Siesta – Chapter 5
\nPreview from Ron and Bruno: Against the Doctatorship<\/h4>\n
After Edwin left, I walked back into the bedroom, looking beyond the furnishings to the memories that might have been. I could imagine Audrey Hepburn shyly looking across the room at Gary Cooper, a scene from the movie, Love in the Afternoon. Or was it Audrey Hepburn with Humphrey Bogart in a deleted scene from Sabrina. And yet, I saw Victoria in my imagination, and I was the debonair, older man. She hadn\u2019t aged a day. Her playful eyes and spontaneous smile contrasted with her designer clothes. And was that a smudge of food on her blouse? Such details in a daydream! But that was Victoria: natural, trusting, loving, and\u2026 Had I really loved her? What an odd flash of imagination. Well, as the wise King Solomon said, \u201cIt is not good to look on days past, but we must put our hands to the day\u2019s task.\u201d And this would be a busy day. OR<\/p>\n
\nMy thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door and a voice.
\n\u201cFood service.\u201d
\nThat\u2019s odd. I just checked in. I opened the door, and a young woman greeted me.
\n\u201cMr. Miller?\u201d
\n\u201cYes, I\u2019m Mr. Miller. But I didn\u2019t order food.\u201d
\n\u201cOh, this is complimentary.\u201d She said, rolling a cart with trays into the room. \u201cIt\u2019s included with all the bridal suites.\u201d
\nShe was dressed in the same kind of outfit that might have been worn when the Sortida was established, over a century ago. She reminded me of an old picture of my grandma when she was just 18, around the opening of the Sortida.
\nMy grandma worked in the ticket booth of the Moore Egyptian theater. That\u2019s where my grandpa played piano for silent films. He was as close to a star as my grandma ever met. He was a tall man for the times, but even in high heels, Grandma stood over a foot shorter than him. I would have liked to hear their love story but that was all I knew. I was too preoccupied during their lives to ask. I met Victoria shortly after Grandma passed away. Seattle sure had a way of bringing back old memories.
\nThe young woman waiting with the food cart was Carmelita. It was her hair woven into a net that made her look like the picture of Grandma in my scrapbook, otherwise, there was little resemblance. Carmelita was curvaceous, and despite her outfit looking like it came from another era, it couldn\u2019t hide what was underneath. And let me state, there\u2019s nothing vulgar about anything or anyone that God creates. He has created us to be who we are. Carmelita was created with just a little bit more of who she was.
\n\u201cMy order says there are two guests.\u201d
\nShe glanced to where Bruno was stretched out on the couch, still asleep.
\n\u201cOh, that\u2019s Bruno, my friend. He won\u2019t be staying the night. We\u2019ll be taking care of some business later.\u201d I said.
\n\u201cBruno?\u201d
\nShe smiled.
\n\u201cYes. Is there something I don\u2019t know?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cOh, no, I just love <\/em>the name Bruno. It sounds like the name of a bold man, a say whatever you feel like kind of man.\u201d
\n\u201cYou got that right.\u201d I said.
\nShe spoke with a thick Spanish accent and kept looking at Bruno, as if hoping he\u2019d wake up. She was noisily arranging the dishes on the table, so I shushed her.
\n\u201cPlease, I think he needs the rest.\u201d
\n\u201cOh, sorry sir.\u201d She said.
\nShe quietly placed the rest of the contents of the cart onto the table. I put a tip on her cart, and she rolled it out of the room.
\n\u201cThank you, Mr. Miller.\u201d She said.
\n\u201cThank you too, Carmelita.\u201d I replied
\nI was still keeping track of name tags. Carmelita Divina, her tag read. I couldn\u2019t read the rest. It was smudged. It matched her makeup which looked hastily done. She had a loose tag hanging from the bottom of her skirt. Too bad Bruno hadn\u2019t woken up. He would have been nuts about this woman. I knew his type and she just walked out of the room! I felt guilty knowing Bruno had missed out on meeting Carmelita. Well, I\u2019d tell him her name. He could track her down later.
\nI went back into the bedroom. The food could wait. I was dead tired. My dreams were arriving before my head hit the pillow. \u201cWow, this is a big party. Nice to meet you.\u201d I said under my breath. My dream continued as my head touched that softest of pillows. \u201cSure, where should I meet you\u2026 Zzz\u201d
\nWhen I woke up, I was completely rested. I looked at the clock on my phone. I\u2019d managed to get in a quick 30 minutes. Bruno was already eating.
