VINNY







1975 started out much better for my family then 1974 had. Since my tenth birthday every thing seemed to calm down in our house. We had lived in Kewanee for a year already and there seemed to be no immediate plans to move. Dad had a job now as Park Police which he seemed to enjoy a great deal. Steve was off in the army but for the rest of the family there seemed to be nothing going on in our life's but the same routine everyday.
On the weekdays we would go to school. After school I would either play with my dog Duke or play with the angel, living two doors down from me, named Kathy. I was convinced I was Kathy's boyfriend but had yet to actually inform her of that fact. (IN this I was not alone. Most boys in my class were smitten with the cuteness that was Kathy.)
Also after school I would play with the two boys that lived in the house between Kathy and me. Their names were Lance and Troy and of course Mom ended up babysitting them.
The house Lance and Troy lived in was divided into two apartments, with Lance, Troy and their mother living in the downstairs, while the upstairs apartment remained empty. Geno often used it as a place to stash his beers since Dad was now anti-drinking. Geno also tried to convince some local high school girls to go in there with him and "Party." Geno was very unsuccessful in this.
Almost every weekend Dad and I would go see a movie. If Dad didn't take me one of my brothers usually would. (usually John.) My brothers and I also took to playing a game called RISK (A game of global domination on Saturday's. RISK games would start around 6 in the evening with two of my brothers friends joining named Joe , and Charlie. These games would stretch into the early morning hours with a break at midnight for ACRI CREATURE FEATURE.
Creature Feature was a show that played old horror movies every weekend. It was sponsored by a local aluminum siding company. The show would start with a coffin opening it's very creaky lid and the character of Vinny the Vampire coming out. Then the host of the show Chuck Acri would come down some steps and introduce the movie of the night. By today's standards it was cheesy and more then a little silly, but back then it was the high point of our weekends. The minute we heard the creaking of the coffin lid the game would take a break and we would watch the movie. (Sadly I almost never had to take a break as I would be gone from the game by that point. Everyone always ganged up on me to eliminate me from the game.) John thought himself a great artist and every weekend would send in a new drawing to Creature Feature. Halfway though the movie Chuck Acri would award the spookiest drawing with the CREEP OF THE WEEK award. (The highlit of John's young life was when he actual won it.) Chuck would walk over to the new drawings for the week and talk about what fine pieces of artwork they were. Apparently there were an endless supply of boys like John. He always had dozens of drawings up there every week.



In Early March of 1975, Vinny the Vampire left the show. Creature Feature seemed a little poorer without him. Of course we still watched it. John still had hopes of again being Creep of the Week. Geno would tell him that as far as he was concerned John was Creep of the Year.
Sometime in late May of 1975, Dad told us he was going for a drive with Mom. He was going to leave the rest of us (Myself ,Rose, John , and Geno) alone in the house. Dad decided while he was gone John would be in charge of us. Geno objected strongly saying he was the oldest and he should be in charge. Dad just laughed at him and told Geno he wouldn't trust with a dog let alone actual people.
Just before Dad got into the car to leave he told us that if they came back to find me shot or bleeding all over the place, he was just going to kill everyone. I thought briefly about ramming a body part though a window to get them in trouble, but didn't trust my brothers to get me medical attention in time.
"And one other thing", Dad said. "Under no circumstance is any of your dippy friend's allowed in my house while I'm gone." This was actually a fairly standard warning. Heck, Dad didn't want our friends over when he was there, let alone running amok in his house while he wasn't there.
Amazingly John took his duties very seriously when Dad left. It was a very beautiful warm day, so we all went out on our front screened in porch. John, Rose, and I played some card game, while Geno read a Doc Savage book. Were weren't out there long before a moving van pulled up to the house next door.
We all looked up and watched as some guy in his mid 40's got out with two teenage boys and started unloading the van. Geno was disappointed. He'd been wanting some hot girl to move in there. In a flash all his, "mowing the yard on a hot day, and the sexy neighbor lady offering some cool lemonade" fantasies melted away.
John was staring intently at our new neighbor. "He looks real familiar doesn't he?"
