“My Own Louie” . . Andábamos en su ranfla down Capitol Avenue. You know, Capitol Avenue en SanJo. Way Before some güey decided to express it by demolishing cantones and turning it all into a cesspool of boiling concrete & cars. . Anyway, Andábamos en su ranfla down Capitol Avenue. El Louie was driving Dad's 46 Plymouth Coupe From Story Rd down Capitol Avenue approaching el Payless. Payless: with the huge drive-in type parking lot where jainas and vatos hung out at night, listened to "Angel Baby" and "Hanky Panky". . but right now it was daytime, and two of his buddies con su ranfla chingona came up right next to his window. . With lip-bobbing cigarette he said: "Ey, Louie you got a match!" "Órale. Hold on. Poly, drive the car. "Qué?" Just grab the steering wheel! El Louie sat on the window sil paper matches in hand lit up three together to make sure, lit the vatos trola, and sat down before the carrucha complained about the 8 year old steering it. . He gave me a couple of looks and on the 2nd gave me his signature laugh: "Puh-th-th-thuh". He drove me to Mark's Hot Dogs, the place with the juiciest, crispiest and most delicious dogs, making me feel welcome again. . My summer vacation from el Defe, starting off pretty well. . He'd been there, himself. Got a tough guy reputation in a place filled with the toughest. Constantly came back to our Tlatelolco apartment beat up for taking on too many at once. I imagine they called him el Tlate-loco. So the uncles had to send him back to SanJo.
I never saw any meanness. I only saw crazy funny, or quiet, wistful, pensive Louie.
Though, most times he was out and about. . Even so, I do have some memories. Like that hot summer night when he was stuck at home for some reason. He gave me a note, and instructions: "All you have to do is knock on the window. When Sylvia opens it, tell her Louie sends this. Now, go!" I knock, and Sylvia opens the window immediately grabs the note without asking and tells me to wait. She comes back out with her thick eye-liner, and puffy hair with the flipped out ends and straight cut bangs barely above her brows. she gives me another note to give to Louie. Then I become a ping-pong ball on the table of grounded teenagers. I know at some point it stopped, but I actually don't remember that moment. I think the ghost of me or parallel universe me is still out there doing it.
. He was definitely the ladies man, and even though he was tall & studly, with light skin & light blue eyes, he liked them gorditas, prietitas y bien Chicanas. Le gustaba la guitarra just like Dad, and he impressed the ladies just like Dad. . The summer was over. Back en el Defe things began boiling. Just like everywhere around the world and the U.S. . 1968 came around - a horrific year. The beginning of the Tet Offensive in Vietnam. Labor strikes and riots in Poland, France & Italy. Race riots throughout the U.S. President Johnson refused to run for re-election. Martin Luther King - assassinated. Bobby Kennedy - assassinated. Student riots in Mexico City. Estudiantes contra granaderos. In Tlatelolco where I lived -- many students were murdered. and in 1968 ...