America's King of Poetry

Chapter 56 Take Back My Things

"is it here?"

"Yes, it is here."

"How long has it been?"

"More than a month ago, not long ago, it should...it should have just rotted."

"Keep your voice down, there are still people fishing."

"It's okay, this is the downwind, they can't hear it...Are you going to take a look at him?"

"God, why should I see him again? He is buried in the ground very well, peaceful and peaceful, he will be satisfied...Did he say anything before he left?"

"Say, he said 'cellar,' 'cellar.'"

"God, he'll never forget that damn cellar...here he is with the earth forever."

In the grove in Oyster Bay where Tony was buried, Dorothy and Arthur stood under a tree smoking a cigarette, looking out at the flat ground.More than a month has passed, and the grass has grown again on the ground, and even a few nameless wild flowers have bloomed. I don't know if the underground Tony has nourished them.

God said, you came from the dust and you will return to the dust. In Dorothy's view, this is the best destination for her father.Only death, time, and the earth can bury the evils that have happened to him.

The moment she finished reading the backs of the cards, Dorothy felt liberated and awoke from a long nightmare.She left home, and New York, determined never to return.She thought she could get rid of that nightmare and start a new life, but it didn't work out.Sensitivity and anxiety were always with her, she was insecure, and she didn't trust any man, including her husband.She tried her best to pretend to live like a normal person. She saw a psychologist, took Prozac, and went to family therapy with her husband.

But everything is in vain, she still often wakes up in nightmares, falling into unspeakable despair.She doesn't understand that no matter how deep the pain is, it will fade with the washing of time. Why isn't she?Why do many details, scenes, and imaginations become clearer and fuller as time goes by?A violent emotion tugged at her repeatedly and cost her two children.She couldn't continue to live in San Francisco, she left everything and came back, back to the place where she grew up.

She thought that the key to the problem was her father Tony. After discovering that he was a pervert who had a special habit of a little girl, many bits and pieces gathered in her mind when she was a child.The scariest thing about a lie being exposed is that you will doubt every real memory in the past and overturn every good thing you once thought.

Does Tony love her?Of course, it was her father.But whether he loves her as a father or as a pervert, Dorothy can't tell.Perhaps most of them are fathers, but Dorothy can no longer imagine that everything has collapsed irreparably.

However, knowing that her father was unlikely to come back, she returned to New York, Nassau County, and the villa where she grew up. Seeing the familiar swimming pool, four-photo book, balcony, study, and the green mountains and green waters that can be seen in the distance, her mood still did not recover.That depressive and restless nightmare still enveloped her, as if a ghost hiding in the darkness would come out to hurt people at any time.

Lying in Arthur's house last night, she kept recalling and thinking, when did this nightmare start?It is everywhere, and it seems to be everywhere.Life seemed to be covered with a layer of transparent plastic wrap, invisible, but it made her breathless.She thought it started with discovering her father's secret, but now she feels that it all started on that Christmas night in December 1983, when she encountered a row of candles on the dark road to find Arthur.

Old Larry said it was the soul of a dead Indian.So many Indians died on this land that they lined up to go to heaven, and the line is not exhausted to this day.

She felt that she would never wake up, until Arthur pulled him into the cellar, that pink room, lined with magical spells, and everything was unraveled.The plastic wrap was removed, and life seemed to breathe again.Arthur told her everything, Tony's death, and the family affairs.Dorothy's first request was to come to Oyster Bay to see where Tony was buried.

There is not only her father buried there, but also her nightmare and past.

……

At noon, Arthur and Dorothy returned to Manhattan together and had lunch at Luciano's restaurant.

Schmidt was not displeased when he saw that Arthur came to work at noon. Instead, he asked Carson to add more caviar and foie gras to Arthur and Dorothy, and opened a bottle of Lombardy red wine to refill it for the siblings himself.But when Arthur told Schmidt that Dorothy was going to take back the management rights of the store, Schmidt's face drooped.He rubbed his chin and said, "Oh... this matter, this matter... I think I need to ask Montoro for instructions. Tony has not come back now, and the ownership of this store is still in the family... Montoro has the final say."

