All The Young Punks Pt. 24

Johnny took a deep breath. "I know how you feel, Joe. You don't have to explain yourself. I respect your position because it makes sense. The thing is, you don't know addiction, or treatment, and how the system works. I do. I especially know what works and doesn't work for me."

Johnny went on to explain his past experiences in rehab, admitting that he'd been hospitalized three times, not just once as Sal had previously stated. His last hospital stay was just before he left college. He was told that his school environment, and his friends at URI, were contributing to his problem.

"And this band," Joe interrupted, "and our lifestyle contributes to your problem. We dragged you to New York and look what happened. Idle time is your enemy, Johnny, and we have too much of it."

"I know," Johnny said sharply. "But you need to let me seek help on my terms. The hospital stays work for a short time, but it's the constant outpatient treatment that keeps me in the program. The problem in New York was, I hooked up with bad people because I didn't have good people to lean on... my doctors are here."

Joe hated that Johnny was making a good case because he sensed he was being forced into a no-win situation. If this talk ended with him standing his ground and walking away, he would be perceived as the bad guy, the obstacle to peace. If he acquiesced and put the band back together, he was convinced it would hurt Johnny in the long run. That was his gut feeling. There were no good options.

"Okay," he said. "so you have no support in New York. How can we play there, or stay in any city where you don't have your people?"

"I'm working on that. I'm looking for resources in Manhattan through the clinic I use here."

Joe sat quietly. He met the eyes of each man, from Johnny, to Pops, to Nate, and finally Sal. He was annoyed that Sal was winning this meeting by keeping his fat mouth shut.

Pops then made a suggestion that convinced Joe he was fucked. "We think you could get the band back in shape and do some local shows, just to see how it feels. You can judge Johnny for yourself. Maybe you keep the band out of New York until Johnny makes arrangements down there."

Joe leaned back in his chair knowing he was no longer negotiating from a position of strength. At best, he was on equal footing. He controlled his own actions and could walk out, but he would not look good rebuffing their genuine attempt at a compromise. Joe knew he'd be viewed as the asshole who blew up his band.

Sal finally spoke up, saying the same shit he'd been saying for weeks, 'Johnny is doing great, blah, blah, he feels good, blah, blah, blah, he looks good, and you need to give him a chance to prove it.' Joe half listened as he considered his dilemna. He felt cornered.

"Joe, I'm sorry I relapsed. I'm sorry I fucked up everything you've worked hard to build. I would like a chance to fix that mistake. I'm only asking for a second chance."

How could Joe say no?

"Why are you keeping this relapse from your dad?"

"Because he'd drag my ass to The Berkshires where I did my rehab. I can't go back there, Joe. It makes me crazy. Sure, I'll have no access to drugs, and I'll get clean, but it doesn't keep me on the right path. The local people do, my sponsor and the doctors."

---- ONE MORE ITALIAN ---

After the meeting, Joe spent two hours in his room in a state of meditation. Lying on his bed, his stereo on low, just thinking. He didn't like this compromise. He felt he was ambushed. He could have dug his heels in and been the bad guy... or take the loss. He rolled the dice on Johnny to save face, to avoid being the villain, and it made his skin crawl. It was wrong. He called Tina that evening and told her about the deal, and how he felt. She thought he was being stubborn and he should look at the positive side.

"And now I have to stay here and work on this, so I'm not coming back for a while."

Suddenly, the band getting back together had a downside for Tina. "How long?"

"At least a couple of weeks."

"I'm coming up there."

"What?"

"You heard me. I'm driving up."

"I don't think," Joe said, then course-corrected, "Are you sure you want to drive?"

"It's I-95 all the way, right?"

"Yes. The downtown Providence exit, Atwells Ave. We're a mile west of the highway."

"Do you want me to come?"

"Yeah, now that I think about it, yes. I want you to meet my sisters."

"When you left town I was upset that I changed my Friday schedule for nothing. This is good. I'll leave early in the morning. How long is the drive?"

"It's around 180 miles. Give yourself at least three hours."

"Are you sure it's okay?"

"Yeah, but I have one reservation."

"What?"

"The last thing Federal Hill needs is one more Italian."

"Shut up."

Public schools were on fall break. News that Tina was coming up to Providence had Mom and Jackie in house-cleaning mode. The girls had to clean their room. Mom told Joe to go downstairs and fix up his body odor pig sty."

"Pfft," he smiled. "I'm not cleaning shit. She's not the Queen of England. She's seen me on the toilet. I have nothing to hide."

