The Escort

by Gina Robinson

  "Yes." Angelina couldn't tell her that she was still a virgin. One official had tried to extort her, as Maria had described. But it did him no good. She told him up front that she didn't want to go to America. That her family was forcing her to go to an awful old man when she would just as soon stay in Italy. She would be grateful if he would deny her permission to leave. It was a bluff, but it worked. He had no power over her. He stamped her papers and shoved her out the door.

  "You're a smart girl, Angelina. You've done the right thing coming here. I've never regretted my coming, only the circumstances of it. You've gotten yourself out of a hopeless situation in Italy and here to the United States where the pool of men, and hope, is much greater. And you've rid yourself of an undesirable escort to hook up with a most desirable one. Maybe you'll be smart enough to catch our Tonio. Goodness knows, he needs a woman."

  Maria raised her hand to silence Angelina's protest as it formed on her lips. "Though Tonio has told me time and again that he has no interest in an Italian bride. He likes those blond, American beauties. No old country woman for him."

  "Tonio imagines himself an American." Angelina said. It was not a compliment. "An American bride would not suit him." Her pride was stung at being suddenly dubbed unsuitable by the absent Tonio.

  Maria smiled back knowingly, smart enough to detect wounded feminine vanity. "Tonio is an American. He renounced his Italian citizenship and became an American several years ago. Have you ever heard him speak English?"

  Angelina nodded.

  "He speaks like a native. I don't believe that Tonio speaks any Italian when he's in Idaho. He has come to visit us and actually forgotten the Italian word for things. And there have been times when he has interspersed English with his Italian."

  "He has forgotten Italian words!" The revelation delighted Angelina. Tonio was fallible after all.

  "It's understandable, when you don't speak a language for months at a time." Maria replied. "I think that Tonio would choose to forget his mother tongue altogether, if he didn't need it when he comes to visit his old friends." Maria smiled at her and returned to her original topic.

  "You're truly beautiful, Angelina. A woman like you has opportunities open to you. If you get to Idaho, and don't like what you find waiting for you there, discard him. But you must watch yourself in the mining country. It's a rough place, dominated by lusty men.

  "Tonio would be a good protector and provider. He's a partner in a mine. He believes it will pay off handsomely and make him rich. It just might." She leaned into Angelina again.

  "Tonio is a handsome man, one desired by many but elusive. Many women would covet the chance you have with him. In all the years I've known him, he's never brought a woman with him. No matter that he claims he's doing a favor for Nonna Gia, even she couldn't convince him if he didn't want to do it. And we must ask ourselves, what benefit is there for him in this situation?" Maria paused significantly.

  "A final word of warning for you. Tonio can be very seductive, but if you want to catch him, hold out." Maria winked. "Why buy what he can get for free? He's used to too much of that already." Maria glanced at the clock. "Come, let's go find the men. They've had their time alone. Why should they have all the fun? I feel the itch to toss a few dice myself. You know, I'm much luckier than my husband."

  It was the first perfect day that Chicago had seen all year. Winter's white blanket had disappeared only days before under the onslaught of heavy rains and warm winds. Dirty traces of snow still clung tenaciously under the protection of the eaves and heavy shade. But the day had been sunny and the evening was pleasant. And if it was somewhat cool, the residents of Chicago's Italian enclaves didn't seem to notice. The entire neighborhood took to the streets in the age-old tradition of the evening stroll, feeling for the first time in months the gentle warmth of the low slung spring sun and reveling in the long hours of daylight.

  The mood was jovial as Maria and Angelina took to the streets. Children ran and skipped ropes along sidewalks, chanting their childhood rhymes. Strong-willed grass and weeds were popping up between every sidewalk seam, lending their bright greens and delicate blossoms to the festive atmosphere. In every alley old men played bocce, the Italian game of lawn bowling, their shouts of joy and defeat erupting at uneven intervals.

  Angelina turned to scan each alley for Tonio, but Maria walked purposefully on, stopping to chat briefly with neighbors and introduce Angelina. It was largely a southern Italian community, but each person they met spoke a slightly different dialect. Angelina found it all very familiar and pleasant. The people were much more casual than in Italy. Several men called out greetings to the two women, even though they were unaccompanied by their men. They turned the corner and Maria spoke.

