The Name of the Game

Chapter 10

Frank readjusted his grip on the steering wheel, shifting slightly in his seat. He was following a good distance behind the Way family's car, but he was still anxious. He didn't want Gerard to know he was following his family around town. That just sounded insane.

Then again, it kind of was.

But Frank had a strong feeling in his gut telling him there was something going on.

After almost twenty-five minutes, the black car pulled off to the left into a parking lot. Frank kept going. He circled the block before parallel parking across the street from the lot. It was a restaurant, Il Segreto. Frank had no idea what that meant, but he could guess that it was Italian, which worried him slightly.

The restaurant had a large front window, through which Frank could see the majority of what was going on. He could see Gerard and Mikey walking in through the front door, followed by two people who Frank assumed were their parents. There were people standing around with cigars, laughing, and there was a stage set up in the middle of the shiny wooden floor. As soon as Mikey entered, a few men greeted him with claps on the back before he was swept away by a group of women.

Intrigued, Frank sunk down in his seat and began to watch.

-

Mikey could feel his heart pounding in his chest. "Gee..." he whispered, tugging at his brother's sleeve.

Gerard put a gentle hand up to quiet Mikey. "Hush now," he said. "Don't be nervous. It's your night. Just remember that everything that happens is supposed to happen. Okay?"

Mikey swallowed hard, and Gerard gave him a look. Mikey just nodded.

Gerard pushed open the door to Il Segreto. As he did, some men at the front of the restaurant stepped forward to shake his hand. A few more followed, but they were there to slap Mikey on the back. There was a chorus of welcomes.

Before Mikey could thank them, a group of young, made up women scurried over out of nowhere. "Mikey?" they squeaked. Unable to fully comprehend the situation, Mikey nodded. They all reached out hands and grabbed at him, pulling him off into the women's restroom. They sat him down on a stool in front of the mirror and began poking at him with various combs and brushes.

"H-Hey, what's all this?" Mikey asked, trying to fight them off like he would flies.

"We're making you look nicer," said one of the ladies. She grabbed two small bottles of skin-colored fluid and held them to Mikey's neck. He wasn't prepared for how cold the bottles were and jumped. All of the women stopped and put their hands on their hips in an accusatory manner.

There was a knock at the door before it opened and Donna's face popped through the crack. "Oh, thank God," Mikey said. He stood up. "Mom, please tell these... lovely ladies that I spent all day getting ready."

Donna smiled sympathetically. "Oh, sweetie," she said, "They know that already. Think of it like this: They're helping you look more like you're going to be on TV."

"But won't Sir think it's kind of weird that I'm wearing makeup?"

The ladies giggled. Mikey shot them a look, and they sunk into each other.

Donna laid a hand on Mikey's shoulder, pulling his attention back to her. "Sweetheart, it isn't about the makeup," she said. "It's about the presentation."

Mikey sighed, defeated. "What do I have to do now?"

"Just let the ladies make you up," Donna said. "They'll do you well, okay?"

Mikey nodded and took a seat back on the stool. He sat obediently for what felt like forever until the women decided that they were finished with him. He sighed and reached up to push up his glasses, only to poke himself in the eye. A dainty hand outstretched itself with Mikey's glasses between its fingers. Mikey took them, nodding in thanks at the hand. He pulled them on, and as he did, he noticed that the lenses had been thoroughly cleaned.