Free Sally Boy by P. Vincent DeMartino Page A

said she would go out with
me if it wasn’t for that fucking jamoke. So what do you think about
that, buddy boys?”
    “I think Philly C is fulla shit. That’s what
I think,” Mikey stated with a hint of jealousy.
    “Who asked you, anyway? What do you think,
Anthony?”
    “Sal, I gotta be honest with you. I think
maybe you oughta forget about her. Any broad that beautiful is
nothing but trouble. Besides, what about Sonny? He ain’t just gonna
step aside and let you move in on his girl.”
    “She ain’t his girl!” Sal slammed the soda
down.
    Recapturing his soda, Mikey took a sip.
“Sal, let’s just say for the hell of it that Philly C is right and
Nicole does want you to give her the ol’ brascholl. How are you
gonna get that fucking maniac outta the way, huh? I don’t know.
Let’s say, Sonny’s skull gets crushed by a brick falling offa roof.
Or maybe somebody drops an ash can on him. Then you’d have a
chance. But he’s only half the problem. What about Sonny’s old man,
Sal?”
    “Did you forget who my Pop is?”
    “Sal, Sonny’s old man’s here in the Bronx.
Your Pop’s over there in Brooklyn. That shit matters. You know
that.”
    “Fuck Sonny! Fuck his father! And fuck
anybody else you wanna throw in.”
    “Fuck this guy. Fuck that guy.” Tauntingly,
Mikey wagged his finger in Sal’s face. “That’s always been your
problem, Sal. You just don’t give a fuck. How does it feel asshole,
huh?”
    “Fuck you, too.”
    “Yo fellas, let’s get going, huh. I wanna
get to the party before all the good pussy is taken and all that’s
left is the battona’s.”
    Shaking his head in disgust, Sal fired back,
“Why do you gotta talk about girls like that all the time, huh? How
would you like it if somebody talked about your sister like
that?”
    “I ain’t got no sister, Sal.”
    “I know, jerk-off. I mean, what if you did?
Would you want somebody to treat your sister the way you treat
girls? Like a whore?”
    “Like I said before, I ain’t got no sister.
Second, if the broads don’t like the way I treat ’em, fuck ’em.
They can go find somebody else. But they don’t. They keep coming
back to Mikey D. Why do you think that is, Sal?”
    “That’s not the point.”
    “What’s your point, Sal? ’Cause I don’t see
it. I like pussy. I like to eat it. I like to fuck it. What? You
want me to apologize for that?”
    “You’re such a fucking mook, you know that?
I don’t even know why the fuck I hang out with you.”
    “’Cause you love me,” Mikey said
grinning.
    “Nah, that’s not it.”
    “What’s your fucking problem, Sal? You’re
mad ’cause you know I’m right.”
    “Change the fucking subject, Mikey. Awright.
’Cause you’re really starting to piss me off. I wanna have a good
time tonight. Who the fuck knows when we’re gonna get to see Louie
again after he leaves. So let’s just go to the party.”
    Rising from the booth, Sal picked up the
garbage from the table and threw it in the trash.
    Getting up right after him, Anthony and
Mikey followed Sal toward the door. Slightly raising his chin in a
show of familiarity to the guys behind the counter, Sal said
courteously, “Hey Tony, Ray, we’ll see youse later, okay?”
    The guys nodded back in a mutual show
respect.
     
    * * * * *
     

CHAPTER SEVEN
     
    Having already forgotten their minor
disagreement, the three friends strolled down the sidewalk with the
vitality of youth, chomping at the bit to get to the party. The sun
was setting and the familiar shadows of the neighborhood were
creeping in. Street lights were coming on and the closer they got
to Frankie’s house, the more apparent it became by the number of
people loitering about in the street drinking beer, talking to
girls, and smoking, that Louie’s going away party was a huge
success.
    Anthony lagged behind the gait of his
friends to watch the sun set. When he tried to catch up, he noticed
that his shoelace had come undone. “Yo fellas, hold up. I gotta