\n\u201cWhere\u2019d you get this Mexican food?\u201d He said. \u201cEs una comida muy deliciosa. I haven\u2019t had food like this since before Guadalajara\u2019s closed.\u201d
\n\u201cRoom service delivered it. They said it was compliments of the house. It\u2019s provided with all the bridal suites.\u201d I said.
\n\u201cBridal suites? What ain\u2019t you telling old Bruno, Ron?\u201d
\n\u201cAn old girlfriend paid for the room, Bruno.\u201d
\n\u201cAn old girlfriend paid for the room, he says.\u201d
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a long story.\u201d I said.
\n\u201cSo you gettin hitched?\u201d Bruno asked.
\n\u201cNo, I ain\u2019t gettin hitched. That would be an odd wedding. She passed away. Her kids got me this room. I\u2019m gonna be godfather to all their family. I didn\u2019t even know it till Edwin told me. He\u2019s her son.\u201d
\n\u201cWhose son?\u201d Bruno asked.
\n\u201cVilma\u2019s, I, I mean, Victoria\u2019s.\u201d
\n\u201cMake up your mind, there Ron. I know there were a lot of them, but let\u2019s have a little respect for the dead.\u201d
\nNow that was the irreverent Bruno I knew. It was good to hear him talk like himself again.
\n\u201cHere\u2019s the deal, Bruno, I thought Victoria\u2019s name was Vilma but now I know it\u2019s Victoria.\u201d
\n\u201cOh, Okay, old Ron. Whatever you say. As long as I ain\u2019t stuck payin for the room, or for the food.\u201d
\n\u201cDon\u2019t worry about that, Bruno. And by the way, the lady who brought the food was exactly your type. But don\u2019t worry, I got her name.\u201d
\n\u201cAs if you\u2019d know my type, Ron. You know your type, they all look the same, but you don\u2019t know my type. I got a particular taste in women, you know.\u201d
\nNow I knew <\/em>Bruno was going to get over what they\u2019d done to his mom. It had taken a lot out of him, but this was core Bruno, sarcastic, quick witted, and edgy.
\n\u201cOkay, Bruno. Anyway, if you want to check her out. She\u2019s probably down in the kitchen. Her name is Carmelita, Carmelita Divina.\u201d
\nBruno now roared a roar that only Bruno could roar.
\n\u201cRon! You let her get away! Oh! She\u2019s here! My Camerlita!\u201d
\nBruno deliberately mispronounced her name.
\n\u201cCamerlita was here, and you didn\u2019t wake me up! That\u2019s her food. That\u2019s what she cooked for me at Guadalajara\u2019s. They said she went to work in a swanky hotel after the restaurant closed, but I never found out where.\u201d
\n\u201cWelp, she works here, and when I mentioned your name, she purred, \u2018Oh, I just love <\/em>the name Bruno. It sounds like the name of a bold man, a say whatever you feel like kind of man.\u2019 Ha-ha!\u201d
\n\u201cOh, she purred, did she. I think she fancies me.\u201d
\nBruno\u2019s crooked smile no longer aligned with his meticulously cut mustache.
\n\u201cFancy you?\u201d I said. \u201cShe was clanging those plates around so much I had to shush her. It was like she wanted <\/em>to wake you up.\u201d
\n\u201cNow, Ron, don\u2019t tell me you shushed my Camerlita.\u201d
\nJust then the room phone rang. I picked it up.
\n\u201cHello?\u201d
\n\u201cHi, Mr. Miller. This is Edwin. I heard Carmelita just took a food cart there. She\u2019s my fianc\u00e9e\u2019s cousin. She said Carmelita is crazy about Bruno. I\u2019m supposed to keep track of her. I was the one who told her about the job here. Promise me you won\u2019t leave her alone with Bruno. My fianc\u00e9e\u2019s family would be furious with me if she were courted by a man her family hasn\u2019t met.\u201d
\n\u201cJust a moment.\u201d I said to Edwin.
\n\u201cHey Bruno, looks like you\u2019re gonna be meeting Carmelita\u2019s family. That\u2019s the only way you can court <\/em>her, Edwin says.\u201d
\n\u201cCourt her, eh? I got no problem with that. So, when\u2019s the meeting.\u201d Bruno asked.
