Sopapillas (F)

“So, you and Hal went down to Tijuana for the evening?”

Teddy’s on a break after a set with his quintet at the Holiday Inn near the airport in San Diego.

“Yep, he wanted a taste of Mexico.”

I laughed.

“I know a girl down there.”

I laughed again.

“She ever see you play? Especially the matching jackets. Pretty cool.”

“Leave it alone.”

“All right. So this girl?”

“Maria.”

“Stop it. A girl across the border named Maria. Just stop, man.”

“How it is.” He took a drag off a Camel. “She’s a dancer.”

“Oh, no doubt.” I laughed. “Stripper?”

He took another drag and shrugged. “Ballet.”

“Okay, so you’re taking Hal across the border to meet Maria, a ballerina.”

“Yep, that’s the story. Hal’s from Milwaukee. You know he wants exotic.”

“Jeez, Teddy.”

“Hey, I know. So I had a night off—a Monday night. We crossed the border around eight or so, just before sunset. Maria’s uses a small apartment over by the beach. Belongs to an aunt.”

“Maria ever come see you play?”

“Nope.”

“Afraid she’d never leave if she heard the stylings of Teddy Street?”

“We got to her place and she wanted to eat and listen to some music.”

“How did Hal act?”

“Quiet, you know how he gets. He just stood there, but he kept his eyes on her.”

“Let me guess, dark hair, dark eyes—raven-haired beauty?”

“Be a smartass. It’s okay.”

“You ever stay down there with her?”

“We go to a local bar that has an American trio—I worked with the drummer back in the day at North Texas State. Hal is all gentleman with Maria, opening her car door, the bar door, pulling out her chair. He kept calling her mademoiselle. Maria giggled when he pulled out the chair.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Maria and I get beers, Hal goes for a large margarita—some godawful strawberry thing.”

“No. Not a chance.”

“Yep. Maria kept making eye contact with me and raised an eyebrow as if to ask—“

“What is this guy all about?”

“Probably thinking worse. When we start a second beer, Hal is on another margarita. Maria grabs my forearm and nods toward a small dance floor in front of the band. We get up and Hal asks if we are leaving. Just going to dance, I tell him.”

“Is this story one without hope for Hal?”

“You knew the answer as soon as you asked about the evening.”

I laughed.

“So Hal turned around in his chair and watched us dancing—“

“Tune?”

“So What.”

“Nice.”

“He’s tapping out the time and turning around and sucking down that margarita. After our dance, we go sit down and Hal’s ordering a third.”

“Let me skip to the finale. He gets drunk. Hal is drunk in Mexico.”

“The way they poured, he was hammered.”

“Worst moment, when he went for suave and made a pass at Maria?”

“No, not the worst.”

“Not the worst?”

“Yep, not the worst. Never got that far.”

“Damn.”

“He ordered sopapillas for everyone in the bar.”

I took a long look at Teddy. “Damn, I would never been able to make up something like that.”

“No one would.”

Lyman 2023