Affliction (21 page)

Pensive, he caressed her arm as she slept, thinking too bad she could not stick around after Tiffany’s wedding. She had a concert in Brussels on the seventeenth. Perhaps, he would travel there to hear her play and then share a dinner. He liked her, but she loved her career and where would a Don fit?

His cell lit the curtained room and with a slight extension of his arm, he grasped the phone in his hand to greet the caller. “Buongiorno?”

Ah, Amelda.

“Buongiorno fratello. Are you awake?”

“You are smart, figure it out,” he said sarcastically to his annoying sister.

“Mama has married this Signore Glavovitz. This is madness. He is a felon. I have investigated. He is a leader in the Israeli Mafiya who deals with our enemies. The Russian Viyachov hated papa, he and others are who Signore Glavovitz beds in business. Ah, fratello we must speak with mama, she must undo this pairing.”

Giuseppe bolted upright, gripping Nicole.
“Cosa?” he bellowed and slipped the woman to the bed, but she was wide awake now. His foot touched the floor and he walked out of the bedroom to shout to his sister. “Why was I not informed. Perché?”

“I hav
e only learned of this last night.”

“I will deal with this. Grazie for ruining a good morning sorella. Ciao!”

He turned and stormed back to the bedroom. “Mi dispiace bella. I will take you home, I have an emergencia.”

“Okay,” she said.

Giuseppe observed a flicker of disappointment. “I apologize -”

She
gathered her clothing. “Don’t, the comforting is over. I get it, the sun is out and time to move on. Don’t worry, I’m a big girl. I’m not expecting commitment after a screw,” she said and hurried to the bathroom.

He tossed the phone on the rumpled covers.
Again he had offended this woman. She must think him a selfish ass to bed her and then rush her out in the morning, when that was not his intention. Breakfast and more sex before he retrieved Carlo was his hope. He wanted her to join them at the aquarium but famiglia had unsettled a Don’s joyous morning.

Ah, w
hy is famiglia a blessing and a curse, he wondered?

He had a wonderful awakening only to find the reality was not as nice.

This marriage of his mama’s could not stand.

Enemies are not friends
and he could not allow his mama to endanger the famiglia.

Through a husband, his mama
had let in problems.

He did not seek war with his mama, but if she stood with this
Israeli crime lord, she would lose a son and Carlo.

C
HAPTER TWENTY

Grogginess from travel and a late night doesn’t prevent parents from waking. The Diaz house was abuzz on a Monday morning with sounds of children readying for school.

Selange was already
awake and clothed. He could hear her firm voice as she spoke to one of the children in the hallway.

“Change the shirt Sal.”

“Mom…what’s wrong with this one?”

“Change the shirt Salvatore Diaz.”

“But mom, I don’t want to wear that collar shirt. I look like a geek in it.”

“Then choose another collar shirt. The one you have on is unacceptable. You know there is a stringent dress code at the school.”

“Yeah, and everybody looks like Harry Potter, too.”

The father appeared at his wife’s side.
Calm delivery isn’t what he used. “You heard your mom. I don’t like this back-talking. Change the shirt hijo, clothes aren’t what make you cool, it’s the attitude, comprende?”

Sal marched away in a huff. Selange sighed, took a deep breath and a kiss cheered her up. “Morning love, let me get a shower and I’ll be out to help with the kids in a minute,”
Alfonzo told her.

“Thanks honey.”

He snuck a glance at her ass in the tight pants when she bent over to pick up a pencil Sal must have dropped.

“Oooh mami,” he whistled and she stood blushing and told him to shut-up.

While in the shower a smell made him pause. Soap in hand he sniffed a familiar odor. He rinsed off hurriedly, snatched a towel and bam-bam, hit priority parts dry before donning a T-shirt and shorts.

Food that smelled
that good could only mean his mama or Anita was in the house.

T
hank goodness somebody had taken pity on a hungry male.

