Joey Gallo's Lament

Joey Gallo pushed open the door to Gussie’s bar on the corner of Smith and President St. It was almost the other side of the world for him. The main headquarters of the gang was President down past Columbia near the docks. Once you got past Court St you were verging into other territory.  Back in Prohibition time it was controlled by the Irish. The remnants of Owney Madden’s West Side gang. He was the head of the Irish Mob and the Micks from Smith St called on those Gaelic guns when they had to go up against the Wops. The big breakthrough was when Al Capone married Mae Couglin from Dead End at St. Mary’s Star of the Sea. The big man actually served as a peacemaker and beat on the Micks and Wops so that they could all get along. Of course it helped that Charley Lucky and Meyer signed on after Maranzano bought it. When Albert Anastasia got control of the Longshoreman’s Union in Brooklyn Al brokered it so the Micks ceded it to him without a fight. A wary peace prevailed. Now the Micks weren’t a factor anymore. Unless they were on the cops. Those were the biggest crooks of all.

The Park Slope Crew headed by the Snake were starting to infiltrate down this way. Everything below Court belonged to the Gallo’s. Everything above Third Avenue belonged to the Snake. The in-between area was more or less up for grabs. Everybody could earn. Which meant that nobody was safe. You could pay off one guy and then the other would brace you. It made for a complicated life.

Gus Papalokis looked up from the sink full of glasses that he was washing. Well not really washing. Dipping in a sink of tepid water and wiping with a filthy rag until he up them upside down on the wood shelves to make another water ring on the abused mahogany.  Everybody called Gussie’s by what shoulda been the real name. It was universally known as “Scuzzies.” Just because it was generally a disgusting bucket of blood saloon. Weak tap beer and cheap whiskey and rye served in dirty glasses. There was a jukebox full of old Irish tunes like “Danny Boy” and “The Wild Colonial Boy.” In the back room there were a couple of old school slot machines that were relics of another time. People still played them but they weren’t as popular as they used to be. The one thing they had that made them different was a full blown pizza oven. It was a gas oven and it was Gussie’s pride and joy. The pizza’s they made there were sloppy and disgusting. But man did they taste good. Gus had a cousin who never said a word but just made pizza nonstop from eight at night until two in the morning. The drunks who congregated there just kept getting pizza and getting soused. Of course a pizza was way cheap in those days. One dollar. So it was no big deal. Half the time Gus gave it away to keep people drinking.

When Joey walked in with Bobby B and Slappy it had to be bad news. The Gallo’s were never good news. Gus could take care of himself. He was a former welterweight prizefighter who had a decent run. Made enough to buy the building and open the bar. Just not enough to get out of the life altogether. Sometimes it walked in the door and bit him right in the ass.

The three gangsters walked up to Gussie and sat down on the other side of the bar opposite the sink. Gussie knew Joey by sight and had no idea who the kid with the mop of hair was. The trouble was gonna be with Slappy Aielllo. Another ex-pug. They had always hated each other. Slappy was a middleweight so they never had a bout. Plus Slappy was a Frankie Carbo guy so he had protection as he was coming up. Until he blew out his knee and had to switch to being a leg breaker. He hated the fact the Gussie got a title shot even though he had to throw the fight. Gussie hated it too. He was so pissed that when he took the dive they heard the splash in the last row of the Garden. It was so bad that the Boxing Commission actually took a look at it. Not a long look to be sure but still a look. That was the last fight Gus was able to book. So he decided discretion is the better part of getting plugged. Retired. Opened a bar.

“Hi fella’s what can I get ya” asked Gussie. He looked them straight in the eye. If he was going down he was going down swinging. “You got any espresso pop” asked the long haired kid. “No sorry no coffee. Just booze and beer. And pizza. Want a slice.”

“Yeah pizza” said Slappy. He got off his stool and walked over to the oven. Pushed Mikos aside and opened the oven. He looked close like he was trying to figure something out. “Yeah pizza. That looks really hot. Ya think it’s hot in that over Bobby?” “Yeah I bet it is Frank. Real hot. A person could get burned and shit” said the kid. “Yeah he could. Ya gotta be careful” said Slappy. “Ya know what I mean Guzzie?”

Gus kept his eyes on Joey. That was where the decision be. “What can I do for you Joe?” “You can pay your dues to the union Gus.” “What union?” “The bartenders union.” “I never heard of the bartenders union.” “Maybe not but that might be because we just started it. Five bucks a week. Payable now.” “You know I am with the Snake.” “I don’t care if you are with Jesus Christ. Or his fuckin father. You gonna pay me five bucks a week. That’s the deal. If the Snake has a problem with that he can come talk with me.”

Slappy banged down the door of the pizza oven and then slammed it shut again. Smiled. And looked at Joe.

“Well when you put it that way Joe waddayagonnado?” Gussie went to the register and banged down the No Sale key. He took picked up the tray at the bottom of the drawer and took a  twenty out of the register. Slid it across the bar. Joey nodded and Bobby B took it and put it in his pocket.

“I will be sending Bobby around once a month. Same time every month. I hope I don’t have to come see you again.” Joe got up off the bar stool and walked to the door. Bobby B winked at him and followed to open the door. Slappy stood there for a minute and shook his head.

“Next time Gussie. Next time.” He put his hands in the pocket of his leather jacket and walked to the door that Bobby B was holding. Slappy turned back to look at Gussie who was wringing his bar towel. He make a gun shape with his thumb and forefinger and pointed at him. “Bang.” Walked out the door.

Gus sighed. Mikos looked at him. “What was that about uncle?” “That was trouble Mikos. Worse part of it that it is just starting. Fuck. I have to figure this one out. Start cleaning out the oven and get ready for the night.” “Ok Uncle.”