Post by J on Dec 23, 2020 13:28:53 GMT -5
“Saint Nick”
//Off Camera//
Reno, Nevada
December 22nd 2020
Nico Ludovico Pazzini looked at himself from the mirror one more time.: Fur Coat to hide those tattoos, Santa hat to hide his wild hairdo, big ol’ belt to keep the coat in check, some red trousers and furry boots. Of course a fake beard to add to the disguise
Perfect, he thought to himself. No one would ever know who it was inside this disguise. Given it was the season to be jolly and how Kris Kringle’s Saint Nicholas and all sorts of santa variations were out and about, he would blend in perfectly. He took a few slow dancing steps, twirling about doing his best Dean Martin impersonation.
~Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow~
Sure like it would ever fucking snow in Reno, the goddamn desert, but Ol’ Dino was a true G handled his liquor just like he handled his women, spending time with his own crew: Ratpack. Kinda ironic considering how Nico was part of a “ratpack” himself now at least “lead” by one.
Ricky Rhodes, da boss? Forgetaboutit, fucking joke.
He grabbed his room key, wallet and sunglasses heading on out.
It would probably be smarter not to stick around the Eldorado Casino for one, someone might still recognize him as one of the wrestlers. There had to be other places one could hang, chat up with the pieces of ass that roamed Reno, who knows maybe he could start a list of his own naughty & nice. For the upcoming year 2021 would be his. Forgetaboutit it, all his and his alone.
Making his way out and about in town he saw some fine mamas, young and old, fit and fat. Life was one big buffet and Saint Nick was gonna have his belly full of festivus and if landing the right lady on Santa’s lap she could help him empty his sack of presents, how ya’ doin’
Of course holidays were always somewhat a touchy time for Nico Pazzini, so he did his best trying to avoid dealing with them best he could, family dinners and such helped but out here in America, without his aunts, cousins and the rest of them..Nico had to do what he could, to drown out the past.
Growing up without his dad for most of his formative years meant Nico was somewhat of a lost member of our youth. Growing up in Sicily isn’t easy for even a kid who had both of his parents let alone someone who had just one..who was barely there. Mama Pazzini kinda broke after losing her husband Antonio, Nico’s father.. There were some moments he remembered better than others, ones he had forgotten better than others. Who knows what exactly triggered these memories inside his head, but now in Reno 2020 AD his head travels back a good 15 years, maybe more.
***Sicily, a lifetime ago***
“Nico, what’s wrong?” Isabella looked at her nephew, the surrogate son who was more than just the nominal “little brother” for her as far as roles went. The poor kid, narrow build, slumped down posture, face like a damn crater already and no hope of growing facial hair to cover it. He was bawling his eyes out, hysterical, uncontrollable cry. Twisting up his face, snot and tears racing down the face.
“I didn’t mean to do it Bella, I didn’t I swear!” That’s all she could make out of between the sobs and wails. She did what she had always done in situations, like this: knelt down and grabbed the poor kid from his trembling shoulders. Swiped away the mop of mess of hair from his face.
“Calm down, Nicky. I can’t understand a thing. Calm down, breathe.” Slowly and surely he managed to control himself and contain the cries a bit. She grabbed some paper to wipe his face.
“I didn’t.. I didn't mean to. Honest. I’d never..never ever” He kept repeating, she saw clear fear in his eyes. Ruffling his hair a bit.
“Nico, whatever it is. I promise it will be okay. You know you can tell me anything and everything and we’ll fix it, right?”
*sniffles and sobs*
“Right?”
He nods slowly.
“Say it then, I need to hear it.”
“R-right.”
“Atta boy, now tell me what happened? I can’t help you if I don’t know what happened.”
She sat him down to the kitchen table, sitting opposite him, giving him the most peaceful judgement free eyes she could. Little did she know that those eyes would be something, together with that look that she would need so many more times during her later years.
“We went around exploring, at the school. Me and some other kids.”
She bit her lip, the neighborhood kids were told time and time again to steer away from places where they weren’t supposed to be, but like all kids everywhere have always done. They had to test themselves and their limits, usually at the expense of the orders and advice from adults.
“Nico, you know you aren’t supposed to be there..”
She started but he looked at her eyes full of pleading.
“But we were just exploring Bella. Besides it’s not like there was anyone there. It’s an old place. Nobody saw us.”
What Nico was talking about was the old abandoned school building at the outskirts of the city, place that was supposed to be torn down for ages but the city never seemed to find time or funds to get it done. Isabella remembered being there herself some years ago, that’s where her and her sister along with some of their friends learned to smoke cigarettes, or tried to at least. She just nodded for Nico to go on.
“Then what happened Nicky?”
He took a few breaths, trying to keep his voice from cracking.
“We went to the attic, Paolo said there would be treasures there.”
Paolo Bonaducci, Mrs. Bonaducci’s eldest..Isabella knew the kid’s mother, knew what a bitch she was and assumed her eldest took to her mother, being a pompous little shit up to no good, no doubt.
“So we went up there and started searching, found this chest. And heard some scriching from it. And when we opened it, there was a mouse there..”
Nico bit his lip, he had a bad habit of biting his lip, sometimes so hard it turned red and swelled.
“Frankie got scared, she screamed and Paolo wanted to kill it..”
Frankie or Francesca Palmonero, a pretty dark haired girl Isabella knew her nephew to have a crush for. I mean Nico being Nico he had crushes on all women walking by but Frankie had been someone he had wanted to impress for such a long time.
“Did you..because I know Paolo Bonaducci and if he told you to..”
“No!”
He shrieked. His voice cracking.
“I told him not to kill it. Said I’d pick it up so we could get the chest. You know for the treasures. It was an old one, probably been there a thousand years. No one would miss it if we borrowed it, besides after we get the treasures we could buy a new chest to the attic so..”
