June 16, 2022 • 33 mins
Georgia suffers horrible abuse at the hands of Joe and plans her escape.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The following episode of wheel Woman Confessions of a Getaway
Driver contains depictions of sexual violence. Listener discretion is advised.
Teleforce Productions and I Heart Radio presents wheel Woman Confessions
of a Getaway Driver. You mentioned after Joe got beat
up he treated you better for a while. Yes, for
(00:24):
a little bit, but soon things were even worse than before.
He was more controlling and jealous than ever. I couldn't
go anywhere without him, and it wasn't worth going anywhere
with him. His presence made everyone extremely uncomfortable, including me.
How so well. For example, I used to have to
(00:44):
go to all these industry parties, but if Joe didn't
accompany me, I'd have to stay home. I quickly realized
that was the better option. As Joe and I walked
into the party, a model friend of mine, Jim, came
over to greet us. As he said hello, he dared
(01:04):
to innocently rest his hand on my shoulder. Hey, Georgia,
great party. Huh. Yes, the studio doesn't look quite the
same with all these people in it, Jim, This is Joe.
Good to meet you. Joe, you touch my wife like
that again, You'll be missing a hand. I was mortified,
(01:24):
Joe grabbed my arm and abruptly led me through the
crowd back towards the exit. Joe, please don't embarrass me.
Embarrass you quite the opposite, my dear. How can you
allow yourself to be touched like that? They expect me
to stand there like a fucking idiot. Jim was just
being friendly. He didn't mean anything by it. Yeah, I
know how friendly. He'd like to be get your coat
(01:45):
with leaving, and whenever anything happened like that, he continued
to make me pay for it. Once we got back
home after that party, I had to stay in for
two days before I could cover up the bruce is
properly with makeup. But it wasn't until a little later
that I finally got a glimpse of what Joe was
(02:06):
truly capable of. Well Samy aware of how bad things got,
(02:56):
did you consider asking him for help to leave? Sammy
was locked up for a little bit at the time,
so I didn't have him to rely on. It's probably
part of the reason things got so bad again, but
I also knew I needed to find a way out myself.
When I realized Joe was seeing someone else, I was relieved.
I hope he'd fall in love with her and make
(03:18):
the choice to leave me. I was naive. Did you
know who he was with? Oh? Yeah, rox Anne, the
beautiful red haired sex kitten I'd seen making eyes at
him at the club. He even bought her a house
and practically moved in. At first, it hurt, but the
(03:38):
pain was from the memories of old Joe. In reality,
I was happy I finally had some space. He wasn't
around enough to be violent with me either, and quite
by accident, I met someone too, Gino Provenzano. Were you
worried about Joe finding out? I suppose, but I hoped
(04:00):
since he was enjoying his freedom, so could I. Like
I said, naive anyway, I still knew I couldn't date
Gino publicly and that I was taking a big risk,
but I couldn't help it. I've been suffocated for so long,
and Gino and I were instantly attracted to each other.
It was like we were hit by lightning. Gina was tall,
(04:22):
with a mass of curly hair atop his head that
he wore in an afro. He dressed stylishly and had
inviting eyes that were soft and genuine. He was gentle,
yet rugged, and he made me feel alive, the way
I used to fill with Frankie, the way I wasn't
feeling with Joe. I found myself falling in love with Gino,
(04:44):
but Gina was nervous about Joe. I couldn't blame him,
so was I. Did Joe find out, of course, and
as soon as he did, he called me on the phone,
summoning me, Oh, hello, I want to talk to you. Okay, Joe,
(05:09):
what's up? Come to the club of closing time. There's
something I want to say to you. Okay. I showed
up at two o'clock in the morning and sat at
the bar until he finished closing out the register, and
then he told me we were going to get breakfast.
(05:30):
We drove in silence to a twenty four hour diner nearby.
My heart stopped as we approached, and I saw Gino
sitting inside with a few of his friends. We looked
at each other in quiet shock. I knew he was
wondering why I was there with Joe, but wasn't about
to ask. M So, I understand you're seeing someone. Is
(06:10):
that true? Who told you that? Never mind? Who told me?
Is it true? No, it's not true. Why are you lying, Georgia.
You know it'll be much worse for you if you lie.
What about rock sand? Rock Sand's just a piece of ass.
I'm amazed you're not broke by now if you make
(06:32):
it a practice to buy a house for everyone who's
just a piece of ass. We're not talking about rock
sand now, We're talking about Gino Provincano. M I don't
so it is true, isn't it. I have to go
to the lady shit out. You haven't answer me yet.
My heart stopped as I saw Gino start to rise.
(06:54):
I looked at him and tried to convey to him
it was okay without betraying anything to Joe. I don't
think this is the place to have this discussion. Joe,
let's go home. Hey, Probzano, but you don't telling your
phone calls anymore? What? Joe froze. He pivoted around to
(07:15):
see Gino, who returned his icy stare. The air was
thick with tension. Let's go, Joe. They continued to face
each other. I panicked as Joe slowly raised his arm
towards his jacket. Joe, please, let's go, Just come on,
(07:39):
let's get in the car. If you don't get in
the car right now. I'm going to call a cab. Finally,
Joe lowered his arm, but he never broke eye contact. Eventually,
Gina looked away. Then Joe turned to me with a
twisted smile before he silently walked toward the car. We
(08:13):
rode in silence back to the apartment. It was a
short drive, but it felt like an eternity. Did you
(08:41):
sleep with him? No? I didn't, fucking liar. Dragged me
to the window and opened it while he kept one
hand on the gripping tight. I'll teach you to embarrass me.
