San Juan

Carlotta and I boarded a plane for San Juan,Puerto Rico early in the morning...This was major...I was going to meet her Father and the rest of her family....She had already met my mother and father in West Philly...They loved her...My Sister loved her too...Which was surprising to me because she wasn't a  Black woman, which I'm sure they would have all preferred for me...but Latina...But in the case of my folks...Latina was close enough to being Black....So they accepted her graciously....

My mother said..."I can see that she makes you happy son, So I'm happy for you.I've never seen you this happy before...and I love her."

My Dad kept smiling and patting me on the back and whispering..."My man..You gotta hot spicy one there boy...Good job!"

 My Sister, Keisha smiled and said- "I like her, she's down to earth...Not pretensious and hoity toity like some of those others you brought around here...Good job Brother.....You better hold on to her.." she said...  She said to Carlotta... "Girlll, keep my brother in line...He needs it." and hugged her... Both Dad and I were stunned...Keisha never liked anybody I brought around...This was a first!!

I'm Keith Porterhouse Wallace, Assistant District Attorney ,Philadelphia PA.  I'm on vacation...So is my girlfriend, Detective, Carlotta Rodriguez!!

I had worshiped at Carlotta's parish and she in turn had went to church with me a few times...And I had met her older sister, Carm during the Christmas Holidays, but this was major...I was going to meet her father and her cousins....and in what I considered a foreign land, even though...Puerto Rico is  part of the United States...

"You Nervous Papi?" she asked as we sat on the plane holding hands..

''Yeah, a little...I hope I don't say anything stupid." I said.

"Oh stop it...you'll be just fine...You were cool around Carm." She said.

"Yeah, but I was also in my home and in my home town." I said.

She laughed and patted my hand softly...

"You'll be fine." she said.

"So you were born in Philly right?" I asked.

"Yes sir...So was Carm....and my cousin Ernesto and his sister, who you will meet..He's a boxer...42 wins, 4 losses and 3 draws...Pretty good." she beamed with pride.

"Your parents are from here?" I asked.

"Yes...My mother and Father were born and raised in San Juan...They moved to Philly when my mother was pregnant with Carm...I was born three years later...My Uncle and Aunt moved to Philly next and Ernesto was born in Philly too. Same year as me..We are like, weeks apart in age...We were more like Brother and Sister than cousins when we were growing up." she said.

Our Flight was smooth...We arrived in San Juan and Carlotta rented a car at the airport....She drove us into the city to her cousin's house....

When we arrived there...It was as if she was a returning celebrity....The first one we saw was her sister,Carm..

Carm smiled broadly and almost yelled-

"CARLOTTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA....COME HERE BABY SISTER.." she said as she grabbed Carlotta and swung her around...."So good to see you baby.." she said kissing Carlotta and then looked at me...

"And you brought Handsome along too???....Heyy Keith! How are you?" she yelled and let Carlotta go and gave me a nice warm hug....

Her body was just as shapely and round and just as warm as Carlotta's...Both women had the softest skin, smelled great and looked good...I could see why Natividad Diaz was so torn between which sister he wanted to date.

"I'm good Carm...I see you're doing well." I said.

"Heyyyyyyyy, what can I say?" she laughed.

II-

Within minutes a group of lovely ladies entered the house....All relatives...Cousins I believe...They were happy to see her.. Carlotta introduced me to them and they all seemed very friendly and inviting...Then they began bringing in food and libations... It looked delicious...

I should have felt at ease...but I didn't...I was waiting for her Father to enter....That didn't take that long...The doorbell rang within minutes...And a medium sized ,handsome man with a white beard and moustache and just a trace of gray in his hair walked through the door with a much younger woman...A woman that looked younger than Carlotta.. He took one look at Carlotta and let out a wild yell-

"Carlotta?? Is that my baby? CARLOTTTAAAAAA!" he yelled and grabbed his daughter and spun her around much like her sister.."

Carlotta screamed with excitement-"Put me down....Daddy put me down." and kissed her father...

"Let me look at you....Oh my God..I've missed you sooo much baby." he said.."So where is this fella ,I've been told about?" he said.

Carlotta smiled and pointed to me...All of the women went-"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..." and laughed....

He looked at me without a smile and then walked over to me...

"I've heard about you!  You gonna make my daughter an honest woman?" he said with a stern look...

