The King of Mulberry Street

On Wednesday, rain ruins some of the sandwiches. They agree to divide the soggy ones between them for lunch and dinner, but Tin Pan Alley takes all the extras. When Dom runs back to his friend’s corner to give him more money, Tin Pan Alley is not there. As he walks away, Dom discovers other boys enslaved by padrones voraciously eating soggy sandwiches, and he realizes what Tin Pan Alley did with the extra food. He drops a quarter into another boy’s cup.

Each day, they earn more money, enough to keep some for themselves. By Friday afternoon, they have almost $4. They argue, for Gaetano and Tin Pan Alley want their share of the money, but Dom thinks they should take just a little each and save the rest to buy sandwiches on Monday. They compromise. 

The next week when they buy the sandwiches, they are too much to carry. Dom loses some to thieves and a dog, but business still booms, and they buy 16 sandwiches on Tuesday. As a result, they borrow a cart from Grandinetti. However, a bunch of boys steal right from their cart. Gaetano worries that more of them will steal in the future. Also, it is Flag Day, so workers rush to their children’s schools and there are fewer customers. 

The boys go directly to businesses to sell their remaining sandwiches at a lower cost. Even with reduced prices, the boys still make a profit and give extra sandwiches to children who work for a padrone. As Gaetano marvels at how their profits continue to increase, Dom thinks of buying documents and a ticket home.

With so much money, Dom and Gaetano agree they need somewhere to safely keep it, so they go to Grandinetti. After sweeping and arranging produce, they offer to buy the cart from him and pay for the towel they lost. Then, they ask him to keep their money. Grandinetti is incredulous when he learns that neither boy has family and that they sleep on the streets. Fearful, he vows not to get involved with padrones. When the boys insist that they work for themselves, he softens and instructs them to rent a room from Signora Esposito, for she has extra space.

At Signora Esposito’s, Dom is surprised to see the widow who was cautious in the shop. When Dom explains that Grandinetti sent them and after she sees his shoes, the woman invites them in, offering one room. Even though the apartment is worn, it is homey. When Gaetano tries to negotiate less than what Grandinetti instructed, Dom interrupts to offer more. 

That night, Dom marvels that he is sleeping in a bed, for he has never slept in one. This makes him nostalgic, and he runs through memories of home, ranging from Nonna’s proverbs to recipes to his relatives’ appearances. When he envisions his mother, he stifles tears, and Gaetano asks about her. Dom admits for the first time that she paid to put him on a ship. Remembering his final day in Napoli, Dom knows that she intended to send him alone but still will not admit it to himself.

The next morning, a man from another apartment interrupts Dom in the bathroom and tosses him violently into the hallway. Signora Esposito comes to his rescue and scolds her neighbor for his behavior. Back inside their apartment, the woman tends to his wounds, and Dom is struck by how long it has been since someone has cared for him. 

Later, after purchasing sandwiches, Gaetano says that Dom’s battered appearance will work in their favor. In no time, the two boys who stole from Dom previously are following them and asking questions. Gaetano lies and says that their boss, not a padrone, means business and that he is looking for more kids who need a job. They flash Dom’s bruises as evidence of the “boss’s” tight fist. Gaetano gives them sandwiches for themselves and the little kids, warning them not to steal any more food from them. Over the next month, business grows so much that people are waiting for them when they arrive each day. They begin offering potato and egg sandwiches, as well as pastries, for breakfast. Since they buy so much from the sandwich shop, the owner gives them a discount.

One day a man asks for sandwich without cheese, and there is something about him that draws Dom’s attention. The next day, Dom learns that the man prefers Polish beef. From then on, he purchases beef to assemble sandwiches just for the man and his friends. They also begin selling Grandinetti’s produce in the afternoons. Soon, candied almonds and other sweets are part of their sales. Furthermore, they bring leftovers to Signora Esposito, who begins to smile more. She even refrains from cooking foods Dom cannot eat and never questions him about his requests.

Business booms, and they sell on two corners to more easily avoid Tin Pan Alley’s padrone. They even hire neighborhood kids to help. When another boy sells sandwiches too, they are forced to slash prices but ultimately outlast the competition. They never work weekends; Dom visits the wharves on Saturday longing to go home, but he never sets foot in a church again. Instead, he wanders Manhattan thinking of his mother.