Wednesday, January 9, 2013

55TH Bingo Boy episode 1/8/13

Bingo Boy - post 55

So the first couple days in Margate went pretty good. They walked all around town, took the Baby to see 'Lucy the Elephant,' a hundred and thirty year old six story, iron-clad building shaped like some maha-raja's howda topped, oriental fantasy. She's got a porthole right where an anus should be  and a cute, little souvenir cottage filled with seashore sofa-throws, kitchy pillows and pachyderm shaped refrigerator magnets.  Marge dropped sixty dollars on a couple gee-gaws... The zeal of the new convert and all that. 

Little Chrissie quietly took it all in. You know she watches Charlie Rose. That girl thinks.  She studied the million dollar homes on the parkway, a wide, landscaped, six block stretch more akin to Beverly Hills than the shore.  OK, so they don't have any palm trees, but the holly trees and maples look real good too. Besides, if you look close, a few of the properties have carefully sheltered, sturdy specimens (palms, I mean) peeking out from sunny, side yards and wind-free, little nooks. This town knows how to live......

Jimmy wasn't saying, but he sensed it too. They needed something, like a goose to lay the golden eggs. You know, he's shrewd. He picks up this stuff.  Gotta find a business.... some sure thing, maybe like one a the shops on Ventnor Avenue, or a share in some, trendy, bayside eatery. Some guys lost plenty in the hurricane. But the damage was spotty. Gotta ask around. Gotta talk to people. Smile a lot. Be friendly. He can do that... turn on the old 'how it was done in Odessa' charm. Partners aren't that hard find. Look what he did with Marty.......

Ugh... poor Marty. He's gonna have a heart attack. I'm telling you. Sits in the house all by himself. Sure, Mrs. Marty would love to come back and kick him out. Kids wanna come back too. But how long could they stay? He don't have any money. How long would they manage? Who'd pay the bills? So she and the kids bunk with her folks (I think we told you her dad has some money.) and he pawns Henredon diningroom furniture. Jewelry's all gone. What did he have?... A watch?... A ring?... Can't watch cable. That's gone... Plays solitaire in the kitchen... Listens to all the crazies on talk radio.... and plots with Muscles....

Yeah, they talk about revenge. Empty safe deposit boxes will do that to people. Plus, Big Chrissie's pressuring him to pay toward the baby. He knows Jimmy's down the shore somewhere. He knows that's where the money is. And Muscles knows guys on the force. Not just in Philly. In Jersey too.

I think he even sleeps there now (Muscles, I mean). Not Jersey, Marty's house. They eat eggs and five dollar, take-out pizzas from Little Ceasar. They get nervous. They drum on the counter..... Muscles says - What do you think they'd do if we kidnapped the Baby? Like if we found him and we grabbed him?...... Marty just looks at him and goes - Yo, shit for brains, I got kids. We ain't kidnapping nobody.....  Muscles just shrugs. He acts real casual, but he's thinking too. If you ask me, he's gonna go rogue and try something on his own. Maybe hook up with Big Chrissie's pop-pop. That Nazi bastid would love an excuse to shoot somebody....

The Baby's having a good time, though. Goes -'Woof! Woof! Ya, Ya, Ya' to all the cute, little doggies. And they got lots a pretty doggies at the shore. He likes his new stroller. He likes getting bundled up and rolled around on all the bright, chill days. Marge got him some outfits at Kidrageous. What a baby-deluxe he is!

Listen, before I stop, lemme tell you what Ricky wants to do. I might a said something before. I don't know. Being a disembodied spirit don't mean you think straight. I can vouch for that..... He wants a sell real estate and maybe flip some a those neat, little duplex condos back by the bay.

Jimmy don't say nothing, but he might let him do it. Still  they gotta make sure they got the money laundered right.

Guy at a bank said he'd handle it, but Jimmy don't trust him. That's just the way he is...

Gee, it's nice around here in the winter time. You can hear the waves and everything...so quiet and clean and nice... I never get tired of it...

This is 'Headless Tommy' (Google Vampire Wonderland by Billy Kravitz, Headless Tommy... if you forgot, or never knew who I was), drifing off to wander the dark, cold byways  at the world famous Jersey Shore...

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