I pull the tie off and toss it onto the couch. Someone will come along and clean it up, I’m sure. We skip our morning coffee and go straight to work. Getting into the car, Giovanni chooses to drive himself.
“It’s all about appearances,” he says as he maneuvers his way through the gate. “Sometimes you want a driver, sometimes youwant to drive yourself. It depends on how many witnesses you want or whether you need people to see you as rich.”
“So today we don’t want to be seen as rich?” I ask.
“It’s a balancing act,” he explains. “There’s money, and there’s power, but there’s also work. So today, we’re working.”
I’m not sure I understand, but I keep that to myself. It doesn’t bode well that he doesn’t want any witnesses. I know our drivers are loyal to the family and they would never say anything even if they were in a room while Gio was breaking kneecaps. But I’m here to learn, so I keep my mouth shut.
The first place he goes is a laundromat. I’m surprised since this place wasn’t on my radar. I never paid much attention to what my father did, but I thought I had a good grasp of all his various businesses.
“Does my father own this place?” I ask.
“No,” Gio responds. “We’re just here to collect money.”
“Okay,” I agree. I’m making a mental calculation, running through all the various crimes that we could be committing. As a law student, I have a pretty comprehensive grasp of the criminal code. This feels like a shakedown. Maybe it’s some kind of protection racket.
I follow Uncle Gio around the back and watch as he knocks on the door. A moment later, an older woman pokes her head out. She looks scared. Her eyes dart from Uncle Gio to me, as if expecting one of us to attack her.
“Hello,” I say.
Gio frowns, shaking his head at me.
I get the message loud and clear: I’m only here to observe. Gio clears his throat, waiting patiently for the woman to get with the program. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a wad of cash. Gio takes it, counts it slowly, and then nods.
We walk away and get back in the car. I haven’t done anything yet, but already I feel dirty. “What would we have done if she hadn’t given us the money?” I ask.
Gio looks at me hard. “Whatever we have to do.”
I swallow, not liking the sound of that. “You can’t expect me to beat up little old ladies.”
Gio releases the parking brake and swings back out of the parking lot. “Don’t worry. That’s street-level stuff.”
“So, why are we doing this?” I ask.
“I’m showing you the ropes,” he says. “You gotta know all the ins and outs of the business if you’re going to run it effectively.”
“So that was protection?” I ask. Since we’re being honest, and I’m supposed to be learning, I figure we can just put all our cards on the table.
“It’s an arrangement we have with the vendors in this area,” Gio confirms.
“And we have the same arrangement with all the vendors?” I wonder.
“A few of them,” he says.
“So, what about the people who don’t have this arrangement?” I continue, trying to sort it all out in my head.
“That comes later,” he assures me, and I have a sinking feeling I’m not going to like what comes later.
The next stop on our criminal tour is a movie theater. Nothing surprises me by now, so I simply get out of the car when Gio does and follow him into the building. The place isn’t open for customers yet, but Uncle Gio has a key.
We go past the box office to an arcade in the corner. Gio walks around to the cash register in the back, like he owns the place. He inserts a key, and the drawer slides open. He pulls out the tray that holds all the small bills and goes straight for a stack that’s lying at the bottom. Fitting the stash into his jacket pocket, he replaces the tray and slams it shut.
We’re off again, this time to a coffee shop. We get free coffee, and Gio has a discussion with the manager.
“This is Frankie, Cisco’s son,” Gio introduces me.
“Good to meet you, Mr. Corello,” the manager says, holding out his hand.
