“When the Moon Hits Your Eye like a big Pizza Pie…” #2 ♪♪♪©2018

Part One

“Pizza, Pasta & Pastry” the red/green neon sign flashed… on & off.

A small, narrow Italian storefront establishment, circa 1960, in East New York, Brooklyn. This Italian/Jewish neighborhood was in the beginning throes of an ethic upheaval…also, were the generations of the Italian American family owners of this eatery.

Love, betrayal, scandal, families, and childhood friendships shattered and 8 children, 6 parents, and 12 grandchildren were baked in this Sicilian pie.

It would be sliced and …re-sliced.

John, Phil, Sunny and Annette grew up together.

They lived on Ashford Street, in Brooklyn, attended the same Catholic school, and were like an extended family.

Holidays like Easter and Christmas were celebrated visiting door to door, between their small houses. The cookie cutter houses had the same vintage gnarled fig tree, in every napkin-sized front lawn.

All had a tiny rear yard, where grapevines crawled over a lattice arch.

In the summertime, this provided welcome shade to sit under and…delicious wine all year.

All were first generation Americans, in a close-knit community wrapped around St. Fortunato’s church, and Sicilian regional old traditions. Annette Nasta was kept under her domineering mother’s apron. She scrubbed & cooked for her large family of parents, single uncles, & younger siblings.

No socializing with girlfriends or boys. School, Church, and family…period.

In Annette’s senior year of high school, Philly Romano started to call on her, with her parents’ approval. He had grown-up in the house next door. When they finished high school, they married as their families had orchestrated, about a year later. They were each other’s only experience with the other sex… just like back in “the old country”.

Annette’s father Giuseppe was a chef all this life.

It was his wedding gift to his daughter and son-in-law, “such a nice boy”, to set-up this neighborhood restaurant, so they could earn a living. Giuseppe even gave it its name.

Each night he would make the dough ready for the couple to fry and bake…the next day.

A year later a baby boy named Joseph was born.

Annett’s mother Camella baby sat, while she worked with her husband in their now bustling business. It was a smooth, efficient family operation.

Now comes the” tsunami “that started simultaneously, that swept away the villains, along with the victims. Generations were thrown about…they would land disoriented but realigned on other shores.

Part 2

John Amato met a vivacious Irish American girl, Mary Sullivan at a Catholic dance club. The pair dated only a short time, as Mary lived all-the-way in the Bronx. The Bronx commute constituted a very long subway ride from Brooklyn.

Mary & John wed then moved into a neighborhood apartment, above a beauty parlor in East New York. John’ grandfather owned the small apartment building, nearby Ashford Street.

Ten months later, they had a baby girl they baptized Dawn-Marie in St. Fortunato’s, surrounded by family and all us buddies.

John was an assistant plumber then, so he worked long hard hours. Mary, the 19-year-old house frau was “stuck” alone a lot, with just the baby.

Soon she began hanging downstairs in Anthony’s Beauty Shop on the street level of their building.

Anthony’s was attractive and flirty. He was also married with children.

Now her “steady Eddie”, of a husband, seemed dull to his childish wife.

One sad day, John arrives home to find baby Dawn-Marie, alone in her crib. Mary is not home, but a note is posed on the kitchen table.

“John, I left for California with Anthony. He, & I, will be both getting divorced…we’re in love!

Dawn-Marie needs to be fed dinner.

The complete blow almost killed him.

Hysterical he calls my (Sunny)” his brother.”

Sunny brings the baby & John to his place.

After a family conference, it is decided that John and the baby will move back into John’s parents' house. He gives up his home.

John showers all his love & care on his wee little girl.

Sunny Guico

At a wedding, Sunny found his love…me, a girl from the bordering Brownsville neighborhood.

Sunny & I married, after we both got raises, on our first jobs. We then could afford rent, for a walk-up flat also, in East New York.

We childhood friends were somewhat… married and as close as ever.

Part 3

One not so fine day, Philly lands in the hospital. We pals are not told about his stay or for what reason he was in there.

After his 2 weeks stint, he does not return to Annette, their baby son, nor to “Pizza, Pasta, and Pastry shop”.

Philly checks out of the hospital…checks out of his home…checks in with the nurse he met while in the hospital!

His nurse is African American, which in 1960… is unheard for a first-generation Italian boy.

The family & friends were devastated! How could he do this? We were all punched, cut, baked and fried like Giuseppe’s dough!

Philly, the sudden rebel wasted no time. He quickly filed for, then divorced Annette. He married his nurse…after abandoning baby Joseph & severing all family ties.

Part 4

Now, his son was emotionally and financially dependent on Annette, his single mother. She started running the business solo. Her heartbroken parents assumed total care of the child, while Annette slaved away, earning a living keeping “Pizza, Pasta & Pastry” …going.

It had become favorite in our neighborhood. The place was open from six a.m. to 10 at night.

Part 5

… as the pie slices

Occasionally, John stopped off at his friend Annette’s shop, to see how she was doing. He’d bring some pastries & pizza home, after work, with him. The childhood friends would cry their hearts out. They learnt to lean on one another for support. Both could not understand how their lives had turned.

John, Phil, Sunny and Annette… all Ashford Street kids.

Since their toddlers, Joseph and Dawn-Marie were about the same ages, they would take them out, together.

Sometimes, the 2 of them would take in a movie or just keep each other company…they were both so lonely. They kept this a secret between them.

Part 6

Ashford street rejoices

One fine day John and Annette married quietly in city hall, with just children and grandparents, present.

The following Sunday, over a delicious supper in “Pizza, Pasta & Pastry Shop”, they announced to us, their dearest, oldest friends, their marvelous news. (Reader my eyes are filled, as I write this).

We could not have dreamt a better outcome!

Tears and kisses flowed…what a lovely rebirth for us all.

Annette and John had a ready-made family with a boy Joseph, and a girl Dawn-Marie.

Annette sold her eatery to a new immigrant family. She became a full-time mother now… as John insisted.

The Family Amato were blessed with 2 addition children, Sophia and John jr.

They are a loving, happy, busy household on Long Island.

P.S. John with Annette’s encouragement became a prominent plumbing engineer. His company exclusively services The Archdiocese of Long Island, etc.