America 1982-Chapter 411 - 52: The Father-in-Law Who Tricks for Food and Drink_2
"Dad’s still the same old man, surrounded by his buddies, all excited about buying boats, dismantling them, and if they salvage a usable radio, they’re happy for hours. Regular health checkups suggest I better not cross him; the old man’s fit enough to strangle me with one hand." Tommy picked up Tony’s Camel cigarettes, lit one up, took a deep inhale, and then coughed twice:
"Just from the godawful drag of this thing, I could tell those rumors about the Pentagon only grudgingly supplying one inflatable doll per navy ship must be true. Rolling and smoking Texas cow dung would smell better than this crap."
He stubbed out the cigarette he’d just lit and took a sip of coffee before continuing:
"As for Bessie, I’m pretty much the devil incarnate in her eyes. She knows I’m doing it for her own good, but won’t listen, just like when mom told us to focus on our studies. We knew she didn’t mean us any harm, yet that didn’t stop us from skipping class—you to chase skirts, and me to pool money with Dennis and Pam to get the latest issue of Penthouse."
"So did Bessie end up like me, fooling around with some boy, or God forbid, she and her girlfriends pooled money to buy Penthouse magazine?" Tony laughed.
Tommy leaned back in his chair, a relaxed smile on his face: "Seeing that I’m still alive and not strangled by the old man should tell you that the dreadful scenario hasn’t happened. Bessie’s not bad, if she keeps it up, maybe she won’t need Stanford, but could consider Harvard or Yale. Charles has promised to wrangle those think tank professors of his to prepare the recommendation letters she needs, and there you have it, the life of the entire Hawk Family while you were at sea."
"So... you haven’t proposed, Odelia’s not part of the Hawk Family, and you didn’t even touch on your relationship with Odelia." Tony glanced at Odelia who was cuddled up with Ashley, sharing an ice cream, and cautiously reminded Tommy.
Tommy looked at Tony: "The girlfriend or old man give you a special nudge to have a chat with me? It must be Ashley, who’s pretty chummy with Odelia—Dad wouldn’t have you talk to me about marriage stuff this soon."
Ashley was currently seen as Odelia’s close comrade and best friend. Although she owned property in Hawaii, considering Tony spent most of his time on a ship, Ashley mostly lived on the mainland USA, reuniting in Hawaii only when Tony returned to the Third Fleet Headquarters.
While in the States, her time was mostly spent with Odelia. To keep Ashley busy, Odelia opened a fast-food joint near the World Trade Center in New York, a business Ashley, who had worked in a fast-food restaurant since she was seventeen, was well acquainted with. By becoming the sole designated restaurant and takeaway supplier for the New York KeyBank headquarters, although not making a fortune, it was at least fulfilling for Ashley.
"Not yet, maybe in two or three years, when I can take it easy, that’s when I’ll think about settling down. Tell Ashley to stop secretly sticking up for her best pal Odelia or I’ll have Jim cancel the KeyBank headquarters’ catering contract with our restaurant," Tommy said with a smile.
Tony shook his head speechlessly: "How on earth did the Hawk Family end up with someone like you, Tommy. God must have sent us to reform you."
"Maybe God thinks you and the old man have embarrassed him enough, and sent me to teach you a lesson. Just take a look at the Bible, the Old Testament—heck, glance through those mythical scriptures, and you’ll see that God or the gods are utterly shameless. I like quoting the Bible to make others think I’m pious, but honestly, I find those gods no different from the damn Indians—just can’t resist a roll in the hay with the opposite sex, whether it’s their mother, daughter, monsters, goats, or even stones... You go on and on about your faith in God, yet don’t consider that God wants you to be as shameless as he is. Look at those high-ranking Bishops and Popes in the Church; why do they get to speak for God on Earth? Because they’re shameless. They’re not just after the opposite sex; they can’t even leave little boys alone. In the eyes of God, good people don’t deserve to be believers; they’re just lambs to be called."
"If mom or dad were here right now, you would be a dead man, Tommy," Tony said frowning slightly upon hearing Tommy’s blasphemous words: "Don’t you ever say that in front of anyone else."
"I know that you would not tell Dad, which is why I’m discussing this with you," Tommy said.
"So, did God and those gods actually mess with rocks?" Tony paused for a moment before finally giving in to his curiosity and asking.
Then, both brothers laughed at the same time. Just then, Tommy’s cell phone on the table rang, and upon answering it, he heard his father’s voice, "Son, Logan, and your father-in-law Julian are experiencing a little trouble right now."
"You’re kidding, right? If Mr. Farrell is with you in New York, you shouldn’t even know what trouble is. Did he and Mr. Hurl take you to some fancy bars in New York for a good time?" Tommy asked somewhat incredulously, receiving the call from his dad whose tone seemed apprehensive.
He thought the three old guys felt bored, so the local bigwig, his father-in-law, had taken his dad and Tony’s father-in-law to those upscale venues. Trouble, in his dad’s eyes, was probably the unfamiliarity with those places’ glitz and the exaggerated prices.
"Uh... it’s actually the other way around. In fact, I’m the one treating," his dad said on the phone.
Tommy became even more certain of his guess and confidently said to Colin, "Don’t worry about the price, Dad. Just order drinks liberally, treat everyone to a few rounds; it’s completely fine. Even if Mr. Farrell doesn’t pick up the tab for your generosity, I’m willing to pay the bill for you." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
"Everything’s turned upside down, not only am I treating, but the location isn’t a fancy bar either. It’s a place I specifically found that’s pretty similar to the little bar Warwick Case had, and, moreover, this seems not to be New York. Although close to New York, it’s actually a place called Hoboken in New Jersey, not much different from Warwick," Colin continued.
Tommy frowned slightly; his own dad treating his father-in-law to drinks at some cheap bar? The most outrageous part was that his father-in-law agreed? How could he possibly agree? Others might not know, but he was quite clear about it. After all, the private detective had followed his father-in-law for so long; he knew many of his habits inside out. His father-in-law wouldn’t even consider going to a cheap fast food joint, let alone a cheap bar:
"Then you worry even less about not having money to pay. Even if you and Mr. Hurl haven’t brought enough cash, Mr. Farrell could sell his wristwatch and buy the whole damn cheap bar. Relax, he’ll definitely handle it."
Colin said somewhat awkwardly, "I’m quite sure he can’t handle it. He’s here with me now, surrounded by a whole bar of people. Your father-in-law is now considering which hospital in New York to treat his injuries, and in this godforsaken place, he’s earned himself a nickname: ’The Bootylicious Jewish Vampire who came to Hoboken to swindle food, drinks, money, and affection.’
"What did you guys make him do? He indeed has some Jewish ancestry, but I’m sure he wouldn’t do what you’re suggesting to those lowlifes because he would feel it’s a waste of his intelligence to trick those hard-to-eat, hard-to-drink, hard-to-look-at, and penniless bums."
"Nothing much. He just said he was the owner of a shipping line, generously offered to buy drinks for everyone, and then everybody got angered and they now want to teach him a lesson."
