All Aboard Andi's Dream Ch. 08

"Amazing boys," said Mama and they talked about what happened today. "Do not be surprised if your apartment is a mess, la puttana!"

"Mama!" scolded Donnie. "Unfortunately, it is something that Mrs. Benedetti does... she's quite friendly for a price and will used other people's homes to ply her trade."

Katarina looked confused but Cecil said, "a woman of negotiable virtue is in my house?"

"It would appear so. She has done it several other times in Tiorunda."

They talked, and they ate the best spaghetti that they ever tasted; the marinara was incredible with just the right amount of basil, sugar and a few hot peppers thrown in. The noodles were a special brand with a wonderful taste on their own, and the meatball was incredible. Every time Katarina took a bite, John opened his mouth like a baby bird.

As they neared the end of dinner, Cecil said to Paul and John, "I'm sorry that you had to go through that. It's a mess I made and I'm going to fix it to make it up to you." He turned to Katarina and said, "Why don't you take the boys to Dairy Queen when you're done here then meet me at home. I want a hot fudge sundae."

Then he got up and kissed Katarina on the cheek and patted Paul on the shoulder. "Congratulations on your new job," and with a wink, he left.

"Where's dad going?" asked Paul.

"I think he's going to find a new babysitter for you guys." When she was finished eating, she asked for a box for the left-overs and Paul came out with a bag with boxes holding his and John's leftovers, and he cleared his parents' plates and bagged their leftovers. He gathered up the dishes and silverware and said, "I'll be back." Fifteen minutes later, he was done washing their dishes, and he said, "I can go. I have to be back tomorrow at four."

"Thank you so much," Katarina said to Mama Giardino, then Mama said to Paul, "When you come tomorrow, bring your schoolbooks, you and Danny can work on your homework together in the kitchen."

There was a Dairy Queen on Genesee Street, right at the entrance to the Tiorunda subdivision and Paul and John often watched the baseball teams stopping for ice cream after a big game with envy, but tonight is their turn and they ate their chocolate dipped cones with gusto. When Katarina finished her sundae, she got one for Cecil and they headed home. When they got home, they realized it would be a long time before they got to bed. Several police cars sat parked in front of their apartment building, lights flashing, and a Channel 7 Eyewitness News cruiser was set up and a reporter was taping the arrest of a Cheektowaga prostitute who used her neighbor's houses as her bordello. It was a perfect news story for Eyewitness News; they loved the outlandish stories that stirred the lustful interest of their viewers.

"The family and I went out to dinner, and I wasn't feeling good so while they had ice cream I walked home. When I came in the house I heard noise, so I called the cops," said Cecil into the Eyewitness News Cruiser 7's microphone.

"What did you think when you found out that it was your children's babysitter?" asked Eyewitness News Channel 7 Action Newsman Nolan Johannes.

"I was shocked, literally shocked. My wife and I are going to have long talks with our boys and if she did anything untoward with them I will go to the states attorney general and demand justice."

Eyewitness News Channel 7 Action Newsman Nolan Johannes turned to the camera and said, "The Cheektowaga crime busters tell me that this lady of the evening has been busy in the Tiorunda area for months and thanks to an Eyewitness News Viewer she will spend a long time behind bars. Eyewitness News Channel 7 Action Newsman Nolan Johannes, reporting."

Paul and John ran up to their dad and hugged him while Nolan asked, "Are these the boys?"

"Yes, but no, we can't let them do a TV report, we need to have frank conversations with them," said Katarina as she handed Cecil his sundae.

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Despite the financial optimism by Cecil the day he became a TV Celebrity, the luck changed for Jarecki Motors the next day. Grandma Dorta came up to Cheektowaga immediately after she saw Cecil on tv. She wanted no prostytutka near her grandsons. Cecil and Katarina went into the office knowing that their boys were being taken care of properly and the first thing they looked at was the safe. "I left the knob at 88, it's at 34 now," said Katarina.

Cecil got a stepladder out of the closet and climbed to a small shelf over the office door where a video recorder and camera were mounted. He brought down the disk from the recorder and plugged it into his computer. Cecil opened the file, and it played a video of an empty office for a long time, then just after closing on the timestamp, the sales manager, Charlie Giffard, entered the office. He went to the safe and opened it, took out several documents and copied them with the office copier, then returned them to the safe.

