The First Tale of Jimmy Recipriotti

Jimmy Recipriotti didn’t take no shit. His peers gave him a wide berth, and he occupied that space with the most assured bravado ever before witnessed on the streets of Chippytono Wisconsin. His steps had meaning as they carried his Converses past the assortment of shops lining Main Street. No passerby’s could confidently locate the focus of his attention through the impenetrable darkness of his indescribably cool sunglasses and no one would ask. His demeanor was not that of a bully but more of a man who could instantly perceive a personal transgression and (also instantly) return a magnified response. It was more than respect.

His current stroll could not have placed him in a more picturesque setting. To say it looked like postcard from the award winning best small town in the USA would be a gargantuan understatement. The people of Chippytono took to the streets in mass to soak up the rays of the sun as they showered down on the town. Smiles and sunglasses adorned the faces of nearly every citizen. Even the birds were smiling and their faces are locked in the same position by the laws of nature. Their smiles mirrored the impossibility of such a crisp clear blue summer day.

Jimmy amplified the overwhelming presence of the day. People on the street had a hard time differentiating the moment in their memories from that of a high definition movie because all the usual theatrical components were there. The leading character (Jimmy) perused his normal route to the corner store for his customary twenty-two ounce iced tea when an explosion of cause and effect ignited the scene.

The center point of Main Street was home to a relatively successful furniture store owned by a vigorous young business woman by the name of Lucie. Her recent 4th of July sale had been a tremendous success, and the profits hadn’t quite made it to the safety of a bank deposit. This rare lapse in financial security by Lucie created an all too tempting heist opportunity for a nearby criminal appropriately named Brick Wall Bob.

Brick Wall Bob enters the story of the near perfect day at the explosion of events unfolding before Jimmy. His introduction into the story is noteworthy due to his primary role in the consequent events and his role as the initiator of the explosive event. It quickly became apparent that either Bob detested household furniture or he really wanted the money from Lucie’s store. The presence of a security guard in front of the exit only momentarily deterred his escape, and he heaved a recliner through the large front parlor window and pounced through the improvised escape route.

Jimmy paused calmly to take in the scene. His composed exterior did not betray his inner workings, and the emergence of Brick Wall Bob from store, on the opposite side of the street as Jimmy, produced an entirely utterly unheard of shift in his facial orientation. It would’ve take a team of scientists with advanced measuring tools to calculate its actual transformation. Those watching understood the significance. Jimmy Recipriotti don’t take no shit.

The following events lived on as a legend in the town almost comparable to the epic struggles of Godzilla. Some interpretations described the damage as close to Nagasaki and Pompeii, but the literal event only happened to be slightly less dramatic. A meeting of eyes between Jimmy and Bob signified quite clearly that an altercation was about to follow. Brick Wall Bob took this opportunity to brush and flick some of the window fragments that had collected on the fabric of his black collared shirt. Unnoticed by Bob, one of the marble sized fragments he sent flying struck Sam Herschel square in the face.

Sam Herschel had cowered in the side alley beside the grocery store upon the recliners not majestic flight through the window. His head being the only part of him protruding from the alley made the marble sized piece of glass’s path into his face all the more impressive. He recoiled back into the alley like a cartoon turtle recalling its head into it shell, but he inched it ever so subtly back into its post to gain sight of the scene unfolding in the street. His rendition of the story became the most widespread version in the town, in part because of his close proximity, and also because of his skill in reciting it.

Brick Wall Bob now shot down into a semi-crouched athletic stance and scanned his surroundings. The street was empty except for Jimmy and the eerily frozen six year old Timothy Roxwell holding his red balloon staring straight at Bob. The residents of Chippytono were not renowned for their athletic abilities. This did not prevent them from clearing the street at close to the speed of sound, and the only person that wanted to escape that had not by the time Bob commenced his scan was poor little Timothy. He later stated that his first concern was to hide his beloved balloon, but upon finding no immediate hiding spot, he became stuck to his spot like a petrified gargoyle.

Bob apparently relished his effect on the vast majority of the street. He let out a chuckle and pulled his shoulders back to the top of his six-foot four frame. He took a half step to his left and then froze, apparently troubled by something. The hauntingly stiff figure of Jimmy had matched his movement down the street in the opposite direction of the gargoyle Timothy. They both made no other movements until, almost on queue they turned to face each other like mirror images. Not literally mirror images because Bob possessed probably five more inches as well as about forty five pounds. The two men represented two different kinds of strength. Brick Wall Bob being that of physical, and Jimmy Recipriotti representing force of will. The two strengths have been battling for superiority for millennia.

