by Steve Shadow
“I guess us gringos are out of the loop on this one.” I said gesturing at the chattering Mexicans. “My Spanish is very limited.”
“As is mine,” she said. “I hope to improve but Chinito has little patience for language lessons. Perhaps Chuey can teach me. Do you think you can teach me something Chuey?”
“Oh si Senora,” said Chuey with a grin on his chubby face. “I think maybe is possible I teach you many things.”
Lady Evalin leaned back in her chair. She lifted her improvised bib and wiped her mouth. “Why you little rascal. I do believe you are now coming around to my way of thinking. Well we must be off. Chinito, ask our hostess where I may find a proper loo.” She smiled at Fabiola. “The ladies need to refresh, don’t you think so, my dear.”
I watched the tiny Lady Evalin walk off with Fabiola who towered over her. “Chuey, I think we have two very powerful women on our hands. I think maybe we are only toys in their hands.”
“Si Jack, I think maybe what you say is true. I think maybe what we do here in Mexico must stay only for us to know.”
“Don’t worry Chuey. I will keep your secrets.” We both laughed at our unexpected pause in what was our non-stop disaster of a trip.
30
The rest of our ride was uneventful. The huge British sedan floated over the pot-holed roads like a magic carpet. We headed north along the coast and caught intermittent glimpses of the Pacific Ocean on our left. As the late afternoon sun began to dip towards the horizon we finally entered the huge bustling resort city of Acapulco. Chinito expertly navigated the clogged streets. The new car drew stares from the tourists and locals alike. We curved around the bay and began to climb a narrow road. We passed modest bungalows and numerous pink jeeps. As we got higher the houses got larger. Near the peak of the hill we pulled through iron gates and came to a stop in front of an azure-tinged villa. It was flanked by a huge garage and on the other side were, I assumed, guest or servants quarters. Around us were other homes and slightly to the left of us was the Las Brisas Hotel. I had seen pictures of it in a magazine. It consisted of a main building and a series of small casitas. Each place had its own pool. Below us at sea level I could see a large natural pool carved out of the rocks. The sea water surged in and out. We were surrounded by masses of bougainvillea and many other flowers. When we stiffly climbed out of the car I took a deep breath. The air was scented not with the rot of the jungle but with the odor of the many flowers. Lady Evalin had certainly picked a beautiful place to live.
“Come,” she said. “Let us go inside and get settled. I want you to stay as my guests. I know you have business to attend to but for tonight, let us relax. Follow me.”
She waved us forward. Before we could get to the entry a woman and two boys came rushing out. Chinito gave them orders and they began emptying the car. I made sure to grab the bag with our weapons and ammo. We followed our host into her villa.
Inside the house was all marble and glass. The entire back of the villa was a huge curved glass expanse that overlooked a large patio and pool. Bahia De Acapulco lay before us. The water was studded with pleasure craft. The green hills across the bay shimmered in the heat.
A middle-aged deeply brown woman came rushing towards us.
“Welcome home Madam. It is good to see you again. I hope the new auto is all you hoped for. Are we having guests for dinner?”
“Yes, we are Graciela. These are my new friends Chuey, Jack and Fabiola. They will be staying here for a while. See that three…”
She turned to me. “Or is it two rooms? I do not want seem presumptuous but I am not sure if you two are together.”
Before I could say anything Fabiola said, “Three rooms will be fine, if you please Lady Evalin.”
I turned to say something but Fabiola walked away from me and went to stare out the huge window.
“Three rooms it is Graciela. I hope you will have time to prepare a meal for us. If not we can go to the hotel dining room.”
“Senora I did not know when you would return so I have little fresh fish or meat. I can send the boys to town and maybe…”
Lady Evalin raised her hand. “No need. We will celebrate at the hotel tonight. You can prepare us your specialties tomorrow. However some fresh lemonade might be in order. Is that to everyone’s taste or might you like something stronger?”
We agreed that the lemonade would be fine.
“You have a beautiful home Evalin,” I said. “Do you live here alone?”
She took a seat on a large divan. “Yes, since my dear Morris passed away I have been on my own. London was just too dreary and staid. I wanted the sun and the sea. We had taken a holiday here once and I liked it very much.”
