The Feet of God

103 - THEY KNOW MORE THAN THEY’RE SAY’N

These two ball-scratchers had one of those four-doors and a backseat in the cab.  Shiny white with lots of chrome.  On the door I noticed a circle in red lettering:  Cruz Fruit Co.  I climbed into the backseat while they stood outside and yammered some more in Español.  (Even after all those years in California, I never could get the hang of their lingo.)

I sat quiet just listening to them.  And I noticed they was pretty well dressed for farmhands with their pressed Lacoste shirts and everything, and clean jeans and expensive running shoes.  I had no idea what they was talking about, but whatever it was, they amused themselves no end.

Finally I broke in over their laughing, “Hey, we gonna vamoose or what?”

“Oh, so sorry, meester.  I was jus telling my brother wheech road we need to take.”

The other one nodded and grinned.  “Si.”

“You guys from Mexico?” I asked.

“Cubanos.”

That was a new one on me.  “Koobanos?  Where’s that?  Near Mehiko City?”

“No, stupido.  Wee are from Cuba.  Ju know, that countree 90 miles from here?  Cuba?”

“Kooba?  Oh, sure.  I know all about Kooba.”

I don’t know what I said that was so funny, but these two characters elbowed each other and couldn’t stop crackling up.  I joined in with a good-natured smile and a couple’a chuckles of my own, just to be friendly with ‘em since I was ridin’ on their dime.

The brother in the front passenger seat smiled, “I am Hector.  And thees ees my brother, Esteban.  Wee are veeziting our couzeen’s granfather, thee firs generation of our familee to leeve in Estados Unidos.”

Damn if they didn’t slap their knees and bust out laughin’ again.  I must’a been on a roll, but I don’t know what I did to tickle their funny bones so much.

Then, I pulled out the picture of Baby Harmonica, on the off-chance one might’a seen her.  “Either of you seen this person?  She’s my sister.”

While Esteban looked at me in the rear view mirror, Hector swung around and said, “Thees chica ees your seester?”

“Si.”  (I figured I could handle that much Spanish.)

They stopped laughing.

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