I miss, my sister Joan, more each day, and I cannot understand why the passage of time does not heal the hurt. I am sorry, but no one can understand my grief and I have a hard time sharing with my family lest they think me daft. My sister was just a normal human with all the gifts and failings of any other person. Her one absolute saving grace was her affection for me. 1964 we were living on Tremont Avenue in the Bronx. I came home all bloodied on a cool September night. Snuck into my room and hid in my bed. Joan came in without knocking and demanded to know what I did. (How did she even know I did anything?) Lights turned on, and she saw the sight I was. Joan told me that Joannie Forde called her and said it was all over a fact I had beat up a gang member, and they were out to kill me. I lied to her and said I had falling on the subway tracks because I was drunk. I will not forget her words as they spewed forth and landed on my hurt body, "you are a disappointment to me." I wished I was back on West End and 83rd facing the guy who wanted to kill me rather than another minute with my sister telling me I was a liar. I then proceeded to tell her everything that happened that night. It was a tale of a gang caught in the wrong territory acting against five tough Irishmen coming back from Riverside Park with a few beers having been imbibed. And a tale of one mick looking at these folks as we walked up to Broadway. And a tale of one of the Puerto Ricans deciding that I was looking too closely in his direction. He ran up to me and challenged my manhood. And made the fatal mistake of continually talking. I kicked him where it hurt and punched him with a straight right into his throat, and he was finished. His friends mixed it up with us, but the battle was over with the guy I clocked. God bless those other four Irishmen: William Tone, Angelo Rivera (Angel), Joe Gouth, Dennis CooIper. So my sister was unhappy with the blood on my face but she was Irish and delighted with the overall outcome of the situation.
Posted on: Wed, 28 Aug 2013 04:53:29 +0000
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