LA ROMANZA

Dad always had a knack for getting into some kind of innocent trouble, and his son is no better. Often, when you took Dad somewhere, something funny always happened, and he was the victim of it. We would be laughing years after, and after a while, he would laugh too.

On board the ship were a couple named Pat and Vinnie Marcoccio. Pat is a very sweet classmate of mine, who is married to a great guy, one I am always happy to see. Vinnie, MCV (my cousin Vinnie; as I named him, because he is cousin to most of East Patchogue NY) reminds me of who I am, and that it is important to be yourself.

When I was in college trying to earn money to pay for it, there were people that worked in the shop where I worked. They were homebodies, down to earth and just real. They would call me: “College boy”, and would tease me about life’s lessons and what I won’t learn in college. (They were right!) Many were poor and some had money, most cared about their families. I never knew Vinnie back then, but he did work for the same company I did long before me. All these people were unpretentious, just good human beings. That hominess took over me, and I loved to chat with them.  MCV took me back immediately to those wonderful days. I am MCV!

Anyway, we were leaving some event one day on the cruise, and MCV was walking ahead of me, and Pat was walking next to me. One thing Pat likes to do is talk, not about anything but what she remembers about something that relates to what is being said in the present time. Pat loves MCV, and MCV loves Pat being married close to 50 years. The trouble is, Pat doesn’t always pay attention to where she is apparently! As I am walking with her, she starts to reach down, take my hand and slowly swing it like we are young lovers! I look down, my brain and tongue frozen over, and I can’t get a damned word out! Suddenly she looks up a little and screams: “You’re not wearing a black shirt!” She thought I was MCV, but I was wearing a black shirt!

MCV? He just thought it was funny.