All The Young Punks Pt. 39

Behind the 1982 Half Caddies sat a light blue 1978 Eldorado convertible, white interior, with a 425 cubic inch V8 and 3-speed automatic transmission. It was clean as a whistle aside from parking lot dust, with not a scratch. Alongside was the red '72 Deville. Joe felt a surge of excitement in his chest.

"Oh, fuck," he said. "This is gonna be hard. I love red. How many miles are on the '72?"

"It's at 102,000 miles but it's a good car. We have all the service records."

Jake popped the hood of the Eldorado. Joe pretended to know what he was looking at. It was clean under the hood. Jake opened the trunk. All Joe could think of was Johnny kicking and screaming. He had a lot of room that day in Bat's Caddy. Joe climbed inside the driver's side and just looked at the gorgeous Cadillac dashboard and long bench seat.

"What's the price tag on this?

"As you can see it's mint condition, 28,201 miles, the price is $13,800."

"Whoa," Joe's face expressed his sticker shock. "That's close to the brand new Cadillac price tag."

Jake nodded. "You can always make an offer."

"What's the tag on the Deville?"

"Eight thousand."

Joe puffed his cheeks and blew air out. He preferred that number, but not the digits on the odometer. He thought quietly for a moment, opened the glove box, and then got on his knees to check out the back seat.

"Can we put the top down? I'd like to make sure it functions properly."

"Are you thinking Eldorado?"

Joe looked up from behind the wheel and nodded.

"Okay, let me get the keys. We'll put the top down and take her for a drive."

Driving in Manhattan traffic isn't the best test drive. Joe made his way over to the west side highway, northbound. He pulled his sunglasses out of his breast pocket, put them on, smiled at Jake, and stepped hard on the gas. The wind blew his hair around. He changed lanes to pass a delivery truck.

"I'm happy you're getting this sale, Jake. That old fuck in the showroom barely looked at me when I walked in." Joe glanced over. "Because I'm just a young punk."

"I know." Jake nodded. "When I went in for the keys he was not a happy camper. It's a weekday. This is probably the only sale we'll have."

"Fuck that guy." Joe stepped on the gas again, passing more cars.

It wasn't a long drive, but it took more than a half hour, mostly due to the traffic on surface streets as they made their way back to the dealership. When they returned, Joe pitched an offer. Jake went to his boss and came back with a reasonable counteroffer.

Joe sat at Jake's desk, pretending to be mulling over the dealer's new number. He grabbed a free cup of coffee and walked outdoors to look at the car again. When he returned Jake had another offer.

"I assume you like music and will be upgrading the stereo. The stock sound is good, but not great."

"I'm sure I'll do something."

"We have a barely used Pioneer AM-FM cassette player with four speakers, two for the back and a pair of door panel speakers. We can install that free of charge, today, if you don't mind waiting."

"Can you do that while we go to the bank?"

"Absolutely."

Joe stuck his hand out and spoke loud and clear. "You just sold me a car, Jake. Congratulations!"

Jake smiled wide while shaking hands. "You just bought your first car. Joe. Congratulations to you."

"No," Joe said. "Congrats to you, Jake. Good sale."

Jake, realizing that Joe was trying to stick it in the old man's face said, "No, Joe, congrats to you."

Jake used the '72 Deville to drive Joe to the bank while his service guys swapped out the stereo system. Joe had never bought a car. He had no clue taxes and registration, temporary plates, and a car wash were all included at the time of sale. At 2:45 in the afternoon, he drove away in his 1978 Cadillac Eldorado, his first car at age 21.

Driving around the city with no destination in mind, his belly told him it was time to eat. He found a payphone and called 3C. Tina answered.

"I have a big surprise. Can you meet me at our kissing spot in fifteen minutes?"

"I'm really hungry. Are you cooking tonight?"

"Nope, but I'll take you out for tacos."

"That sounds good. I'll see you in fifteen minutes."

Joe did two laps around Washington Square Park. On the third lap, Tina was standing under the arch. He honked the horn and pulled up to the curb. Tina smiled and climbed in

"Stan loaned you his Caddy? That's really weird. He trusts you with this?"

"Nope." Joe pulled away from the curb.

She looked over at him, confused. "He doesn't trust you or this isn't his car?"

"It's not Stan's car. He probably wouldn't trust me with his precious baby."

"Then who's car is this, Marty's?"

"Nope, this is my brand new Cadillac, a '78 Eldorado." he smiled.