I took a seat beside her. “Your husband must have done very well for you to be able to live in such a grand style.” I had been looking around the huge living room. Everything in it had the word expensive written all over every inch.
“Actually Morris was merely a banker. It is my family that was rich in holdings. We are distantly related to Benjamin Disraeli. My family can trace its roots back hundreds of years. But enough about me and my illustrious past; let’s relax. I will have the boys show you to your rooms and you can freshen up. I realize you are traveling lightly but each room has some clothing in it. See what you can find. Tomorrow we can go shopping, I love shopping. The new international market is just full of divine resort wear. As for tonight do not be concerned. The hotel is very casual or better yet let me order some things and they will deliver it. Yes, I think that will be preferable. Now off you go. It is high time to remove the detritus of our grueling expedition.”
With a swirl she spun around dramatically and left the room. I could see that she was used to making dramatic entrances and exits. She disappeared down a hallway to our right.
The two house boys led us down another hallway to the left wing of the house. We were each shown to an en-suite bedroom. As one of the boys held open a door for Fabiola and motioned her inside I took her muscled arm.
“What’s going on? Are we over now? I thought we were together.”
She kept her back to me. “Not now Jack. I have much to think about. We can talk another time. I need to be alone now.”
She shrugged out of my grip and closed the door behind her. I turned to Chuey.
“Hey whats wrong with her? She say anything to you?”
“No Jack. I no understand. Maybe she still love Luis.”
“What, are you loco? All she’s been talking about is wanting to kill him.”
“Ay Jack. Is women, they is hard for understand. You see what will happen.”
The two boys stood silently holding our bags. They motioned us forward. I was shown a lovely room with a marble bath. The sliding glass patio doors opened to a small veranda surrounded by foliage and flowers. I was upset with Fabiola’s coldness but began to think about dropping the business with Luis and asking Lady Evalin if she would like a permanent house guest. I had never seen such luxury. I entered the all white marble bathroom. I looked in the mirror and was surprised at who was staring back at me. I looked thin and haggard. I had three days growth of beard on my face. I suddenly felt the weight of too much tension and not enough sleep. I stripped off my filthy clothes and stepped into the huge shower. Lady Evalin had supplied the bath with wonderful soaps and shampoos. I stood under the shower luxuriating in the cool water. The grime sluiced off my body and I began to feel refreshed and energized. After a long shower I turned off the water and pulled aside the curtain. My clothes were gone and in their place I found a thin cotton robe and a pair of white cotton slippers. Jesus, I thought, this was the life. In the bedroom all the rest of my clothes were gone. Laid out on the bed was a pair of underwear, shorts and my Stones t-shirt. I put them on and wondered what was next. Much of what had befallen me these past few weeks was a true nightmare but this was a dream that I hoped to not wake from. I was confused about Fabiola but a part of me knew being with a woman like her was probably a pipe dream a
nyway. Seeing what life was capable of offering I once again thought about abandoning everything back in Chicago and staying here in Mexico. Or maybe going to California, changing my name and starting over. I was lost and at sea. Everything was in flux. What was I or Chuey going to get from this Luis? I barely knew him. He was silent and taciturn when I picked him up from O’Hare in Chicago. We hardly said two words to each other the entire time he was there. He certainly looked the part of his wrestling name, El Diablo, but what did that mean. If he was connected to a crime family as we were told then what could we possibly hope to gain from confronting him? I realized that Chuey, Fabiola and I had better rethink what we were about to do in hunting him down, especially on his home turf.
I walked back to the center of the house with all these thoughts scrambling around my brain. I saw no one but a glance out to the patio showed me Lady Evalin and Chuey sitting by the huge pool. As I slid open the glass door Fabiola came down the hall and joined me. She was clad in an orange bikini that set off her brown muscular body in a spectacular way. She brushed by me, stepped outside and dove into the pool. She began doing laps as I joined Chuey and our host.
“Buenos tardes, Jack,” Evalin said. “Please join us and have a margarita. Graciela just made them from scratch. They are marvelous. We decided to forego the lemonade.”