"You could at least pick up your underwear."

"Guess what, Ma. She's seen my underwear, on me..." he smirked. "and off me."

Joe's sisters tittered as Mom walked away to find something to clean. Hours passed. Jeanie couldn't keep her face out of the front window. She was peeking through the curtains like Mrs. Kravitz all morning. By one o'clock, Joe was beginning to get worried, just a little. The phone rang at 1:22.

"Where are you?"

"I'm in Providence but I got turned around. I'm at Angell and Benefit Street."

"How the fuck did you get there? You're on the wrong side of the highway, on the other side of downtown."

"I don't know how I got here. I just need to get there. I'm very stressed out right now." She huffed. "I got lost in Connecticut too."

"That's why you're so late."

"Can you just give me directions?"

"Okay, the good news is, Angell Street is one way, so you can't fuck this up. Follow Angell downtown past the railroad station and the civic center. You can't miss that. It's obvious, and take the right on Atwells Ave. You'll cross back over the highway. Go one mile to the Holy Ghost Church. I'll meet you there."

"Okay. I'm only taking one turn on Atwells?"

"And you can only turn right. You can't go wrong. When you pass the highway you'll drive under the Holy Hand Grenade. That's when you know you're on Federal Hill. You'll see your people, the greaseballs. About a mile from the highway look for the big church on the left, down the hill. I'll be out front."

Tina found Joe sitting on the front steps of the church of his youth. He played CYO basketball for the Holy Ghosts. She then excitedly explained that she had accidentally exited I-95 in Connecticut and drove for miles on I-91 toward Hartford before she realized her error and doubled back. Then she got lost in Providence. Before they got out of the car at the Theroux house, Joe calmed her down.

"Close your eyes and take a deep breath. You're here, Magellan. And your day is only going to get weirder."

Jeanie was still looking out the window. "They're kissing!"

"When you said Holy Hand Grenade I was confused. Then I saw it hanging from the arch. What is that thing?"

"LaPigna, the pine cone. We call it the Holy Hand Grenade... from Monty Python, the Holy Grail."

Tina smiled. "Okay. I knew I had heard that before."

When Joe opened the kitchen door and saw his sisters standing, he shook his head. "This isn't an army drill. Why are you lined up for inspection?"

"We're not," Jules said.

"You are." He looked at Mom in the back row.

"Oh. My God," Tina said, placing her hand on Joe's arm. "They look just like you."

"No, they don't."

"Sure, they do," she smiled at Jackie. "You're tall like Joe and have his olive complexion and dark hair." She looked down at Jules, "She has your face and nose, the same cheekbones."

"I don't have a big nose," Jules said.

"Neither do I," Joe answered.

"You do," she said back.

"That means Tina thinks you have a big nose too," Joe stuck his tongue out.

"I do not," Tina said, pushing Joe slightly. "You have the same shaped nose. His is big. Yours is small."

"What about me?" Jeanie smiled.

"You have your brother's smile and the sparkle in his eye." Tina turned to Joe. "I can see you in her eyes."

Joe could not have writtena better script. Tina was just being herself... perfect. Mom moved through the girls to get a hug. "I'm so happy to meet you, Tina. We've heard a lot about you." She looked at her hair, taking a strand in her fingers. "And your purple hair."

"It's really cool," Jackie smiled. "And I love the clothes you make."

"Thank you. I'm glad someone besides me is wearing them."

Proper introductions were made. They sat around the table talking, Jeanie and Jules interrogating T with too many questions, while Jackie got started on dinner. Mom had to get ready for work.

Tina turned to Joe. "Where can I put my bag?"

"Down in my room."

"Oh, no." Mom said. "We've made arrangements. She'll have Jules' bed and..."

"Hell no!" Joe shut her down. "She's staying with me. I'm eighteen. It's either that or we can spend the night at the garage. I can do that."

Mom stared at Joe, not happy he would be living in sin under her roof. "I'll speak to your father," she said quietly.

"Good, because Dad will have my back on this one, and if he doesn't, we'll sleep in the garage." Joe shrugged. "It's your call, Ma."

"Very well," she walked away.

"Is he always like that with your Mom?" Tina asked the girls.

"That was nothing," Jules said. "Joey and Mom are always..."

"Joey?" Tina smiled.

"Yes, they call me Joey," he said. "You can't."

"Whatever," Tina smiled. "Where's the dungeon you told me about, Joey?"