He rushed through the hall right along with the children. He
overtook the stampede of Diaz’, gipped the rail, arm muscles bulged with venous branches as he did a Parkour leap from the center stair to the floor below.

Everyone shouted, “Not fair!”

But hey, all’s fair when it comes to love and food. Maybe they run faster, he laughed.

In the kitchen he rushed and right on, Anita worked her magic,
and brought Puerto Rico to his home.

“Anita, gracias,
and gracias!” he exclaimed and hugged her tight from behind.

“Ah, basta…basta!” she shrieked tapping him with the utensil.
“You are half-dressed.”

The
children screamed, “Anita. You’re back, you saved us!”

Selange leaped for joy
, too. Fewer insults about her culinary skills and a smiling family were always welcome in her home.

Once the hug-fest ended, they sat to eat.

Anita said she’d come because she knew they would need her. With Alfonzo’s troublesome butt and a busy mother who could not cook, she could not desert her extended family in their hour of need.

“You hit
again, I go!” Anita warned Alfonzo.

Selange winked at her husband between a bite of sweet meat
to instigate. “Um-him, tell him Anita, if he doesn’t behave, you’re leaving.”

“What about her?” Alfonzo asked pointing a finger at his
antagonistic wife.

The cantankerous woman
snorted. “Una familia no es la guerra.”

And they nodded
in agreement.

Family should never war with each other, that's how pestilence crawls under the doors.

Glossary

In honor of Israel's 60th Birthday, here are a few key words and phrases in Hebrew that will bring you closer to Israel's people and culture.

1. Shalom -- [shuh-lohm] hello; goodbye; peace. Shalom Yossi, how are you? Probably the most uttered Hebrew word in the dictionary, its three meanings make it an indispensable tool for everyday conversation, as well as international peace summits.

2. Slicha -- [slee-chah] sorry; excuse me. Slicha, I was here first. A polite word that'll come in handy when trying to get an Israeli's attention -- or when trying to avoid a brawl.

3. Todah -- [toe-DAH] thank you. Todah for the directions, bus driver. You should know how to thank people in every language; showing gratitude is a universally appreciated gesture -- even with manner-deficient Israelis.

4. Naim me'od -- [ny-EEM meh-ohd] very pleasant. Naim me'od to finally meet you. You can use this phrase to describe something, such as
when the weather is very pleasant, but it is mostly used when meeting someone for the first time.

5. Lama -- [lah-mah] why? Lama don't you come visit more often? Israelis love to ask questions and challenge things and people. You may want to know how to do the same in order to fit in.

6. Yalla -- [yah-lah] let's go; come on. Yalla, where is my food? You'll hear this word -- which is actually an Arabic word adopted into Hebrew -- said frequently, with impatience, with enthusiasm, with anger, in a song, in conversation. It typifies the impatient nature of Israelis -- and Arabs for that matter.

7. Ma koreh? -- [mah kor-EH] what's happening? Hi Tali, ma koreh with you lately? Young Israelis often substitute the more formal "how are you" with "ma koreh," perhaps reflecting their interest in the recent events of a person's life as opposed to the person's feelings.

8. Chaval al ha zman -- [cha-vahl ahl ha-Z-mahn] (slang) amazing; great. Thailand was chaval al ha zman. This phrase translated literally means "shame on the time" which makes no sense, but everyone -- and we mean everyone -- uses it to describe a wonderful experience.

9. Neshika -- [neh-SHI-kah] kiss. Give me a big neshika. An extremely affectionate and warm people, Israelis tend to give each other abundant hugs and kisses, even if they have just met.

10. Ani ohev otach/Ani ohevet otchah -- [AH-nee oh-hev oh-tach/AH-nee oh-hevett oht-cha] I love you (male to a female)/(female to a male). Dad, ani ohevet otchah. Saying I love you in a different language adds some spice to those three little words.

11. Neshama -- [neh-sha-mah] soul; (slang) darling. Neshama, could you make me some coffee? A beautiful and spiritual word, you'll often hear both men and women using it as a term of endearment with each other, with children and with fri
ends.

