It's Only Me- Chapter 26- Victory at Last

If peace was what I had hoped to find after my Mom’s passing I was mistaken. It would be almost another 2 years before I was able to resolve the problem of Sue’s fiancée. At one point I actually found her engagement ring, which she never wore around me, and hocked it. I used the money to take her out for dinner.

In September of 1984 I resigned my position with Military Sealift Command. I still remember the wording of my letter;

“In order to pursue a more meaningful lifestyle I hereby resign my position with Military Sealift Command. I do so without coercion and of my own volition.”

I bought a used Ford Pinto for $500 and headed to Baltimore where Sue had already rented me an apartment. With 2 small boys she did not want me moving in right away.The apartment was around the corner from Ben’s place and I spent a good bit of time driving by to see if she was over there.

By November I had enough and so I headed to New York. This was two fold- I would get away from the situation in Baltimore and fulfill the promise to my Mom that I would work for my Dad after she passed. Big mistake!

I took an apartment on the 5th floor of 1310 Avenue R where I had grown up. My Dad still lived on the 2nd floor in our old apartment. Each morning I would go down to his place and we would drive into Manhattan together.

My Dad’s business was Pollution Controls for incinerators. Back then all of the thousands of apartment buildings in New York City had incinerators in order to burn the trash. The resultant smoke was becoming unbearable. We would modify these incinerators by installing smoke “scrubbers” and a by-pass tunnel that would allow the trash to be burned by a gas fired burner. The smoke would then be channeled through the by-pass where a series of shower heads would dampen the smoke causing all the pollutants to fall down into an ash pan. The rest of the smoke, now clear, would go through the by-pass and up the chimney.

Most of our customers were the buildings along 5th Avenue along Central Park. We also had all of the buildings on the West side of the park, including the Dakota. The thing was arranged so that we did about $3,000 worth of work in 2 days to alter the system. We billed $20-30,000 per building. In order to get the contracts we had to go through the Super and the Co-op Boards.

These Supers were unlike the ones in Brooklyn who fixed things and kept the building in good repair. These guys were elected by the Co-op boards and together handed out the contracts for any work needed. Our system was to bribe the Board and the Supers. I was really taken aback by all of this- particularly as my dad was paying me lousy wages compared to what I had been earning aboard ship.

Whenever there was a mechanical failure the local Inspector would issue a summons and I would go to the EPA Court located across from the World Trade Center. At these hearings I would listen to the judge read the Violation and I would then hand him an envelope. Case dismissed.

Meantime I was still managing to see Sue about 3 or 4 times a week in Baltimore. I would go from work to my apartment, shower and change clothes and then make the 4 hour drive from Brooklyn to Sue’s place. I would often arrive at about 9 or 10 at night, stay until 2 and then head back home, arriving at about 6 AM. During this time I amassed a pile of speeding tickets that if placed end to end would stretch from Brooklyn to Sue’s house. I still have them all.

The only way I got through this without a License Suspension was by having 2 licenses. I had one in Virginia and another in Maryland. The whole trick to this was not to get a License in your home state- in my case New York. When I applied for a license I would check “No Previous Driving License.” At 30 years old this was hard to believe so they would send away to New York and ask for my record. It always came back as “No Previous Driving License.”

The only time I really had a problem was when I didn’t pay a ticket in let’s say Delaware and then get stopped again in that state. At times like these I would be made to follow the Trooper or Sheriff to the station where I would have to pay both the old fine and new one in cash before I was released. A few times I was caught with some pot but the officers only made me dump it out and rub it into the ground with my foot. For that I am still grateful.

By September of 1985 I had enough of both my Dad and the incessant driving back and forth to Baltimore. There was also a slight “sea change” in Baltimore and Sue was beginning to come around to the notion that I was not going away. So I packed up again and moved back to Baltimore- taking a furnished basement about 8 streets away from Sue’s. I used it 3 nights in as many months- but it made Sue feel better knowing that if things went bad between us I had a place to go. I just felt it was wasted money.

She was still working at Social Security in the same division as Ben. This was the last hurdle to overcome if we were to make it as a couple. By October I was living at Sue’s almost full time- I even had drawer space in the dresser! The kids couldn’t believe it! Not even Ben had been granted that privilege! So I was making progress.

