*********
The following day, Sunday, JP was on his way to pick something up from his Aunt’s house--- that was his excuse. Never was he so conscious of the way he dressed or how his hair was combed. He had never experienced this before -- anxious yet scared. Not so much of Lulu but of the side remarks his aunt might make. He was prepared! He had scripted answers should Juaning comment on his attire, hair, and other things on him.
JP found Aunt Juaning and Lulu seated at the kitchen table.
“I told you he’ll be here,” remarked Juaning as JP entered. “How come you’re late?”
JP had no ready answer and was dumbstruck.
Lulu sensed JP was in an awkward spot and butted, “I’ll get another plate,” as she prepared to stand.
“Stay where you are,” Juaning said. “He came here for you. He doesn’t come here to visit me.” She stood to attend to his lunch.
JP was not prepared for that either. “Auntie, that’s not true. I was here . . .”
“Almost four months ago.”
“But I spoke to you over the phone and explained.”
“Since then, he never called. Work, work, work much like his . . .” she paused in mid-sentence as though she could not utter the word.
JP and Lulu notice her hesitation.
“Like a mule,” she continued. “Work is the only thing he has in mind,” Juaning protested. “You must never forget your personal obligations. Regardless of how busy you are, you must squeeze time for it.”
JP went to his Aunt and kissed her. “I’m really sorry. I will try to be here on weekend.”
“You should have someone to remind you. Lulu will. Saturday or Sunday, lunch or dinner?” Juaning said forcefully for a firm commitment.
“I will call before. Most likely dinner and a Saturday.”
“But you’ll be coming here for Lulu and not me,” Juaning quipped as she brought over the food and winked at Lulu.
Lulu beamed at Juaning, too naive to understand what the wink meant.
“I give up,” JP said in sheer anguish. “Since I’m here, where do you want to go?” he asked, addressing the question more to Lulu.
“Where did you plan on taking us?” Juaning immediately answered.
“Universal Studios?” he replied, looking at Lulu.
“How thoughtful of you JP, but really you . . .”
“None of that,” retorted Juaning. “I haven’t been there for a long time. In fact, the last time I was there was with JP . . .”
The trio had a wonderful day at the amusement park, more so, Juaning who chaperoned the two.
FIGHT OVER LUNCH
It was a workday, Monday. JP was in his car at the company's parking lot earlier than normal. He normally went to work donned in things that were comfortable---T-shirts, drub denims, and sneakers as if it was his uniform. If his shirt and pants matched, it was an accident. Not this time. He wore a pressed checkered blue shirt nicely tacked in his navy-blue pants and wore a shined black leather shoes. His hair was a bit shiny but well groomed.
JP’s heart throbbed on seeing Lulu's car turn toward the company’s communal parking lot. He twisted the rear-view mirror and checked his hair and practiced his smile again. He left his car when Lulu’s car neared. “Good morning, Lulu,” he greeted casually as Lulu left her car. The crest on both ends of his lips were deep and welcoming. His best version of his smile was on his face.
“Good morning, JP,” Lulu greeted back, smiling. She watched JP hurriedly get office stuff from his car’s trunk as she stayed by her car’s side knowing JP would pass near her to get to the building. As she waited, an old compact car parked adjacent to JP’s car.
“Buenas dias, muchachas,” JP greeted cheerfully as the driver and her passengers came out of an old model sedan.
“Buenas dias, Big Daddy,” Sylvia Garcia, the Assembly Supervisor, greeted back as she stepped out of her car. She was a Mexican, born and lived in Los Angeles all her life. Her three car-pool passengers, all women, greeted the same way as they alighted with their lunch box on hand. They ganged up on JP. They were so focused on his attire to notice Lulu standing by her car. “Boy, Big Daddy is really dressed up. Going to a funeral?” she asked, taking time to check him out. “Raise your pant’s leg, Big Daddy,” she said.
“Why?” JP questioned.
“Just raise it,” Sylvia insisted.
JP looked at Lulu across the car’s top with a half-hearted smile and thought it better to play along. He lifted the left leg of his pants. “What's so special?”
“Even his socks match,” Marijack, the company’s receptionist, declared in a surprised tone.
Sylvs, an electronics assembler, walked around JP. “You think it's him? This guy is too neat and polish.”
“His nails are cut and clean,” Alice, an assembly worker commented.
“Stop clowning,” JP said as he walked towards Lulu standing by her car. “I'd like you to meet Lulu. She's . . .”
“It's Big Daddy's girlfriend,” cried Alice excitedly.
“She's not my girlfriend . . . I mean she's a girlfriend . . . I mean she's . . .”
“Give him time girls,” Sylvia commanded. She had a nice way of controlling the people in her electronic assembly area. All her car passengers were her subordinates and related to her in some way. She was among the first employees hired and later became the lead person to a group of twenty-two circuit board assemblers, mostly women of Mexican descent.
“Thanks, Sylvia,” JP said. He turned to Lulu. “I hate to do this, but I have to introduce these . . . women,” stressing 'women' as he glanced at them. “Sylvia, meet Luningning Spence, Lulu for short. She's replacing Beth.”
“I’m glad,” Sylvia said showing relief. She really did not like Beth. “Kidding aside, I'm Sylvia Garcia and these are your co-employees: mother and daughter Alice and Marijack Pamintuan, and another Sylvia, Sylvia Lorenzana. Call her Sylvs so we won’t get us mixed up.”
