Tony Capelli - Prologue

[AlPrunty]

OOG: Thanks Linette for the help starting

Tony was fixing dinner, his roommate was picking up his parents at the airport and the sink was stopped up... AGAIN. He called his landlord's sister for an emergency fix... bribing her with a plate full of lasagna and fresh baked bread if she could come fix the sink. He had a mess to clean up and a pile of dishes from just prepping the meal. The doorbell rang and he walked over to answer it, "Oh hi Linette..." he said as the smells wafted out into the hallway. "Come in... I'm sorry for calling you so urgently... Tim's parents are coming in and I thought I would do something nice for them

Linette brought in her tools and grinned. "Couldn't pass up the bribe." she laughed. and first off grabbed a laundry basket and plunked the dirty clothes in it and set to work. Pan underneath to catch the water, Linette loosened the pipe and let the water drain out. " I'm hoping its just a matter of running a snake through." Linette answered pulling that particular item over. She deftly fed it in through the connection into the wall and listened as it made its way through the pipes. "Once this is done, I'll help you out with the dishes."

"Um... I don't think the dishwasher is broken," he said with a smile... "besides you need dinner... I've even made hot rolls. How's my bike coming?" He asked... "I was hoping to leave and let Tim have some privacy with his mom. He's going to the airport to pick them up... and he may want to take them out later in the car. "Tony ran his fingers through his dark black hair, "I'm thinking of getting a haircut tomorrow... something military and short."

Linette looked at his hair, "That would look nice, and your bike is done. When you're ready you can come get it."

He joked, "yeah... I cut this hair and all the girls at the station will go into mourning," he said with a cheezy smile offering her a clean towel to dry her hands off as she washed them, "thanks for fixing the drain... again. I tried to keep stuff from going down it... I really did."

Linette accepted the towel and laughed. "Well you've got the type of hair women would just love to run their fingers through."

He flashed a big smile, "hair isn't everything..." he handed her a plate full of Lasagna a couple of garlic rolls and a fork, "made just like my Granny used to.

Linette grabbed a cup of water with ice and started eating, "Oh wow this is fantastic." Linette exclaimed.

"I have tea," he protested.

"Water with a squeeze of lemon will suit me just fine, Tony. It adds to the flavor of the food."

"I don't have any lemons," he said... "Tim will be coming in soon with his Mom and Dad... I set the table and turned the oven off... should keep everything warm. Would you mind bringing me my plate back... I'm going to go try out the bike... thanks for taking care of the sink," he said as he put the last of the cooking utensils in the dishwasher, "I think I'll go by the park or something..." he said kind of detached. "If I had parents I would want to be alone with them."

Linette looked quizzically at Tony. "Are you okay? I'll make certain to brring the plate back. And thanks for the food."

"My parents are far away," he said... "they moved back to Italy with my grandparents." He said as he rehearsed it many times. "I'm glad you liked the food... hopefully Tim won't stop it up again." He said as he grabbed his leather jacket and put it on... "thanks again Linette."

"If he does, I'll be back." she laughed and carried the plate out with her. "I'll see you around."

He yelled back at her, "But Tim doesn't cook... you have no incentive."

"It doesn't take someone not cooking to clog the sink up again. the apartments are notorious for clogs at one time or other." Linette called back with a laugh and a wave.

He waved back as he walked out and down the steps... the roar of the old Triumph T-90's motor sounded through the alleyway as he took off... towards the city park. He looked skyward and sighed, thinking to himself, Someday they will come... and my family won't be so far away anymore.

[AlPrunty]

Tony sat in the park watching children play… a concept he did not understand. Why let children waste time screaming and running about when there were other things that need be done. What a waste of time… he sat there with a bag of stale bread waiting to feed the ducks, yet somehow they knew what he was… they avoided him… he would toss bread at them and they would retreat away from him. When he got up and walked away the ducks would go greedily gobble down the bread, but they would not come to him like the other park patrons.

He heard the screech of car tires when the smell of fresh spilled blood filled his nostrils. It was unmistakable... he turned to see a car with a woman crying over a child. He got up and run… his purpose was that of a healer and while he was on this world he would do his best… when he got there he saw the woman cradling a young boy… he was crying and clinging to him.

She whispered softly, "Your puppy is in heaven with God."

They were words that he did not understand… words that had no meaning for him… he turned to see a little black Scotty dog that lay dead in front of a car. The driver, an older woman was with the mother trying to comfort the child saying "I did not see him… I'm so glad the boy is ok."


Tony walked over to the dog and knelt down… he touched it… it had a very faint pulse… he turned and looked to see if there was anyone looking… thankfully there were no bystanders as it was the back of the park away from the playground where the people walked and played with their dogs.

He reached into his pocket and retrieved a strange silver looking device… the pocket also contained a white pill… the pill that would cause him to self immolate if he were near death or discovered. It was his duty to take it… Anna's will.

Tony took the silver device and waived it over the dog… an image of the dog's internal organs appeared to float above the animal along with its muscles, bones and nerves. He noticed the break in the spinal cord… that was causing the organs to shut down… he squeezed the side of the device and a golden beam seemed to come out of the bottom. He waved it around the dog until it got up on its legs and wobbled around.

He called out to the mother, "I think the animal is going to be fine."

The mother angrily retorted… "Don’t mess with a child like that… it is dead." When suddenly the dog barked and she looked at Tony strange and called it, "Tuffy… come here boy," she said. The dog limped over to him.

Not to draw too much attention to himself he did not heal the broken front leg of the animal. Tony smiled when he said, "Ma'am… I think his leg is broken… you need to take him to a healer of Animals."

The woman looked at him for his strange way of saying Veterinarian, "Oh I will…" she picked up her son and the small dog looking at Tony… "Thank you sir."

The driver of the car got in and drove off… the woman made her way to her car never taking her eyes off of tony before he left. He watched her… blinking strangely as if he was forcing himself to blink… trying to figure out what just happened. It was yet another time where he had to watch another creature suffer... when he could have healed it completely. He had to especially hold back working as a paramedic... that bothered him, even though the humans were just creatures, they were inferior... or were they? He watched lady get in the car with her son and the dog depart.

The park had lost its interest to him, he walked over to his bike... an machine of conveyance that was very enjoyable to use. He started it up and roared away… riding anywhere just for the sake of riding... something that he once thought frivolous, but helped fill the absence of the bliss he longed for. He wondered if Anna would come before he went crazy waiting for her... in the meantime he just rode with the wind blowing through his hair. A feeling that was indescribable... wind did not whip scales around.