Best Story of the Week…October 28nd

Posted on October 28, 2020 by Susannah Bianchi

I’m about to enter my building when I hear someone holler, “Excuse me!”

My doorman points to a man with a young boy hurrying towards me.

The kid looks familiar in his high-end leather bomber jacket and jeans.

“I’d like a word with you, “says the man, in a menacing tone. “I understand you grabbed and yelled at my son.”

I now remember why the kid looks familiar.

“How dare you. Who do you think you are?” he snaps, staring me down in a suit and tie.

Who do I think I am? No shrinking violet, that’s for sure.

I stare at the kid, a preteen who I already know, having already met, deserves a good smack, choosing to address him rather than his bloviating father.

“So, you told your dad I grabbed you? Did you tell him why?”

He doesn’t answer. The father tries to interrupt, but I hold up my hand.

“I’ve asked you a question young man? You don’t want to answer? Then let me give you a tip. You want to be a squealer, then I suggest you go all the way.”

I swivel towards Dad who’s lucky I’m not armed.

“The reason I admonished your son, was because he was about to cross Park Avenue without looking both ways, because he was too busy texting. If I hadn’t grabbed him by his collar, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. “

Boy, am I pissed.

For a little comedy relief, my 18 year-old doorman stands next to me like Clemenza ready to take the gun, and leave the cannoli.

The father turns towards his son. “Is that true David?” The kid is silent.

My anger falsely simmers, speaking in a calm I don’t quite feel, having my utmost fill of the entitled, fucking, Upper East Side.

Did I mention neither father nor son are masked?

“You know sir, if I was lucky enough to have a son, I’d confiscate that phone until he could be more responsible, because you know what? God forbid something ever happens to him.”

I turn towards Clemenza who says, “So you know, the mail’s in.” (I so loved that)

The two of us then walk inside, leaving father and son stunned, in our wake.    

SB

About Susannah Bianchi

I'm just a girl who likes to write slightly on slant. I've had a career in fashion, dabbled in film and to be honest, I don't like talking about myself. Now my posts are another matter so I will let them speak for themselves. My eBooks, A New York Diary, Model Behavior: Friends For Life and Notes From A Working Cat can be found on Amazon.com. Thanks.
This entry was posted in Culture, grace, humanity, humor, kids, New York City, parents, words, writing and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

89 Responses to Best Story of the Week…October 28nd

  1. abigfatcanofworms says:
    October 28, 2020 at 5:30 am

    Great story! And I am off to look up bloviating. What a word! Can’t believe I have never come across it before!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. Vasca says:
    October 28, 2020 at 6:07 am

    Wowzer.! An encounter for the books…awesome! Be cool to have slyly wired them so you could listen in on ‘father/son’ chat…that is, if there was a follow-up. Who knows? Wonder why the boy even mentioned being rescued from a likely stay in the hospital or morgue…big ego, little integrity! You stood your ground w/Clemenza backing you! He’s someone who is loyal to the residents…in particular you! Love this story…you collared both of them. You & Clemenza are a duo to be reckoned with. Hugs to you both.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. skinnyuz2b says:
    October 28, 2020 at 6:23 am

    What a little brat! And I bet he didn’t go without his phone for even a minute. No lesson learned.
    I’m glad you have another bodyguard to add to your arsenal.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Anne Mehrling says:
    October 28, 2020 at 6:59 am

    You handled that perfectly. What a masterful response!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. aFrankAngle says:
    October 28, 2020 at 7:31 am

    Left them sparklers … Now that is well played … The mail is in? Priceless.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Susannah Bianchi says:
      October 28, 2020 at 9:07 am

      Wasn’t that great? Nate is 18, and reminds me of a big, sweet panda bear. He knew enough to come to my aid, which someone like me really appreciates, but still did his doorman’s duty. Humanity at its very best. Thanks.

      Like

      Reply
  6. aFrankAngle says:
    October 28, 2020 at 9:27 am

    Btw … Sparklers was supposed to be speechless … Damn autocorrect

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  7. kingmidget says:
    October 28, 2020 at 9:58 am

    It’s funny, parents who defend their children no matter what. I was probably the opposite all too frequently with my kids. When something happened … “Oh, really, and what did you do?” It is both a curse and a blessing that I look at the larger context of things instead of the narrow focus people prefer. One of the attorneys I had on my staff a few years ago accused me of not defending or supporting my staff sufficiently. She did that without knowing all that I did do to defend and support her, but still I was a bit gobsmacked by the accusation. My role as General Counsel meant I had a responsibility to the entire organization and not just to my staff. I couldn’t figure out why she didn’t understand that.