She did her best not to laugh, only Nico would think of buying a new thing for something he stole first.
“Alright, what did you do?”
He gulped.
“I picked it up. It was so tiny and squeaky. I was very careful not to hurt it. I wanted to bring it out of the scary attic. Itt was probably scared there anyway. I wanted to take it out so it could find friends and build a nest of it’s own..but”
He sniffled.
“..but Paolo said I’d have to help him carry the chest down, that Frankie couldn’t lift it because she’s a girl and girls aren’t strong. So he pointed this bucket to me and told me I could leave the mouse there. I didn’t think of it too much, thought I’d leave the mouse there just for a little while. You know just enough to get the chest down and then I’d come back..”
“Nico, it’s okay. Calm down.”
She saw his hand starting to shake as he went on his voice breaking again.
“So I put the little guy down. Just to help with the chest. We went down the stairs I helped him carry it but when we got out Paolo tripped on the threshold and fell. I couldn’t hold the chest on my own so it fell and broke..”
Nico wasn’t the strongest of children, he was clumsy as well so Isabella could have seen him tripping as well, but she knew he would never lie to her. He was a honest kid to his family.
“So then what happened?”
She asked as calmly as she could.
“Paolo got mad at me, said that he and Frankie were tired of adventuring anyway, that they would rather go do something fun.. He kicked the broken chest and his shoe went right through it. Frankie asked me to come with them, but I couldn’t.. I just couldn’t because..”
“..because of the mouse.” Isabella nodded.
“Yeah, Paolo said that I deserved to be around fucking mice anyway and left. I asked Frankie to wait, that it would take just a little while. That I’d hold the mouse for her and she’d see that she didn’t need to be scared..but, but Frankie just..”
He sighed.
“She just left with him. She couldn’t wait..so I went back up looking for my mouse friend, didn’t find the bucket at first but when I did and reached to pick up the mouse..”
His eyes went wide, she could see the tears coming again at any moment.
“..it had water, I didn’t know it had water. I would have never put the poor mouse there if I knew..Paolo said I could put it there!”
He started sobbing again.
“If only I had taken the mouse down first, not the chest. If I would have gotten up quicker, found him quicker he would have probably..”
He started crying louder again, slumping against the table.
“I killed him Bella! I didn’t mean to do it! I didn’t mean to! He was just a little mouse who I wanted to help!”
She watched him cry, it broke her heart to see how beside himself this little man was over a damn mouse, the world would surely toughen him up in time but right now, she had to get up. Walk to him and hug him tight.
“Am I gonna go to prison now? If you kill someone you have to go to prison, right?”
She shushed him up, stroking his hair before kneeling back down to wipe his tears.
“No Nicky, you aren’t gonna go to prison. You didn’t mean to do it, I know you didn’t..but that doesn’t explain why it took you this long to come back, you weren’t. Afraid to come home where you Nicky?”
He shook his head wiping his nose to his shirt sleeve.
“I had to find a shovel. I buried the mouse, found him a real nice spot next to a real pretty Cypress tree, at least he won’t have to be in that moldy school or that bucket anymore.. I even made him a little bed out of the chest he lived in. I feel really bad for breaking it, even if it was Paolo who tripped and kicked it. If we had left the chest there the mouse could have still had it’s home..”
Now it was her turn to hold back the tears, Nicky might have been a bit stupid and acted a fool but his heart sure was in the right place. She smiled at him feeling a swollen sense of pride how the boy owned up to his mistakes and tried to make amends, even if he couldn’t undo his fuckups, now or ever.
“You did right Nicky, but now on when I tell you that you aren’t supposed to go somewhere. You do as I say..and as for Paolo Bonaducci.”
He looked up to her.
“No more playing with him. Got it?”
He nodded and took a moment of silence to gather his courage before asking.
“..what about Frankie?”
She pondered and nodded.
“Sure, but you know you could do better than her. You are a Pazzini.”
He nodded, then grabbing her hand.
“..Bella, you think Papa’s mad at me for killing the mouse?”
Now she couldn’t hold back her tears, a single one twinkled in the corner of her right eye as she ruffled his hair.
“Nah, he’d be so proud of you Nicky. Now go get washed up, I gotta start the dinner.”
***Back in Modern Day Reno***
It had been a weird night of hazy memories. Nico remembered going around a few bars, having some nice chats with women, and more than his fair share of drinks.
”Hey girl, wanna sit on Santa’s lap?” -Why you ain’t got any presents! “Sure I do, have you seen the size of my sack!”
He remembered a guy who refused to serve him any more.
“Time to hit the road Santa, I can’t let you drive the reindeer in that shape..” -The fuck did you say!? I’m the Original G From the Hood of Northern Lights Da Boss La Capo De Tutti Cappi of Lapland! You don’t talk to me like that?!”
He remembered landing face down on the sidewalk, stumbling to his feet and staggering for what seemed like hours to get back to the hotel. He managed to rip off his beard and hat, stripping his coat open and stumbling to bed. Before falling flat on his back across the mattress, bare tattooed chest exposed, eyes just barely open, but boots and trousers still on.
“Ho-Ho-Ho” Nico mumbled, trying to focus his look somewhere, if only he could make the world stay still. Everything was blurry and spinning. Trying to look up he could have sworn he saw a figure stand at the side of his bed, a massive man in a blue suit, leaning in close looking just like..madonna mia it couldn’t be! How would he even get into his room, how would he know where he was..nah it couldn’t be true, besides that would have been the first time in forever that he’d have seen that jagoff smile. Last thought in Nico’s mind before he passed out was the certainty that he had been imagining it all.
That it couldn’t have been.
Wouldn’t have been.
Vincenzo Riina.