17 Mar The Mafia: Chapter Twenty-One

*This rough draft is entirely a work of fictional writing*

Papa G, Rudisin and Sly are having a meeting at the strip club they own named Twerkin’ Thots – there are a few girls seductively dancing on the stage in front of them.

Papa G is infuriated, “That little prick! We all took D as a fool, but he’s a goddamn genius! Only he would be stupidly smart enough to play the macho game… he knew the entire industry is built around who can look the most macho without disturbing the peace – he’s in first place… he’s making all of us look fuckin’ stupid!”

Sly drinks from a bottle of whiskey, “Calm down… who the fuck cares? Who cares if he looks super cool slicking back his goddamn hair?! Ya’ll are being stupid!”

Rudisin speaks calmly, “No… Papa G is absolutely correct. D has found the niche exploit… being subtly macho is the ultimate chess match; you either know how to play, or you don’t… you’re either macho or you aren’t. Can’t fake it or force it.”

Sly sniffs a line of cocaine, “I still don’t understand what the big fuckin’ deal is! All that son of a bitch is doing is combing his stupid fuckin’ hair!”

Papa G elevates his voice, “The fact that you don’t understand is exactly why you aren’t fuckin’ macho! You’re weak! In addition to all of this bullshit I loosely heard that the Morena family might join forces with them – that’s a whole lot of muscle power and political capital…”

Sly sniffs another line of cocaine, “Fuck!”

Papa G looks at Sly, “Gimme that!” then takes the chalkboard of cocaine lines from him and snorts a few, “Bring me the one that they call Daunte so that I can cut him open and show everyone that he is flesh and blood – just like the rest of us!”

Rudisin swirls his glass of whiskey then calmly takes a sip, “That would not be wise. What would be wise is to inquire Romano Morena on if he knows that his little princess Selena is dating Mister Macho Man.”

—

D takes Selena to an upscale, yet small Italian restaurant named Cutlet & Ziti for their second date. They are seated at a table closest to the front window of the restaurant because D likes the vibe and view of the city lights.

D lights the candle on the table with his own lighter, “You know… if this place wasn’t a mom and pop restaurant it would definitely be Michelin star ranked… the food is authentic. I mean, look around you, most of the patrons are Italian immigrants or first generation… they subscribe to these dinner plates on a nightly basis – that’s how you know the food is prepared and cooked by native Italian hands.”

Selena’s cheeks turn warm, “You really know how to splurge on a girl. Now tell me D, how many other girls have you taken here before me?”

D slicks his hair back with his comb, his signature move, “Not that much… not really that much. This one time, but that was the last time.”

Selena smiles and then giggles, “Maybe you should use more hair gel so you don’t have to comb your hair so often?”

D smiles, “Look… Selena, I don’t comb my hair like that to try and look cool. It’s just that some cultures and within some industries subtle macho moves are a necessary chess match amongst friends and foes alike.”

Selena looks around the room, “How so?”

D explains, “You see it most frequently in Italian culture. Someone rolls up their sleeve to show off their new watch – well then you gotta be the first person to tuck your napkin into your shirt. Or you hear someone start to randomly insert a few words in their native language – well then you gotta return the serve with some native language in a different accent. It’s all about one-upping someone else’s macho move. Like… the only person that gets to speak at the table is the one that is holding the baguette and they have to talk while chewing – super macho – so you gotta take a quick sip of wine like it’s some strong whiskey, but you do it with the utmost suaveness and charisma. Everything is about finesse… you see someone get macho and butter their bread while sliding some prosciutto on top, well then you gotta be the first one to pour the balsamic into the olive oil – it’s just an underlying rule, no one likes to get out-macho’d. ”

Selena rolls her eyes and then sighs, “Ugh. This is all very new and confusing to me.”

D laughs, “Ladies is pimps too… okay, so tell me why you started sassily twirling your hair around when you felt like the waitress was standing there talking to me for too long? That’s pimp.”

Selena blushingly smiles, “Yeah. I guess you do have a point.”

D unbuttons the first button to his collared shirt, “Indeed. I’ve been reading a lot of books on psychology – it’s a vast and fascinating subject to explore.”

Jane suddenly walks up to their table and uses her index finger and thumb to put out the candle light, “Well, well, well… if it isn’t little miss princess Selena Morena – how nice and convenient it is to finally meet you.”

Selena throws her napkin on the table and then looks at D, “I didn’t sign up for this Romeo and Juliet bullshit!” then she walks out of the restaurant.

—

*To Be Continued In Chapter Twenty-Two*