\n\u201cEdwin, Bruno wants to know when he can meet Carmelita\u2019s family.\u201d
\n\u201cWell, they\u2019re coming to the Sortida Back Room Ballroom tonight. It\u2019s practice for this Sunday\u2019s dedication service. Bruno can meet them tonight.\u201d
\n\u201cTonight, Bruno. You\u2019ll meet them tonight.\u201d
\n\u201cFine and dandy.\u201d Bruno replied using one of his favorite outdated expressions.
\n\u201cI\u2019ll let them know.\u201d Edwin said. \u201cAnd when you two are ready, I\u2019ll take you to the hospital to get your form signed.\u201d
\nBetween my memories and Edwin\u2019s telling me about his family, I\u2019d forgotten he had someone on the inside to help us get into the hospital. God was surely watching over Bruno and me.
\n\u201cThanks, Edwin. I\u2019ll give you a call in about an hour.\u201d I said.
\nAfter I\u2019d hung up the phone, I sat down to try some of the food Carmelita had brought.
\n\u201cSo tell me about your Carmelita.\u201d I said. \u201cIs there anything in that nickname you\u2019ve given her?\u201d
\n\u201cOh, Ron, do I have to explain everything to you? And you a linguist. Camera Lita becomes Camerlita. She was always takin pictures of me and her food. Genius that I am, I came up with that nickname and everyone at Guadalajara\u2019s started using it too. So, what else can I educate you on, old Ron?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m sure you\u2019ll think up something.\u201d I said.
\n\u201cYes, as surely as professors used to actually teach, before the commies took over, I\u2019ll think of something.\u201d Bruno replied.
\nBruno knew everything about the food Carmelita had brought. He explained which ingredients were used and why, and the ones Carmelita told him improved a man\u2019s vitality.
\n\u201cOh, so Carmelita is teaching you about vitality? Could be she\u2019s worried\u2026\u201d But before I could finish, Bruno retorted.
\n\u201cNow old Ron, just because you got seven kids doesn\u2019t mean you got vitality. And you told me about that doc who sewed you up, reversing your vasectomy. You said he did something extra to your plumbing, kinda turbocharged it. In fact\u2026\u201d
\nNow I interrupted Bruno.
\n\u201cAlright, just a little lighthearted kidding, Bruno. You better figure out what you\u2019re wearing to meet Carmelita\u2019s folks. You got clothes in that wrinkled up old bag?\u201d
\n\u201cWhat did you figure I had in this bag? As far as clothes, I\u2019m covered.\u201d
\nBruno tilted his head and looked at me sideways, as if his pun was worthy of attention.
\n\u201cOh, the punster.\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019m sure Carmelita\u2019s daddy will be impressed with your one-upmanship. Yes, muy contento having a son-in-law who talks like he\u2019s had a few, even though you\u2019ve never touched a drop.\u201d
\n\u201cAlright, ya got me there. Just pray that I don\u2019t screw it up. She\u2019s got to have something wrong with her to want me.\u201d
\n\u201cDon\u2019t start with the poor Bruno routine.\u201d I said, \u201cA woman likes a man who\u2019s not afraid to be a man and blusters around a bit. Just be natural with her. And when she looks at her Bruno with adoring eyes, her parents will see they got no choice.\u201d
\n\u201cOh, so now I\u2019m takin advice from a man who\u2019s just gotten his, what is it now, third divorce?\u201d
\n\u201cIf it matters, second. But Bruno, I wasn\u2019t advising you. I\u2019m congratulating you. You got yourself a young woman after you. How old\u2019s that girl?\u201d
\n\u201cI know what you\u2019re thinking, Ron. And she\u2026\u201d
\nI finished his sentence.
\n\u201cShe ain\u2019t young enough to be your daughter. I know, I know, your daughter turned 36 last week. So your new girl is somewhere between 37 and what?\u201d
\n\u201cBetween 37 and an old maid, Ron. Can\u2019t you see, I\u2019m a saving her from a life of shame.\u201d
\n\u201cHa! Okay. Old Bruno is a saving the damsel <\/em>in distress.\u201d
\n\u201cNow, old Ron. You know I ain\u2019t a racist, and I ain\u2019t a sexist, well, not in a bad way, and I certainly ain\u2019t an ageist. And I will not make age an issue in this relationship. I\u2019m not going to exploit my girl\u2019s youth and inexperience for any purpose.\u201d
\n\u201cWell, Bruno, Reagan won an election against Mondale with that quip and I\u2019m certain you\u2019ll win the hand of your Carmelita, quip or no quip. So, congratulations in advance.\u201d
\n\u201cCongratulations? Win the hand? Now, wait a minute. We don\u2019t need to be talking about any hand winning around here. It\u2019s just a simple introduction to Camerlita\u2019s folks. So stop your congratulating. That\u2019s code for gettin hitched.\u201d Bruno objected.
