RUDY WHO, YOU SAY ? WOULD YOU PLEASE REPEAT THE NAME ? RUDY BIOLETTO ? RETIRIN’ TODAY ? OH CHRIST, NO ! TELL ME IT’S NOT TRUE ! AMAZEMENT AND CONSTERNATION, THERE ARE NO OTHER WORDS TO EXPRESS THE WAY I’M FEELING RIGHT NOW, AND IT’S ONLY AN UNDERSTATEMENT, BELIEVE ME ! THE TRUTH IS THAT I JUST CANT ACCEPT THE IDEA OF SUCH A TRAGEDY ! AND THAT I HAVE TEARS IN MY EYES ; THE SAME I HAVE WHEN WATCHING GONE WITH THE WIND ON MY TV SET.
BUT WHAT IS RUDY LEAVIN’ FOR, TO BEGIN WITH ? AINT HE HAPPY ANYMORE IN AFRO ? IS HE IN BAD TERMS WITH BOB ? HAS SOMEBODY BEEN DISRESPECTFUL TO HIM ? HAS HE LOST HIS COMPUTER, OR FORGOTTEN THE PASSWORD ? AND HOW COME HE DID NOT TELL ME ANYTHING ? FOR SURPRISE EFFECT, MAYBE ? JESUS, I REALLY JUST DONT UNDERSTAND NOTHING ANYMORE. HELL, IF ONLY IT COULD BE A JOKE, WHAT A RELIEF IT WOULD BE.
BUT ALAS IT’S NOT. I’M JUST STARTING TO REALIZE IT AND FORESEE THE DRAMATIC CONSEQUENCES OF RUDY’S DEPARTURE. AND THERE’S SOMETHING I’M ALREADY SURE : FROM NOW ON AND UNTIL THE END OF TIMES, TODAY, YEAR 1999, JUNE THE ELEVENTH, WILL BE REMEMBERED, IN AFRO’S COLLECTIVE HISTORY, AND MORE GENERALLY IN AVIATION BUSINESS, AS THE BLACK FRIDAY.
AS FOR RUDY’S FUTURE, I CANT DISSIMULATE ANYLONGER, FOR CRISSAKE, THAT I’M FEELING AWFULLY ANXIOUS. I HAVE THE DEEP FEELING IT’S GONNA BE THE GREATEST DISASTER REGISTERED IN FLORIDA SINCE PEARL HARBOR’S ATTACK. ESPECIALLY FOR RUDY’S WIFE, I MEAN. COMPARED TO WHAT’S GONNA HAPPEN, FLOODS AND HURRICANES WILL LOOK LIKE HANDFULS OF PEANUTS.
IT MAKES ME THINK I GOTTA GIVE MY PHONE NUMBER TO POOR ROBIN IMMEDIATELY, IN ORDER TO SUPPORT HER THE VERY BEST I CAN, AND TRY TO STRENGHTEN HER WHEN SHE HAS TO FACE THIS TERRIBLE, MERCILESS AND UNAVOIDABLE NERVOUS BREAKDOWN RUDY’S FUTURE BEHAVIOUR WILL CAUSE TO HER. I HAVE BEEN KNOWING RUDY FOR FIFTEEN YEARS NOW, AND I TELL YOU, RETIREMENT IS GONNA DRIVE HIM CRAZY FOR SURE. TAKE MY WORD FOR IT.
SEE, RUDY IS NOT A MAN TO STAY ALL DAY LONG ON A ROCKING-CHAIR UNDER HIS VERANDA, UNIQUELY BUSY WITH CHEWING CHEAP TOBACCO AND SPITTING EVERY TWO MINUTES TOWARDS THE FLOWER POTS. CERTAINLY NOT. RUDY IS A MAN WHO CANT LIVE WITHOUT ACTION. FOR INSTANCE, HE IS QUITE CAPABLE OF BUYING A MACHINE GUN AND EXTERMINATING ALL DOGS, CATS, PIGEONS, ALLIGATORS AND GOLD-FISH OF HIS VICINAGE. JUST FOR FUN. AINT IT A FINE WAY TO MAKE FRIENDS ?
THEN I WONT BE SURPRISED IF RUDY, HANDY AS HE IS, SUDDENLY DECIDES THAT HIS HOUSE SYSTEMS, APPEARANCE AND MAIN FOUNDATIONS HAVE TO BE REFRESHED, DEEPLY MODIFIED AND SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVED. ELECTRICITY, PLUMBERY, PAINTING, PLASTER-WORK, ETC, NO SPECIALTY WILL BE FORGOTTEN.