You no good hore. Shoved me all the way out
(09:02):
the window, holding me by my ankles. The blood rushed
in my head. Please please, Joe, I'll never I'll never
see you, know again. Promise I'm sorry, Joe. You will
never leave me. You got that, of course I won't
got that. I didn't do anything. Please pull me inside. Please,
you better be fucking sorry. I am. It was a mistake.
(09:29):
Finally he pulled me back inside. I was lightheaded. Okay, baby,
I believe you. I'm sorry, you know I just I
love you so much. I thought you was someone else.
Makes me sick. I love you so much, baby, don't
you ever leave me? Okay, okay, m His personality totally switched. Suddenly,
(10:09):
he was loving and apologetic. I was so grateful to
be alive. But somehow I managed to forgive him what
happened with Gina. He learned more about Joe's reputation and
decided it wasn't in his best interest to see me anymore.
And that was That was Joe's reputation getting worse. As
(10:37):
you can imagine, it was never great to begin with,
but lately everyone was on edge. There wasn't war percolating,
and when Joe felt threatened, he became a wild animal.
When did you know there was a war coming? When
we had an unexpected visitor? M, Hello, Georgia, is Joe around? Yeah,
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come on in, Frank, he's in the office. I'll go
get him. What is it? Frank Valenti and Jene Differentisco
just dropped by there in the living room. Joe looked concerned.
(11:30):
Frank rarely made personal visits. Yeah, why don't you and
Tony go out and have a nice lunch. Joe handed
me a hundred dollar bill, and I made myself scarce.
I took Tony to McDonald's and then headed for them all.
When I returned, Joe was in the office, sitting alone
(11:51):
at his desk. A bottle of Scotch was open in
front of him. He wasn't in a good mood. What
was that all about? Who does he think he is?
He is? Joe? I don't know what the problem is,
but I think you'd better keep that in mind. Jesus,
What the hell did I say that was so bad?
(12:12):
What side do you want anyway? Joe? I don't even
know what the hell is going on. All I'm saying is,
don't act before you think you're playing with fire with
that guy. In the end, I'll have it his way anyway.
They already have a piece of my action. That's all
they're getting. I'm not giving him anymore. Okay, okay. I
never learned the details of that drop by, but I
(12:34):
could tell something had shifted. As I'm sure you know.
Any look at the Rochester rackets will lead you back
to Frank Valenti. He was a delegate to the Appalachian
Crime Convention in ninety seven, where he was arrested with
fifty seven of his cohorts after the police pulled a
surprise raid Frank served jail time when he refused to
talk about the Appalachian Agenda. His silence earned him the
(12:56):
respect of Upstate crimes are Stefano Maggordino of or False.
Moggorino decided it was time for a change in his region,
and so when Frank was released, he settled into the
Rochester Rackets as Moggorino's hand picked capo. Frank Valenti began
playing Godfather with a classic blair. It was well known
that death awaited anyone who refused to play the game
(13:18):
his way. By the turn of the decade and into
the nineties seventies, Frank Valenti had soared to his peak.
But around this time his mounting legal problems started to
become a parent, and his underlings were not anxious to
tolerate his continued rule from behind bars. The time had
come for someone to take his place, but Frank was
(13:38):
lashing out, trying to assert what dominance he had left
while he could. Did Joe want to take his place?
I don't know if he did. He didn't act on
it quick enough, but Sammy did. He had one of
Frank's bodyguards strategically killed, allowing Sammy to move into the
long awaited position. They found Jimmy the hammer massarrow in
(13:59):
his runk with six bullets in his head, five days
after he disappeared. I didn't want to go to the funeral,
but Joe made me. I remember. The room had a
chokingly sweet smell of roses. Old ladies twisted rosary beads
(14:20):
in their wrinkled hands and took turns wailing. We sat
in the front row next to Jimmy's wife be She
was torn up. She couldn't help it if she loved
him the same way. I still loved Joe, but I
knew soon she would finally find peace and be better
for it. I held her hand and stared at the
picture on the top of the casket. There were no
(14:42):
tears in my eyes. The entire Rochester mob filed in,
all dressed in black. The absence of color was traditional
for an Italian funeral. But then Sammy showed up wearing
a cream colored raincoat. He was making a point. Everyone
watched as he arrogantly dreaded to the widow's side. I'm
(15:04):
sorry she pierced him with a freezing glare, but Sammy
looked unfazed. He nodded in my direction. Ignored Joe, then
turned and walked to the casket. I thought I caught
a hint of a smirk on his lips. Then Jeane
di Francesco made his entrance. As he walked towards us,
(15:26):
I couldn't shake the feeling that he did it. He
and Jimmy were close, but Jean was a killer and
an opportunist who would have followed Sammy's command. M condolence
is b oh, jeep, he's good, He's good. No, no, honey, no,
jesus joke. Can we get out of here now? All right,
(15:47):
I gotta take care of some I'll meet you in
the parking lot anyway. Valenti understood Sammy's message and went
quietly to serve his prison sentence of twenty years to life.
Four years passed before the truth was known and I
learned I was right. Jeane di Francesco was charged with
(16:09):
the murder of Jimmy Massarow, and so life in the
underworld went on. But as the new regime took over,
the shifting of power produced a wave of murders. How
did Joe take Sammy's rise to the top. Not well
after the beating Sammy gave Joe he felt disrespected, but
now Sammy outranked him. I think Joe took some kind
(16:32):
of perverse pleasure in taking it out on me, and
because he knew it would bother Sammy. Sammy didn't retaliate
again at the time, but he made his feelings known.
So things continue to get worse between you and Jill.
Eventually things got so bad I told him I was
going to stay with my parents for a little while,
(16:53):
that I needed space. He told me I had a week.
