Suddenly apprehensive, Seth gave his friend a sideways glance. “Authentic, huh? Are we sharing a room tonight?”
Immediately aware of the concern, Leo made sure to ease his mind. “I’ll sleep on the couch, bro. For the record though, spicy food doesn’t usually do that to me.”
Relieved, Seth smiled. “I appreciate that.” As the one person who logged more hours in confined spaces with Leo, he couldn’t let the last comment go unchecked. “Oh, and for the record, yes it does.”
Not offended in the least, Leo was glad to see that his friend’s mood was not completely unsalvageable. “Hey, sorry about your date, man. I know I’m a distant second, but I can be a fun date too.”
“A distant second…or maybe third if you count that chili-dog I had with Bob in his office last week,” said Seth. A lop-sided grin showed his mood was indeed beginning to lighten.
“I know you were hoping to get back to Milwaukee, but my brother and his family will be happy to see us. You’re gonna have a great time, you’ll see,” promised Leo, completing his car-starting ritual and turning the key. As if she knew where they were headed, Gertrude started up without a sputter. Leo shifted into gear and got underway.
As they neared his brother’s home on the northeast side of Madison, Leo’s excitement grew. Talking incessantly, he scarcely appeared to take a breath while he told stories about his brother and how much fun, as well as fights, they’d had as children.
Seth had been to their home once, but it had been nearly five years since his last visit. He had seen Pedro and his family on several occasions when they visited Leo in Milwaukee, but that’s never the same as taking the time to stay in someone’s home as a guest.
Turning Gertrude’s front tires toward the curb as a failsafe, Leo barely put the car in park before he had the door open and was rushing up the driveway to greet his brother and sister-in-law.
Looking like an older, moderately rounder version of Leo, Pedro held out his hand and playfully scolded his younger brother. “HEY! You should pull into the garage with that thing. My neighbors are gonna complain!” Amazed that his younger brother was still driving the monstrous green Ford after so many years, he always felt comforted when it came rumbling down the street.
“Like she would fit!” Leo laughed. He met Pedro and Michelle with an embrace that appeared to somehow lift all three of them off the ground.
“It is good to see you, and papa’s old car, too,” said Pedro warmly.
With an additional kiss on his check, Michelle was especially happy to have visitors. “The kids’ll be home in about twenty minutes. I didn’t tell them you were visiting, so they’ll be excited.”
“Good thing you kept it secret or they may not come home at all!” smiled Seth, catching up with Leo in the driveway.
Unexpectedly, Pedro unleashed a crushing bear hug. “Seth! It’s been too long!”
Struggling to regain his composure, not to mention the air in his lungs, Seth gasped in agreement. “Yeeessss, it’s been way too long. Great to see you both.”
“Let’s go inside. We can catch up a bit before supper,” suggested Michelle.
Again rubbing his hands together in anticipation, Leo clearly had food on the brain. “Now we’re talkin’!”
Spicy-sweet smells of home cooking greeted them as the group entered the house. Although Leo and his brother left Mexico for the United States with a large portion of their family when they were just children, they had held on to many of the traditions of their parents. Of course, food happened to be one of the more cherished traditions.
In reaction to the aromas beckoning him into the kitchen, Seth proclaimed with gusto, “That smells amazing!” He peered into the kitchen, but his attention was pulled back into the living room as the warm lighting and occasional shocks of bright color drew him in. “I love your home, it’s beautiful and so clean!”
Michelle raised an eyebrow and smiled thinly, looking at her husband from the corner of her eye. “Everything will be ready in about fifteen minutes, and there should be enough for everyone…I hope,” she said with a nod.
“The young ones eat so much these days we can never be sure,” laughed Pedro. “Maybe we should lock the doors?”
“I don’t think that would help if what you told me about my nephew’s appetite is true,” added Leo. “I don’t suppose Lita eats as much as her brother, still being in grade school?”
Wagging a finger, Pedro gave fair warning. “If you sit next to her I’d say keep your hands away from her mouth or you may come back with a stump. The little locusts are eating me out of house and home!”
