Caterina (The Ballad of Frankie Mangano)

Blood Brothers

Benny walked past the Mangano brownstone and stopped when he saw his friend on the front steps. He hadn't seen him for a few days, but it wasn't hard to figure out why - the news about Caterina was all over the neighbourhood and condolences were passed on in such an abundance Frankie felt the need to get out for a bit. He looked up when he heard footsteps, figuring it was yet another person bringing flowers or pastries, but it was just Benny. What a relief. Benny always knew what to say, and considering he hadn't been in the country for more than about three years, knowing no English stepping off the boat at Ellis Island, that was quite an achievement. He had proven himself to be a quick learner in many ways.

Benny sat down next to Frankie and gave him a trademark cheeky grin.

"I saw the funniest thing earlier, you wouldn't believe!"

"I'm not in the mood."

"Oh. Scusi. I thought it would help." Benny glanced at his friend, mood instantly solemn. "How's ya Ma?"

"Drowning in flowers."

"Your Pop?"

"Pastries and casseroles."

"Sounds ... awful?" Benny's family wasn't as well off as the Manganos had come to be, so the idea of being so inundated with food that you were fed up with the idea was a strange thing to even imagine. It had never occurred to him that his friend would find it a problem either. There not being any food, sure, that was troublesome for anyone, but not there being too much.

"It's just ..." Frankie struggled for words. "Where were they when she disappeared? Why didn't they go look for her? They bring flowers, but flowers won't bring her back."

"I guess people just want to show support, is all. Everyone around here loved her." Benny had loved her too, in an innocent eleven-year-old kind of way. He had looked up to Cat, and she had always been nice to him. Hearing the news had made him sad for his own sake, of course, but even more so for his friend. "People don't know what else to do. I'll tell Ma not to bring anything over, though, if you like."

"Thanks."

"So have they found the guy that did it?"

"No. The thunderstorm washed away any traces may have been left, and no one saw her being taken neither. They think she musta been in that alley for hours."

"But they're still looking, yeah?"

"Yeah, everyone's lookin'." By which Frankie meant both the Family as well as the police, which Benny had no problems understanding. The boys kept very few secrets between them, on the understanding that anything shared was strictly between the two of them. The year before they'd even had this silly idea to become blood brothers, by each of them cutting their right hand with a pen knife and then shaking hands. They had read about it in some adventure book for boys and liked the sound of it. There had been an oath of allegiance sworn and everything, and they had felt very important.

"So what are you going to do when you find him?"

"Kill him."

"You? You'd kill him? How?"

Admittedly, Frankie hadn't really thought that far ahead, so Benny's scepticism was warranted. While Frankie was pretty handy with a slingshot shooting pebbles at old cans, it wasn't exactly a lethal weapon, and his father wouldn't allow him anywhere near a gun. Gus had one, of course, but Gustavo had been so angry at him for showing his little brothers an unloaded gun once that he hadn't dared to do it again. There wasn't much else, except ...

"I could use my bat."

Benny put a hand on his shoulder, saying in a very serious voice, "Frankie Mangano, you're my best friend, but you can't even hit a home run to save your life."

This caused a little friendly scuffle to break out between them, just like old times, but it was over almost as soon as it had started. Frankie hated to admit it, but Benny was absolutely right. He could swing a bat, but he was terrible at hitting anything, and even if he did, it didn't go very far. What else was there?

"Or you could take up boxing or somethin', maybe." Benny shrugged ."Knock him dead with your fists. I figure you'd be good at that."

"Or get strong enough to swing a bat," thought Frankie and handed back Benny's cap, which had fallen off in the fight.

"I mean I wasn't plannin' on becoming a boxer or anythin', but if that's what you want to do, I'll help you. You know I will. Blood brothers, remember?"

"Yeah," said Frankie. "Blood brothers."

And so it was decided: they would take up boxing.