| Visit our Bookstore |
|
|
|
|
St. Nick's Outlaws
By Jim Colombo
Click here if you'd like to exchange critiques
Copyright 2001 Jim Colombo
Chapter 41
It was Friday, September 28th and St. Nick’s was at Galileo Stadium. The stadium
was designed for track meets with the football field inside the oval track. Most of St.
Nick’s student body sat on one side and a sparse group of Galileo students sat on the
other side. Simpson wore number 32, Jim Brown’s number from the Cleveland Browns.
Rensom wore number 39, Hugh Mc Ilhenny’s number from the Forty-Niners. Jim wore
number 22 the number his father wore when he briefly played football in high school.
Simpson had quick acceleration and ran sweeps. He tried running in the middle a few
times, but danced instead of running head on like Rensom. Rensom was a punishing
runner for a white guy. He reacted quickly to situations and he could change directions
quickly by cutting on his heels. Simpson was good, but needed a better offensive line for
blocking, and he had to establish himself as an inside threat. Simpson broke one and ran
for 68 yards for a touchdown. Later in the game he ran a sweep for thirty-six yards for a
second touchdown. St. Nick’s won the game 28-14. At the end of the game Rensom and
Simpson shook hands, then Jim shook hands with Simpson.
While taking showers Rensom asked Jim what he thought of Simpson.
“Considering that Galileo doesn’t have a passing game and they run Simpson
most of the time, he’s good with eleven guys on defense keying on him. Imagine if he
played for Lincoln or Washington. He’d be good, but not as good as you. He doesn’t have
your heart and he can’t run up the middle like you,” replied Jim
Rensom asked, ” Is he really better than me. Honestly?”
“No. Last year we didn't know how fast he was and he still can’t run up he middle.
I’ll bet you a steak dinner that he doesn’t make all-city again.”
“At the Chuck Wagon?”
“You got it.”
“Did it hurt getting the tattoo?”
“Yes. It was uncomfortable.”
“Why did you do it?”
“Papas and I were ready to go home and realized that we were too drunk to drive
home to Oak Harbor. We had some time to kill and walked by a tattoo parlor. I followed
Papas and we paid $50 each for the tattoos. Papas thought of the polar bear, and I
thought of the half circle with Alaska and the year.”
“If we win the championship, I might get one. How about you?”
“One is enough for me.”
The lads had received free samples of Mennen’s Face Conditioner. Bautista
walked up to Jim with his bottle of golden liquid and asked, ”What the hell is MFC?”
”Mighty Fuckin’ Cool. It’s a deodorant.”
Bautista splashed some on his armpits and the whites of his eyes turned red from
the burning alcohol in the face conditioner as it sizzled under his armpits. “Son of a
bitch. God damn you, Ciaffi.” Jim could run faster than Bautista. “You wait man, next
time, I’ll, I’ll…You’ll see.” Finally Bautista settled down and they laughed at the
expression of shock, pain, and anger when Bautista’s armpits were on fire.
The next Friday St. Nick’s would play Saint Ignatius at Kezar Stadium and would
be playing against Russell, who was on St. Nick’s junior varsity team last year and was the
weak side offensive tackle. St. Nick’s had lost to S.I. the last five years. Some of the
former varsity players like Tom Portello, who had graduated came to the game and stood
behind the bench on the field. The stadium was filled with alumni from both schools, and
forty-six years of S.I.- St. Nick’s football tradition. This was the big game. This was holy
war. There would be more injuries during an S.I.- St. Nick’s game than any other game
during the season. Jim had played S.I. three times and had three scars. Today wouldn’t
be any different. The intensity and swearing was at a higher level. The referee reminded
the players on several occasions that they were from Catholic schools.
St. Nick was the home team and wore white pants and blue jerseys. Saint
Ignatius wore red pants and white jerseys. In the past St. Nick’s played S.I. even for
most of the game. Then, in a brief period of time they scored when St. Nick’s made a
mistake. St. Nick’s self-destructed each time. Today St. Nick’s swore that they would
not give the game away. The first quarter ended scoreless. In the second quarter each
team scored a touch down. Saint Ignatius kicked a forty-five yard field goal with seconds
remaining in the second quarter, and led 10-7 at halftime.
You could see the blood on St. Nick’s white pants and S.I.’s white jerseys. By the
end of the third quarter S.I. was leading 13-7 and St. Nick’s could feel the game slipping
away. Augie and Jim noticed S.I.’s linebackers played close to the line of scrimmage. Jim
thought that he was faster than the S.I. linebackers and if Augie could isolate Jim one on
one with a linebacker, St. Nick’s might score. It was halfway through the fourth quarter
and it was time for some magic.