"You did not!"

"And I paid cash."

"No way!" She shoved his shoulder.

"Way." Joe patted the dashboard. "Ellie, meet Tina. Tina, this is my new girl, Ellie."

She smiled. "You named it?"

"Not it, her. She's very sensitive about that. Ellie is a fine lady."

Tina slid over and kissed Joe. "This is a big day. I'm happy for you." she paused. "Can you afford this?"

"Well, I just took a big fucking bite out of my savings, but yeah. I had the cash."

Tina leaned against Joe as he cruised the city. "Did you say '78?"

"Yes."

"Then it's not a brand new Cadillac."

"It's brand new to me."

Joe took Tina for tacos and then drove the length of the FDR and back through the Upper East Side. It was a chilly day. Tina put on her jacket, but the top down after sunset was a bit much, so they went home. Parking on narrow Jones Street would be Joe's next major challenge in life. Parking in this city always is.

Lying in bed that night, Joe made Tina an offer. "I'm sorry about the band's schedule being crazy. I know you're alone and here and it's worse than ever."

"Yes, it is, and I've been doing my best, but it's hard."

"I feel bad. That's why I have two weeks off. I told Laura we needed a good break. How about I take you for a long weekend, a little getaway."

"Where?"

"It's a surprise. I have a lead on a place. I've already made the call. You just have to say yes."

"When?"

"This weekend, but you have to take Friday off. Can you do that?"

"The good news is, Mags is out of town and the gallery is closed all weekend. I was happy your week off coincided. I can skip class on Friday." She thought for a moment. "I had plans with Jenna after class. I can reschedule her."

Tina smiled and kissed him. "Yes. Let's get away." She shivered with excitement. "I can't wait. You always have good surprises. What will I need to pack?"

"Just clothes for the cool spring weather."

--- BERKSHIRES ---

Joe presented this weekend as a getaway for Tina, to make up for him being away for most of three months, just a little. He had another motive to get out of the city. He had just bought a car and he wanted to take Ellie on the open road. He imagined a future of top-down driving, seeing the country in style, and he wanted to get started on that. They cruised with the top down up the Taconic Parkway north.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

"Not even a hint?"

"I packed our sleeping bags."

"Camping? Do we have a tent?"

"Nope. I have our hiking boots."

"Hiking but not camping?"

"Did you rent a cabin or something?"

"Something like that."

"Is it in the mountains?"

"Sort of. It's in the Berkshires. They're small mountains, I suppose."

"Is that Massachusetts?"

"Yes."

On State Route 44 East, crossing into Massachusetts, they stopped at a diner for lunch. The freshly baked pies were too tempting. Each had a slice, and Joe bought a blueberry pie for the weekend.

"Why are you so giddy?" he said as they climbed back into the car.

"I just love being on the road with you. I know this is nothing to you." She waved her arm. "You're always out here doing the road, but for me, this is special."

"This is special to me too, because I'm sharing the road with you."

A half-hour later, they pulled up to an A-frame cabin on a pond, nestled between craggy hills covered with conifers. Tina walked around in the silence of the setting. A frog croaked and leaped into the water breaking the peace. She looked across the pond, a hundred yards wide.

"This is beautiful." She turned. "What are we going to do all weekend?"

"We'll have a campfire, cook, hike, and they have fishing poles inside. I'll go into town and get some bait."

"I've never been fishing."

Joe shook his head in pretend disbelief. "Let's check the inside. I know it's rustic, no frills."

"That's fine."

The cabin was all wood, with large beams and railings, a stone fireplace, and of course, the glass front facing the water typical of A-frames. The beds were upstairs and everything else was below. The fishing poles and nets were both decor and sporting goods.

"I love all the pillows and blankets. They soften the place, but they're rustic too, the colors and patterns."

"Everything is colors and pallets, and design with you." He hugged her.

"Did you bring marshmallows?"

"Of course I did."

They made a campfire, cooked as if they were camping, toasted marshmallows for dessert, and went to bed in the loft where the cold spring night and a fading fireplace had Tina piling on more blankets, snuggling up to Joe, getting handsy under the covers. The next day they had breakfast at a diner in town, near the hardware store that sold bait and tackle. Joe bought a carton of nightcrawlers. An hour later, there was drama at the pond.

"Oh, My God!" Tina winced and turned away. "What are you doing?"

"I'm baiting your hook."

"That poor worm, you ripped him in half and impaled him."

