He called his mother and informed her of the situation. She pleaded with him to turn himself in. "I have worked so hard to keep you off the streets and is this what I receive in payment? I have been praying for you , please come home!" She said to him in a compassionate voice.
Joe replied that praying made no difference;that she should not worry. He hung the phone up ,thinking that he was now an out - cast;black - listened, with no friends , no protecters , and a family thatwas worried sick. Fearing to return - Knowing the police would be patience waiting - he racked his brain for anwsers. 'Who told the cops?' Men of respect would not inform, even if the were of several different nationalities.
While Aggie kept Repeating, "I told you, I told you" , he kept answering ," It's Fate! It's Fate! It was meant to be!" With the word of bungled burglary on the street ,and Ball and Jolly gleefully tracking him, Joe left Aggie's for Ravenswood and his cousin Billy's house. After arriving and informing Billy of his dire need of cash "to get away", Billy called his buddy Sergio....
Sergio was an aspiring boxer; a piece of work! When he wasn't in the ring , he was scamming how to "make a score."When he wasn't scamming , he'd be in manhattan with an old wash tub , placing it upside down , he'd stand on top , daring anyone to knock him off his "mountain , "by hitting him in the stomache with a baseball bat (one he carried religiously everywhere he went)-for ten bucks a pop!
Joe was impressed by what he thought was the young mans bravery. "Wow," he said to himself, "I'd like to be like him! Maybe he could be my father figure. Like Joe's ancestors before him , Sergio had dreamed dreams of plenty ; dreams of spleandor ; dreams of opulence....
The first thing Sergio did was take Joe under his wing. He taught him how to box during the day ; how to break into houses at night. Thy were in the dough, and living large. After several months, Joe decided to return to the old neighborhood.
Bernie's Candy Store..... the ever-present group of toughs standing outside the enterance. Joe sautered to the door with Sergio. Arrayed in front of him were the same punks that use to steal his money. Pauly had left the crew- which was temperarily fractured due to the fact that three of its members were doing time in spotford for the grocery job--and moved up the ranks. Pauly stood with his back against the wall as Joe approached the group.
The ring leader , Joey Esosito--the one who mugged him so many times-- started in immediately , "Look who showed up the rat!"
Pauly, due to his friendship--and knowledge that Joe would never rat on the crew--decided to come to the rescue. He step in to put a damper on the situation before it exploded.
"Hey, Joe's all right!"
Sergio then stepped in and with the confidence of two supporters, Joe began to feel that he could whip the world. Joe pushed Sergio out of the way and challenged Joey.
With false bravo Joe yelled, "Look who's talking!"I think your the rat!"
Spoiling for the entertainment of a fight, one of the guys began to taunt Joey with provoking words, "You gonna let 'im say doze dings to you!"
"Kick his but," another chided.
And then, the corner came alive with reverberating chants from the entire group.
Joey Esposito was several years older, five inches taller, and fifty pounds hiever than Joe. As the reality of the moment dawned upon him, Joe began to get butterflies in his stomache. He'd truly thought that in boast and banter the majority of the guys would see him in a different light, step in, and squash the whole situation--but even Sergio got embroiled in the situation.
"THE ALLEY ! THE ALLEY ! DO IT IN THE ALLEY !" chanting reverberated throughout the entire block.
Among the varios adjoining shops that made up the strip shopping area on 21st ST. between 21st and 22nd Avenue, in Astoria, Queens, Bernie's place was at the corner. Behind Bernie's ran an alleyway the breadth of the one story, dingy, red brick buildings housing the other business establishments, serving the area. This alley was the site of innumerable fights, involving everthing from "joust"Whom ever had a beef would challenged; the champion that emerged, would claim truth on his side..... no matter the hard evidence!--just like the days of the knights and kings!