St. Nick’s had the ball on their forty-one yard line. The S.I. defense keyed on
Rensom. Augie called 39 Wanda, flex right on two and Teague went in motion, running
right to left to further sell the sweep. Jansen snapped the ball to Augie and faked a
handoff to Rensom running left. The weak side linebacker bit on the fake, and drifted
towards the flow with the other players. Jim faded to the right flat, then accelerated,
running as fast as he could down the sidelines. The weak side linebacker saw Jim and
took off in pursuit. Augie threw a great pass and Jim caught the ball in full stride. He could
hear the oncoming footsteps of the S.I. linebacker and ran left, then right. Each time he
zigged, the linebacker zagged. Jim saw the ten-yard line, and he could hear the S.I.
linebacker’s heavy breathing, so he summoned all of his strength, and gave one more
burst of energy. He had to score. Jim crossed the five-yard line and he could feel the
linebacker’s hand on his shoulder. They fell into the end zone. Jim had carried the
linebacker for the last two yards and scored.
When Jim realized that he had scored he felt a rush of energy and jumped in the air,
shaking his clenched fist. The roar of the crowd was amplified. He saw Augie and
Rensom running towards him. It was momentary joy, because St. Nick’s had to kick the
extra point. The score was 13-13. Dias came out, and was too nervous to look at the
goalpost. St. Nick’s lined up for the point after touch down and he kicked the ball through
the middle. It was 14-13. There were five minutes left in the game that crawled for St.
Nick’s. They kicked off to S. I. and after three attempts S.I. failed to make a first down and
had to punt. St. Nick’s ran the ball to consume time and made two first downs. Finally the
stadium clock ticked down and the St. Nick's fans yelled, ten, nine, eight, and finally zero.
“WE WON!”
The players, the Alumni who stood behind the bench, and all of St. Nick’s fans
cheered for ten minutes. Winning the varsity baseball championship was great, but this
was better. Augie said, “ Can you imagine what it will be like if we win the championship
game Thanksgiving Day?” Garcia watched the game from the bench and was happy for
the players. Jim wished that Garcia could have been out there playing with the team. Jim
looked across the field for Russell to say hello. He was gone. Jim thought that they were
friends.
It was Saturday, the day after the big victory against S.I. and Papas’ brother Nick
was getting married at the Greek Orthodox Church on Valencia and 17th Streets. Lupe
wore a two-piece navy blue suit and black high heels. Jim wore a gray suit. He was so
proud of Lupe, he introduced her to everyone. Mrs. Papas and relatives had cooked for
three days. The hall was along side of the church and all of those great smells floated into
the church. Nick looked like his mother, shorter than Papas and did not have his brother’s
build. Mr. Papas had died of a heart attack two years ago. The organist began to play,
and songs were sung in Greek. The couple walked down the aisle and were greeted by
the priest at the altar. The ceremony didn’t take long compared to a Catholic wedding.
During the ceremony Lupe squeezed Jim’s hand three times in secession. He replied
squeezing her hand, I, love, you.
At the end of the wedding the priest blessed the couple, and the organist played
a song that the congregation sang in Greek. The newly married couple followed the
priest, walked down the aisle, and out to the steps of the church where pictures were
taken. Jim and Lupe followed the others to the hall next door. More pictures were taken,
and glasses of red wine were given to all. Jim and Lupe bought a salad bowl at City of
Paris and had put it with the other gifts. There was a long table with a white tablecloth
filled with food. There was roast lamb, broiled chicken, and baked fish, salads, green
and black olives, sliced potatoes in melted butter and parsley, mixed vegetables, and
homemade bread. Papas told Jim and Lupe they couldn’t go until all of the food was
eaten. Lupe asked how long that would take. Papas said, “About three days.”
“We have to leave at five,” said Jim.
“Stay longer and enjoy the dancing.”
Lupe had brought a second pair of comfortable shoes. She danced, sang, and
enjoyed the celebration until nine “Thanks for a great time. Thanks Mrs. Papas and
congratulations to the newly weds.” said Jim.
Mrs. Papas smiled. Nick and his bride said thanks, and Papas shook hands with
Jim. Lupe had had three glasses of wine and gave Papas a big hug.
“Wow !” said a surprised Papas.
Jim and Lupe walked home, and brought some roast lamb and broiled chicken for
Rosa. When they arrived at the steps of the apartment, Jim held Lupe and said, “I really
love you, and thank God each day that you are mine.”
“So do I,” and she hugged Jim tight. “So do I.”
They entered the apartment and said hello to Rosa. She asked about the wedding
and Lupe talked about the ceremony, the food, and the dancing while the three drank
coffee. Jim could tell by the look in Rosa’s eyes that she wished that she had a wedding.
