BENNY “DA BUFFER” (YOU SONNAMABITCHER)

Me

 

Way back in my senior year in high school about when Washington crossed the Delaware River there was a guy by the name of Benny Gallinaro aka Benny Da Buffer, who was transferred from a Brooklyn High School to Bellport High School because he got into too much trouble. He belonged to a gang in Brooklyn, and often “Jitterbugged” which meant street gang warfare. The reason Bellport was selected was that he had an uncle who owned a factory making clothing in the Bellport area, then his parents figured as far away from the city as possible was good while keeping him busy.

Benny could be a bad influence on the Pope if the opportunity allowed, let alone Bellport High. He had a heart as big as the great outdoors but sometimes got confused. Benny’s sense of humor was tremendous, and could also improvise Elvis at a moments notice, and people, for the most part, liked him once you got to know him. He stood about 5” 9” and was slightly overweight. He had a fat nose and a face for radio (He knew this because his Mother told him so.). His eyes were set very close together, and it made him look like a thug.

I met Benny after a few weeks of school had started as he was transferred from Brooklyn. He just gravitated to me and we became friends. I think it was because my shop teacher assigned him to be under my wing and we got along great because of some similarities (Brooklyn, Italian, always hungry.)

Benny just could not retain anything, not because he was dumb, but because he was bored. Give him something he liked and he excelled.

Soon he was coming to me for help in English, Math, and Science classes for homework and soon we were spending afternoons doing a review of the class work for that day. He begged me to do it because if he failed, he would be thrown out of the house, sent to work in his uncle’s factory, and they would take away his shiny new fuel injected Bonneville which he hoped to add an additional carburetor so he could keep all the neighborhoods he frequented awake at 2:00 am. Benny loved to be noticed.

Almost every day we reviewed, going over the same things again and again and it started to come together! Benny was learning, Benny’s brain was now the size of a whale, and because of the constant review, I was not getting my homework done like I used to. I would have a job after dinner, and when work was finished, I had to stay up late for my written homework to be completed.

June finally rolled along and I check the board in the hall wall next to the Principle’s office to see who was graduating. As I go I see Benny walking in the opposite direction, with tears streaming down his mug. I rush to the board look for my name then look for his. There it stood Benjamin Gallinaro! “What the hell???” What’s wrong with Benny? I go looking for him and find him on the pay phone talking to his father. I go up to Benny and overhear him saying that maybe they made a mistake and forgot to put his name on the list!

“Benny, what the hell are you talking about?” I yell. He turns around and says “Joe man, I can’t talk right now!” I said “Dumb ass, your name IS on the board” And as I say it, I’m starting to smile, and he says to me “Man don’t kid around” I grab the phone and talk to his dad to tell him that I saw the name. I drag Benny down to the wall and point out his name. He looks at me and plants a kiss right on my forehead. He was so scared of not graduating he was blind to the idea of his name on that list!

After the graduation ceremony, I went over to where he was standing with his family. There among his family is this little Italian lady, Grandma Gallinaro who grabs him by his cheek and says; “You sonnamabitch, you graduate!”