The Garbage Man

It doesn't matter who you are do not mess with the Garbage man's wife.

I have not written in quite a while. I wanted to satisfy the critics who asked me not to write anymore. To those critics, I ask to please stop reading me.

Mr. Defazio

Mary Lou looked up. Coming into the office was Mr. Joseph Defazio. A tall, handsome young man with a wicked

reputation. He stopped and said hello. Mary Lou blushed and smiled at him. He waved and went into her boss's office.

After ten minutes Mr. Abattio walked out of his office with Mr. Defazio. He said to Mary Lou," Would you please lead Mr. Defazio to the excellent Jewish Deli you that you know? Afterward, he has some secretarial work for you to do. Then take the rest of the afternoon off."

"Certainly", Mary Lou replied. She was flattered beyond belief. Mary Lou practically skipped to the front door. It was a warm spring day. They went to the best Jewish Deli in town. Both had pastrami sandwiches.

Mr. Defazio said," From now on call me Joe." He was known as the most powerful mafia boss in town. This was not what attracted Mary Lou to him. It was his command of the room. How everyone kissed his ass. They left the Deli and visited the park. Joe started asking Mary Lou about her life. She was married and loved her husband. They expected to have children in a few years. Her husband worked as a garbage man. They were poor but she was very happy.

Joe asked her," What would you do if you made more money? She quickly answered," I would travel with my husband. I would love to go to New York City or Miami." Joe then asked her questions about what she was capable of doing such as shorthand and typing.

Joe said," Well I have to cut this short. I will drop you off at your home.

She said, "This sounded more like a job interview than secretarial work."

Joe replied, "You are a very bright young lady. I will speak to you soon."

When Mary Lou got home she was dying to tell her husband George about her exciting day. He arrived about an hour later. She just bubbled over. She gave a detailed account of her day with Mr. Defazio. When she completed telling everything George said," I know that scumbag. He is a drug dealer that practically runs this town. You are never to go to lunch with him again. Never ride with him. If I find out you did we are in deep trouble.

Mary Lou was shocked. She asked how I knew he was a drug dealer. George said, "You must be the only person in town who doesn't know it. This is not open for discussion. You will not see him anymore."

On Friday Mary Lou went to work. Joe came in a little later. He went right into her bossed office. She was called in and her boss left. Joe said, "I am looking for a new secretary. I will double your salary. Mary Lou said, "My husband said you were a drug dealer and I should stay away from you."

Joe replied, "That is a myth started by my enemies years ago, It is not true." I have activities that bend the rules. I also have legitimate businesses. You would only be involved with the legitimate side of my work. Anyway, I am leaving for NY today. I plan on going to see the play "Phantom of the Opera tonight." Would you like to join me?

"I couldn't do that my husband would not accept that."

Joe said, "You are wrong about that. He would accept it. Let me talk to him when we return Saturday. I have never had a husband refuse me."

"My husband is a stubborn man. He said if I went out with you anymore he would leave me."

"Mary Lou, I am the most powerful man in this city. No one refuses me. When he learns about the money you will make he will jump at the opportunity."

Mary Lou thought about it. Everyone respected Joe. He was probably correct. George would understand after he spoke with him. She wrote a letter explaining the raise and how Joe wanted her to work for him. He asked her to go to New York that afternoon. She explained that Joe would make everything clear on Saturday after they returned from New York. She told him not to worry about her she could handle Joe if he wanted anything more than secretarial work.

George came home and found the letter. He considered it the end of his marriage. He made plans for Saturday. He would require assistance. He got his brother to come over and help him.

That night Mary Lou's dog that had been very sick died.

Mary Lou

I was so excited. We left for the big apple. Joe registered us in a five-star hotel. It was a gorgeous suite. We went to the show. I loved it. After the show, we had dinner and then went dancing. He was an excellent dancer. The drinks flowed. He got loose with his hands. The drinks got to me. I allowed him whatever he wanted. We went back to our rooms and he seduced me. I was drunk and allowed it. He was more of a pump-and-dump man. He lasted about ten minutes and then fell asleep. I was glad. He would never be any competition for George.

In the morning he attempted again to have sex. This time I declined and said the last night was a huge mistake. I loved my husband and would never again cheat on him. We had breakfast and left for home.

We pulled into my driveway at about noon time. I noticed something strange in front of the porch. I got out of the car and ran to the door. I was anxious to see George. On the floor before the door was my dog dead. I screamed. Joe and his bodyguard ran to me. I showed them my dog. There were boxes with my clothes lying on the porch. A note on the door said for me to take the boxes before Monday night or they would be thrown away. I was no longer a part of this household. The house had new locks and I should find a place to live. By the dog was George's wedding ring. A note said, " Shove it up your ass. "

This destroyed me. I said to Joe, "You have to fix this. I love him. You said you would talk to him."

Joe smiled, "No problem I will just have to get a hold of him.". Joe and his bodyguard banged on the door. A bullet ranged out. It hit about one inch above his bodyguard's finger. "A voice from a speaker said, "You bang once more and it's your hand." The bodyguard did bang and received a bullet through his hand. A voice said, "The next time it's your head." They left. The bodyguard went to the hospital. Joe got one of his other men.