The thing was, there really had been good times in
the beginning. We had such an intense love, but somehow
it all changed, and while fear kept me there, it
also pushed me away. Finally, after some time with my family,
(17:14):
I worked up the courage to call and tell him
I wasn't coming back. I knew what would follow. Not
a day went by that he didn't call. He cried
and begged, but I held firm. When the pleading didn't work,
he resorted to threats. So I moved around, staying with
different friends. I hid and hoped time would solve the problem.
(17:34):
Eventually I decided to venture out. I went to Green Streets,
which was a competitor of Caesar's Two. The owner, Tony
Sapienza was a friend of mine and I felt safe there.
I sat at the bar talking with some modeling friends,
and after being imprisoned for quite some time, I was
(17:56):
beginning to enjoy myself. That is, and old Tony came over. Georgia,
Georgie just wiped in. He's asking people if they seen you. Shit, Tony.
I never expected him to leave Caesar's on a Friday night.
Does he look mad? He doesn't look happy here? That
keeps to my office. He goes downstairs and wait there
till I come for you. He's probably seen my car. Tony.
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Just go now, okay? Thanks. As I was rushing towards
the office, I ran into Sammy. Hey kid, what are
you going in such a hurry? Jonas Ford drink? I can't,
sam Joe's looking for me. I have to hide. He'll
(18:39):
kill me if he finds me here. We'll see about that.
Sammy calmly took my hand and led me back to
his table. Sit down, Georgia, and get it with double
scotch and water. You got it, please, Sammy. I don't
(19:03):
want to see I guess I didn't have much reason
to worry at Sammy's table sat six of the most
notorious gangsters in the Rochester Syndicate. I couldn't have been safer,
but I could also tell something sinister was brewing. Judging
by their frowns and focus stairs, they certainly weren't in
the mood for Joe Lamondola using physical or verbal force
(19:26):
on a hundred fourteen pound woman. How are you doing, Georgia.
I haven't seen much of you these days. I've been okay.
I spoke too soon. Joe spotted me and started over
the table. Watched and agitated silence as he approached. But
Joe was cool. He had to be. It wasn't stupid.
(19:48):
You look directly at me and spoke calmly, Georgia. Can
I talk to you? Sure? You can talk to it?
What would you like to say? I'd like to talk
to my wife Sammy alone. Have you got anything you
want to talk to him about, Georgia? No, well there
you have. I guess you don't want to talk to you, Joe.
(20:09):
I'll call you later, Joe. Joe ignored the men and
glared at me before high tailing it out of there.
I had won the battle, but the war was far
from over. I knew Joe's ego had to be shattered,
and I wasn't going to get off easily. The guy
seated around me were still on edge. They looked ready
to fight. Joe was a renegade. He didn't always follow
(20:31):
the rules. These guys didn't need much of an excuse
to take him out, but I didn't want to be
the reason. What a fucking asshole. What are you seeing
that guy? Georgia? He leading kid alone? Huh, she'll work
it out on all the time. I think I better
be going. Thanks for the drink. Yeah, I'm gonna call
it a night too. I'll walk you m As we
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stepped out of the bar, Sammy inconspicuously scammed the surrounding
area as we walked towards the parking lot. He's across
the street, park near the bank. I'll follow you home, Thanks, Sammy,
but I wasn't home long before the phone rang. You're
(21:30):
pretty brave with your friends around, aren't you. I'm sorry, Joe.
I didn't plan for that to happen, making me look
like a jerk. Huh, what did I tell you? How
weld do? If I found you? Joe, I'm not coming back.
You can't dictate my life forever, Still my fucking wife.
You're not gonna make me look like a fool, Jo,
I'm not doing anything wrong. I just wanted to get
out and see my friends. There's nothing I'm doing that
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makes you look like a fool. What the fuck do
you think you just did? You're fucking idiot. You just
remember one thing you know, good fucking horr. Your friends
can't always be around when you need him. Just keep
that thought in mine, little girl. I knew he meant
good on his threats, so I went back into hiding.
But I needed to get back into the apartment for
(22:12):
my portfolio and some clothes so I could try to
get back to work and earn some money. When I
heard he was planning on taking a date to the racetrack,
I saw an opportunity. I was on my way out
with an armful of clothes when I heard the front
door open. I froze as Joe raced up the stairs,
yelling when are you going to stop being such a
(22:32):
fucking liar. When he clutched my face with both his
hands and pushed me to the floor, I lay there
covering my head. I didn't lie. I didn't lie. You
said you'd be back in a week, and I believed you.
I let you go because I believe you. You lied
to me again. You I never said that you told
(22:53):
me to be back in a week. I never said
I would. I didn't lie. Show you. I lay on
the floor as he continued to kick me, and then
I watched helplessly as he walked over to the dresser
and took out his gun. Where are your friends now? Dear?
You knocked my head against the dresser and I blacked out.
(23:15):
I don't know for how long. When I awoke, I
saw he was taking bullets out of the gun. You
didn't answer me. I said, where are your friends now?
He placed just one bullet back into the chamber, and
then he placed the gun at my temple. What are
(23:39):
you doing? I'm gonna find out once and for all
how badly you really want to leave? Please show Are
you sure you want to leave? M My life passed
before my eyes. I saw my daughter, my parents. Do
you remember now what I said? I do? If you
(23:59):
have left me, all the time has come. Let's try again. Stop.
I don't leave, Please don't kill me. Think about Tony.
I'll stay. You're lying again. I don't believe you. He
pulled the trigger again. Please please, Joe, I love you, Okay,
I was just hurt. I had to punish you for
(24:21):
hurting me. I was gonna come back after you learn
a lesson. I love you too much to stay away
from you forever. You know that it worked. Relief surged
across his face. It was what he wanted to hear. Slowly,
he lowered the gun, pulled me to my feet, and
(24:41):
gently picked me up and lowered me onto the bed.
