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      	  B: St. Donatus 
 by Dee Gilles	

 Disclaimer: For entertainment only.

 

 Benny & Ray 49 St. Donatus Day Dee Gilles Rated G

 Feast Day. Ray Vecchio strolled through the streets of Little Italy
holding the hand of his ten-year-old niece Rosanna. Benny carried baby
Marissa. Just moments ago, Ray had seen Tony and Maria strolling ahead of
them, hand in hand, utterly relaxed for a change. Donny, and Raphy, at
ages eleven and thirteen, were old enough to be on their own. They were
running around the St. Donatus Day Festival with some of the boys from the
neighborhood.

 It was a steamy August afternoon, and everybody was running around in
shorts. There were balloons, banners, and ribbons everywhere.

 The St. Donatus processional had streamed by them moments before, St.
Donatus nearly invisible underneath the money pinned to him. Ray was
responsible for quite a few of those bills himself. He glanced at Benny,
over to his right. Benny moved the squirming two-year-old from one hip to
another without breaking stride. 

 Ray felt he owed a bit of debt to St. Donatus; he had watched over him
and Benny. Ray had been attending the mass and carnival his entire life,
and he had taken Benny once, back in '97. Benny had accompanied all the
Vecchios to church, and to the carnival, and to the huge dinner at the
house afterwards. It was a better dinner than even Thanksgiving. 

 Ray had thought that it might be his last feast for a while. He had been
asked by the FBI to go to Vegas impersonate a made guy. They'd given him
the weekend to think about it.

 That feast day was a lot like this one; hot, muggy. Someone even opened
up a fire hydrant and the kids had a blast running through the water. He,
Benny, and Dief, ran through it too. It felt good. They walked back to the
house dripping wet; they didn't care. Like two small boys, they raced each
other the last two blocks. Benny won, no contest, Dief right beside him.
Benny ran up the front steps, and waited on the front porch for Ray to
catch up. On the front sidewalk, Ray tripped and fell.

 Instead of hearing some call of concern from his friend, Ray heard peals
of belly laughter. Ray clambered to his feet, embarrassed. Benny stood
there panting, laughing, looking so young, and so happy. Ray realized that
he very seldom saw Benny like this, so...uninhibited. Just Benny himself,
no Mr. Polite, Mr. Mountie, Mr. Good Citizen. 

 If Ray had to pinpoint a moment that he realized he was in love with
Benton Fraser, that moment would have been it. Just Benny, standing there
in wet shorts and T-shirt, and blue canvas tennis shoes, laughing, with
wet curly rings plastered to his scalp.

 "I'm sore-ey, Ray!" he gasped. He stepped from the porch. "You should
have seen the expression on your face! Are you all right?" Benny wiped his
eyes, walking toward Ray, and gently turned his friend's palms, checking
for scrapes and finding none.

 "Yeah, yeah," Ray muttered, crossly, enjoying the feel of Benny's hands
on his, despite the circumstances. He hated to lose his cool. But that was
actually worth it. Seeing Benny laughing like that. 

 That night, when Ray drove his exhausted friend home, he felt a pain in
his gut at the thought of leaving him behind. Benny needed him. 

 When he got back in his car, Ray felt conflicted. He was intrigued by the
undercover job. He'd be another Donnie Brasco maybe. He liked the idea of
the prestige it would bring him later, liked the idea of having access to
a million dollar expense account while in Vegas, and a huge mansion with
household servants at his every beck and call. He'd be relatively safe
while `out in the cold', as long as he kept his wits about him.

 Ray spoke out loud to St. Donatus as he pulled out into the thinned
nighttime traffic, and asked him for a sign. Should he stay, or should he
go? Ray could write his own ticket when he returned from his job. He could
have whatever assignment he wanted, maybe even a promotion. But leaving
meant leaving Benny. 

 Ray hit every single red light from Benny's place to his. There were
twenty-one of them. That had never, ever happened before. So Ray had his
sign. Stay.

 Three months later, after he and Benny kissed that first time and he saw
stars, he knew St. Donatus sent him the right advice. And now they lived
together on the street named after him. Nothing could have been more
perfect. 

 Today, and every St. Donatus Day since that one, Ray had sent a special
thank you to the saint. He knelt in the pew beside his mother and his
love. Ray lifted his head from prayer and looked around him at the bowed
heads, counting the number of people he knew. He shared a pew with him
Francesca, Tony, Maria, Ma, Raphy, Donny, and Maria's girls. Two rows in
front of him was Joey Paducci and his wife Rita. Across the aisle from him
was their friend Walter Sparks and his father. Ann-Marie Zuko was there,
with her young siblings. He saw Pop's old friend and Benny's barber Burt
on the way in. They saw Mr. Garrett there too, back in the corner.

 Beside Frannie was her new best friend Mac who was neither Italian nor
Catholic but wanted the experience of a big Catholic mass and feast. Next
to Mac was Ursula and that crazy Ren Turnbull, who were now dating, which
Ray still hadn't gotten used to. And Turnbull didn't even have a tattoo or
own a Harley, which Ray thought was a prerequisite of Ursula's. Go figure.
Even Benny's friends Hugh and John attended the carnival. Ray was
surprised. He didn't think the hippie types went in for religious-centered
events.

 At the carnival, Ray and Benny had run into Vinnie Russo also, and some
of the other guys from the Y, and Micky Doyle, Elaine and Ike, Jack and
Jan, Ange and her husband, and a half dozen other friends, co-workers and
acquaintances. Yep. He was a pretty lucky guy, having so many good people
in his life, and Benny at the center of his universe.

 On Benny's hip, the baby suddenly giggled. Ray glanced over. Benny was
making The Puffin Face. Marissa laughed again. Benny beamed at her. Happy.
Uninhibited. 

 "Hey you," Ray called softly, voice pitched so that only Benny would
hear. He momentarily let go of his niece's sweaty little hand to move
closer to Benny. "Did I tell you that I loved you today?"

 Benny shook his head.

 "Well, I do, you know."

 "And I love you more, Ray."

 The baby reached out and touched Ray's prominent nose. Both men smiled.

 Finis.

  
  

End B: St. Donatus by Dee Gilles 

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