As Sylvia introduced Lulu to the rest, JP realized his plan of giving Lulu a personal tour of the company was but a dream. With the women around, he resigned himself. “Bring Lulu in and introduce her to the rest,” he said to Sylvia then turned to Lulu, “Lulu, don't believe what they say about me.”
“I'll try,” Lulu quipped as JP walked ahead of them.
“He's a nice guy, our boss,” Sylvia started the conversation walking towards a one-story brick building with front glass door sandwiched between two wide-dark glass windows.
“I did notice that,” Lulu replied.
Sylvs joined, “We are a little family in this company.”
Alice added, “We joke a lot, so don’t be sensitive or you won’t last long.”
“I won't. Working in a family atmosphere and with wonderful friendly people like you, was always my dream. I'm certain I'll enjoy working here,” Lulu said as she smiled and looked at each of them.
There was something in how she said and looked at them that everyone noticed---a unique charm. They responded positively and assured her the company was a fun place to work.
The group brought Lulu to the company's break room. It was a regular break room with vending machines, microwave ovens, and three long rectangular tables. Everyone stuck their lunch boxes on the break room shelves. Lulu took hers from her canvas bag. It was a chocolate tin box.
Sylvia noticed Lulu's lunch box. “We better put your name on it before someone would think it’s for everyone,” she said, and pulled out her marking pen and wrote Lulu's name on the top of the box; placed it on the shelf; and led Lulu to sit at the table to where the others were seated. Sylvia started, “We don't have to walk around to introduce you to the rest. Most will pass here. Known JP long?”
“We met by accident last Friday evening.”
“He helped you,” Alice joined.
“How did you know?” Lulu looked at Alice.
“He's that type of a guy. I know of no one in production he had not helped one way or another. He'll go
out of his way if he knew you need something. A nice guy.”
“I noticed that,” Lulu replied in retrospect.
Marijack, inquisitive by nature, asked, “How did the two of you meet, if you don't mind my asking?”
“Not at all. My wallet got snatched and . . .” Lulu told her story between interruptions as Alice introduced her to employees that came in the room at random.
At exactly 8 a.m., JP walked in the breakroom. “Can I have her now?” JP said smiling to Sylvia’s group at the table. “Giving her a company tour.”
“You finish your story later,” Sylvia said to Lulu as the group prepared to stand.
JP heard Sylvia. “What story?” he curiously asked.
“How she met a pervert last Friday,” Sylvia answered. “Remember, lunch with me.”
“Oh, no. She's having lunch with me,” JP asserted, then found himself in a spot. He turned to Lulu. “It's a practice to treat a new employee to lunch on their first day,” he hurriedly explained then gave Sylvia the look.
Sylvia was not intimidated. “I don't recall having a free lunch on my first day.” She looked at Lulu and asked, “You single?”
“I am.”
“That answers everything. I was married with two kids when he hired me,” Sylvia replied and saw JP blushed. “Okay. We'll have lunch another time. Talk to you later, Lulu,” then winked at JP and left.
Lulu said to JP, “You don't have to treat me to lunch. I brought my lunch and would love to share it with you. I have enough for both of us.”
JP ignored Lulu's offer. “There's this little restaurant a few blocks from here. The food is great and not flashy.”
Lulu smiled as she nodded then they walked towards the production area with him.
JP introduced Lulu to the employees along the way and explained what they did. When they got to the R&D cage, he showed Gilda, the robot, with a whole right arm and shoulder missing and explained what had happened.
Lulu scrutinized the lamed robot with great interest.
Sonny was at the far end working on the arm. “Sonny,” JP called out. “Come and meet Lulu.”
“A ya yay, que bonita,” (Wow. What a pretty woman.) Sonny said as he approached them in his normal jolly way.
“Muchas gracias, Senior,” (Thank you so much, Sir.) Lulu answered in perfectly accented Spanish with a smile.
“Habla usted Espaniol?” Sonny asked if she could speak Spanish in a surprising tone.
“Si.” ‘Yes’ she replied.
“Mi llamo, Sonny Dominguez . . .” he introduced himself then conversed with Lulu in Spanish.
JP was again amazed as he stood and listened to the two speak in Spanish. Soon, Sonny led Lulu to his machine shop. Lulu looked back at JP not knowing if she should follow.
“Don't worry, it’s part of your orientation,” JP said and tailed the two.
JP did not understand what the two were talking about but guessed Sonny was explaining how the mechanical arm worked. He saw Lulu point something within the mechanism as they talked. Soon, Sonny took a long screwdriver and traced things then handed the screwdriver to Lulu. Lulu pointed things within the mechanical arm's casing and explained something. From this, JP knew he would hear another extraordinary thing and just stood, watched, and listened to them talk in a serious manner without understanding a word.
A minute later, Sonny looked at JP and said, “You hire Miss Lulu for me?”
“She's replacing Beth,” JP replied.
“Caramba! She good,” Sonny said in broken English. “Leave here, ten minutes. She show something very, very, very interesting.”
“Okay. When you're through, bring her to Greg's office.”
Sonny looked at JP from head to feet and seriously said, “Gracias, Gringo. You good. Not worth killing.”