Donning the Mask (part 4) - Joe

Donning the Mask, (Part 4) A turning point in Anthony's life was meeting him in the deli that fateful day. He was a short man, dressed in rather eccentric clothing and carrying a rather ornate staff. He had kind features, accentuated with streaks of long silver hair and a booming voice that belied his frame and stature. "Good afternoon, young man." "Er, good afternoon sir. Welcome to Frank's Deli, how may I help you?" "I'd like fifty pounds of sausages please." "Fifty? That's sounds like a big barbeque you're planning there.," "Well it's a tradition with me and my crew, we always have a huge barbeque on our last night in a town; it's after the show though." "Show?" "Circus. I run one, and we happen to have been in town the past few days, ‘The Untouchables - the circus from the streets', heard of us?" "Oh, you're that act in town that so many people are dying to see." "Yeah, that's us. My name is Cesar Stromboli, everyone just calls me Cesar." "Anthony Salvatore, at your service. By the way the sausages will be setting you back about a hundred and fifty dollars." Cesar turned slightly mortified as he checked his wallet. "This is embarrassing. You see, we have this clown in our group nicknamed ‘Wally'. Wally is always playing pranks on me and he appears to have switched out the cash I had for monopoly money." To prove his point, Cesar showed Joe the colourful and worthless bills in his wallet. Anthony felt bad for Cesar but he couldn't just give Cesar the sausages; Frank would have turned him into sausage for giving away fifty pounds of sausages just like that. Pulling out his own wallet, Anthony took out a hundred and fifty dollars and placed it into the till; he would just tell Frank to take it out of his paycheck if need be. An appreciative Cesar gave Anthony a ticket for the final show that night and also invited him to the barbeque. That evening, after an argument with Frank over closing the Deli early and also giving the sausages away, Anthony went to attend the show. The performers weren't as glamourous as in other circuses but they were every bit as flamboyant; they were also every bit as talented as Anthony expected but there was also a rogueness to them that made the name of the Circus extremely apt. After the show, Cesar introduced Anthony to the crew and they gave him a standing ovation for the sausages - they even kidded that it was the best performance of the night and deserved an encore. During the barbeque, Anthony met and befriended many of the eccentric circus members; Natalya and Katherine the trapeze artists and tightrope walkers, Marko the strongman, Wally the infamous clown, Jacques the knife thrower and many others. As they ate, Anthony recounted his failed attempts at being a comic and also a circus clown to the group who had a pretty good laugh at his expense. Suddenly, Anthony noticed that one of the ‘props' Wally was packing away looked familiar. "Hey Wally, that statue reminds me of something I saw in the newspaper this morning..." Anthony stopped short when he noticed the room immediately go silent. ‘...it is the same one isn't it?" he finished softly so no one else would overhear. The circus crew looked to Cesar expectantly and he gave them a signal to calm down. "Anthony, I have a confession to make and I'd appreciate if you wouldn't tell anyone; I know you're not a priest but I'm asking as a friend here. You see, we aren't just a circus, we're also a group of thieves. Yes, that statue is the stolen one mentioned in the newspapers but before you panic, hear me out. We are a group that has no place else to fit into society therefore we work together as a circus; more than that, we're also a family of thieves if you can believe it, each with our own talents. However, we only steal from those that can afford it and even then we only steal just enough to cover expenses and basic necessities. We don't harm others and we also don't pickpocket our audience unlike some less scrupulous circus scams." Cesar made a point of pointing to the entire group. "Anthony, if you rat us out, we all go to jail and that's the end of this family. There's no way for us to get together again and even if we're released we'll have nowhere to go. Also, when we're out of the picture, I guarantee you that there will be another less scrupulous group that will step into our shoes, it always is the case. So please Anthony, look the other way, for our sake?" Anthony paused and pondered his options before answering. "On one condition, let me join you." "Are you sure Anthony? It's not an easy life and you may get thrown to jail too. I'd rather you'd forget about us and just go back to your life." "I have no life to go back to. I want to join your circus and tour with you. I want to make others laugh and smile like you guys do." Cesar hesitated but after urging from the crew and a couple more negotiations, Anthony was accepted into their ranks, on the proviso that he at least tell his parents first - they didn't want a kidnapping charge on their heads. That night, Anthony went home to find his parents waiting for him. Lisa had heard about the big blow out her husband and son had had and she wanted to have a family talk. What followed was an emotional discussion over the dining table that resulted in Frank storming off after yet another blow out. Lisa however, stayed calm throughout and after Frank left, gave Anthony her blessing. "Anthony, I want you to know that your father and I love you very much. He may not show it and you may not remember it too well, but Evelyn's death was hard on all of us; It especially took its toll on Frank. You leaving for the circus is like him losing another child and the only hope he had of passing the family deli onto our own children. Yes, you do have a second-cousin twice removed who would be able to run it, but it wouldn't be the same without you. However, from the day you had your fall, I knew that this was a possibility; the doctors had warned me that you might start to see things differently from the old you. If you think you can be happy with this circus, then go. Just be careful and write back every now and then. I'll find a way to help your dad deal with the loss." Anthony nodded silently and he embraced his mother with tear-filled eyes. That night, he would pack his bag, taking only 2 mementos, Evelyn's prized Joe Dimaggio card, and his dog tags. When morning came around, Anthony Salvatore was no longer there; he was now officially part of The Untouchables.