Five Years to Live

by Frank Zaccari

  “So what is the next step?” Donna asked.

  “There are still two more interviews. One will be with some of the guys who would report to me to see how we hit it off, and the other is with the senior vice president. Not sure of the timing yet. Vince said all these meetings should be done by early August. If all goes well, my follow-up trip to Delaware from August twelfth to August thirtieth could be my last with Aces.”

  “Wow, that’s exciting, Michael. I am very happy for you. This would be a big step up and gets you back to Buffalo,” she said, but she could not edit herself fast enough as she continued, “but selfishly I don’t want you to move away.”

  “I am really torn about this, Donna. It would be a great thing from the career perspective.” He lowered his eyes thoughtfully as he said, “But I don’t want to go without you. I know that I love you and I want you in my life. I also know you are doing well with the county and this is your home, so it wouldn’t be fair to expect you to leave here and move to Buffalo.”

  “So what do you have in mind, Michael?” she asked, hoping she would hear the words she was expecting.

  “Well, if this happens I am hoping you would consider coming with me once I get settled. I know it is a lot to ask, but I really believe we have something special. Don’t you?”

  “We do have something special, Michael. The question is how special?” she responded, while her mind was racing with the question, Is this it, is he going to propose ?

  “We have talked about having a future together away from Delhi. We both know that staying here limits both our careers and earning potential. We both agreed that what we are doing now is just the first step in our careers, right?”

  “Michael,” she paused for a moment as she thought, My mother was right, you can’t leave subtle hints. “I am not asking about our professional lives. I am asking about you and me. Moving away together is a major decision. It is a huge commitment. Are you ready for that kind of commitment?” Donna thought to herself, Okay, you said it, now what are you going to say if he says no?

  Michael didn’t hesitate. “Yes, I am. I don’t know if this particular opportunity is going to happen, but I know that one will happen soon. Whatever door opens I want to go through it with you. I want to share my life with you. Now the question to you is would you leave your family and friends to be with me?” Michael looked her in the eyes and waited.

  Donna smiled and thought, Close enough, and she said, “Yes.” She put her arms around him and said, “Yes,” again.

  They kissed before Michael said, “Good. Let’s see what happens, and then we can work out the details.”

  “Hi, Joey, it’s Mike. How you doin’?”

  “Hey, ugly boy, nice of you to call,” Joe said in a tone dripping with sarcasm. “I was beginning to think you fell off the face of the earth. I’m doin’ good, how you doin’? ”

  “Things are going well. That job in Williamsville looks like it might happen. I am so looking forward to getting back to Buffalo and out of this shithole town.” The two brothers laughed.

  “So,” Joe asked warily, “how is Donna taking this moving to Buffalo idea?”

  “Well, she said she would move there once I get settled,” he answered with just a hint of doubt in his voice. Then he added, “And if I get the job, of course.”

  Joe picked up Michael’s slight intonation and asked, “So do you think she will actually move or was that ‘girl-speak’ where they say shit but they mean something else. You know, like when you ask a woman what’s wrong, and they say ‘nothing’ or ‘I’m fine’ but you know a huge shit storm is coming?”

  “I think she meant yes.” Michael sounded even more doubtful.

  “Did she hesitate before she answered or was it a quick yes?”

  “Well, she thought about it for a minute. What’s your point, Joe?”

  “Michael, for someone so smart, you are such a douche bag. The woman wants to get married. Everyone could see it at the baptism. Shit, Tony can see it and he wasn’t even at the baptism. The aunts are starting to make wedding cookies already, and Ma is starting to crochet an afghan for a queen-size bed. Hello! Don’t tell me you haven’t considered the idea. I can read you like a book, dumb ass.” The two brothers shared a special bond, and only Joe could say something this blunt without Michael getting upset.

  “You talked to Tony about this? Our dumb-ass brother who is getting married for the third time is offering advice on marriage?” This brought more laughter .

