Near the beginning of the book, Mrs. Reilly has an accident while driving home from the Night of Joy. She ends up smashing another car, and drives away. A few days later, Patrolman Mancuso shows up at her house to talk about the accident, and they soon become friends.
In my opinion, Mancuso and Mrs. Reilly get along so well because they both get bossed around, the former by his boss and the latter by her son. While Mancuso first came to the Reilly house to discuss payment for the smashed car, the two ended up sharing coffee and talking about life. During their conversation, Ignatius comes into the kitchen and immediately starts complaining. He recognizes Mancuso from the street in front of the department store, and he still has sore feelings about him. Despite Ignatius’ hostility towards the cop, Mancuso and Mrs. Reilly agree to start bowling together, and then Mancuso leaves.
I think that Mancuso likes Mrs. Reilly a little more than a friend. They flirt a little bit, and the bowling seems almost like dates. Mancuso is married and has children, but throughout his first conversation with Mrs. Reilly he constantly complains about her. As the book continues, the two are seen together more and more. They get along very well, and I would not be surprised if they ended up having an affair soon. If they do end up having an affair, I think it would cause Ignatius to freak out, causing a funny scene.
One reason that Ignatius does not like Mancuso is because Mancuso seems to be making Mrs. Reilly less of a pushover. Naturally, this is bad for Ignatius because it means that his mom will no longer do exactly what he orders her to do. For someone who is accustomed to such obedience, rebellion can be very frustrating. I am anxious to see how this friendship plays out, and hopefully it will cause Ignatius to freak out and cause a hilarious scene.