"Any idea what those are?" asked Cecil.

"Contracts," said Katarina. "It looks like the contracts that we were trying to close with Cheektowaga."

Cecil felt sick. That's why so many potential buyers were backing out of sales deals. Charlie Giffard was getting into the safe, discovering Cecil's business deals and undercutting his boss. Charlie was a friend, and this is what Cecil and Katarina get for trusting a friend.

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"Hey Charlie, got time for a sales meeting?" called out Cecil.

"Yeah, what's up?" Charlie Giffard came into the office and along with Cecil and Katarina Jarecki, was Ben Travis, Charlie's assistant and another man whom Charlie Giffard didn't know.

"Just a quick meeting, ok Ben, I have had an inquiry from WKBW to replace a few of their trucks. Draw me up something that they'll like. Got it buddy?"

"Will do, anything else?"

"That's it for right now, I want to see what you can get me," said Cecil.

"I'm on it boss, I'll be back with something in a few minutes," and Ben got up and left. When he left, he slyly locked the office door as Cecil asked him to do.

"Isn't that my job?" said Charlie. "And who is this guy?" Charlie was feeling uncomfortable.

"This is Ian MacGregor, Detective Ian MacGregor of the town of Cheektowaga police department. Katarina and I have provided him with enough evidence to show that you have been stealing documents from our safe and using them to undercut our business."

Charlie looked back and forth between Cecil and Katarina, then jumped up and dashed for the office door, however the door was locked. In the few seconds that he tried to unlock the door, the detective was able to get handcuffs on him. "Like I told ya," Ian said to Cecil, "Running is an admission of guilt."

At least Charlie was smart enough to remain silent as Ian dragged him away. Charlie later admitted in court that he successfully cracked the Jarecki's safe by gently turning the dial and feeling the movements of the tumblers inside the lock mechanism months before. It took him hours, but he was able to get in. He took the information he stole to Walden Avenue Truck Sales, who undercut Jarecki Motors every time, often to their own detriment. They saw Jarecki Motors as that much of a threat.

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At fourteen years old, Paul Jarecki graduated high school with honors and his seven-year-old brother John was there to cheer him on the entire way. Paul got a scholastic scholarship from the University at Buffalo where he enrolled in a pre-med course of study.

Just before Paul went off to college, they had a family meal at Giardino's Italian Family Restaurant. Mama Giardino joined them at the table and they convinced Donnie to join them, too. "My youngest boy is going off to college," sniffed Anna Maria.

"Mama, I'm not even Italian," said Paul. "I'm a Polack."

"You act like a dago, and you cook like a frog, that's good enough for me," Mama said to the laughter of all. She was right. Paul learned to cook in the kitchen of Giardino's Restaurant and he made some amazing meals.

Cecil patted Donnie's shoulder. "Donnie, I don't think we ever thanked you enough that night you saved our boys. It was genuine kindness and a kick in the ass. You saved our boys from pneumonia, we kicked a whore out of Tiorunda, and we cleaned up our business and started to earn a buck or two."

"I saw you were spreading out to foreign cars," said Donnie. Jarecki Motors was opening a big dealership in Orchard Park that was going to specialize in European imports.

"Because UB is taking your dishwasher away we decided to get you a replacement," said John.

"You're taking over at the sink?" Mama asked John.

"No, your thank you just arrived, come on," said Cecil and he led Donnie and Anna Maria out to the back parking lot where Mama caught Paul and John dumpster diving so long ago, and in the lot was a delivery truck lowering a big box to the ground.

"NO!" gasped Donnie.

"Madre di Dio!" shrieked Mama, laughing and crying they hugged Cecil and Katarina. Their thank you was a Champion UH130B high temperature under counter dish washer. It could wash and sanitize an entire rack of dishes in under two and a half minutes.

"No, we can't accept this," said Donnie.

"It's paid for, and what you gave us was worth so much more to us," said Katarina as she hugged her boys.

"It's too much!" said Momma.

"If you can't swing it, I can get a plumber and an electrician that can help," said Cecil.

"No, you've been more than kind," said Donnie. "Thank you so much!"