12. Mishpacha -- [Mish-PA-cha] family. I have a lot of mishpacha in Ashdod. Israelis are fiercely loyal to their families, which tend to be large
in number.

13. Frier -- [fry-ehr] (slang) sucker. Do I look like a frier to you? Being duped is one of the worst things that could happen to an Israeli. They don't like being taken advantage of or fooled, and they don't like being accused of doing it to someone else, so keep this word handy when haggling for prices at the shuk (bazaar).

14. Ezeh bassa -- [eh-zah BAHS-ah] (slang) what a disappointment. Ezeh bassa, there's no good music at this party. Speak this phrase -- another loaner from Arabic-- within earshot of an Israeli, and you'll receive warm acknowledgement for being "in the know." This is by far the coolest -- though definitely not the only -- way to express displeasure in Hebrew.

15. At chamuda/ata chamud -- [aht chah-moo-dah/aht-ah chah-mood] you're cute (to a female)/(to a male). Hey you, at chamuda.

16. Chagiga -- [cha-gi-ga] party; celebration. There will be an enormous chagiga in Tel Aviv on Independence D
ay.

17. Meshugah -- [meh-shoo-gah] crazy person. Slow down, you're driving like a meshugah! You should have at least one insult in your arsenal in order to get through a trip to Israel, and this is a good one: not too offensive and applicable in many situations and to many people.

18. Tikvah -- [teek-vah] hope. We still have tikvah that there will be peace. The Israeli national anthem is called "Hatikvah" -- The Hope -- and this word is so fundamental to the Jewish homeland's existence that every Jew in the world should know it.

19.
baleboste--A good homemaker, a woman who’s in charge of her home and will make sure you remember it.

20. bissel -- Or bisl – a little bit.

21. bubbe -- Or bobe. It means Grandmother, and bobeshi is the more affectionate form. Bubele is a similarly affectionate word, though it isn’t in Yiddish dictionaries.

22.
bupkes -- Not a word for polite company. Bubkes or bobkes may be related to the Polish word for “beans”, but it really means “goat droppings” or “horse droppings.” “After all the work I did, I got bupkes!”

23.
chutzpah -- Or khutspe. Nerve, extreme arrogance, brazen presumption. In English, chutzpah often connotes courage or confidence, but among Yiddish speakers, it is not a compliment.

24.
gornisht -- More polite than bupkes, and also implies a strong sense of nothing; used in phrases such as “gornisht helfn” (beyond help).

25.
goy -- A non-Jew, a Gentile. As in Hebrew, one Gentile is a goy, many Gentiles are goyim, the non-Jewish world in general is “the goyim.” Goyish is the adjective form. Putting mayonnaise on a pastrami sandwich is goyish. Putting mayonnaise on a pastrami sandwich on white bread is even more goyish.

26.
kvetsh -- In popular English, kvetch means “complain, whine or fret,” but in Yiddish, kvetsh literally means “to press or squeeze,” like a wrong-sized shoe. Reminds you of certain chronic complainers, doesn’t it?

27.
maven -- Pronounced meyven. An expert, often used sarcastically.

28.
mishpocheh -- Or mishpokhe or mishpucha. It means “family,” as in “Relax, you’re mishpocheh. I’ll sell it to you at wholesale.”

29.
shalom -- It means “deep peace,” and isn’t that a more meaningful greeting than “Hi, how are ya?”

30. tchotchke --
Or tshatshke. Knick-knack, little toy, collectible or giftware. It also appears in sentences such as, “My brother divorced his wife for some little tchatchke.” You can figure that one out.

31. yente --
Female busybody or gossip. At one time, high-class parents gave this name to their girls (after all, it has the same root as “gentle”), but it gained the Yiddish meaning of “she-devil”. The matchmaker in “Fiddler on the Roof” was named Yente (and she certainly was a yente though maybe not very high-class), so many people mistakenly think that yente means matchmaker.