"It was a girl."

"How do you know that?"

"Because she screamed like you."

"I don't think I like fishing." She put a hand up. "If that's what I have to do, I'll pass."

"I'll do the dirty work, worms, and fish guts. You can have the fun of catching and reeling."

"Fish guts?"

"If we catch a keeper, I'll gut it, clean it, and we can cook it for dinner."

"Seriously?"

"Why is that so shocking? That's what you do at a fishing camp."

An hour later, after complaining about how boring fishing was, then tangling her line because she kept reeling it in and recasting out of boredom, and Joe untangling the line and impaling another worm, Tina screeched.

"I got one!" Pointing at the bobbing bobber. It went under. "What do I do?"

"Hold the pole tight, but relax. Let him run for a bit." Joe reached around, waited, and then yanked the pole back to set the hook. "Got it! Can you feel him?"

"Yes. I can, he's pulling."

"Take the reel and crank it slowly, try to keep tension on the line, but not too much."

After a struggle Joe was not sure Tina would win, even with his help, the fish flopped in the shallows. "Oh, my God," she shouted, her voice echoing across the pond. "He's big!" When Joe stepped into the ankle-deep water with the net, she was giddy. "I caught a fish!"

"Yes, you did, and it's a keeper."

"What is it?"

"It's a smallmouth bass. I didn't think there would be anything this big in this little pond."

Joe took a photo of Tina holding her fat, eleven-inch bass. She smiled like a grade-schooler. She caught two decent-sized perch later in the day, and that was dinner. Joe cooked on the fire in cast iron with butter, served with corn, and potatoes, with blueberry pie for dessert. After a hiking excursion on day two and more campfire cooking, they lay on the floor in front of the fireplace, the heat making them too warm for blankets.

"Thank you for this," she said sweetly, kissing him. "You're so good at surprises. I love that about you."

"We'll be doing a lot more of this," he said. "That's why I bought a car. Sometimes I feel trapped in the city and need a getaway."

"I have a car."

"I know, but I wanted my own."

--- THE FINAL BALL ---

Joe had dodged a bullet in 1981. He was on the road when the Art Ball took place, sparing him the duty of escorting Tina and being left at the bar. He was not so lucky this year because he carved out nearly three weeks for Tina's late May convocation as well as his sister Jackie's early June high school graduation. The 1982 Art Ball was a week before the convocation where Tina would proudly hand the crown of student chairwoman of the Creative Youth Program to her predecessor, Jenna Martin.

The Art Ball wasn't a snob fest at the level of some posh gallery events, it was attended by student volunteers, academics, artists and alumni. The gallery parties were wealthy collectors and benefactors. Still, Joe was out of his element. He was misguided in thinking Tina would be in less demand now that her crown was passed on. He was left hanging with the waitstaff again. Jenna was kind enough to visit him at the bar.

"I'll be on the road for twenty-three days in June. Can you spend some time over at 3C? She's having a hard time."

"Do you think I don't hear about it?" Jenna said, taking the first sip from her fresh Manhattan. "I will do what I can but there's only so much I can do."

"Maybe you girls could have a sleepover, a pajama party with pillow fights."

Jenna smiled, "Wouldn't you rather be here when we do that?"

"Good point" His eyes got big. "Hey, you should move in, take Lana's room and...."

"Nope." She put her stop sign hand up. "I'm not doing a Three's Company thing with you and T."

"Awww," Joe frowned. "It would be so much fun."

"Nope. Tina already asked me."

"She did?"

"She wants another roommate but not just anyone off the street."

"I want you," Joe said. "You'd be perfect. You and T love each other and we all get along so well."

"That's because we don't live together."

A week after the Art Ball, the class of 1982 graduated. Joe stood in Washington Square Park, by the arch, clicking photos of Tina in her purple NYU gown, with her family, shooting every possible combination of Costellos. Dad took photos of Joe and Tina. Afterward, they dined at Vince Torrios, a party of five. Days later, Joe and Tina were back in Providence for Jackie's graduation ceremony and an Italian dinner on Federal Hill.

--- JUST GROW UP ----

As if the real world chose to give Tina a wake-up call, her first month as a full-time employee at The Von Something German Gallery was a stress bomb, a harsh reminder that her days of youth had ended. After returning from the road, Joe cooked dinner for Tina and Jenna, listening to them dish dirt on Mags. Joe was grateful Jenna was there to take some of the pressure off him. Otherwise, he would bear the full brunt of Tina's venting.

