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Previously on: She
looked at me, clearly
pretending not to
recognize me, and said,
"Sorry! I think
you're confusing me
with someone else."
With that, she walked
away, much to my
amazement. The guy who was
with her also looked at
me, not understanding
anything, and walked away
too. I concluded that
something was wrong, and I
was determined to uncover
it.
Continuing…
I began searching to meet
Allison, but I
couldn't find her. The
house was very big. Then,
I tried to find the guy
who was with her. No way;
he had vanished as well.
Suddenly, I saw her
running directly towards
the parking lot. I hurried
to try to reach Allison
before she got to her car.
However, I was stopped by
a large man, Big-Bang. He
said to me, "Don
Cristallo wants to bid you
farewell." I said,
"Wait a minute, I
need…" Before I
could finish my sentence,
he reminded me that
"Don Cristallo
doesn't accept
no." So I quickly
lied, saying I wasn't
refusing; I was just going
to the bathroom. Big-Bang,
as calm as a savvy airline
pilot, then added, "I
forgot to mention that Don
Cristallo doesn't
wait, either."
I thought about Allinson
while Don Cristallo was
saying to me that one of
his men would follow me
forever. I said that it
wouldn't be necessary,
my profession wasn't
dangerous, no need to be
protected. However, Don
Cristallo was clear and
determined that I would be
protected. So, I
didn't reply to
anything and just agreed
with him, as I had learned
from Big-Bang.
Some days after the New
Jersey party, I still
tried to contact Allison,
but without success. The
only information I had
about her came from her
roommate and friend,
Barbara, who told me that
Allison went to South
America for a work affair.
However, she couldn't
specify the exact location.
Meanwhile, out of the
blue, I was getting close
to the Dom Cristallo
family. I went to Vegas,
Los Angeles, and Chicago
with Big-Bang and other
gang members. Big-Bang
explained everything about
the business that I
didn't want to learn.
Other things happened that
I prefer to forget, stuff
that happens in Martin
Scorsese movies and all.
Then, one day, while
lunching at Sardi's
with Don Cristallo, we
began to talk about
movies. He remembered what
my passion was and said,
"Do you still want to
make a movie?" I
replied,
"Yes, of
course, it is my eternal
dream." On the same
day, I gave him a list of
agents and producers to
whom I had sent my
screenplays (all without
responses), and Don
Cristallo said that
Big-Bang would take care
of that.
Some days later, I was in
my apartment listening to
the podcast "The Plot
Thickens" by Ben
Mankiewicz when my phone
rang. I answered, hoping
it was Allison, but it was
a secretary from a
production company
scheduling a meeting for
the next day with
independent producer John
Fedder to talk about a
script I had sent them a
year ago. Suddenly, they
had an interest in my
story. Soon after,
Big-Bang called me, asking
if I was happy with the
meeting with John Fedder.
I understood and froze for
a few seconds, realizing
that I was now part of the
mob team.
My meeting was strange,
but the word strange had
become part of my life.
After John Fedder harshly
criticized my screenplay,
he got up, looked directly
at me, and concluded,
"This work is so
meaningless, so awful,
that I only have one
option: let's do this
shit."
Inside Starbucks on 42nd
Street, I was reading with
delight the notes from
Variety and the Hollywood
Reporter about the
greenlight for my
screenplay. It would
probably be directed by
Michael Bay or Spike
Jonze. I didn't
understand the two
choices, but who
understands Hollywood
logic?
When I was preparing to
sleep, after spending some
time watching episodes of
Ballers with Dwayne
Johnson, my intercom
suddenly buzzed. I
answered to discover that
Allison was coming up. Oh
my God! I would finally
know what the hell she was
doing at Don
Cristallo's house. I
opened the door and waited
for her. The elevator
arrived, and she stepped
out, looking more
beautiful than ever.
She entered and said,
"I need to talk to
you." I replied,
"Of course, you
do." Without further
conversation, she got
straight to the point,
explaining that she had
been at Don
Cristallo's party
because she was an FBI
agent conducting a secret
investigation into that
family.
(To be continued)
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