MYSTERIOUS WAYS | AUG/SEPT 2019 31
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Seventy-year-old machinist Gino Amicucci has
lived in Yonkers, New York, for most of his life. He usually
drives the same routes around town. Except for one day
last September, when he opted for a new shortcut.
Turning down an unfamiliar street, Gino thought of his
late brother-in-law. Angelo would be missed at Gino’s
upcoming fiftieth wedding anniversary party. Gino had
been looking forward to catching up with him there.
Maybe even showing Angelo, who was a mason and handy-
man, a shelf Gino was building for the backyard shed—his
latest home improvement project. But a few weeks earlier,
Angelo had passed away from skin cancer at age 84.
Something suddenly caught Gino’s eye. A piece of ply-
wood sitting on the curb, just about the right size for his
shelf. He pulled over and grabbed it—and couldn’t believe
what he saw. There, on the wood, was Angelo’s unmis-
takable signature. The board must’ve come from one of
his projects! Gino tucked it safely in his car and headed
home to show his wife.
The celebration wouldn’t be the same without Angelo—
but now it felt as if a piece of him would be there after all.
And the board? It was a perfect fit.
—Andrew Kessel, EDITORIAL INTERNSpotted