RUDY BEING DEFINITELY KNOWN AS AN EXCEPTIONALLY HARD WORKER, IT IS EXTREMELY LIKELY THAT EVERYTHING INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE HOUSE, ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING, INCLUDING THE COFFEE-MACHINE, THE TV SET AND VCR, WITHOUT FORGETTING THE WALLS AND THE ROOF, WILL BE HOPELESSLY OUT OF ORDER OR MERELY REDUCED TO DUST WITHIN TWO OR THREE MONTHS AT MOST. IT WILL BE SOMETHING LIKE A SUCCESFUL NATO HIT, I WOULD SAY. RUDY’S NEIGHBOURS WILL HAVE THE IMPRESSION TO LIVE IN KOSOVO. NO NEED FOR THEM TO WATCH CNN ANYLONGER.
AND NOW COMES THE WORST OF ALL. MY OPINION IS DEFINITE UPON THIS ISSUE. WHEN RUDY IS NOT AT WORK, YOU CAN BE SURE HE IS IN A BAR. MANY TIMES I HAVE VERIFIED IT WITH MY OWN EYES. BUT WHAT COULD I DO, EXCEPT TRYING TO EXPLAIN HIM THAT A SINGLE GLASS OF BEER COUD BECOME FATAL TO HIS HEALTH AND HIS FAMILY ? HE DIDN’T LISTEN TO ME. TWO MORE BUDS, PLEASE, WAS HIS ONLY COMMENT.
THAT’S THE REASON WHY I AM ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THAT SOON AS RUDY GETS RETIRED, INSTEAD OF CHERISHING HIS WIFE AND SON LIKE ANYBODY ELSE WOULD, HE WILL, DEAD TO ALL SENSE OF SHAME, SPEND PRACTICALLY ALL NIGHTS IN ILL-FAMED BARS, SURROUNDED AND TICKLED BY LOW-CLASS, INDECENTLY DRESSED, PULPOUS, LUSTFUL AND DISHONEST FEMALES, WHO WILL HAVE HIM WASTE REMORSELESSLY THE FAMILY’S MONEY. IN ADDITION TO THOSE DISGUSTING ACTIVITIES, HE WILL MAKE TERRIBLY ILL USE OF STRONG LIQUORS AND WILL SMOKE CIGARETTES ONE AFTER THE OTHER, OR EVEN, I HARDLY DARE TO MENTION IT, BIG CUBAN CIGARS. LET’S ONLY HOPE HE WILL STRICTLY LIMIT THEIR USE TO WHAT THEY ARE DESIGNED FOR. RUDY WILL BECOME A NIGHTMARE FOR ANY DECENT PERSON, ANYWAY.
AND FROM THAT MOMENT IT WILL BE THE IMPLACABLE DESCENT DOWN TO HELL. ARMED ROBBERIES, PROSTITUTION, GAMBLING, DRUG TRAFFIC, MURDER, PORNOGRAPHIC MOVIES, PROBATIONERS HARASSING, INTERNET, HOMOSEXUALITY, HE WILL EXPERIENCE EVERYTHING IN THE ENDLESS FIELD OF CRIMINAL BUSINESS.
IF BY IMPROBABLE CHANCE RUDY ESCAPES FROM THE ELECTRIC CHAIR, MOST PROBABLY HE’LL FINISH HIS LIFE IN AN ARIZONA CHAIN-GANG PENITENTIARY. A RATHER UNPLEASANT PLACE, SORT OF HOUSE OF BURNING SUN, EXCELLENT FOR MAKING VERY CLOSE FRIENDS, BUT WHERE SCREWDRIVERS AND WRENCHES OF ALL TYPES ARE STRICTLY FORBIDDEN, BECAUSE THOSE GUYS OVER THERE WITH THEIR RIOTGUNS, THEY HAVE NO SENSE OF HUMOR AT ALL, AND THEY DONT FIND IT FUNNY WHEN ONE OF THEIR TENANTS TRIES TO CANCEL THE LEASE, MAINLY BECAUSE THEY’RE OBLIGED TO GO OUT IN THE DESERT AND IT’S HOT LIKE HELL, AND THERE’S NOTHING TO DRINK EXCEPT THE WATER THEY ARE OBLIGED TO TAKE WITH THEM, BECAUSE BOOTH IS FORBIDDEN DURING CHASES, AND THEY’RE SCARED TO DEATH BY RATTLESNAKES AND MUSK-RATS.
