Chapter 3
Connie dropped off Angie in front of Murphy’s Bleachers on Sheffield, literally across from none other than the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.
Many die-hard Cubs fans called it home—especially her Vinnie.
Murphy’s had been around for over eighty years and was initially called Ernie’s Bleachers until a Chicago detective, Jim Murphy, took it over.
Angie sat in the car staring; Connie’s voice brought her back.
“Angie, you go in and I’ll find a parking space.
You need to eat something. You haven’t eaten all day.
Sorry about Gina’s disastrous nibbles at the funeral.
I’m glad she kept her job at Panera.” Angie got out of the car and slowly shuffled toward the front door of Murphy’s.
She stopped when she heard Connie’s voice.
“And don’t worry, the reception here is on me.
I called ahead and gave them my credit card and ordered some plates of brats and beer for the boys and some wings and fries for the rest of us. ”
Angie glanced over her shoulder. “Connie, you didn’t need to do that.” But Connie had already driven away.
As Angie walked through the doors, sounds of sports announcers blared from all the various mounted TVs above the long bar to her right; the smell of beer permeated the air.
Gina walked up to Angie. “Hey, Aunt Angie, we are all in the back room. What can I get you to drink?” Gina put her arm around Angie and escorted her past the long front bar, into the next room.
When they got to her favorite photo of Bill Murray mounted on the right wall, Angie kissed the palm of her hand, then put it on Bill Murray’s face, the most loyal Cubs fan ever, in Vinnie’s opinion.
They passed the plexiglass-encased kitchen, the crackle of peanut shells under their feet announcing that many had been there earlier, eating their fair share of free peanuts and throwing the shells on the floor.
There was a short line of folks waiting to order brats, Polish sausage, and hot dogs.
She and Gina walked directly to the long bar in the back to a familiar face that Angie recognized.
“What’ll it be, my friend? So sorry about our Vinnie, he was one of my favorites.
Just won’t be the same without him holding court and screaming at the TV on all the away games.
You want your usual, Ang?” Larry, the dark-haired, blue-eyed bartender, asked as he held out his hand to Angie.
She placed her hand in his and he gave it a soft, sweet kiss.
Angie swallowed hard and mustered a smile.
The beginning of the firsts without Vinnie, she thought.
Murphy’s had been his home away from home; the two of them had sometimes spent an entire day and night at the bar.
If Angie got tired, she’d head home knowing Vinnie would be safe there and would always end up in a cab if he had been overserved.
Larry put a tall club soda and scotch in front of Angie. “This one is on me.” He looked over at Gina. “For you?”
“I’ll take a shot of J?germeister, please. Put it on the tab under Connie Paloni; she’s my mom.”
The gals walked toward the back room, where there was a crowd of all the faithful Cubs Boys and Mario with mugs of beer in hand.
Angie took a long sip of her drink. “Thanks for coming today, you guys. I’m sure Vinnie is touched up there.” She pointed her index finger toward the sky.
Bucky, one of Vinnie’s work buddies, approached her.
“He was a brother to us. You’ll never know how many times he saved our asses, putting us in a cab after the game, buying drinks when some of us got laid off.
Real stand-up guy.” He bent down and hugged Angie with one arm.
“Come sit down; we saved you a seat. We’re stoked; the Cubs just beat the Cardinals in St. Louis. I hate those fucking Cardinals.”
Bucky led Angie to her seat, then immediately locked into the postgame show on the TV.
The rest of the fellas’ gazes were glued to the screen as well.
Angie took another long sip of her drink and smiled.
She recalled the time Vinnie and his friends had gone to St. Louis when the Cubs played and put business cards they had made on every Cardinals fan’s windshield with a printed quote, I’d rather have a sister in a whorehouse than a brother who’s a Cardinals fan.
He and his buddies laughed on the car ride all the way home to Chicago.
Gina sat down next to her aunt to listen to the recap of the game.
Angie let out a huge deep breath, and felt her shoulders drop as she listened to the sound of nonstop sports announcers, interrupted with beer commercials and the atmosphere of Murphy’s.
Sports was a huge part of her and Vinnie’s life while they were dating and their ten years of marriage.
During baseball season, they spent at least three to five days at Murphy’s.
Their ritual on opening day was to start at Murphy’s, where she enjoyed a Bloody Mary, and Vinnie always had his usual, Old Style on tap—he never drank anything else when it came to beer.
As Angie looked over her shoulder, she saw Connie, dyed blonde hair up in a bun, heading toward her carrying her usual Long Island iced tea.
“Hey there, we are cabbing it home after this, so you just drink up and relax. I heard the Cubs kicked some Cardinals ass. YES!” Connie took a generous sip of her drink and sat on the barstool on the other side of Angie.
All the commotion allowed Angie to sip her drink without feeling the need to say anything to anyone; she was lightheaded, like she was on another planet.
Just as Angie was catching a buzz from her drink, she spotted debonair Ralph walking toward the group with Cookie—who worked in HR at the city—following.
Angie instantly thought of Ralph’s manicured nails and the sound of the sex noises she’d heard in the bathroom just a few hours earlier.
