Clattering Sparrows (22 page)

28

ONCE SHARON RANDOLPH CALLED with the time and place of our meeting, Judy and I began sifting through boxes that long ago had been relegated to storage. Admitting to the title of
packrats
, we both had saved numerous pictures, corsages, programs from school events, graduation photos, and year books beginning with Wheatley Elementary, all through Eliot, and ending with our graduation from Eastern High. We gave great thought to our selections, and put together a package of items we thought Irina would like to see, as well as give her an idea of what Tony was like as a young boy.

Among the many pictures we found was one of our row houses on Oates taken shortly after we all moved in. There was one photo in particular that tugged at my heartstrings. It was taken on our first day at Eliot Junior High, as the five of us stood arm in arm in front of the school. It was also the very day we dubbed ourselves The Fabulous Five. Years later after Tony’s disappearance and with Judy due home for spring break, I quietly put away the framed copy that had occupied the same space on the corner of my dresser since Junior High, simply because it had become a somber reminder that one of our friends was missing.

Agreeing that driving to New York was the quickest and most convenient mode of travel, we made plans to leave early Wednesday morning, and made reservations to stay at The Plaza. When we called to cancel our weekly Mah Jongg game, we promised faithfully to call as soon as we returned to fill them in on all the details. The girls who had learned of the story after the airing of the show were quite excited for us.

***

Leaving just after breakfast Wednesday morning, the 250-mile ride to New York City was easy and uneventful. Stopping for a snack at a rest stop along I-95, we arrived at the hotel just before noon.

After checking in, we took off on foot to roam the City that I loved, that I knew so well, and that remained a constant in my life. I still had many relatives living in various parts of the State, and although we visited regularly, I was not planning on contacting anyone. This trip was reserved for Irina.

We ended up in Central Park, had lunch at Tavern on the Green, and did a little shopping. Judy who had lived in the city for four years while attending Barnard was almost as taken with Manhattan as I was, but I sensed that she was a little apprehensive about our meeting with Irina, and I tried my best to get her to relax. Finally, we decided to go back to our rooms for a much needed rest before heading out to dinner.

As we entered the lobby, there was a slight commotion to the right of the service desk. A small crowd had gathered around a tall dark-haired woman who although she wore a large concealing hat and dark glasses had obviously been recognized, and she was graciously signing autographs.

As we rode the elevator to our floor, Judy asked, “I wonder who she is. I didn’t get a very good look at her, did you?”

I responded, “I really didn’t look. There’s always someone staying here at The Plaza that’s famous, but usually they aren’t too amiable when their privacy is invaded, but I must admit she seemed to be signing autographs quite willingly.”

At my last remark, Jon and Ira offered to return to the lobby and get us each an autograph from the unknown beauty, but Judy and I both quickly assured them that wouldn’t be necessary.

***

After signing a few autographs, Gina Alexandra begged off saying that she was quite tired from her coast-to-coast flight and graciously thanked everyone for their kind kudos of her portrayal of Susan and Sarah Blake in Ghosts of Our Past.

She entered her suite, tipped the Bellman, and lay down on the bed fully clothed. In a manner of minutes she was sound asleep. When she finally awoke several hours later, she unpacked and ordered dinner sent up to her room. She retired early, but sleep eluded her. Her mind was filled with thoughts of another place and time, of a mother, a father, and a younger brother she adored but who were all cruelly taken from her, and of her Uncle Tony, who disappeared from her life at an age when she was barely old enough to remember him.

Had she done the right thing by coming back to New York? Could she escape the ghosts of her past here in the City that claimed her parents’ and brother’s lives? Well it was too late now to change her mind. She had made the long trip east, and she would stay and honor her commitment to meet Irina. Throughout her young life, she had observed her mother’s anguish after she lost Tony. Her mother’s father had died when her grandparents lived in Washington, D.C. Her older brother had been killed in the War, and her mother debilitated by a stroke died shortly after Tony’s disappearance. As the only surviving member of her family, she felt she had no choice other than to come forward and meet Irina and that it was indeed the right choice.

At last, she fell into a deep sleep just as the sun began to rise.

***

After dinner, the four of us made plans to meet in the lobby early the next morning and walk through Central Park. We had considered using the exercise room in the hotel, but decided to forego the treadmill for the fresh morning air. It had been a long day, and we were exhausted. As Jon and I sat watching the news before retiring, the phone rang. It was Sam.

“Hi Mom, how’s the Big Apple?”

“Hi Sam, my favorite City is just great. I’ve been trying to reach you on your cell phone, and I left a couple of messages for you at the office, as well. Did you talk to Mindy? She was trying to reach you too.”