Women enjoy the process, recalling their wedding day, whereas a man tells how many
years he’s married. Lupe did not want to spend a lot of money on a wedding, but with the
look in Rosa’s eyes, and knowing that secretly Lupe dreamed of a nice wedding, Jim
wouldn’t disappoint them. Rosa looked at Jim and said, “I know,” and paused. Rosa
stared at Jim. He looked confused. She stared at Jim for a while. Silence. Jim thought
that Rosa was concerned about Lupe. Rosa started to smile that became laughter. “I
know about Mr. Bear,” she said laughing.
Jim smiled and said, “Do you want to see Mr. Bear? It will cost you $5.”
“For $5 I can go to the El Capitan ten times and get free dishes. Are you going
to give me free dishes?”
“No free dishes, but you get to see Mr. Bear stand and growl.”
“Oooouuuu, can he do tricks?”
“Yes, Rosa. He’ll show you how fast $5 can vanish.” They laughed and Jim told
Rosa that maybe for Christmas she could have a peek at Mr. Bear.
*********************
Sunday morning in the Tenderloin is a quiet, sleepy time while the natives are
sleeping off a drunk or a hard night with drugs, and the hookers are getting their beauty
sleep. Foxie was at Blackie’s Bar and Grill. He was perplexed. He had made inquires
about Brother Justin with his network of snitches and vultures, and hadn’t uncovered any
dirt. Was Brother Justin beyond reproach? Foxie wanted to snag Brother Justin, as he
had snagged Brother Joseph. “Hey, Blackie, how’sa ‘bout a bowl of the good stuff?” said
Foxie.
“Coming up,” said Blackie. A large bowl of chili with crackers slid towards Foxie.
He stopped the bowl, centered it in front of him, took a bottle of catsup, and proceeded to
drown the bowl of chili.
“Hey, Blackie, ya got any Tabasco sauce?” asked Foxie. Blackie passed a tiny red
bottle of napalm to Foxie. He turned the bottle upside down and spanked it seven times.
He stirred the mixture then shoved a large spoonful of chili into his mouth. Some of the
chili escaped back into the bowl. A few ants wondered onto Foxie’s white napkin and he
swept them away saying, “God damn ants. Hey Blackie, how the hell do you pass the
Board of Health inspection each year?” Blackie walked away shaking his head. Foxie
devoured the bowl of chili by occasionally chewing mouthfuls prior to washing it down with
a beer. He wiped his mouth, and started to walk out. “See ya later, Blackie.”
“Yeah, much later,” said Blackie.
*********************
Brother Justin was attending a seminar for Christian brothers and lay teachers
discussing the recent influx of drugs on school campuses Sunday afternoon at the Holiday
Inn at Fisherman’s Wharf. The lecturers were policemen, a psychiatrist, and county health
officers from San Francisco and Oakland. It lasted four hours and finished at five o’clock.
There was a second seminar going on across the hall for technical writers and finished at
the same time. Brother Justin was walking through the lobby and wanted to make a
phone call. A gentleman was talking on the phone, so he waited. When the gentleman
finished he turned and their eyes locked on. It was his friend Bill from Mount La Salle High
School. They had shared a dormitory room for four years. Bill had declined to take his
vows and go to St. Mary’s College and Brother Justin had continued to become a Christian
Brother. Bill was slender and wore glasses now.
“Bill, is that you?” asked Brother Justin.
“Yes. Frank it’s good to see you. You haven’t changed that much in seventeen
years. Small world, isn’t it. Why are you here?” asked Bill.
Before Brother Justin became a Christian Brother his name was Frank Ortiz.
“There was a conference about drugs on high school campuses, and you Bill?”
“I was attending a technical writers seminar. Technology is changing and I have to
keep up with it.”
“I am Brother Justin now and the president of St. Nicholas,“
“That’s great. I admire you for continuing.”
“Why so?”
“ You heard a voice and followed it. I discovered myself and followed my feelings.
I have no regrets.”
“It’s almost dinner time. Do you have plans Bill?”
“No. I know of a great little Italian restaurant a few blocks from here. Shall we?”
“Let me make one phone call, and I will join you.” Brother Justin made the call, and
Bill overheard him canceling a meeting so that they could have dinner together.
“Is every thing okay Frank?”
“Yes. I canceled a meeting with some cronies about the budget. It’s okay. Let’s
go.” said Brother Justin.
They walked across Jackson Street to the Embarcadero, then three blocks to the
Italian restaurant. There, they ate roasted chicken marinated in red bell peppers, garlic,
and olive oil. The evening was spent reminiscing and drinking Chianti. They exchanged
phone numbers and agreed to meet again. They left and went their separate ways. The
fog hung low in the cool night sky and had covered Golden Gate Bridge. The night air was
moist and cold, but Brother Justin felt warm with his renewed friendship.
