Mario Muscella is a fictional character. His lifestyle is taken from many different experiences of the author and many others whom he has encountered over the years. In this story, Mario feels that he has to be accepted by his peers by doing everything that satisfies them even though he usually hates doing those things. Throughout most of his life, he is a follower, although he wants to break loose and become a leader.
Mario is a child from the beginning, who never really grows up. He just gets older, weaker, and beaten down by the many pitfalls of his sorry life. He is a second generation Italian American growing up in an ethnic neighborhood in South Philadelphia.
He has some success along the way, and at times, he accumulates some wealth and good fortune. Those components only seem to last for a few brief moments. Each time, he gets hit over the head with a large mallet, which brings him back to reality.
He decides to go far away to school, and he finally meets a girl who he seems to love. As soon as he hits the high point of this romance, she does a complete 180 and breaks his heart. He never recovers from that dismal moment, which takes him down another rocky road. He is pushed into an unhappy marriage by his own hand. All during this time, he longs for his lost sweetheart, but he never cheats on his wife.
Later on, his wife decides to betray him. None of this ends very well.
His story is about cheating, heartaches, murder, crime, and other misfortunes that seem to plague him wherever he goes. He never seems to catch a break even when he works his tail off. He gets slammed in Eau Claire, Washington, DC, and back at home. Mario seems to be snake-bitten.
Mario hits rock bottom. He runs away, but he can never run away from himself. He gets another chance with his lost love, but he gets hit with another surprise. He is always on the doorstep of some type of calamity.
Mario is about to throw in the towel when something mysterious happens. He finds out that his luck is godsend. His life is about to change forever. He also may have found a new love that will also last forever.
