1920s slang glossary:
Carry a torch: An infatuation for someone.
Fat Cat: A rich political donor or a rich, powerful, and greedy person who, due to ownership of large amounts of capital, is able to "live easy" off the work of others.
Behind the eight ball: In a difficult position, in a tight spot.
Break it up: Stop that, quit the nonsense
Chapter 15: Arguments and Complaints
After Mirabel and Bubo went upstairs to Mirabel's bedroom, they kept themselves busy by listening to the radio. They enjoyed their favorite radio series, Little Orphan Annie. When that show was over, Bubo switched the dial until he heard a clicking noise. That signaled him that the radio was off.
"Wasn't that episode great?"
"Yeah!" the girl nodded. She enjoyed that episode about Annie saving her dog, Sandy from a dog catcher. The girl looked at the door. "Do you think the grownups have stopped fighting?" she joked.
Just then, they heard a new round of shouting coming from the other room.
"There's your answer," Bubo said, annoyed at the drama.
"Ow, it's hurting my ears!" The girl winced, covering her ears with her hands. "If only the other rooms have hidden quartz, just like the outside walls and the meeting room!"
"I'll go and stop them," Bubo sighed. He stood up from his chair and walked out of the room.
"How irresponsible are you, Frida!" Bruno snapped. "You made a promise to Imelda a long time ago, and you broke it!"
"You know me, dear brother," Frida responded, sticking her nose up in the air. "I never like to hide my gift! Oh, I do try but eventually, I become so full of energy that I couldn't help but just let it go!"
"You said you wouldn't make love potions anymore!" Bruno argued. "You betrayed us!"
"Oh, look who's talking!" Frida spoke rudely, putting her hand on one hip. "You ran away to become what? A riffraff? A criminal?"
"A Gangster," Bruno said bluntly.
"My ex-friend kidnapped me," the crazy woman proceeded. "You as my brother were supposed to save me, like any member of the family would do! Isn't that what family does? Protect you at all times? But instead, you let the shrew have her way, instead of standing beside your sister."
"You put me behind the eight ball!" The tough man growled. "It was either saving you or facing the wrath of my boss. I would have stood by your side if you didn't use your gift so willingly!"
"Andres asked me for it!"
"You could have said no!"
"But he pleaded, I mean, he forced me to do it!"
Bruno gave her a look of disbelief. He knew his blonde friend was not the type to use brutal force to get away with anything. "You know, you should copy me. I have a gift and I hid it!"
"A Gift? Hah!" Frida bitterly laughed. "More like a curse!"
"It's not a curse!"
"Well, at least my potion brings love. Your visions just bring trouble!"
"Why you…!" Before Bruno could deliver another comeback to her, the door swung wide open. He and his sister jumped, believing it was Imelda.
"Oh, it's you," Bruno breathed, relaxing his shoulders. It was only that short teenage boy spy from Colombia.
"Will you two please break it up?" Bubo asked, very annoyed. "Mirabel and I could hear you! Everybody else can hear you! It's not like you're in the meeting room!"
" You !" Frida sneered, pointing at the Colombian. "I remember you. You're the boy whom Isabella had lunch with! I should blame you for toying with my niece's heart!"
"I'm sorry," Bubo's face fell. His heart ached as an image of Isabella's upset face replayed in his mind. "I didn't mean to hurt her feelings. I was just following orders."
Frida's angered face softened at his words. They sounded sincere to her. "Well, since you were only doing your job, I'll forgive you. But it's my niece who you should be apologizing to!"
Bubo sighed, knowing that if he encountered the flower maiden, things would be tense and awkward between them. He won't be surprised if she hits him with a vine. "Gracias."
" Oh sure, you forgave him, but you can't forgive me ?" Bruno asked, incredulously.
"Oye!" Frida barked. " At least, he's supposed to be a street rat!" ("Oye!" Bubo cried, offended). "You are supposed to be my brother! Mi hermanito! You were supposed to be on my side!"
