by Patricia Bellomo | Mar 17, 2011 | Mob Blog
March Madness
March Madness
March madness and the weather in south Florida is spectacular. My bettors are calling in sporadically, and I’ve got both my phones running. I give them a time frame, but today is the first big day and nobody’s on schedule. I’m sitting on the patio of Latitudes, the beachside restaurant/bar in the Holiday Inn in Highland Beach. I’m taking a lady friend to lunch, and we’re enjoying the view, chatting nicely. Except my phones keep ringing. She doesn’t understand what I do and thinks it’s rude that I keep answering. But it’s business before pleasure, except when the bikini-clad ladies walk back and forth from the beach to the pool. I can’t help looking, and now she’s really annoyed.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]March Madness is a little anecdote based on one of Patricia Bellomo’s fictitious mobsters. Bellomo’s books are available on Amazon.com and on all e-readers.
by Patricia Bellomo | Mar 8, 2011 | Mob Blog
Roma Cafe
I’m sitting at the bar in Roma Cafe. This restaurant is one of the last of the greats left in the city. Located in Detroit’s Eastern Market, it’s a classic with really superb food and an excellent all-male wait-staff. Earlier, when I stepped in, I was surprised to see a few familiar faces in the dining-room. It’s a good sign that there are still some of us left on the street, and for a minute there it was like stepping back a couple of decades. I suppose I’m feeling sentimental … I’m in town for the funeral of an old friend. In fact, I used to meet him at this very bar, and it looks the same as it did then.
What’s missing are the boys … the comradery of friends, the business deals and action. This town used to breed money, and now it’s busted out and empty. I’m recalling my dead buddy, remembering the envelopes he used to slip me. He wasn’t the only customer I used to meet at Roma’s, but in view of his recent parting, he’s the one I’m thinking about. I remember sitting at this bar with him on the day Ronald Reagan was shot, both of us watching the drama unfold on television.
I miss the old days. I miss my friend. And I miss those envelopes he used to give me. Like they say, “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”
by Patricia Bellomo | Feb 2, 2011 | Mob Blog
Super Bowl – Good for entertainment
That’s all the Super Bowl is–entertainment. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the worst game of the year. You can’t make up any money, and you can actually lose a lot. People think I’m all hyped about it, but that’s a crock. Sure, it’s exciting, but the championship games are usually better games with more riding on them. One thing I am glad of: It’s the last game of a long and difficult season. Amen.
