Worldwide Tales and the Tails End

By George Goritz

Worldwide Tales and the Tails End consists of fifteen short tales that are good reads. I hope these stories will inspire readers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 9, 2018
• ISBN: 9781546265207

George Goritz

George Goritz now resides in Nafplio, Greece.

Book preview

© 2018 George Goritz. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 11/08/2018

ISBN: 978-1-5462-6521-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-6776-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-6520-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018912891

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Oh My- Oh Mani

Two Gentlemen Not from Verona

Deflowered en Paree

A sailor`s sales and the Trafficking

Uglich

Ashers to Ashers

The Great American Stokes Family

The Bronx Rico

The Bay Six

Lily Li

Ukrainian Chase

Fix-No—Figs Yes

Sweet Arrow 0f Outrageous Fortunes

The Good Doctors

Thoroughly-Bred

I want to

dedicate my book to my dear friend, Professor Danny Miller of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Mr. Miller was my inspiration and suggested that I write these tales.

A strong thank you to Georgia & George Christopoulos for the excellent editing of the book.

I will enjoy sharing my artistically written comic-dramatic tales with my readers and everyone in the world.

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Mani, Greece

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Chicago, Illinois

Oh My- Oh Mani

Tony refused to aid the government in capturing the dangerous Turkish Terrorist, Batur Burakazi. If Tony (aka Antonios Grigorakos) helped he would be at once released from the Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary in Kansas and get a few extra benefits. The Feds wanted Tony for this assignment because, for years, they had not been able to nab the notorious Turk. They felt that Tony, with all his experience in crime, would be the ideal person to collar the killer for Uncle Sam. Strange! Why did Tony refuse? One purely logical reason: Tony was respected both by prison guards and cell mates; therefore, Tony could simply, smoothly, serve out two of his remaining years in confinement. Besides, Burakazi meant nothing to him. So why bother.

Antonio’s Grigorenko’s had another reason for his veto power. Basically, he was jailed for taking the rap for a crime committed several years ago on the South Side of Chicago by his father, Panayioti Grigorakos. Tony was not aware, way back then, that his father had been set-up. Because of his love and respect for him, Tony was adamant in keeping his father out of jail. He pleaded Guilty as Charged and hoped to squelch the offensive misfortune once and for all. But truth always wins out. The public disclosure of what had really happened and how Dad (and the court) been deceived would soon change his life forever.

Since Tony had little formal schooling, he educated himself by the books available to him while serving as the librarian in the disciplinary facility. The place of his birth was of interest to him. He was born in a very special place in the world found in the southern most point in Greece and mainland Europe. Almost a mythical place. It was: the rugged stoned- towered fortification village of Tainaron on the tip of Mani Peninsular. His newly found knowledge gave him a great sense of freedom. He was looking forward to his release in two years. Someday he would visit his native land again with all its historic tales of many battles that were fought so valiantly against the powerful Ottoman Empire. Despite the constant attacks by the Turks, the Mani region had never been conquered during the 375 years under the Ottoman occupation.

By an act of fate, Stephanos Mavromichalis (Steve), who grew up with Tony in Mani, ironically occupied the adjoining cell. Steve had been jailed for crimes in stolen goods. From time to time they exchanged the latest news from their home land. The two Maniates became almost brothers-in-spirit. Steve gave Tony several books on the Greek Revolution of 1821 against the Turks that Tony found astounding and of great personal interest. Two of the most celebrated leaders of the uprising were, Antonbey Grigorakos and Petrobey Mavromichalis, the boy’s brave ancestors. From then on Tony was in the market to read all he could about the fierce battles that took place in those barren mountains. Tony was thankful for all that he had learned in prison and especially from Steve. Even though, they left Mani twenty years ago, at age seven, they became greater friends in jail. All because of books, battles and beautiful Mani.

What interested Tony in reading Mani’s history was finding the fundamental reason why the Maniates took up plundering. Their land was not fertile enough to enable them to exist. Piracy was the path for their survival.

Beyond having a reputation for being fierce, proud and independent warriors, they indulged in constant bloodthirsty feuds. Their vendettas usually lasted until a family was wiped out by another. And only during harvesting time, these skirmishes ceased while they practiced the art of treva (truce).

