Joe Rizzo

Story by Christopher Daniels1

Joe Rizzo2

Introduction3

Joseph Rizzo was a tall man with a long grayish mullet. He wore band t-shirts that bore AC/DC and BLACK SABBATH. He wore mostly denim and on occasion, leather pants. He had a nice wallet with a convenient wallet chain to attach to his front pocket or belt. His shirts and pants were always a size too small so they were always tight on him. His clothes were mostly dirty and he had a handlebar mustache. You could certainly say that Joseph Rizzo was a hick.4

He was also a family man with a total of five children: Bill at age six, Robert at age eight, Hailey at age ten, Kristina at age twelve, and Elizabeth at age fourteen. Bill and Robert kept themselves company, they were the only boys in the bunch and they were also the youngest. Hailey was shy and didn’t have too many friends. She was always upset that Joe was never home. Kristina, on the other hand had many friends and was often out with them. Elizabeth was the leader. She always knew what was best even at the young age of fourteen. Even though Joe was always busy, back at home his loving wife, Julia, did most of the work. Most of the work meaning making breakfast lunch and dinner and making sure the children were either at daycare or at school. Joseph worked busy hours at a trucking business called: Harrison Trucking Company. This meant that Joe rarely was home and when he was it was because it was a holiday and there were no orders to be delivered. Michael Rizzo, Joe’s Father, left Joe with $500,000 after his death. Before Michael died he had made it big in the stock market after investing in Microsoft in its early years. The company went big and he got rich. Michael decided to sell his plumbing company which only made him richer. Five years after this happened he had died and left a will giving Joe all assets and money, which came to a total of $1,567,899. Unfortunate for Joe there was a big catch, one of those I’ll let you have it but only on one condition sort of things. Joe must hold a steady job and hold this said job till age 50. Once said age is reached, Joe may retire. The will had a direct quote from Joe’s father and it stated, “I want my son to experience what I went through. Working for a living is no picnic. I want Joe to work till age fifty and then, only then, I want him to experience what freedom is like after retirement.” This angered Joseph Rizzo. It didn’t surprise him but it angered him. Joe had never got along with his father. The connection between them was never there, they never saw eye to eye. But now Joe had to forget about all the fighting and abuse he put him and his mother through and accept his father’s request so he could provide a good living for his family, and that was just what Joseph did. Joe signed and agreed to the will and took the $1,567,899 that was now legally his.5

Joe sold his father’s house in Wilmington, North Carolina, giving him a screaming total of $1,600,860. At this point Joseph had had his third child, Hailey, and needed a bigger home than the one his father had given him. There were other reasons why Joe wanted out of his father’s house. Joe couldn’t tell anyone about them. They were too horrifying. The Rizzo family bought a large home in Bakersfield, North Carolina with a total price of $600,456. A home much nicer than most truckers could afford. After the purchase of the house in Bakersfield Joe was left with $1,000,404, but was still forced to work unless he would agree to forfeit his father’s money because of the one “condition”. 6

In Bakersfield, Joe’s children could live in an excellent neighborhood and learn in great schools. Joseph’s wife, Julia, was perfectly happy with her job as a housewife and taking care of the house and the children was exactly what she did best. Julia would be tucking Bill and Robert under the covers and Joe would be trucking 800 pounds of mulch to Wilmington, North Carolina at ten-oh-clock in the afternoon. Life was good for Joe’s family, and I guess you could say life was good for Joe as well.7

The children did great in school which pleased Joe as he never had a good education. The children treated their mother very well and this made Julia happy with them. Every time the children left for school Julia would put on her gardening gloves and head to her colossal backyard and tend to her tomatoes and carrots and eggplants and such other nice things she had planted there. Julia loved her Garden and when Joe was away apart from taking care of the kids and keeping the house clean, she would garden, a what a wonderful garden she had had.8

Julia loved her children and her friends and her enormous garden, but most of all, she loved Joseph. Joe Rizzo had an amazing life. Not one has such a life like Joe Rizzo and takes it for granted. It wasn’t till the summer of 2008 that this all changed.9

I.10

Joseph Rizzo reported to work on the fourth of July hoping he would be able to leave early. Normally Joe hoped for such thing as a raise or a short trucking distance; instead of a 16 hour drive he wanted a 2 hour drive. This time he wanted to leave early. Even one hour early would be good enough. The reasoning behind all of this was Joe had been saving an impressive firework collection in the basement of his jumbo home and he wanted to take his kids in the backyard and give them a show. 11

