due to popular demand here's a fun story:

Back in high school around late 95 a friend in the neighbourhood was friends with a real nutty kid in Howard Beach, we'll call him Tony. Tony was left back two or three times so he was 17 when we were barely 15. Tony's father was in and out of jail and was an enforcer in the mob. We knew this because my friends father was a cop and warned his son to keep away from that "mafia shit". Tony like his father was a brawny violent kid who had been himself arrested for assault and spent a few months in juve. The kid had no problem stomping someone out over nothing. So I'm by my friends place when Tony calls to come by. Tony shows up with a friend from the nearby Pink House projects, sorry to say it like this but he was a big scary looking black dude. Both were whacked out on coke.

Tony asks us if we wanted to go for a walk to Howard and grab pizza at Ginos. Hell yeah, love Ginos. Of course as a young teen kid I had this attraction to hanging with degenerates especially after my fathers recent passing (you wanna feel like a rebellious bad ass). So me, my friend, Tony and his friend start walking down Crossbay. They were still high and decide to walk through the local supermarket while acting like they were mentally handicapped screaming all over the store. So I'm thinking these are just two coked up clowns and we're laughing having a good time. No big deal. We stop at the ball field before the parkway to take a break and sit on the bleachers. Tony pulls his backpack off, and all that was in there was his hat, a little purse of weed paraphernalia and a satchel with half a dozen 8-ball sized vials of coke he shows me. They do a bump, offer us but we passed. I'm a little nervous seeing all that coke but just play it cool.

We get to Howard and Tony stops by a video store. Before we go in he firmly tells my friend and I "I gotta pick something up in there real quick. when we go in, look serious, don't laugh, don't smile, don't talk or say anything. if anyone comes in we leave. Got it" "Uh, Yeah man, no problem". We go in and Tony and his friend walk up to the counter and the guy behind it literally shoots up from his chair looking jumpy. Without saying a word Tony walks behind the counter to the back while his friend watches the door. He emerges with the nervous clerk seconds later, walks out and we all follow. This repeats at four more stores along the boulevard as we head south, passing Ginos. We'd go in, look serious, and Tony goes behind the counter to do something. One shop keeper, I forget which shop, winds up handing him a thick brown envelope in the open which upsets Tony who yells at the guy "don't wave that shit around in the open" while he grabs it and quickly stuffs it in his now laden bag. That was when naive me realized we weren't going to get Ginos. I was also pretty fucking scared.

Finally, we enter one more shop where this big fat very Italian looking guy is smoking a cigar along with another dude who happily greeted Tony and his friend unlike every previous shop keeper. The fat dude says "who the hell are these two." Tony tells them that we're cool and friends. The other dude walks to the door, locks it and flips a "back in 15 minutes" sign. Tony goes behind the counter, takes his bag off and they huddle around a bin with their backs towards us. I hear the bag open and see Tony hand the envelopes to the fat dude who fumbles with one and puts them in the bin. I hear the fat guy tell Tony "you did good kid." They chat for a few seconds as if bargaining and Tony hands the guy the bag with the vials of coke and the guy hands him a small cardboard box which Tony puts in his bag. The dude pats Tony on the back, other dude unlocks the door and we all leave.

We walk down and turn down an avenue. Tony tells me and my friend that they have to go somewhere else. He reaches in his pocket gives me and my friend each $20 and said "dont hang around here. get on the bus, go strait back to ozone and don't say a fucking word about today. got it." "Yeah, no problem Tony" We part ways and walked to the bus stop on the next block. I asked my friend what the fuck just happened. His response "I have no idea but please dont say anything to anyone. if my dad finds out, he'll beat my ass." I could see he was just as shaken as I was.

The only thing I can safely conclude is that we either helped move/sell drugs and/or collect protection money. Possibly the closest I might have come to working unwittingly for the mob.