The Heavenly Fugitive (13 page)

“I think you’re right.”

“You do? Well, I wish you’d convince your mother.”

“I think we shouldn’t let anything pass us by. I mean if it’s harmless, don’t you think so?”

“I just said so, didn’t I?” Suddenly Tony’s eyes narrowed. “Uh-oh. What is it this time? A new dress? Another horse?”

“Oh no, nothing like that! You’ve bought me so many dresses, and Boadicea’s the only horse I want.”

“Well, that’s a relief. I thought you were going to want Man o’ War, and he’s not for sale.”

“He is one thing I would like, Daddy, but not right now. Do you remember Phil Winslow?”

“Sure I do. The kid Dom pounded.”

“You know, he could have been nasty about that. I asked one of your lawyer friends what might have happened, and he said he could have taken you for thousands of dollars.”

“But he didn’t.”

“That’s right. He wouldn’t do a thing like that.”

“Why are you bringing him up?”

“It’s because of his sister, Amelia.”

“Yeah, I remember her. What’s she got to do with it?”

“She’s a singer now. She’s opening tonight at Eddie’s Place, and I want to go.”

“You’re too young to go to a nightclub.”

“I’m fifteen, Daddy, and I’m not going to do anything wrong. You know that.”

Tony argued valiantly, coming up with a great many reasons why it would not be suitable. But he was filled with good food, and she was sitting on his lap fussing with his hair. Finally he said, “Well, maybe it’ll be all right. You’ll have to ask your mother. I expect she’ll say no.”

“No, she’ll say yes. You let me ask her, Daddy.”

Tony laughed. “You can’t fool her like you do me.”

“I never fool you, Daddy.”

“You do it all the time. You’re doing it right now. Here I am promising to take you to a nightclub, which I never thought I would.”

“And, Daddy, ever since Dom told me about Amelia, I’ve been sad about Phil.”

“What’s to be sad about?”

“You remember he doesn’t have any money, and he’s working his way through school working at the stables?”

“Sure I know that.”

“Well, he wants to go see his sister at her opening, but he doesn’t have any money. So could he go with us?”

Tony frowned. “I don’t know if he’d want to or not, him being a preacher and all.”

“It’s his daddy that’s the preacher, not him, and he told me he’d love to go.”

Instantly Tony knew what was happening. “I see! That’s what this is all about, the cheese dip and sitting on my lap.”

“Oh, Daddy, I do that all the time! But I do feel sorry for Phil. Please say he can go with us.”

Tony tried to talk his headstrong daughter out of this one but in the end heard himself saying, “Okay, the kid can go.”

“Oh, Daddy, thank you!” Throwing her arms around his neck, Rosa kissed him firmly on the cheek and then jumped down. “I’ve got things to do, and Dom will have to help me.”

She ran out of the room, leaving Tony half breathless. “That kid has got my number,” he muttered. “But I guess it won’t hurt as long as me and Dom are there to see nothing happens to her.”

****

Standing in his small apartment, Phil looked down at the new suit he had on and could not believe it. Dom had come to the stables, picked him up, and bought him a complete outfit at one of the fanciest men’s shops in New York. Now Phil looked down at the shiny shoes, ran his hand over the silk necktie, and thought,
That Rosa must be some kind of a sorceress!
He heard a car approach, and looking out the window, he saw Tony Morino’s long black sedan.

He ran down the stairs, and when he reached the car, Dominic was getting out. “Just coming up to get you, Phil. Get in the front with me.”

Obediently he climbed into the car, and as Dom got back in and pulled away from the curb, Phil turned around and saw Rosa sitting beside her father, looking very self-satisfied. Ignoring her, he said, “It’s very generous of you to take me to see my sister, Mr. Morino. I could never have afforded it.”

“Well, I’m glad to do it, Phil. There wouldn’t have been any peace if I hadn’t. This one here would have driven me crazy.”

Rosa laughed giddily. “Oh, you look so good in your new suit, Phil!”

“Best suit I ever had on.” He stroked the material of the sleeve and then laughed too. “If I drop dead, you won’t have to do a thing to me. Just put me in a box and stick a lily in my hand.”

“Phil! What an awful thing to say!”

Rosa may have been shocked, but both Dom and Tony guffawed at the remark.

“Tell me about your studies, kid,” Tony said. “They tell me you’re tearin’ ’em up at that college.”