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The Turks in 1453 captured Constantinople and held on to it for 375 years. The Hellenes declared their independence and swore to be free or die trying on the holy day of March 25, 1821—the day The Virgin Mary conceived Jesus. With the aid from other countries, the reborn Hellenes won the long- sought freedom from Turkish bondage in 1828.

During the long control of Greece, the valiant Maniates seldom paid taxes to the invaders. Their sacred place was a refuge for the politically persecuted. The liberation started with major participation by the ferocious relatives of the Grigorakos and Mavromichalis families.

The Mani Mafia’s genesis was due to the notorious Grigorakos Clan. Tony was deeply proud that they were one of the most powerful clans in Mani, based in the eastern town of Skoutari that fought the Ottomans many times with great success.

Unlike Tony who has blond curly hair, blue eyes and stood 5 feet eleven inches tall, his forbears were small in nature, dark skinned, characterized by their large heads, big wild eyes, bulldog voices and black hair that was of shoulder-length. They sported long black mustachios, that expressed their manliness. Nature gifted them with slim trunk, slender legs and broad feet so that they could leap fearlessly from crag to crag like jumping frogs. They were well equipped with pistols, long knifes called Khangars for close quarter fighting and the Yataghan, a long- curved sword tucked into their sashes and belts. Their black barreled guns were so heavy that they had to be mounted on rocks before they could be fired at their victims.

What amused Tony was to read that the local priests did not prevent the adventurous and fierce Maniates from their chosen mission. As a rule, the priests blessed these buccaneers before their well- planned raids. On many occasion, unorthodox- Orthodox men of the cloth, blissfully went with them in the looting and plundering. Backed by God how could the pirates not be successful

However, in response to the very long and constant harassment by the Turks during the 16th and 17th centuries many Maniates relocated westward to Sicily and Corsica. Today there are parts at the boot of Italy, minutes away from northern Sicily, nestle between the Tyrrhenian and Ionian coasts, there is a region called Calabria, where a special group of people live and speak a distinctive dialect of Greek called- Griko. Besides their quaint customs and lifestyles, these adventurers introduced their unique behavior to the world: The Mafia. In the Corsican village of Cargese, a Greek church still looks after the few remaining Grikos.

Today the mafia of Greece are intensely involved with assassination, bank fraud, blackmailing, bribery, drug trafficking, illegal gambling, murder, police and political corruption and tax evasion. Plus, their never-ending vendettas. All, without much outcry.

*******

Even though Batur Burakazi.’s name means ‘warrior of the faith,’ it should have been ‘scourge of the fallacious.’ This despicable brutal leader of a band of bandits from central Turkey never gave up on the idea of a foothold on the Mani Peninsular. To execute a plan to carry out this, he must first get rid of one of their leaders, the respected Panayioti Grigorakos.

The humiliating defeat of the Ottoman Empire by the detestable Greeks several hundred years ago was constantly on Batur’s corrupt mind. So, he concocted a heist at the National Hellenic Museum on Halstead street in Chicago’s Greek town near Panayiotis’ office. Batur made it seem that the films and audio tapes in the Homer Oral History Project be stolen by Grigorakos. Stealing the digitized interviews for future generations of Greek- Americans would indeed upset the Hellenes in a big way. Batur set up the robbery so that the museum guards would easily recognize the masqueraded thief that was hired; to look like Gregorakos. This was to suggest that Panayioti was indeed involve in the heist.

The news of the botch-up holdup was spread loud and clear throughout Chicago. Now it was an eye for an eye! That’s when young Antonios stepped in and claimed that it was he that was guilty of the crime. He was young and did not mind the five- year sentence for the sake of his father. The important thing the disturbed young man felt he had done was that he had protected his father’s integrity and public respect.

*******

The failed attempts to destroy Grigorakos drove Burakazi mad. He decided to kill the Greek leader himself. Since Panayioti’s South Halstead stronghold was well fortified and protected by many Maniates, the mad dog terrorist waited for the proper time when Grigorakos would venture to Mani for his annual visit.

The great celebration for the great leader’s arrival in Tainaron allowed the slippery Batur to sneak into the village undetected. All throughout the long night there was drinking, eating, dancing and singing by the ecstatic men and women of Mani. Safe among his devoted brethren, the relaxed Panayioti Gregorakos slept peacefully in his vineyard by himself without his dedicated guards standing by. At three o’clock in the dark quiet morning, the sadistic Turk plunged his long knife several times into the heart of the glorious Maniates.