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Suddenly, it was silent around the house. The boys clowning around and Paul helping John with his studies was almost a thing of the past. Not completely a thing of the past, UB was not far away, and Paul ended up at home instead of in the dorm. He was wise for fifteen years old and knew that the dorm was not for someone his age. About the same time, Cecil and Katarina bought a new house in Williamsville, a tiny working class village that was suddenly becoming affluent. The new house in Williamsville was nice, just a block off of Main Street, and it was close to Tiorunda and John and Paul could ride their bikes back there if they wanted.

John became more and more interested in the church, especially now that they were going to St. Peter and Paul. Saints P&P was a huge stone edifice on Main Street with huge arrow-slit windows that were filled with beautiful stained glass. It wasn't the building that attracted John, and it wasn't the liturgy that he liked. It was Father Linus Wilder. Father Wilder was good with the children and spent all of his free time at the school the church ran. He was also an outspoken critic of abusive priests, but he spoke out against false accusations as well. He encouraged John and became the boy's mentor. John went to the church school and after eighth grade, he went on to Bishop Newman High School, not far away. He became very involved in CYO and sang in the church choir at the 9:15 mass, then again at the folk mass at 11:00.

Summers were warm and sunny, there were three parades on Main Street every year, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day, and Paul and John never missed one, nor did they miss the carnival on Island park every July for Old Home Days. A broad shallow creek cut the village in half, and it became John and Paul's playground up until the boys left. They explored the banks of the creek that 150 years ago were tamed to turn the wheels of several mills, searching for crawfish under the rocks and trying to catch the trout they were sure were lurking there. They even played on the hallowed ground of the Sisters of St. Mary's convent. One day, as they rode their bikes on the dirt road that cut through the open fields that the convent owned on either side of Ellicott Creek, they stopped on a wide wooden bridge that spanned the creek.

They looked down into the shimmering water, sun dappled by the sunlight that made it through the canopy of leaves, and were quiet for a long time. It was a perfect day, hot and sunny. A slight breeze stirred the leaves, and a distant cicada sang. They were quiet for a long time, just enjoying the day, when Paul broke the silence and said, "I have been talking to a recruiter."

"Navy?" It seemed like all of Paul's former classmates joined the Navy, so it was natural for eleven-year-old John to ask that question.

"Air Force."

"Are you going to doctor sick airplanes?"

"No, you goofball," said Paul as he tussled John's hair. "When I get my masters, they send me to officer training school, then they pay my way through medical school."

"Officer? Like a captain?"

"Yup," said Paul.

"Mom will like that," said John. "Father Linus thinks I would do good at seminary."

"Mom will flip over that!" said Paul. In the Polish community, rank is based on what your children become. If Paul came home a war hero with ribbons and medals and the rank of general, that would elevate Momma Katarina's standing in the Polish community. But if John came home as an ordained priest, their mother would be elevated to royalty.

"What do you want to do now?"

"I don't know, what do you want to do?"

"I asked you first."

"I still don't know." They both knew, and they both soon had an ice cream and were sitting in the park watching the little kids play. Both were positive that this day would never end.

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They clearly were clueless about what hot is back then, thought Captain Paul Jarecki as he walked from his car to the entrance of the Officer's club in the blistering Arizona heat. Today was a special day because his brother John was there with him! It seemed like ages since they saw each other. Paul still looked like a young teen, which brought him a lot of teasing, but John looked like a baby in this setting. But Paul was a damn good doctor and loved the challenges. John, however, was running away. A crisis of faith is what Father Rodriguez called it, but John felt otherwise, and he turned to his big brother for his opinion. Paul sidled up to the bar, ordered two gin and tonics for himself, and a ginger ale with a cherry for John, who refused to drink. They sat at a table and looked around the room. It was filled with young fighter pilots that were learning their trade and were brimming with excitement and testosterone.

"How do you silence a fighter pilot?" came a female voice from behind Paul.

John turned to look, but Paul didn't. "Tie their hands behind their backs," said Paul.

"Huh?" asked John. "I don't get it."

"Look around the room," said Paul. John looked around the room and realized that everyone that was talking was talking about flying and using their hands to illustrate their prowess at dog fighting or formation skills. The female voice belonged to a voluptuous redhead in a flight suit who eased into a chair next to Paul and he gave her his extra gin and tonic. "John, this is Lieutenant Melony Ruskin, Melony, this is my brother John."