“Oh, nothing like that.”

“That ain’t what I hear. Dominic tells me you’re gonna graduate with honors in only two years.”

“Well, I hope so, but there’s always a chance I could flunk. If you make an enemy of one of those professors, you could be the king of Siam and still not pass.”

“Must be nice to go to college. I never got beyond the fifth grade myself,” Tony said with a touch of remorse.

“Hey, I beat you, Mr. Morino. I got to the sixth grade!” Dom laughed. “Not that they managed to pound anything into me that I didn’t get rid of.”

The friendly banter continued, and the ride passed quickly. When they pulled up in front of Eddie’s, Dom said, “You folks go ahead. I’ll park the car and meet you inside.” The three got out, and the doorman came forward. “Mr. Morino, it’s good to see you, sir. It’s been a while.”

“Well, I’ve come to hear your new singer.”

“Eddie says she’s a fine one, Mr. Morino. Go right on in. I’ll bet Eddie will give you your favorite table.”

Phil had never been in a nightclub in his life. He looked around the foyer curiously and watched as Tony checked his hat. When Rosa took off her coat, he was stunned. She was wearing a gown that accentuated her womanly figure, and he couldn’t help admiring her. He did not know much about clothes, but he thought the dress might be silk—maroon and white with a snug bodice and a skirt that flared out. She turned to him and flashed a smile.

Embarrassed that she’d caught him watching her, he cleared his throat and said quickly, “You look very nice, Rosa. Is that a new dress?”

“Oh, just something I’ve had in my closet. Daddy always liked it.”

“Well, you look absolutely beautiful!” Phil bit his lip. He hadn’t meant to say so much.

Rosa beamed, and then her father turned back to her and said, “C’mon. We’ll see if we can find a good table.”

Finding a good table for Big Tony Morino was not difficult. The maître d’ met the party with a big smile. “Does Mr. Johns know you’re here, sir?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Well, I’ll tell him you’re here. In the meantime, if I remember right, you like the table over toward the back.”

“That has a good view of the stage, doesn’t it? We want to hear your new singer.”

“Oh yes, sir. That’s an excellent spot. Come along, and I’ll take you.”

As they followed the maître d’, Dom joined them, and he and Tony walked ahead. Rosa reached out and grabbed Phil’s arm. “Look over there!”

“What is it?”

“It’s Al Jolson! I can’t believe it! He’s my favorite singer!”

Phil, of course, had heard Jolson’s records. He looked with interest at the man who was the king of show business. Jolson had black hair, large eyes, and to Phil’s surprise, rather pale skin without his black stage makeup. Jolson was laughing with delight at something someone in his party had said, and Rosa bubbled, “I just love to hear him sing.”

She pointed out Fanny Brice at another table and added, “It makes me feel funny seeing all these famous people.”

Phil noticed that many people in the crowd recognized Tony Morino, too, and whispered and gestured at him. Looking down at Rosa, he thought,
Your father’s a famous person but not famous in the best ways.

When they were all seated, Tony began asking Phil about his coursework. “What business will you get into when you get out of that college, Phil?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe accounting, bookkeeping. Something like that until I can earn enough money to go to law school.”

Tony had pulled a cigar from his pocket. He unrolled it, clipped off the end with a small pair of gold scissors he kept, apparently, for that purpose, and accepted a light from Dominic. Tony puffed until blue smoke filled the air; then he turned and stared full at Phil. “Come and see me when you get out of college. I can always use a smart guy in my organization.”

Phil felt Rosa’s foot pressing his toe with hers, and when he looked toward her he saw she was smiling with delight. “There you are,” she said. “You’ve got a job offer even before you graduate. I’ll bet not many college students can say that.”

“I guess not,” Phil said. He knew for a certainty that he would not be working for Big Tony Morino, but he saw no reason for spoiling her pleasure.

They had not been seated long when suddenly a booming voice said, “Well, Tony, it’s good to see you again.” Everyone turned to see Jolson, who had been passing by. He stopped at their table, a big smile on his face as he shook hands with Tony. “I’ve been wondering why you never come to see my new show.”

“Been pretty busy, Al, but everyone says it’s great.” He nodded toward the stage and said, “This here’s Phil Winslow. His sister is singing here tonight.”

