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September 2024

 Chicken Bone (Part Two)
My Story with Ernest Hemingway

Altenir Silva

Previously on: The Godfather movie by Francis Ford Coppola came to my mind: If I go, my laces would be tied forever; if I don't and ignore the invitation, only God would know what could happen to me. Then, I drank the rest of the wine in the glass and made my decision.

Continuing...

I didn't have a choice, by the way, as I was already informed. Don Cristallo didn't accept no. So…

I went to his table, and Don Cristallo said in a very polite and staccato voice, "Next Friday will be my birthday party. I want you to be my principal guest. By the way, if it weren't for you, my party would be canceled." He laughed, and the two men did too. Then, he stopped laughing, and the two men followed suit. He gulped more water from his glass and continued, "You're now my man! What is your name and what do you do?" I replied, "My name is Rona O'Brien, I'm a writer and..." but before I could finish my introduction, he cut me off like an oriental swordsman cutting an apple, pointing to the same man who had spoken to me earlier. "Vincenzo Big-Bang will take your address. Just give it to him." He then leaned in close to me, whispering in my ear, "From now on, if you're happy, I'll be happy too. But if you're sad, I'll take care of whoever is causing your unhappiness."

In my apartment, I Googled and found out everything I needed to know about Don Cristallo, the powerful mob boss in the city. A wave of relief washed over me as I glanced at the Citizen Kane poster hanging on my wall; thank God I had given the correct address to Vincenzo Big-Bang. I had nearly given the wrong address to avoid going to the birthday party. If I had followed my initial instinct, I would be one less inhabitant on Earth because these men always find what they search for.

Finally, the day came, and I was very nervous, so I tried to calm down with a shot of tequila. At the appointed time, my intercom rang; Big-Bang was waiting for me in front of my building. I thought about having more shots but gave up. I went down and got into a sleek silver Hyundai Santa Fe, where Big-Bang and two men were waiting for me. Big-Bang waved and told the driver to move on.

The car was parked along with other cars in front of a big house in New Jersey. I felt like I was entering an episode of The Sopranos, but it wasn't written by David Chase. My excitement soon turned into fear, but I couldn't do anything except follow my destiny.

At the birthday party, Don Cristallo hugged me tightly and announced to everyone (in fact, there were many guests) that I was his angel. He said, "This man saved the Family. From now on, I want this man to be protected by all of us. Nothing wrong can happen to him. Do you all understand?"

In the middle of the party, Don Cristallo approached and whispered in my ear. He loves to whisper. The Capo asked, "What type of texts do you write?" I replied, "I'm a screenwriter. I've written for movies and TV." He inquired about what movies I wrote. I explained that nothing I've written has been produced yet. A few years ago, I had a screenplay optioned by Amblin Partners, Steven Spielberg's company, but it didn't move forward. He expressed regret, saying, "Spielberg likes horses?" I quickly responded, "Please, no, let's not think about that." He laughed and said, "Just kidding."

I was already full from the food and drinks, but I would only leave after Don Cristallo gave his authorization. Since the house was large, I decided to take a walk in the garden. Suddenly, I saw something that would change my life. It was Allison, the girl I was having an affair with—the girl who wouldn't go on our date at the Italian restaurant. She was talking with a guy next to the rose bed. Oh my God! Why was she here? So, I approached her and exclaimed, "Allison?" 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.

(To be continued)

 

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Altenir Silva is a Brazilian playwright and screenwriter working in mass media and communications, including Cinema, Theater, Television and the Web. His texts and scripts - both fiction and reality-based - have been presented , produced and performed in the US, the UK, and Brazil.
For more of his writings in Scene4, check the Archives.

©2024 Altenir Silva
©2024 Publication Scene4 Magazine

 

 

 

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