Gesturing to the floral print couch and matching loveseat in the living room. Michelle stood up and slapped Pedro playfully on the shoulder, then walked to the kitchen to continue preparing the meal. “Take a load off, guys.”
Finding the warm lighting and earthy tones throughout the room welcoming, Seth could feel the day’s tensions melting away. A large blanket lying across the back of a loveseat, woven in the vibrant red, white, and green of the Mexican flag caught his eye. “That is beautiful,” he said, gently caressing his hand over the soft, sturdy fabric.
“That’s a sarape—it is traditionally worn like a poncho. It’s folded over right now, but there’s a hole in the middle to put your head through.” Pedro took a lot of pride in telling others about his heritage, but this piece was especially dear to him. “Michelle’s grandmother hand-loomed that and gave it to us as a part of the dowry on our wedding day.”
Listening intently, Seth appreciated the skillful workmanship. “Looks warm. She must have had premonitions about Wisconsin in January.” As harshly cold as Wisconsin weather could get, the mention of winter had an undeniable appeal after the extreme heat of the day.
Motioning for Seth to sit in the loveseat, Pedro took his place in a well broken-in recliner. Leo considered plopping down on the loveseat as well, but decided that might be little too cozy for two grown men. Grabbing a wooden chair from behind a nearby roll-top desk, Leo placed it next to Pedro and sat down.
Waiting until his wife was out of sight in the kitchen, Pedro leaned to his right and opened a small drawer on a decorative lamp stand. Reaching in carefully, he pulled out three cigarillos and handed two of them gingerly to his guests.
Taking the offering, Seth leaned back to feel the coarse fabric of the colorful sarape against his shoulders as he held the sugary-smelling cigar under his nose. “Is she going to get upset if she this?”
“Hell yes she will,” nodded Pedro, his voice low and serious. “Hurry up and light yours before she comes in here and wants one. These are my last three!” He tossed a small rectangular box of matches to his brother.
Smiling sheepishly, Leo knew it wasn’t a joke as he quickly followed suit. “He ain’t kiddin’ partner, why do you think he married her?”
Forgoing the matches himself, Pedro reached back into the drawer and emerged with a small, gold-plated lighter and a glass ashtray. He looked at the ornate object for a moment, as if admiring a great work of art, and then flipped back the top and rolled the flint once with his thumb. The wick came to life with a clean blue and gold flame, which he again gazed at for a moment, savoring the occasion. Gently guiding the head of his small stogie into the flame, it immediately glowed bright orange and then faded to dark amber. Reaching forward, he set the lighter and ashtray on a small end table positioned between his guests.
Pulling out the footrest, Pedro sunk back into the soft comfort of the floral recliner. “I’ve been waiting all day for this.”
Leaning forward, Seth could feel that the tightly woven sarape was already making his back sweat. “Leo tells me you’ve been working some long hours. Hard finding time to relax these days?”
“Ya bro, what’s the deal? Everything alright?” asked Leo, taking a long drag from his cigar and blowing it slowly into the still air above him.
“I’m ok,” assured Pedro, flicking a long, peppery looking ash into the black dirt of a potted
plant resting nearby, “it’s just that work has been stressful lately.”
Admiring a perfect smoke ring he had inadvertently rolled from his lips, Seth remembered something his father used to say after a hard day at work. “No rest for the wicked, eh?”
Retrohaling smoke from his nostrils, Pedro looked like a bull gearing up for a charge. “I’m suing my employer, so I guess you could say that.”
Leo stared at his brother with astonishment. “You’re what? I thought you liked your job with the accounting firm?”
Smoke still lingering from his last exhale seemed, fittingly, to be coming out of his ears. “I love what I do, but it gets tough to go to work each and every friggin day when my boss treats me like I should be mowing the lawn instead of the job I was hired for.” Holding his cigar to his lips in contemplation, he neglected to take another drag.
Raising an eyebrow curiously, Seth wondered what circumstances had led Pedro to accusations of racism at work. “What do you mean? Did he say something to that effect?”