He do love me, don't you. Of course I do.
Of course I do. I can't live without you, Georgia.
Come on, Promise you'll never leave me. Promise, I promise,
I promise m. He was like another person as he
(25:09):
tenderly undressed me and made love to me. Grateful for
my life, I cried silent tears, just like after the
(25:32):
beating with Sammy. For a while, Joe was nice again,
an abusive act in and of itself. He went out
of his way to be kind to me in an
attempt to restore my positive feelings towards him. I hate
to say it worked, but only for a little while.
He couldn't keep it up. Do you think Joe was
truly capable of killing you? Capable of murder? Was Joe
(25:55):
capable of murder? Yeah? I witnessed it. A cry in
the night jolted me awake. At first I thought it
was a nightmare, but as I got my bearings, I
kept hearing it. I followed the sound and looked out
my window down into the parking lot outside Caesar's Too.
(26:17):
There Joe was looking up at me. The lights were
out in my room, but I knew he saw the
curtains move. He quickly turned away so the guys he
was with wouldn't realize they had been spotted. That's when
I saw the source of the noise. A man lay
on the asphalt, groaning and begging for his life. Every
(26:38):
time he made a move, they viciously kick him in
the head and body simultaneously. They couldn't seem to get enough.
I stood frozen with fear. After a while, the man
stopped moving, and yet they kept kicking him. He was dead.
I felt sick. What do you want to do with him, Joe,
(27:00):
give a ship, just get him the hell out of here.
I watched in horror as they unceremoniously tossed the man
in the trunk and drove away. Joe stood there, rooted
to the spot, watching as the car disappeared. Once it
(27:25):
was out of sight, he made a point to look
back up at our window, and then he walked back
into the bar. I ran to the bathroom and hung
my head over the toilet bowl, taking deep breath, trying
not to gather. I tried to expel the image of
what I saw from my mind, but it was impossible.
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I lay down, shaking. Eventually I heard Joe's footsteps on
the stairs. I was terrified. I knew he knew I saw,
and I could tell from the way he swayed that
he'd been drinking heavily. Oh god, why what did that
(28:10):
poor guy do to deserve that? What did you see? No?
I was dazed from the force of his blow. I
was scared. I said, what did you see? Nothing? That's right, honey,
(28:32):
you didn't see anything. Don't you ever forget it? Okay,
stop that fucking crying before I really give you stothing
to crying out. I lay there in the dark, my
mind racing and my head hurting. I thought hard to
keep my hysterical gasp from being heard, but it didn't work.
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He burst back in, don't you ever ever fucking question me.
He climbed on top of me and wrapped his hands
around my neck. He pressed harder and harder. My eyes
(29:16):
felt as if they were going to pop out of
their sockets. Who the hell are you to question me?
He finally released me. I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness.
(29:38):
I barely registered it as I felt him enter me.
He was like a crazed animal, and I was a
limp rag doll. Eventually he passed out, and then so
did I. When I first awoke the next day, I
(29:58):
didn't even remember what it happened. And then I tripped
over Joe's shoes, crusty with dried blood, and it all
came rushing back to me. I sat in the kitchen,
still not fully awake, trying to drive out the memory
(30:20):
of the previous night. My mind drifted two thoughts of escape.
I knew I needed to get out. I just said
know how, And then Joe entered, acting like nothing had happened. Honey,
did I do that to you? Dude? What your face?
(30:42):
I ran to the mirror. The right side of my
face was swollen and bruised. I grew even more upset.
This is the third time in the last two months.
I'll le have to cancel a shoot. God, I hate you, Joe,
I hate you. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. You know
(31:04):
I love you. I don't mean to hurt you. I
don't know what happens to me when I drink. Then, please, Joe,
stop drinking. How can I stop drinking, Georgia, don't be ridiculous.
You know how they line up shots downstairs. If I
don't drink, the guys get insulted. It's not good for businesses.
Then half the bar's under pour yours from a water
down bottle. I don't know, but you can't keep doing
this to me, Joe. I can't take it any I
(31:25):
love you, Georgia. You're the only one who understands me.
You're the only one who cares. Oh God, please don't
ever leave me, Georgia. I'd be a dead man without you.
I'll be a dead woman if I stay. Let's not
start that again. You're not going anywhere. Did you ever
(31:50):
tell anyone what you witness or what happened to you?
Like who the cops? Don't make me laugh. I told
you how that went before everyone was in someone's pocket.
Not to mention that not one of them would believe me.
I learned the hard way early on what happens to
women who look for help within the system. But after
(32:10):
that night, I started plotting my escape in earnest any
love I had for that man had loved me, His
lack of compassion repulsed and terrified me. He had become
a stranger. I knew if I tried to leave, he
killed me. But I knew if I didn't go, I
was as good as dead. It was a risk I
was suddenly willing to take. A wheel. Woman is written
(32:36):
by Lars Jacobson and Sabrina Jagulin and directed by Sabrina Jagulin,
Produced by Lars Jacobson and Sabrina Jagulin, Executive produced by
Georgia Darante and Noel Brown for I Heart Radio. Wheel
Woman stars Lilia Symington as Georgia, with additional performances by
Tanner Beard, Zachary Webber, Simon Jagulin, Chase Mullins, Nick Williams,
(33:00):
Abe Greenspan, Dylan McCullum, Garrett Bear, Nora Garrett, Duncan Kladein,
Victoria Foyt, Max Georgie, Mariah Bass, and Max Jacoby. Edited
by Chris Childs, with sound design and theme music by
Chris Child's adapted from the book The Company She Keeps
by Georgia Duranti. Wheelwoman Confessions of the Getaway Driver is
(33:21):
an I Heart Radio production. For more podcasts from i
Heeart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
The following episode of wheel Woman Confessions of a Getaway
Driver contains depictions of sexual violence. Listener discretion is advised.