When Tina walked into Joe's room, she stopped in the middle and did a quick 360. There was a lot to take in. Racks of vinyl, stacks of books, clothes everywhere, so many tee shirts, and trinkets collected over the years, a rock from a mountain he climbed in New Hampshire, Mount Hale near Zealand Falls. Tina went straight to the cartoons stacked on a milk crate filled with records.

"What's all this?"

"That's stuff I drew when I was a kid... before I went to the Mead system."

"And you kept it?" She was puzzled by the brown paper.

"Yeah. That cartoon represents a time in my life." Joe pulled a few from her hand. "This is no different than a photo of me in ninth grade."

"And who is this?" She pointed at a cartoon character.

"That's my crappy teacher and those are the snotty popular kids."

"I see," Tina laughed. "Their noses are all turned up." She smiled at Joe, liking his teen art. She turned the brown paper over. "Are these the nerds?"

"Yes. I was busted for these cartoons when I was in middle school and again in ninth grade. They made me recover my books. I kept the evidence of my crime to prove my guilt."

Tina put her arms around Joe's neck and kissed him sweetly. "I'm so happy to be in your home, and your sisters are better than you said they would be."

"You're gonna have to give them all some one-on-one time. Trust me. I can't hold your hand all weekend. I'll coach you."

"Like what?"

"With Mom, you talk about your super Catholic Mom and that you graduated with honors from Catholic Prep School... and then you tell her you took me to church."

"You've never gone to church."

"But we did. I picked up those prayer cards at the cathedrals. You were with me. Mom loved those because she knew it was not so easy for me to walk into a church. You should take credit for that."

"Oh, my God. You're such a schemer. I see you do it with your band, and with Simon, and now your family. It makes me wonder how you're scheming with me."

"Yes, I'm giving you all my love in this crazy scam hoping I can steal your love from you."

Tina smiled, looking into his eyes. "Who talks like that? I need to pay more attention to what you say. What about the girls?"

"They're so easy. Jackie is fashion and hair, Jules is books and fairytales, Jeanie is music and art, but she's a crappy artist. It's hilarious."

"Don't say that about your sister."

"Seriously. She can dance and sing, but can't draw for shit. She still draws like a toddler."

"You're awful."

"Go ahead." Joe pointed upstairs. "Ask Jeanie to draw you a horse. It's so bad it's great."

"You're so mean."

"No, I'm just honest."

Dad came home, met Tina over dinner, and then T watched Cronkite with him, telling Dad about her dad, the Brooklyn city councilman, Kennedy Democrat. Joe knew Dad would be a pushover. Tina charmed him.

"Joey," Jeanie burst out of her room. "Can we play a board game?"

The girls did not stop pestering them all weekend, and that was fine. They wanted to spend time with Tina. They played Monopoly and The Game of Life. On Saturday, the sisters piled into Tina's Chevy Nova and Joe navigated Tina downtown to Haven Brothers for lunch. Five crammed into the stainless steel trailer eating cheeseburgers and greasy fries. After that, it was sightseeing from the car and a stop for ice cream at DePasquale Square.

After Mom cooked a big Saturday dinner, Joe and Tina called it a night. It was a very busy and weird thirty hours for Tina. They lay on Joe's bed with a Moody Blues record on low. Tina's head was against his upper chest, her hair tickling his nose.

"So many things you told me about your sisters are true. Jackie is smart and put together. She's gonna be fine. Jules is so sensitive and always thinking. And Jeanie, it's like how many questions can a kid ask in one day? She's insatiable."

"I know," Joe laughed.

"You saved me a few times, stepping in to answer a few."

"She's been interrogating me since she was three, I can handle Jeanie."

"She thinks you know everything."

"Yeah, well, she'll learn her error someday."

"Are we going to the garage tomorrow?"

"Nope."

"I don't get to meet Pops?"

"Not this trip."

"Why?"

"It's not a good time for me to bring you there. I was totally bluffing Mom. I can't go o the garage right now. I called Pops and told him I'd see them after the weekend. I want to take you someplace you'll love tomorrow. I guarantee. You can't tell the girls because they'll want to go."

The next morning during breakfast Tina told the girls they were going someplace special they love but Joey wouldn't say where, and the girls badgered him into submission. Jeanie and Jules then tagged along to The Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art and Natural History.

"We've been here like four times," Jules bragged. "This is my fifth."

Joe was only slightly annoyed that Tina blew up his plans to have time alone with her. He was happy she wanted to spend time with his sisters.