“He’s too much of a coward to say it directly, but everyone knows the old bastard wishes it was still the fifties.” Smoldering heavily at the tip, Pedro’s cigar had the appearance of a magic wand as he waved it around emphatically. “A few of us have been in line for promotions for years, but he keeps passing minorities up for white guys with less experience.”
Knowing his brother’s tendency to let passion overshadow reason, Leo presented a different perspective. “Just because the old dude hasn’t promoted you doesn’t mean he’s a racist, Pedro. Guys with less experience are usually cheaper to hire.”
“You think I am just being a poor sport, Leonardo?” Exasperated, Pedro watched with satisfaction as his younger brother cringed at the sound of his given name. “You think Ol’ Pedro’s temper is getting the best of me again? Is that it?” Throwing a small cinder, his cigarillo appeared to be gasping for air due to inattention. “What if I told you that our lawyer found that out of thirty-seven promotions made in my office over the last five years, just one went to a minority employee?”
Putting his cigar in his mouth, Seth chewed anxiously on the softening tobacco. “It’s a class-action then?”
“Yep. The Office of Civil Rights wasn’t getting anywhere, so we got the ACLU involved.” Pedro tapped his cigar on the edge of a glass ashtray sitting on the end table before going on accusingly. “I should mention that the one promotion came only after word got out that an investigation was taking place. They employ the bare minimum of minorities required under affirmative action and end up releasing a majority of those before they have worked long enough to establish themselves within the company.” Finally attempting to take a drag from his cigarillo, he found that it had gone completely out. “I guess I am a little stressed from work and I just want to enjoy this cigar.”
Grabbing the lighter from the table, Leo lit it and offered his brother a relight. “Sorry about all that, bro.”
Just as he was about to guide the end of his mismanaged cigar over the flame, the front door sprung open and Marc came crashing in.
Having seen Gertrude parked in the street, Marc knew it could mean only one thing. “Uncle Leo!”
Standing to give his nephew a hug, Leo marveled at how fast the boy was growing. “Whoa, this can’t be little Marc! You must have grown a foot since the last time I saw you!”
“He’s grown a lot this summer, thanks to eating all our food,” said Pedro, playfully picking on his son’s healthy appetite.
Still gripping his uncle tightly around the midsection, Marc took exception to the insinuation before undermining his own argument. “Papa, Lita eats more than me and she’s only seven….Hmmm, something smells good….Mama, what’s for dinner tonight?”
Hearing the commotion, Michelle poked her head into the family room. “Where are your manners, Marc?” she scolded. “Say hello to Mr. Alexander, you remember him from when we visited Uncle Leo in Milwaukee, don’t you?”
“Oh yeah! You bought me a candy bar, I remember,” declared Marc, not even trying to hide the fact that food tended to be his memory trigger.
“Hmmm, oh yeah, I knew I forgot something,” said Seth, standing up. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a Hershey’s bar, and handed it to Marc. “It’s probably a bit melted, you may want to…”
Tearing the wrapper off almost before it was out of Seth’s hand, Marc shouted happily. “Thank you, Mr. Alexander!”
Catching her impulsive son’s attention, Michelle put her hands on her hips and gave him a look she knew he’d understand. “NOT before dinner, young man!”
Holding the partially melted milk chocolate tantalizingly close to his lips, Marc acted as if he were being threatened with inhumane torture. “Aw c’mon! Mama, please?”
“You know the rules—don’t expect to get away with things just because we have company. Now,” his mother pointed toward the door, “go next door and get your sister. She’s been playing over there long enough.”
“Fine, I’ll be back in a minute.” Knowing when his mother meant business, Marc quickly flung open the front door and ran to the neighbor’s house, yelling for his sister the entire way.
“I wish I had that much energy,” smiled Seth, checking to make sure he still had all of his fingers.
Having fallen behind his guests, Pedro relit his cigar. “The kid’s just like me when I was growing up in Guerrero. I still remember papa telling me to slow down in the house, at least when Mama was around...” His voice trailed off as he remembered his parents.
Unsure if he was remembering Leo’s stories correctly, Seth asked for clarification. “Is Guerrero the city you guys were born in?”
Coughing from an accidental inhalation of smoke, Leo rectified his partner’s mistake. “Bro, I’ve told you a thousand times. Guerrero is a State in Mexico.”
