Don Nolan had no illusions of his importance after receiving his master's degree in art from Ohio State University, and upon his graduation, his search for gainful employment led him to Rico's Craters.
The interview with Rico Giordano was brief.
"What's your name?"
"Don Nolan"
"You know how to use a hammer and a saw?"
"Yes"
"How about a measuring tape? You know how to read a measuring tape?"
"Yes"
"What's your level of education?"
"I have a high school diploma."
"Okay, you start tomorrow. Be here at eight o'clock. Bobby will show you what to do."
Bobby was a transplanted hillbilly from Bluefield, West Virginia. He knew how to make crates and had the basic communication skills to explain the job.
Having grown up on a carnival, and after spending four years on the wrestling team at Ohio State, manual labor was neither a stranger nor a life energy draining effort to Don.
The working relationship went well for the first week. Then Don brought a small radio into the workplace so that he could listen to the opera station while on the clock.
"Jesus, Don. Why don't you get some good music on that thing?"
"This is the kind of music I like, Bobby."
"That's a lot of crap. Change the station."
"It's my radio, Bobby, so I get to pick the music."
"Well, I ain't going to tolerate this."
Bobby turned and walked directly to Rico's office. A minute later they came out through the door together. Rico stood in front of the radio, hands on his hips, and stared at it. A minute passed and he said, "Beniamino Gigli." He turned to Don, "That's from La Bohème, ain't it?"
Don nodded.
"When I was a kid in New York," Rico continued, "I never had any money. One night I snuck into the auditorium and saw Gigli perform. My God, he was great! I never had a chance to see Caruso, but my cousin in Chicago saw him once…" Rico proceeded to ramble for the next five minutes, then walked back into his office and closed the door.
The workday continued without further conversation.
Beniamino Gigli