One afternoon in October I was getting out of my brand new Nissan when Ben sprang out from behind the bushes! Using the heel of his hand he made an attempt to push my nose back into my skull. This would have been a death blow had I not been trained in the Navy to do this exact same thing. Seeing it coming I was able to pull back enough to minimize the blow.

Scooting across the front seat and out the passenger side I was able to put myself in a better position. Ben was 6 foot 2 and weighed at least 30 pounds more than I did. He also had about 2 inches more in reach. But I was not in the mood to “handicap” the odds of this thing that had been brewing for so long. I just got in there swinging, mostly at his head and face. He was tiring quickly but would not go down or even just away! He wanted me to hurt him so badly that he could run to Sue and say what a crazed and violent person I was.

When it became apparent that this stupid bastard wanted me to hurt him real badly I went to the other side of the car and got back in. This infuriated him and he went back to his car and got a tire iron to smash my windows. Again I was out of the car in a flash. Disarming him was easy but now we were back to me beating him about the head and face. Everytime I would stop he would charge! Finally I got back in the car and turned on the radio pretending to ignore him. He got in his car and rammed me! Then he sped away.

I made two calls- one to the Police, giving his name and address etc and one to Sue. The police took my report and then drove to his place where they issued him some citations. My attempt to file charges was unsuccessful due to the fact that only my hands were cut and bleeding while his face was a mess, making me the aggressor. I am not sure he had this in mind when he staged the initial assault, but that is the way it would’ve played out in court.

I remember thinking that we were finally done with him. But bad pennies keep turning up and he made one more attempt to screw things up for us. He called Sue and asked her to meet him for lunch to say “goodbye.” She went. I found out and was furious! It was now time for her to quit her job at Social Security or I was leaving. The situation had now grown so intense that it was likely someone (Ben) was going to get really hurt. Also, it was likely that someone (me) was going to end up in jail.

So in December of 1985 Sue quit her job and went to work for one of the private insurance companies as an Underwriter. It had taken 2 years and 3 months for this drama to play out and I was tired. I was also very happy.

I have often thought back to those days and wondered why I hung in there. I can only surmise that after being rejected by my parents for smoking pot, and later being rejected by Leslie for I don’t know what, I was not going to be rejected again. I knew that Sue was in love with me- but this guy was using her status as a single mom as a weapon against her- exploiting any insecurities that she might have had at the time.

So I had won, and it would take many years to overcome the humiliation of having to compete for Sue’s love. But it was worth it.

"50 Dead Men Walking" with Ben Kingsley and Jim Sturgess (2008)

Between 1968 and 1988 there were two factions; actually illegal armies; vying for control of Northern Ireland. The hatred and violence ran so deep that there was no way to contain it except to maintain the separation of the country into northern and southern provinces. One was Irish Catholic and deeply opposed to the British occupation bought on by the violence between themselves and the Protestants. Much of the discord between the two stemmed not from their religious beliefs, but more accurately was due to their competition economically and politically. At the time the IRA was the biggest terrorist organization in the country, and this movie is based on a true case. It is, in a way, chilling. It shows the ease with which people can be divided by forces that have agendas of their own, and how hard it is to break free of their bonds, even if you have helped them to shackle you in the first place. This is the dilemma in which a low level street hustler named Martin McGartland, played by Jim Sturgess, finds himself.

A nameless British agent, played coldly by Ben Kingsley, convinces Martin that he can help with the problems in Ireland by infiltrating the IRA. At the time, Martin is selling stolen goods door to door, and the offer of a free car; not to mention real money; is too much for him to resist. Consequently, his role in organizations rise, but he begins to question his own motives. Caught between the motivations of both his British “handler”, and his IRA “colleagues”, he is increasingly confused as to his own loyalties. And, with a pregnant girlfriend, he needs to start thinking beyond the divisions in order to support his new family.

