Brother II, co-owner of the deli, was soon apprised of Blarney Boy’s alleged thievery. As could be expected, he flipped out.

 

According to the accountant, the deli had been missing fifty thousand dollars in one year. Brother II had already taken out a loan, five or ten thousand dollars, to keep the deli business afloat. Tally this with the money the Woman with the Rock in Her Shoe claimed she was using from Pretend Father’s paycheck and it became quite a sum.

 

Blarney Boy was accused of stealing it all. Not to mention various pieces of cutlery.

 

Although he was not their favorite person, the Sad Girl and Favorite Sister were never convinced Blarney Boy was the thief they said he was.

 

Blarney Boy was a lot of things but come on, committing random acts of pilfering on the Woman with the Rock in Her Shoe’s spoon and forks? Every day stainless steel flatware?
It didn’t make sense then. It doesn’t make sense now.

 

The Woman with the Rock in Her Shoe was the gravy train for the Sister Who Shall Not be Named and Blarney Boy. She always made sure the rent was paid, that they ate, had Christmas presents under the tree, and a roof over their heads. Why would Blarney Boy spoil that?

 

Why wouldn’t Blarney Boy pay his rent if he was stealing all that money? The working theory was that if he lived in the house, he would have better access to the deli money and be able to steal more.

 

Do the words bank deposit or locked safe have any significance? Or even, secure hiding spot?

 

Blarney Boy and the Sister Who Shall Not Be Named would not be alerted to their change in status for a few weeks. Too bad Facebook wasn’t around, everybody could have just defriended them.

 

It was after this scene that the Sad Boy and Sad Girl returned from Italy, the tail end of August 1989.

 

Before leaving Naples, the Sad Boy’s parents had thrown a party to celebrate the wedding. It was attended by all the Sad Boy’s friends and relatives. Each came with a substantial cash gift tucked inside a beautiful Italian wedding card.

 

The Sad Boy’s family was generous. When it was totaled then converted from lira to dollar, they had half the amount needed for a down payment on a house.

 

They went back to the Woman with the Rock in Her Shoe’s house to live while they finished saving for a house.

 

While the Sad Boy and Sad Girl were away, Brother II welcomed his second child. He waited until the newlyweds returned for the baptism. The party was held by Favorite Sister’s home with just family and close friends.

 

Sister II and Brother-in-Law attended.

 

The Sad Girl was anxious. Over the summer, Favorite Sister had mentioned that Sister II was mad at both the Sad Boy and Sad Girl. She did not know the reason, but was aware Sister II was angry enough to start a fight. Favorite Sister reminded Sister II that it was never appropriate to quarrel at a party. She promised not to start an argument. Brother-in-Law did not promise anything.

 

Confrontation has never been the Sad Girl’s thing. After a quick greeting, she avoided them rather than ask what was upsetting them.

 

Towards the end of the party, Brother-in-Law said to the Sad Boy, in Italian, “I got to talk to you.”
They walked outside.

 

Brother-in-Law vaguely recounted the Atlantic City story the Sad Boy had related to Blarney Boy. He asked why he had to cause trouble for him. Somehow the ski slope conversation between the Sad Boy and Blarney Boy had been told to Brother-in-Law.

 

Who among you baits the conversation, then repeats it after twisting the words in the stage light? Please step forward; you are wanted for your curtain call.

 

The Sad Boy bid Brother-in Law to “Shut the **** up,” and countered with “You have no problem talking about me, I hadn’t even come here, and you were talking about me to Mom and Dad. And, why did you charge an extra one thousand dollars for the wedding food!”

 

The Woman with the Rock in her Shoe had billed Sad Boy an additional thousand dollars for wedding food after the wedding. It is now known that not only did they not charge an extra thousand dollars for food, but that the Woman with the Rock in Her Shoe balked at handing over the first thousand. She also cried “thief” and Favorite Brother-in-Law gave her a thousand to compensate.

Do you see the picture yet?

 

By this time, Sister II and the Sad Girl had gone outside to the driveway where they were arguing. She screamed at the Sad Girl accusing the Sad Boy of telling everyone Brother-in-Law was fooling around in Atlantic City.

 

Shrieking back, the Sad Girl threw in her face a remark she had made to the Sad Boy on their wedding day. She had laughed it off when the Sad Boy had repeated it to the Sad Girl in front of her on the dance floor.

 

Finally, she yelled at the Sad Boy to leave her husband alone. The Sad Boy countered with, and I quote, “I want to talk to the pussy Brother-in-Law, not to you.”

 

At this point, the Sad Girl felt if Sister II had not interfered, they would have settled it between themselves.

 

With Sister II there, Brother-in-Law had stopped talking.

 

The Sad Boy, in an attempt, perhaps, to restart the discussion, said to him, “What are you gonna let your wife fight your fights?”

 

That’s when Sister II punched the Sad Boy.

I guess the answer was yes.

Brother-in-Law and Sister II then exited stage I’m right, you’re wrong.

The party concluded amid murmurs and whispers of what had taken place.

The Sad Boy’s response to the punch was not what anyone had expected. “She’s the only one in your family who has the guts to say what’s bothering her.”

Together the four of us had broken the parents’ eleventh commandment- Thou Shall Not Cause a Scene in Front of the Paternal Grandmother.

Yet, both were strangely quiet. The Sad Girl does not remember either of them coming outside to see what the ruckus was about. Perhaps they both knew.