The Cardinal and the Crook

Anthony bid forty dollars, and James, who had been convinced Rocco was just bluffing again, was shocked when Rocco immediately matched the amount. He could see that everyone else was equally surprised.

“Okay, Anthony, show us what you’ve got!”

“Well, Rocco, I have these three beauties.” Then he slowly laid down each king.

“Is that all that you have?”

“Oh no, my friend, I also have these two beautiful ladies!”

He then dropped the two queens onto the table.

“Wow . . . You really did have a great hand!” Rocco sounded disappointed. “You fooled me. I thought you were trying a Rocco-style bluff. Well done, my friend.”

Just as Anthony reached for the pot, Rocco stopped him.

“Wait a minute, Anthony. I said that you had a great hand, but I didn’t say that you beat me.”

Then Rocco slowly and methodically laid down four aces. Everyone’s jaw dropped, especially Anthony’s. Rocco started laughing as he began scooping up the pot. James could see that his roommate was stunned and embarrassed.

Nevertheless, Anthony smiled and good-naturedly said, “Why, you bastard . . . you little bastard . . . you really played me for a fool. I’m going to get you for this!”

Rocco could not control his excitement at winning such a large pot at Anthony’s expense. He jokingly said, “So, what are you going to do, send some of your old man’s goons after me? Maybe they’ll throw my body into the harbor. Ha ha!”

That’s when it happened. Anthony’s smile immediately disappeared. His face turned a deep red, his brown eyes became black as coal, and he lunged for Rocco.

“You fucking bastard! Don’t you ever say that again! I’ll rip your head off!”

By this time, Anthony had knocked Rocco to the floor and was ready to land a punch to his face. James grabbed Anthony’s arm just in time. It took the three of them—James, Ralph, and Fred—to pull the muscular Anthony off Rocco, who was thoroughly stunned and frightened. He began apologizing profusely.

“I’m sorry, Anthony! I’m really sorry! I only meant it as a joke. It was dumb for me to say it.”

James and Ralph were still holding Anthony back, who had not calmed down yet and seemed ready to charge again.

“Get the fuck out of here . . . and don’t you ever come back here again. Get out now!”

Rocco, looking pitiful and shocked, grabbed his jacket and ran out the door, leaving his winnings behind. Fred and Ralph quietly followed soon afterward.

It took another half hour before Anthony calmed down. James had never seen his friend act this way. When he thought the time was right, he gathered the courage and asked, “Anthony, what the hell was that all about? I’ve never seen you get so angry before. You literally had fire in your eyes. We could barely pull you off him. What happened, man?”

Anthony stared at James for several seconds and then said, “You really don’t know, do you, Jimmy?”

“Know . . . know what?”

“My father . . .”

“What about your father?”

“He’s a crime boss, one of the most powerful bosses in the  Northeast!”

Now it was James’s turn to be stunned.

“You . . . you mean like in  The Godfather?”

“Yeah, like in the movies—but for real, Jimmy!”

Now it all came together for James—the respect everyone always showed Mr. Martoni and the reason he had security. Nothing was said between the two friends for several minutes. During this time, James could only think of the extreme differences between his father and Anthony’s. Father Pat was a warm, kind, and gentle person who lived his faith every single moment of his life. He wouldn’t even kill a fly. Instead, he would try to catch it and take it outside the house. He would tell his sons that the fly was also one of God’s creatures. James could only imagine what Mario Martoni had done.

As James was contemplating these differences, Anthony finally spoke. “That’s my father, Jimmy. I’m not him! I love the man, but I hate what he does! I don’t plan on following him into the crime business. That’s why I’m taking over the restaurant business. I don’t want anything to do with the rest of his organization.”

James put his hand on his friend’s shoulder and said, “I really didn’t know. I’m not sure what to say.” Then, after thinking about what had happened earlier in the evening, he said, “What about Rocco? You scared the shit out of him. Don’t you think you should do something about that?”

“You’re right, Jimmy. I really lost it! I’ll talk to him tomorrow and apologize. Maybe I’ll even take him and the rest of you bums to one of our restaurants for a really nice dinner.” Then Anthony looked directly into James’s eyes and said, “Thanks for being my friend. You are a really good friend. I’ll never forget that.”