  "They will be at Dorso's Bar, in the back room. That's where the private games are always held. No one bothers them there."

  Dorso's was a typical Italian bar, long and narrow, with a bar counter that ran the length of one wall. There were no stools at the counter. Patrons stood and paid less for their drinks as was Italian custom, because they required little service. Small tables were scattered throughout the open area. Old men sat and played cards at many, drinking either coffee or liquor, depending on their mood. They happily paid the higher prices for their fare for the privilege of resting.

  Maria walked through the room toward a separate, private room at the back.

  "Dorso." She nodded to the bartender.

  "Maria." He did not seem surprised to see a woman in his establishment. In the mornings, before alcohol was served, many women stopped by for coffee and a brioche. The Italians did not hold the taboo against women drinking. Wine was commonly served at meals and all partook. Many women accompanied their husbands for an evening drink, though on this particular night there were no other women present.

  "It's a good thing you showed up. Sal's losing. He could use a bit of your luck." He looked questioningly at Angelina.

  "This is Angelina. A friend of Tonio's."

  Dorso smiled and gave Angelina the up and down. "Pleasure, signorina. Tonio always could pick 'em."

  Maria ignored his remark and marched past toward the back room, but Angelina didn't like his comment. "How many girlfriends has Tonio had in Chicago?"

  Maria brushed his comment aside. "Ignore him. What does it matter?"

  The betting room was cramped, with one small transom for ventilation above the door, which stood slightly ajar. A group of men huddled around a table. A large, slick man stood behind it, obviously the house's banker. The two women stood in the door, watching the game, unnoticed. The men were intent on their betting. Angelina picked Tonio out of the crowd immediately.

  He was a head taller than any other man in the room. He had his jacket off, his shirtsleeves rolled up and his stiletto holstered at his waist. Her heart tripped at the sight of him. Angelina was certain that if she were a man, she would not trifle with him, but as a woman…

  She felt happy and flirtatious. Her talk with Maria, while arousing jealousy, had also buoyed her confidence. Could Tonio be interested in her? For reasons beyond what she understood, she hoped so. She intended to find out this night just how deep his interest went. Just some innocent flirting. She deserved that before she went to her husband, didn't she?

  Maria started to move forward to enter the room. Angelina held her back with a hand. "Let me watch a few minutes more. This game is played differently than a private game. I must watch to understand."

  Maria gently pushed her hand aside. "Come. You must see the table to understand. It has special markings that show which bets are available, and it's marked with the odds."

  At that moment, perhaps alerted by their feminine voices, Tonio turned and saw them. To Angelina's surprise his look was one of genuine pleasure. Something in her wished he always wore that particular expression. With the warm glow in his eyes, he was devastatingly handsome. She wanted to hold that look forever. Was it caused by their appearance or luck at the table?

 
; "Sal, your luck has arrived," Tonio said, but his eyes were riveted on Angelina. Though many of his friends stared openly at her, he didn't introduce her, even after she walked to the table and positioned herself at his elbow. Without a word he pulled her in front of him, so that she could see the table.

  "What about your luck? Has it arrived, too?" she asked.

  "I'm hot tonight. Do I need more luck?"

  The game resumed. The men bet with vigor. Sal continued to lose, begging out after two more rounds. "I'm out. I'm broke."

  He and Maria looked unhappy as they stepped back. Angelina wondered if their losses stung them or if they regretted leaving the action of the game.

  Angelina fisted and released her fingers repetitively as she watched the banker shoot. She itched to join the game, but she had no money to wager. She followed the game closely, calculating the odds to herself, watching how each man wagered, trying to determine his strategy.

  She watched the banker recover the dice between bets, collect and pay out, and shoot the dice, intrigued. She had never seen a craps table before. The game was played differently than a private game. All bets were made with the house.

  She scrutinized Tonio's game most closely of all. But unlike the games they played together on the train, he didn't ask her advice. He didn't let her wager. He raked in his winnings and kept them to himself.