"Well, you were supposed to keep your promise!" the gangster retorted. "Don't you remember the last time you made a love potion? Everybody went loco! And now Andres carries a torch for my boss all because of you!"
"Juan, ask your sister if she knows the cure," Bubo suggested. "After all, she made the love potion."
"I doubt she has the antidote," the prophetic man sneered. "She couldn't heal the innocent teenagers last time!"
"I do know it!" Frida sassed. "I tried to cure the disaster last time!"
"Tried?" Bubo parroted.
"My mother pulled me out of school before I could fix it."
"Just give us the antidote, already!" her brother snapped.
"All right, all right," the kooky artist sighed. "Take a chill pill, will you?"
Suddenly they heard Andres singing.
"Oh, no, he's singing again!" Bubo said angrily.
"Oh, I love this song!" Frida beamed and joined in. "When I dream that night…!"
"Stop singing!" Bruno cried, covering his ears.
Imelda sighed as she sewed. After her argument with Bruno and her brothers, the Princesa de Mafia had retreated to her bed chambers. She had taken out a long dress that she had been working on. Making her handmade clothes was what relaxes her whenever she has a stressful day. But hearing her trusted member of the gang and ex-friend shouting was hindering her attempts to relax. ' Will those two idiots shut up? They're worse than my brothers!' She heard a knock on the door and sighed. "Who is it?"
"Imelda? It's me, Stephanie."
The pre-teen girl had opened the door, quietly.
"Yes, Chiquita?" Imelda said, her voice softening a bit. If there was one person that's there to drain anger out of her, it was Bruno's adorable niece.
"Can I sew with you?" Mirabel asked. She wanted to relieve stress from hearing all the arguments. First, her beloved uncle and favorite "aunt" were fighting, and now her uncle was arguing with her real aunt. Listening to them was making her worry so much that she began to feel overwhelmed. She was thankful that Bubo went down to calm them down knowing that they would listen to him instead of her. In the meantime, she needed to do something else to get her mind off of that.
"Sure!" Imelda smiled. "¡Adelante!"
Mirabel entered the room and took her sewing kit and a half-finished skirt from the cabinet. Then she sat down beside her guardian. The girl picked up where she left off on her sewing.
"Your teal skirt is turning out well," Imelda complimented.
"Really?" the girl asked, happily.
"Sí, I like the patches you picked for it."
Indeed, the girl picked many patches ranging but not limited to a bunch of small pink flowers, a weight bar, a sun, a cloud, a rainbow, red sound waves, a green chameleon, a parrot sitting on top of a cheetah's head, a spoon in a bowl, a bee, a yellow hourglass, and a yellow butterfly like a flame, next to a bright pink one. Stephanie paused her sewing for a minute and held the skirt up in the air for her to view. "I can't wait to see how it turns out!"
Their ears picked up another sound far away. This time, it was not Bruno or Frida but a certain prisoner belting out love songs nonstop.
Stephanie dropped her half-finished skirt and covered her ears.
The mafia mistress set her needle and thread aside and stood up. She walked to her door and opened it. "Somebody shut our prisoner up!" the woman hollered at her servants.
"Sí, Senorita Sanchez!" Tía Chelo answered from downstairs.
Imelda slammed the door shut, causing a painting to fall from the wall.
Stephanie winced at that sound. She knew she should be used to hearing paintings or pictures falling off the wall, anytime someone slammed the door. But it was hard to ignore her instinct to wince. She took a deep breath and breathed out.
At first, there was silence. Then, the singing started again, much to the chagrin of the girls.
"Imelda, are all boys that annoying?" the preteen girl asked, rolling her eyes. At first, she enjoyed hearing Andres singing. But now it was becoming tiresome.
"Sí, Stephanie," the mafia boss answered. "They're either stupid or heartless. Either way, they're all loco."
The door knocked and when the mafia boss opened, it was the Tía Chelo. Her old Gibson girl hairdo looked a bit messed up. "Señorita Imelda, I couldn't do it! I tried to tell him to be quiet but he wouldn't listen!"
