THE LEMONADE STAND

It all ended today, our perfect love storyBut it ended in shame and betrayal, not any kind of gloryIt was one of those things that you think only happens to othersNot to my family, not to my sisters or brothersDefinitely not to you and me sweetheartI know you remember 'until death do us part"

I remember tears were running down your cheeks when the minister said thatI squeezed your hand and gave you a patAnd in those blue eyes I saw the skyI saw rainbows and a future that would be brightI saw sun-kissed days and the starlit nightI saw ocean waves as I held you tight

Building sand castles out of dreamsBut life is not always what it seemsI had my own lemonade stand when I was eightWhile the other kids played ball I couldn't waitTo make another dollar, there was always something to sellI guess I was sort of a con artist but it was hard to tell

I liked people and they liked meI could do business in the home of the brave and the land of the freeTurn me loose and let me beI graduated in the top of my classThose jocks could now kiss my assI started selling property and real estateIn the City by the Golden Gate

I was soon a millionaireWhen I met you I didn't have a careFast cars, loose women and all that boozeI met you by chance, I did not chooseFor you to come into my lifeI had no plans for taking a wifeBut there you were and my thoughts began to changeAnd my life I began to rearrange

I quit the drinking and the drugs I had loved so muchNow all I wanted was your love and your touchAnd my image I did somewhat besmirchThe day I joined your churchI still did not want ethics to get into the wayOf all the money I had to make and all the people I had to payHey, I just wouldn't call it bribery anymore, what can I say

I remember the day I bought you that JagPretty good for a kid who didn't have time to play tagPretty good for a kid who started with a lemonade standI didn't have to listen to their music anymore, I owned the bandYou loved the personalized plate that said "Blue Eyes" And when I gave you the keys the world could hear your criesOf joy, for now I had asked you if you wanted to go on a lifetime rideA journey to the stars, would you be my bride 

I came from a large Italian family in North BeachWhere dreams and the stars were out of reachNow all of a sudden they were in my handPretty good for a kid who started with a lemonade standVinnie was my oldest brother, my hero, and now the best manIn that cathedral of hundreds it was oh so grandYou and me in the limelight where we ought to beAnd I capped it off when I bought you that mansion by the sea

Just south of the Cliff House where the gulls fly freeAll those parties on the veranda savoring the ocean breezeAll those fine wines and that expensive cheeseThose gourmet meals meant to pleaseIf this was not living, living was notIf money can not buy it, it can not be boughtBut soon I was a victim of my own successI had to travel far and wide to train those with less

Less talent, less driveThe drones seemed to fill the hiveOf the company I aspired to ownWhen this is mine the door you will be shownFor you bastards have never knownThe pleasures I had to disownTo reach this pinnacle in my lifeNow you separate me from my wife

But Vinnie says he will be there often to help in any way he canI am so lucky to have a brother like that I want you to understandAnd so started the east coast tripsAnd the loss of me and you on the balcony staring at the shipsAs they made their way toward the Golden GateJust like me, always moving at a constant rateI always told myself I'd rest when I got oldIf only then I could have seen how the future would unfold

I might have quit and gave it all upAlthough I ate from the platter and drank from the cupOf success for many a dayI had no idea of the travail that would come my wayI was in New York City and it was the last day of JuneI was sitting in the bar listening to an old Sinatra tuneThe next day would be our anniversary, the day we wedThe hell with this, I am not going to bed

I told an underling to take charge for meTomorrow was a special day and there was someone I had to seeI flew the red eye back and arrived as the sun kissed the bayI took the limo from the airport and headed your wayWith a bouquet of roses and a diamond oh so grandI couldn't wait to slip it on your finger and kiss your handNothing was too good for my blue eyesYou will be so happy, what a surprise

As the driver made his way up the winding road towards the entrance gateI felt so excited, almost like our first dateAs the hedges went by I thought of how beautiful you areThen as we rounded the curve into the driveway I saw Vinnie's carHis green Bently seemed to stare at me like what are you doing hereI felt my stomach knot up and and then I sensed a wave of fearWhat is he doing here so early with my beloved dear

I tipped the driver and watched him go down the hillIn the distance I could see the ships and hear the foghorn's shrillThe gulls were flying overhead in the windblown chillI seemed so aware of everything, time was standing stillI walked up to the front door and entered the alarm codeInside I checked the security box and the time modeThe last entry on record was one o'clockAs I made my way up the stairs my knees started to knock

And my hands started shaking real badInstead of anger I felt sadSad for not trusting my wife and Vinnie my brotherBlue Eyes would be sound asleep in our bedAnd Vinnie would be in one guest room or anotherI held on tight to the flowers and the ringAnd thought happy anniversary I must singI opened the door and there she was with all her charmsSound asleep with Vinnie in her arms

My mouth got real dry and I bolted from the roomAnd came back with my magnum to seal their doomI torched the house and watched it go up in flamesSo much for life and all its gamesI am now working here in the prison canteenAnd looking back on all the things I have seenAnd all the things I did, I thought I had it made"What's that you want mister, sure we sell lemonade".

Tommasso (Tom) Moretti, 46, has been locked up since 1980 for first-degree murder in the death of his brother Vicenzo (Vinnie) and his wife Verdiana Calamia Moretti. In June of 1979 Tommasso shot his wife and brother to death and then torched the elegant hilltop mansion in which they had lived. He was sentenced to life in prison at San Quentin in August of 1980. In 1981, he was convicted of assaulting one guard and slashing the throat of another. He's now serving life without parole in the most secure unit at Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, Ca. about 10 miles south of the Oregon border.

A P O E M BY W I N S TO N W WA L L AC E