“Si Jack”, Chuey piped up. “I think we are very lucky to meet the pretty lady.” He winked at Lady Evalin.
“Oh, you tiny masher,” she giggled. “You are a real tease.”
“What is tease?” he asked.
She reached over and lightly slapped his hand. “Oh what a pleasure it is to have you all here. I had nothing to look forward to but a quiet stay here with Graciela and Chinito. As nice as they are they are no fun. Anyway, I called the hotel and they will be delivering dinner later. Let’s have a large helping of these margaritas and be silly for tonight. Your wrestling business can surely wait until tomorrow. If you must, feel free to use the telephone.”
“Why thank you once again Evalin. Let me take you up on the drink offer.” I sat down next to her and we watched Fabiola slide through the water like a fish. She swam with smooth powerful strokes. Her skin glistened in the sinking sun.
Graciela appeared with a tray of salsa and crispy tortilla chips. One of the house boys followed her with a platter of cold shrimp on skewers and sliced vegetables.
Lady Evalin asked us about the wrestling business and Chuey and I fed her a load of garbage about the glitz and the glamour. She seemed delighted by our nonsense. Eventually Fabiola exited the pool and stood drying herself with a huge towel. She came to the table. She thanked Evalin for everything as we all had been doing constantly. She poured herself a glass of water and took a shrimp. She moved away and settled out on a divan and stared across the bay.
“Fabiola seems a bit stand offish, doesn’t she?” Evalin whispered to me. “A bit of a lovers spat, Jack?”
“Oh no, but it’s rather difficult to explain. I’m not sure I understand what she’s about. I believe she has a lot on her mind that we are not a part of. I’m sure she will be fine. Maybe she has her mind on her upcoming matches. Never mind that, I want to hear all about your famous ancestors. Tell me some royal gossip. I think it’s unbelievable that you Brits still cling to a monarchy.”
I chatted on with Chuey and Evalin. They kept giggling like children at Chuey’s syntactical mishaps. I was happy to see Chuey enjoying himself after the trauma at Palenque. I was beginning to get used to all the death around me. The real world of violence was a far cry from the Hollywood stuff I had grown-up on. I was very confused about it all. I was horrified at it on one hand and yet in another way I felt stronger and somehow empowered. I mused on this until it got dark. By that time we had finished off the margaritas and were feeling no pain. Lady Evalin excused herself to change for dinner. She returned to the patio in a multi-colored caftan and gold sandals. She looked and smelled marvelous. Fabiola had gotten out of her swim suit and was in shorts and t-shirt like me and Chuey. We were making more small talk when I heard a tinny horn blowing from the front of the villa.
“Oh that will be our food,” Evalin said. “Follow me to the dining room.”
We traipsed behind her and took seats around a huge wooden table that could have easily seated 12 people. Graciela and the house boys were pouring water and putting bottles of beer on the table. They then brought in portable ovens from the hotel. They held plates filled with fish, potatoes and vegetables all in a red sauce. These were joined by more salads and bread.
The boys, who were never introduced, poured wine all around. They then took up posts on either side of the dining room entrance.
Lady Evalin stood up and held out her wine glass. “Here’s to new friends and good times. Cheers.”
We echoed her sentiment. I sipped the wine which was chilled and tasted of fresh grass and citrus. The fish was delicious and for the second time that day we all ate with gusto. Being half in the bag from the drinks and the long day we all were laughing at whatever was said. Even Fabiola broke down and let go of her blue funk to join us in the fun. She kept up a running translation of some of Chueys rambling Spanish asides. Lady Evalin kept touching and pinching Chuey. He only laughed all the harder. I could see where this was heading. I just wished Fabiola felt the same about me. Visions of her in that orange bikini had me wishing we were still sharing a room.
At Midnight Fabiola excused herself. “I must sleep. These past few days have thrown me off my workout routine. I must get back to training. This body did not get this way without work.”
“Very good, my dear,” Evalin spoke up. “You can use the gym at the hotel. It is fully equipped with all the latest equipment. We shall all go tomorrow. I need to work off all this food and drink myself.”
By this time she and Chuey were very close together. She was twirling strands of his long black hair in her fingers. I took the hint.
