A Pachie Story: "I Ain't Squawking"

By kiki

One Saturday night in the early 1950s, we were shooting pool at Nacho's Pool Hall on Date Street in Simons with pool cues crooked as a broken nose. While we were shooting pool, Pachie was getting a shoe shine from a shoeshine boy. Afterward, he was just walking around with a joint on his ear; getting tired of hanging around, he left, saying he would see us later. We didn't see him again till a week later when he showed up at the pool hall. Pachie told us that after he left the pool hall the week before he was pulled over by the Montebello cops and that one cop said to him that he was under arrest for having a joint, Pachie said he asked the cop, "where's the evidence?", the cop took the joint from his ear, "here it is" said the cop.

He was asked as he was put in the back seat of the cop's black and white "where did you get the joint?", Pachie answered him with, "I ain't squawking" That response got the cops so angry that they pulled him out of the car and then proceeded to kick his ass. Once the cops cooled down, they decided to him go.

Poor Pachie was always getting his ass kicked, first by Panfelita's big white rooster and now by the Montebello cops.

Panfelita’s white rooster

By kiki

Our next-door neighbor when we were living in Simons in the 1940s-'50s was a little old lady named Panfela; we called her Panfelita. Panfelita lived by herself, and when she needed something from the Mom & Pop stores up the hill, she would ask me to go for her; she would ask me two or three times a day, so, two or three times a day, I would jump on my bike and go to the store for her. When I would come back and give her whatever she had ordered, she would tell me in Spanish, "que te lo paga Dios, Mijo," but she never gave me a penny so that I could buy candy. I loved the sweets!

 Panfelita's Big White Rooster.

There were many open lands in Simons, and the streets were all dirt; we didn't have street signs or street lights. So nights, we young kids would get together in an empty lot and light up a lumbrita (small fire); one boring night at la lumbrita, one of the guys got an idea, "let's go steal Panfelita's white rooster, and we'll cook him here en la lumbrita." 

So here we go, about 4-5 of us kids; now this rooster was big and mean, so nobody wanted to go into the coop and get him. Finally, Gilbert, who we called Pachie, said he would go into the pen; now, Pachie was the smallest of us guys; I don't think he weighed more than 70 lbs. Pachie went into the coop, and suddenly there was a cloud of dust, and all we could see was Pachie's tiny feet in their worn-out shoe sticking out of the dust cloud. After a bruising struggle, Pachie won the fight and got the rooster, but let me tell you, that rooster beat the living hell out of Pachie. He didn't go quietly.

We plucked, roasted, and ate the rooster.

The following morning my Mom and Panfelita were talking over the backyard fence; I noticed Panfelita was crying, so I walked up to them and asked, "what's wrong?" my Mom looked at me and said, "somebody stole her rooster." 

My Mom gave me that look that told me she knew I had something to do with the missing bird.

Looking back, I feel bad for stealing Panfelita's rooster, but we were not bad kids; I would like to think that we were just a little mischievous and misunderstood while growing up in a harsh and challenging environment.

My Strong as a Horse Woman

                                                    By kiki

My strong as a horse-woman, Connie, is as sick as I have seen her in years. Connie is one of those women that doesn’t get sick often. When she been sick in the past, it was usually a sickness that would send her on a short vacation, to the hospital!  Not to a resort island. Connie has a nasty, nasty cold, the kind of cold that comes with a nasty cough, a cough that you need have to hold your ribs to keep them from breaking when you cough up. Not to mention the farting and peeing that comes every time you cough…Connie is so sick that she will get breakfast in bed today, she will also get lots of loving to help her get well fast. I hope she doesn’t get spoil though and turn the table on me!!...I hope nobody else at home get sick, and that includes me!

I guess the cold drugs I gave Connie have kicked in because she is been her ornery self again. Watching the football game and a GMC Sierra truck commercial came on and I said "man, what a beautiful truck! I wish I could have one" she turned around and said to me "what for? you're going to die pretty soon" Damn!!

The Next Day

Connie is still under the weather, so am I, but not as bad as her, so it was up to me to fix us a late breakfast of bacon and egg sandwiches. After having our sandwiches and coffee in bed, she told me "now go clean the mess you made in the kitchen" Dude! do I have to clean the kitchen too? And how did she know I made a big mess in the kitchen, must have X-Ray eyes!!!

Day three

Today, Tuesday, January 7, 2014, finds Connie and I still in bed with the flu, I got it from her! I had been awake for a bit when she opened her eyes, as she did so I told her “baby, I am sick” she replied with this “I am sick too but, do you hear me saying that? You men are such whiners, men-up dude!” Damn!! I didn’t know what to say after that, so I just told her that it was in our male genes to whine…I'd say that Connie is as strong as a horse, didn't I?

  

Day Four 

I am still sick, Connie is up and around. She asked me what I wanted for dinner, I told her that a pork chop with Bush's Bake Beans and a green salad would do, she told me "I don't think so" Damn woman, why do you ask me what I want for dinner then?!!

I lost track of the days

This flu is wicked. Connie seems to be getting along okay, still coughing a bit, but, otherwise doing good, the bad news is; James is now down for the eight count. As for me, I am still down, but, I being sicker before, so I think I’ll survive to get well and get sick again in the days, weeks and month ahead.