"Good to meet you," said Melony, as she shook hands with John. "Oh my god, you're all that he talks about! Well, that and my tits." She threw that in to see if John would blush, and he did.

"Melony, John is in seminary, go easy on him," said Paul.

Someone across the room shouted something that John didn't catch, but Paul and Melony joined in the response and along with everyone in the room they stood up, held their drinks high and shouted, "And your mother too!" then they sat down.

"Why didn't you become a fighter pilot?" asked John, who chuckled for the first time.

"When I was about nine dad asked, 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' and I said, 'I want to be a fighter pilot when I grow up!' Then dad said, 'You can't do both." Which confused John a bit, but caused Melony to break into laughter.

"You're a fighter pilot?" asked John.

Melony pointed to the set of wings on her uniform, they were very similar to Paul's wings, a pair of wings with a shield in the middle, but Melony's wings had vertical stripes on the shield, Paul's wings had a caduceus on the shield. "Yep, I'm here at Luke AFB learning to drive the eagle." The F-15 was the gold standard for fighter planes. Big, fast, and lethal.

"I didn't know that Paul had a..." He stumbled on the words and went silent.

"Oh, I'm not his girlfriend, I give him the occasional blowjob, so he doesn't ground me."

"I can't ground you," said Paul. "You're not in my squadron."

"Then what are all those blowjobs for?" demanded Melony with a smirk.

"Proficiency," said Paul. "Mel, John and I haven't seen each other in a long time..."

"I'm cool," said Melony, and she gave Paul a kiss. "Dinner tomorrow at Los Jimadores?"

"John has to learn Mexican some time," said Paul. "Might as well throw him to the wolves." As Melony disappeared into the crowd, Paul turned to John. "What's got you down little brother?"

"I can't talk here, it's too loud."

"Let's go find some Italian," said Paul and they finished their drinks and headed out.

"Olive Garden?" asked John in shock. Italian restaurants had an atmosphere that he could open up in, but when Paul pulled into Olive Garden, he was overwhelmed with a 'negative vibe.' It wasn't real Italian as far as they were taught.

Paul just smiled and pulled his sensible Ford Fusion through the Olive Garden parking lot and parked at Pasta Louies, a restaurant similar to Mama's. It was a small family-run restaurant that felt right; it was a place they could talk. "What can I get for you gentlemen," said Louie.

"We'll both have spaghetti, marinara, Italian sausage, garlic bread and Pepsi," said Paul.

"I usually get a meatball," said John quietly.

"Wait until you try his sausage," said Paul. "He gets it from Redlinski's in Cheektowaga."

"Well in that case..."

There were dozens of options on Pasta Louies' menu, but Paul chose the spaghetti. It has a special connection with them. When their meal came, Paul finally spoke up and said, "what brought you all the way to Phoenix Arizona?"

"I dropped out of seminary," said John sadly as he looked at his plate. It looked delicious, but John's stomach was so tied up in knots that he couldn't eat.

"You and God have an argument?" asked Paul. He wasn't making fun of John. They both knew that a person can come to an impasse in their spiritual life and they called that 'having an argument with God.'

"No, me and the church."

"Did they want you to start dealing with snakes?" Paul wound his spaghetti on his fork using a spoon.

"Metaphorically. I love the church; I hate the catechism."

Paul frowned. He knew it would eventually come to that. Both he and John would raise hell in CCD classes when they pointed out perceived inconsistencies in the catechism, which was the 'by-laws' of the church. When the nuns complained to their parents about Paul or John picking apart their precious catechism, their mother Katarina would say, 'Good! It means they are thinking! A skill that God heartily approves of!' Momma believes the Church is infallible, but her boys are more infallible.

"What set you off?" asked Paul.

"Everything you warned me about, the doctrine of grace being merited, the doctrines of mandatory penance, purgatory, indulgences, and... and... it's a cult of Mary." Inside his head John screamed, "there! I said it! Cult of Mary!"

"You've been reading the bible," said Paul with a conspiratorial wink.

"What am I going to do?" groaned John.

"Give me your hands," said Paul, and he gripped John's hands over the table. "You are going to take all those divinity school credits you earned in seminary and take them to any bible college in the land and say, 'make me a pastor!' then you go and you teach God the way you know God to be."