“Where is she, Don Jacinto?” Nilda asked.
“I don’t know. She just left in a big hurry, angry with me. I tell you …” he said, shaking his head.
“I’ll go see if I can find her and bring her home,” Nilda said. “My mother will be coming home soon anyway; she’s only working till lunchtime.”
“Hey, Nilda! Look, over there!” Benji said, and pointed to the corner.
Nilda saw Aunt Delia returning with two policemen. She could see Aunt Delia was busy talking and waving her arms. The policemen nodded their heads, looking confused as the old woman spoke excitedly in Spanish.
“Oh, my God!” Jacinto gasped, and ran back into the store.
Nilda waited in front of the store and watched as the two policemen trailed behind the old woman. Aunt Delia came up to Nilda. “Nilda, I’m glad you are here. You are my witness to this ungrateful man in there. Explain, in English, to these two nice young policemen how long I been doing business here in this place. Go ahead!”
“Titi, come on upstairs. What are you doing?” Nilda yelled in her ear.
“Never mind,” Aunt Delia said, and continued in Spanish. “Him; arrest him. You know how long I been playing the numbers here? Ten years! And now he don’t want to take my business.”
“What’s going on here?” asked a policeman, looking at Jacinto. “What is this lady’s complaint?” Jacinto stood wide-eyed and mute, unable to speak.
“Wait, look at this,” said Aunt Delia, and turning away, hiding her bosom, she quickly unbuttoned her collar and reached inside her dress. She pulled out a long silver chain that hung around her neck. Attached to the end of the chain was a small black leather change purse; opening it, she carefully removed a long strip of paper with numbers listed on it. Holding up the list of numbers, she said to the policemen, “Here, see! My list, and he won’t place my bet. That’s some nerve. Since when? Eh? My money has always been good. I never play for credit.” The policemen looked at the list and then at each other with complete disbelief. Aunt Delia handed one of them the list and, making an effort to speak in English, said “Play … el numbers … you do … him. Jacinto to play the bolita … me now! Sona man bitch!” she yelled. Nilda had never heard Aunt Delia speak so much English to anyone.
There was a complete silence. Nilda watched the policeman who held the list in his hand turn deep red. He looked at his partner and a smile of embarrassment crossed his face. The other policeman raised his hand and, covering his forehead, tried not to laugh out loud.
“All right now,” the policeman holding the list asked, “what the hell is this all about?”
“She’s crazy, officer,” answered Jacinto. “She wants me to take her bet. I cannot do it. I don’t take bets no more. You know that. I’m finished with all that.”
Aunt Delia stood by, watching the men as they spoke, nodding her head emphatically. “Sí, sí,” she said.
“Where does she live?” asked a policeman.
“Around the corner. This girl is her niece,” Jacinto said, pointing to Nilda.
“Take your aunt home. And tell her she’s not supposed to be doing something illegal. That she might get into trouble. And that she should keep out of mischief.” Trying not to smile, the policeman gave the list of numbers back to Aunt Delia. Shaking his head and holding up his index finger, he said to her, “Mother, go home. Shame, shame, you don’t do that. Now that is against the law.”
“What? What? What did he say?” Aunt Delia asked, cupping her ear with her hand. Nilda went over and translated what the policeman had said to the old woman.
Aunt Delia listened attentively, sucking in her gums. She nodded her head and looked at the policemen and at Jacinto. Raising her hand and making a fist, Aunt Delia extended her middle finger at Jacinto and shouted, “Leprosy on your tongue,” and turning to the policemen, she said, “You don’t know how to enforce the law, only how to take away my rights. I know my rights; I am a citizen!”
“Titi, let’s go upstairs. Mamá’s gonna be home. Come on!” Nilda spoke forcefully into Aunt Delia’s ear and took her arm, leading her toward the door.
“Bunch of bastards. Jacinto, you are a hypocrite! I swear to you,” Aunt Delia said, smacking her lips and making the sign of the cross, “I will never play another number with you again.”