"Couldn't you get Juan to shut him up?"
"Que?"
The prisoner's singing was so loud that Tia Chelo couldn't hear her mistress.
"Aye, aye, aye!" Imelda grumbled, throwing her hands up in the air. "I'll do it myself!"
"When I dream at night
"Even though she's not here
"It's all right… !" Andres belted out his tune. He was sitting on his bed. Ever since he'd been escorted to his guest bedroom, all Andres had been doing was sitting. The door was locked so he could not get out. The window was too small for him to crawl out of it. But Andres didn't want to escape, he just wanted to see his "true love," again. When his bedroom door opened, he let out a happy squeal the moment he saw the object of his affection.
"No more music!" Imelda snapped, shaking her shoe at him. "It's almost evening, and if I have to hear you sing one more time-"
"Here you go!" Andres happily said as he held out what looked like a black rose. He tenderly took the startled woman's hand and tied it to her wrist.
"What's this?" The gangster asked, studying the odd gift. She was feeling half curious and half surprised.
"It's a corsage!" the son of the mayor responded, cheerfully. "I hope you like it."
Peeking over his head, the mafia princess noticed an opening in the little window. Underneath it was a bush of black roses. "Look, you can't just-" Imelda started, feeling steamed. How dare he pluck a black rose from her garden! But when her eyes saw the happiness of the mayor's son, something in her heart stirred. Maybe it was her conscience. Whatever it was, it possessed her to pause before she could say anything hurtful. "Um…gracias. It's very…lovely."
"Oh!" Andres gasped. "Sugar Pie Honeybunch!"
" No, no, no!" Imelda cried, worriedly. "Stop that!"
"You know that I love you!"
"No, you don't," The mafia lord tried again. "You're under the love potion!"
"I can't help myself!"
"No, I suppose not," the woman sighed, sadly.
"I love you and nobody else!"
"¡Por favor detente!" Imelda beseeched. Luckily for her, her unwanted admirer obeyed her. An idea appeared in the woman's head. "You must be so tired from all that singing."
"I could sing forever !" Andres sang.
"Why don't you take a nap so your voice can rest," Imelda suggested, smiling weakly. "We don't want you to have Laryngitis, do we?"
"No," Andres shrugged, happily and lay down. "But before you go, please tell me your name."
"Imelda," the woman answered, politely.
"Oh," the blonde man grinned. "My Melly-welly!"
"Imelda!" The mafia lord corrected him.
"My Melda-welda!"
"Imelda!"
"Good night, Amelia!"
"Buenos Noches," Imelda sighed sadly.
After Andres went to sleep, the gangster walked away from his room, and gently closed the door, feeling a bit sad. She found her ward standing outside of the door.
"How was he?"
"All right, I suppose," the woman shrugged. "Vadamos, let's get back to our sewing." As they walked upstairs, she showed her gift to her ward.
"He gave you a flower!?" Mirabel was astounded. No man has ever given her guardian a gift before. And whenever they try to, it always ends up with her guardian throwing the gifts back at their faces.
"Yes, but it would have been more meaningful if he wasn't under the love potion."
"Didn't he pluck that out from our garden?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Imelda frowned. "This is an example of how stupid men are! I know that if it weren't for the love potion, he wouldn't be nice to me. He'd be like every other man-rude, shallow, and disrespectful!"
"You're right, Imelda!" Stephanie nodded. "When I had a crush on Ercole Visconti, he was horrible! I still can't believe that he called me ugly in front of the whole school! He could have just simply said no, instead of humiliating me."
"Sweetie, men are never nice when it comes to rejection," Imelda frowned. "They are vicious toward any woman they don't like!"
Meanwhile, Héctor and Miguel were still talking about the same topic, while waiting for Dante to finish his business.
"I think we agree that Ernestina and LaCienega are both awful!" Miguel stated. "They are the reason why boys are scared of getting cooties!"
"They are the reason why men don't want to get married anymore these days!" Héctor replied. "Not only are women more interested in careers over marriage, but they are also controlling and always trying to change you!"
