Out of The Box Awakening (28 page)

I’m so glad I’ve found someone who truly appreciates music as much as I do. Ash, Tommy, and the guys are all about music, and I just love that we have that in common and can share that. Even though I don’t play an instrument, I have a deep respect for artists and the music they write and play. And now Tommy picks this song to sing to Emily tonight. It’s profound.

The crowd loves the song, too. Todd, being Todd, gets up and takes a bow as if to take credit for it all. He blows Emily a kiss as well, followed by the rest of the guys. They all send a big Muahhh! out to her. She covers her face in embarrassment, and then laughs. It’s good to see her laugh.

Enough said, I think. Todd gives thumbs up from the stage and winks at me. Point taken, Todd!

When the show ends, we all stay at the club. Ross tells Ash that we can stay as late as we want. Even David and Ellen stay. Geez! It’s after 1:00 a.m., and David is still going strong. He and Ash are having a great time, something they probably both need. Ellen says that David has been working and traveling a lot lately.

Ash has put music on the jukebox as he always does. “Cherry Bomb,” by John Mellencamp comes on. Ellen and I throw up our hands, grab our dates, and head out to the dance floor. We all do our best jitterbug.

God! Ash is such a good dancer and so easy to follow. We all sing to the song, word for word. The older folks are getting their groove on. Tommy and Emily come out to dance, as does Ross with one of the bartenders, Liz. Of course, Todd has to come cut in on Ash.

“Scuse me, Mr. H., gotta cut in!”

Ash eyes him down and turns me lose into Todd’s arms. He twirls me around and resumes the jitterbug without stopping. He’s really good dancer, too…who knew?

“How do you know how to dance like this?” I ask.

“My Grammy loved to dance. She’s the one who taught me. I’ve been known to cut a rug with the old folks from time to time. I’m cool!”

“’Old folks’? Are you insinuating something? And to think I thought all you did was gyrate!”

“Gyrate and jitterbug!”

After several songs, Todd says he wants to go outside and smoke. I look surprised at him. “Wait…you still smoke?” I ask.

“Yeah, somethin like that!”

“Hey! You can’t steal my line, bucko!”

“I just did! So, wanna go out and have one with me?”

Ash looks at me and nods….

“I’m going outside for a bit with Todd,” I say. “Be right back!”

“Olivia, don’t think I don’t know you’re going to smoke,” he says.

“Uh-oh! Busted, Olivia! The big guy knows. He’s onto you.”

“Yeah, I know she smokes from time to time.”

“You do? How did you know?”

“I have my sources—go on, have one and enjoy!” He hands me a pack of gum. “Here…this will take the smell away.” He laughs, then. “I know your secret!” He winks that sexy wink at me and then Todd and I head out to the back parking lot.

I wonder if Reba mentioned it to him. She did, after all, stop at the store so I could get a pack. I’ll have to ask her. Her loyalties surely don’t lie with me. Ash is her employer.

In the parking lot we see Tommy leaning back against the wall to the building next door, with his knee up and Emily facing him. He’s keeping her warm and she’s snuggled inside his arms with her face against his chest. They’re talking and kissing. He strokes her face.

“Well, well, well, look what we found.” Todd says.

“Shhhhh…leave them alone. Let’s go over here.” I move us over to a spot away from them. I think they’re oblivious to us anyway, but they definitely don’t need us bugging them

Todd gets out his pack of cigarettes. “We still haven’t squared up from the pack you gave me at Grammy’s. I haven’t forgotten, though. I know I owe you at least ten.“

“Uh, there was more than a half a pack when I gave it to you, buddy!”

“Uh, I so don’t think so.”

We both laugh and light up. We stand, with our drinks in hand. It’s cold and windy out, but it feels so good to have a cigarette, even if it’s only going to be one! It’s been awhile.

“You cold?” he asks.

“No, I’m okay. It’s nice to just enjoy a cigarette. I pull my gloves out and put them on. “I miss smoking, sometimes, especially when I’m drinking.”

He barks out a quick laugh. “Which is what…every day?“

“Yeah, something like that!”

We both laugh. Something in the right corner of the parking lot catches my eye and I let out a gasp.

“Awww!”

“What? What’s the matter?”