  “No, are you kidding? Tony doesn’t give marital advice to anyone. He just said you two seemed very happy when he visited you after his speech. Could you see Tony as a marriage counselor? He would be great at telling people what NOT to do. I think he likes the idea of marriage, he just isn’t any good at actually being married,” Joe said, laughing hysterically.

  “Donna and I have talked about it in passing, you know, like making a joke, but nothing real serious. I mean, we haven’t looked at rings or discussed a wedding or anything like that.”

  “Nothing real serious!” Joe said mockingly. “Believe me, buddy, that girl is singing the ‘Wedding Bell Blues.’ So answer me this, douche bag, when you walk past a jewelry store does she slow down to glance at rings? Or when you are at a furniture store does she point out the type of living room set she likes? Or does she talk about her friends who are getting engaged or married? You can’t expect her to leave everything she knows to move with you without a commitment.”

  “I could see myself married to Donna someday.”

  “You have been dating each other exclusively for over two years. What do you talk about?”

  “I know we love each other. I truly believe Donna would make a great wife and mother. The religion thing concerns me. We have talked about the being Catholic thing a few times. She goes to church with me regularly. We have talked about different religions in a marriage being an issue, and she has said she would be willing to change. I have told her how important I believe faith is for a successful marriage. Look at Tony. None of his wives went to church or practiced any religion.”

  “Well, Tony pretty much gave up on religion after he got back from Vietnam,” Joe said. “I don’t know what he saw over there, but he was not the same nice Catholic boy he was before he went. ”

  “So, Joe, would you marry a non-Catholic or someone who won’t convert?”

  “That’s a hard one to answer; probably not. When we were kids, everyone we knew and met and associated with was Catholic. We went to Catholic schools through college. I was shocked the first time I became friends with someone who wasn’t Catholic. But, there are people out there who understand that religion is very important to Italian Catholics like us. Look at Matt, Anne’s husband. He wasn’t Catholic when they met, but he converted when they got engaged. Tom Mancuso’s wife wasn’t Catholic, but she agreed to raise their children as Catholics, and I heard she converted a year or two ago. From what I have seen and know about Donna, I don’t think she would interfere with your faith.”

  “No, she wouldn’t,” Michael finally admitted.

  “So why are you looking for excuses?” Joe waited for an answer, and when none came he asked boldly, “So what are you waiting for?”

  “I want to see what happens with this job.”

  “Wait a minute.” Joe seemed to be applying the brakes for the first time. “You’re not saying you would only propose to her if you left Delhi, are you? ‘Cause that would be wrong too.”

  “No, I was thinking of proposing at Thanksgiving,” Michael replied immediately, “but this job has complicated things.”

  “Are you concerned if you marry her in Delhi that she won’t move?”

  “No. We have had several discussions about us leaving Delhi.” Michael seemed surer of himself now. “We both know that Delhi is the first stop in the journey.”

  “Good,” Joe said, “then stick with your plan regardless of what happens with this job. ”

  “Good-bye, Joe. It’s always interest
ing talking to you.”

  “Good-bye, douche bag. Marry that girl.”

  Chapter 4

  What a Ride!

  As the calendar turned to early August, an agreement in principle had been reached. Michael would join Marshalls as the Northeast strategic planning manager. The job would be based in Williamsville and included a large increase in pay. He would manage several teams of location planners throughout the Northeast. Vince Turso, the operations vice president, said he would have a written offer prior to Michael leaving for his Delaware assignment with Aces on August 11. If the offer met with his approval, Marshalls wanted a final answer by August 15 and would relocate him to Williamsville by September 15.

  Saturday, August 10 the offer letter arrived. The offer contained all the verbal commitments that had been agreed upon. Michael was thrilled as he ran into the apartment to wake up Donna.

  “Donna, Donna, wake up, sweetheart, the offer letter came. It’s everything we agreed to. Holy shit! We’re moving to Buffalo.”

