Pan Dulce and a Root Beer

By kiki

During my Montebello Junior High school years (1950-'52), my Pops had a charge account at Nacho's Date Street store (Camilo Delgado, AKA Nacho, step-dad to my friend Raul Martinez, also owned the local pool hall); he paid it off every two weeks, (Simons' workers got paid every two weeks) One Saturday morning he walked up the hill from El Hoyo Simons to pay Nacho. When he got home, I could see something was wrong because he was mad. 'time for me to hide,' I thought. But there was no hiding from Pops 'kiki; I want to talk to you," he said. "yes?" I meekly answered because I knew what was coming. "I just paid Nacho off, and my bill was a lot higher than what it should have been, and when I questioned Nacho about his bookkeeping, he told me that it was you running up the bill and not him because you stop there every day after school to have a pan dulce and a Root Beer, is that true?" Damn, I was busted with my hand in the cookie jar. "Yes, pop, what Nacho told you is true, but can I explain why I did that?" "Please do, if you can," he replied. "well, Pops, its this way, you see, every day I have to walk to and forth from school, and that's because I got thrown off the school bus for shooting spitballs at the driver, and so, every day I'm tired, thirsty and hungry from walking the 4 miles or so from the school, and stopping at Nacho's for a pan dulce and Root Beer seemed like a good way to take care of my hunger and thirst pains, but I won't do it again," And I never did, but pan dulce and Root Beers always brings memories of Pops