"And then you took the words right out of my mouth,
Oh, it must've been while you were kissing me,
You took the words right out of my mouth,
Oh and I swear it's true, I was just about to say that I love you…"
"And that was Meat Loaf with his 80's classic, 'Hot Summer Night!' I'm your host, Eddie Jones, coming to you live from Southside Chicago on a beautiful summer afternoon on 103.7, Eighties Evolution!"
It was a typical lazy Saturday in the Casagrande Bodega. A small fan sat propped up in the doorway, cooling off the store and anyone smart enough to go in. An open bottle of Coca Cola sat on the top of the cash register, obviously to counter the sweltering heat. 90 degrees in Chicago, Illinois was hardly ever heard of, but it did happen on occasion; like, for example, today.
Roberto Santiago Jr sat behind the counter, reading a local newspaper. Nothing special today; the Cubs won a few games, the White Sox lost quite a lot of games, the mayor was promising to cut taxes again… the usual. You'd think that the city would be filled with excitement and adventure, but in all truthfulness? It was BORING.
A group of kids walked in, forcing Bobby to put the paper down. School had finally gotten out for the summer, both a good and a bad thing for the teen. On the one hand, it meant that kids would be coming in buying soda and candy more often, which would raise the Bodegas' profit. And believe him, the store needed it. Profit had been going down in the last few months, something neither he nor Grandpa Hector could explain. And that wasnt even the bad news…
The BAD news was that Bobby had -gulp- just graduated high school. Which meant that he was headed to Community College in three months… three very SHORT months. He would be lying if he said he wasn't scared; college was a whole different animal to tame than high school. Luckily, though, Lori would be coming to the city to join him. Thank goodness for that… he wasn't sure if he could survive a half week without her.
The kids had just come up to the register when the all too familiar sound of hissing cats came from the outside. Seconds later, a short black kid with a checkered hat ran in, breathing heavily as he held the door closed.
"Phew!" he gasped. "Cats almost got me again!"
"Huh! You think you would've learned your lesson last time, Casey…"
"Hey, don't remind me, Bobby. You really need to get a SPCA out here or something, those things are scaring people off!"
"Yeah, like we have that money to spare," he snorted. "We're barely staying open as is. We call an exterminator and we'll be paying the city until I'm retired!"
The other kids checked out and left the store, carefully watching where they were going until they reached the streets end. Bobby couldn't help but chuckle at the spectacle.
"Ha! Kids these days…"
"Yeah, speaking of kids, where's Ronnie Anne? She and Nikki are supposed to meet me here soon."
"Hmmm… Ronnie Anne's probably upstairs with grandma, and who knows about Nikki?"
He noticed a spot on the counter, and begrudgingly got out a washcloth from underneath.
"Well, while I'm waiting, I'll buy a Coke to keep you busy, how bout that?"
"Whatever floats your boat, Case…" he mumbled as the boy went to the cooler. This spot was going to be the death of him yet; it hadn't budged since he started scrubbing. The radio was playing "Beat It" by MJ now. He naturally turned the volume up.
Casey came back up to the counter, holding a glass bottle of Coke. Bobby rung him up, chatting as he did so.
"So Ronnie Anne told me your English teacher is pregnant, hm?"
"Oh, yeah! Rumor is it ain't even her husbands… I didn't tell you that, though. My guess is that drifter outside, Colin. He and her've been getting frisky…"
"Alright, I didn't ask for details. Here's your change."
Ronnie Anne came down the stairs a few minutes later, her skateboard safely tucked underneath her arm.
"Casey! We're meeting Nikki and Sameer at the Corndog Cart! Let's go!"
"Coming!" he said as she walked out the door. "Thanks for the Coke, Bobby!"
"No problem, dude!" He cried out as the two kids left. Bobby was left alone again, which was naturally boring.
"And now we have an absolute classic, Billy Joel with his number one single, "We Didn't Start the Fire!" Only on Eighties Evolution!"
The rock classic wafted through the store, between the aisles of produce and sweets. Speaking of produce, the mango guy hadn't come in for a few days now… should he be worried? The dude always had trouble with those damned cats outside… stupid things could go chupa su pollo, if you knew what he meant…
The door bell rang again, and Grandpa Hector walked in, followed by the family baby, Carlitos.
"Ugh! Bobby, what have I told you about your music? Turn it down! It drives away customers!"
"Sorry, grandpa…" He mumbled, turning the dial. Carlitos mocked everything the two did with perfect technique. That kid was gonna be a class clown, Bobby knew it… he was always copying everyone and everything. Even Lalo wasn't safe from the baby's savage mockery.
"Dios mia, it's hot outside!" Hector said, rubbing sweat off his brow. "Have we had any buisness today?"
"Not much… a few people bought soda, but that's really it."
"Geez, we need to get some money flowing in here…" He mumbled, walking behind the counter. "We haven't been getting enough profit to keep us going much longer. I'd say we have 2 years left until we go under."
"Two years IS A long time, Grandpa," Bobby pointed out as he shifted money through the register. "It's probably just a lull. We'll be back on our feet during the winter."
