by Arnie
"You know, I always liked Louie," Casino told his cellmate. "He's thoughtful, know what I mean? Always thinkin' of others."
Rossi, his Italian cellmate, nodded thoughtfully. "Louie soundsa like a nice guy," he agreed, eyeing the magnificent chocolate cake in front of them.
"Yeah, he is. I almost wish he was here so he could have a piece." Casino grinned, "Course, if he was. He wouldn't have been able to bake me this!"
Rossi laughed. "I don'ta think he'da wanted to bake you a cake if he'da been inside with us!"
"Nah, Louie would've been plannin' a break out. He always boasted there was no prison that could hold him. Great guy, Louie." Casino raised the knife he'd pinched from the mess earlier that day, and was about to cut into the cake but Rossi stopped him.
"Ya gotta make a wish, Casino. It ain't a birthday cake without a wish."
Casino smiled slightly. He had a thousand things to wish for, but right now he knew exactly what he'd like for his birthday. "Rossi, I wish there was a file in this cake so I could cut through those bars and be off."
Rossi smiled ruefully. "That'sa birthday wish to be proud of."
Casino slid his knife into the cake, then stopped. "Rossi, you're never gonna believe this." He dug around a little bit, then extracted the file from the cake and regarded it with pleasure. "I always said Louie was a great guy."
Casino's birthday night passed quickly as he and Rossi took turns filing the bars. They knew the screws' timetable off by heart and every time a prison warder passed their cell, all they could see, and hear, was Casino and Rossi sleeping the night away.
Casino wiped his forehead with his sleeve. "Almost through, Rossi. I can taste the freedom!" He carried on filing as quickly and as quietly as he can. "And once I'm out, I ain't comin' back!"
"We ain't outta yet, Casino," Rossi reminded him.
"We'll make it. Louie ain't gonna send me a file and not make other arrangements." A few more minutes of filing and the last bar shifted with a clink. Instantly, the two of them froze in case any nearby warder had heard the small metallic sound, but no footsteps approached and they were safe.
Within minutes, the felonious pair had knotted their sheets together, tied them to the bunk, and were making their way down the side the building. Casino reached the end of their makeshift rope and peered down. Their rope was too short. Rossi stopped, realising that Casino could go no further, and peered down past his cellmate.
A quiet, "How far?" reached Casino's ears.
"Not sure." Casino would have shrugged but with his arms above his head, it was impossible. "Here goes," he murmured, stretching as far as he could from the bottom of the rope before letting go.
A soft thud and a muffled curse told Rossi that Casino was down, and (apparently) unhurt enough to talk. Giving the American a few seconds' grace to get up and move out of the way, Rossi slid the last few feet of the rope then let go. As soon as he was on his feet again, Casino touched his arm. A silent jerk of his head pointed the way.
As they moved around the perimeter of the yard, Casino knew that the hardest part was yet to come. Louie hadn't let him down: a rope was dangling in one shadowy corner of the prison yard. But Casino knew that they only had a short space of time before the screws made their next patrol and the alarm would be raised.
He reached the rope, the prison alarm still silent, and grabbed it firmly. He'd get out or die trying! Rossi held the end of the rope as Casino started to shimmy up it. A quiet, "Hurry!" being Rossi's only indication of his intense desire to be out and free once more.
Casino did hurry, and he was over the wall and waiting for Rossi when the alarm finally sounded. Rossi had just reached the top of the wall and his head jerked up in response to the fierce wailing that announced their disappearance from their cell. A glance back showed the spotlights beginning to sweep the prison yard, and Rossi knew he was almost out of time. With an effort that made him grunt, he threw his legs over the wall and slid down the rope with a speed that gave his hands rope burns.
He scrambled to his feet and followed Casino into the back of the car that was waiting for them. The door slammed as the prison gates began to open and Louie reversed up the street and was away before any guards could catch sight of them.
Dumping the car quickly, Louie led the way to a small bakery van that was innocently parked in front of a well-known baker's. Unlocking the door, he stood back to let Rossi climb in first, then looked at Casino. "Hey, did I forgot something?" he asked the safecracker. "Oh yeah... happy birthday."
Casino grinned. Now that was his kind of birthday wish.
~finis~