Jolson reached over and shook hands with Phil. “I hope she does good. We need some fresh blood in show biz.”

After a few more pleasantries, Jolson made his way back to his table, every eye turning to follow him as he crossed the crowded room.

Phil had been nervously poring over the menu, anxious about the high prices, when finally it came time to order. Lamely, he said to the waiter, “Just bring me something good.”

Rosa scolded him. “That’s no way to order! Let me order for both of us.”

“All right. I’ll eat whatever you order.”

When the meal arrived, Phil beamed with pleasure at Rosa’s choice of succulent seafood in a marinara sauce on vermicelli. With delight he dug into a huge basket of fresh Italian bread
spread with garlic butter and herbs, and dipped the bread in the tangy sauce as he ate.

While they were enjoying their meal, the lights dimmed, and the master of ceremonies came out onto the small stage and stepped into the spotlight. “We are delighted to have tonight, for your pleasure, Miss Amelia Winslow. I think you’re going to like her, folks. Let’s give her a big welcome.”

Phil sat straight up and stared as Amelia came out on the stage. She was wearing a simple light blue gown that complemented her coloring, and her hair was done up stylishly. He was surprised at the poise she displayed as she came into the spotlight, smiled, and made a gracious bow. She said nothing and began singing. Phil had forgotten how good she was, and he knew she’d become even better since he’d last heard her. He took his eyes off of her from time to time to watch the audience and saw that people were pleased. She sang several Irving Berlin songs, and when they were well received, she said, “I’m going to have to ask permission to sing this next song. Mr. Al Jolson has made it his own, so no one else can really do justice to it, especially a woman, but I’d like to try ‘Toot, Toot, Tootsie’—if it’s all right with you, Mr. Jolson.”

The lights swung around to Jolson, who waved his hand in the air, shouting, “You sing it, sweetheart! Sing it good like Jolie!”

Amelia had mastered the popular song. She sang it with gusto as she moved around the small stage, captivating the crowd. After one time through, the audience responded with thunderous applause. Then she said, “Mr. Jolson, it would be a great honor to me if you would come and we could sing your song together.”

Jolson, always the ham, leaped out of his chair and was on the stage before she had finished. He put his arm around her waist and said, “Let’s have the music, boys. The little lady and I are going to show you somethin’ you ain’t never seen before!”

Amelia had not planned to do such a thing, but seeing
Jolson in the audience, the idea had just come to her. It was an exquisite bit of showmanship, and everyone there knew they were seeing something very special. The middle-aged entertainer, famous all over America, and the fresh-faced, beautiful young girl ran through the song, and then after deafening applause and cheers, Jolson said, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Sweetheart, do you know ‘California, Here I Come’?”

“I’ve heard your record a thousand times, Mr. Jolson.” They sang that and then three other songs, and finally Jolson reached over and gave Amelia a big kiss on the cheek. “You got talent, kid,” he said. “You stay in this business. Come and see me if you ever need help.”

When it was time to take her break, Amelia headed toward Big Tony’s table instead of going to her dressing room. The men rose as she approached, and she put her hand out to Tony. “It’s good to see you, Mr. Morino.”

“A little different situation from last time. Hey, Miss Winslow, you done good. That thing with Jolson, I never saw nothin’ like it.”

Phil moved around the table to give his sister a big hug. “You were wonderful, sis, just wonderful!”

“It’s only a saloon, Phil.”

“I don’t care about that,” he whispered in her ear. “You did fine! I wish the folks were here to hear it.”

“That’s not likely.”

Phil released her, and Amelia turned to Dom, putting out her hand. “This is all your doing, Dom. If you hadn’t gotten me my first job, I guess I’d still be cooking in a café somewhere.”

Dom was pleased and shook his head. “Nah, you would have made it no matter. You done great, kid, just great.”

Rosa exploded with delight. “Oh, it was so wonderful, Amelia! If I could sing like you, I’d sing all the time.”

Amelia laughed. She was surprised at the young woman, who looked at least two years older than her actual age in
her sophisticated evening gown. “You look beautiful, Rosa. I’m so glad you came.”

Amelia sat down at the table, and Dom and Big Tony began to pepper her with questions. The band started in on a lively dance number, and Rosa seized Phil’s arm. “Ask me to dance,” she whispered.

“I’m not going to do that,” Phil said. “Your father might not like it.”