Joe told the driver to take them to the Royal Peacock one of the best hotels in the city. He got a suite with two bedrooms. Mary Lou put her clothes in one.

Joe

I left the apartment and went to my bar. My men hung out there. I ordered three of them to go to Mary Lou's house and return with George. Two hours later their car returned and parked in front of the bar. In the back seat were the three men all dead. A note was attached to one of them. It said, "Any attempt to capture or hurt me will be met with force. Joe you will be on the top of the list to join your three friends."

Signed, the Garbage Man.

Mary Lou

I left the apartment shortly after Joe. I went to a friend of mine's house. I knew if George found me living with Joe all hope for us getting together was lost.

I worked for Pam at a Jazz club as a cocktail waitress until I married George. He asked me to change jobs so I did. Pam offered me the use of her spare bedroom. She was a lesbian and lived with her partner. She also offered me my old job back which I accepted.

George

I was lonely and devastated.

I set up my house with numerous alarms to alert me if someone entered it. This allowed me to get the drop on the three intruders Joe sent. My brother John took care of one of them while I finished the other two. I found out about the place he was supposedly staying with Mary Lou. I also found out she had left.

I knew she would return to the Jazz club. She had nowhere else to go. Since she had left Joe I thought there was a chance that I could forgive her and take her back. I paid a friend to go to the club every night she worked and tell me if she went home with any of the men.

He reported back that although she was often hit on she always told the men she was gay. She never left the club with anyone but Pam.

I decided that I would try to work things out with Mary Lou. I knew I had to neutralize Joe. He wasn't aware of where she was living or working but with his power it wouldn't take him long to find out. The best course of action was to eliminate him. His death would have to appear accidental or his replacement would try to hunt me down.

My brother and I sat down and wrote up a plan. I had to distance myself from Joe. I moved to a cabin that my brother John owned. I quit my garbage truck job. I spent my days following Joe around. He was very predictable. He left his house at about noon each day. His first stop was his bar to check up on how his boys were doing. Some days he would stop at a girlfriend's house for an afternoon sex session. The rest of the day was either spent at his bar or meeting with suppliers for his drug dealers. He would go to a good restaurant for supper. The rest of the night he spent at his bar playing cards. He was a top-notch poker player.

I decided that I had to draw him out to some isolated place. I started a rumor that there were people interested in a high price poker game. First, he wanted to get in it. Second, he wanted to take it over and run it himself. The word got out with a phone number for interested people. That number connected to a throw-away phone that was mine.

A few days later I got his call. He asked about the stakes and said he wanted to attend. I had rented a cabin for a week. I asked him to be there at eight pm on the next Wednesday night. As expected he showed up with his bodyguard. We took his gun. His bodyguard had to stay outside. These were normal percussions everyone used that ran games. We had drinks and waited for the last two players to show.

We played poker until two AM. When we quit Joe mentioned that from now on he would own the game. I mentioned that we had the guns. I told Joe I was the garbage man and I already had reason to eliminate him. He pulled out a concealed gun and I shot him. His guard met the same fate.

. Both bodies were buried in a huge hole. Their car was driven to an isolated lake many miles from John's cabin. We sank it in the lake. That took care of one problem.

Next, I went to the Jazz Club. I approached Mary Lou. I asked her if she wished to join me at my home for a conversation. She agreed and met me after she finished work.

I asked her "Please explain to me why you went to New York with Defazio when I told you not to see him any longer."

She said, "I saw it as an opportunity for us to make some money. I knew that he might just be interested in sex but I felt from my club experience that I should be able to hold him off.

I will be honest with you. I did a lousy job of holding him off. I got drunk and he did get me in bed. The sex was short and not very good. He pumped and dumped. When I woke up I regretted it like you would not believe. I refused any more. I sincerely regretted every minute. I never wanted anyone but you. This was a horrible experience. I want you to know that I am not the inexperienced young girl that I was when I went to New York. I love only you and if we are broke for the rest of our lives I will never do anything as stupid as that. I would rather be broke with you than be rich with anyone else. You are my life."

Well, "I should have told you. When I was in Afghanistan my friends and I came across a load of Taliban money. We split it up and took it home. We promise not to spend a dime for at least three years. We will never be broke. I worked as a garbage man to keep a low profile and to stay in physical shape.

I still love you and want to get back together. I will never accept any excuse if you even kiss anyone else. I will leave you."

Epilogue

Mary Lou and I spent the rest of our lives together. We both worked jobs that were not stressful but were rewarding. Mary Lou worked for a woman's clinic. I worked as a physical trainer at a local gym. I bought the club Pam worked at as a silent partner. I gave her a percentage of the club because of her kindness to Mary Lou.

Joe's people did a long investigation to find the poker game. They decided that there wasn't any game and that Joe and his guard were robbed and killed. The poker ruse was for Joe to have a huge amount of money on him when he was robbed.