Chulito: A Novel

by Charles Rice-González

  “You going to hell, too, then, with all the shit you do.”

  “So we be in hell together, and if people want to fuck with you, they gonna have to fuck with me.” Kamikaze put out the joint and shoved the box back into the secret drawer. “With all your disappearing acts, I got nervous thinking you wanted out.” Kamikaze put his hand on Chulito’s neck and squeezed it, again. “Carlos knows what you do, right?”

  Chulito nodded.

  “He down with it or he giving you shit?”

  “We don’t really talk about it a lot.” Chulito lied. “But he knows what’s up.”

  Kamikaze patted the back of Chulito’s head. “You need to let him know the deal. That’s why I don’t roll with no women and don’t connect with family. They always got an opinion. But you’re better than family.”

  Chulito smiled nervously and the phone rang.

  “Hey, Carlos,” Chulito sniffled.

  “What’s up? You sounded scary on your message.”

  “It’s cool. I just told Kamikaze about you and me.”

  Kamikaze winked at Chulito.

  “And?” Carlos’ voice raised an octave.

  “He’s cool. A little freaked out, but cool. He said I was going to hell.”

  “Definitely.” Kamikaze laughed and turned the ignition.

  “I’ll talk to you later, right?”

  “Wow, Chulito, I’m really happy to hear that. Your message had me worried. Wish I could leave and be with you right now. Did you tell him about wanting to get out?”

  Chulito looked over at Kamikaze bopping along with Biggie.

  “Not yet and I don’t know what time we’ll be done, but I’ll call you.”

  “Chulito, I thought this would never happen.” Carlos sounded excited and hopeful. “I can’t wait to see you. I don’t think I’ve loved you more than I do right at this moment.”

  Chulito smiled. “Yeah, well…” He looked at Kamikaze and raised his eyebrows. “I, uh, I love you, pa.” He closed his cell phone.

  Kamikaze shook his head. “This is bugged out. Are you cool to come with me?”

  Chulito nodded and smiled.

  “Good to see you smile, nigga. Let’s go to war.”

  chapter twenty-two

  For the next couple of weeks, Chulito avoided the corner. He got picked up by Kamikaze to do runs, went to the pier, and woke up each morning with his limbs tangled with Carlos’.

  Maria offered to speak to Carmen on Chulito’s behalf, but decided to wait until she got back from her vacation in Puerto Rico. She knew Carmen would be worried and have questions and there was no sense interrupting her vacation.

  So whenever they spoke to Carmen, they said everything was fine, and in fact it was. Maria made the young men dinner upstairs every night and Carlos and Chulito sometimes watched a movie with her. Maria was loving and supportive and Chulito hoped his mother would be as cool as when Maria first found out. She was surprised that Chulito had come around and told them to be safe, to stick together and to come to her whenever they wanted.

  While Chulito created his cocoon of support and followed Julio’s advice to flush the shit in his life, the rumors accumulated like debt up and down Garrison Avenue.

  “So fellas,” Looney Tunes rhymed to a rap beat. “The incognito, boom, boom boom, nigga Chulito, boom, boom boom, as far as we know, boom, boom boom, has become a patito.” He laughed.

  Davey licked his lips. “Yo, don’t believe the shit that fuck Damian be saying.”

  Chin-Chin sat on a milk crate and fanned himself withn>

  “He better not be perpetratin’,” Papo said. “Or he should have the balls to come clean instead of being a true pussy.”

  “Damian said he saw them in the Village and they were hanging out with a bunch of other dudes,” Chin-Chin said, scraping a stick along the sidewalk. “I ain’t got nothin’ against fags, just as long as they don’t try no shit.”

  “Word,” Davey said.

  Papo lit a cigarette and blew the smoke toward the sky. “Well, I don’t go for that, so if Chulito turned pale, then it’s best he keep to his shit and stay off the corner, ‘cause I don’t chill with patos.”

  “That shit is ill, man,” Looney Tunes said tapping Chin-Chin. “You think Chulito and Carlos be doin’ the nasty?”

  Chin-Chin got up from the milk crate and picked up the bottle of Hennessey. “Oh, c’mon, you don’t have to go there with that shit.”