Tautly directed by  Kari Skogland the film is eerily reminiscent of the dilemma faced by James Mason’s character in Carol Reed’s 1947 film, “Odd Man Out.”  The Irish “troubles” date way back; even prior to the events of 1916. This film focuses solely on the violence, and the struggle to contain it, which was waged during the 1980’s. It is a sorrowful look at man’s inability to get along with his fellow, and as such, deserves to be looked at with a keen eye. It is only by an understanding of what went wrong that we can prevent it from happening again. Outstanding performances by all make this thriller a “keeper.” 

"Transsiberian" with Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer and Ben Kingsley

An absolutely stunning movie. Everything, from the script to the direction, and the performances of each and every actor, make this a flawless film. Set in Russia along the route of the Trans Siberian Railway also makes this movie a visually brilliant thriller, which you do not want to miss.

Roy and his wife Jessie (Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer) are returning from China through Russia via the Trans Siberian Railway. They are traveling from Beijing, where they have been involved in a church outreach program for children, to Moscow, and then home to America. What is that old saying about "the best laid plans of mice and men?" It clearly applies here.

Roy is an avid fan of old trains and locomotives, which is what leads the couple to take the train, rather than flying home. Jessie is a photographer with a troubled past. Her marriage to Roy has turned her life around and she is thinking of publishing a book of her photos. This trip will give her ample opportunity to indulge that passion.

When Roy and Jessie meet Carlos and Abby (Eduardo Noriega and Kate Mara), a couple traveling through Russia on the way back to Spain, all is not what it appears to be. The couple is a bit secretive, and tension begins to mount between Carlos and Jessie, who is trying to live a clean life with her husband.

When the naive Roy gets off at a remote stop to look at the different train engines, Carlos deliberately loses him, and Roy is left behind. When Jessie discovers he is missing she leaves the train at the next stop to wait for him to catch up. Carlos and Abby stay with her.

Carlos manages to entice Jessie to accompany him alone to a remote, ruined Russian Orthodox Church, under the guise of taking photos. Once they arrive at the church, Carlos becomes physically attentive to Jessie, who at first rebuffs his advances. During the push and pull of the emotional struggle, Carlos becomes violent, attempting to rape Jessie, who then uses a wooden plank to kill him. She returns to the train and is rejoined by Roy. She says nothing of what has happened, or where Carlos might be.

Roy, on his journey to rejoin his wife, has met and befriended Russian Police Inspector Grinko (Ben Kingsley) who has been following the trail of Carlos, who is a drug smuggler. To complicate matters even further, Jessie was aware of the smuggling and is actually in possession of some heroin, disguised as Bubushka Dolls. Carlos placed the dolls in Jessie's baggage, without her knowledge, prior to the events at the church. She is now frantic as she attempts to dispose of the contraband while confined to a train, under the watchful eyes of Inspector Grinko.

What happens to Abby, and what Jessie chooses to do about it, are the key questions that keep you glued to this film. The interaction of the two women, filled with mysterious undercurrents, played against the irrepressible innocence of Roy, bring a high tension to this magnificent film.

With a climax that keeps you on edge until the credits begin to roll, you don't want to miss this film. Agatha Christie would be proud.

Movie Review- You Kill Me

This movie came to me via one of our fine librarians and she was right on target. I do like this movie. A slow start but the plot keeps you hooked.

Essentially this movie is about an alcoholic hit man in Buffalo, N.Y. who works for the "mob", who happen to be his family. They are the only remnants of the Polish "mob" and trying to horn in on the Irish and the Chinese business. But our hero, played by Ben Kingsley, falls asleep, misses the hit and is confronted by his relatives. It's an intervention - He has a choice- 6 months in rehab in San Francisco while working a normal job- or the family has him "taken out"-related or not.

His "watcher" in San Francisco is a gay real estate agent who monitors our hero's attendance at AA meetings. He also gets him a job as an assistant mortician, which leads him to meet the step daughter, played by Tea Leoni, of a deceased man. They have an unusual attraction to one another that blossoms when their mutual passion for the "dark side" emerges.

What follows is the transformation of a hard drinking, non thinking hit man into a semi sober, pre-meditated killer- with wild repurcussions for everyone-even his "family".

Crisp and calculated direction by John Dahl give this movie the pace it needs to keep you onboard for a very unusual story.