He had hoped there wouldn’t be any last minute shipments of anything. Joe thought “This is a holiday. Who would ship something last minute on the fourth of July?” This eased Joe a little. It did make sense. Most things that are shipped are prepared to be delivered before any major holiday such as……. “Joe, I’m gonna need ya ta do sumtin real quick.” The deadly word from Mr. Harrison struck Joe hard in the gut. “A shipment a T-shirts need ta be delivered, Joe. Overnight to Orlanda, Flurida. Some dumbass aint place the order un time. They were posed ta be there midweek.” Joe yelled inside his head. Independence day… My boss is chaining me to a truck to drive six hours to Orlando, Florida to deliver t-shirts that probably say something along the lines of: ORLANDO, COME BACK SOON. 12

This angered Joseph. Joseph asked if they could put Ben Edsall on it but ed was out with the flu. Edsall out with the flu in July…. Bullshit, he’s home on the couch watching television and drinking beer. There were no excuses left. There was too much of a shortage in workers to dilly dally around. Joe had to make the drive. This drive was going to be a different drive for Joseph. It was going to be the ride of his life. 13

II.14

Joseph said goodbye to Julia, then kissed Hailey, Kristina, and Elizabeth on the forehead. He told Bill and Robert that they were the men of the house and to take care of their mother and sisters. That was it. Joe had left and he wouldn’t return. Joe wanted a head start considering it was The Fourth of July and he didn’t want to hit traffic. Unfortunate for Joe, he did, and it took Joseph an extra thirty minutes to get there because of it. After the six and a half hour drive to Orlando, Florida, he delivered the goods and suddenly he didn’t know what to do. He was in Orlando and his wife and kids were in North Carolina. This really pissed Joseph off. An explosion in the distance was heard and Joe looked up. It was a firework, and it was a nice one too.15

Intermission16

It was a quiet night in Wilmington, North Carolina. Joe Rizzo’s mother, Claire, tucked him in around nine o’ clock for school was tomorrow. Joe’s mind was racing though; there was no way he was going to bed. Joe knew that it was Sunday, and Sunday meant that daddy was drunk. Daddy did this every Sunday like clockwork and there was no way that this Sunday would be any different from the others. Daddy was very different when he was drunk. Joseph didn’t like daddy at all on Sundays. No matter how hard Joseph fought it he couldn’t stay awake to wait for daddy. Joseph dozed off around nine-thirty. It wasn’t till around ten that his mother came sulking into the room, soaked with blood, with a butchers knife sticking out of her lower back, and a large bottle of rum in her left hand. She dropped the bottle on Joseph’s bed and it poured all over his sheets, soaking Joseph with alcohol. “Co-Co-Come w-with m-mommy.” Claire was delirious. Joseph wet his bed, or at least he thought he did. He wasn’t sure from the alcohol that had already soaked his underwear. “Don’t chu fucking moove chu bitch! I told chu fur the last time DON’T TOUCH MY RUM!!” Michael was shitfaced and slurring his words more than he had ever before. He came storming into the room and slammed Claire’s back against the wall which then pushed the knife through her stomach, killing her instantly. She somehow let out a short moan. A large puddle of blood formed around her body and Michael looked at what he had done in shock. Joe looked at his mother’s eyes. They looked like freedom. Joe fainted shortly after that. While Joseph was out cold, Michael, Joe’s father, buried his mother in the backyard near the tree swing. The police never found the body; they never searched for it. Claire didn’t have a job or any friends that would wonder where she had gone to. She had no immediate family; no one knew of a Claire Rizzo. Joe woke up a couple hours after he had fainted and thought it was all a bad dream. It didn’t take him long to realize it wasn’t. Joe never told anyone because he loved his father. But Joe hated what he did to his mother. Joe was only nine years old.17

III.18

Joseph never went on vacation. Even though they had so much money, Joe considered vacationing stressful if every family member was included. If you think of: Bill, Robert, Hailey, Kristina, Elizabeth and Julia; trying to house that much family for a trip: plane tickets, Hotel costs, hotel rooms needed, souvenirs. It all gave Joseph a massive headache. So it just never happened. But Joe was in Orlando Florida. As Joe stood in front of an ATM machine, he made a large withdrawal of cash. He almost emptied one of his bank accounts it was such a vast withdrawal. Joe knew what he was going to do with this money. He knew where and when and why he was going to spend it too. When Joseph was a young boy he wanted to go to Universal Studios in California. Joseph shares or you could say inherited his father’s view on vacation: unnecessary stress. But now, Joe was in Orlando, and Universal was just around the corner to living out one of his childhood dreams. 19

