From the Archives: September 27, 2001 - Age 25

(This was the first of many "Mafia Den" entries.)

Here’s an idea of how small our new apartment is:
When we wash the dishes, the fragrance from the soap pervades our whole apartment. Even with the windows open.

Here’s an idea of how long we have been without TV:
I finally got the TV to work today around six, and we have but one fuzzy channel—CBS. It has been on since then.

Here’s a story for you all:
Between 206 and 208 Sullivan Street, there is a double door painted black. Its only decoration is a large brass padlock. The place blends so well into the surrounding buildings that a person walking by would hardly notice it. Perhaps this is for a reason. At first I found the doors nondescript. Then they became complex and curious.

One day when I was walking by the place I was startled to see the door open. The room was simply decorated and looked not unlike a small, out of date diner, shut down around 1973. The focal points were a few recliners, a sink in the back, and a card table with four chairs.

In the four chairs were four men, barrel-chested and meatball-stomached Italians who were smoking cigars and throwing cards. I got all this in a long smoke-tinted gaze before a man glared out at me and shut the door.

Shawn passed by the place a day or two after me, and took in a similar scene. A man was in the back doing dishes, two men were reclining, another two were standing nearby.

Now, one could assume this is a 55+ gay bar, or simply a group of friends hanging out in their co-op apartment basement, but Shawn and I are convinced of a more romantic plot…they’re Mafia men.

We now call the place “The Mafia Den” and like to slow our step and let our eyes linger when we pass by the unmarked black door, imagining what business is taking place inside.

Stay tuned for further developments…