Eulogy for a Mobster

Starsky faces truths about his relationship with Joe Durniak.

Originally published in the SHareCon 2019 zine.

Sighing with deep reflection, Starsky approached the podium in the church that held well over two hundred guests at the funeral.

“‘Tell them about the Joe Durniak I knew,’ that’s what Joe’s wife told me and I’ve thought long and hard about what to say today.” Looking at Hutch seated in the first pew between his mother and Joe’s wife, Margaret, he gathered his courage and determination.

“Joe told my partner that, and I quote, ‘Little Davey didn’t know whether to love me or hate me,’ and I think that’s still true. My father was a cop here, right here in this borough, in New York. He and Joe had been friends since grade school! He even tried dating my mother,” he said, smiling at his mom. “But she chose the future cop instead of the future Don.”

Starsky closed his eyes, remembering. “When my father was killed, Joe paid for the funeral. When the police were unable to find his killers, Joe found them. He got their confessions and turned them over to the FBI. He knew my father wouldn’t want anyone murdered because of him, no matter how guilty or deserving. For that I know my dad would have been thankful, as am I.”

Starsky fixed his gaze on his mother as he continued. “But there I was, a fifteen-year-old kid who needed a job so I could support…” He paused, then raising his eyes to the congregation, he went on, “so I could help support my mother and kid brother. I wanted to stay in school but no job I could get paid enough to let me do that. A ‘friend’ told me about running numbers. I could do that, stay in school and help at home.”

The room was silent for a moment, allowing Starsky to collect his thoughts. “Joe found out what I was planning and when I refused to listen to him, he went to my mother. BOY was she pissed! The next day I was on a plane to California to live with my Aunt Rose and Uncle Al. Guess who bought the ticket?”

Starsky looked down again, then up once more facing the silent crowd. “For a while I hated him for helping my mother send me away. Now I’m not so sure hate belongs here. I couldn’t be the cop I am today if they hadn’t done that. I never told him ‘thank you’. I should have. I was with him when he died. The last thing he said to me was… ‘My headstone, put: ‘Here lies Joseph Durniak, the end of an era.'”

More than a little surprised at the emotion he felt choking out those last words, Starsky finished his eulogy. “I think his headstone should read: ‘Here lies Joseph Durniak… a loyal friend and an Honorable Man.’“

With that, Starsky folded his single sheet of paper and returned to his seat between his mother and Hutch.