The perfect blue sky day didn’t seem to reflect the war of ideals brewing within its confines. Timothy was stealthily scooped up by the town carpenter Randy Pommelchoke and carried to safety. The town knew the stakes.

Bob scratched his left elbow and shrugged. Jimmy retorted by unbuttoning the top two buttons from his bright red collared shirt. The subtleties of this moment have been conversed about for years, and no solid conclusion can be reached about the importance of these actions. Nonetheless a derivation of either one can be found in almost every pre-brawl in the town and nearby area.

With the ceremonies completed, the battle loomed on the very near horizon. Jimmy strode forward from his parallel side of the street, and Bob matched his steps. A slightly noticeable angle to Jimmy’s steps took him on a course to reach Bob on a side that angled to the monstrous man’s right. The movement pleased Bob because his plan was to reach out with his stronger right arm and seize the advancing man. Unbeknownst to Bob, Jimmy did this to give his strong left arm a chance to pummel the chin of his fortress sized foe.

The two men’s first movements had the appearance of violent chaos. Their forms entwined like a human pretzel very briefly, and then they snapped apart with neither feeling comfortable with the position. A few arm lengths separated their feet as Jimmy began to circle his foe. Brick Wall Bob rotated like a car on a Wheel of Fortune showcase tracking the very intent Jimmy Recipriotti. Bob apparently grew tired of the game after three or so rotations and roared forward with his shoulders lowered. If ever a man could imitate the charge of an elephant, it was Bob’s charge that would most accurately reflect its power and intensity. All those watching felt certain Jimmy would be hoisted in the air and deposited back on the cement as nothing but a broken body.

Jimmy chose an alternative scenario. He produced a cell phone from his pocked and dialed up a lightning quick throw. The phone exploded upon impacting the center of Bob’s face. Debris of phone added itself to the glass of Lucie’s parlor window on his broad shoulders, and Bob recoiled from the impact. His terrifying charge was thwarted by the surprising introduction of the cellular assailant. Jimmy didn’t allow him the luxury of piecing together the turn of events, and he bounded forward and place a kick into the solid formation of bone in between Bob’s pectoral muscles.

Bob tumbled in reverse and concluded his imposed acrobatics at the base of a bright yellow fire hydrant in front of Mickey’s electronic shop. His face contorted into a mangled frown and his eyes drooped. The majority of the observers reportedly felt a pang of pity at this moment. He allowed himself no such feelings, and Bob summoned his most determined face as he helped himself up. The melee roared on as the two exchanged purposeful blows.

Astonishingly, Jimmy’s glasses never left their spot, and he didn’t seem to notice them until a hook by Bob produced a crack in the center of the right eye piece. Jimmy responded with an open display of anger much greater than any ever seem from him before or after. His anger became apparent in his body language as he subtly coiled his body like a rattlesnake. His muscles tensed, and his fist curled into hammers. The people of Chippytono had long theorized about the nature of the man they almost always referred to with both names. Jimmy Recipriotti interacted with few and his intentions weren’t always readily apparent. His small business garnered moderate profits but his legend grew from the series of events he became entangled in and his ubiquitous cool demeanor.

For years now, people have inquired to Jimmy why he felt so compelled to stop Brick Wall Bob that day. He certainly hadn’t been known as a protector of the community with many of his exploits garnering him frequent depictions as an unwholesome character. Jimmy had however earned himself a reputation as a man willing to put up a stout fight. His answers are as numerous as they are cryptic. The typical answer usually falls along the line of “I had my eye on that chair he threw” or “I figured Lucie would owe me a favor afterwards.” The real reason became quite apparent six months after the brawl when Jimmy and Lucie were spotted enjoying each other company by candlelight dinner. Their subsequent wedding was just as infamous and produced some astonish events comparable to that of the fight between and Jimmy and Bob.

However, once inside the brawl, Jimmy’s main motivation became survival. Bob had the physical capabilities of applying a lethal blow at any moment, and the only thing stopping him from abruptly ending the fight was Jimmy’s unwillingness to wait for the fist to reach him. Jimmy conveyed no fear as he continuously dodged gargantuan swings. Up to this point he had done a stellar of maneuvering away from the strikes and grasps of his foe, but the inevitable fact was that Bob was not going to get tired. His gaze never left Jimmy, and each strike was just as quick and powerful as the previous one. The building progression of delay in his responses reached a critical point when Bob caught Jimmy in the middle of regaining his balance from doing a side-step. It was like watching a deer witness its deliverance of pain from an oncoming vehicle. The clenched right fist of Brick Wall Bob cut the air in a tight semicircle on a direct collision course for Jimmy’s distinguished jaw. Jimmy reacted, but his only move left was to limit the damage. His head dropped behind his arms and shoulders. His other move was ingenious because it instantly neglected a vast amount of the force coming at him.