On Sunday night, Joe dreaded having to go to the garage on Monday and Tina dreaded her drive back to New York. They sat on his bed discussing the band developments for the first time all weekend.

"You should be happy Johnny looks good and wants to make things right," Tina said. "You should be happy the band is still together. I know I am."

"I know," Joe said, sitting in the kitchen with spies nearby, "I hate feeling this way. I hope I'm wrong... because this doesn't feel right."

"Last week you said you were getting the itch. You must be looking forward to playing again."

"I am. That'll be easy. We'll be ready in two days, but I'm gonna drag it out just to observe and see how the guys are. T, there's some bad blood in the band now. We can't put what happened and the words said back in the bottle. We'll never be the same."

"Remember when you said I've never met the real Johnny?"

"Yes, I do."

"Will I meet him soon?"

"I don't know if Johnny Cool is ever coming back," Joe said sadly. "Even when he looks good, he's not the same. The light in his eye just isn't there. I miss that guy."

Joe did not tell Tina everything, like the fact they would avoid NYC for a while to assess things locally. All he told her was they would play a few nearby venues and if all was good, they'd set up a road trip. He had one important mission for Tina that might help him return to New York sooner.

"I need a huge favor, T. I need you to complain to Uncle Babe about 1B. Tell him they're drug dealers, he's armed, and the place is a pigsty you can smell from the hall."

"Okay. I can't do that. I will speak to Babe. I know Mark and Jay in 1A would do it. They know what's going on in there"

"Good," Joe said, "and get the other gay couple on the second floor too, I don't know their names."

"Roy and Peter."

"Get them on board too. The more tenants involved the better."

----- THE INTERSTATE PLAN ----

Joe thought he was arriving early but Pops was there long before him. Joe carried a large piece of cardboard, folded in half, under his arm. He had his notebook and some loose pages. He set everything down on the kitchen table.

"What's that," Pops looked over. "Your science project?"

"No. My business plan."

"If you have charts and graphs, you'll lose these clowns."

"It's a map."

"Same difference."

Joe laid out his map on the table. It was taped to the cardboard so he could stick push pins in it. He pulled the pins out of his pocket and began sticking holes in the map. Pops glanced over.

"If you wanna have some fun, ask one of them to find a place on your map."

Joe didn't reply. He focused on his work. Once all the pins were in, he sat down and opened his composition notebook. Sal arrived a few minutes later. He looked at the map, nodded at Joe, and grabbed a cup of coffee. He and Pops made small talk. Joe remained quiet.

Pops slid a cup of coffee in front of Joe. "You're sore about this, aren't you?"

Joe picked up the coffee. "Thanks." He took a sip. "Yeah. I'll get over it."

"You know a compromise is fair when both sides feel they gave something up and don't feel good about it."

Joe looked up at Pops. "What did they give up? What did Sal compromise?"

Pops looked at Sal. They had no reply for that. Pops looked at the kid. Joe could see in Pop's eyes that he recognized Joe's grievance. Joe went back to his notes. Nate and Johnny walked in together. Once they had coffee and a Dunkin' Donut, everyone sat at the table. Pops watched from behind. Joe wasted no time.

"I've made a bunch of phone calls recently, and more since we made this... deal. I spoke with three of those new clubs, just to connect. I called Randy. He was pleased to hear from me."

"What the fuck is this," Sal pointed at the map, "geometry class?" He snickered.

"Are you serious?"

Sal laughed. "Is there gonna be a quiz?"

"It's a map, Sal, geography, not geometry."

Nate and Johnny snickered.

"For those of you who flunked geography, this is a map of New England, all six states. It has some far eastern New York, including the city.

Johnny raised his hand as if he were in school. "What are the pins for?"

Joe pointed at each pin. "Providence, Boston, Worcester, Springfield, New Haven. Our old venues are marked with a green pin. Down here are the beach clubs, over here are our New York borough gigs."

Nate raised a hand. "What are the red pins?"

"The red pins are new clubs we have yet to play. Some are off the map, so I pinned them to the edge."

Sal nodded at the map. "What's that cluster below New York, in the ocean?"

"I just told you. Those represent clubs Jada gave me info on in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The three up top are Albany, Syracuse, and Troy. I haven't told you about them, so listen, don't talk."

Johnny pointed at the Maine coast. "That red pin is Portland."

Sal looked at Johnny. "Do you want a gold star?"

Nate pushed Johnny. "Pfft, teacher's pet."

Normally, Joe would find this amusing, but he wasn't in that state of mind. He just stuck to his business plan.