“Look, see that black SUV over there? The one with blacked out windows?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Oh, my God! I swear that’s Tony’s car.”

He throws down his cigarette, immediately in full defense mode. “Are you fucking serious?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Dead serious.”

About that time, the engine is killed and Tony gets out of the car. He walks toward us and sees Tommy and Emily over by the wall. He appears to be by himself, which relieves me somewhat.

“Well, how fucking ass sweet!” he snarls. ”If it isn’t the whore of the century with her little boy toy!”

Before he reaches them, I walk over and attempt to calm things. I stand in front of him with my arms crossed. “Look, son, you’re already in enough trouble. Why don’t you just get in your car and leave while you still can. It’s not worth you going to jail again.”

I have my phone with me thank God, so I set it to record on the video. I inconspicuously hold the phone so it is recording everything he says and does.

I’m startled when Tony shouts at me, “Shut the fuck up, bitch!”

Todd immediately steps in front of me with his chest extended in defense mode. He rears back and tells Tony, “Oh, you did not just say that, you motherfucking guinea, did you?”

“Yeah, boy-band fuck-head! I did! Whatcha gonna do, pretty boy? Huh? Beat me with your guitar? Strangle me with the strings?”

“Well, for starters, I’m gonna fuck you up big time, you slime bag Goombah!”

About that time, Tommy comes over. He is focused and confident and looks like he’s fixing to get another piece of Tony. He just stands there almost in a trance and I believe he is going to do something foolish. Emily is trying to hold him back. I grab her arm…

“Emily, go in and get Ash and Ross, now!” She hesitates and looks at me, stunned.

“Now! Goddamnit, hurry! Run!” I give her a little push to get her going.

She doesn’t move.

“Go!” I scream.

It startles her and she hops to it and runs inside. As she’s running, I can hear her scream, as she’s crying, “I knew this would happen, I tried to tell you!”

Todd takes my arm and tells me to go inside as well. “Olivia, it’s probably best if you head inside as well. This ain’t gonna be pretty, babe.”

I pull away from him. “Todd, Tommy, I want you both to stop it now! He isn’t worth it! Let’s just let the police handle this, really guys. Come on!”

Tommy comes over to me and puts his arm around me. He takes my face in his hands…

“Olivia, we got this. Please, go inside. Todd’s right. This isn’t where you should be right now. Please…go take care of Emily for me. Come on, please?”

Tony wants me gone, too. “Yeah, bitch! Go take care of the whore! Get the fuck out of here!”

I can tell Todd is at his limit

“Oh, you mother fucking piece of shit…you’re mine, now!” Todd says.

Tony pulls a knife, then, and I know this is going from bad to worse really fast. I try one last attempt.

“Look, Tony, please don’t do this. These guys can and will fuck you up really bad. Don’t you realize that?”

Todd shoots me a look at me like, “Wait…you didn’t just say that did you?’

I stare right back at him and glare, ‘”Yes! I fucking just did say that!”

Call it the motherly protective instinct. A mother lion, rearing her ugly head! Don’t mess with my kids!

Todd smiles, cocks his head and gives me the “Oh, hell-yeah” look.

Just then, Ash and Ross run out in the parking lot with Emily in tow.

Emily comes over to me and puts her arms around me. “See, Olivia, I told you this is why I need to let Tommy go! It isn’t gonna get better, it’s only gonna get worse!”

Ash and Ross go up to Tony.

“Give me the knife, son, now!” Ash says. “Throw it on the ground. Do it! I swear you’ll regret it if you don’t!”

Ash is dead serious and isn’t backing down one bit. He’s staring Tony down, and he’s really, really angry. I’ve never seen him like this. He has an intimidating presence and is just waiting for Tony to move an inch. Tommy and Todd are fighting ready, and this is escalating fast.

My heart is beating its way out of my chest, and I’m struggling to think rationally. One wrong move here and someone could get killed. Emily is crying uncontrollably and I’m trying to comfort her while trying to control my own emotions. Ellen and David peek out the back door.

“Oh, my God! What’s going on out here?”

“Ellen, David! Back inside, please!” Ash shouts.

