Donning the Mask (part 3) - Joe

Donning the Mask (part 3) Six months after the incident - "Hey Anthony, gimme a pound of that Prosciutto Di Parma. And toss in a pound of Mozzarella while you're at it; Buffalo, though. I want the good stuff." "You got it, Stu" "And a pound of baloney too." Stu, a long time patron of the Salvatore Deli and friend of the family was making his usual rounds and chatting up the newest store manager - Anthony. Despite the fall and the selective memory loss that occurred, Anthony still aced his finals and graduated Magna Cum Laude. He still had trouble recalling every last detail of his childhood, especially when it came to anything regarding Evelyn; however he still managed to get by. "Here you go, Stu. That will be thirty bucks." "Aw, come on. Fifteen for an old friend?" "Twenty. I still gotta run a business here Stu; Besides, this here ain't no phoney baloney that I'm selling you.." "Deal." "Hey Stu..." "Yeah kid?" "Do you think I'm doing ok here? I mean I feel out of place. I don't remember the full history of this place anymore, and look at me. I'm just out of college with a solid degree and I'm letting it collect dust while I run the deli. It doesn't feel right. Also, the only thing I remember about my sister is that she loved to make people laugh and I feel that I owe it to her, what little I remember of her, to keep that going; but I can't do that if I'm stuck behind the deli counter." Stu looked kindly at Anthony. "Hey kid, go easy on yourself. The fall was a tragedy and you got lucky to get out of it with little more than the damage you sustained. No one is expecting too much right now, just take your time. As for running the deli, you know how your old man is, it means the world to him. Humour him a little, and maybe you can talk him into getting your cousins to help out. Oh, and as far as the college degree goes, you might want to use that as an advertising schtick, "The only deli in town run by a college graduate. Ha!" Anthony shook his head and smiled as his aged friend left the deli roaring in laughter. Stu had some good points, but still, working in the deli just didn't sit right with Anthony. Deciding to take Stu up on his advice, Anthony buttered his dad up a little before asking if he could moonlight as a stand-up comic; Frank reluctantly agreed. It was these lines of thoughts that led Anthony to try his hand at being a stand-up comic. Every day after the deli closed for the night, Anthony would head to some of the local bars in an attempt to ply his craft. During the day he would formulate some jokes for his repertoire and try them out on customers. While his customers didn't mind his humour, the stand-up crowd was a lot harsher and Anthony often got mixed if not less than stellar reviews. Frustrated, Anthony contemplated turning to slapstick and joining a circus in order to make people laugh. He talked with one of his long-time customers who happened to be in the management committee for a certain renowned ‘circus of the sun'. "Sorry Anthony. For one, Frank would kill me for getting you out of your day job. Second, you don't have a degree from clown school." "Wait, there's actually a school to teach you how to be a clown?" "Yup. It's the only school where being the class clown is encouraged. Heh." Anthony swore he heard a rimshot out of nowhere. On further conversation with this particular customer, Anthony realized that the funds required for clown school would be too much for his family to bear. They were already somewhat in the hole due to his college fees and also his medical expenses from the accident, or at least what he remembered of it; Business had also been a little down lately. Meanwhile, Anthony's relationship with Lucy had progressively soured over the past year. Since moonlighting as a failing stand-up comic, Anthony had had less time to spend with Lucy; since the accident he had also had a slight change in disposition and wasn't quite the same guy that Lucy had fallen in love with; Finally, Lucy confronted him. "Anthony we need to talk." Anthony cringed; he knew well enough that when his mother used that line, it was never good news. "What about?" "Us. Is there even an us anymore?" Anthony was silent. "Look, since trying this stand-up comic gig, you grown colder and further from me. We barely have quality time together because you're either performing or going through your routine. You even forget my birthday last week and all you've talked about is trying to carry on the legacy of a sister you can barely remember. At least in college, while you did that you still had a goal in life and you didn't let it take over you." Anthony stayed silent as Lisa tearfully continued. "What's this crazy talk about wanting to join a circus? You're giving up the family business and a stable income? What about me? I'm just supposed to quit my job on go on the road with you as you join the circus? What happened to what we talked about in college, running the deli together, small white house, picket fences, and jokes galore?" "You don't understand..." "You're right, I don't. Stop living in the past Anthony and start living for the future. Until you do, you will have no future, and neither will we." Anthony looked at Lucy and understood what she meant. It tore him up to hear her next words, "Anthony, for your own good, I'm breaking up with you; maybe once you straighten out your life we can get back together again." Part of him wanted to run after the girl and apologize but the other part wanted to let her go; Anthony realized that in his current state, he was no good for Lucy; she deserved someone better. Hopefully she would find that person and be happy; for now, that person would not be him, not until he had settled his memories and this thing that ate at him. Handling the dog tags around his neck, the same dog tags that allowed him to remember his sister's name, he whispered words that he remembered from a time long ago "This one's for you, Sis"