“I’ll be off also. See you both in the morning,” I mumbled. “Thank you once again for a lovely evening Evalin.” I pushed back my chair, bowed and walked off on wobbly legs. I began a drunken shuffle to my room.
I undressed and lay upon the luxurious sheets that were covering the bed. I thought of going down the hall and trying to talk Fabiola into a late night love fest. Who was I kidding? That train had left the station. My head started spinning. I rolled on my side and waited for sleep. My last thought was of Chuey being carried down the aisle on Danny’s shoulders. The lights were flashing and the crowd was cheering. Danny was smiling and strutting. That is how I wanted to remember him.
31
I awoke late. I went out on my patio and breathed in the still cool air. I did a series of stretches and crunches. I felt refreshed and energized. When I came to the dining room I met Evalin and Fabiola returning from their morning work-out.
“Good morning,” I said. “Glad to see you both all bright eyed and bushy tailed.” Evalin chuckled but Fabiola did not get the reference. “Where’s Chuey?”
“He is out with Chinito learning to drive the Range Rover,” Evalin said. “He told me you needed a car and I told him to not bother with a rental. He said you had to meet with another wrestler today.”
I looked at Fabiola but she ignored me.
“Well excuse me,” said Evalin. “I must change and be off to my hairdresser. I hope you all have a productive day and that I will see you all back here for dinner.”
After she had left the room I turned to Fabiola. “What’s going on? Are we going to look for Luis?”
Fabiola, still sweaty and looking strong and powerful in her purple tights, shook her head.
“Si Jack but it is Chuey and I who will go. If Luis is anywhere his mother will know. I was there at her house once. It is deep in the hills. No gringos go there. It would not be wise for you to be seen there.”
“Are you joking? I’m not staying behind. This could be very dangerous.”
“No, I do not think so. All I want from him is an ex
planation and Chuey can ask for your money back. Anyway what purpose would you serve? You would not understand anything.”
I knew I was being dismissed. The truth was I had no desire to confront Luis, but I worried about Chuey. Fabiola left the table without another word. I helped myself to the breakfast buffet that was set up on a sideboard. Chuey came in all smiles.
“Ola Jack. Buenos Dias.”
“Chuey, Fabiola told me what you two are going to do. Is this a smart thing to do?”
“Si Jack. I think is good idea. Is better you no there, it will be easier.”
“Well despite what you think, I’m coming along. I’m not going to wait here and not know what is going on. If I have to I will wait in the car. I am going to get the pistols. You may need them.”
“No, no pistolas. Is only make more problems. No more killing; Danny and Shelly is the end. I get what I can and then is over. This is no good place for trouble, is better we only go for talk.”
I got my pistol anyway. I made sure it was loaded and stuck it in my vest pocket. As I returned from my room I heard the car pulling out. I ran through the house and out the front door. I yelled for them to stop. I was too late.
After they drove off I went out to the pool. I was left to reflect on the events that had led me to a luxury villa overlooking Acapulco Bay. Things had accelerated so fast that I could hardly absorb them. I had no idea of what to do next. My little theater was probably no longer mine. The wrestling promotions were, I was certain, also at an end. I was pretty sure that returning to Chicago was not a very good idea for my future health. I had little money left and no clue as to what was coming next. I felt sorry that Lady Evalin hadn’t taken a fancy to me. Maybe I could have stayed on here for awhile. Despite all my anxiety and doubt rattling around my brain the warm air lulled me to sleep. I only dozed off for a minute. I opened my eyes and nearly had a heart attack. Staring me in the eyes, barely a few inches from my face was a huge iguana. I caught my breath and slowly calmed down. I knew they were harmless but they looked so fearsome, almost prehistoric. I reached out to the beast but it turned and waddled off into the bushes. I dove into the pool to cool off. I lay on my back floating and staring into the blue sky. I felt I had better enjoy this while I could. The day passed by interrupted only by Graciela inquiring if I wanted any food or drink. In the late afternoon I was dressed and sitting at the pool worrying about Chuey. I heard a car crunch over the gravel driveway. I left the patio and went to the front of the house. The door opened and Chuey came rushing in.