Jimmy released his legs and allowed his body to become limp like a blade of grass. The seeping blow came across his body and made impact on the top of his shoulder. Jimmy’s body didn’t so much absorb the force as much as he rode the momentum of the fist along its path like a surfer consumed by his wave. The one flaw in this maneuver is that the momentum left his body no alternative but an impact with the pavement, and he soon found himself in the not so enviable location of the ground beneath Brick Wall Bob’s feet.

Jimmy was afforded a moment to react because Bob had trouble not following the path of his own fist, and he half spun in a movement that became a popular town dance move at parties and school dances. Jimmy didn’t stop to admire the first rendition of the Brick Wall Bobble. He instead elected to kick the knees of Bob. The kick did not achieve any of his desired effects, because his feet found their way into the waiting hands of Bob.

The next event was almost too complex to describe. The quickness of their movements and rapidity with which they reacted concluded in an outcome that no one would have ever predicted. The implications of this outcome are significant to this day, but some context is needed before continuing the tale.

After the initial euphoria of the brawl subsided, the townspeople of Chippytono began to piece together the elements of the story into a comprehensive feature length tale. The length of this tale would now take a whole day to suitably tell, but the most elusive piece of the story wouldn’t come for a few months after the actual event.

No one in town could provide anything of substance about the man they knew frequently referred to as Brick Wall Bob. The progression of events that led to his emergence from the store that day were needed to complete the legend that was taking shape. The townspeople were quick to vilify the man. The truth, like always, was much more complicated.

Bob’s criminal career had not garnered him much attention in the town that he resided on the fringes of. His record mainly consisted of small heists. His pattern became apparent in that criminal activity always came in the transitional period between jobs, but the extent of his criminal activities consisted of small impromptu heists of little value. He had few friends, and no one could attest to his character until a very unlikely connection was made.

The town had very few scholastic overachievers. Library funds were often diverted to festivals and celebrations that “more efficiently meet the needs of the citizens,” as town officials often explained. The schools also were largely a secondary concern behind community building evens. One or two bright young starts emerged despite the limitation of resources. One such star was the very promising middle school girl Louisa Stephenson. Most of the town buzzed about her potential, and they all would offer to help cultivate her many talents. She was the centerpiece of most school events and involved with numerous after school groups. Despite being only thirteen years of age, she was considered the most credible source on subjects of math, science and the arts.

Her opinion was not sought in the matter of Brick Wall Bob, so one day, she asserted her very unique influences on the subject with a group of friends during lunch period. The uniqueness of her opinion didn’t stem from her studying but from personal experience. Louisa was the only person to know that happened to Bob after the altercation with Jimmy. She was able to provide this information because she lived with him and was his daughter.

According to Louisa, Bob returned home that evening as the sun was finishing its daily progression towards the horizon. His return was anxiously anticipated because he seldom failed to greet his daughter on the porch when she returned from school. His attempt to sneak by her into the kitchen without a comprehensive view of himself was thwarted by her increased vigilance. This was not the first time he arrived home with physical damage, but his slumped over defeated look magnified his cuts and abrasions.

Louisa was aware of her father’s many shortcomings. They communicated openly about everything the other person did, and she fully understood her father’s intentions. As she began her routine fixing up of her father, Bob relayed his side of the story. She quickly realized that her father was completely demoralized and she had never seen him in such a state. The man live one of the riskiest live possible and his failures hardly ever undermined his determined behavior. Something was different on this occasion and it was evident in the way Bob avoided his daughters gaze and slumped through the house.

She inquired as to what her father was doing in town that day as he settled into the kitchen to begin preparations for their customary Money night enchiladas. His shifting story was hard for her to comprehend initially, but soon a clearer picture began to emerge. She muffled the urge to cry when she realized the role she had played in her father’s recent traumatic experience.

He wasn’t a man inclined to show much emotion but in his battered state Bob divulged his true intentions of his midday heist. Weeks prior to the even, Louisa spent several of their dinnertime conversations professing her desire to attend the town’s Midsummer Dance (it may not sound like much, but the Midsummer Dance is the Chippytono equivalent of the Oscars to its small town inhabitants). He was initially started that his little girl wanted to partake in such a thing. The dance was about as alien to Bob as the dark side of the moon. Although Bob had lived in the town the entirety of his life, he had never attended the event, and he didn’t know the first thing about getting ready for it. Between sighs and poorly crafted metaphors, Bob confessed to his daughter that he felt ashamed for failing to provide what he felt was an adequate amount of material goods to make his little girl feel special, so Bob decided one night that he would do all in his power to give Louisa a night where she could enjoy the more sophisticated things in life.