Smiling, Pedro shook his head. “It’s no big deal. I thought Wisconsin was a country for the first five years we lived here,” he admitted. “Anyway, we lived near Acapulco, but trust me, we were nowhere near the resorts.” Showing off his experience with a cigar, he blew a row of perfect smoke rings into the humid air.
“I still remember the open air markets and the fruit trees, especially the mangos,” said Leo fondly, rubbing his belly.
“Oh, I remember that!” exclaimed Pedro as the memory came flooding back. “The vendors would push a sharp stick through the fruit, peel it, and then cut it diagonally so it looked like leaves.” His stomach growled with the recollection. “I liked it plain, but I remember papa liking lime juice or chili pepper on his.”
Eavesdropping from the kitchen, Michelle joined the conversation. “Strange you boys should mention mangos. I’ve made a mango salsa as part of our dinner tonight.”
Clapping with delight, Leo had to act quickly to keep hot ashes from dropping onto the carpet. Luckily, no damage was done. “Whew, got it. No harm, no foul!”
Although oblivious to the fact that she nearly had an excuse to have new carpeting installed, Michelle sensed it was time to put an end to the smoky pow-wow. “Put out those cigars and go wash for dinner, guys, we will be eating as soon as the kids get here.”
Just as the men turned to comply with Michelle’s directives, Marc and Lita burst in through the front door. It was a wonder that the door stayed on its hinges.
“How’s Mi cielito?” Leo exclaimed as he swooped down to gather up his little niece. Like a feather on the wind, he held Lita up near the ceiling. Strands of dark brown hair flowed and fluttered down around her face like silk.
“Uncle Leo! I’m getting too old for this!” she giggled.
Frowning, Leo slowly brought her back down to Earth and set her on her feet. “I suppose you’re right. I guess I’d better take that teddy bear I left in Gertrude back to the store.”
Slapping a little hand on her chin as if thinking deeply for a moment, Lita decided being seen as grownup just wasn’t worth the sacrifice. “I guess I’m not THAT old!” she said, running to the front
door and grasping the knob. “Can I go get it?”
Not one to play favorites, Michelle held Lita to the same standards as her brother. “After dinner, young lady. Now, you and your brother go wash up for supper.”
“Yes, Mama.” With a pouty scowl, she reluctantly released the door’s handle and ran down the hall to the bathroom. Both children knew better than to question mother’s wishes, especially around company.
Sounding gruff, but appreciative, Pedro thanked Leo in his own way. “You didn’t have to get her a toy, Leo. She’s still spoiled from your last visit.”
Offering his brother a sidelong look, Leo still felt he could use some cheering up. “Ya, maybe I should have offered it to you with the mood you’re in. You seem like you could use a good cuddle.” Holding out his arms wide, he took an exaggerated step toward his brother as if offering a monster hug.
Seth took a step backward, just in case Leo’s attempt at humor backfired and the result was a wrestling match.
“Cuddle? I’ve got a better idea!” Pedro lunged forward with a laugh and had Leo in a playful headlock before he could react.
“Ok, boys! Don’t let the kids see you roughhousing or we’ll never get them calmed down enough for dinner.” Michelle smiled at seeing her husband having a good time. She was pleased that his struggles at work had not kept him from enjoying his younger brother’s visit.
Just the mention of dinner loosened Pedro’s grip on his struggling brother as both men stood at attention. “Does this mean….?” asked Leo with hands clasped in anticipation.
“Yes, dinner is all set. Seth, please have a seat at the table.” Michelle gave a stern look at her husband and brother-in-law. “The children will be seated last,” she said, clearly putting them into that category as she turned toward the dining room.
As good as the meal smelled when they originally entered the house, the aromas were infinitely more tantalizing as they entered the dining room.
Taking a seat along the near side of the rectangular dining room table, Seth inhaled deeply. “That smells unbelievable, Michelle.” He noticed that the table itself appeared to be very old. He considered asking about its history but ended up distracted by Michelle’s placement of yet another plate of delicious-smelling food just inches away.
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