  “Oh my God,” Donna screamed. “You got it! Let me see, let me see!” Michael handed her the letter. She screamed with joy as she read Michael’s new title and salary. “Oh my God, Michael, this is everything you wanted. We have to go celebrate. We have to call someone. ”

  “We can celebrate right here and call people later,” he said as he hugged and kissed Donna, and they fell back onto the bed.

  After their morning of passion, Donna asked, “So are you going to tell Aces today? Are you still planning to go to Delaware tomorrow?”

  “Marshalls wants an answer by the fifteenth. So I will give them a call while I am in Delaware next week. I will tell my boss I’m leaving once we are done in Delaware.”

  “Why wait to tell him?”

  “Because this is the final two weeks before the re-opening in Delaware, and because this is my project I want to finish the job. Then I’ll have two weeks before they move me to Buffalo.”

  “I am so excited, Michael.” Donna really was excited. She had really gotten on board with the move to Buffalo and was ready to take the next step.

  “Me too! They will put me up in an apartment at first and provide an HR person to help us find our own place. So are you still okay with me going out there in mid-September and then you moving out there at Christmas time? This will give you time to finish up things here and give me time to settle into the job.”

  “This all sounds wonderful, Michael. I didn’t take any vacation this year, so I will have time off to look for a place in Williamsville. Do you think we would be ready to have our families at our place for Thanksgiving?”

  “I don’t see why not. It will be a very special Thanksgiving, Donna,” Michael said, thinking about his plan to propose to Donna over Thanksgiving.

  “I have to call my mom. She’ll be thrilled,” Donna said. “Do you want to call your parents first? ”

  “No, you go ahead. I’ll call my family tomorrow morning. They are having the Battaglia reunion, so I will be able to talk to everyone at once. Then I will leave for Delaware about noon.”

  Donna hugged and kissed him again before running to the phone to call her mom.

  As he went to bed Saturday night and lay next to the sleeping woman he planned to marry, Michael thought, Wow, my life is finally moving the way I pictured it growing up. At age twenty-four, he had a job he loved and an offer on the table from another company that included a promotion and a large pay raise. He had met and fallen in love with Donna and was looking forward to what he was sure would be a long and very happy life together. He was right. On August 10, 1985, the present was wonderful and the future looked bright and positive. “Yeah, life is good,” Michael said again as he put his arm around Donna and went to sleep.

  The Battaglia reunion was not just an annual event. It was an extravaganza. Relatives from all areas of the East Coast descended upon the Dunkirk/Fredonia area for one day of amazing fun, fellowship, and food. It was a wonderful celebration of life, family, love, and country.

  This celebration began on March 8, 1920, when Antonio Battaglia, a blacksmith, arrived at Ellis Island with his sisters Rose, Jenny, and Stella. Like the vast majority of Italians and Sicilians who came to the United States in the early 1900s, the family came hoping for a better life. What you were is what you and your family would be forever in Italy and Sicily. There was little hope to improve one’s lot in life. America, however, was the “Promised Land.” It was the land of opportunity. It was the land where the streets were paved with gold. America offered hope—hope for advancement, hope for the future, and hope for a chance. So as teenagers they left all their family, friends, worldly belongings, and the only life they had ever known with simply hope, not a promise or guarantee, just the hope of a better life.

  The family soon migrated to the Buffalo area and settled in the city of Dunkirk. The original family reunion consisted of the three sisters and brother plus a small handful of cousins. In 1985, sixty-five years later, over 200 cousins attended the annual family reunion.

  The next morning Michael called the Battaglia family to tell them the big news. The phone was passed around so that everyone could say hello. Michael told everyone how much he loved his job that allowed him to travel to a store that was struggling, and his team would do a complete remodel, which took about six weeks. Once a store was completed, he would move to a new location and start again. Then he told everyone he was accepting a new job and would be moving back to Buffalo in mid-September. The collective scream of excitement from 200-plus cousins rivaled the level of noise created by a last-second field goal to win a Super Bowl. Needless to say everyone was excited.