Teleforce Productions and I Heart Radio presents wheel Woman Confessions
of a Getaway Driver. You mentioned after Joe got beat
up he treated you better for a while. Yes, for
(00:24):
a little bit, but soon things were even worse than before.
He was more controlling and jealous than ever. I couldn't
go anywhere without him, and it wasn't worth going anywhere
with him. His presence made everyone extremely uncomfortable, including me.
How so well. For example, I used to have to
(00:44):
go to all these industry parties, but if Joe didn't
accompany me, I'd have to stay home. I quickly realized
that was the better option. As Joe and I walked
into the party, a model friend of mine, Jim, came
over to greet us. As he said hello, he dared
(01:04):
to innocently rest his hand on my shoulder. Hey, Georgia,
great party. Huh. Yes, the studio doesn't look quite the
same with all these people in it, Jim, This is Joe.
Good to meet you. Joe, you touch my wife like
that again, You'll be missing a hand. I was mortified,
(01:24):
Joe grabbed my arm and abruptly led me through the
crowd back towards the exit. Joe, please don't embarrass me.
Embarrass you quite the opposite, my dear. How can you
allow yourself to be touched like that? They expect me
to stand there like a fucking idiot. Jim was just
being friendly. He didn't mean anything by it. Yeah, I
know how friendly. He'd like to be get your coat
(01:45):
with leaving, and whenever anything happened like that, he continued
to make me pay for it. Once we got back
home after that party, I had to stay in for
two days before I could cover up the bruce is
properly with makeup. But it wasn't until a little later
that I finally got a glimpse of what Joe was
(02:06):
truly capable of. Well Samy aware of how bad things got,
(02:56):
did you consider asking him for help to leave? Sammy
was locked up for a little bit at the time,
so I didn't have him to rely on. It's probably
part of the reason things got so bad again, but
I also knew I needed to find a way out myself.
When I realized Joe was seeing someone else, I was relieved.
I hope he'd fall in love with her and make
(03:18):
the choice to leave me. I was naive. Did you
know who he was with? Oh? Yeah, rox Anne, the
beautiful red haired sex kitten I'd seen making eyes at
him at the club. He even bought her a house
and practically moved in. At first, it hurt, but the
(03:38):
pain was from the memories of old Joe. In reality,
I was happy I finally had some space. He wasn't
around enough to be violent with me either, and quite
by accident, I met someone too, Gino Provenzano. Were you
worried about Joe finding out? I suppose, but I hoped
(04:00):
since he was enjoying his freedom, so could I. Like
I said, naive anyway, I still knew I couldn't date
Gino publicly and that I was taking a big risk,
but I couldn't help it. I've been suffocated for so long,
and Gino and I were instantly attracted to each other.
It was like we were hit by lightning. Gina was tall,
(04:22):
with a mass of curly hair atop his head that
he wore in an afro. He dressed stylishly and had
inviting eyes that were soft and genuine. He was gentle,
yet rugged, and he made me feel alive, the way
I used to fill with Frankie, the way I wasn't
feeling with Joe. I found myself falling in love with Gino,
(04:44):
but Gina was nervous about Joe. I couldn't blame him,
so was I. Did Joe find out, of course, and
as soon as he did, he called me on the phone,
summoning me, Oh, hello, I want to talk to you. Okay, Joe,
(05:09):
what's up? Come to the club of closing time. There's
something I want to say to you. Okay. I showed
up at two o'clock in the morning and sat at
the bar until he finished closing out the register, and
then he told me we were going to get breakfast.
(05:30):
We drove in silence to a twenty four hour diner nearby.
My heart stopped as we approached, and I saw Gino
sitting inside with a few of his friends. We looked
at each other in quiet shock. I knew he was
wondering why I was there with Joe, but wasn't about
to ask. M So, I understand you're seeing someone. Is
(06:10):
that true? Who told you that? Never mind? Who told me?
Is it true? No, it's not true. Why are you lying, Georgia.
You know it'll be much worse for you if you lie.
What about rock sand? Rock Sand's just a piece of ass.
I'm amazed you're not broke by now if you make
(06:32):
it a practice to buy a house for everyone who's
just a piece of ass. We're not talking about rock
sand now, We're talking about Gino Provincano. M I don't
so it is true, isn't it. I have to go
to the lady shit out. You haven't answer me yet.
My heart stopped as I saw Gino start to rise.
(06:54):
I looked at him and tried to convey to him
it was okay without betraying anything to Joe. I don't
think this is the place to have this discussion. Joe,
let's go home. Hey, Probzano, but you don't telling your
phone calls anymore? What? Joe froze. He pivoted around to
(07:15):
see Gino, who returned his icy stare. The air was
thick with tension. Let's go, Joe. They continued to face
each other. I panicked as Joe slowly raised his arm
towards his jacket. Joe, please, let's go, Just come on,
(07:39):
let's get in the car. If you don't get in
the car right now. I'm going to call a cab. Finally,
Joe lowered his arm, but he never broke eye contact. Eventually,
Gina looked away. Then Joe turned to me with a
twisted smile before he silently walked toward the car. We
(08:13):
rode in silence back to the apartment. It was a
short drive, but it felt like an eternity. Did you
(08:41):
sleep with him? No? I didn't, fucking liar. Dragged me
to the window and opened it while he kept one
hand on the gripping tight. I'll teach you to embarrass me.
You no good hore. Shoved me all the way out
(09:02):
the window, holding me by my ankles. The blood rushed
in my head. Please please, Joe, I'll never I'll never
see you, know again. Promise I'm sorry, Joe. You will
never leave me. You got that, of course I won't
got that. I didn't do anything. Please pull me inside. Please,
you better be fucking sorry. I am. It was a mistake.