    A long way of saying that some people, like that attorney and like the dad in your story, have a very narrow focus and can’t consider the possibility that they are wrong, or the people in their narrow universe may be wrong, and that there is a larger context, a bigger story, to almost everything that happens.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Susannah Bianchi says:
      October 28, 2020 at 10:02 am

      You have to look at the whole board, Midget, always. This is the story I told you about. It’s a typical tale of the times of which we live, and i say that with much heartbreak attached. Thanks. Your humanity never fails to make an impression

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      • kingmidget says:
        October 28, 2020 at 10:06 am

        I wonder if some of this has to do with being writers. To effectively write a story, we need to see different angles, different ways to tell the story, and that leads to us observing life in that way also.

        Meanwhile, as a parent, I’ve worried about how my kids would turn out in this regard. My older son, after a trip in the wilderness of judgment and narrow thinking, seems to be coming back to reality — that life is complicated and you gotta consider “the whole board.”

        Like

      • Susannah Bianchi says:
        October 28, 2020 at 10:12 am

        He was probably just trying to find himself by trying on various hats. Could that be? He’s finally found one he likes that fits, and I’ll bet similar to his Dad’s. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      • kingmidget says:
        October 28, 2020 at 10:18 am

        I don’t want my kids to be like me. I want them to be happier. 😉

        A month or so ago, my older son told us a story. He came home from work and found a homeless man camped out in his parking space. He rents a condo with his girlfriend. He told the homeless guy that he didn’t care if he stayed there, but other people might. So the homeless guy stuck around until the HOA people started doing something about it. When they found out my son told the guy he could stay there, they told him he was responsible then for getting rid of him and his things. I told my son that simply wasn’t true, but my son wanted to take care of it because otherwise the police would show up and the homeless guy was black.

        A long way of saying … I told my son I was proud of him for his compassion, but that … to steal your words … he needed to look at the “whole board” when he does things like this. And, unlike a few years ago, he didn’t get angry at the “idiots” and was receptive to my cautions. Maybe it’s true what they say … boys don’t grow up until they’re about 25. 😉

        Have a good day out there in NYC, SB.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Susannah Bianchi says:
        October 28, 2020 at 10:54 am

        I LOVE THAT STORY. REALLY!!! How wonderful that he cared so. Okay, so it wasn’t practical, but he gets an A in humanity. sigh

        Liked by 1 person

      • Susannah Bianchi says:
        October 28, 2020 at 1:16 pm

        You’re a great dad Midget. I already knew that.

        Liked by 1 person

      • kingmidget says:
        October 28, 2020 at 3:06 pm

        I tried. That’s all I could do.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Susannah Bianchi says:
        October 28, 2020 at 4:48 pm

        You did good Mark. That’s story says it all.

        Liked by 1 person

      • kingmidget says:
        October 28, 2020 at 5:30 pm

        Can you let me wallow in my self-doubt? 😉

        Liked by 1 person

      • Susannah Bianchi says:
        October 29, 2020 at 10:01 am

        Hey Midget, am at your site. It’s none of my business but, you haven’t written since September. What gives. An Inquiring Thin Girl you kinda know.

        Liked by 1 person

      • kingmidget says:
        October 29, 2020 at 10:04 am

        My writing energies have been focused on finishing a novel. The Dime – which started as a short story, morphed into a novella, morphed again into a three part story. Wrote the first two parts, wanted to be done with it at that point, but a writer/editor I respect advised me that I needed to write the third part and then try to find an agent. So, I’ve been working on part three. Writing more in the last 4-5 weeks than I have in a long time. The good news is that the end is in sight. Very close.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Susannah Bianchi says:
        October 29, 2020 at 1:00 pm

        That’s great news.

        Liked by 1 person

      • kingmidget says:
        October 29, 2020 at 10:05 am

        Thank you for checking in.

        Liked by 1 person

  8. John W. Howell says:
    October 28, 2020 at 1:09 pm

    I loved the doorman’s role in this whole thing. “So you know, the mail’s in,” is a perfect segway to more important things like the Williams Sonoma catalog. I cannot imagine why this little snip told his father in the first place. Wanted a little attention maybe. Poor kid is dead meat. Thanks for the story. Susannah.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  9. Eilene Lyon says:
    October 28, 2020 at 8:25 pm

    Ick, the nerve of some people. No good deed goes unpunished, huh?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  10. David Stewart says:
    October 29, 2020 at 9:36 pm

    I’ve worked with kids enough to know that you don’t always get the full story from them, as the dad apparently didn’t. Good for you for standing up to him. Love your doorman, by the way. 🙂 Seems like a good guy who’s got your back.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  11. Dale says:
    November 1, 2020 at 6:24 pm

    I don’t know why I’m always surprised at the parents who blindly believe everything their kids say. Ironically, I watched the ending of Scent of a Woman the other day and this is a perfect example of the privileged kids getting away with everything (almost) and the poor kid being accused unjustly of a crime he didn’t even commit, just witnessed but was ‘man’ enough to NOT snitch. Sigh.
    Your doorman completely rocks. As do you for this.
    Oh, and by the way, I don’t know why… but I used to be able to share your posts on Twitter and no longer can. Your “more” button no longer has the Twitter link… just so you know and maybe can check your settings…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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