The Secret of Two Brothers by Irene Beltran Hernández

Author:Irene Beltran Hernández
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arte Público Press
Published: 1995-06-14T16:00:00+00:00

Six weeks later, Beaver and Cande found the restaurant closed for employee vacations. They decided to walk five blocks to the El Fénix Restaurant. As soon as they entered the restaurant, they realized how crowded the place was. Beaver fidgeted. He hated crowded places and wanted to leave, but Cande was hungry. Beaver glanced around. After a short wait, they were shown to a table and a waiter took their order. As Beaver surveyed his surroundings, he remembered that his mother had loved to come here, especially after being to a dance. As a young boy, he had gotten to tag along once or twice and he remembered the way her eyes lit up whenever they came to this particular restaurant. “Cande, do you like it here?”

“Yeah! I like those paintings on the wall.”

A waiter came up to their table and said, “Beaver!”

Beaver glanced up and recognized Jay Orta. Jay had a tray full of empty dishes balanced on his shoulder. He wore a tuxedo-like short, tight-fitting black jacket with black pants. “Jay! Don’t tell me you work here?”

“Hey, man, I gotta have money to go out!” Jay glanced at Cande. “Good to see you, kid. You were all of eight when I saw you last. You two guys still live in Ledbetter?”

Beaver nodded. “Sure. Where do you live?”

“The family moved to Oak Cliff a long time ago. I went to Sunset High, but I didn’t finish. I’ve been working here about two years.” He glanced nervously toward the kitchen. “Be back in a second.” He hurried through the double swinging doors.

Beaver turned to Cande. “I went to school with that guy. It was a long time ago, but he obviously remembered me.”

“I like his uniform.”

“It’s sharp. I’m sure he had to buy it just to work here.”

Their food arrived and they ate heartily. Beaver was glad Cande was having a great time.

Jay stopped at the table on his way back to the kitchen. “Beaver, I’ve got an invitation to a Quinceañera tonight. Why don’t you two come along?”

Beaver was taken by surprise. He hesitated, but seeing how interested Cande looked, he quickly decided. “Great, Jay. Where’s it gonna be?”

“The Sheraton Hotel. Why don’t you walk around the West End and come back at nine sharp. That’s when I get off work.”

Jay glanced toward the kitchen, then added, “I’ve got wheels. See you in the front of the restaurant at nine.”

Cande glanced down at his shirt. “People dress sharply when they go to those dances, Beaver.”

“Yeah, but hopefully it’ll be dark when we get there and no one will notice us much.”

He nodded. “Let’s hope you’re right, Beaver.”

“Cande.” Beaver leaned toward him. “What’s the West End?”

A smile beamed from Cande’s face. “That’s right. You don’t know about the West End.” He laughed like a delighted child. “I get to take you to the West End! It’s like a mall with lots of special shops, and it’s only eight blocks away. I know it because Joe Columbus took a group of us guys there.

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