*******

Now Batur could claim land that belonged to Grigorakos with a sense of satisfaction at last. He then surrounded the towered fort-liked village with vicious henchmen. To keep the villagers from revealing the invasion to the Greek government, he cleverly separated all the children and women from the men during the day. In the aftermath, the Maniates were angry with themselves at the unexpected take- over of their village. They were disturbed that they were helpless to counter-attack the Turkish encroachment on their beloved land.

With no immediate danger by the surprised and dumb-founded Maniates, Batur started to market the world’s best extra virgin olive oil and the sweetest tasting honey. Cognizant of the superior quality of the product by the quick-witted Italians, who had switched Greek labels to Italian ones on their bottles prior to distribution. The mischievous Batur likewise placed his own Turkish labels on the newly bought bottles of Greek olive oil, as well.

Honey warehouses and factories throughout the region owned by the late Maniates, was indeed welcomed. There were countless beehives scattered all throughout the hills, which gave a vast amount of the fertilized pollen. And to sneak out the goods without notice, the coves below the hills were ideal for hidden speedboats. Batur was now able to build up a global market with a well-organized cartel.

*******

Ankara has many exports like the well- known honey called Ankara Bali. This was of great interest to Batur’s total scheme. Eventually, the honey operations in both Ankara and Mani would become a cover- up maneuver for the profitable marijuana grown in the Peloponnese (Southern Greece) and the leafy cannabis in Turkey that Batur was obsessed with. It was easy to store these two sought after products in honey packages and ship them throughout the world without detection

The possible threat to his organization would curtail his treacherous conspiracies. Therefore, to execute his plan successfully without government interference, he placed many agents in many Grecian cities. He bribed the officials in Kalamata and Sparta nearby, as well as Corinth, Patras and Tripoli all in the Peloponnese. Even Thessaloniki in the northern part of Greece, was added to the list for total coverage.

With a bit of poetic justice, the loathsome Burakazi might someday subscribe to a marijuana harvest by the youth in the nearby American Farm School. It was another way to get the Greeks upset. For it disturbed him greatly that the farm school, which was found by Henry House in 1905 east of Thessaloniki, was on Grecian land rather than on Turkish soil.

His ambition for all of Greece to be part of Turkey someday was a downright possibility. Why not? In 1974 Turkey invaded the island of Cyprus and the United Nation Security Council did absolutely nothing to retrieve it back for the Cypriots. Therefore, he aimed to raise enough capital from the honey and olive oil operations, plus narcotics, to make the grand scheme a realty.

To make it more difficult for his enemy to maneuver easily in the newly captured village in the Mani Peninsula, he constructed narrow and maze-liked streets like the medina quarters in the Mid- East. He then replaced one of those ugly towers that the Hellenes built and loved, with the more acceptable fort-liked Casbah. With the Casbah, it would be difficult to penetrate the area. The Islamic format would also add an Eastern flavor to the place for the amusement, comfort and protection.

*******

When he heard about the terrible death of his father, the young heartbroken Grigorakos blamed himself for his refusal to seek out Batur in the first place. Upon further investigation, Tony was told that his father had nothing to do with the National Hellenic Museum break in. The good news relieved him of any quilt in his father’s supposed crime and he agreed to do all in his power to bring the terrible Burakazi to justice. It took the federal agents only three days to school Tony the difficult techniques for capturing Batur. Before setting out overseas, Tony’s only request was to have his trusted friend Steve go with him on the cloak-and-dagger mission. To gain the needed knowledge of Burakazi’s operation they decided that the two of them to go directly to Ankara, Turkey instead of Greece. Funded by the US government, they set out on their perilous journey to Asia Minor.

A village of only 35,000 in 1923, Ankara became the capitol of Turkey by the then powerful President Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Today it boasts over five million inhabitants and is the second largest city in Turkey after Istanbul. But for Batur it became number one for his many clandestine deals.

Tony and Steve settled in the Buyakhanli Hotel near the Presidential Palace not far from the new section of the city called Yenesihir, centered on Kizilay Square. Government buildings, foreign embassies, high rises, theaters and shopping malls are found there that would be familiar to Batur. To understand their adversary’s mindset, the Maniates needed one week to familiarize the Turk’s everyday habits and hangouts.