\n\u201cWell, Bruno, why do you think Carmelita\u2019s folks need to meet you before they\u2019ll allow her to be courted <\/em>by you?\u201d
\n\u201cCourted<\/em> by me?\u201d Bruno half roared, then said. \u201cYou know, I could do much worse, muchisimo peor<\/em>.\u201d
\n\u201cBruno, I don\u2019t think you could do any better.\u201d
\n\u201cWelp, I hate to say it, Ron. But this might be one of the rare times you\u2019re right. What is it they say about a broken clock?\u201d
\nBruno and I had finished eating every chimichanga, tostada, and enchilada on the plates, as well as the other tasty dishes that Carmelita had prepared. There was nothing left but a few drops of salsa and that was only because we ran out of tortillas to wipe them up.
\n\u201cSo, you got a routine?\u201d I said to Bruno.
\n\u201cWhat do you mean a routine?\u201d He said.
\n\u201cYou know, so you don\u2019t get fat, eating like this every day.\u201d
\n\u201cI ate like this every day at Guadalajara\u2019s. You\u2019re looking at a fine specimen of humanity.\u201d
\nBruno smirked his signature smirk as he boasted.
\n\u201cYes, Bruno, as long as Carmelita sees you that way, you\u2019re a blessed man. Well, time to text Edwin so he can take us across the street to get your form signed.\u201d I said.
\n\u201cEdwin?\u201d Bruno asked. \u201cWhat\u2019s Edwin got to do with it?\u201d
\n\u201cWhile you were sleeping, Edwin told me that they\u2019re locked down over at the hospital. But his fianc\u00e9e works there, and she can get us in.\u201d
\n\u201cOkay, let\u2019s get this over with.\u201d He said. \u201cYou don\u2019t know how much this kills me, not having this all behind me.\u201d
\nThen he looked at me, remembering how many griefs I\u2019d been through, and said:
\n\u201cIt\u2019s just an expression, Ron, just an expression.\u201d
\n\u201cYes, I know. It\u2019s a burden having unfinished business when it comes to a loved one\u2019s passing. We both know.\u201d
\n\u201cMaybe that\u2019s Edwin knocking on the door now.\u201d Bruno said.
\nI opened it.
\n\u201cC\u2019mon in, Edwin. Bruno and I have to get our lines right, before we walk to the hospital and talk to the doc.\u201d
\nI took out the form that we wanted the doctor to fill out.
\n\u201cAre you good with what you\u2019re gonna say to the doctor, Bruno?\u201d
\n\u201cYeah, \u2018I got a comorbidity form, Doc. Can you sign it?\u2019\u201d
\n\u201cWell, that may be all it takes.\u201d I said.
\n\u201cOkay, let\u2019s get on with it.\u201d Bruno said.
\nThen he turned to Edwin.
\n\u201cI\u2019d like to thank you for helping us, Edwin.\u201d
\n\u201cOh, you\u2019re welcome, Sir Bruno. Carmelita told me about you. She says you\u2019re a get things done kind of guy<\/em>.\u201d
\n\u201cLet\u2019s hope so, Edwin. I don\u2019t really need this form signed. It\u2019s just that I\u2019m responsible for taking care of my mom\u2019s estate, and I wouldn\u2019t feel right if I let one penny go unaccounted for.\u201d
\n\u201cYou\u2019re an honorable man, Sir Bruno.\u201d
\n\u201cYou can drop the Sir, Edwin.\u201d
\n\u201cOkay, Mr. Hartman.\u201d He answered.
\n\u201cNow on second thought, Edwin. Mr. Hartman does sound a little stodgy. But Sir Bruno kind of rolls off the tongue.\u201d
\n\u201cI think so too, Sir Bruno.\u201d<\/p>\nProceed to Next Chapter – Click Here<\/a><\/h3>\n
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