"They nag at you a lot!"
"And they are always criticizing you on every little thing about you!"
"Do you know why women choose to be single over being married, these days?" Imelda asked Mirabel.
"No, why?" the girl shrugged. She kind of knew the answer, but wasn't sure.
"Because men are too difficult and hard to please!" Imelda answered.
"And boys are too stupid to care about your feelings!" Mirabel added. "It's like the only emotion they have towards you is anger!"
"Which is why being single is safer than being married!"
"Girls are too demanding!" Miguel ranted. "They can't take no for an answer!"
"They won't compromise," Héctor added. "They act like a bunch of spoiled princesses who expect you to pamper them. They only care about what they want!"
"They get too emotional!" Miguel added. "I'd rather deal with Benny or Manny's tantrums over LaCeinega's whining!"
"And I'd rather face a jaguar than Ernestina!"
"If you don't wear lipstick, wear short dresses, or have short hair and a slender figure, then, boys won't pay attention to you!" Mirabel ranted.
"If a girl is 'old-fashioned,' and doesn't fit their standards of beauty, she has no chance at romance," Imelda grumbled.
"I know," the preteen girl lamented. "Boys don't want girls like me. They only prefer strong women like my sister, Luisa, or pretty ones like my other sister, Señorita-perfecta-Isabella, who has never had a bad hair day in her life!"
"All the more reason not to marry," Imelda huffed. "Men see your sisters as either a slave or a trophy wife. That shows you how shallow and disrespectful they are!"
"They never let you spend time with your friends or family!" Héctor grumbled.
"I know!" Miguel cried. "It's like they have nothing else to do besides cling to you!"
"That shows you how selfish they are!"
"Do we need them?" Imelda asked, crossing her arms.
"No, we don't!" Mirabel replied, sticking her nose up in the air.
"Do we want them?" Hector inquired, crossing his arms.
"No, we don't!" Miguel shook his head.
"Men are nothing but-"Imelda and Mirabel began.
"Women are nothing but-"Héctor and Miguel both started.
TROUBLE!" Both groups shouted at the same time, despite being in two different spots. They threw their hands up in the air. "UGH!"
Ruff ruff!" Dante barked. After he was done with his business, the dog ran up back to the boy and his uncle.
"Well, he's done," the boy said, patting the dog on the head.
"Bueno, vadamos," his uncle replied. Just before the boys could continue their journey, a group of four girls popped out from the shadows.
"BOO!"
"Aah!" Héctor and Miguel both cried, as they jumped at the sight of them. Their dog also jumped as well.
"Well, well, well!" One girl smiled evilly. She's the leader of their gang. "Look who we have here, sisters!" Her skin tone was blue and she had small beady eyes with thick black lips. She was dressed up in a dirty black dress with a white collar. "It's Daddy Warbucks and Jay Gatsby!"
Dante growled at the girl who spoke.
"Oh, dogs!" the leader spoke sarcastically. She pretended to faint as she fanned herself with her hand. "I'm so scared, haha! Gina, do you have a bone?" Her shorter sister shook her head. Their leader sighed with disappointment. "Never mind that," She signaled her sister to hold her hand out. Then the leader turned to her targets. "Okay, boys, Hands Up, Cash Out!"
Héctor and Miguel turned to each other and looked confused. "Huh?"
"Aroof?" Dante barked.
The leader breathed out a frustrated sigh. She forgot that she was talking to people who trespassed on her territory, rather than her usual targets, the poor kids. "Okay, this is how it works," She explained. "When I say, 'Hands Up,' you put your hands up in the air. When I say 'Cash Out,' you give your dollars or change to my sister, Gina. After she collects your money, then my other sister, Olei, will beat you up to smithereens and we will leave. Understand?"
"How can we give you cash when our hands are up in the air?" Miguel stammered.
"Miguel, don't question the riff-raff!" His uncle whispered to him.
"Por que?" the boy asked, innocently.
"You can't reason with crazy people!"