(09:29):
Finally he pulled me back inside. I was lightheaded. Okay, baby,
I believe you. I'm sorry, you know I just I
love you so much. I thought you was someone else.
Makes me sick. I love you so much, baby, don't
you ever leave me? Okay, okay, m His personality totally switched. Suddenly,
(10:09):
he was loving and apologetic. I was so grateful to
be alive. But somehow I managed to forgive him what
happened with Gina. He learned more about Joe's reputation and
decided it wasn't in his best interest to see me anymore.
And that was That was Joe's reputation getting worse. As
(10:37):
you can imagine, it was never great to begin with,
but lately everyone was on edge. There wasn't war percolating,
and when Joe felt threatened, he became a wild animal.
When did you know there was a war coming? When
we had an unexpected visitor? M, Hello, Georgia, is Joe around? Yeah,
(11:08):
come on in, Frank, he's in the office. I'll go
get him. What is it? Frank Valenti and Jene Differentisco
just dropped by there in the living room. Joe looked concerned.
(11:30):
Frank rarely made personal visits. Yeah, why don't you and
Tony go out and have a nice lunch. Joe handed
me a hundred dollar bill, and I made myself scarce.
I took Tony to McDonald's and then headed for them all.
When I returned, Joe was in the office, sitting alone
(11:51):
at his desk. A bottle of Scotch was open in
front of him. He wasn't in a good mood. What
was that all about? Who does he think he is?
He is? Joe? I don't know what the problem is,
but I think you'd better keep that in mind. Jesus,
What the hell did I say that was so bad?
(12:12):
What side do you want anyway? Joe? I don't even
know what the hell is going on. All I'm saying is,
don't act before you think you're playing with fire with
that guy. In the end, I'll have it his way anyway.
They already have a piece of my action. That's all
they're getting. I'm not giving him anymore. Okay, okay. I
never learned the details of that drop by, but I
(12:34):
could tell something had shifted. As I'm sure you know.
Any look at the Rochester rackets will lead you back
to Frank Valenti. He was a delegate to the Appalachian
Crime Convention in ninety seven, where he was arrested with
fifty seven of his cohorts after the police pulled a
surprise raid Frank served jail time when he refused to
talk about the Appalachian Agenda. His silence earned him the
(12:56):
respect of Upstate crimes are Stefano Maggordino of or False.
Moggorino decided it was time for a change in his region,
and so when Frank was released, he settled into the
Rochester Rackets as Moggorino's hand picked capo. Frank Valenti began
playing Godfather with a classic blair. It was well known
that death awaited anyone who refused to play the game
(13:18):
his way. By the turn of the decade and into
the nineties seventies, Frank Valenti had soared to his peak.
But around this time his mounting legal problems started to
become a parent, and his underlings were not anxious to
tolerate his continued rule from behind bars. The time had
come for someone to take his place, but Frank was
(13:38):
lashing out, trying to assert what dominance he had left
while he could. Did Joe want to take his place?
I don't know if he did. He didn't act on
it quick enough, but Sammy did. He had one of
Frank's bodyguards strategically killed, allowing Sammy to move into the
long awaited position. They found Jimmy the hammer massarrow in
(13:59):
his runk with six bullets in his head, five days
after he disappeared. I didn't want to go to the funeral,
but Joe made me. I remember. The room had a
chokingly sweet smell of roses. Old ladies twisted rosary beads
(14:20):
in their wrinkled hands and took turns wailing. We sat
in the front row next to Jimmy's wife be She
was torn up. She couldn't help it if she loved
him the same way. I still loved Joe, but I
knew soon she would finally find peace and be better
for it. I held her hand and stared at the
picture on the top of the casket. There were no
(14:42):
tears in my eyes. The entire Rochester mob filed in,
all dressed in black. The absence of color was traditional
for an Italian funeral. But then Sammy showed up wearing
a cream colored raincoat. He was making a point. Everyone
watched as he arrogantly dreaded to the widow's side. I'm
(15:04):
sorry she pierced him with a freezing glare, but Sammy
looked unfazed. He nodded in my direction. Ignored Joe, then
turned and walked to the casket. I thought I caught
a hint of a smirk on his lips. Then Jeane
di Francesco made his entrance. As he walked towards us,
(15:26):
I couldn't shake the feeling that he did it. He
and Jimmy were close, but Jean was a killer and
an opportunist who would have followed Sammy's command. M condolence
is b oh, jeep, he's good, He's good. No, no, honey, no,
jesus joke. Can we get out of here now? All right,
(15:47):
I gotta take care of some I'll meet you in
the parking lot anyway. Valenti understood Sammy's message and went
quietly to serve his prison sentence of twenty years to life.
Four years passed before the truth was known and I
learned I was right. Jeane di Francesco was charged with
(16:09):
the murder of Jimmy Massarow, and so life in the
underworld went on. But as the new regime took over,
the shifting of power produced a wave of murders. How
did Joe take Sammy's rise to the top. Not well
after the beating Sammy gave Joe he felt disrespected, but
now Sammy outranked him. I think Joe took some kind
(16:32):
of perverse pleasure in taking it out on me, and
because he knew it would bother Sammy. Sammy didn't retaliate
again at the time, but he made his feelings known.
So things continue to get worse between you and Jill.
Eventually things got so bad I told him I was
going to stay with my parents for a little while,
(16:53):
that I needed space. He told me I had a week.