AND IN THE END THERE WILL ONLY REMAIN OF RUDY A NAMELESS GRAVE IN TOMBSTONE BOOTHILL CEMETERY, ENGRAVED WITH ONE OF HIS VERY LAST STUPID JOKES : I’D RATHER BE HERE THAN IN FLORIDA, OR SOMETHING SIMILAR. NO ONE WILL EVER LAY FLOWERS ON THAT GRAVE. IT ONLY WILL BE VISITED FROM TIME TO TIME BY SOME DESPERATELY STUPID TOURISTS, MOSTLY STOUT AND VULGAR TEXAN REDNECKS, EQUIPPED WITH CHEAP CAMERAS, LOUSY TEE-SHIRTS AND RIDICULOUS CAPS, AND WHO WILL SHAMELESSLY HONOR RUDY’S MEMORY WITH THEIR DISGUSTING ERUCTATIONS.
IT’S NOT EXACTLY WHAT YOU WOULD CALL A SUCCESSFUL LIFE, AM I RIGHT ? IS IT WHAT YOU WANT, RUDY ? DONT YOU THINK THERE ARE BETTER WAYS TO ADMIRE GRAND CANYON AND PETRIFIED FOREST ?
HEY, RUDY, IT’S ME, MIKE, YOUR FIFTEEN-YEARS FRIEND, TALKING TO YOU. ARE YOU STILL AWAKE ? DO YOU STILL REMEMBER ME ? THE GUY WHO SPEAKS BOTH FRENCH AND ENGLISH WITHOUT THE SLIGHTEST ACCENT, AND WHO SMOKES A MALBORO FROM TIME TO TIME, SEE WHO I MEAN ?
PLEASE, PLEASE, RUDY, I DONT KNOW WHY YOU TOOK THAT DEADLY DECISION, BUT LET ME SUPPLICATE YOU FOR STAYING IN AFRO. NE ME QUITTE PAS, AS WE SAY IN FRENCH. THINK IT OVER IF YOU’RE STILL CAPABLE. IF YOU LEAVE, YOU WILL BE RUNNING TOWARDS AN AWFUL CATASTROPHE. BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, PLEASE GET AWARE THAT IF YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND, YOU WILL KEEP GOING TO AFRO EVERYDAY, SINGING OLD FOLK SONGS OF PETER, PAUL AND MARY, OR BING CROSBY STANDARDS, OR IT’S A WONDERFUL WORLD, OR STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT OR WHATEVER YOU WANT, WHILE TRYING TO DRIVE YOUR CAR AND REMEMBER WHERE YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO GO. AND WHAT A RELIEF FOR ROBIN WHEN YOU’RE OUTSIDE !
YOU WILL BE ABSOLUTY FREE TO QUIT WHENEVER YOU WANT, OF COURSE. IN TEN, FIFTEEN YEARS, JUST AS YOU LIKE. CURTIS WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH COMPUTER GAMES ON CD-ROM’S, YOU WILL DISCUSS WITH DARRYL AS LONG AS DARRYL FEELS LIKE, DOUG AND RICHIE WILL TEACH YOU WHAT THEY KNOW OF FRENCH LANGUAGE, BOB WILL LEND YOU HIS MOTORCYCLE, AND, AND, CHERRY ON THE CAKE, YOU WILL BE OFFICIALLY AND SOLELY IN CHARGE OF THE TENTATIVE REPAIRS OF THE YAW DAMPER TEST BENCH. IT’S NORMAL, YOU BOTH HAVE THE SAME AGE, APPROXIMATELY. AND LAST, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, IF YOU STAY IN AFRO UP TO ONE HUNDRED YEARS, I WILL PUT PRESSURE ON ALEX UNTIL HE BUYS YOU A BICYCLE. IT WILL BE A FORETASTE OF PARADISE, TRUST ME. IT’S STILL TIME, BUT HURRY UP.
RUDY, I HAVE PUT ALL MY HEART IN THERE. MAYBE I HAVE EXAGGERATED A LITTLE BIT, BUT I HOPE I HAVE CONVINCED YOU. IF NOT, WELL, SEE YOU IN PARIS ONE OF THESE DAYS. THE RED DISTRICT IS NO LONGER WHAT IT USED TO BE, BUT WE’LL MANAGE.
SINCERELY AND FRIENDLY YOURS. SEE YOU IN DENVER.
Mike
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire