Mussie – Continuation

There are so many more Mussie stories I had to do a continuation. He was a lovable character in so many ways. In addition, he was the most generous person I have ever known. Although I was standoffish with him at the beginning, I grew to love him dearly.

Mussie took care of his entire family…which included his sisters, brothers, their children and grandchildren. After my mother passed away, he could have walked away but he continued to be an integral part of our lives. The kids looked forward to his visits because “Grandpa Mussie” would not only bring them rolls of quarters to put into their banks, but he was the only grandfather my children ever knew.

What a Character

Mussie was a character…he would walk around smoking and chewing on a huge Beringer cigar. It must have been at least eight inches long. My mother would yell at him because he smoked it in the apartment and it stunk out the house. She would tell him “the curtains stink of your cigar.”

He was also a simple man who had simple pleasures. He loved fried eggs with dried hot cherry peppers crumbled in…the eggs would turn orange from the heat and his eyes would tear when he ate them with Italian bread, but he loved it. Or eating a chunk of Locatelli Romano cheese with a knife and a loaf of Italian bread.

I think the reason my mother and Mussie got along so well was because he never took her seriously. For instance the time they went grocery shopping and when they were bringing in the groceries, he dropped a carton of eggs all over the front steps of the house. She started yelling at him and all he could do was laugh. After a few minutes, all she could do was laugh herself.

During the 1965 blackout in New York City, I was working in the Pan American Building on 42nd Street. Stuck on the 29th floor I was just about to get on the elevator when everything went dark. Thank God I wasn’t on it. I would have panicked as I’m claustrophobic. We went back into our offices at Overseas Pulp & Paper. Trying to get through on the phone lines to call our families took quite a bit of time. When I finally got through to my mom, I asked how everything was going and her reply was “Everything is okay. The neighborhood is totally black and all I can see is the light from Mussie’s cigar walking back and forth pacing on the Avenue.”

My First Car

Mussie bought me my first car…a 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. It was lime green. Whatever made me choose that color, I’ll never know but it was a great car. Mussie would only buy Oldsmobiles. He purchased a new car every two years and it had to be the Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight every time. Everyone close to him got new cars. Ronnie, his sister’s son, was very close to Muss. Ronnie worked with him in the candy store and did odd jobs for him and he got a weekly salary. As I said, Mussie took care of his entire family. He loved spending his money, especially on the people he cared about.

Going Out to Dinner

Mussie and my mom would go out to dinner in New York City every week. She would never go to an Italian restaurant. Her thinking was “Why would I go out to an Italian Restaurant when I can make it better at home.” As a result, they would go out to eat Chinese every week. I think they ate at every single Chinese Restaurant in Manhattan, but our all-time favorite was The Gold Coin. It was on Second Avenue on 52nd Street. When the waiters and the Maitre’ D saw him coming, they knew it was a big tip. The Maitre’ D was Bruce Ho, who would later open his own restaurant on 57th Street. Mussie handed out 50’s and 100’s like they were going out of style. He loved giving them orders, but in the end making them smile when he gave them the tip was the icing on the cake.

The Gold Coin had a lobster roll, not like the lobster rolls in New England with mayonnaise, but it was like a giant egg roll. It was about 10″ long and 3″ round and was stuffed with lobster meat with a crispy outer shell. It was the best lobster roll I have ever had and can’t find it since. We went to Bruce Ho’s restaurant after The Gold Coin closed and Bruce made them special for us. He said we should call him in advance and they would make them just for us because they weren’t on the menu anymore.

Stand-Up Guy

He was always the first one to help out, but when it came time to ask for favors he was always reluctant to do so. I guess he didn’t like asking for favors because in the end, you would owe a favor in return. He was a stand-up guy with a heart of gold and we miss him.