I nodded and agreed with John. (Actually I didn't think so, but was just humoring him. Something I continue to do to this day.) Geno walked up and stared at the guy for a while. "You're right. I've seen that guy before." Again I nodded and agreed.
Then the two teenage boys carried something out of the van that told us without a doubt who this guy was.
It was a coffin.
"It's Dracula", I said.
Geno hit me on the back of the head. "No you idiot. It's Vinny. It's Vinny the Vampire." The was more then a little awe in his voice. John ran into the house and called Charlie and Joe and told them who was moving next door. Within a few minutes they were over at our house sitting on the front porch watching our new celebrity moving next door.
"Can I call George and tell him?", I asked John.
"No", John said.
"But you have two friends over. I'll tell Dad if you don't let me call him."
John looked conflicted. He clearly didn't want anyone else over, but I had him over a barrel.
"Ok. Everyone can have one friend over."
The one friend became two and soon the two friends became four. In short order everyone in the neighborhood was over at our house. The Draminski girls from across the street, as well as the Shinkevich girls (All 4 of them.) were in our house. The two Laskey boys were soon over with their cute as a button sister, Kathy. (I don't remember if Mark was over but I'm sure I at least called him if he was home.) We all looked at "Vinny", moving into the house. "Vinny", for his part looked nervously at the group of kids staring at him intently.
Geno thought that the party we were having, needed something to get it going. Charlie left and returned a very short while later with a case of beer. Soon the radio was turned up loud and music roared from our house. John tried to protest, but Geno told him that if he made Charlie leave with the beer he'd tell Dad what happened while he was gone. John looked around.
"I don't care. I want everyone to leave now before Dad comes home."
Dad came home.
Instead of pulling into the back into his garage like he normally did, he pulled into the front driveway. He did it to show off the station wagon he had just bought. Everyone froze when they saw Dad pull into the driveway. I swear even the DJ on the radio seemed to pause. Then the screen door to the porch flew open and all the kids began to pour out. Someone handed me a beer can. Like cockroaches hiding from the light they ran away from our house. Half empty can's of beer were thrown on the front lawn. (The only smart one was George who took out the back door. I don't even think he opened the fence gate. It looked like he just jumped it.) Charlie tripped as he ran with the case of beer and not wanting to risk my Dad's wrath left it were it lay.
Dad walked up to the house with a shocked expression I rarely saw him have. Shock soon turned to anger as he walked into the front porch.
"What the HELL are you doing here!"
I thought I'd try to point out that it wasn't as bad as it could have been. "I'm not bleeding or anything. They made sure I was ok!"
Dad looked at me to yell at me. When he saw me it looked like his eyes were going to pop out. "ARE YOU DRINKING? " He looked at John and Geno. "YOU'RE GIVING HIM DRINKS? ARE YOU INSANE?" This was a level of angry we had rarely seen in Dad. Geno as usual was the first to rat John out.
"He was in charge! He kept saying it was ok. He called Charlie up and told him to bring the beer!"
Never one to stay quiet I started crying." They made me drink. I didn't want to but John made me!"
Rose (who it turns out really was drinking.) started in. "They told me if I didn't drink I wouldn't be cool. I told them Daddy wouldn't want me too. Geno tried to stop John but he was out of control!"
We had just sacrificed John to the angry God that was our Father.
"They're lying!" What's funny is John was actually shocked we were giving him up.
"Did I leave you in charge?"
"Yes Dad", John said meekly.
"Did I tell you not to have any of your stupid friends over while I was gone?"
"Yes Dad", John said even more quietly.
"IS THAT YOUR LITTLE BROTHER WITH A BEER CAN IN HIS HAND?" I raised the beer can as if to toast John. A sad little half smile was on my face.
John just looked at the floor and nodded. Tears were coming out of his eyes.
John was grounded for a month. Charlie and Joe were not allowed over to play Risk until after that. John also had to mow the yard with the push mower for the rest of the day. While John was doing that the rest of us cleaned up the front porch. At one point Dad came out to see how we were doing and exclaimed, "Hey isn't that Vinny the Vampire?"
John was never again put in charge of watching us. Which is good. Because after that I don't think he wanted the responsibility.