Schmidt carried Montolo out. Although Schmidt was only the store manager, Tony gave him a lot of authority to operate when he was there.He can use part of the business funds in the store, set a high salary for himself, and deduct employees' wages, bonuses and even tips.After Tony's absence, Montolo's restrictions became more relaxed. In addition to paying a sum of money to the family every month, he can use the remaining business funds freely, so he is not too happy.

He secretly started his usury business again. The greed and thirst for money of the Jews can often overcome the fear of death and disaster.

Such a good day, Schmidt hoped that it would last longer and better, but Tony's daughter suddenly appeared, which seemed to end such a good expectation, of course he would not be happy.

"By the way, I have to consult Otto about this matter. There are still many problems in the law, and I want Otto's answer. Right? Of course, Tony is gone. If Dorothy needs a job, she can come to the store. I will give her a good treatment. If you don't want to stay in this greasy place, I can also introduce her to other jobs. In short, she will live comfortably in New York."

Schmidt brought up the legal issue again, and then offered Dorothy a job, a two-pronged effort to dissuade her from accepting Luciano's.

The siblings looked at each other, and Dorothy wiped her mouth with a napkin and said, "This restaurant is called Luciano Restaurant, and my name is Luciano."

Schmidt didn't know what to say for a while, he stayed at the dining table for a while at a loss, and finally left muttering.Instead of going back behind the counter, he went to the back kitchen, went out through the back door, and kicked over the trash can at the door.After cursing a few times, he lit a cigarette to calm down, and began to think about how to prevent Dorothy from taking the store back.

……

After lunch, Dorothy and Arthur went alone to see the family lawyer, Otto Bryan, in the afternoon.His law firm is located above a department store at 110 Lafayette Avenue. It is not very conspicuous, a small room.There was a front desk lady in charge of reception at the door. Dorothy informed her of her identity and purpose of coming. The front desk lady made a phone call and got permission to meet in a few minutes.

Otto is a bald middle-aged man with a mustache, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, sitting hunched over a table reading documents.He is not young, he worked for the Luciano family when he was young, and served four Luciano family leaders.Arthur's grandfather, father, uncle, and now Montolo.Arthur had met him a few times before. He knew the family situation very well, was proficient in various legal matters, and had a wide network of contacts. Generally speaking, he was a trustworthy lawyer.

In a society like the United States where lawyers rule the country, the complexity and detail of the legal provisions daunts ordinary people, and any organization or individual with a little wealth cannot do without legal services.The party leaders of the Luciano family have changed several times, and the lawyer is still the same person. No wonder so many people in the United States want to squeeze their heads into law school.Including the president of the United States, the most graduates from Yale Law School.

"Sit down, you are finally back, Miss Dorothy." Otto put down the document in his hand, and said to Dorothy in the deep voice of an elder.

"Yes, Mr. Otto, I want to get back what belongs to me." Dorothy sat on the chair and straightened her back.Her eyes were bright, completely different from the gentle and tired one she had been at Arthur's house last night.

"Well, there are indeed some of your things here, but you know, we need to discuss carefully which ones belong to you and which ones belong to the family." Otto took off his glasses and looked at Dorothy.

He is doing things for Montolo now, of course he has to consider for Montolo.Montoro is currently hosting most of Tony's property as the leader of the family. Now that Dorothy is back, Tony's private property can be handed over to her, but how will the family property be distributed?

Cruise ship charter companies, department stores, sporting goods stores, sex bars, underground casinos...these all have Tony's shares, and of course a considerable part of them was taken from Luthor back then.How could Montolo give up this part so easily?And outsiders can't tell how much benefit Otto can receive.

Such a situation had been expected by Dorothy. She stood up from her chair and said to Otto: "Mr. Otto, I am not here today to ask for your help, but to inform you that I want to get back my things, and please tell Montoro."

After speaking, Dorothy gave Otto a look and left his office.

Otto sat there and didn't recover for a long time. He suddenly felt that Dorothy's temperament and tone were really similar to her grandfather.

"Name: Dorothy Luciano, Occupation: Scammer, Sequence: 6, Codename: Queen. Comment: Behind the truth is something more cruel than the truth."

(End of this chapter)