Liegemen

“EITHER OF YOU play that mandolin?” Tom shook his head. “No, sir. Neither of us have Dad’s musical ear, I guess.” “Tommaso, you look good. Real good. I hear that you’re a smooth talker. Vince says you are. Are you?” Tom shrugged and said nothing. “Modest, eh? If Vince says you’re smooth, I believe him.” Vince pointed with his fork at Tom. “He was in theater at his college, Jimmy, right? That improvisin’ stuff actors do—helps him with the bullshit.” Vince beamed at his nephew and godson. “Really? In theater? Acting? You’re an actor? What?” “Yeah, at St. Joe’s I was in the theater group. Did a little bit of acting.” His uncle stopped forking rum cake into his mouth. “He’s being modest again. He was a fucking star! A fuckin’ leading man.” Jimmy placed his elbows on the table and folded his hands over his coffee. “No shit? What were you in?” “In my junior year and senior year I acted in two Shake-speare plays. I played Banquo in Macbeth and my big part, Iago in Othello. Later senior year I played Gus in a Pinter play, The Dumb Waiter—it’s modern. Some other bit parts, too, early on in college.” Even though Jimmy read Moby-Dick and Hemingway, Tom doubted that he had ever heard of Harold Pinter and couldn’t come near understanding the irony of Tom’s part in that play. “You get good reviews?” Tom shrugged. “Yeah, okay reviews—.” Vince interrupted. "I saw the school paper. It said he was fantastic. The kid’s real modest. That acting helps him with the con and the bullshit, trust me. He probably gets a busload of pussy, too,” Vince snickered. “Look at him—a good-looking guy like him, he’s probably banging your waitresses every which way, right?” Vince made a back of the fist pounding gesture toward the table. “Look at him. He looks like a young Robert Mitch-um, don’t he, Boss?” Jimmy nodded, thrusting his lower lip out in agreement. “Lots of quim?” he asked. “Nah. I got a steady girl. We’ve been dating for a couple years now. I like her a lot. She’s really nice, smart, real sweet.” Jimmy pointed his fork at Tom. “That’s good. So tell me, Leading Man, Pacino or DeNiro? Who d’ya like?”