Angie leaned over to her niece, Gina, and whispered, “See that blonde bombshell who’s walking in with Ralph? ”
Gina glanced over. “Yeah, that Ralph is a handsome one. I met him a couple times when he and Uncle Vinnie stopped by Panera and grabbed a sandwich.”
“Do you remember when we watched Best in Show, the floozy Cookie Guggleman, who had the terrier who won? I wonder if this city Cookie is anything like her, dished out like a Coke machine in her younger days?” Angie asked.
Gina let out a loud laugh. “Aunt Angie, you are too much. We’ll have to watch and see.”
Angie had heard a few stories that Vinnie had shared about Cookie.
She had quite the reputation at Murphy’s.
On occasion she brought home a souvenir after a long night.
She only had one requirement: They had to be a Cubs fan.
I wonder if she’s the one who was in the bathroom with him? Angie thought.
Ralph leaned toward Angie and gave her a gentle hug, and then Cookie did the same.
Angie took a deep whiff of Cookie. Not the same perfume I smelled in the funeral parlor bathroom, she thought.
“I’m so sorry about Vinnie, Angie. He was one hell of a guy.” Cookie dabbed her eyes.
“Thanks, Cookie. You folks want a drink?”
“Sure, I’ll get them. What do you want, Cookie?” Ralph asked.
“I’ll have a scotch, stone sour, thanks, Ralph.”
As Ralph walked away, Cookie looked at Angie and Connie. “You gals know if Ralph is seeing anyone?”
“Cookie, you are always on the lookout for a new fella,” Connie declared. “I don’t think he’s seen anyone seriously since his wife died a couple years ago. I heard he dates around, though.”
Angie smiled at Cookie. “I have no idea, honey.”
Cookie put her hand on Angie’s shoulder. “I’m not sure what your plans are when this all settles down, but if you need a city job, come visit me. I run human resources—don’t tell my boss—and they’re always looking for dependable gals like you.”
“Thanks, Cookie, I may well have to take you up on that kind offer.”
“I’m serious, Angie. We got a great benefits package, lots of holidays. I’m sure Vinnie filled you in, and of course, there’s our pension plan, but then you’ll be getting Vinnie’s. You’ll be set,” Cookie remarked.
The Cubs Boys started hollering and clapping as they watched the game highlights. Angie watched as each of them gave Cookie a wave and then went back to watching the replay.
Ralph returned and placed a drink in front of Cookie and one in front of Angie.
“Larry said this is for you, Angie.” She looked toward the bar and smiled at Larry.
He winked back. What a sweet young man, Angie thought.
There had been many a night when Vinnie had been off talking baseball shop and Angie had nursed her cocktail and watched all the young girls flirting with Larry.
Ralph walked over to the boys and started a conversation with Bucky as they both gazed up at the TV screen.
After her second drink, Angie let out a sigh. “I don’t want to be a party pooper, but I need to go home before I fall off this barstool and pass out. I am exhausted.” She stood up.
“I’ll drive you home, Aunt Angie. I have to get up early tomorrow morning; I have the early shift at Panera,” Gina offered.
“Are you sure? I don’t want you to leave on my account. I can hail a cab.”
“No way. I’m ready to go. I was up very early this morning getting everything ready for the funeral.” Gina gave her mom a quick hug goodbye.
“Please give all the fellas my best, will you, Connie? Let’s talk tomorrow. Thanks for everything you’ve done for me during this crazy time. I could not have organized this by myself, that’s for sure. And, remember, you lost a brother, so take some time for you.” Angie gave Connie a hug.
“I will, but for now I’m going to drink to numb the pain. I know it’s temporary. You’re closer to me than my own sister ever was. Give me a call tomorrow after you’ve gotten some rest,” Connie said.
Gina drove Angie home to her apartment, which was around the corner from Rago Brothers.
Vinnie and Ben had moved into a brownstone, three-story walk-up in the neighborhood where they could afford the rent over twenty years ago.
They each had their own apartment and usually carpooled to jobsites before Ben retired.
“Why didn’t Kim come to Murphy’s?” Angie asked as they turned down the street to Angie’s apartment.
“She was tired after she cleaned up at Rago’s and was heading home. She’s such a great friend.”
“Please give her a big thank-you for me. You know, I think she favors that young actress Awkwafina from the movie Crazy Rich Asians,” Angie said.
“People walk up to her and tell her that a lot.” As Gina pulled up to Angie’s place, there was Aunt Beatrice on her electric scooter waiting outside, her ugly dog taking a dump on the small patch of lawn near the front door.
A black sedan was parked out front. Angie glanced over at Gina.
“I can’t take her right now; drive away.
” Angie slid down in the passenger seat just in case Beatrice looked toward Gina’s car.
Gina hit the gas and steered the car toward the expressway.
“You can stay with me,” Gina offered. “What does Beatrice want? We all thought she was dead and now she won’t leave us alone.”
“I have no idea what she’s talking about,” Angie said. “Some key to a storage unit that Vinnie had. He never said anything to me about it. Just keep driving, honey. We’ll sort this all out later.”