THE HANDSTAND
july 2005
By Jerry Vilhotti
.LEAVING CHEAP LABOUR
The bus terminal in San Luis Potosi was huge with several
stores still opened which made them very happy - for here
they would eat a hearty supper - not having eaten since
thirty hours before due to being sidetracked waiting for
the Mexican President' s train going to the
USA to negotiate sending more of his people to work
for the elite at very very cheap wages ....
The very first place they walked
into was a large cafeteria that had its food displayed
somewhat like USA style.
"Don't get pastry, Linda
Ann. We'll get that later at the train
station," Johnny said eyeing the succulent
foods. Would he have the sausages sprawled
serenely among potato halves encompassed by what looked
like broccoli or the chunks of chicken heaped on top of
big mounds of yellow rice being invaded by little red
peppers? he wondered as his mouth watered.
"Don't you think maybe
you'd better ask if they take traveler's checks before we
take their food?" Linda Ann said interrupting his
decision making.
"Blessed Bahaism, Jesus
Christ and Buddha - this is a city of about three
mill-"
"OK. OK. I just
thought I'd ask."
He hated that! He hated
when she left a hint he might be wrong. He put his empty
tray down and walked up to a burly man who could have
played a villainous Pancho Villa when the great
nation was trying to reduce Mexicans as being less than
human.
"Por favor. You the
manager?"
"Si"
"Do you take these?
We're going to eat and-"
"What is those?"
"It's money. They're
trav-"
"No sorry."
"Come on Linda!
There's other damn places we can eat!"
After three more eateries, two
grocery stores and a semi-opened bank - all saying they
never saw such things - making Johnny believe that they
were all taking revenge on him for those nasty Texacans
and Mexicans helping the gringos steal a part of
Mexico just for the money of it all!
Johnny told Linda Ann they
would eat at the train station for there they would have
seen "these things" - what with tourists
traveling the national trains and all. He was wrong
again as the station was fully deserted but for a worker
who let them come inside to wait for the midnight
train. Johnny decided to step
outside to see if others were finally coming but instead,
he saw four uniformed Kent state-like national
guard uniformed guys carrying NRA guns walking
toward him and when they came within fifty
feet, they stopped to cock their guns - sending
the sound surging through his stomach prior to reaching
his brain making his heart begin pounding wildly. He retreated to
wake up Linda Ann saying: "Don't
panic! We got to look like fucking tourists!
Nazi soldiers with guns are coming our way!" This meant as
much to Linda Ann as when twenty years before he told her
to look like a motorcycle as they were to scooter onto
the West Side Drive that didn't allow Lambrettas to get
from south to north and she did in fact hunch up her
shoulders like he and they did successfully reach
the West End Avenue where Johnny's four time married
brother Tommy Tom Tom's first wife was living where their
little packet on the back seat would be stolen within
five minutes after they left the scooter parked where no
car could fit. He told Linda Ann that no one would
bother it ....
Repeating himself he said the word "guns"
to register fully by widening his eyes while nodding
his head vehemently several times. Johnny took off his
Mexican hat he had bought in the old Indian market in San
Miguel Allende so they could see his curly head of
hair. No matter how hard they tried, they could not
stop staring at the front entrance waiting for the charge
to begin as Johnny tried to shake away the image
that was going through his mind of Bonnie and Clyde
being shot up by terrified law
enforcement agents pounding out a million
bullets into the bodies that had died all
ready seven times. Johnny casually placed
his shoulder bag under their bench; fearing the guys with
guns might think he was packing a gun in it and then he
pretended a conversation with Linda Ann though Each was
not listening to the Other. He suggested she open
her big blue-green wider and shake her strawberry blond
hair so they would understand they were tourists. After ten
very tense moments he said, in a quavering voice
that he tried hard to control, he was going take a peek
out of the large entrance; still not able to shake the
image of himself going down in a hail of bullets like
Dellinger had before the Chicago cops planted the
gun they said he was carrying to kill them all dead with
his big bullets. Allowing one eye to look out, he
could see a soldier standing ten feet away at full
attention with his rifle against his chest. Johnny shouted
loud enough for the soldier to hear - putting on an
Italian tourist accent - not wanting to be identified
with those Yankee people to the north that were
outdoing the nazis in arrogance: "Cara Mia, the
train is coming! I can hear the whistle blowing in
the night. The train is coming! The train is
coming! Soon we'll be back home with the
Pope!"
The train arrived right on Mussolini time thirty
seconds before midnight. Trying to look good, he
even helped Linda Ann with the luggage as he tripped on
three of the four steps trying to look at ease. Linda Ann helped
him reach the top. He had lost his hunger. He
wouldn't think of food until they reached Nuova
Laredo where he would tell his pretty wife he was
not afraid in the least as he wolfed down three
shredded barbecue pork sandwiches with a couple
of bottles of Mexican beer. She smiled that
certain smile. END
5-17-05
SEWING MACHINES AND FIRE
ESCAPES
Mamasu kept calling Leny One N a thief who
had inherited his father's gene never forgetting how he
and my polio afflicted brother Tom had stolen her sewing
machine ... minding the boys the day after the stealing
and finding her sewing machine hidden under an old coat
in the corner of the fire escape - she would make sure no
more robbing would occur again on her watch while her
daughter went to work at the glove factory making gloves
for five fingers; having to do so because our father was
away frolicking on the sands of Orchard Beach; stealing
the hearts of pretty women and then falling into their
smiles. Mamasu tied Leny and Tom to the bedposts; tying
the ropes so tightly, they left large burnt marks on
their arms and legs.
"Why did you do this?" their mother asked -
trying to keep her voice under control as her fingers 
trembled over the wounds; afraid
such a sight would break her mind again as it did the
night she saw her husband deep inside a naked woman in
their parlor and not only had that sight smashed her mind
but her body began hemorrhaging Tom whom she was carrying
deep inside.
Tom began to cry but Leny remained stoically silent; to
show he hadn't been afraid. It was Leny with his mighty
hugs all the three months of her Bellevue Hospital stay
that had helped put all the broken pieces of her mind
back together again.
"Because Mussolini told parents who are
supposed to protect and love their children to give
him their sons and he would make all the trains run
on time going back to Roman Times!" Mamasu said.
"Mamasu, here comes the big fucking jerk!" six
year old Leny said tormenting the sixty-five year old.
She scowled as she ran after him; attempting to get his
hair and pull every strand out. "You thief, come
here and I'll teach you to swim in sand!"
Leny escaped and went to steal candy at the Arthur Avenue
candy store while the owner was busy in the back room
with a woman the syndicate had sent him for the afternoon
as a reward for collecting bets from poor people who
would contribute their children to die in meaningless
insane wars after losing ....