Luck stepped in unexpectedly. Tony and Steve enjoyed a good meal in the Fige Restaurant and Bar on their first night in Ankara. It was a short walk to their hotel when suddenly they were confronted by a strikingly gorgeous young lady who had tracked down Grigorakos. She revealed that she was at Tony’s trial in Chicago for the sole purpose to kill the elusive Burakazi. He had stolen the families’ honey factories and warehouses in Ankara and had them all killed. Sidiki, whose name means trustful, was the only one that survived the brutal slaughter of her dear relatives.

The boys had no doubt to the validity of the strange tale. She played it innocently as she introduced them to the mysteries and peculiarities of the capital city. Was there more to this Turkish beauty? Sidiki was USA trained, commanded three languages, probably carried a discrete hand gun and could hit bulls-eyes at 300 feet. She knew the score and understood the situation and the English language. She could be of use to them in chopping down Burakazi to zero. Had gun, sex, several motives.

Sidiki suggested a plan for the Maniates to consider. What better way to tempt a crook to his doom, then by the sweet- smelling honey perfume? The lure of Honey would then be the right inducement to penetrate the Turk’s stronghold. So, Sidiki proposed a plan whereby both Steve and Tony pose as buyers of the divine delicacy and make a honey of a deal that Burakazi could not refuse. The only way to get to the King Bee was to get into the honey business. She knew it and would teach them the proper procedures and applications needed for managing the enterprise and learning the art of making honey.

Moving honey crops from hives into containers is a very long process. Initially the honeycombs are separated from the bees and then stored away in places where they cannot be robbed by the buzzing insects. The next step is scrapping off the wax caps before placing the frames in an extractor. The honey is spun to the sides of the extractor forcing the honey out of the combs, where gravity pulls the honey to the bottom to be collected. After the honey is extracted, it is strained to remove any wax. Finally pouring the honey into jars and labeling them before marketing. It needs a great deal of know-how and skill for the operation to succeed. And is one of the many fine-spun procedures that is necessary to know, if one is to gain the confidence of the Turk.

Since Batur was at the trial, Sidiki was also concern that he might recognize Tony. So, she suggested a heavy make-up and padded wig for a camouflaged. It was one way that he could enter Mani without suspicion. Tony agreed to a wig but not to the make-up. He opts instead for an effortless growth of a beard, rather than by a daily make-up

Now that Sidiki lost all her loved ones, she hungered the affection and attention that she was once accustomed to. She sensed that Tony and Steve were there to give it for her. If invited, the excited and motivated Sidiki would join the boys in the dangerous undertakings. Besides she took a fancy to the handsome Tony Grigorakos.

It meant a few more days in Ankara for the necessary preparation to carry out the successful campaign. The long byzantine work days justified nights of relaxation and enjoyment. Therefore, on the first evening Steve excused himself to attend a night at the opera. While Sidiki and Tony, alone at last, had supper at the delightful four-star restaurant near the Ankara Hilton, the Haci Arif Bey Kebabcisi. On the menu was the famous Turkish cuisine special. Delicious kebab and lamb stew. They enjoyed the savory meal over a bottle of local red wine. However, no dessert of Turkish Delight for them on this most romantic night. They instead ordered cocktails in the attractive lady’s bewitching boudoir.

Unfortunately, early next morning they, were awaken to the tunes from Steve’s cacophonous operatic musical voice. Happily, their new lifestyle was their modus operand for the remaining nights. Truly a Turkish Delight on each night.

*******

The last day in Ankara, one of Batur’s bodyguards spotted Sidiki and at once called his boss in Mani. He mentioned that she would drive two Americans to the airport that evening. The suspicious Batur ordered him to hitch a ride with them on the way to the aerodrome and kill Sidiki and the two strangers as if it was an accident.

Tony sat in the back seat of the car behind the shadowy assassin. Approaching a sharp curve near a steep cliff, Tony noticed that the man was preparing to jump out of the fast-moving vehicle after jamming the steering wheel. Regardless of his quick action to put a halt to the deadly maneuver, Tony was unable to prevent the car from crashing into a large bolder. Whereby killing both Sidiki and the man instantly. Both Steve and Tony however walked away with minor injuries.

The gathering