*******************************
It was Saturday, October 13, and Jim arrived at ten o’clock to go grocery shopping
with Lupe at the Crystal Palace Market. She had fried two eggs, made toast, and poured
a cup of coffee for him. Jim asked, “Where’s Rosa?”
“She left earlier to visit an elderly lady friend who is sick.”
Jim continued eating breakfast, while Lupe sat by his side. When he finished she
cleaned the table and washed the dishes. Then she took Jim by the hand and said, ”I
have something for you two days before my birthday.”
“What?” Jim was confused.
“Me.” She removed her loose fitting dress and was naked. Her nipples popped up
erect and begged for affection. She had short, straight, black pubic hair that gathered to a
point above her vagina. Jim was overwhelmed by her sexuality and femininity. He had
imagined what it would be like. He lost time admiring her. Lupe approached Jim and
began unbuttoning his shirt. He knew it was the right thing to do and hugged her. They
kissed and their lips and tongues expressed their love. His tongue traveled to the back of
her neck and found her erogenous zone, sending her into a flight of passion. He held her
breast and started rubbing her nipples, while continuing to kiss her. She soared and
hugged him tighter and tighter as the pleasure ran through her body. She broke away, and
removed his pants and underwear. She began stroking him and He twitched with
pleasure. It was stimulating. It was intoxicating. She rubbed her body against his, and he
joined her in an electric charge of pleasure and passion that ran wild through their bodies.
The initial shock of delight now transcended to a desire for more of this intoxicating love.
She took his hand and they walked to the shower.
Lupe turned on the water, and they embraced while waiting for a comfortable water
temperature. Then they entered the stream hugging and rotating as the water splashed
against their bodies. Her long black wet hair lay flat against her back. Jim shielded her
from the spray. Beads of moisture gathered and traversed the curves of her body. She
grabbed the soap and began washing him, then splashed water on his chest and back.
Lupe began licking him with long tongue strokes and gentle bites. Then she washed his
penis and rinsed it. She bent down and took him above the clouds. She paused, and saw
his joy. She continued and saw that he was getting rigid. She sensed that soon he would
climax, so she began stroking him. Jim moaned, and it took his breath away lost in the
pleasure of the orgasm. Lupe kissed his mouth and Jim backed off to catch his breath.
They hugged for a while, then he started to fondle her vagina and kiss her nipples. She
hugged and squeezed him with surges of pleasure. He carefully entered her vagina with
his finger, penetrating her tight cervix. She lunged with pain and pleasure. He withdrew
his finger and began kissing her vagina. He increased the rhythm and pace stroking her
clitoris. She grabbed his head and raised him up. They kissed with savage passion and
Jim accidentally bit her lip, and drew blood. Her tongue pressed against his and she
began scratching his back while he continued to fondle her. She quivered and grabbed his
hand, guiding it away from her. She had climaxed and was sensitive. They hugged and
continued to enjoy the warm spray of water on their naked bodies. Jim licked the blood
from her lip. She rubbed her body against his and continued to lick his neck and bite his
ears. She was a sexual volcano that filled him with lust.
Lupe turned off the shower. They stepped out and he dried her. She dried him and
kissed Mr. Bear. They walked to her bedroom. She placed a white towel on top of the bed
and laid on it with her legs spread wide and her arms greeting him to make love. Jim
positioned himself and held her with his hands while leaning on his elbows. She wrapped
her legs around his legs. He slowly entered and slid inside of her. She looked shocked
and tried to hide the pain. She closed her eyes, turned her head, and squeezed him
tightly with her thighs. Jim felt a lightning bolt charged with pleasure running through his
body when he entered her tight cervix. It felt like a tiny set of teeth were biting him. He
was caught up in the ecstasy and realized that he wasn’t wearing a rubber. It was more
pain than pleasure for Lupe, so Jim withdrew. They lay naked on the bed for a while.
They hugged and kissed tenderly. She lay limp in passive relaxation on top of him while he
massaged her back. Her long black wet hair fell onto his shoulders. Later, they took a
quick shower and dressed to do grocery shopping. She hadn’t planned on her mother
leaving for the day. It was a stolen moment. The bottom left side of her lip was swollen
with a small cut. Jim kissed her lip and said, “Sorry, Angel. I didn’t mean to hurt you”
“You don’t have to say sorry. Just say I love you. It’s sore, but it felt good having
you.”
“I love you.”
They ate lunch and left for the market. Lupe sat close to Jim on the bus, and he
kissed the top of her head and said, “Now I know how special you are and how much I love
you.”
“Me too. I need your love….. I want you all of the time.”
Lupe had given the girl to Jim and had become a woman.