  A crease formed between her brows. No one but Tonio noticed her mood. Men dropped out of the game, cutting their losses. It grew late.

  He wasn't going to let her play. He didn't trust her! He'd won enough money to let her make a small wager. Her irritation with him grew. She wouldn't ask him for the privilege. Arrogant man!

  The banker looked to Tonio. "Last round for me," Tonio said. "I've kept my friends waiting too long. I owe Sal a drink. And Maria whatever she wants."

  The men laughed.

  Angelina scowled. He hadn't mentioned her.

  "What do you think, Angel?" he said.

  Angel? "Are you asking me for advice?"

  "No, I'm telling you to place the bet."

  She swiveled around to face him. Her stomach hummed nervously, and excitement tingled in her fingers. She hesitated on the verge of a safe bet. She knew that betting with the odds was the key to winning, but on a single bet, as she well remembered, odds were only that. Something goaded her toward recklessness. A little voice inside screamed at her to take a chance.

  He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "Listen to your gut this time."

  The room seemed small and close. A tiny trickle of perspiration dripped down her back. This was her chance to redeem herself.

  "He rolls craps." She pulled a silver dollar from Tonio's winnings and set it on the board, then turned to stare him down.

  "The odds are seven to one against us." His eyes danced mischievously.

  "Chicken?" She turned back to the table.

  "Craps," Tonio told the banker as he pulled out a twenty-dollar gold piece, the house limit, and set it on the table, removing the silver dollar.

  She turned back to look at him in amazement. There was a quizzical mixture of emotion in his eyes. Trust and confidence, and amusement. And something she couldn't define. If he had given her the gold piece, it couldn't have meant more. Reluctantly, she looked back at the table.

  The banker shot. The dice hit the back of the table and rolled back into a pair of sixes.

  Angelina screamed, delighted. She turned and hugged Tonio, still screaming and bouncing.

  "One hundred and forty dollars!" she cried.

  Sal and Maria watched, amused at the couple in front of them. They exchanged a sly, knowing look. Maria whispered something to Sal.

  "She's quick with math," Tonio said to them. "And do you see the way her eyes dance at the thought of money?"

  Tonio pried her loose and took his winnings. He laced his arm around her waist and addressed his friends. "Let's get out of here before Dorso finds out how much we took him for."

  He guided her out through the door and into the alley.

  Chapter 6

  "What does the victor want for her efforts?" Tonio asked. Gravel crunched beneath their feet as they walked through the dark alley. Little points of light filtered through pulled shades from windows on either side, lighting their way.

  "Anything?" Angelina asked.

  "Anything." He stopped to pound out a drum roll on a nearby garbage can.

  She tugged at his arm. "Stop! You'll annoy the neighbors."

  "So?"

  "I'd like to get out of this alley. I feel like someone is going to jump out at us."

  Tonio grabbed her hand and pulled her, laughing and running, between two buildings into the street where street lamps glowed protectively. Sal and Maria tagged along behind, too dignified to run.

  "Better?"

  "Much. Anyone could have robbed us back there."

  "And the streets are so much safer." He laughed. "Wise choice. We must protect our winnings. But fear not, sweet lady, you'll always be safe with me." He patted his stiletto. "You forget, the darkness affords its own protection."

  Maria and Sal came up behind them, calm and amused. "Next time you change the route, give us fair warning," Sal said. "What does the lady want? Has she decided?"

  "I wanted out of the alley."

  "No, Tonio promised you a reward; you must hold him to it," Maria said. "Or he'll be insulted, won't you, Tonio?" She held her hand to her mouth as if conveying a secret, but she made no attempt to whisper. "Remember, he said anything."

  "In that case I know exactly what I want." She appraised Tonio. "But I don't think he can give it to me. So I'll settle for a Stella Starr hat with a Parisian gown to match," Angelina said lightly. "A dark gray walking dress with leg-o-mutton sleeves highlighted with white ribbon stripes, and matching skirt, a frilly white shirtwaist underneath, and a really fabulous evening gown of velvet."

