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Mari Tomei
K
Me, I Vote For The Best Man
Recorded in
Welters' Section Files
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Mario Sacrosantois oar was one of the dozen parked
in the stoneshed yard. Gond cars, Not new, not expensive
makes. But good cars. Mario slapped the stone dust from
faded denim overalls. he pulled the powdery, visored cap
from hle matted hair and whacked it heartily against the
runninE board before squeezing his chunky body behind the
wheel. As he drove past a cemetery entrance at the edbe
of town he pointed to a pile of dismantled oars rusting
in a field of weeds. 'Bah, look& Look at that junk
pile. Richt across from the cemetery it tel Every day
I see it, ant every day it does something here to my
stomach. It is an insult to the dead. The city should
do something* no?" Another half mile and Marlots brown
cottage came into view. It sat on a knoll against a
background of spruce.
Ye was proud of his home. "See, it is fine to live
like this in the open. Mario brought the car to a stop
and aniled, "Back on Berton Street the houses get stuck
so close together that always we hear all kind of family
noise --the radio when we do not want to hear it, laugh-
ing, crying. I make the foundation for this house myself
in my spare time ten ',surf ago. My olt home in Italy
is like tLis. :lot the way it is built, but the way it
is lust far enough from town so you can be alone when
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you fool to be alone."
A path with an occasional flat granite chip for a
stepping stone led to the kitchen. A middle-aged woman
in a cotton house dress was leaning over the sink strain-
ing white curds of warmed sour milk.
Mario opened the screen door. "My wife," be said,
And in a louder voice, "llama, you got to leave that
cheese for a few minute,. We got company to talk to."
She smiled a welcome, wiped her hands on a towel
and sat down facing her visitor at the kitchen table.
Mario hitched Lie chair closer to ber and began in
a half -apologetic, hesitant way, "Mama. I decide today
to get seat covers for the care I see some pretty stripe'
ones in a window ant I go in an, get them." He kept his
warm brown eyes half -veiled. Le would not meet her gaze.
"Brown ant white stripe', Mama. I think you will like it."
Lena Sacroaanto shru&ed her shoulders helplessly
as she said, "Liatomm to him. Always he is missy, that
one, to buy this ant that for the al car. Ten year 01,,
it is. He got to buy sometLing for it every two, three
dayt. Ono* it is a cigar lighter he put in, an never
does he smoke in the car. Never. Then after, he any:
now I have the cigar lighter so I got to get a good ash
tray, foolish to have one ant not the other... Be treat
the car like it is his own child. Now it is the stripe'
covers. I say to him all the time: instead you buy some-
thing every sleek, why don't you trade the cur? Get a
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new one. Bah* If the girls were here at home an' not
married* he would get a new car for sure. Always the
girls wanted the best,"
"But it is still good*" Mario protested mildly. "I
like it. sure* it is oil...."
"You get used to it ant you Late to part from it*"
Lena said. "I tell you the same that I say 'bout the
wash' machine when it is Jolt* trade it in. Get a
new one,"
Vario hunched back in his chair and thumbed the
straps of his overalls. A twinkle lurked in the autumn
brown of Is eyes, "Ah* I have had tiLu for a long time.
Would you want that I trade you, too* roma?" he teased,
"flow you talk ersayg" Lena flung at him. She turned
her face away to hide the red that flooded her cheeks
11;43 a schoolgirl's, The next minute she said* "Re is
one to make funny talk all the time, So long as he is
start', then I will tell you what happen' once, If I
do not, he will, I know him, re ant rario* we are both
born in Novaro* In north Italy. Well* we are think' to
get married* an' Mario be wants to oome to America to
live. I remember the day just like it is today. It is
winter. My father is just cm -4 in from fix the oll
kitchen house on the mountain. It is a place where the
men cook their meals in the summer time when they are up
tLere with the goats. They are all sit' at the table.
