Read Carlito's Way: Rise to Power for Free Online Page B

These kids would say I was half a wop with my name, which is Corsican—of which there’s a lot in P.R. I’d think, maybe I’m gonna be the first made-guy P.R., and I’d say, “Fangul” and “Yer mudder’s cunt” with the best of them. I shoulda known better.
    Earl would come down when he had something to say to Rocco. Neither one of them would party as much as me. And they’d be down on me for fuckin’ around so much. I’d listen,’cause I knew these cats was in my corner, but I couldn’t see it. When you’re highrollin’ in the bread you’re bound to be out there jumpin’ come midnight every night. Rocco and Earl was businessmen,while-as I was a jive-ass party man. But I’d complain anyway.
    “Rocco, gimme a break. Earl, here, be a doctor of numerology, like Etienne. But numbers ain’t my game, Rocco. I ain’t got the patience. Gimme a break.”
    “He wants to be the main skag man uptown, Rocco. He think he can fuck with the feds.”
    “Charles, you’ve been handed a ready-made, going concern. Etienne has the best runners in Harlem.”
    “Yeah, but I gotta work every day. Somebody’s always trying to sneak in a late hit or change a number on us. Then you gotta be an administrator; then you got labor problems—what controller is humpin’ what runner’s wife. Rocco, I’m breakin’ my ass.”
    “The money’s good, right?”
    “Slow comin’.”
    “What do you think, Earl?”
    “Carlito’s okay, Rocco. The bank’s holdin’ up.”
    “Okay, Mister Carlito. Next time I have an auction you may be invited.”
    “I’m ready, Rocco, I’m ready.”
    “Paint is very expensive, maybe ten thou for a bucket.”
    “Money is only an object, I’ll get it. Got it, been there. Wadda you kiddin’, I been waiting since we left the El, Rocco. Right, Earl?”
    “I got no beef with the policy game, Carlito. Since Rocco got me on the pad, I been straight. Numbers is hard work, but it’s clean. That don’t mean I won’t take a shot if I get a chance. Meantime I’m cool.”
    “Junk shakes you up, eh, Earl?”
    “Earl is smart, Charles; he leaves well enough alone. He gets up early, he works hard, he sleeps nights. This other business is like Grand Prix racing. You have to keep your hands on the wheel at all times. You get the best engineers, the best mechanics, the best car, and they’ll still run you into a wall. I don’t recommend it to anybody. You’re on a different level in that game—the air is very thin. You can choke on it.”
    “When did you ever know me to take a step back, Rocco?”
    “It’s not that, I don’t want later on—”
    “Rocco, I’m ready, gimme a break.”
    “Take care of things uptown, with Earl here; later on, we’ll see.”
    Meanwhile, uptown some dudes is getting jealous— spics is like that. I’m tooling around in a big car with a fine kitty. Instead of saying one of the boys made it, no, they got to get mad; that jive Carlito, he ain’t shit, when’s the last time he took to the street with a cat— they wuz gonna try me out again. Mistake! It came down this way. I had me a fabulous Jewish chick name of Honey, a stone freak. A blonde, educated too—but she dug wise-guys. I’d play the Little Caesar shit for her and she loved it. She’d even come up to Harlem to meet me. One night she was waiting for me in this joint near 111th Street and Fifth Avenue. These three kiddie hoodlums came in, grabbed her fur coat right off her back.
    “Tell Carlito that Chucho wants to see him; we’ll hold your coat.”
    They were gone when I got there—lucky for me, since I didn’t have no piece on me. The broad was all shook up. I told Guiso, the owner of the joint, “Tell Chucho I’ll see him tomorrow night right here. I’m very embarrassed about my fiancée’s coat—make sure he brings the coat; we’ll work something out.” Well all right. Step right up.
    I dug the whole scene, that’s my trouble. I coulda had these punks taken out—no, I wanna do it