Nilda led the old woman out of the store and into the street. “I don’t want no trouble, officers,” she heard Jacinto say as she started home.
Aunt Delia walked briskly and continued to speak. “If my number comes out, I will sue him. Yes, I will. He legally will owe me the money.”
“Shh,” Nilda said, annoyed, and put her finger up to her lips, looking crossly at Aunt Delia. Honestly, she said to herself, what a pest! Always embarrassing me. Several people looked at them and smiled, shaking their heads. Nilda halfheartedly returned their smiles and silent greetings by shrugging her shoulders. Everyone knew her Aunt Delia. The old woman continued to whisper, protesting, indignant and angry. Nilda ignored her as they walked to their building and finally reached the apartment. She walked in and heard her mother in the kitchen. “¿Mamá?” she yelled.
“I’m in here, Nilda,” her mother called out.
Aunt Delia ran into the kitchen and began telling her mother what had happened. “… and I will sue him, Lydia, if my number comes out. Yes, you give me the name of the lawyer you got for Jimmy. I will sue Jacinto.”
Her mother looked at Aunt Delia and, closing her eyes, made the sign of the cross. “Nilda, did she really call the policía?”
“Yes, Mamá, you shoulda seen it. I was so embarrassed. She was hollering at them and at Don Jacinto,” Nilda said.
“At the police?” her mother asked incredulously.
“Yes,” Nilda said, and couldn’t help laughing. “Mami, she was trying to talk in English!” Her mother looked at Nilda and they both began to laugh. “She, she called him a son of a bitch. In English!”
Aunt Delia asked, “What? What did you say?” and looked at them as they both laughed.
“Delia!” her mother shouted. “What in heaven’s name did you do? You know betting the numbers is not legal. How many times did I tell you already? Eh? You know very well that what you did was not right!” Aunt Delia listened and, looking at her mother, remained silent. Slowly, Aunt Delia began to smile and then to giggle; she looked at Nilda and her mother and started to laugh. After a while, all three burst out laughing. “Poor Jacinto,” her mother said, laughing, “he’s gonna lose what little hair he has on his head.” Then, turning to the old woman, she continued in a more serious tone. “Delia, listen. You give me your list. Like I told you, and I will play them for you at my job in the factoría? Okay?”
“I want to go myself,” said Aunt Delia.
“You cannot! Until we get someone else that we know in the neighborhood, understand? If you do not give me your list, you will not get your bet placed. Now I am serious. Don’t bother Jacinto again. No more! That’s final!”
Aunt Delia nodded her head, looked away and said, “Well, I have to read something very important now. Excuse me, but I have no time for this conversation.” Quickly, the old woman left the kitchen.
“Mamá, can I go out?” asked Nilda. “Sylvia’s coming.”
“Out to where?”
“Just around, outside. Maybe we’ll go to the park, or walk around or something.”
“Well, if you go to the park, who’s going?” her mother asked anxiously. “I don’t like you to go, just two girls alone, you and Sylvia!”
“If we go, it will probably be like a whole bunch of us. But we will just hang out.”
“Who is a whole bunch?”
“Just some kids, Mamá.”
“Okay, but you must come home early, before supper; you have to help me. You’re a señorita now, no more little kid running around.”
I wish she would stop preaching at me all the time, thought Nilda. Out loud she said, “Fine, Ma, I’ll be back early. I’m gonna wait for Sylvia dow
nstairs, okay?” Her mother nodded her head.
“Bendición, Mamá,” Nilda said, and left the kitchen.
“Dios te bendiga, Nilda. Don’t forget what I told you.”
“Hey, what kinda uniforms do you like the best?” asked Sylvia.
“I like the sailor uniforms the best. My brother Paul looks real good in it. I got a picture of him on my bureau.” Nilda smiled and looked at the other girls. They were all seated on the stoop steps of Nilda’s building.
“I love the Marines best,” said Marge. “They all look so great in the dress uniforms. You know, the white hats and blue-and-red jackets, and that gold braid … real sharp.” Marge’s hair was now a bright yellow, and she wore it parted on the side and pulled up in two large pompadours. The roots at the part were a very dark brown.