My father* mother* four brot"horet an' two sisters, In
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the mid -le of the table is a big bowl of macaroni. Mario
is stands there to tell my father that we will be married
right away ant coma to America. My father is mad. Tie
know Mario since he is a baby, he talk to him an' scold
just like he is his own boy. My father, he keep on eats,
he push' macaroni in his mouth, an' all the time he scold':
how much you got over the fare for you ant Lena? Only a
few las, eb? What you think you will do to eat? For
clothes? You think you will fin' gold in the itir? Go
to America alone, Mario. Fin' work. Then write to Lena.
She will go then, oh Lena?"
Lena Sacrosanto gave her husband a brief glance.
"Before I have a chance to speak, this one he say to my
father, 'Look, why do you have to sit an' oat the mac-
aroni now when I talk of marriage? Lat us talk. Eat
afterwards.' My father is very mad. 'I eat when I want,'
he tell Mario. T,:e eat some more, then he say, 'o, any
fool will know that macaroni is not good ooltot
"Then Mario, he get smart. Ile say to nig father, he
say, 'I guess it is better me an' Lena we get married now.
You 1.:now the ols proverb, Matrimony ant moularoni. if they
are not hot are not good. Yes, I guess we get married
now.'
Vario's face had worn a complacent smile as Lena
told the story. Now he laughed aloud. Lena Joined him.
"rario„ he win over my father esy that time. We get
married right away an, we come to America. My father is
mad for a while, but he get over it. Mario ban win over
a captain in the army, too," Lena boasted. There was no
doubting the pride in her voice as *be spoke of her hus-
band's skill in winning over. *Tell," she urged him,
tell 'bout the time you win over the ouptaisuft
*Hag that was nothing.—* Yario began. 'But if you
want to hear, I will tell you: Above whore we used to
live in Novaro are the Alps. It is funny, there is the
mountain, on one side are rich people, on the other side
are poor people like me ant MAT04 One side is a sport
place like Moritz where the rich ones spend money to
catch colt an' break their legs. 1100 I never go there
once. I am satisfy" with my side. Well, it came the
tire when I have to serve my three year' in the army.
Over there all the young men do service. I was with the
Alapinie All the time we march ant Climb up the mountain',
sometime on bare rock, sometime in snow up to the neck.
Once I win a she:Tel:0ot' medal there for shoot' the
eaele that is so high up it loo:,;. like a dove, One day
twelve of UA are sent to scout on a mountain tops I um
maAe the leader that day. It is a colt winter day. The
wind is blowing, ant the snow is slap' the eyes so we
cannot see two feet in front of us. We are lost for a
day ant a half, ant without food. When we fin, our way
back to camp we are so hung.ry it make something turn
here now in my stomach to think of it. Well we go
straight to the kitchen, The cookt—five of them —will
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give us nothing. Not even bread. Half-dead we are with
hunger an' ool's an' those dam...pig cook' will not feed
us. Why? Just because the captain an' his men are not
yet return, for their own supper& I say to the Nook':
All rights you got your order not to feed except at meal
times but today it is different* we have been lost, we
are hungry. Feed us. I am the leaders I will take the
blame..... But no, it is still no. Well, we are hungry*
so I give the sign to my eleven men. We grab those cook*
fasts ant we lock them up in the supply room. Then we
eat. :ah, how we sett' Mario jerked his grey head up
and down to emphasise his words.
*Wells we twelve are put in the army jail for that.
Not really jails but all the time we have to stay in
camp an' work hard while the rest go to town ant have
fun. One day we make camp Sus' five mile* from my home.
I have not seen my people for many month** so I think
an, thinks an' bye-n-byve I get the courage to ask the
captain for a few hour' leave. I ask him. By God*
that captain is madl* Mario laughed heartily as he
drew a word picture of the captain. "Mad/ Eis moustache
stand out straight ant he yells 'The nerve you got*
EAcrosantot You should be in jail* an' you dare ask re
for leavel You lock up the cook's ant you got the nerve
to ask me a favoril
"Signor Gepitanos' I tell him* 'you must remember
we are all hungry that days halfadead..1 But he will not
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listen. All he say is, 'The nerve you got& I should
jail you even lancer.'
