12.42 D'Annunzio & Mussolini

Slim Novel 12 -  http://adventuresofkimi.blogspot.com - See Homepage

42. Fascism – A Surprising Take

Ali's night out in the Glenn settles into a semi groove of once a week, the semi meaning not inevitable and not always same night. Ali strongly strives to avoid being a slave to regularity. She got that from reading in Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon, the story of a Mr. Flitcraft who comes close to sudden extinction walking into the path of a loosed, poorly set brick that whizzed down from atop a building, creasing his cheek. And, seeing that his staying alive was balanced on such a slight chance of change in his regularity, he decided to become unpredictable in order to fool fatal fate. Similarly, Ali suddenly will change a same night of the week in the forest for another and she calls this sudden switch her broken field run, which is the change in path a football forward pass receiver makes to surprise his would-be tacklers.

Now is winter and Ali, dressed for the freezing late Bronx December, lights a fire keeping it through the night and reading by its light and sleeping on the ground beside it. But even her enthusiasm cannot take the cold so she gets up and walks to 10-minutes-away Luigi's Pizza & Pasta at the Woodlawn Station. Luigi's is open all night because the subway end-of-line business is good between 12 midnight and 9 AM, not only the late transit commuters from downtown, but also from the next door all night Golf Café drinkery which does not serve food. And during the all night, Luigi's employee Nicola keeps the business moving as he cooks pasta and makes pizza pies that are sold by the slice for 10 cents. Nicola knows Ali's forest habit and is a regular at her Sunday seminars where he often offers his Italian English that improves when he talks authoritatively.

This night, Ali in black winter zip-jacket with white stripes on arms and matching sports pants, comes in the door and stamps her small booted feet on the entry mat to get the frozen snow chunks off.

   “Nicola, Oooh! I was freezing my balls off out there!” shouts Ali in relief at the steam heat surroundings.
   “Hey, baby, how you do that, I never know? But glad I see you my little coocaracha.”
   “Did you just call me a cockroach?”
   “No, baby! It not Italian; it my own lengua."

   "OK. Gi’me hot coffee and whip up a spaghetti and tomato sauce, the 25-cent with a pizza slice and a Chianti too. I know you don't have a liquor license but I also know you got my personal bottle just under the counter."

Ali has finished her wine and the eats, as usual without chit-chat; Nicola knows her way well. Now she faces him across the counter.
   "Nicola, how come you admire Mussolini?  I mean, he is an ally of Hitler!"
   "Look, baby, I no politico. I Italian. I fight in Italia Army World War I. We fight the goddamn Austria."
   "So how did you come to Mussolini?"
   "Italia a mess then. We got goddamn catholic church. I read Karl Marx. I believe. You know D'Annunzio?"
   "Somewhere heard the name. Wasn't he a writer?"
   "D'Annunzio grande genius. He write poetry, books; he wake Italia, become famous. Cumma World War I he mayka speech up and downa country for Italia. And even he age 50 he volunteer and learn to fly airplane and he fly 700 mile to Vien and drop pamphlets for Austria getta outa war. Greatest flight in history and D'Annunzio most popular. And Italia win but goddam League a Nation double-cross and give Fiume City to Yugoslav. And D'Annunzio getta brave Italia men and take back Fiume. And he is Il Duce - Big Boss and he start Fasces idea. And he make speech from balcony. He preach Futurismo. He want Italia Syndicalista state. And Benito Mussolini copy D'Annunzio and march on Rome. D'Annunzio shoulda get credit for Italia success not Mussolini. But when Mussolini follow Hitler, D'Annunzio already old and tired, getta angry. He warn Mussolini - 'You follow Hitler you end up hanga by you heel.' 
   "Well, little lady! I no good explain but I love D'Annunzio. I leave Italia when Mussolini signa with Hitler."
   Nicola ceases his harangue. 
   "Oh, now I get it better. You are really a Utopian like me. I am futurist too. I know it originated in Italy."
   And Ali tells Nicola her vision of the world afterwards, if America wins World War Two.
   "Nicola, I am afraid. The USA represents the worst trend of humanity - just get money, make babies, consume, consume, consume; sell, sell, sell; market is God. USA is going to win the war - Hitler is an idiot savant with accent on idiot - but after 60 years of America triumphalismo the Earth will be heading for hell from overpopulation and resources depletion and pollution."    
   Ali continues her anti-America harangue. Her ideas come from her Utopian Uncle Guy.
   Afterwards, she returns to her fire in the forest, and both she and Nicola understand each other better.
 For next, click 12.43 Dan's Final Party - New Year's Eve