Anthony Gallato by Gary Robinson

Anthony Gallato discovered there is a price to be paid when a debt is ignored. The people he owed had decided to make an example of him, though they would much rather have had their money back.

The men in his apartment were serious men. They had done this work before. One of them, the spokesman, explained what the problem was despite there being no need. Gallato knew why they had come. He had tried to raise the money but nobody wanted anything to do with him.

A big fly buzzed through the room and out the open window.

The men seized Gallato. He wrestled to get to the window where he might call for help or jump, but a rope coiled around his neck. His hands rose, struggled, and finally went limp.

Across the street, Rosa Buda sat alone on the porch. At thirty, she was single. Rosa’s family worried about her future.

One day an unemployed painter named Anthony Gallato, who had just won at a card game, smiled as he walked past Rosa, oblivious of her, lost in his good luck and new winnings. In bed at night, Rosa often thought of that man who lived across from them — that smile just for her! — and she flushed.

Now Rosa spied Gallato gesturing from his window. She chose to act coy, but a fly flew in her face. She swatted at it wildly with her right hand.

The last thing Gallato saw was Rosa waving at him.

© 2013 Gary Robinson

Gary Robinson is a Canadian poet and short story writer who lives in Ottawa, Ontario. He’s been published in several Canadian university publications, and is currently working on his first novella.

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