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Frowning with ih brushing aside the subject of his entry into the world, and he pointed to the steel door to focussomewhere with this, I promised him

He looked dubious but remained attentive

Because the circuend, he knehat I told him: The doctor used forceps, and didn’t use the your eardruot you out of your randmother took him from the doctor, rushed hiasped for air

The doctor would likely have certified you as born dead You entered the world fighting, sir, and you never really stopped

I glanced at my watch I had a lot to achieve in five etting it done

Because his parents had worked and because his mother had been a committeewoman for the De Frank was a latchkey kid before the tere of six, he often e for it when his

Lonely, almost desperately so at times, he drifted to the homes of other family members and friends People said he was the quietest kid they knew, content to sit in a corner and listen to the adults

In your teens, yourShe set high standards, had a do career, and was not entirely convinced even after he becaer in the world

But, sir, you’re not like Elvis You aren’t lingering here because you’re reluctant to face your mother in the next world

A cohost or not, he would punch ht have been the reason he lingered in this world

Your , contentious, opinionated--but loving Eventually you realized that your ability to stand up for yourself arose froulanced at the door and ht, at least I’ to help you move on from this world before I leave it myself

That was indeed ht talk But I also had another

Although Dolly’s steel will led to contention between theood care of her Unlike Elvis’slife The Chairret anything between theht years before Dolly passed If anything, his deep love for his dad should have made him rush away into the next life

No disrespect, sir, but you could sometimes be a bastard, hot-headed and even h about you to know those faults were enerosity

In sickness and in hard tinificant ive e out to a deserving stranger and changing a life with a generous gift

He never mentioned these kindnesses and was embarrassed when his friends spoke of what he had done Many of these stories surfaced after his death; the nu

Whatever waits beyond this world, sir, is nothing you need to fear But you fear it, and I think I knohy

The suggestion that he feared anything whatsoever annoyed him

Acutely aware of how little time remained before Shackett would return, I said, Alhborhood, they called you a wop Walking hole for what you got But, sir, you got it all--fortune, fame, acclaim, more than any entertainer in history before you And nohat keeps you in this world is pride

My statement compounded Mr Sinatra’s annoyance With one cocked eyebrow and a gesture, he see with pride based on accomplishment, and your life was packed full of accomplishance

Mouth tight, he stared at me But then he nodded He knew that in life he had so about then I mean now You don’t want to move on to the next world because you’re afraid you won’t be special over there, that you’ll just be equal to everyone else

Although he resistedon, he wanted todead He seriously considered my words

I needed to channel hi eretted what I was about to do, but his soul and my neck were on the line Extreme measures were required

But it’s worse than that You’re afraid toover frole will begin again You’re as scared as a little boy

His face knotted with offense

Your first breath was a struggle Will it be again? To win any respect, you had to fight You can’t stand the idea of being a nobody again, but you don’t want to fight your way to the top like you had to do the last tiht e does it take to threaten lared down at me

You want all the respect you won in this world, but you don’t have the guts to earn it again, if that’s the way it is over there

Never would I have believed that those warm blue eyes could have produced such an icy stare as the one hich he skewered me

You knohat you’ve become in death? You’re a scared little punk like you never were in life

In anger, hands fisted at his sides, he turned away fro him with such disrespect, when in fact I respected hi the falsity ofthe word sir

I believed that I had in fact arrived at the reason that he lingered in this world, but I did not despise hiently to accept the truth and to see that his fears were ungrounded

Certain that Hoss Shackett would coly, Chair-shot singer, big cheese of the Rat Pack--and now all you are is another gutless punk from Hoboken