Joseph didn’t get the greatest deal on his ticket, but he did not care. He had nearly emptied his spending account and planned on spending it all. Joseph decided to stay at a four star hotel. Orange Lake was the place and boy it was a beauty. The way it was built was there was a large lake with feeder fish and swans and all sorts of birds in between. Built around the lake were the hotel units, placed neatly one after the other, to create a neat little circle around the lake. 20

Around the units were a great amount of trees. This was the perfect place for Joe to stay for one night. Joe forked over the five-hundred dollars for his room on the thirtieth floor and he took the elevator to the top. When Joe got to his room, he took off his shirt and plopped himself on the bed. He hadn’t been alone in a bed for fourteen years. Joe didn’t know what had happened but he had a sudden feeling of dread. Dread that he couldn’t rid himself of. No one knew how Joe really felt inside. Joe was good at hiding his true feelings about his life and what had happened in it. No one knew why Joe did what he did that day at Universal Park. No one will ever know except for Joe.21

IV.22

The shuttle ride to the park was smooth and was a great experience for Joe. It was short and sweet and that was what Joe wanted in a ride. He hated the long rides. The rides he took up and down the east coast, back and forth, trucking trivial goods long distance to places for reasons unknown. Short and sweet, that’s how Joe liked it. And that was what it was. Joe got off the bus casually. Joe would not be getting back on. 23

Once Joseph was inside the park he caught a glimpse of the giant rotating globe that had the word, “UNIVERSAL” printed twice around it. He walked by it, watching it rotate in a circular motion. As it rotated, it seemed that there was an issue with some of the letters on the opposite side of him after the first rotation. This put a smile on Joes face: U I E S L. Every other letter was burnt out. Joe looked at all the tourists pointing at the burnt out letters and taking pictures of it as if it was a UFO of some sort. As he looked across the small man-made lake within the park, he saw exactly where he wanted to eat. There was a Hard Rock café across from him and the lake and he wanted to eat there and so he did.24

When he was seated in the café he had that dread come back again which was unusual for Joseph because it normally happened only once a day, sometimes every other day. He had the same thoughts he normally had and like every time those thoughts were thought he was able to stop thinking of them. But no, not this time. Joe was extremely upset. The waitress came by his table. “Are you ready to order sir?” Joe stuttered a reply “uh, y-yea.” “What would you like then.” Joe looked at the menu. The words seemed to shrink and shrink as he tried to read them. He wasn’t sure if it was the dreaded thoughts or something else. “Sir, I can come back later if you’d li- “No, no, just give me your most expensive meal and alcohol beverage.” “That would be the Hard Rock Rocker beverage it’s served with rum and the Head Bangin Burger.” Joe cringed when the waitress said the word rum. It was his father’s favorite thing to drink. It was more than just dread Joe was feeling. “That sounds great.” “O.K. sir it will be ready shortly.” Joe wasn’t sure of the pricing on the drink and burger he had just ordered but he didn’t care to ask or look. What seemed like an hour was only twenty minutes and his meal was sitting directly in front of him. He devoured it. The rum in his drink made him dizzy; Joseph figured it was because he needed sleep. It took him twelve minutes to eat his meal and he had lost track of time because once he paid the eighty dollars for his meal it was dark outside and about nine-twenty in the afternoon. It’s strange how fast time goes by when I feel like shit. Joseph thought as he sat down near the giant rotating U I E S L-UNIVERSAL globe. 25

Joseph didn’t ride any rides that night. He didn’t have time to, the park closes at ten, and by the time he left the restaurant the last thing he wanted to do was ride a coaster. Instead he thought of creating his own little ride. It would be short and sweet, just the way he likes it. There was a ladder near the U I E S L globe. Some electricians were staring at the globe for a few minutes; shortly after they left in a small go-cart styled vehicle. They’re probably gonna fix it before the firework show. Joe thought after seeing a sign near by stating: Fireworks tonight at ten. It’s gonna be one hella show. Yes it is. Joe thought. One hella show. 26

