“And here we thought my baby brother was scared to come out of the closet. We all love him, but oh, the shame it would bring the family. I can’t tell you what a relief it is that he found himself a beard.”
You have to understand that in Cuba, guys are macho, or so they imagine. His big brother was pushing buttons that only a big brother can get away with. Luis turned bright red, and I was worried he might take a swing at Paz. Thankfully, Cassidy read the situation.
“I think he’s man enough for me.”
Luis puffed up, and his brother laughed.
“You’re surely going to warn her about his drooling problem,” Sarita goaded her older brother.
“I expect she can handle him,” he replied.
“Paz,” he said, putting his hand out to shake Cassidy’s.
“Cassidy,” she responded with a bright smile.
“What’s good tonight?” I asked to save Luis any more grief from his siblings.
“I’ll have them bring out the pargo relleno. The red snapper is fresh today,” Paz said.
Dinner was another hit. Pargo relleno was a stuffed red snapper with lobster, shrimp, and ham ground up and cooked in it. They cooked the fish on a bed of potatoes and had onions and peppers on top.
After dinner, Paz came back out with a bottle of rum and cigars. He sat down with us.
“I want to introduce you to the Cuban practice of sobremesa. The word means ‘over the table.’ After dinner, you drink good rum, and it’s passed around the table while enjoying a fine cigar and stimulating conversation amongst family and friends,” Paz announced.
Sarita explained to me that when her uncles came to visit, this was what their family did. When she was younger, she would get a sip of her dad’s rum, and he would let her have a puff or two on his cigar. It brought back fond family memories for her and her brothers.
Sarita said there wasn’t an English translation for sobremesa, that the ‘over the table’ explanation didn’t adequately describe it. She better described it as time spent in conversation, digesting, relaxing, enjoying each other’s company, and certainly not rushing after a meal. Her family added the rum and cigars. I opted out of smoking a cigar, and after I had a small amount of rum, I switched to Cuban coffee. Honestly, the rum might have been better for me, but I was still in training.
Cassidy should have stopped at one as well. Luis wasn’t happy when she climbed into my lap.
“Take me home,” she ordered.
“I think we’d better go. I have a feeling that I’ll have to work tomorrow.”
“Come to practice tomorrow, if you can,” Luis offered.
“And after, we can go do something,” Sarita said.
“I think she wuves you,” Cassidy teased.
“Don’t get my brothers started,” Sarita added.
“Yeah, I was right. Time to get her home,” I said, scooping my little ninja up.
I enjoyed hanging out with Sarita and her brothers. Paz’s little hole-in-the-wall joint had the best food in Havana, as far as I was concerned.
◊◊◊
After I poured Cassidy into my bed, I called Maria Dowe, the girl I’d met in LA who wanted to get into porn. I reckoned she’d be up because of the time difference. She’d sent me a text saying she had big news.
Yes, Cassidy was in my bed. My drunk little ninja insisted, and I wasn’t about to argue with her. It was better that I keep an eye on her, anyway. While she snuggled down under the covers, I got a bottle of water and aspirin and set them on the nightstand. I also got her a garbage can in case she had an emergency during the night.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Maria answered my call.
“Did you get the job?” I asked.
“Yes. Felicia was super nice and explained everything to me. She told me that Kendra Bianco and Tony Giovanni, the owners, said I was one of their VIP girls and would get special treatment at Nubile Productions. She said it was because of you.”
“I seriously doubt that. I barely know the owners.”
“Felicia was a little cryptic about how you met them. There has to be a story behind that,” she pressed.
“It seemed we had the same unpleasant thing we needed to deal with. I happened to be in a position to make it go away. I’m sure that’s what they were talking about.”
Brandon Rigby had been a problem for many people. I was glad he was going to jail.
“You’re no fun, but thanks anyway. They flew me out to New York, and I had my audition. They asked if there was anyone I wanted to do it with, so I told them about Ryan.”
Ryan was the model with the impressive equipment who I set Tracy up with for Prom. Maria and Ryan ended up going to the dance when Jim and Tracy got cold feet. Jim was afraid he wouldn’t measure up in some way. It didn’t help that Ryan showed everyone what he was packing. That was when Tracy finally believed me and chickened out. Jim and Tracy ended up going together, and from all reports had a good time.
“Spare me the details, but I’m assuming it went well,” I said.
“They signed us both. Felicia flew me home to pack my stuff. They have an apartment for me close to the studio. The next time you’re in New York, you need to call me, and I’ll take you out to dinner as a thank you.”
My bedroom door opened.
“I don’t feel good,” Cassidy announced.
“Sorry, I gotta go, my friend is about to get sick,” I told Maria and hung up on her.
I grabbed Cassidy and whisked her into the bathroom. I swear Duke had more common sense. No, I take that back; he would have found a carpet to puke on. He could be on a hard surface that was easy to clean and would head straight for a rug if he had a problem. She puked on my chest and all over herself. I tossed her into the tub and then puked into the toilet. She could have asked me to help her with anything else, and I would rather do it than deal with vomit.
The whole time I undressed her, I was gagging. I tossed the t-shirt and shorts I’d dressed her in into the trash, and I threw my shirt in with them. Then I turned the shower on her.
“David! Don’t,” she wailed.
“I’m never taking you drinking again,” I swore.
“But you love me,” she moaned.
“And that is why you’re not stark naked in the hall right now. Now hold still so I can wash your hair.”
Cassidy ended up puking two more times before I got her to bed. She didn’t like that I brushed her teeth, but I didn’t want to smell her breath all night. I didn’t bother putting her in another t-shirt because I’d already lost one.
◊◊◊ Wednesday May 25
“Morning, Sunshine,” I said cheerily.
“Shut up,” Cassidy moaned. “Why am I naked? Did you …?”
“You puked all over yourself.”
“Oh … yeah … I remember now. Sorry about that.”
“You should go run with me.”
Cassidy had, let’s say … other ideas for me. None of them sounded fun, so I left her in my bed.
◊◊◊
This morning, Caryn and Fritz ran with me, so we slowed down to accommodate her pace. Caryn was actually a good runner, and she made it out about three times a week. I just wanted to get the blood pumping, so we didn’t do a long run.
It seemed the movie staff must have known my running schedule because when we made it back to the hotel, Anita, the production assistant, was waiting for me.
“Morning,” I said to greet her.
“They want you to join them in the conference room to discuss what we’re doing moving forward, now that Kimberly has left the movie.”
“Do I have time to shower and get something to eat?” I asked.
“They have a buffet, and Gabe asked for everyone as soon as possible. He’s calling in, and I don’t expect he cares what you look like right now.”