Leny flashed a similar face back at her but Tom was becoming more terrified; only able to cover this up by doing a big grin; but when an even deeper scowl began to etch itself on her face he shouted out of control: "Mama! Mama, she's going to bite me!"

The Grandmother looked into her half empty dish saying in a hurtful tone, "No, I wasn't."

When Tom's mother turned toward him, the Grandmother gave him an even bigger scowl for him to feed on along with his food.

Tom did his infantile paralysis charge at her as he screamed: "See Mama? See? See?"

She looked but the expression on her mother's face had faded into one studying a slice of bread with bite holes in it.

His mother rose from the table not knowing what to believe and began carrying dishes to the sink.

Now the scowl had in it the promise that Tom would get his and indeed from that second on when peeing Tom would stand sideways; walking by a dark room, he would peek in first and then throw a shoe at the darkness or when reaching for anything it would take him twice as long since he would turn so often.

While his mother stayed in the same room with them, Tom was brave saying in the way vendors did their sing-song way of selling their produce on Third Avenue: "Grandma's a bum. She's no good. She pees on the floor like Papa says and not in the bowl."

Their father would not return until his wife's mother left. He had given the old lady the name "Mamasu" which when tight;y translated meant "her mother".

His mother smacked him hard across the back of the head.

Leny laughed hysterically at Tom's surprised expression for Tom had been watching only the tiger for a reaction.

"Don't tease your grandmother that way - cripple!" his mother said.

The tiger, with fleeting movements of her hand which she purposefully made to resemble a paw, showed a smile half hidden behind her spoon.

"Mama! Look! See?"

"Stop it! All of you just stop it! I have other things to worry about!"

The old lady, using a sly gesture, began to twirl a finger next to her temple as she rolled her eyes; making sure Tom saw - and then she began hypnotizing his stare to her scariest face of all: puffing up her cheeks while pouting her thin lips and then squinting her little black eyes that were encased in a murky haze of gray.

"Mama!"

When his mother turned she only saw her mother with hands folded on her lap; doing a little smile before saying,"I think his mind has polio too."

Tom refused to eat his last bit of broccoli rape nestled among ditalini.

"Tom finish. This Great Depression will rob even the little we have," his mother pleaded.

"No! I'm never eating again!" he said limping toward the parlor.

"You know what will happen if you don't eat," his grandmother said in a soft purring way.

"What?" he shouted.

"You know what!" she said with a hint of a growl creeping into the last words.

"What? What? What?" Tom shouted.

That night when the whole apartment was engulfed in total darkness and everyone seemingly asleep, the tiger left her bed to begin a soft walk toward the boys' room and just at the door, she knelt to begin a movement toward their bed while doing a soft growl. She approached Tom's ear and whispered: "Then, I will love you!"

Within a minute she was back in her bed.

"Mama! Mama!" Tom yelled.

The tiger was the first to reply, "What's wrong? Anything wrong? Jesus Christ - an old lady can't even sleep in peace!"

"Tiger, tiger," Tom whispered; fearing he was going to be eaten all up.

Jerry Vihotti

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