Bob was jobless at the time, so he initiated a crime spree that amount to a disastrous sequence of missteps and fumbled opportunities. When the day of his street battle with Jimmy came, Bob was desperate. His desperation led him to hatch his boldest scheme yet. The boldness, he thought, would be the reason for its success because nobody would be expecting a midday heist. He also imagined that no one would be bold enough to stop him, and that is where Bob made his mistake. Never count Jimmy Recipriotti out.

The two men were now connected, literally, because Bob was holding Jimmy by the leg. It was a truly desperate situation. Jimmy’s only move was to swing his free leg at the unprotected tree trunk that Bob called his legs. The kick appear to have little if any impact except that it signaled the beginning of Bob’s next move.

Brick Wall Bob groaned as he began to rotate in a clockwise manner. Jimmy was lifted into the air like a carnival ride. Astonishingly, his face never confessed any emotion but his calm calculating expression. Bob swung him around and around till their two figures swirled together like a human tornado, and the two man twister hummed on until Bob released the leg of Jimmy Recipriotti. Jimmy was instantly transformed into a rag doll as he soared through the air like a runaway kite. All the spectators gasped when he finally began his descent. It could have been scientifically measure, but the town story consistently reports that Jimmy reached ten feet in the air and flew as far as twenty feet. Bob dint stay to appreciate his monstrous toss, and he bolted down the street. No one on the street was apparently watching Jimmy at that point because no one noticed he found his way to his feet before Bob had made it fifteen steps.

The astonishingly quick recovery instantly added to the legend of Jimmy Recipriotti. His damaged glasses remained stuck to his head, but his shirt was not tattered from its impact with the street. He searched around for some object to help his battle. Jimmy found his weapon in the form of an abandoned scooter lying next to the bench he had recently flown over. He manned the spiffy metal scooter and thrust himself forward with a quick jab step. Jimmy would be look quite comical had he not been entrenched I n a dramatic melee, but no one dared to laugh or make a sound for fear of being dragged into the fight.

Bob never noticed his pursuer until the scooter was violently flung into his back. Bo toppled like a mighty Sycamore down in a windstorm, and skidded to a stop with his chest and face absorbing most of the friction from the pavement. Jimmy raised his scooter for another bash but its awkwardness made it very difficult to control the standing platform that pivoted around the handle. His delay was enough of an opening for the battered Brick Wall Bob to regain his footing with a renewed determination for pummeling the equally determined Jimmy.

The next event is shrouded in some mystery. No one know precisely what happened but Jimmy and Bob locked into an embrace like a pair of Silverback Gorillas fighting for control of the harem. Several witnesses then reported some talking between the two. Apparently it was initially animated and emotional communication, but soon a calm conversation unfolded whilst still locked in a struggle to topple each other.

Without warning, they snapped apart. Jimmy silently stared in anticipation of some action, but Bob silently looked back with a look of moderate distrust. He apparently resolved his issue of trust without uttering a word, and then, Bob reached into his pocket and produced his loot from Lucie’s store. He handed the crumpled stack of twenties to Jimmy who offered only a curt nod in exchange.

All the witnesses gasped when Bob then turned and walked away. Jimmy let him go without a word. The beautiful sun had only slightly moved from its position at the start of this story, but during the course of its progression the witnesses to this event had watched their world metamorphosize into a completely new reality. The inhabitants of Chippytono discovered that day that extraordinary events could be just around the corner, and that realization expanded (if just incrementally) what they themselves believe was possible. Indeed, these events were the beginning of a sequence of amazing and harrowing events that occurred in and around the town.

It has never been ascertained what was exactly said between Jimmy and Bob in the closing moments of their struggle, but Bob was seen not long after at Jimmy’s shop working and comfortably joking with his new boss and companion. People speculated that a compromise was reached between the two men. Some compelling evidence for this theory came in the form of Louisa’s grand entrance at the Midsummer Dance in brand new attire that instantly captured substantial admiration from all those attending. It is worth noting that Jimmy’s sister owned the town dress shop and was the most accomplished seamstress in the area.

The exact relationship between Brick Wall Bob and Jimmy Recipriotti remains a conundrum to this day, but their alliance remains strong and Bob is often seen conversing freely with the most admired man in town. This story is just part of an impression collection of sagas involving these two men. All the stories end with the same conclusion; Jimmy Recipriotti don’t take no shit.