The thing was, there really had been good times in
the beginning. We had such an intense love, but somehow
it all changed, and while fear kept me there, it
also pushed me away. Finally, after some time with my family,
(17:14):
I worked up the courage to call and tell him
I wasn't coming back. I knew what would follow. Not
a day went by that he didn't call. He cried
and begged, but I held firm. When the pleading didn't work,
he resorted to threats. So I moved around, staying with
different friends. I hid and hoped time would solve the problem.
(17:34):
Eventually I decided to venture out. I went to Green Streets,
which was a competitor of Caesar's Two. The owner, Tony
Sapienza was a friend of mine and I felt safe there.
I sat at the bar talking with some modeling friends,
and after being imprisoned for quite some time, I was
(17:56):
beginning to enjoy myself. That is, and old Tony came over. Georgia,
Georgie just wiped in. He's asking people if they seen you. Shit, Tony.
I never expected him to leave Caesar's on a Friday night.
Does he look mad? He doesn't look happy here? That
keeps to my office. He goes downstairs and wait there
till I come for you. He's probably seen my car. Tony.
(18:18):
Just go now, okay? Thanks. As I was rushing towards
the office, I ran into Sammy. Hey kid, what are
you going in such a hurry? Jonas Ford drink? I can't,
sam Joe's looking for me. I have to hide. He'll
(18:39):
kill me if he finds me here. We'll see about that.
Sammy calmly took my hand and led me back to
his table. Sit down, Georgia, and get it with double
scotch and water. You got it, please, Sammy. I don't
(19:03):
want to see I guess I didn't have much reason
to worry at Sammy's table sat six of the most
notorious gangsters in the Rochester Syndicate. I couldn't have been safer,
but I could also tell something sinister was brewing. Judging
by their frowns and focus stairs, they certainly weren't in
the mood for Joe Lamondola using physical or verbal force
(19:26):
on a hundred fourteen pound woman. How are you doing, Georgia.
I haven't seen much of you these days. I've been okay.
I spoke too soon. Joe spotted me and started over
the table. Watched and agitated silence as he approached. But
Joe was cool. He had to be. It wasn't stupid.
(19:48):
You look directly at me and spoke calmly, Georgia. Can
I talk to you? Sure? You can talk to it?
What would you like to say? I'd like to talk
to my wife Sammy alone. Have you got anything you
want to talk to him about, Georgia? No, well there
you have. I guess you don't want to talk to you, Joe.
(20:09):
I'll call you later, Joe. Joe ignored the men and
glared at me before high tailing it out of there.
I had won the battle, but the war was far
from over. I knew Joe's ego had to be shattered,
and I wasn't going to get off easily. The guy
seated around me were still on edge. They looked ready
to fight. Joe was a renegade. He didn't always follow
(20:31):
the rules. These guys didn't need much of an excuse
to take him out, but I didn't want to be
the reason. What a fucking asshole. What are you seeing
that guy? Georgia? He leading kid alone? Huh, she'll work
it out on all the time. I think I better
be going. Thanks for the drink. Yeah, I'm gonna call
it a night too. I'll walk you m As we
(21:03):
stepped out of the bar, Sammy inconspicuously scammed the surrounding
area as we walked towards the parking lot. He's across
the street, park near the bank. I'll follow you home, Thanks, Sammy,
but I wasn't home long before the phone rang. You're
(21:30):
pretty brave with your friends around, aren't you. I'm sorry, Joe.
I didn't plan for that to happen, making me look
like a jerk. Huh, what did I tell you? How
weld do? If I found you? Joe, I'm not coming back.
You can't dictate my life forever, Still my fucking wife.
You're not gonna make me look like a fool, Jo,
I'm not doing anything wrong. I just wanted to get
out and see my friends. There's nothing I'm doing that
(21:51):
makes you look like a fool. What the fuck do
you think you just did? You're fucking idiot. You just
remember one thing you know, good fucking horr. Your friends
can't always be around when you need him. Just keep
that thought in mine, little girl. I knew he meant
good on his threats, so I went back into hiding.
But I needed to get back into the apartment for
(22:12):
my portfolio and some clothes so I could try to
get back to work and earn some money. When I
heard he was planning on taking a date to the racetrack,
I saw an opportunity. I was on my way out
with an armful of clothes when I heard the front
door open. I froze as Joe raced up the stairs,
yelling when are you going to stop being such a
(22:32):
fucking liar. When he clutched my face with both his
hands and pushed me to the floor, I lay there
covering my head. I didn't lie. I didn't lie. You
said you'd be back in a week, and I believed you.
I let you go because I believe you. You lied
to me again. You I never said that you told
(22:53):
me to be back in a week. I never said
I would. I didn't lie. Show you. I lay on
the floor as he continued to kick me, and then
I watched helplessly as he walked over to the dresser
and took out his gun. Where are your friends now? Dear?
You knocked my head against the dresser and I blacked out.
(23:15):
I don't know for how long. When I awoke, I
saw he was taking bullets out of the gun. You
didn't answer me. I said, where are your friends now?
He placed just one bullet back into the chamber, and
then he placed the gun at my temple. What are
(23:39):
you doing? I'm gonna find out once and for all
how badly you really want to leave? Please show Are
you sure you want to leave? M My life passed
before my eyes. I saw my daughter, my parents. Do
you remember now what I said? I do? If you
(23:59):
have left me, all the time has come. Let's try again. Stop.
I don't leave, Please don't kill me. Think about Tony.
I'll stay. You're lying again. I don't believe you. He
pulled the trigger again. Please please, Joe, I love you, Okay,
I was just hurt. I had to punish you for
(24:21):
hurting me. I was gonna come back after you learn
a lesson. I love you too much to stay away
from you forever. You know that it worked. Relief surged
across his face. It was what he wanted to hear. Slowly,
he lowered the gun, pulled me to my feet, and
(24:41):
gently picked me up and lowered me onto the bed.
