Jill had turned to me with a big smile and said that I handled the press well. I could see the calculating look in her eyes before she broke the news to me. She whispered it in my ear then turned to the press and smiled, a big beaming smile. I just stood, blinking with the camera flashes.
It took a few days, but I was soon out enjoying being single, I was happy enough to just be dating. Nothing serious, no commitment.
My life as an associate was about to end and I had no idea. I was lying in bed when I got a phone call telling me to come outside. Jimmy the Carrot was waiting for me in his own car with Dana Pipes and Freddie the Rose in the backseat. I was told to get in. I had no choice, so I did as I was told.
There was no laughing, talking, or smiling as we drove through the quiet streets of New Daria. By this point, I was certain I was getting whacked. I tried to hide my fear when we stopped outside of an abandoned warehouse and I was told to go inside. I nearly pulled my Glock .45 right then, but I was afraid that I'd be no match for all three of them.
I went inside the building. I saw dozens of men and women inside, including Don De Luca and Four Finger Nelson. There was a table with wine, a .38 revolver, a dagger, and a picture of some old woman.
"This blood means that we are now one Family," Don De Luca intoned, still holding the dagger he had used to cut my finger. "You live by the gun and the knife and you die by the gun and the knife."
That was the day I became made. I was truly a member of the De Le Russo Family. I was untouchable. I thought that I would need to murder someone to complete the ritual, but later I realized that they assumed that I had killed the couple who had accidentally taken De Luca's son's drugs. They assumed I had fulfilled that requirement. We all went to a restaurant after that and enjoyed a great meal, despite the late hour. I was given a nickname to celebrate my achievement.