“Yes, to both your questions. I got your messages and called several times but we never connected. I was tied up in meeting after meeting and rather than initiate a game of telephone tag, I decided to get back to you this evening. I did speak with Mindy this morning, and learned that you were on your way to New York and staying at The Plaza. I called several times this afternoon, but certain that you were visiting your favorite haunts, figured I would have a better shot at catching up with you after dinner.”

“Did Mindy tell you why we came to New York?”

“Yes she did, but Mom, I called because I have something to tell you. I saw the tape of the Unsolved
Mysteries
Special Sunday evening at Sandy’s parents’ house. The family was invited for dinner and a viewing of the show. I immediately recognized Judy, and I vaguely remember you mentioning the name Tony Russo, among others, whenever we looked at pictures from your school days and growing up in the house on Oates Street.

“But this is the best part. Sandy’s parents gathered the family for dinner and to view the tape because her grandfather and Irina’s uncle, Leon Frankel, are one in the same. His name was changed from Frankel to Franklin when the officer processing his papers aboard the Aquitania misread his name, and it was never corrected.”

I couldn’t speak. I knew the name Leon Frankel sounded familiar, and I was right. Jon and I had attended Leon’s 80
^th
Birthday Celebration, and when he thanked us all for helping him observe the momentous occasion, he alluded to the fact that his name was originally Frankel.

“Mom, are you still there?”

“Yes, Sam, of course I am. Your father and Ira saw the actual broadcast last Wednesday evening while Judy and I were playing Mah Jongg, but they didn’t tape it. When I called Grandpa Ely in Florida to tell him about the program, he told me he had recorded the show and would send us a copy, which he did. All the while the name Leon Frankel seemed oddly familiar to me, but I just couldn’t place it.”

I sensed the excitement in Sam’s voice as he said, “Leon and Leah have been in New York since Monday and are also staying at The Plaza. They’ve met Irina, and it’s been an unbelievable few days for the three of them. They spoke with my father-in-law this morning, and when he called to tell us how things were going, I told him that you were on your way to New York to meet with Irina too, and that Judy the girl in the picture was none other than your best friend Judy Singer.”

I smiled to myself as I responded, “When your father and I get back, I have a lot to tell you. Tony Russo was a childhood friend and neighbor. He went all through school with Judy and me, and met your Dad in high school. They played football together for the Eastern Ramblers. There’s more to this story than you can possibly imagine, and I’m sure there will be even more by the time we return home. How are Sandy and the girls?”

“Everyone is fine. We’re all terribly excited for Leon and can’t wait to meet Irina and welcome her. I hope your meeting with her goes well, and I’m certain you will see Leon and Leah. Give our love to Dad and call us tomorrow evening. Love you Mom. Bye.”

After we hung up, I sat in awe of what Sam had just told me. My instincts had served me well thus far, but I had no inclination whatsoever that the surprises were only beginning. I relayed my conversation with Sam to Jon. Deciding that it was too late to call Leon, we opted to get in touch with him in the morning. With all that was going on, I was amazed that I actually went to bed and slept like a baby.

29

I FELT AS THOUGH I had relived my entire lifetime in the short course of a week. Ordinarily I enjoyed reminiscing about our house on Oates and all the memories that were associated with that time and place, but through the years, many of those memories had become too painful to recall. Judy and I were only fourteen years old when Su Ling and An Lei abruptly exited our lives, and it took far too many years for us to reconnect with them. When Tony went missing, The Fabulous Five were reduced to four, and as we reached adulthood and went our separate ways, it seemed as though we were leaving our other friends behind, and only my friendship with Judy remained in tact.

Before leaving the hotel, Jon left a message for Leon stating that we would be out for a while, giving him our room number, and telling him that we would return around eight o’clock.

After walking through Central Park, we stopped at Starbucks. Over coffee and muffins, I told Judy and Ira about Sam’s call. We had set our minds to anticipate some level of unexpected disclosures, but thought they would come from our meeting with Irina. Sam’s call had certainly proven otherwise.

When we returned to the hotel, we discovered Leon had left us a message asking us to join him in the Plaza Café where he and Leah were having breakfast. As we approached their table, Leon rose and greeted us warmly, as did Leah. They had all met a few years before at Sam and Sandy’s wedding. We joined them for a second cup of coffee, and it was obvious that they were both quite excited about Irina.

As we sat down, Leon said, “I’m an old man who in the words of my granddaughter has truly been granted a miracle. My niece is a lovely woman who has suffered greatly, and I am hoping beyond hope that we can get the medical attention she needs to help her, and there is nothing I would welcome more than her remaining here in the States.

