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Blogs by Joseph W. Montaperto
THE END OF AN ERA 5/20/2021 9:18:54 PM
Joey faces a painful realization as he makes his way home from his victorious interview at The Fox Hole!! As I come close to the end of my long, victorious journey, I’m still so gleeful about having snagged the job at The Fox Hole. Approaching my house, I see my cousin, Skinny, come across the street walking their German Sheppard, Heidi, in front of his house. He has his baseball glove on, and is tossing a baseball in the air repeatedly. I can’t wait to tell him my whole story. I’m so overwhelmed with excitement that I run to catch up to him.
“Skinny! Skinny! Holy shit, man, you’re never going to believe what happened today! I got a job, man.”
Whap! Whap! He pounds the baseball loudly into his glove.
“At the Fox Hole! You know, that Mafia restaurant on the other side of town!”
Whap! Whap! Whap!
You should see this place man- the guy that owns it - has all these Frank Sinatra pictures all over the place and -
Whap! Whap! Whap!
My eyes keep watching the ball pound into his glove, and it’s so loud and annoying, I can’t even hear myself talk.
“Do you gotta do that, man?!” I finally yell, irritated.
“What?”
“With the baseball! I’m trying to tell you something.”
Whap! Whap! He starts looking towards Floral Street. Finally, I grab the ball out of his glove.
“Hey, gimme the ball!” he retorts.
He keeps lunging for it, as I hold it away from him.
“C’mon, man - I’m telling you about -"
“Oh my God! he yells - what happened?!"
He points to the street. I turn around quickly to look, and he grabs the ball from my hand.
“Dickweed!” We got a game around the corner with Turski and them! They’re waiting for me!"
"Yeah, but I’m trying to tell you-"
“Good, I’m glad you got it- tell me after the game!”
With that, he turns, walks up the front steps with Heidi, and shuts the door. I look down, and pick up a baseball card he must have dropped. Sparky Lyle. The door slam shut.
A stinging pain rushes through my heart so quickly and sharply, that I almost fall down. Like a line drive to heart.
I don’t exactly know why, but this job at the Fox Hole, is going to change everything, somehow. I don’t even know if I want it to happen, but I feel, suddenly, like a part of my life is over. Skinny and me had been inseparable for years, we shared everything - everything. But for the last couple of months, there’s been a gradual distance between us. All these visions and memories of me, Skinny and Ricky watching Creature Features and eating Cocoa Puffs on Saturday morning. Endless baseball games on Floral Street. The clubhouse. Breaking into Daniel’s house. All these things flash through my mind. My emotions do an abrupt 180. Man, it is painful. I feel tears involuntarily forming in the corners of my eyes, even though I try to hold them back. I put the Sparky Lyle card in my pocket, and walk across the street to my house.As I come close to the end of my long, victorious journey, having snagged the job at The Fox Hole, and getting near my house, I see my cousin, Skinny, come across the street walking their German Sheppard, Heidi, in front of his house. He has his baseball glove on, and is tossing a baseball in the air repeatedly. I can’t wait to tell him my whole story. I’m so overwhelmed with excitement that I run to catch up to him.
“Skinny! Skinny! Holy shit, man, you’re never going to believe what happened today! I got a job, man.”
Whap! Whap! He pounds the baseball loudly into his glove.
“At the Fox Hole! You know, that Mafia restaurant on the other side of town!”
Whap! Whap! Whap!
You should see this place man- the guy that owns it - has all these Frank Sinatra pictures all over the place and -
Whap! Whap! Whap!
My eyes keep watching the ball pound into his glove, and it’s so loud and annoying, I can’t even hear myself talk.
“Do you gotta do that, man?!” I finally yell, irritated.
“What?”
“With the baseball! I’m trying to tell you something.”
Whap! Whap! He starts looking towards Floral Street. Finally, I grab the ball out of his glove.
“Hey, gimme the ball!” he retorts.
He keeps lunging for it, as I hold it away from him.
“C’mon, man - I’m telling you about -"
“Oh my God! he yells - what happened?!"
He points to the street. I turn around quickly to look, and he grabs the ball from my hand.
“Dickweed!” We got a game around the corner with Turski and them! They’re waiting for me!"
"Yeah, but I’m trying to tell you-"
“Good, I’m glad you got it- tell me after the game!”
With that, he turns, walks up the front steps with Heidi, and shuts the door. I look down, and pick up a baseball card he must have dropped. Sparky Lyle. The door slam shut.
A stinging pain rushes through my heart so quickly and sharply, that I almost fall down. Like a line drive to heart.
I don’t exactly know why, but this job at the Fox Hole, is going to change everything, somehow. I don’t even know if I want it to happen, but I feel, suddenly, like a part of my life is over. Skinny and me had been inseparable for years, we shared everything - everything. But for the last couple of months, there’s been a gradual distance between us. All these visions and memories of me, Skinny and Ricky watching Creature Features and eating Cocoa Puffs on Saturday morning. Endless baseball games on Floral Street. The clubhouse. Breaking into Daniel’s house. All these things flash through my mind. My emotions do an abrupt 180. Man, it is painful. I feel tears involuntarily forming in the corners of my eyes, even though I try to hold them back. I put the Sparky Lyle card in my pocket, and walk across the street to my house.