"Sir..I'm gonna do the very best I can." I said.

He hit me in the gut....It hurt, but I didn't flinch...I just looked at him...He smiled and pulled me to him, hugging me...

"I LIKE HIM....AYEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!...You didn't flinch....I hit Carlotta's other boyfriend...Mickey Lolo and he fell to the floor, collapsed like a sack of potatoes..AHhahahahahahahaha." he said.

"Okay Daddy let's not bring him up..." said Carlotta...

"Where is that bum anyway? In Jail by now?" he asked..

"He's presumed to be dead sir." I said.

"See? I'm not surprized...What's with all this sir business? I am Salizar Rodriguez...You can call me Sal...When you become family, you can call me dad!" He laughed...

"Daddy?" said Carlotta...

"Daddy what, Baby Sis? We can look at both of you, the way you look at each other and see that there is love in the air...Especially him!" said Carm, answering for her father...and pointing to me as all of her cousins laughed...

"Excuse my manners...This is the love of my life...Rosalita Rivera..Rosalita..You know Carm, This is my youngest daughter,Carlotta,and her fella,Keith from Philadelphia." he said introducing us to his young girlfriend, who looked like she might be pregnant...Carlotta smiled weakly, but hugged her just the same...

A younger man, a man who looked in between Carlotta's age and mine walked into the doorway....He was about my height, Athletic and well muscled...he wore his hair in a ponytail....He moved like a boxer, but he had the look of a playa...

Carlotta took one look at him and ran into his arms...

"Ernesto!!!" she yelled...

''Carlotta!! Aye.!!!!............" he yelled as again she was lifted up and spun around..

"Keith, this is my cousin Ernesto...Ernesto this is Keith.." she said.

"I read about you in the papers...Crime buster.." he said.

"Ahhh, your cousin is the real crime buster...She's a great detective...She makes my life easier." I said.

He smiled slyly and gave me the side eye...

''I'll bet she does aye! AHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH." he laughed...

I laughed too...So did everyone!

"Come on, let's eat!"said her father...

We all sat down at the tables outside and ate the delicious food and drank Tequila and rum all night...Within hours I was more than a little tipsy.

The women laughed and talked and kept looking at me and whispering things to Carlotta ,which made her laugh and Salizar and Ernesto and I kept doing shots and laughing...

"So tell me Keith, How did you meet my baby daughter?" he asked.

"I met her in 2009, when she cracked a major case...I knew I liked her even then, but I never said more to her than "Hi and Bye" until last year when her Lieutenant asked me to put together a special unit of the best detectives...She was one of the best in that unit and we got close during a serial murder case...That's when I told her how I felt about her." I said.

"Her Lieutenant??...Is her name Sissy by any chance?" asked her Father..

"Yes..You've met Sissy?" I asked...

''No, but I saw a photo of her and my daughter that was among some photos  that Carlotta sent to me last year...I say Aye Mios Dios..What a woman! I asked Carlotta about her..She say...'Leave my Boss Lady alone papi'."he laughed..

I cracked up!

"Watch it Uncle Sal...You already got one woman too many." laughed Ernesto...

"I know...Looks like I got a bun in the oven...I think Carm suspects...I don't know how Carlotta is going to take it!" he said.

"She'll be alright....Pass me some more of that rum." I said.

"Aye!  I like this guy...Carlotta, you gotta winner mami." laughed Ernesto , who slapped me on the back!

Her Father busted out laughing...

"I see Carlotta schooled you....No way you'd know about this rum..." he laughed...It was true.

"Don't get my boyfriend drunk.." said Carlotta...

"Too Late!" laughed Ernesto.

"You guys got started and didn't wait for me?" came a voice at the door..

Everyone turned around and the room was suddenly silent.

III-

Did Carlotta have nothing but beautiful women in her family? I wondered....I now understood Kevin's friend, Clerow...Who was married to Cora beth , a sexy woman, Had once been the boyfriend of Cora Beth's older sister,Mabel Jenkins, a stunningly sexy woman herself and had also at one time bedded Corabeth's Older sister, Victoria, who also was sexy and attractive...

Standing in the doorway was a short sexy woman , who had on a shoulder holster with a glock nine in it and a gold sheild hanging around her neck...She was some type of cop...

