The Bookie's Daughter Read Online Free
of his charismatic, carefree personality and confident sales abilities made him a formidable salesman. Money would always come too easily to him.
When not working at the pool hall or peddling his wares, Al spent his time reading and trading comic books, collecting train sets, and stealing into the local theater to watch the latest movie. As I child, I used to watch my larger-than-life father sit like a young boy, playing with the train sets he gleefully set up around the family Christmas tree. Although twice the size of most men, he never lost his childish exuberance and often acted more adolescent than adult. He was a consummate optimist, always seeing his glass as half-full and an opportunity around every corner.
Al’s outstanding scholastic achievements seemed to come effortlessly, as he spent a bare minimum at study and yet was always at the top of his class. His academic passion was science, and he loved math, biology, and chemistry. Years later, when he found me studying for chemistry class, Al excitedly recited—from memory—every element in the periodic table according to its atomic number.
His mathematical abilities were also astounding. He rarely had to work a problem out on paper but could “see the math problems” in his head. He liked to keep these skills honed and would challenge anyone to test him by calling out random numbers as they entered them into the calculator—not just simple addition and subtraction, mind you, but division and multiplication thrown in at random. Al would always have the correct answer, often before the calculator could complete its computation. These mathematical skills also came in handy when it came to counting cards, which he learned during his years working in various pool halls. He had an uncanny ability with cards and would often know exactly which cards his opponents held in their hands. These talents would prove useful to a life dominated by gambling.
Per Sitto’s wishes, Al graduated as valedictorian of Jeannette’s High School class of 1949, his future bright with the promise of a college education and a successful career thereafter. Starting college at the University of Pittsburgh that August, he pursued a degree in chemistry. Two years into his degree, my father met my mother, Bonnie Jean Martin. After a whirlwind courtship, the two married in the spring of 1951. With a wife to provide for, Al dropped out of college and secured a job as a chemist in a factory in Cleveland, Ohio.
Sitto was furious with my father and quickly developed a dislike for her daughter-in-law, whom she saw as a beautiful but dangerous interloper. Her ire would increase a few months later when my father left his job in Cleveland and moved back to Jeannette. The timing of their arrival coincided with the impending departure of Sitto’s commercial tenant. After settling into an apartment with his wife on the upper part of Clay Avenue, Al took over the family storefront and opened Al’s Bargain Center, which would become the primary stage for this memoir.
In no time, Al’s Bargain Center became a local success, increasing its sales with an ever-expanding array of goods. Despite operating a very lucrative business, my father immediately turned his gaze toward his beloved childhood companion—gambling. At first, Al only booked the daily number, a convenience for the many “players” who could easily stop by the store en route to a shift at the nearby factories. Eventually the daily number expanded to booking the sport of the season. After that, there was no stopping his appetite for gambling or his expansion into the gaming business. Within the next few years, he set up a mini-casino in the back room and began to host poker games in the basement of the store. Raids, arrests, scandals, and trials would soon follow.
Two
A Match Not Made in Heaven
“ Marriage is neither heaven nor hell, it is simply purgatory.”
Abraham
When not working at the pool hall or peddling his wares, Al spent his time reading and trading comic books, collecting train sets, and stealing into the local theater to watch the latest movie. As I child, I used to watch my larger-than-life father sit like a young boy, playing with the train sets he gleefully set up around the family Christmas tree. Although twice the size of most men, he never lost his childish exuberance and often acted more adolescent than adult. He was a consummate optimist, always seeing his glass as half-full and an opportunity around every corner.
Al’s outstanding scholastic achievements seemed to come effortlessly, as he spent a bare minimum at study and yet was always at the top of his class. His academic passion was science, and he loved math, biology, and chemistry. Years later, when he found me studying for chemistry class, Al excitedly recited—from memory—every element in the periodic table according to its atomic number.
His mathematical abilities were also astounding. He rarely had to work a problem out on paper but could “see the math problems” in his head. He liked to keep these skills honed and would challenge anyone to test him by calling out random numbers as they entered them into the calculator—not just simple addition and subtraction, mind you, but division and multiplication thrown in at random. Al would always have the correct answer, often before the calculator could complete its computation. These mathematical skills also came in handy when it came to counting cards, which he learned during his years working in various pool halls. He had an uncanny ability with cards and would often know exactly which cards his opponents held in their hands. These talents would prove useful to a life dominated by gambling.
Per Sitto’s wishes, Al graduated as valedictorian of Jeannette’s High School class of 1949, his future bright with the promise of a college education and a successful career thereafter. Starting college at the University of Pittsburgh that August, he pursued a degree in chemistry. Two years into his degree, my father met my mother, Bonnie Jean Martin. After a whirlwind courtship, the two married in the spring of 1951. With a wife to provide for, Al dropped out of college and secured a job as a chemist in a factory in Cleveland, Ohio.
Sitto was furious with my father and quickly developed a dislike for her daughter-in-law, whom she saw as a beautiful but dangerous interloper. Her ire would increase a few months later when my father left his job in Cleveland and moved back to Jeannette. The timing of their arrival coincided with the impending departure of Sitto’s commercial tenant. After settling into an apartment with his wife on the upper part of Clay Avenue, Al took over the family storefront and opened Al’s Bargain Center, which would become the primary stage for this memoir.
In no time, Al’s Bargain Center became a local success, increasing its sales with an ever-expanding array of goods. Despite operating a very lucrative business, my father immediately turned his gaze toward his beloved childhood companion—gambling. At first, Al only booked the daily number, a convenience for the many “players” who could easily stop by the store en route to a shift at the nearby factories. Eventually the daily number expanded to booking the sport of the season. After that, there was no stopping his appetite for gambling or his expansion into the gaming business. Within the next few years, he set up a mini-casino in the back room and began to host poker games in the basement of the store. Raids, arrests, scandals, and trials would soon follow.
Two
A Match Not Made in Heaven
“ Marriage is neither heaven nor hell, it is simply purgatory.”
Abraham
Readers choose
Malia Ann Haberman
Kate Chopin
Julia James
Stephie Walls
Regan Black
Melanie Marks
R. L. Lafevers
linda k hopkins
In Sarah's Shadow