Jimmy Montoya and the Old Man

By kiki

When Hall of Fame boxing manager Jimmy Montoya lived in Carson, Ca. He had an old man and some fighters residing with him. In the early 1980s, Jimmy had a party for Bobby Goodman from New York, and Connie and I got invited to the party.

At the party, Jimmy told me how the old man known as Pops came to live with him: Jimmy met Pops at the Golden Gloves Gym in Las Vegas when Pops was living in Las Vegas with some kin of his. Jimmy befriended Pops, and soon Pops was traveling all over the country to boxing shows with Jimmy.

One day at the Golden Gloves Gym, Pops, who was in his eighty's approached Jimmy with tears in his eyes: "Jimmy, my family wants to put me in an old folk's home, and I don't wanna go there."

Jimmy really liked Pops and said: "Pops, how would you like to go live with me in California?"

"Gee Jimmy, I would love that," Pops answered Jimmy.

After talking to Pops kin, Jimmy moved Pops to his Carson, Ca. home.

I came to know Pops through Jimmy, but I wasn't aware of Pops's strange habit when getting ready for bed.

 As we were all having a good time partying, Pops dressed causal got up from his chair, and walked to his bedroom.

Jimmy whispered in my ear, "Pops is getting ready to go to bed; watch him when he comes out to say good night."

Soon Pops, dressed in a suit and tie, came out of his bedroom to say goodnight to all.

I turned around to Jimmy and said, "I thought you said he was getting ready to go to bed; it looks to me like he got ready to go out on a date."

"No, he is not going out on a date; he is going to bed."

"But he is dressed in a suit and tie," I said

"I know, and the reason for that Pops told me is that if he dies in his sleep, he is already dressed for his funeral," Jimmy replied

One morning not long after the party, Pops dressed in his suit and tie didn't wake up…R.I.P. Pops

Update: 4-5-2013

When Jimmy called me from Denmark earlier in the week, we started reminiscing about bygone times; I mentioned Pops, Jimmy told me something he had not told me before. Jimmy said that Pops would go into Jimmy's bedroom at 3:00 AM and tell Jimmy, "Jimmy, I think I'll have a cup of coffee" he would then go back to bed while Jimmy would get up to make him some coffee. When coffee was made, Jimmy would take it to Pops in his bedroom. Jimmy would hand the coffee to Pops, and as Jimmy would turn around to walk out, Pops would ask him, "where's my peanut butter and jelly sandwich?"

Somebody called my short story "poignant," and yes, in some way, it is poignant, but it is also a warm and funny story. Men like Pops have a tendency to leave you with excellent memories.