“She is quite anxious to meet you Judy. She also received word that Tony’s niece who lives in California is coming to New York.”

When Leon mentioned Tony’s niece, Judy was taken aback. “Is his niece the only family member she has heard from?”

Leon replied, “I believe so. She knows that you are bringing friends, but other than your response, his niece is the only call the phone center received with the exception of hearing from the Navy Department whose officials flew to New York and met with her almost immediately after the show aired.”

Judy pondered her thoughts for a moment. “Then there’s been no word from Tony’s sister Maria. I tried to reach her but found that she was no longer at the address and phone number I had, and no forwarding information was available. Both the postal service and phone company records indicated that service had been discontinued years ago leaving no trail whatsoever.”

As the waitress once again refilled our coffee cups, Leah said, “I am sure you will be as entranced with her as we are. She has lived an extremely hard life and endured so many tragedies, but we find her simply delightful. Of course, her revelations regarding our family are very precious to us, but so are her courage and determination to find the Russo family. She obviously loved him very much. Losing him, their two boys, and their entire way of life, as meager as it may have been by our standards, made her even more determined to fulfill what she views as her obligation to clear up the mystery of Tony’s disappearance.”

At last, having consumed more than enough coffee for any given day, we returned to our rooms to get ready to meet Irina. I couldn’t read Judy’s thoughts but mine were so widespread that I found it hard to control my impatience while waiting for the noon hour to arrive.

***

In the American Suite on the fourteenth floor, Unsolved
Mysteries had gone to great lengths for the gathering of Tony Russo’s family and friends coming forward to meet Irina. The beautiful spring day was duplicated in the suite with bouquets of flowers creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The drapes had been opened, and a long table set up in front of the floor to ceiling windows overlooking Central Park offered a generous array of finger foods, sandwiches, and beverages for the guests to partake of throughout the afternoon.

In addition, the show had also gone to great lengths to avoid the media by keeping the meeting as quiet and private as possible. However, their camera crew was in place to capture the initial moments of the awaited reunion of the Russo family and friends for a later update for the viewers, just as Leon and Leah’s initial moments with her had been.

Summoning the elevator to the eleventh floor, it arrived empty. We rode just one floor to the twelfth where it stopped, and the doors opened to admit a tall beautiful, dark-haired woman. Looking vaguely familiar, I thought perhaps she and the woman signing autographs in the lobby the previous day were one in the same. She wore the dark glasses, but without the hat, I wasn’t certain. Noticing the button for the fourteenth floor was already lit, she smiled and stood to the side.

The elevator arrived at the fourteenth floor, and when the doors opened, we all exited. We soon realized as we walked the same hallway that we were headed towards the same destination—The American Suite.

***

The door of the suite opened, and we were greeted by the show’s representative Eliot Brady. Irina was seated on the sofa, but rose as we entered. She immediately recognized Judy and said, “I’m Irina. I am so pleased to meet you.”

The afternoon became a mixture of introductions and smiles, conversations and tears, courage and gratitude, but mainly a bonding of a most unusual gathering of people who never in a million years could have imagined that we shared a common connection—Anthony Marc Russo.

What a wonderful time we all had. The cameras, after capturing the initial introductions and first few minutes of conversation, were removed, and we were left to get acquainted with one another, by sharing memories and heartbreaks of the past, while setting the stage for us to move forward and forge new beginnings.

I was somewhat surprised that Tony had related so much of our childhood on Oates and our attachment to each other to Irina. Sadly, he also told her that his father’s death was very hard for him to come to terms with, and when he left to join the Navy, he was actually running away. He couldn’t cope with his mother’s debilitating stroke and felt as if he had been dealt a double blow, because in reality he had lost both of his parents. As he had revealed to Judy many years before, he felt sorry for himself. He had just turned eighteen and his future looked pretty bleak.

When his memory returned and they had relocated to Kiev, Yuri’s urging to try to reach his family in America stirred up old fears. He was certain that his mother was no longer alive, and doubted that his sister and her family still lived in the same house on Long Island.

He was quite ill and often rambled on about different things that Irina never quite understood. On one of those occasions, he said that he wouldn’t know how to find Judy because she would surely have married and have a new name, but he knew in his heart that whoever she chose to share her life with, she would first and foremost be a wonderful mother to their child. Shortly after this last revelation, he died.

The pictures and items we had chosen to bring were perfect. They captured so many of the good times we shared, and even included some that Tony had recalled and related to Irina. She particularly liked the picture of The Fabulous Five in front of Eliot Junior High School. She noted that teenagers in America didn’t look and dress any different than teenagers in Ukraine at that time.