  “See,” Papo slammed his fist into his palm. “I don’t want that bullshit in my face and faggots never know they place or when to stay back. That’s why I popped Puti the other day, because he feels like he could say whatever he feels to niggas, but I don’t want a dude looking at my ass.”

  “I hear you,” Davey said, “but, c’mon Papo, Puti’s just playin’. It ain’t no big thing.”

  “What?” Papo shoved Davey. “I don’t want to hear any words come out of his dirty mouth. He needs to back the fuck up. Straight up and down.”

  Davey straightened his shirt out. “Chill nigga.”

  “He’s got a point.” Chin-Chin passed Davey the bottle. “I don’t want niggas lookin’ at my butt.”

  Davey took the bottle and hesitated. He took a swig and passed it to Papo. “Sorry, bro, but I don’t think Puti is looking at our butts.”

  “Yo, what’s with you, Davey?” Papo snatched the bottle. “Maybe you a little soft or something? You betta come clean nigga and don’t be frontin’.”

  “Get the fuck out, I ain’t gay. I’m just saying that if Chulito is gay, he still our boy,” Davey squared off and looked at his fellas. “Right?”

  “Fuck no.” Papo stepped to Davey. “I don’t know what he be thinkin’ when he looking at me. And I don’t want to have that shit around me plain and simple.”

  Chin-Chin stepped in between them. “He got a point, Davey.”

  “So, you writin’ Chulito off, too, Chin-Chin?” Davey shook his head.

  Chin-Chin shrugged. “I don’t know, fellas. I can’t see it. Chulito is hard and shit. I don’t see how he could be gay. But if he is, I ain’t down with him hangin’ with us.”

  As the guys talked, Kamikaze’s car pulled up in front of Chulito’s building. Chulito climbed out of the car and headed into his building.

  “Yo, Chu—” Papo called out, but Chulito disappeared into his building. “See? He being real slippery. Something’s up.”

  Chin-Chin took the bottle from Looney Tunes who had been taking advantage of their conversation and drinking up the Hen.

  Davey bit his lower lip and said, “I’m going to his house, I’m asking him what’s up.”

  Papo stepped into the street. “I want to talk to Kamikaze to see if he knows what’s up.”

  Davey headed down the block while Papo flagged Kamikaze down. Kamikaze stopped his car, rolled down the passenger window and tilted down his blue shades.

  “¿Qué pasa, Papo?”

  “How you been?”

  “Workin’. Wassup?”

  “We were just talkin’ ‘bout Chulito and the word on the street is the he turned ‘mo. What you know about that?”

  “Chulito is my boy and I don’t appreciate how you coming at me.”

  “I don’t mean no disrespect, but niggas be talking and he been incognito for weeks. I just want to know what’s up.”

  “You should be thinking about what you doing with your own life instead of what’s up with Chulito.”

  “I gettin’ my shit together. I enlisted in the Navy, bro, but Chulito is part of my life. I just don’t hang with patos and if he a pato I ain’t standing for that shit.”

  “You need to check yourself, bro. You grew up with Chulito, you know him just like everyone else on this block, so what do you care what people be saying?”

  “’Cause I don’t go for gay shit.”

  “Why you care one way or the other unless you interested in kickin’ it with him?” Kamikaze shut his window and sped off.

  Papo stood for a moment wit
h his mouth open. “What? That shit is crazy. I ain’t no faggot. I don’t see how that has anything do with knowing if Chulito is gay.” Papo turned to Chin-Chin and Looney Tunes. “Kamikaze is buggin’.”

  “I don’t think that if Chulito’s gay Kamikaze would still call him his boy,” Chin-Chin said. “So Damian is full of shit.”

  “You got a point,” Looney Tunes agreed.

  “That don’t mean shit.” Papo spit in the direction of Kamikaze and glared at the fellas.

  Chulito expected to see Carlos when he heard the knock, so when he opened the door he was startled to see Davey standing in his door way.

  “Wassup, Davey?” Chulito checked out the hall behind him to see if Davey was alone.

  Davey took a step as if he was going to walk in, but Chulito didn’t move. “Chillin’, bro. You just haven’t been around and I’m wondering how you doin’.” Davey looked into the apartment behind Chulito. They could both hear door locks clicking open on the second floor. Carlos came out of his apartment, walked down the stairs and stopped when he saw Davey in Chulito’s doorway.