Jenna had pitched in to help T for his June tour, a torture test of Joe's willpower, beach bars at night filled with scantily clad girls, and days of bikinis in the sand and surf. Joe hated being away from T but he did not hate being away from the city, especially during the summer when the concrete jungle became an oven. Jenna had summer classes but the NYU campus was a ghost town. She spent nights with T at 3C when Joe was on the road. That helped, but not enough.

Joe was back in town before the 4th of July weekend listening to Tina rant about Mags. This time, Joe was alone to absorb her frustration, lending an ear, with an occasional nod or comment. When she ran out of steam, he tried to put a positive note on her situation.

"At least you don't have school and Mags stressing you out. No more classes, you're done with Art Balls and fundraisers, and no more..."

"What are you talking about? I'll be at every Art Ball as an alumni and a former student chairwoman."

"Fuck," Joe said under his breath.

"What's your problem? You act as if these people are monsters. They're not, they're just old wealthy people. I'm sorry you don't have anything in common with them. It's not my fault you can't mingle with anyone who isn't a punk. Maybe you could try a little harder, dress appropriately, and not whine when the old ladies are mean to you."

Joe's eyebrow raised. Her tone was cutting. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I'm not done with NYU. I still have obligations. If I can't count on you to do a simple thing like escort me to a party..." Her hand went to her hips. "I don't know what to say. I'm always there for you, Joe, and your band. I've been there for all the big days, helping you and making things..." She huffed. "Oh, fucking never mind!"

Tina stormed into the bedroom and slammed the door. Joe stood stunned. They had a few spats, over this very issue, but Tina never went off on him this passionately. He did not like the face that was saying those words. It was a look of contempt. He waited several minutes for her temperature to cool. When he sat on the edge of the bed and tried to comfort her, Tina turned her back.

"Just leave me alone. I'm sick of this art snob bullshit. You act like it's all about you. Just grow up."

Joe sat in silence, wondering where this anger was coming from. Was it just the work stress and him triggering her with his no-more-NYU comments, or was this about him and his insecurity in her world? The worst thing Joe could do is consider the latter, which is precisely what he did.

Without a word, in the dark bedroom, only the light from the living room shining in, he threw a handful of items into his trusty leather pack. Tina had her back to him. She had no clue he was packing. Joe threw the bag over his shoulder and walked out.

Driving the FDR north without a destination, Joe had two thoughts, one good and one bad. The bad thought was that his feeling inferior around Tina was not only in his head. She said, 'Just grow up.' She thinks he's immature, he's admittedly insecure, and she's not happy with his road work. The other was the thought of knowing this is precisely why he bought his Cadillac, to get away.

-- THREE DAYS LATER ---

"Mom!" Jules shouted. "Joey's home!" She hugged him in the kitchen.

Jackie entered the room, "Tina's been calling. Where have you been?"

"Just driving and thinking."

"Did you guys have a fight?"

"I don't know if it was a fight, but she was in a shit mood and said some things."

"And you ran away."

"I got out of her line of fire."

Jeanie came in hot for a hug. "What did you get me?"

"Nothing."

Mom entered, dressed for work. "Where have you been? Tina's very upset with you.".

Joe had a few hours with his sisters, waiting until after dinner to phone 3C. He listened to Tina vent about how inconsiderate he was for leaving town without a word, and letting her worry for two days about where he was. He remained as dispassionate as possible, keeping his half of the conversation calm.

"I thought you went for a walk but then you never came back. I was up all night. worried. When I got home from work the next day and you weren't here, I called your Mom. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"There is nothing wrong. I took a couple of days for myself and then came home. My sisters don't take their frustrations out on me."

Tina apologized, sort of, and then carried on about how she doesn't see him enough and now he's just taking off because his feelings are hurt.

"If you think you don't see me enough, you should try my family's schedule. I need to spend more time with the girls. They get the least of me."

"How long will you be there?"

"Through the weekend."

"I'm gonna spend the holiday weekend alone and then you're back on the road Wednesday?"

"Something like that."

"Why don't you take them here for the weekend?"

"All three? Are you insane? They'll fight all weekend."

"You'll be on the road in what, six days? And you're going to spend most of that time in Rhode Island? I'll help you with the girls. I don't go back to work until Tuesday. You can bring them home and then run off with your band."

-- THE SISTERS DO MANHATTAN ---