"Almost a Safety Zone" (standard:humor, 574 words)
Author: Jerry Vilhotti	Added: Apr 06 2001	Views/Reads: 3904/1	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
When godparents were hard to come by!

The night of the supper for the two most prosperous people in the
neighborhood - and two good potential prospects of becoming godparents 
- the children fought even more vigorously knowing that since company 
was present no beating was going to fall all over their bodies. The 
boys six and seven years old, Tom and Leny One n, wrestled by the table 
- almost knocking it over twice - as sixteen year old Tina was 
constantly trying to kick their heads in when they were on the floor or 
attempting to rip their arms off while they were standing.  Ten year 
old Alice kept busy by setting the table but every once in a while 
would join her brothers in warding off an especially savage attack by 
Tina who was doing her best to maintain discipline; believing the two 
visitors were going to take the baby home with them - if they had a 
good time. Through all this the baby Johnny slept. After a delicious 
supper of home made pasta, meatballs almost the size of tennis balls, a 
salad drenched in olive oil joined with a bit of vinegar and thick 
slices of American-Italian bread, the boy's father resumed his goal of 
placing their last born, who would become his favorite, into the safety 
zone. "So André!  André!  André, my good friend!" André tensed visibly; 
feeling something bad was coming on - for why had they been invited by 
these very poor people?  He did believe like the New York politician 
that these kinds were essential for if it weren't for the wretched 
among them - how would they really know they were well off? "We have no 
mon"-  André began to say. "André!  André, my little man child has hair 
the color of the sun and his smile makes dark days become bright and 
his cry is like a tune that brings to mind the song 'Serenade in the 
Night'" "To the baby!  I can't wait to have our own!" Francey shouted - 
having had three glasses of wine - two more than she should have had 
according to her husband's expression. "No more wine for her!" André 
said trying to smile but his upper lip became engulfed between his 
teeth. "André and you too Francey - I'm asking you from deep respect  - 
to help me put our baby into the arms of God if He wishes to take him 
back - to be his godparents!" Francey could not contain herself 
shouting: "Yes!  Yes!" His back was against the wall.  Quickly André 
reasoned a "No" could offend this man who had the strength of ten men 
and proved it too by being among the men who had lifted the Empire 
State Building up to the clouds while working for the WPA and perhaps 
this evening of a free meal could end in a fight to his death and then 
what good would his thousands be in these dark days of the Great 
Depression? "Yes, all right then - to make you all happy!" he said. 
Even Tom and Leny, who would eventually resent the little bastard 
intruder, stopped sword fighting with their forks and joined the 
applause. The baby's shrieks made the mother jump up as if being shot 
while the future godfather gulped his last glass of wine in one 
sweeping stroke; letting a grimace hang on his face several moments 
after putting the glass down for good .... END


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