  “I’m cool.” Chulito shifted his gaze from Davey to Carlos and back.

  “Well, people are talkin’ shit and since we ain’t seen you I wanted to talk, but…” he looked up at Carlos. “If now is not a good time, we could talk whenever.”

  “What are they sayin’?” Chulito said coolly.

  Davey looked to the ground, then he looked up at Chulito, then at Carlos. “Nothin’. Forget it.” Davey walked out of the building into the late afternoon sunlight.

  Chulito smiled nervously at Carlos. “Coming down?” Carlos followed Chulito into the living room where Chulito sat and bowed his head. Carlos didn’t know whether he should touch him or leave him alone. Then Chulito reached out for Carlos.

  Carlos took his hand and knelt before Chulito and they hugged.

  “Shit is closin’ in, Carlos. I was gonna tell Davey what was up, but feel.” Chulito placed Carlos’ hand on his heart.

  Carlos patted his chest. “I’m sorry, Chulito.”

  “Why you sorry? You been saying we don’t have to be sorry to nobody, and you took a lot of shit from them, me included, and you still did your thang.”

  “But I was scared, and I’m scared now of them doing some stupid shit.”

  “They’re gonna give me shit, but they ain’t gonna do anything.”

  “I hope not, but I never expected that you would do anything and you threw a bottle at me.”

  Chulito gave a look that said, “Please.”

  “O.K., you threw it at my date but you threw a bottle.”

  “No doubt, but I think they’re just freakin’ out, and like Julio said, if they can’t take it…” Then Chulito mimed wiping his butt with toilet paper and flushing it down the toilet.

  Carlos smiled. “We don’t have to go to the Vil. We can just stay here and…” Carlos kissed Chulito and slid into a hug.

  “You">

  “We can call a cab, and go to the number two train.”

  “I don’t want to hide from them. Carlos, I feel real happy with you, and if you was a girl, I would be talkin’ to them about you and they would be high-fivin’ me and shit.”

  “I’m not a girl, Chulito. And I don’t want you or me to get hurt.”

  Chulito hugged Carlos. If felt so good. Carlos was always strong and smart and Chulito didn’t want him to get hurt either. At the same time Chulito wanted to be strong and smart just like Carlos and to stand up for his love. He even felt lucky to be sharing this embrace with him. Chulito leaned back to look into Carlos’ eyes. “I’m hungry. Let’s go get a slice on Hunts Point before we head out. We could go to the Vil or check out a movie.”

  Carlos took a deep breath. “You sure?”

  Chulito extended his hand to Carlos. They laced their fingers and held on tightly. “Let’s go.”

  It was just after five p.M. when Chulito and Carlos stepped outside. The fellas were on the corner. Brick was in Julio’s office. Lee was working his shift at the restaurant. Martha, Debbie and Brenda were sitting on a parked car. Damian and several of the auto glass guys were still running up and down Garrison Avenue.

  Davey saw them first as they stepped out of the building’s dark entrance and into the open street. As they waited for a truck to pass, Puti came to the window and watched as Chulito and Carlos crossed the street. They held hands and walked. By the time they reached the middle of the street, everyone had seen them.

  “What the fuck?” Papo threw his hands up in the air.

  Damian jumped up and down, laughing. “I told y’all niggas, see?”

  Chulito and Carlos held hands in a tight grip and took quick, sure steps. Chulito looked at Damian and some of the auto glass guys as they leaned on each other and blew kisses at him and Carlos. Chulito breathed heavily, like a bull ready to charge. He realized that he was gripping Carlos’ hand too tightly, and loosened it a bit. Carlos looked straight ahead and didn’t make eye contact with anyone.

  “Yo, Chulito, you fucking serious?” Papo shouted out.

  Chulito looked over at him and nodded a greeting.

  Looney Tunes was laughing so hard he was stomping around on the corner. Davey was silent and just watched. “Yo, that is some shit,” Chin-Chin said. “I’m seeing it but I can’t believe it.”

  As Chulito and Carlos reached the sidewalk across the street from the fellas, Papo said, “That’s the kind of shit that gets to me. You see that? Walking out like it’s nothing, and there’s little kids around here and shit.” Papo picked up a beer bottle and dumped out the dribble of beer that was in it.

