Beggin' DeVito's Story

"Is he okay?"

Frankie asked knotting his hands together under the table

"He's good" she smiled "He's a lot better than he was?"

"What do you mean?"

"He was in a little trouble but he did what he had to do and now hes doing great"

"For christ sake! this was meant to help him out, he was meant to sort himself out and stop with the gambling and drinking"

She laughed causing him to sit up slightly and widen his eyes,

"Frankie he's doing fine! he's over all of that, sure there was a lot of trouble but now he's a changed man we have a son"

Frankies brow furrowed unsure of how to react to the news, she pulled a small photo from her bra and slid it across the table to him, he looked at his best friend smiling in a way he had never seen in all the years he had known him showing off the little blue bundle in his arms to the camera, you could see the tear marks on his face and he slowly began to believe that he had changed.

-

she struggled to find air as she sat in the public gallery the wife of a violent criminal, she felt all eyes were on her judging and making remarks

"How can she share a bed with that man? how can she have him under her roof?"

her face was still wet from the tears that had fallen minutes ago now a fresh lot were threatening to fall, she looked at him in the dock, his hair a mess dark circles under his eyes stubble gracing his jaw, he was half the man he used to be he could barely keep his head up, the washed up orange overalls hung off of him, he had spent the last three weeks in a custody cell, after she had walked to the police station with him only hours after they had been married, he turned to her outside,

"Once I'm in the station I want you to go home, don't wait around for me"

she nodded tears staining her face and causing her make up to streak, he wiped them away using his thumb

"Don't cry sweetheart this will pass so quickly, you lived with out me before you can do it again" he cupped her face with both of his hands, she couldn't make eye contact with him until he rested his forehead on hers, "I love you Renee"

"I love you too"

He smiled and pulled her in to an embrace, gently kissing her lips he let her go, he walked away, she refused to let go of his hand, he turned,

"You don't like makin' things easy do ya?" he laughed "I won't be long"

He winked and walked away she stood frozen to the spot watching him and he jogged up the front steps of the station and disappeared behind the large dark doors, she turned on her heel and walked away feeling as though she was dragging a lead weight behind her.

"Gaetano DeVito I sentence you to 8 months in a correctional facility"

The words hit him like a train, why was this time so different? he had been in prison before? he just worked it through nothing had ever phased him as much as this had!, he put his arms out in front of him as he stood allowing the guard to lead him away by the cuffs, he glanced over his shoulder at his wife and attempted to smile, she was broken he had never seen her cry that way.

She spent the first three months of Tommys incarceration alone, living day to day waiting for a letter or phone call, she had stopped worrying about him after the first call, he seemed in high spirits as he said to her,

"It aint nothin' I aint done before sweetheart"

She adored his letters spending hour pouring over the page examining every word, although his child like handwriting brought very little comfort it was nice to know he was doing okay.

She was padding around dealing with household chores and making notes of bills that needed paying when a knock on the door made her freeze to the spot, she turned slowly and crept to the door, the knocking wouldn't stop, she took a deep breath and pulled the door slowly,

"Renee?" A short man with a strong Jersey accent was looking towards her "Renee DeVito?" She looked him up and down from his leather shoes to his dark slicked back hair, his eyes were a piercing blue and burned in to her awaiting a response, she nodded slowly, he took the tooth pick he had been chewing from between his lips "I'm Joey on of Tommy's friends, he called and asked me to check on you" He smiled.

"Pesci?"

"Thats me, can I come in?" She nodded and opened the door, in an instant Joey's jaw dropped as his eyes met with the bump that was straining under her blouse, "Jeeze Renee! Does Tommy know?"

She grabbed his arm and yanked him in to the house slamming the door behind him, she took a few steps away before instructing him to take a seat,

"No Joey he doesn't know"

She sighed slumping in to the arm chair opposite the couch where the small italian was sat, she rubbed her temples angrily, she didn't want to tell him so he didn't try any big ideas to get out of the prison,

"Shouldn't ya tell him? Why haven't you told him?"

"Cause I have no reason to tell him"

"It's his child though? Aint it?"

"Yes Joey it is but I don't need him worrying whilst he's in there!"

"Have you even visited him?"

"No"

"Why not?"

"Because Joey!....Because?" She wasn't even aware of why she hadn't visited him, she had nothing to lose by visiting him no inhibitions, he was her husband and she was his world and she knew a visit would cheer him up, he needed her, a weight crashed on to her shoulders as she realized she was a terrible wife, "Oh god!"

She crumbled back in to the chair, for the first time in a while she cried, Joey sat awkwardly for a moment before standing and walking across the room gently stroking the top of her arm,

"we can go visit him today if you want?"

She pushed her hair back from her face and nodded.

-

"He looks great!"

Frankie muttered almost as though it were a question,

"Were you expecting any different?"

"Well kinda I'll be honest we gave him chance after chance to change and he blew it all the shame of it is he had the makings to be great and he just couldn't see it too busy gambling and drinking and sleeping with everything with a pulse" he glanced up from the photo to see Renee looking at him her arms folded across her chest and a smug look on her face, he handed the photo back to her "Whats the baby's name?"

she tucked the photo away once more and looked over her lashes at him, she must've been made of steel to deal with Tommy not many women could, he mused to himself,

"His name is Francesco, Frankie for short, Tommy picked it"

The singer smiled a strange sense of pride crashing through his stomach, he had changed.