Chapter 30

THE IDEA of a party for Major Joppolo grew up in a peculiar way. It came up partly because of real affection for the Major. But it was also partly because Captain Purvis wanted to see if he couldn’t make some time with one of the daughters of Tomasino.

Giuseppe the interpreter stopped in to see Captain Purvis at the M.P. command post one afternoon. Giuseppe was just keeping his butter evenly spread. “How’s a thing, a Cap?” he asked. He called Purvis Cap because his tongue always tripped on Captain.

“Okay,” the Captain said.

“You like Adano?”

“Okay,” the Captain said.

“You like a little more fun?”

“Who wouldn’t?”

“Why you don’t a go see Francesca no more?”

“There’s nothing there, Giuseppe, the family’s always hanging around.”

“I’m a no so sure. You don’t a try very hard.”

“Besides, I think the Major’s falling for the blonde. He’s a good guy, I wouldn’t want to mess him up any.”

“How you mess him up? You fool around a Francesca.”

“No, Giuseppe, I think the Major’s serious. I don’t know, he didn’t say anything, I just got a hunch. If I fooled around with those girls, it would be strictly for fish. No, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“You mean a Mister Major, he’s a fall in a love?” “I don’t know. Maybe. I think so.”

“What a for? Can he have a no fun without a fall over like a that?”

“Doesn’t look to me like you can have much fun with a whole bunch around, including you, Giuseppe, and having to eat that godawful candy, and the old lady sitting there. No, Giuseppe, if I play house with a little dolly, I like a little privacy.”

“Giuseppe’s a fix.”

“I doubt if you could.”

“Never mind. Giuseppe’s a fix. I tell a you something. These a girl, these a Tomasino’s girl, she’s a not, uh how you say uh -not a scrupulous. All a three, nobody’s a scrupulous. You know those a two little a babies in a house?”

“You mean those little girls?”

Giuseppe nodded. “Belong a sister. She’s a you know.” Giuseppe winked.

“You mean she takes in washing and that’s not all?”

“She’s a bad a girl. Rome.” Giuseppe nodded and winked at the same time.

“Francesca’s not a scrupulous. Tina’s not a scrupulous. You can have a some fun. “

“How? What can you fix, Giuseppe?”

“Fix a party.”

“There you go with a crowd again. Hell no, let’s have a little privacy.”

“How about a Major?”

“Yeah, I suppose we got to think of him. You know, Giuseppe, he’s a funny guy. Sometimes I think he’s an awful wet blanket, and sometimes I can’t help liking him. He was telling me the other day at lunch that the main thing he really wants around here is to have these Italian people like him. You know what I think we ought to do? I think we ought to throw a party for him. Or rather I think we ought to rig it so these Italians throw a party for him.” Captain Purvis never thought of Giuseppe as an Italian, because he spoke English.

“Giuseppe’s a fix.”

“I mean a real good party, Giuseppe. With people like the Mayor and that old sulphur crackpot, and some nice girls of course.”

“Giuseppe’s a fix.”

“And some wine. Couldn’t we get some champagne for a change?”

“Giuseppe’s a fix

“If we really had a big party, then a certain Captain and a certain young lady could do a disappearing act, couldn’t they?”

Giuseppe winked again.

“That’s what I hate about a small party, anyone goes out, everyone else notices it. We ought to have a big party for a change.”

Giuseppe said: “How many you want, a Cap?”

“Oh, I don’t know, you can get some of these Italians together and decide. I’ll put up whatever dough you need. We could have it down at the villa where my men stay, that Quattrocchi guy’s house. Lot of spare rooms down there with beds in ‘em, heh, Giuseppe?” And this time it was Captain Purvis who winked.

“When you want a party?” Giuseppe asked.

“Well, pretty soon, how about next Friday?”

“Giuseppe’s a fix.”

And so it happened that in his mail, two or three days later, Major Joppolo got a card, on which was written in Italian: “A Committee of the people of Adano request the pleasure of your company at a party in honor of His Excellency the Mister Major Victor Joppolo on Friday evening, July 29th, at Villa Rossa, 71 Via Umberto the First, at 8:30 p.m.”

Major Joppolo propped the card on the inkstand on his desk where he could read it, and often did: “…in honor of His Excellency... ‘