Chocolate and Caramel Ch. 02

I was alone now, just me and the three wrestlers.

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A new vendor came by, and wanted a meeting.

"My name is Vincente Doran. I'm a major in the federal police force. I understand you have a little problem?"

I told him the story. We had paid the first extortion payment to give us room to plan. The next payment was due in ten days.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Give them the money, but do it here. We'll have it wired, and will hear and tape the whole thing. Then we'll follow the money, see who the kingpin. When we get enough information, we'll arrest them all."

It took another two months, but they had what they wanted, the leader, and raids took place over a three month period. I was on a plane an hour before the raids started happening. I never returned.

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My extended family mobbed me at the airport.

Rosie looked a little thicker. Maybe American food agreed with her. I said as much.

She smiled and put my hand on her stomach.

"Something American agreed with me. You're going to be a father again in five months."

Sometimes life works out like you want.

She told me after our reunion romp that night how happy she was we were out and no one got hurt.

"I was so afraid you'd get involved."

I smiled grimly in the darkness.

Tia Rodriguez' sister, the widow, decided not to leave. Two nights before I was to leave, she was beaten nearly to death. I rushed to the hospital when I heard.

Besides being beaten, she had two deep cuts.

I got to talk to her just before the drugs took effect. She had a broken jaw, arm, hand, three fingers on the other hand, and ribs. Sixty eight stitches to various parts of her body. She was sixty nine.

"Tell me Maria, who did this?" I whispered in her ear, so no one else could hear.

She grasp my hand.

"Carlos" she croaked, "machete. He asked what you were going to do about it."

I hugged her as she fell asleep, then made arrangements to pay her hospital bill.

I stopped by the gym.

"Sent word to Carlos. Tell him tomorrow afternoon, Rosalita's house. And tell him to be sure and bring his machete."

Diego tried to talk me out of it, then gave up.

"Tell him to come, Diego. Make sure he knows I'm not the only one with a family. He better be there."

It was quiet in her old house, all the furniture given away, waiting for its' new occupants.

I had Rosie's machete. It was well balanced, worn but serviceable, and razor sharp. I watched her cut some sugar cane with it once, amazed at the ease she had cutting through the stalks. I tested the edge, it was razor sharp. She laughed.

"I'm a single woman. There have been times when I had to dissuade a wouldbe suitor. It cuts more than cane, if it has too."

It was a lot like a short Chinese broadsword I had used. I worked with it for a few hours the night before and this morning, until I was comfortable.

He came, but not alone. He had four men with him, one his son. I stood in the door and smirked at him.

"Afraid to come alone?"

He grinned back.

"No, gringo. I wanted witnesses to your death. On the off chance I lose, they will shoot you, so you die either way."

"I don't think so" said a voice from the tree line.

Diego and three of his men were there, each with a pistol or rifle. They all had on plain luche libre masks.

"Whoever wins, walks away. Then it will be over. Agreed?"

The men nodded. Carlos looked uncomfortable, which made me grin wider.

"Well, let's see how you do against a man, instead of an old woman. Or you could drop to your knees and beg for your life. Do it, and I might let you live."

I stepped out of the door, the machete held loosely by my side.

Knowing he had no choice, he charged me, swinging. I easily parried the blow, hitting him on his ass with the flat of my blade as he went past. It made a loud smacking sound, and had to hurt. I heard someone laughed. Everyone knew I could have killed him then.

He became more cautious, but didn't have my skills. Soon he was bleeding from two deep cuts, one on each side of his chest.

"How does it feel, puta? It's in the same place you cut Maria. Hurts like hell, doesn't it? Now, you gonna stand there crying like a little bitch, or you want more?"

He was game. Soon he had a few more cuts, including one deep into his cheek.

"Damn, that's gonna leave a scar."

He had scored on me, twice. I ended up with three stitches on my neck, and five on my forearm.

I got tired of the game and put him on his knees, with my machete at his throat.

"I'm done. Give me your word you'll leave this place, and I'll let you life. Keep going and all you'll be going to is a shallow, unmarked grave in the middle of nowhere. Make your choice."

He wanted to continue, I could see it in his eyes.

But he dropped his head.

"Can I take my family?"

"Take anyone you like" I told him, "just be gone by tomorrow."

I turned and walked away, watching the eyes of his men. When I saw his son's eye widen, I jumped sideways and turned. Carlos had pulled a pistol. Why he didn't just shoot instead of rushing me I'll never know. I reacted on instinct, watching the machete flash. His pistol hit the ground, with his hand still holding it.

His arm was spurting blood.

"Tourniquet!" I yelled.

His son stripped off his shirt and belt. we bound the arm and tightened the belt to keep him from bleeding out.

Just before they got him in the car I grabbed his head, going eye to eye.

"This ends, now. You do anything else, I'll cut off your other hand, maybe a foot. Then I go after your family. Do you understand?" He nodded, weakly.

I looked at his son.

"Make sure you both understand. I mean it, I'm tired of fooling around."

I heard through Diego he told the hospital it was a farming accident. By no, injuries like this were getting more common, and the staff had learned not to ask. They tried to reattach it, but it didn't work.

Diego shipped me the machete. It hangs with my other martial arts weapons.

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My mom lived long enough to see two more grandchildren, one of each, black haired beauties with light caramel skin. Our rift had finally healed, and she loved Connie, her newest granddaughter so much she almost lived with her.

I got my plant manager job, as promised.

Rosie went to school with a vengeance, earning a high school diploma and an associate degree in four years. She is now going for her four year degree. She plans to be a Spanish teacher.

I rejoined my old dojo, and bought a half interest in it. Josh and Angel are both part time instructors. Two of their old classmates had made it to America, moved to our town, and started training. I had written them all a long letter goodbye with a promise to help them any way I could. They were the only ones who took me up on it.

I finally went to New York and tested, jumping two ranks at once, something rare.

Josh showed them film highlights of my lucha libre career. They laughed until I took down another instructor and put him into submission.

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It was a small town, so I knew it had to happen eventually.

I was getting my new daughter out of her car seat. She was almost eighteen months old, speaking a mix of English ans Spanish. Rosie was standing there waiting, five months along with her new brother.

We turned around and literally bumped into her.

She had gained even more weight, she had to be over two fifty now. She was thirty six, and looked forty six. Tears glistened in her eyes.

"Hello Bobby. How are you?"

"I'm fine, Shondra. How are you."

She sighed.

"Oh, I'll do. It's good to see you."

I felt Rosie tightening her grip on my arm. She knew who she was, Gram had shown her pictures.

"Where are my manners? Shondra, this is Rosalita Margarita Consuelo Gomez Turner, my wife. Honey, this is Shondra Riley, my former wife."

She shook her hand coolly, before smiling.

"It's nice to meet someone from his past. I'm sure you made some good memories, just as I'm doing now. Come, honey, if you want to talk, give me Constance Julietta, it's too hot for her out here."

Her eyes widened, we had named her after Gram and my mother, like we had planned to do, if we ever had a daughter.

"No, it's all right, You're carrying enough right now. Shondra, you should go see Gram more, she asks for you, and her health isn't getting any better. Nice to see you."

I could see the tears forming in her eyes as we turned. I felt bad for her, until I looked into the warm chocolate eyes of my wife.

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That's it. Hoped you liked it, and as always, thanks for investing the time. Votes are welcom, comments encouraged. Until next time.