  When asked if he enjoyed all the travel, Michael said, “The traveling is difficult, but I have seemed to hit my stride when it comes time to do the actual job. Have you heard that new song by Matthew Wilder called ‘Ain’t Nothing Gonna Break My Stride?’” When his brother Joe told him no, Michael started singing it:

  Ain’t nothing going to break my stride

  Nobody’s going to slow me down .

  Oh no, I have got to keep on moving.

  Ain’t nothing going to break my stride

  I am running & I won’t touch ground

  Oh no, I’ve got to keep on moving.

  “That is my new theme song,” Michael said. Then he told everyone he was leaving for Delaware in about an hour and had to get ready.

  After the phone call, Michael loaded up his 1982 Ford Mustang, kissed Donna good-bye, and promised to call when he arrived in Delaware. It was a cool night for August, and it had started to rain as Michael headed toward the New Jersey Turnpike. He was thinking about his time with Donna and how great things would be when they moved to Williamsville. His traveling would be reduced, and he would have more time with Donna. That thought made him smile. I have to start pricing engagement rings, he thought.

  As he entered the blind cloverleaf leading to the turnpike, he saw a New Jersey Highway Department truck that was stopped and sticking out into the road. “Well this sucks,” he said. “A blind cloverleaf and a parked Highway Department truck making it more difficult to see.” As Michael pulled around the truck, he felt a large jolt. His mind began racing. What the hell just happened? He tried to focus his attention on something, but everything was blurry. All he could hear was Huey Lewis’ song “The Power of Love” coming from the radio. The car was spinning out of control, and the only words he was able to utter were, “Oh God, help me!” The car bounced down the turnpike, going end-over-end, and settled on its roof but was still moving. He was starting to think clearer and said, “Please end up on the wheels so I can get out easier.” The car finally stopped but was still on its roof. There was broken glass everywhere. The tiny pieces reflected like jewels. The sun visor had come undone and was hanging in his vision. He could see the toll ticket and his registration card that were clipped to the visor. He tried to turn off the ignition, but he couldn’t move because of the excruciating pain in his arms. He thought, I must have
broken my arms. Don’t move or I could cause more damage. He was being held in his seat by the seat belt with his head pressed against the ceiling. Again he tried to move and undo the seat belt, but he still couldn’t move. His mind started racing again, What if the car blows up? I don’t want to die like this. How will they know it’s me? He couldn’t smell any gas, and this calmed him. These few seconds seemed like an eternity. Suddenly a hand appeared in the window and shut of the ignition. A man’s voice came out of the darkness and asked him if he was alone. “Yes,” Michael answered. He could barely see a stream of tail lights going by as if they were in a funeral procession.

  The voice asked, “What’s your name?”

  “My name is Michael Battaglia.”

  “There’s no gas leak so you’re safe. The ambulance is on its way.”

  Relieved that the car wouldn’t blow up, Michael asked, “Who are you and what happened?”

  “I work for the Turnpike Authority, and you hit a disabled car, but it wasn’t your fault. He didn’t have any lights on. His car had a flat and wasn’t completely off the road. You collided with the left back tail light. That’s why your car bounced instead of folding up like an accordion.”

  “Did anyone get hurt?”

  “No.” The masculine voice from the darkness said with a curious inflection. “No one was in the car.” In a passing thought, he speculated on what kind of man in an accident this horrendous stops to ask about other people. “What about you? Do you have any pain?”

  “Yes, my arms hurt like hell, and I can’t move them. ”

  “Don’t try to move anything until the paramedics get here. Try to relax.”

  Michael knew the voice was right, but relaxing and being patient weren’t one of the Battaglia family virtues. He was always on the go, and sleeping was his form of relaxation. But considering the choices he had, relaxing was better than going into shock. He could still see the endless stream of tail lights going by when a female voice came out of the night.