He do love me, don't you. Of course I do.
Of course I do. I can't live without you, Georgia.
Come on, Promise you'll never leave me. Promise, I promise,
I promise m. He was like another person as he
(25:09):
tenderly undressed me and made love to me. Grateful for
my life, I cried silent tears, just like after the
(25:32):
beating with Sammy. For a while, Joe was nice again,
an abusive act in and of itself. He went out
of his way to be kind to me in an
attempt to restore my positive feelings towards him. I hate
to say it worked, but only for a little while.
He couldn't keep it up. Do you think Joe was
truly capable of killing you? Capable of murder? Was Joe
(25:55):
capable of murder? Yeah? I witnessed it. A cry in
the night jolted me awake. At first I thought it
was a nightmare, but as I got my bearings, I
kept hearing it. I followed the sound and looked out
my window down into the parking lot outside Caesar's Too.
(26:17):
There Joe was looking up at me. The lights were
out in my room, but I knew he saw the
curtains move. He quickly turned away so the guys he
was with wouldn't realize they had been spotted. That's when
I saw the source of the noise. A man lay
on the asphalt, groaning and begging for his life. Every
(26:38):
time he made a move, they viciously kick him in
the head and body simultaneously. They couldn't seem to get enough.
I stood frozen with fear. After a while, the man
stopped moving, and yet they kept kicking him. He was dead.
I felt sick. What do you want to do with him, Joe,
(27:00):
give a ship, just get him the hell out of here.
I watched in horror as they unceremoniously tossed the man
in the trunk and drove away. Joe stood there, rooted
to the spot, watching as the car disappeared. Once it
(27:25):
was out of sight, he made a point to look
back up at our window, and then he walked back
into the bar. I ran to the bathroom and hung
my head over the toilet bowl, taking deep breath, trying
not to gather. I tried to expel the image of
what I saw from my mind, but it was impossible.
(27:46):
I lay down, shaking. Eventually I heard Joe's footsteps on
the stairs. I was terrified. I knew he knew I saw,
and I could tell from the way he swayed that
he'd been drinking heavily. Oh god, why what did that
(28:10):
poor guy do to deserve that? What did you see? No?
I was dazed from the force of his blow. I
was scared. I said, what did you see? Nothing? That's right, honey,
(28:32):
you didn't see anything. Don't you ever forget it? Okay,
stop that fucking crying before I really give you stothing
to crying out. I lay there in the dark, my
mind racing and my head hurting. I thought hard to
keep my hysterical gasp from being heard, but it didn't work.
(28:54):
He burst back in, don't you ever ever fucking question me.
He climbed on top of me and wrapped his hands
around my neck. He pressed harder and harder. My eyes
(29:16):
felt as if they were going to pop out of
their sockets. Who the hell are you to question me?
He finally released me. I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness.
(29:38):
I barely registered it as I felt him enter me.
He was like a crazed animal, and I was a
limp rag doll. Eventually he passed out, and then so
did I. When I first awoke the next day, I
(29:58):
didn't even remember what it happened. And then I tripped
over Joe's shoes, crusty with dried blood, and it all
came rushing back to me. I sat in the kitchen,
still not fully awake, trying to drive out the memory
(30:20):
of the previous night. My mind drifted two thoughts of escape.
I knew I needed to get out. I just said
know how, And then Joe entered, acting like nothing had happened. Honey,
did I do that to you? Dude? What your face?
(30:42):
I ran to the mirror. The right side of my
face was swollen and bruised. I grew even more upset.
This is the third time in the last two months.
I'll le have to cancel a shoot. God, I hate you, Joe,
I hate you. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. You know
(31:04):
I love you. I don't mean to hurt you. I
don't know what happens to me when I drink. Then, please, Joe,
stop drinking. How can I stop drinking, Georgia, don't be ridiculous.
You know how they line up shots downstairs. If I
don't drink, the guys get insulted. It's not good for businesses.
Then half the bar's under pour yours from a water
down bottle. I don't know, but you can't keep doing
this to me, Joe. I can't take it any I
(31:25):
love you, Georgia. You're the only one who understands me.
You're the only one who cares. Oh God, please don't
ever leave me, Georgia. I'd be a dead man without you.
I'll be a dead woman if I stay. Let's not
start that again. You're not going anywhere. Did you ever
(31:50):
tell anyone what you witness or what happened to you?
Like who the cops? Don't make me laugh. I told
you how that went before everyone was in someone's pocket.
Not to mention that not one of them would believe me.
I learned the hard way early on what happens to
women who look for help within the system. But after
(32:10):
that night, I started plotting my escape in earnest any
love I had for that man had loved me, His
lack of compassion repulsed and terrified me. He had become
a stranger. I knew if I tried to leave, he
killed me. But I knew if I didn't go, I
was as good as dead. It was a risk I
was suddenly willing to take. A wheel. Woman is written
(32:36):
by Lars Jacobson and Sabrina Jagulin and directed by Sabrina Jagulin,
Produced by Lars Jacobson and Sabrina Jagulin, Executive produced by
Georgia Darante and Noel Brown for I Heart Radio. Wheel
Woman stars Lilia Symington as Georgia, with additional performances by
Tanner Beard, Zachary Webber, Simon Jagulin, Chase Mullins, Nick Williams,
(33:00):
Abe Greenspan, Dylan McCullum, Garrett Bear, Nora Garrett, Duncan Kladein,
Victoria Foyt, Max Georgie, Mariah Bass, and Max Jacoby. Edited
by Chris Childs, with sound design and theme music by
Chris Child's adapted from the book The Company She Keeps
by Georgia Duranti. Wheelwoman Confessions of the Getaway Driver is
(33:21):
an I Heart Radio production. For more podcasts from i
Heeart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
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