Judy briefly explained that she had met Tony in New York by chance through their friend Jenny, and that they rekindled their feelings for one another right before he left for Pensacola, and then onto Germany. She revealed that she had told him she was pregnant in their last phone conversation before he left on the ill-fated reconnaissance flight, but that the child died shortly after birth.

Irina had little to offer in the way of pictures, but the ones she had were touching. The farm house was small but the picture showed a well kept building with crops growing in the field. Their wedding photo, though old and somewhat faded, was beautiful. Irina wore a lace dress and head covering as they stood before the old Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Prypiat. Tony looked pretty much the same although in later pictures, he looked older and far beyond his years.

There were pictures of their boys that were taken mainly on special occasions. They had Tony’s dark coloring, but both resembled Irina more. There were no pictures taken after the accident.

At times everyone spoke at once, and there were times when each of us was lost in our own thoughts. The pictures and mementos we all brought were both heart wrenching, yet amazingly comforting, as they took each of us back to other places and times.

***

Gina brought nothing with her. She had long ago packed up her parents’ belongings and placed everything in storage, awaiting a better time to tackle the task of sorting out what to dispose of and what to keep. It had been eight years, but that time had not yet come.

It was hard for her to think back. She had just turned five when her Uncle Tony went missing. She was now forty, and as far back as she could remember she lived with her mother’s angst over the loss of not only Tony, but her parents and older brother as well. In the beginning her mother used to say, “When Uncle Tony comes home,” but eventually as the years passed with no word, she knew in all likelihood that would never happen.

In 1980, the Navy Department contacted Maria to advise her that they were closing the file on Tony’s disappearance, and issued her a check in the amount of $10,000. Although she was heartbroken at first, she began to realize that deep in her heart, she had anticipated the outcome many years before.

Gina was a struggling actress at the time, and had landed several small parts in shows both on and off Broadway, after attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. Her main interest was Drama, but blessed with a magical, natural singing voice, she accepted roles in both musicals and dramas, waiting for her elusive big break to come along.

She landed the understudy part to Betty Buckley’s bedraggled feline Grizzabella in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new musical
Cats
which premiered at Shubert’s Cadillac Winter Garden Theatre in 1982. It was destined to become the longest-running show in Broadway history, but her participation was quite brief.

On a snowy winter night in November 1983, it was announced that understudy Gina Leone was scheduled to perform as Grizzabella in the evening’s performance. Maria, Frank, their son Joel, and his fiancée set out for the theatre stopping at Anna Maria’s for dinner before the show. It had been a long-time favorite with the family, and was the same restaurant where Tony told Judy he loved her and spoke endlessly of their future, while dining on spaghetti and meatballs.

The restaurant was unusually crowded, and there was a large party in the backroom. As dinner was being served four gunmen in ski masks rushed in through the crowd and opened fire on the six men seated at the table just behind them. When it was all over, there were four wounded and twelve dead, including Maria, Frank, Joel, and his fiancée.

The vendettas between the New York crime families had reached an all time high. Violence broke out not only in Manhattan, but in Brooklyn as well, as City police and detectives were recruited to moonlight as killers for the Mafia. They lived double lives as hit men for the mob, gunning down, kidnapping, and tracking down rivals of the Lucchese family for tens of thousands of dollars. In the process, many innocent bystanders were killed.

Throughout the performance, Gina searched the audience every chance she could, but the four seats remained unoccupied. Each time she was off stage, she stood in the wings, and stared intently from behind the curtain at the empty seats. At intermission, when they had still not arrived, her manager promised to check with the police to see if there were any major traffic tie ups that would have delayed their arrival.

As the final curtain came down, the police were waiting in the wings to deliver the bad news.

Gina left the cast of
Cats
and never performed in a musical again. She packed up their belongings, placing everything in storage, and put the house up for sale. Two weeks later she moved to Los Angeles and never looked back. She dropped the surname of Leone, and using her middle name, became Gina Alexandra. She was alone with no relatives on her mother’s side and a few distant relatives here and there on her father’s. She not only wanted, but felt she needed to get as far away from New York as possible.

Gina had not seen the Unsolved
Mysteries Special, but had learned about it on a news broadcast immediately following the airing. When she learned they were searching for the family of Anthony Russo, she considered not responding. It had been eight years, but in her mind it was just like yesterday, and she honestly didn’t know if she could go back to New York just yet. The nightmares and waking up in cold sweats had finally stopped, but time had not yet begun the healing process.

She was glad that she had made the decision to come to meet Irina. In many ways, it brought her an inner peace that her mother had so longed for, but never attained. When the Navy officially closed the file and ended their investigation, her mother told her that she always had the feeling that Tony was alive, and that someday he would come home.