her.
Buddy had a major crush, which Lennie found amusing to observe, because usually Buddy was Mr Stud, a true ladies' man with a happening wardrobe and an Eddie Murphy swagger.
'She's married, you know,' Lennie remarked, strolling over to Buddy while they were setting the lights for the second to last shot.
'Hey, man, I know that,' Buddy said, hardly able to take his eyes off Mary Lou, who was sitting in her chair chatting with one of the grips. 'And I also know if she wasn't—'
'Hey, hey,' Lennie interrupted. 'She's married to my brother-in-law.'
'Fortunate guy,' Buddy said.
'He sure is,' Lennie answered. 'Good fortune runs in the family. My wife… well, what can I tell you about my wife?'
'I've seen her,' Buddy said. 'You don't have to say a word. But, let me ask you, isn't it kinda difficult being married to a woman like Lucky?'
'Why difficult?'
' 'Cause she's running a studio, man, making all kinds of big decisions. The woman's a real power player in Hollywood, and, uh…'
Lennie shook his head and laughed. 'You think my wife running a studio threatens my ego?'
'Naw, didn't mean that.'
'Oh, c'mon, that's exactly what you meant.'
'No, man,' Buddy insisted. 'All I'm thinkin' is that I couldn't do it.'
'Do what?'
'Be with a woman who got all the attention.'
'I had the attention,' Lennie said. 'When I was acting in movies the attention never stopped. Hot and cold running women. Phone numbers stuffed in my pocket. Naked pictures in the mail. Believe me, I much prefer it this way.'
'That's cool,' Buddy said.
'Right,' Lennie agreed. 'Now, keep your eyes off Mrs Berkeley an' let's get it going here.'
Gino Santangelo was dressed and ready to go. It didn't take much preparation to get ready when you were eighty-seven years old. Christ! He looked in the mirror and saw this old, grey-haired man, and he thought, When the fuck did this happen?
In his mind he still felt about forty. Forty and ready for action. Only the action wasn't so easy to come by when you were his age. There were aches and pains to contend with. A stiffness in his joints. Getting up to go to the John a thousand times a night. Growing old was a bitch, but it sure as hell beat out the alternative.
He went to the bar in his Wilshire apartment and poured himself a hefty slug of Jack Daniel's. Two inches of Jack Daniel's a day keeps the doctor away - that was his motto, and he was sticking to it.
He thought about Lucky, his crazy daughter - she was strong, smart, and knew all the right moves. In fact, she was him in a dress. What a girl!
He was so goddamn proud of her, which is why he'd flown from his home in Palm Springs to attend this special evening honouring her. His wife, Paige, had been planning on coming with him, only Paige had gotten the flu at the last minute and stayed in Palm Springs. Paige was a good woman. They'd been married several years and got along fine, even though she was over thirty years younger than he was. He liked her spirit, not to mention her sexy pocket-Venus body, which still turned him on. Not that he was as into sex as he once was. But at least he could still get it up on occasion - much to his doctor's amazement.
'You're eighty-seven, Gino,' his doctor had told him last week. 'When is it going to stop?'
'Never, Doc' He'd laughed. 'That's the secret.'
Gino had never really gotten over his first wife and one true love, Maria. Her murder had shattered his life, and changed him for ever. Even now, all these years later, he still lived surrounded by high security. He often begged Lucky to do the same, but she ignored him. She didn't realize the Santangelos had enemies out there going back many years. Between them, he and Lucky had dealt with the Bonnatti family in a vendetta that had lasted several decades.
Now, with the demise of Donatella Bonnatti, the last of the clan - that particular feud was over. But there were others who'd always harboured a grudge.
Gino worried about Lucky. Sure, she was independent and
J. S. Cooper, Helen Cooper