"I hope so, Bobby… this Bodega is my livelihood. I can't risk losing it…"
The bell rang once more, and the mango guy FINALLY showed up for the first time in days.
"Heh, sorry I'm late, guys! I kind of lost the order slip and, uhh, just remembered…"
"Just put the mangos over there, Fred," Hector mumbled as he started reading the newspaper.
"Can do! Say, have you guys heard the news? The president is coming to visit in a few months! Ain't that exciting?"
"-pfft- Tell me something I don't know! All I can say is that if he wants to come into my store, he's got another thing coming."
"Yeah, I see where you're coming from… I gotta go. Downtown still needs their banana delivery! Adios, Hector!"
"Adios," he said as the mango guy left. "Geez, that man needs to learn when I'm not interested in talking."
"Well, to be fair, you DO like talking a lot…"
"Not true! I hardly ever talk to anyone unless they start the conversation!"
"Oh, that's a lie! You're the biggest gossip this side of the Mississippi River!"
The bickering continued for a solid five minutes, neither of the men stepping down. There was too much personal pride at stake to risk giving in.
"All I'm saying is that you talk a lot! Nothing wrong with that!"
"Well, I'M saying that I don't! Is there- wait. Where's Carlitos?"
Panic set in when the men realized the toddler wasn't following their every move. They immediately began searching for him, checking every logical place in the store.
"Oh, geez, this is NOT good…"
"Frida is going to KILL me! We lost her son!"
"I'm sorry, WE? I didn't bring him into the bodega! That's on you, grandpa!"
"Why, I never! That's absolutely not true! Why I'll have you know…"
The men were too engrossed in their arguments to realize the door bell had rung again. In fact, it wasn't until the patron spoke up that they realized.
"Excuse me, is this your kid?"
Bobby and Hector looked up to see a tall Hispanic man, about in his late thirties. He wore a pair of faded khaki shorts and a dirty white tank top, which highlighted the sleeves of tattoos on his arms. In his hands, he held Carlitos, who looked both happy to see his family and terrified of the stranger.
"Oh! Yes, it is!" Bobby said, reaching out to take the toddler. Hector, however, stood open mouthed. He couldn't belive what he was witnessing.
"What are you doing here?!"
"Huh?" the man said, looking confused. "Am I not allowed to be here, Hector?"
"No, no, you're allowed… it's just a little unexpected..." he said, putting his hand on Bobbys shoulder. "I haven't seen you in a while, Roberto."
"Same, Pops," he said, walking over to Bobby and lightly punching him on the shoulder. "I haven't seen THIS guy in a while, either!"
Bobby was confused by all of this. Who was this guy? How did he know his Grandpa? And why…
Wait a minute...
Realization set in, and he turned back to the tall man, who began to slowly look more familiar with each passing second. The man held out his arms and raised his eyebrows, as if he were expecting a hug.
"Well? Are you gonna leave me hanging, niño?"
Bobby couldn't speak. Emotion set in, and his eyes began to well with tears of happiness.
"Dad!"
He walked to him, and the two men hugged in the middle of the bodega. They stayed in their embrace for a few seconds, before breaking it off. Bobby looked up to his dad, rubbing his tears from his eyes.
"I haven't seen you since the divorce! Where have you been?!"
"Oh, exploring…" the man mused, running his fingers through his coarse black hair. "The past six years have been tough, but it's getting easier to manage. I went to Royal Woods first, but I saw you didn't live there anymore… so I came here."
"And I'm glad you did… I missed you, Dad."
"I missed you too, hijo…"
They hugged again, both happier to see each other than the other. It was an unexpected development to the day; after all, Bobbys dad was a… touchy subject for his mother, and now he was here, in the middle of the store…
His mother!
"Uhh… I'm happy to see you and all, Dad, but does mom know you're here?"
Dread filled the elder Santiagos face. Apparently, he had completely forgotten as well.
"Oh, shit… I forgot about Maria. Is she upstairs?"
"She is," Hector interjected, pulling bottles of soda from the freezer. "Do you want a Coke, Roberto?"
"Yeah, sure…"
"Yeah, thanks Grandpa!"
"Wait, he was talking to ME, kid."
"What? No, my names Roberto…"
"So's mine, buddy… you're Bobby, I'm Roberto. At least that's how it was when you were six…"
"It still is," Hector said, placing two sodas in front of them. "Drink up. On the house."
"You didn't have to do that, Papí," Roberto said, taking a sip. "I read this place was hiring, by the way. You think I could get a job here?"
Hector stared at him as if he was a loon.
"Where did you hear that?"
"Uhh… that Italian guy outside told me. I don't know him, but he sure seems to know you…"
Bobby turned to the window, where Hector's friend Vito stood. He jovially waved at the three, oblivious to who the man really was.
"Well… we'll see. You have to earn my trust first. But while you're here, Roberto, I think Maria might want to see you."
"Oh! Right, Maria!" He said, grabbing his drink. "Bobby, you might have to go up and explain. Something tells me she isn't going to be happy about this…"
"No problem, Dad… let's go upstairs!"