"Carlotta, is that YOU?" she said and she ran over to her...She didn't spin her around, but the two hugged each other...

"Keith, this is my cousin...Mercedes...Mecedes Rodriguez...She is Policia..." said Carlotta..

"You never told me about her..."I said.

"Yeah..A little over sight on my part..She's a Detective too..." said Carlotta..

"I'm just like my cousin here...A Murder policia." she said.

''Oh My God...The criminals better look out...Two Detective Rodriguezes.." I laughed..

''So this is your fella huh?  Carm didn't lie..He is cute...You hit the jackpot mami." she said.

Carlotta was blushing something terrible..

"Don't just stand there...Ernesto ,fix your sister a plate.." said Carm..

"How long you stayin Carlotta?"asked Mercedes..

''A week...We are stayin at Carm's house." she said.

"Good..I know you're on vacay...But tomorrow..I need you to drop by my precinct...I caught a bad murder tonight...I just need your expert advice." said Mercedes...

"Sure." said Carlotta.

''Meanwhile...you better get your fella to the bathroom, I think he's sick." she said laughing...

Carlotta, Mercedes and Ernesto lifted me off the couch and got me to the bathroom.... Mercedes and Ernesto left, but Carlotta stayed....I must have vomited my guts out in the toilet...I was kind of embarrased that Carlotta was sitting on the side of the tub watching me.... Carm and her Father stuck their heads in...

''He Alright?" asked her father.

"He'll be fine." said Carlotta..

Carm laughed..."Now that's love...Cause I'm not watchin nobody vomit unless I love them." she said.

She and Carlotta laughed that conspiratorial laugh that Carlotta and Sissy laughed sometimes...A girl thang...

After they left...Carlotta took my shirt off...She ran some warm water on a towel and placed it on my neck...

"Carlotta!" I said.

"Yes.." she said.

"I love your family." I said.

"They seem to love you too." she laughed..

"I love you too.." I said.

"I know you do...I love you too.." she said.

"That's good" I said.

She laughed....

"I'm serious ,I do love you." I said.

"You're drunk...." she laughed..

"I'm not that drunk.."I said.

"Okay, but  you gotta lie down" she laughed..

"Okay...the room is spinning." I said.

"I know...I know...Let's get you to bed...." she said as she lifted me up, slung my shirt around my neck and walked me down the stairs..

Her family members cheered ,whistled and clapped as we came down the stairs...

"Carm, give me your keys....I'm going to take him and our stuff your house.." said Carlotta..

''Awww,that's so cute..Close the door to your room and lock it...I don't want to walk in on nothing."she laughed..

"I don't think there's going to be anything tonight." she laughed...

I looked at her and smiled...

"What? Are you kiddin?"

Her Father, Ernesto and everybody clapped and cheered some more..

"That's my kinda guy" said her father..Ernesto slapped me on the back!

Carlotta smiled ,looked at me and said-

''Okay Hero, come onnnn...let's get you to bed..."

IV-

Carlotta drove us to her sisters house...The cool night air had cleared my head and surprisingly enough ,I was able to walk by my own power to the house...I pulled Carlotta to me...

She giggled...

"Carlotta, I'm sorry." I said.

"Sorry for what baby?" she said, smiling...

''For getting drunk at your father's house. I asked.

''That wasn't my father's house..That's my cousin's house...and you don't have to be sorry, I'm bettin about now..everyone there is loaded" she said.

" So you're not mad at me?" I said.

''Mad at you? For what? I wanted you to relax and have a good time and it looks like you did." she said..

"YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!" I screamed and I lifted her up..She motioned for me to put her down...

"I know you're happy Keith honey, but baby my ribs hurt.Please put me down..My family ,as you can see are huggers." she said laughing and gave me a long ,slow, sensuous kiss ...The kind she knows I like..

I smiled...

"I am going to make you an honest woman."I said.

''I thought I was an honest woman" she said, then busted out laughing.

"Of course you are Carlotta.." I said.

"Wow..." she said-"You smell like rum." and she laughed some more.

" Look at us...Two drunk lovers." I said.

"Speak for yourself Keith, I haven't had a thing to drink but soda....Let's get you in bed..." she said.

"I guess your ribs are hurting too much for uh anything extra huh?" I said.

"They aren't hurting that much! " she said and winked.

(TO BE CONTINUED)