"Well," Mario continued, "pretty socn I um mad,
too. I say, 'Signor Capitano* I suppose you will jail
me loner now anyway. I half expect' it before I ask'
you. But I think of the oll proverb...Cho one that risk'
nothings will win nothing, so I try."
L'ario continued his story. *For a minute I think
the captain will strike me. Then he start to lauch a
deep laugh down hem from the stomadh„ ant he say, 'Damn
you, r:acrosanto. All right* take your leave tonightl Go
home, ant wive sure your mother will feed you so much
that you will not have to tie up the cook' again.'
"It is funny," said Mario. "I never again see that
captain alive. When I Let back from my leave he is sick
with the heart trouble, ant he die the next day. I am
clad I serve' in the army. Anyway, I can say I have
eat jackass meat. We have to eat it once when we are
stuck in the Alps." Mario Sacrosanto chuckled. "It
taste, good, too. Jue, like steak.
"Mussolini has made a chance in the service. Mow
it is shorter than three year'. That man Musoolini.
tell, I cannot say I like him, I cannot say I do not like
him. True, he is a great man. The iron man. Le is
otronc enough to put Italy on top of the world. In one
way he is like Roosevelt, only stronger. Me, I never
say I am Republican, or I am Democrat. I vote for the
a•
best man.
"Once Mama was the same --the man I vent for president,
she want him, too. But sinoe spring she is turn' dam
strong Democrat. I will tell you what happen': We are
out to ride one afternoon on the road to the quarry.
It is raining hard, ant my olt ear she have a flat tire.
Yam is foolish enough to get out ant help me, so we
both get wet. There is a big ear come up beside us. A
New York car. I i.now they must be rich people because
a chauffer is in front. One of the ladies in back
there are three of them she tell the cheuffer to stop.
Then she call out to me, 'What's the matter?t Ant when
I tell her, she say, 'y chauffer will help you.' Then
she ask Mama to get in the car with them ant visit until
the tire is change'. Well, from that. day Mama is turn'
strong Democrat. Mama say these women they talk a lot
'bout politics. This rich woman, she give plenty of
praise to the Democrats. When we get home Mama say,
'If a woman so good, so smart, ant so rich lie a Democrat,
then It must 1),, the best party. It will bo my party."'
Lena Seerosanto said, "She was a fine woman."
"You think," Mario tetised, "if she did not have a
chauffer, she would get her own skin wet to help you?"
"Crazy, you I" Lena dismissed lis question with a
flutter of her hands. She went to the next room and
:-e turned with a photograph.
"You want to see the picture of our three girl'?"
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she asked me. "The picture is a few year" oll. Now
they are all mari-ied. Two in Massachusetts, one here in
Barre. The oldest. one married a granite salesman from
Cmincy, now tbey live there. The second girl went down
there to work after she take a year at business college.
In a year she is married, too. A fine man from her office*
The younges one marries a Barre boy, Italian... -they come
up here a lot to see us."
Vane interrupted to continue his discourse. In
the olt country, when a girl is grow up she think right,
off to get married* Over here they all want to work*
I have only five year' of school, then I get to work
cuick. I fin' a job here in Barre the week I get here.
In the shed. I been stonecutter ever since. Hard work,
yes, But I would not be happy to do soft, easy work.
11:21en I get through in the shed I have plenty to do here
at home. We cot one cow an' thirty chickens. Mama is
busy all the time, too. You see the cheese she is mike'
when we come in? That is milk from our cow. She make
the cottac-e cheese, then she salt an' pepper it an' add
a little hot pepperoni chopped up fine, then she pack it
down hard ant keep a few week'. The three girl', they
used to like it but they never learn' hew to make it.
Eo once in a while rama will send them a cheese."
Yario Sacrosanto tilted his chair back and Lazed
out the window at the green knoll sloping acallut the
darker green of spruce. "Yes, it is good to be in the
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open. It is just like my olt home. Eh, gama, what you
think?"
Lena Asorosanto smiled without speaking.