"Okay, that's it!" the girl snapped. She was losing her patience. "Olei! Search them for cash!"
The third girl who is the tallest and biggest of the group stomped forward like a dinosaur and cracked her knuckles.
Miguel gulped. Olei may be shorter than Luisa J. Madrigal but she is still bigger than him! "Tio Héctor, what do we do?" If they don't do something, they'll be beaten up!
"Here's my throwing knife," the shoemaker responded, as he handed a small one to his nephew. He had no time to deal with four little girls who were thieves. The shoemaker pulled his knife out. "Stand your guard, chamaco. You too, perro."
Dante didn't need to be told twice. He was already crouching on his hind legs and growling at anyone who tried to harm his boy and his boy's uncle.
"We're not going to stab them, are we?" Miguel asked, nervously. Even though he was holding his knife, his hand was shaking. "Mama always told me to never hit girls."
"No," his uncle shook his head. He aimed his knife toward Olei who quickly backed up. "Just throw your knife at their arms and they'll be pinned to the walls."
"Do we throw them now?" the boy asked, gulping again. He did his best to aim his knife at Gina despite shaking with nerves.
"No, just hold them," the shoemaker answered. "If they try to attack you, then you can throw your knife!"
"Don't just stand there, sisters!" the leader barked. "Take their money! Knock their dog or knives out if you have to!"
The boys looked ready to fight back. Before a war could start between them and the street girls, somebody stopped it.
"Nubia, wait!" a fourth girl shouted from behind the leader. A girl with a purple skin tone hopped out and quickly came in between her friends and the boys. "Miguel? Uncle Héctor? Is that you, guys!?"
The boys froze in their positions as did their dog.
"How does she know our names?" Miguel asked.
"I don't know," Héctor said.
"Proud, what are you doing?" the leader snapped at her.
"Miguel, Uncle Héctor, it is me!" the girl spoke again, ignoring her leader. Her eyes were only on the boys. "Penny Proud!"
"Huh!?" Both boys gasped. They examined the girl from toe to head. She was dressed in the same black dress with a white collar like her gang. Her two pigtails were messy and loose. Last, some eyes showed friendliness and kindness.
"Penny!?" the boys gasped.
"Yes, it's me!" the girl smiled, relieved that they recognized her.
"Boy, you look um, different," Héctor said, trying to be nice.
"Yeah, is that a skin lotion that you girls always like?" Miguel asked, stupidly. He was elbowed by his uncle. "Ow!"
"Smart guy, huh?" Nubia snapped at him. "Olei, punch him!"
"No, girls!" Penny said, stopping the large girl from swinging her fist at the frightened Mexican boy. "They're my friends. Let's not harm them!"
"Come on, Proud!" Nubia scoffed. "Those boys trespassed our territory and they are strapped with cash. They'll share and won't miss much if we take anything from them."
"We would share if you ask nicely!" Miguel retorted. His mouth was covered by his nervous uncle.
"We don't mean to intrude on your territory," the shoemaker spoke, bravely. "We are looking for Imelda Sanchez's house. Do you happen to know how to get there?"
"Imelda Sanchez!?" Nubia cried an alarm in her eyes. Her two sisters looked a bit scared too. "She's always scolding us for robbing little kids!"
"Of course I do!" Penny smiled. "I go there all the time to see Stephanie!"
"You sure you got this, Proud?" Nubia asked. "I don't trust Fat Cat or Fat Kitty!"
"Don't call me Fat Cat/Kitty!" the young man and his nephew shouted, pointing their knives at Nubia.
"I'm sure, you girls, go home," Penny responded, nicely. Once the gang left, Penny turned to her old friends and gave them a big group hug. "Oh, I'm so happy to see y'all!"
"It's good to see you too, Penny," the shoemaker smiled.
"Can't breathe!" Miguel gasped.
Dante licked Penny in the face, making her giggle.
After she released them from her hug (much to Miguel's relief), she gestured to them to follow her. "You'll be at Imelda's mansion in no time!"