  “Yo, you ain’t gonna throw that,” Davey said nervously, licking his lips and walking toward Papo.

  “Stay back, Davey, or I’m gonna hurt you.”

  “Chill, Papo,” Chin-Chin said.

  “You, too?” Papo said to Chin-Chin. As he leaned back to throw the bottle, Puti yelled. “Watch out,” but the bottle hit Chulito on his shoulder and shattered in a shower of gold glass. They let go of their hands.

  Carlos wasted no time. “C’mon, Chulito. Let’s get out of here!”

  Chulito shook the glass off and turned around to face the corner.

  “Run, boys!” Puti called out.

  “That’s right, I threw it.” Papo took a challenging stance with his arms outstretched.

  “Let’s go,” Carlos urged.

  “Listen to your boyfriend, Chulito,” Damian teased.

  It was now or never. He could run, but he knew better. He had to stay and fight. And he had to protect Carlos if need be. Chulito took two slow steps into the street, looked out for traffic and headed toward the fellas.

  “What you gonna do?” Papo said with his fists locked and ready. “I will fuck you up, Chulito.”

  ck">Carlos followed slowly behind Chulito.

  As Puti saw Chulito walking toward Papo, she put on her slippers and grabbed a high heeled shoe.

  “Yo, chill,” Davey told Papo.

  While still looking directly at Chulito, Papo said through gritted teeth, “Don’t get in my way, Davey.”

  Chulito charged and leaped on Papo, knocking him to the ground.

  “Fight!” A kid on the corner of Manida Street yelled toward a group of children playing.

  Martha, Debbie and Brenda saw the kids running in the direction of the action and followed.

  When Papo landed on the sidewalk, he shoved Chulito off of him, quickly got up and kicked Chulito who was still on the ground.

  The auto glass guys charged over and Damian yelled, “Fuck him up.”

  Carlos pushed his way through the crowd toward Chulito, who had gotten up and charged Papo again and punched him in the chest, and the two shoved and punched each other. Davey got kicked by Papo when he tried to intervene. In between swings and kicks, Chulito kept shoving Carlos out of the way and told him to stay back.

  When Brick and Julio saw people running past the travel agency window toward the corner, they went
out to see what was happening.

  Puti limped toward the crowd with her shoe held high in the air and yelled, “Somebody help him. Call the cops.” She swung her heel at Papo and caught him in the neck. With his flat palm, Papo hit Puti in her face with such a force that she stumbled back and hit her head on the pavement. Carlos ran to Puti who was bleeding from a busted lip and a cut near her eye. Puti’s mother, who had followed her out the house yelled, “You see! That is what you get! You wanna be a pato? Look at you.”

  Puti covered her ears and yelled back, “Shut the fuck up!”

  Carlos’ mother ran out the building and shrieked when she saw his bloody hands. “I’m alright, ma, it’s Puti’s blood. She’s hurt. Call an ambulance.”

  “I don’t need noonfon ambulance, carajo!” Puti got up, wiped the blood away from her eye, and picked up her heel.

  Watching the fight unfold, Lee called the police.

  Brick and Julio reached the fight as Papo hit Puti. Julio and Brick charged at Papo and Brick held him in a bear hug.

  “Get the fuck off me!” Papo yelled as he struggled and kicked. Chulito was trembling and bleeding from his mouth, but he had his fists up.

  When Damian saw Brick he called a couple of his auto glass buddies, and they all rushed Brick. Puti whacked one of them as they passed her. Papo broke free and he and Chulito continued to fight while Brick and Julio fought with the auto glass guys. Then Julio ran back to his agency with two of the auto glass guys chasing after him. He reached his office and locked the door. The guys banged on the glass windows and rattled his door. Julio went to his desk and looked for his gun.

  When Lee saw the guys chasing Julio, he grabbed a large kitchen knife and tried to go out, but his father shut the metal gate that kept the customers out of the kitchen and locked him in. “You are staying here.” Lee yelled and held up his knife to his father, but his father stood still and simply shut his eyes. Lee looked at his siblings and through tears said, “My friends are in trouble.” Lee ran to the small take-out order window and looked through the clouded glass to see what was happening. His mother was crying and praying in Korean, while Lee tried squeezing himself through the take out window where only his head could barely make it through.