Nyu-Yo-Ku Kuchidzuke

Chapter Nine

It wasn’t until a week later that JJ had a chance to reply to his pen pal due to work and family obligations. His father, William, was in a foul mood due to the Yankees having a horribly bad season and not having a chance to make it to the playoffs from the way they were playing; he was complaining the whole time, saying that it would take a near miracle now for them to clean up their act.

JJ wondered how his mother, Stella, had put up with it the whole summer when she had simply said to him, “Pino, I’ve been married to this man since before he went off to Vietnam. If not for the fact I love him so much and my faith in him, I would have listened to your Nona and married Paolo the butcher a long time ago.”

“The only way I could marry your Mama was if I was a paranza in the Festa Del Giglio to prove to her parents that a boy from Napoli was worthy enough to for their Sicilian daughter, then they gave me permission to court her.” His father replied as he wrapped his arms around his wife. “Paolo wasn’t able to even lift a pound of meat much less help lift the giglio with the rest of the men.

Stella simply laughed at his last comment. “That’s why I married you.” William kissed her and went back to the living room to pray to the god of baseball to turn around his team’s bad luck.

Back in the kitchen where JJ and his mother were cooking, Stella noticed something was off with her son. From what she knew, her godchild Bernadette had told her that her son had met someone on the internet. Apparently, JJ was quite taken by this person, what was his name? Michel? Merry? No, she thought. It was something that started with the letter M, she knew that. Merrick! That was the boy’s name!

Normally, she didn’t approve of meeting people on the internet; her strong roots in tradition and what she saw on the evening news gave her a bad impression. These days you really couldn’t trust what people say, which was sad to say the least. However, she had heard of people who had met on matchmaking sites and were happily engaging in a loving relationship together. Why, John from her parish-reading group had met his wife on that matchmaking site they show on TV and have been married for five years now. It seemed no different from going to a matchmaker back in Italy, she mused; it’s just done on the computer now.

Looking at her son, she figured if this Merrick boy is what makes him happy, who is she to stand in the way of God’s gift to her Pino? She gave thanks to San Paolino and the Blessed Virgin for giving her son such a blessing.

JJ noticed that his mother was staring at him for some time now. She was praying to San Paolino and the Virgin Mary. From that, he could tell something was up. When she did that, it meant she was either asking for guidance or giving thanks for something good that had happened.

“Mama, is something wrong?” He asked.

Stella smiled. “No, Pino. I was just giving thanks for something wonderful has happened to you.”

“Something wonderful, Mama?” JJ replied, “What do you mean?”

“You have met someone, a man, am I right?” At this, JJ paled. Stella took this as a yes. “Oh, calm down Pino. I’ve known for years that you like men. Not much gets by me these days. Bernadette has told me all about your internet pen pal. Merrick is his name, right?”

JJ was shocked. He had been “in the closet” for years and hid it from his parents out of fear of how they might have reacted. The only person that had known that he was gay was Bernadette, and he had made her swear that she wouldn’t tell anyone.

“How long have you known?” He asked.

“When you refused to go through with the engagement to Bernadette. I heard you tell her one night about it. At the time, I found it…difficult to deal with. I had thought you were sick or maybe I had done something wrong. The Bible and my parents told me it was an abomination against Dio to be…like that. There were no way of me telling anyone about it; I didn’t want anything bad to happen to you or the family. Over time, I went to someone from church whose daughter is gay. She had told me there was nothing wrong with being gay, or having a homosexual child. It made me think, if that is how God made my baby, who am I to question His plan.

Pino, I am proud of you, and how you make the most of your life. You have come so far, and I want you to be happy. If this boy makes you happy, then I’m happy.”

At this, Stella hugged her son. She knew that he must be relieved to let go of a burden that was on his shoulders. They parted as soon as they heard William shout obscenities in Italian at the TV.

Rolling her eyes, Stella told her son, “Go home. I have to boost your father’s ego and feed him. Do tell me how things go with this boy of yours, ok?”

JJ nodded. He went into the living room, told him good night, and headed out.