Ellen, sensing her brother is dead serious, does just as he says. Tony starts swinging the knife. Before I know it, Ash does some martial arts move that totally immobilizes Tony and renders him defenseless.

I’m scared to death that someone is seriously going to get hurt badly. Tony is on the ground, helpless, bleeding, and wincing in pain.

“Son, I asked you nicely to put the damn knife down, but you didn’t listen. You left me no choice.” Ash has his foot on him, now, pinning him. He looks at Todd and winks. “Now, here’s the deal...all four of us here are black belts. I really don’t think you realize it, but at this very moment, we could goddamn kill you with our bare hands. Now, I know you’re probably a pretty smart guy, huh? And I don’t think you want to get torn up by four guys just for doing something stupid am I correct?”

Tony nods.

“Okay, then. Good. You just lie there and don’t move, because if you do, you’re gonna be very sorry. Get my drift? Comprende?”

Tommy comes over, joining his father, still hot for a fight. “Dad, just let me fuck him up! Just let me have another piece of him!”

Todd approaches, too, chiming in, “Yeah, let me cut his fuckin’dick off and stuff it in his goombah mouth. Or better yet, let’s cut his balls off and see if he can grow another set!” He picks up Tony’s knife.

Ash looks really angry. “Todd, put the knife down now!” He sees no humor in this at all, and it would be best if Todd just listened to him.

Todd senses that Ash is dead serious. He backs down and does as he says, but protests, “Mr. H., he’s a fuckin’ piece of shit! We can take him out.”

“I know that. But let’s just wait for the police. Just cool off, son! He’s not going anywhere.”

It takes a little while, but the police finally pull up. Ash has called Dominic, and he shows up as well. He walks over to where Tony is laid out on the ground.

“Well, well, well, we meet again paisano! Cosac’e? Didn’t learn your lesson last time?”

Tony looks up at him and spits.

Dominic bends down and gets right in his face. He’s rubbing his chin. “Hmmmm maybe we should just leave and pretend we weren’t called and let these boys finish what they didn’t finish last time. Capiche?”

“Sounds like a fuckin’ plan, Dominic!” Todd says.

Tony looks scared and defeated, yet still has a defiant look on his face. He spits blood, gets a second wind and spouts off at Dominic “Vaffanculo! You asshole!”

Dominic laughs. “Yeah, back atcha, Stronzo!”

While Ash and Dominic are standing over him, Emily asks, “Tony, why, why, are you doing this? Can’t you just leave me alone?”

“Oh, hell no, bitch! You made my life miserable when you left me, so it’s time for payback! You and I belong together and we had a good thing till you fucked everything up!”

Emily starts to say something, but realizes that there’s no need to say any more. It won’t do any good.

Tommy rushes over after that remark. Ash puts his arm out to stop him. Ash is angry, and I think he just wishes the police would just handcuff Tony and get him out of here.

“Son, that’s enough! He’s a piece of crap and not worth it!”

Emily goes to Tommy. She grabs his arm and hugs him.

“Tommy, your dad’s right…he’s not worth it.”

Todd walks over to Emily. “Em, why don’t you take Tommy and go inside.”

Tommy resists. “Not a chance man! I’m not goin anywhere until this sack of shit is cuffed and back off to jail…you do realize that’s where you’re going, don’t you, you piece of shit?”

“Fuck you, asshole!” Tony belts out.

Tommy kicks him in the face, and Ash gets really angry. “Tommy! Go inside—now! Todd, that goes for you too!”

I’m not sure what to do, so I take Emily and we go stand by the back door.

“Olivia, what am I going to do? As long as I’m with Tommy, this is what our lives are going to be like. He doesn’t deserve this…when are you going to listen to me! How did he even get out of jail? I thought they were supposed to let us know if he made bail.”

“I know, Emily. I don’t know why this happened. All I know is that we need to let Dominic and the police take care of it.”

“Yeah, just like they took care of it before, right?”

I kind of share that same sentiment. How did he get out of jail, and why didn’t Dominic let Emily know?  Things slip through the cracks. I realize that, but, geez! Couldn’t someone at least let her know?

After an hour or so, Tony is hauled back to jail. The police search his car and find drugs. Not surprising. They also find a gun, also not surprising. They confiscate everything and his car is towed away.