“You know what I like best?” asked Petra. “The pilots; they have the greatest uniforms of all. I seen a picture last week with Alan Ladd, you know, and he gives his girl his wings. He is a bombardier and has to go out on dangerous missions. It was just terrific.”
“I agree,” said Sylvia. “The pilots look real neat in them uniforms. I saw that picture. Alan Ladd, man what a doll!”
“Did you see that movie, the one where they got all them lady movie stars? You know, Claudette Colbert, Veronica Lake, Lana Turner, Ann Sheridan, a whole bunch,” Marge said, “and they are Wacs … I think they were … anyway, they are overseas in this combat zone and they all got boyfriends … and …”
The girls continued to talk. It was hot and muggy. Nilda looked up and down the street; it was practically empty. She saw three boys coming toward them; she recognized Indio, Willie, and Hector. They looked disheveled, hot and sweaty. Indio had a white handkerchief tied around his forehead, keeping his straight black hair back. They carried a baseball glove and bat and their club jackets. She watched as they approached her stoop and was surprised as she saw Indio go into a strut and all three boys pass by without looking at the girls.
Nilda stared at them and said, “Hey … look … isn’t that …” Suddenly Indio made a sharp turn, went right up to Petra and, facing her, said with a smile, “Hi, ugly. I almost passed you by, but couldn’t resist your charms.”
Petra giggled and, raising her arm, gave him a polite punch on the shoulder. “Too bad,” she said. “You shoulda kept right on going.”
“I can’t help myself,” Indio responded.
Petra shut her eyes, shrugged her shoulders and, folding her arms, said, “Tough, boy. You just gotta suffer.”
Nilda watched as everybody laughed; she felt her face flush. She had never seen Petra and Indio together like this before and couldn’t help feeling embarrassed.
There was a short pause; then Willie said, “Man, we murdered them guys.”
“Yeah, what a lousy shortstop they had. Next week we’ll beat them worse,” Hector said. “Especially if Frankie can play. Yeah … hey, where’s your brother?” he asked Nilda.
“He’s working. He’s got a job delivering at Mr. Fox’s, you know, the tailor’s right around the corner.”
“Man, that’s a shame. He missed some good game. I hope he can play next week. He’s the best second baseman we got,” said Hector, and smiled at Nilda.
She returned his smile and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know about that,” she said.
Everyone was silent; they watched the traffic on the avenue go by. Music sounded from the tenements, bouncing onto the streets, several radios competing at once. A small group of children had gathered in the gutter and found a piece of shade where the black tar was not melting. They began to chalk out a large area, and then lined up to play hopscotch.
“Well?” Indio said, looking at Willie and Hector. “It’s getting late. What do you say?”
“Okay, we got the money, man. Let’s go,” Willie answered. Hector nodded his head.
Indio looked at the girls and said, “Excuse me, misses,” and bowed respectfully. “We gotta discuss something among us men.” He gestured to Hector and Willie, and all three boys went over to the next stoop and began whispering.
Nilda and Sylvia looked at each other, perplexed, and then looked at Petra. Petra sat down next to her sister Marge and said nothing.
Nilda felt uncomfortable. “Two more weeks and school is over,” she said.
“Yeah! No more Mrs. Fortinash,” Sylvia responded.
“I’ll be going to that school next year,” Marge said. “I sure hope that I don’t get her. Maybe I’ll get Miss MacGavin; I heard she ain’t too bad.”
“I know somebody who’s got her and she said she can be nice,” Sylvia said.
The three boys returned and everyone was very quiet. After a short while, Indio said, “Listen, how would you girls like to go rowboating in the lake?”
“Oh, great!” said Marge. “Huh, Petra?” Petra smiled and nodded.
Indio turned and looked at Hector. “Go on, man,” he said softly.
“Nilda,” Hector said, “would you like to come, too? Row-boating?” Nilda felt her face burning up; she did not respond.