-x-

Sitting down in front of his computer, JJ rolled his neck to get the kinks out of his neck as he logged on to his account to check his messages. He was so tired, and his mind was still reeling over what his mother had said to him. All this time he was scared of coming out to her, and lo and behold, she knew! He had thought for sure that she would be ashamed of him. And Bernadette had told his mother about Merrick! If not for the fact that her mother had given her blessing, he would have pounded her for it.

After deleting the usual spam from his inbox, he saw the one message that made him look forward to at the end of the day. JJ noticed it was sent last week. He was being rather neglectful of late, work was picking up as it got closer and closer to the holidays when tourists would come into the city for shopping and he was worn out from it all. He wished for the first time in years that his vacation would come faster so he can relax. Normally JJ welcomed the holiday rush; it meant time away from his lonely apartment. But he was getting tired of coming home to an empty place. He wanted someone to come home to, someone to cook for. What’s the use of cooking if you have no one to share it with?

That’s why he was so happy to get these emails from Merrick, it alleviated the loneliness if only for a while. He made JJ laugh, smile, and writhe with lust all at the same time. It filled a void that left JJ cold. He opened the e-mail and read it slowly, taking in every detail. He laughed.

“Aren’t we a little horny?” JJ joked.

Clicking on the send button, he started typing.

Horny little one, aren’t we?

Judging from your condition, maybe you should take a cold shower. They do wonders for your little “problem” down there. As my Nona would always tell me, “If it’s not broken or chopped off, get back to work, you’ll live.”

He had to laugh at that saying his grandmother would tell him if he hurt himself. She grew up in Sicily, as a farmer so if there was someone with an injury, it meant one less hand on the field. They worked even if they had cuts and bruises on them; getting hurt meant going to the doctor that was miles away in the next town.

I wasn’t teasing you, I was being honest. Maybe a little flirting here and there, but all honesty on my part. The only time I would lie would be to get out of jury duty. Not that I’ve ever done that, mind you, but it helps to have a good excuse.

My vacation? I think it’s coming up in three months if I’m correct. I’ve been working double shifts lately because one of my co-workers is on maternity leave, leaving the kitchen one chef short of a full staff. That and the upcoming holidays are going to be hectic here in the city. Not that I’m complaining; I love it during this time of the year. The lighting of the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center is amazing to see, along with the ice skating rink at night is breathtaking. Nevertheless, for the most part, I spend my holidays in Brooklyn with my family. We go to mass and hold a party for friends and neighbors, and my family will call the relatives back in Italy. Maybe if you ever come to New York I’ll show around, you can see the city and try a dirty water hot dog-Manhattan style.

Your past builds you up to who you are today. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. What makes you stronger, gives you an edge. Kids are shit, and I’ll be the first to say that. I managed to graduate and I now work in an upscale restaurant doing what I love. I got ultimate revenge at my high school reunion when I saw my old tormentors and their wives kept flirting with me because I was a chef. In my neighborhood, a man who can cook well is husband material.

I guess you and your father get along like sandpaper on skin, am I right?

Three hours is about right if my math is correct. So I’d have to call in the evening, I don’t want to wake you up early in the morning because I’m going to hazard a guess that you are not a morning person.

You’re shy on the phone? From our conversations, you seem confident, bordering on cocky at times. Well, we all have our Achilles heel at times.

See You Soon, Bello Mio.

--JJ.

P.S. As I said in my last e-mail, I speak Italian. It’s my first language, and I have a tendency to revert to it from time to time. If you need a translation of what I’m saying, feel free to ask me.

Quickly checking for any errors, JJ fixed his email and clicked the send button. He walked over to kitchen to receive his cell phone and put Merrick’s number in his phone list. After getting a water bottle from the fridge, he dialed the number and pressed the “call” button. When he heard ringing JJ couldn’t help but feel nervous. Would he pick up?

His answer came in the form of an annoyed “What?”

“Um, hello. My name is JJ Caputo. Is this Merrick?”

-x-

To Be Continued...

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This chapter brought to you by Taigraya!