Mark Gilleo - Sweat

Jake sat on a bar stool and watched his three guardian angels play nine ball with skill and language that could only have been perfected in a pool hall. And not one of those pool places in Bethesda or Ballston where yuppies come to pick up chicks and scratch the velvet with the rental cues. No, Jake’s current company used their cues to shoot serious pool, and, he imagined, crack the occasional skull.

Given the circumstances, the basement of the Sorrentino palace seemed like a safe place. If there was a large Asian on the loose in the city with ill intentions, he wasn’t likely to be paying a visit to the Sorrentino residence. Jake’s present company was only marginally better. They cursed and threw money at each other, taunted and shoved. Jake cringed at the guns, the handles of pistols hanging from shoulder holsters and protruding from waistbands. He prayed the guns would stay holstered. Jake was sure the crowd didn’t practice NRA-approved firearm safety.

His guards weren’t happy with their assignment and Jake knew it. They offered him a drink and pointed to the bathroom in the hall. “Don’t go wandering past the bathroom. We understand each other?” Tony said.

“Yes,” Jake answered, completing the longest conversation he had had since he had gotten in the car. Jake excused himself to the bathroom under the watchful glare of six eyes. He turned on the bathroom fan and lights before shutting the door. Then he pulled out his cell phone and made a call. Bring in the cavalry , he thought.

An hour passed and the bets on each game increased with every round. The pile of cash currently on the bar totaled six hundred and change, and the extracurricular violence was getting worse with every missed shot. After scratching on the eight ball, Tony grabbed the older Castello brother, put him in a headlock, and pulled out his revolver just for show.

The door upstairs slammed and Jake jumped in his seat. James “Jimmy” Sorrentino’s feet on the stairs brought the room to attention. The owner of the house entered the room, looking as if he were the only one who hadn’t had a stressful day. His suit was perfectly tailored, his gait strong and youthful. His face was stern, commanding the respect of the room.

“Gentleman, if you would excuse us?” Mr. Sorrentino said to the hustlers.

The part-time pool sharks left, leaving their money on the bar, next to a loaded pistol that the older Castello brother had yanked from his pants. Tony gave Jake a long glare as he passed.

When the room was quiet, Mr. Sorrentino stared at Jake down his formidable, double curved nose, evidence of too many fights to remember.

“Jake, I’m going to be honest with you.”

“Please.”

“I don’t like you.”

Jake smirked with fear. “I’m not sure how to reply to that, sir.”

“I’ve been keeping tabs on you for a week or so, since our little problem.”

“What problem is that?”

“The little problem with the strippers.”

It all became clear to Jake—Tony, the intimidation, the offer for dinner. “Mr. Sorrentino, I wasn’t with those strippers. As I explained to Kate, I was there with my father and one of his clients…”

“I heard the story, Jake. Boys will be boys, I understand this. I have been married for thirty years to the most beautiful woman I ever laid eyes on…but I understand that men have needs.”

“Mr. Sorrentino, I wasn’t with the strippers.”

“But you were coming out of a strip club with them.”

“Yes, but that’s not the whole story.”

“Maybe, maybe. Like I said, I’ve been watching you. Watching you on your way to work, watching you on your way home. To my surprise, you seem to be on the up-and-up. No other strippers. No other girlfriends. No heavy nights on the town. Pretty amazing considering your age.”

“I’m older on the inside,” Jake said trying to lighten the mood.

Jimmy Sorrentino didn’t take the bait. “I sent my guys to get you today for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I wanted to clear the air between you and me, man-to-man, face-to-face.”

More man-to-man bullshit , Jake thought. The conversation of feeding his balls to the dogs was still fresh in his mind. “Sir, you could have called and asked me to see you. There was no need to send over three guys to harass me.”

“Yes, I suppose I could have,” Jimmy answered, simultaneously dismissing the statement as ludicrous. “The second reason I wanted to see you this evening was to ask you to stop seeing my daughter.”

“Stop seeing Kate?”

“Yes. Don’t break her heart, just remove yourself from her life slowly. Stop calling so often. Just fade away.”

“Why?”

“Because I love her, and I don’t want her around you.”

“Mr. Sorrentino…”

“Jake. Put yourself in my shoes. Explain why I should support you as my daughter’s significant other. I’m a man of great understanding. If you can help me understand, maybe we can get past this little problem.”

Jake tried not to laugh. If there was one thing Mr. Sorrentino had shown, it was that he was anything but understanding.

“Go ahead and explain why I should continue to let you see my daughter. Take your time Jake. I am a patient man.”

Jake excused himself for a second trip to the bathroom. He threw water on his face and let the drips run down his neck. What have you gotten yourself into? he asked himself in the mirror. She is just a girl. There are a million other fish in the sea. A million other fish with far more hospitable fathers. She is just a girl , he said to himself again. She is just a girl …

Jake walked back into pool room. Mr. Sorrentino was behind the bar sifting through bottles. Two empty shot glasses sat on the counter. Jimmy turned and filled the glasses with bourbon.

“So Jake, do we have an agreement?”

Jake looked down the counter at the gun next to the pile of money that Tony and the Castello brothers had left behind.

“Sir, with all due respect, I need to think it over.”

“Okay, Jake. Okay. You think about it. Like I said, I’m a patient man. But I do expect an answer, and I do expect a handshake.”

“Let me think about it,” Jake repeated.

Mr. Sorrentino pushed one of the glasses toward Jake. “To making the right decision,” he said raising the other glass.

“Salute,” Jake answered, throwing back the drink with one swallow.

Kate’s voice echoed down the stairwell as she ran down the flight of steps. Jake stood from his stool and Mr. Sorrentino gave him a management-busting teamster glare.

“Oh, Jake,” Kate said through forming tears.

He embraced her, closed his eyes, and inhaled her perfume. Mr. Sorrentino looked at Jake’s arms around Kate, hers tight around his neck. Jimmy sneered and cleared his throat, bringing the Hallmark Moment to a sudden end. His little girl could do so much better than this, he thought. And she would. As per the impending agreement. Just as soon as Jake came to his senses and dumped her. For his own good.

“Dad, how could you?” Kate asked. “Quit interfering in my life.”

“We’ll discuss it later,” Jimmy said to his daughter.

“I would like to leave now,” Jake said, safely in the company of his girlfriend. “And I need a ride,” he added.

“I’ll give you one,” Kate answered.

“No, you won’t. Tony and the guys will.”

“Then I am going too,” she said.

Chapter 33

Tony stopped the car near the south end of the Mall, and Jake said goodnight to Kate and the three goons. He had thought long and hard about Al’s advice. Be careful. Watch your back. Vary your routine. Stay away from your girlfriend. Lay low. There was one way to do all of the above.