Chapter 21
“So what do you think Dinko? Isn’t is great?” An enthusiastic Lido Buonangeli says to Tiny Dinko, “Look at that! It’s your name up in lights pal! YOU”RE FAMOUS!”
Tiny Dinko stares at the flashing marquee above the entrance of the arena and shakes his head in astonishment.
“Goht blezz Emer-reeka!” He says in his low, growling voice.
He cranes his neck upward still looking at the brightly lit marquee as they pass beneath it when he and Lido enter the building.
“Come on, let’s get you ready for this!” Lido grabs Tiny Dinko by the arm and takes him to the dressing room in the back of the arena.
The entire Rigger’s Nightclub crew has made the trek to Indiana to cheer on their friend, Dinko the Bear, in his first professional wrestling match. Louie Buonangeli, his wife Rosemary and Boss O’Connor drove down in Louie’s 1955 Lincoln Capri.
Joe Stanley Mike and Miss Butchi brought Johnnie Buonangeli along in Joe’s 1951 Olds Rocket 88.
“Tell me something Johnnie,” Joe says, “How was your brother Lido able to get this Dinko guy a match so soon? I mean, c’mon he’s never been in a ring before!”
Johnnie, who is sitting in the back seat, leans forward and rests his arms on the back of the front seat in the gap between Joe and Butchi.
“Lido knows how to handle the guys who promote wrestling matches.” Johnnie says, “He didn’t tell me any of the details, but if I know my brother, I can tell you right now he got a deal that was favorable to him mostly.”
“How’s that?” Joe asks.
Johnnie smiles and cocks his thumb toward Butchi, “She can tell you how Lido is…sometimes you just have to give him what he wants just to shut him up. I mean when we're both together… Butchi, what do they say about me when Lido and I are in the same room?”
Butchi turns to Joe and delivers the punch line. “They say Johnnie is the quiet one!”
Butchi and Johnnie laugh hysterically at their little joke. Joe just shakes his head and thinks to himself, “Guess I’m not in on the joke between you two!”
Dima, her husband Handsome Darko, Uncle Boshko, Old Mut and Old Vat, The Koloshko brothers, Mike, Pete, and Chuck, who were once the Koloshko sisters, all ride in a privately chartered city bus to the arena.
Uncle Vlashko, in his official capacity as a city inspector, was able to “requisition” the vehicle for the night.
Dima and Darko’s three little girls were left in the good care of Tessi the Gypsy.
“No vorries vhen Tessi take babies!” Dima told her brothers Mike, Pete, and Chuck.
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Snatching the long neck bottle of Falstaff beer away from the all time Hillbilly wrestling champion, Danny “Smasher” Lewis, Charley (Hoot-Hawk) Ryan, his manager, begins hollering at his grappler.
“Now Danny you have got to take this thing seriously! Ah have seen this Deen-ko the Bear and he’s a mighty big feller! I mean, and Danny listen to me son, this Deen-ko the Bear is still green! He don’t know what he’s doing out there yet so I want you to be on yer toes…do ya’ unnerstand? That big ol’ boy could wind up hurting you accidentally!”
Smasher Lewis waves off the admonishment from his manager and pulls another bottle of Falstaff from the cooler.
“Aw Hootie would yew quit yer worry-in about this Deen-ko fellah! I ain’t got nuthin’ to be ‘fraid of this guy. See, all he gots to do is just foller the plan –ain’t that raht? We gets in the ring and tussles fer a bit, then I knocks him over an’ a few times an’ thass the end of the fight!
What’s ta’ worry Hootie, huh? What’s ta’ worry?
Hoot-Hawk Ryan shakes his head. “Well I tell ya’ son, yew just be careful out there. See Danny as I unnerstands it, this Deen-ko is some kinda foreigner, ya’ know what I mean? An’ maybe he don’t unnerstand’ English so good…not like yew an’ me! So maybe if they tells him to fall, maybe he’ll think he has ta’ fall on yew!”
Smasher Lewis stands up from the bench in the locker room and begins to stretch and flex his arms. He snaps his head back and cuts loose a loud, deep, roaring belch.
“Aw thass good!” Smasher says, “Now I feel lahk a new man!”
He continues with his warm-up routine and tells his manager, “Oh I know this Deen-ko is a foreigner, matter of fact, I even know a few words in his mother tongue.”
He struggles to bend over and touch his toes. He grunts a few times and then gives up. Rising upright, and with his face reddened by the effort, he winks at his manager and says,
“I think I’ll give him some friendly aaad-vice a-fore we goes at it!”
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Despite his enormous size, Tiny Dinko is in excellent shape. He does not smoke or drink. During the day, when he’s not drawing pictures, or practicing his English speaking skills by talking to the radio, he likes to spend his time walking around the city. On some days, when the weather is agreeable, Dinko will wind up strolling nearly 10 miles.
The sight of this 6’ 7” man who weighs in at nearly 400 pounds is cause for both fear and fascination in whatever neighborhood he happens to be passing through.
“Okay Dinko, so how do you feel, are you ready? Lido hollers from across the crowded dressing room. Louie, his wife, Buddy, Johnnie, Jo