V.27

Joe took to his feet and headed towards the ladder. He looked around and glanced at a clock which sat across the lake, atop a cleverly made statue of King Kong. Nine-fifty. Ten minutes before the show starts. Joe thought. Adrenaline pumped through Joseph’s veins. As he made his way up the ladders steps, people turned their heads and stared at him. Many assumed he was only working on the globes letters. Joe very much looked like an electrician as much as he looked like a trucker. Others thought Joe was a stunt performer. No one knew exactly what Joe was doing except for Joe. Joe grasped himself atop the burnt-out letter E. What a nice night for fireworks. Joe thought. He was almost to the top. He extended his arms out and grasped the rounded top of the globe. It was a difficult job to climb to the top of a moving object, but Joe knew what he was doing. He used the bottoms of his work boots to grip himself to the top of the globe. 28

Many people around Joe began wondering what he was doing. Some fled to security trying to warn of a tall man climbing atop the globe. Others just took photos. I’m on top of the world. Thought Joe, and he was. Joe looked down on everyone who was taking pictures of him. As the globe rotated he fixed his balance so he wouldn’t fall and he suddenly was looking at the lake, across from it, where he had the best meal of his life. Nine-fifty-eight said the clock across the lake. The show is about to start. Joe said quietly to himself. And then, as quick as it was before, he was looking at the tourists taking pictures of him again; the globe had rotated. Joe balanced himself and let the globe rotate him around once more; he wanted another glimpse of the lake. Just one more glimpse.29

A woman standing close to the globe looked at Joe. She looked into Joes eyes and saw something; she saw freedom. Now Joe was in control. Joe reached down and pulled his pant leg up. When people saw what was there they fled. It was a Colt forty five attached to an ankle holster. Joseph never wanted to use it. He only bought it for protection in case he needed it while travelling. A split second after the first firework was launched and exploded, Joseph had pulled the trigger. The lake behind Joseph turned slightly red from Joseph’s blood and brain matter. Chunks of Joseph floated on the surface of the lake. Joseph slipped head first (what was left of it) in between the two UNIVERSAL logos. He landed in front of the woman who had seen him, the woman who saw the freed Joseph. The woman looked up at the smear of blood across the globe. As it rotated away from her she looked at Joseph’s broken head and let out a blood curdling scream. 30

VI.-THE AFTERMATH31

After the events that occurred on that deadly holiday at Universal, the park shut down. The park cleaned up the mess and reopened in a month, after they installed metal detectors. About an hour after Joe shot himself Julia got the devastating call that her husband had committed suicide. She would later receive the details of how he committed it, because she was in such shock, she could not bear to hear them. Julia didn’t believe that her husband killed himself. Joseph would never do that. NEVER. Julia had thought. And she still thinks just that. The fact is Joe Rizzo took his life on July 4, 2008.32

Joe Rizzo’s living will indicated that the money goes straight to his wife, and that she must save a large portion for the children’s education. Joseph liked that his kids were smart. He wanted to keep them that way. He wanted his wife to stay happy, so Julia did just that. When searching Joseph’s body they had also found the strangest thing. What looked like a suicide note turned out to be something much, much more. The note said: 33

Check the address 4985 Parkers Lane Wilmington, North Carolina. Go into the backyard and go to the far right near the tree with the swing. There you will find the body of Claire Rizzo buried about five feet under the ground. She was my mother and my father murdered her when I was nine.34

-Joe Rizzo35

You may wonder why Joe would do such a thing, whether it is he was upset with his boss, maybe he had a mental breakdown, maybe Joseph couldn’t take the horrible memories of what his father did to his mother and him when he went on his alcohol binges, or maybe he was just unhappy with his life. No one knows why Joseph did what he did except for Joseph. Maybe Joe Rizzo was just tired of being Joe Rizzo. 36

EPILOGUE37

When I had a second trip to Universal Studios Florida, ten years after my first, I saw a man walk into the International Diner within the park. He fit Joe Rizzo’s description perfectly. Of course, he was where I got the idea for Rizzo. I don’t know the mans name. I never will. All I know is there was a long line and he cut in front of everyone. And the funniest thing about it is all he wanted was a small soda. I think it was a coke because the cup looked dark after the pop was poured into it. After that he left and I never saw him again. Of course I did see him head towards the Globe. I guess that’s where I got the idea for this story.38