“Sylvia, you are welcome to come also,” said Hector.
“No!” Nilda said.
“I have to stay with Nilda,” said Sylvia.
“Aw … come on, Nilda. Just for a little while,” Marge coaxed. “We won’t stay long. Come on, please.”
“No,” Nilda said sharply, “I have to go home soon and help my mother do something.”
“Okay,” Hector said softly. “Another time then?”
“Another time,” Nilda said, nodding her head and looking straight ahead, avoiding Hector’s glance.
“Let’s split, man,” Indio said. “We’re gonna miss the whole day, man, wasting time.”
“Indio, you walk on ahead,” said Petra. “We’ll meet you at the entrance on 110th Street. Inside. Okay? Don’t wait outside, but like where the water fountain is, inside.”
Indio nodded. “Make it snappy,” he said.
The three boys started to walk away. Hector stopped and turned, facing Nilda. “Say hello to your brother for me, will you, Nilda? Tell him he missed a great game and that we murdered them creeps.”
“Yes,” Nilda said, looking at him, “I’ll tell him.” She wet her lips and swallowed, hoping she didn’t look too embarrassed. The boys left and she heard their voices trailing off as they discussed their victory in today’s ball game.
Marge and Petra stood up and looked at the boys as they disappeared from view. “Listen, Nilda … and you, too, Sylvia. Please don’t say nothing about this to nobody,” said Petra. “Like if anybody asks, you know, where we went or anything.”
“I won’t say a word, Petra,” Nilda said.
“Me, too,” Sylvia said.
“Thanks … it’s just …” Petra hesitated. “Nilda, you know how my father is … well anyway, just don’t mention nothing.”
“Petra,” Nilda said, “don’t get into a sweat. I won’t say nothing and neither will Sylvia. Right, Sylvia?” Sylvia nodded. “Go ahead, go on; I won’t say nothing.” She watched as the two sisters left, heading toward the park. Sylvia and Nilda sat for a while silently.
“Did you know Hector liked you?” asked Sylvia.
“I don’t know that he likes me,” Nilda said, looking away.
“Well, he asked you to go out with him, didn’t he?”
“He just asked if I wanted to go rowboating, and he asked you too, didn’t he?”
“Big deal!” Sylvia said. “He only asked me because we were together. Honest, come on, did you know? Do you like him, Nilda?”
Nilda looked directly at Sylvia and broke into a smile. “Sylvia, I don’t even know him. Honest.”
“But … do you like him?” Sylvia insisted.
Raising her hand to her mouth, Nilda began to giggle. “I don’t know … honest! Really, Sylvia.” She began to laugh; then both girls giggled.
“What do you think, huh, Nilda? Maybe you shoulda said yes and gone with them.”
“Right away!” Nilda said. “My mother would only kill me into a thousand pieces, dead.”
“He might ask you out again.”
“Go on, Sylvia, don’t be stupid.”
“Well,” Sylvia said, “he did say ‘some other time’ and you said ‘yes’.”
“I did not!” snapped Nilda.
“Oh, yes, you did. I heard you. You said, ‘some other time,’ and even nodded your head,” Sylvia said loudly.
“Shh … did I? Honest? Oh, my goodness,” said Nilda, covering her face with both hands. “I’ll die.”
“Anyway, you’re lucky. I wish Frankie would have been here,” Sylvia said. “He never says one word to me. I don’t think he likes me.”
“You know what, Sylvia? We might have a party at my house this Christmas. My brother Paul might come home on a furlough. And my brother Victor may be coming home, too; he got wounded and they gave him a medal. Well, because of all that, he is supposed to be discharged. My mother said she will give a big party, and I’ll invite you. I’ll ask her, and she won’t mind. Okay?”
“All right,” Sylvia said dejectedly.
“Frankie will be at the party.”
“He won’t even notice me, I’ll bet.”
“Sure he will. There’s gonna be dancing and everything.”
“Will you say yes if Hector asks you out again, Nilda?”
Nilda Page 20