  "What color gown?"

  "Deep red. No, garnet. Very low cut."

  "I thought you meant something to eat, Tonio," Sal said.

  "So did I, Sal." He looked at Angelina as he spoke. "The lady fancies herself a Gibson Girl. And I thought she never left Little Italy. Where did you hear about Miss Starr?"

  "Oh, from people here and there. A girl can dream. I saw the fashion books, and the ladies at the train depot, the ones traveling first class." She lifted her full, dull brown skirt. "These full skirts are hardly in style for hoeing a garden, even in Italy. Someday I'll have rich, fashionable clothes. I'll look like the women of your youth." Somehow that suddenly seemed important to her.

  "It's not worth the trouble. Most of them were vain and empty." He leaned close to her and whispered. "You'll never get there shackled to your old man." It was a challenge.

  "Oh? And with whom could I?"

  Tonio leaned close and whispered in her ear. "I'd like to see you in that dress, the garnet one."

  "Perhaps you will someday. Strike it rich in your mine and buy it for me," she whispered back. He didn't seem surprised that she knew about his mine. He laughed loudly. Sal and Maria stared at them, left out of their private conversation.

  "Gelato," Angelina said suddenly. "I'd like ice cream."

  "I'd like something stiffer," Sal said. "Maria doesn't let me drink when I gamble."

  "You need a clear head to win."

  "See, she takes care of me."

  "It's too late, the ice cream parlor is closed," Maria said.

  "The bars never close." Sal looped his arm around his wife's waist. "We can't go back to Dorso's, but Napoli is just up the street."

  "Old Man Gambino still hang out there?" Tonio asked.

  "Suppose so, why?"

  "The lady wants new clothes. Let's go. I'll buy you a drink at Napoli, Sal."

  Napoli looked very much like its competitor, Dorso's, a few blocks away. A long straight bar bordered one wall. It was not crowded nor was it empty. The foursome stood in the doorway a moment while Tonio scanned the room. His eyes settled on a
table of old men, smoking and playing cards at a back table. He pressed several silver dollars in Sal's palm. "Buy yourself a drink. I'll be back in a minute."

  Angelina watched Tonio approach the back table. He was still several feet away when one of the old men spotted him, called out a greeting, and stood to meet him. "Antonio!"

  That was all she could hear of their conversation as she watched them kiss each other's cheeks and shake each other's hand at the same time.

  "What is he up to, Sal?" she asked. Before he could answer, Tonio came forward with an old man in tow.

  "Sal, you haven't gotten a drink yet? Hang onto the money; I'll buy you a bottle of the best Gambino's store has to offer."

  "This is the lady you mentioned?" The old man had a handle bar mustache, well waxed and as white as the rim of hair on his head, but his eyes were deep brown and as mischievous as any youth's.

  "This is Angelina. She won me a great deal of money at the table tonight. I promised her anything she wanted," Tonio said. "Gambino has agreed to open his store for us tonight."

  Gambino slapped Tonio on the back. "Anything for a dollar, eh Tonio?"

  Angelina overheard Sal as he leaned over and whispered to Tonio. "How'd you get Gambino to agree to this?"

  "He and Sebastiano were close."

  "Let's get going. This old man can't stay up all night." Gambino grabbed his coat from a peg by the door and they were off, arriving minutes later.

  Gambino turned the lights on and set his keys on the counter. "We must be quiet. Mrs. Gambino is asleep upstairs. Let's not wake her. She is not a woman who wakes pleasantly."

  Gambino's was a typical American Italian general store. Wheels of hard parmesan and romano cheese were displayed behind glass at the counter, little knives stuck in each block for ready cutting. Wrapped salamis and pepperonis hung behind the counter in their white, powdered paper. Crates filled with sundries stood here and there at random and at the end of each row of shelves. Bottles of wine and canned goods filled the shelves, along with bottles of olive oil. There was a large bin of polenta flour and a shelf that contained kitchen items, cheese graters, and knives. On the shelf next to the cash register were two lidded glass bins, one full of candied violets, the other filled with candied rose petals.