The Pipe Bit: Tony Montana: Goodnight to the Good Guy

 

“You never know, that dishwasher may be a beholder.”

–Rick Ross, “Push It”

By Chris Rentner

     Antonio Montana–Tony to all–will be retiring from Uhle’s at the end of this week. In his 29 years of work here, he has done it all–the store, the warehouse, shipping and receiving, tobacco blending, even some bookkeeping. In everything, his diligence came through–we could all depend on Tony Montana.

     A Cuban native, Tony first came to Milwaukee in 1980. He was part of the Mariel Harbor boatlift, though he rarely talks about his younger life–he had, as all of us do to some extent, a reckless youth, and put it behind him. Through a friend of his he came to Milwaukee from Miami, even though “I had other paths open and things, you know. But I just wanted to try something new in the land of opportunity.”

     When Tony first started at Uhle’s, the country was in a recession, as it is now. His outlook, though, never wavered: “You work hard, you earn it. Though I have to say the bankers had better interest rates back then,” he said with a chuckle. And he remains optimistic about the current rough economy: “Just keep at it, keep moving product. You don’t have to break your back, but you got to stay loyal–to your suppliers, and especially your customers.”

     He credits Uhle’s for his sense of thrift. “I never owned a house. What do I need all that room for? I don’t need some fancy staircase or a statue. I learned to be happy with what I got.”

     Like all of us, he wasn’t above temptation. “I think everybody wonders ‘what if.’ If I had stayed in Miami, I don’t know. I don’t know if I would have been happy.” But instead of wanting the world, he made peace with his decisions: “It’s, you know, the people around you that matter. I learned that here. For a while, I thought I couldn’t change, that I wanted too much. But I learned to be happy.”

     He’s not happy, however, about the restrictions on smoking that he has witnessed over his long career. “It reminds me too much of The Beard,” he said, meaning Fidel Castro. “Restrictions everywhere. Telling you what to think, what to feel. For me, smoking is part of the freedom of this country, and it’s really sad to see it turned into something people think is bad.”

     He leaves Uhle’s happy, though. “I have changed for the better. I have made friends and overcame my past. It was being here that caused me to be a success. I made it.” I wanted to ask him if “here” meant this country or Uhle’s, but of course he had been called away to help someone.

     Thanks, Tony. When we see you leave Uhle’s at the end of this week, we know it is the last time we’ll ever see a good guy like you.