Chulito (18 page)

Chulito looked at Carlos. “What the fuck is his problem?”

“Chill, Kenny, we’ve known each other since we were little kids and we haven’t had a chance to hang out since I’ve been back, so tonight worked out. I invited him to come with me to the pier. But we just hanging.”

Kenny waved his hand in the air. “Whatever.”

“It’s his first time coming to the Village.” Carlos nudged Chulito. “Right?”

Chulito nodded.

“Really?” Kenny’s voice raised several octaves.

Chulito shrugged his shoulders. “Never had no reason to. I got all I need right up in my hood in the B.X. My friends, my family. Me and my friends go out sometimes, but I basically stay in my nabe.”

“So you’re going to the pier? With him? Then I’m going.” Kenny hooked his arm around Carlos’ arm. “I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when they see…Chulito.” Chulito started to think that he should have stuck to his plan to just ride down with Carlos and then head back up to Hunts Point. He didn’t like Kenny being so touchy feely with Carlos. Did they have some history?

Chulito felt uncomfortable walking with Kenny, so he lagged a couple of paces behind them as Kenny and Carlos were catching up on news. Chulito knew what everybody in the ’hood knew about the Village. Faggots and freaks hung out there. He pictured the Village being like one in an old Dracula movie with a big gate in the front, cobblestone streets and gray stone houses. As they walked he saw what he imagined were college students because they dressed like Carlos, then he saw a group of gay guys who looked like Kenny and they were loudly calling each other girl and Miss Thing. Chulito decided he couldn’t do it.

“Hey, Carlos, can I talk to you?” Chulito looked away and adjusted his shirt while Carlos approached. “Yo, I want to head back home.”

Carlos looked at Chulito’s eyes. “It’s O.K. Why don’t I tell Kenny that we changed our plans and we could go do something else?”

Chulito nodded.

Carlos turned to Kenny, “Change of plans. We’re not going to the pier.”

“No!” Kenny stomped over to them as if he were having a tantrum. “Let’s go. Please? Come to the pier, Chulito. I promise to behave.”

Chulito folded his arms across his chest. “I just don’t wanna be tagging along.”

“I’m sorry, you guys were off on your evening and I jumped into your business.”

“We ain’t got no business. What the fuck is he saying, Carlos?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Carlos said, “Kenny, we’re gonna do something else.”

“Oh, go to the Village, Chulito. You came all this way. And the pier is fun. There’s all kinds of people there and some bring boom boxes, people dance and hang. And sometimes we go eat something. At least check it out and if you don’t like it, then you guys leave.”

Chulito admitted to himself that he was curious about going to the Vil and the pier. He wanted to see Carlos’ world, and Kenny was right, he could leave if he didn’t like it. “Bet,” Chulito said, nodding in agreement.

“You sure?” Carlos asked.

“We check it. If it’s not cool, we bounce.”

They talked about their ages, about Kenny being born in the Dominican Republic, but he lived in Puerto Rico until he was ten when his family moved to New York.

“I bet you like rap music,” Kenny said to Chulito.

“It’s my shit.”

“Who’s your favorite?”

“Pun, no doubt.”

“Classic. Love him. And he was from the Bronx, so you got the Bronx connection thing going with him.”

“I like the old school rappers like Fat Joe, Tupac, Ja Rule but I been rockin’ Fabolous, too.”

“Holla back, young’n, whoo, whoo.” Kenny sang and Chulito laughed.

“I didn’t know you were into rap music,” Carlos said to Kenny.

“Honey, I’m into rap music lovers. I got me a bad case of thug passion.”

“I know what that is,” Chulito said. “Hennessey and Alizé.”

“Yes, that and it’s also me getting all stupid over guys like that brother over there.”

The trio had reached the corner of Seventh Avenue and Christopher Street. Chulito discovered there was no big gate or gray stone houses in the West Village either. Nothing special. It looked just like all the small streets they had passed. Christopher Street was narrow and lots of guys were checking him out. He was used to women staring him down, but not guys, not like this. Usually, when guys checked him out they were nervous and looked away, but here they held the stare, and a few even shared comments—“Damn,” “Want some company, papi,” “Are you my baby daddy.” Chulito liked the attention.

“Kevin!” Kenny called out in the same falsetto he’d used to call Carlos. “Let’s go say hi.”

Kenny led the trio over to Kevin who was dressed like a hard up thug—du rag tight around his braids, open Enyce jersey, loose shorts and Timberland boots. “Wassup, m’brother?”

“Chillin’,” Kevin responded. “’Sup, Carlos. Ain’t seen you in a minute.” Chulito watched Kevin hug Carlos and didn’t like him pressing Carlos against his bare chest.

Carlos pulled away from Kevin. “This is my friend Chulito.”

Kevin held up a fist, and Chulito bumped fists with him.

“’Sup Chulito. I ain’t seen you around here before.” He crossed his arms and sized up Chulito.

“Chulito and I grew up together,” Carlos said. “It’s his first time in the Vil.”

Kevin pulled down his shades to reveal light brown contact lenses. He chewed on a toothpick that sat in the right corner of his mouth. “Welcome downtown, little brother, you in good hands with these two. Kenny will get you in trouble and Carlos will get you out of it.” Everyone but Chulito laughed.

Kenny lifted one of the open flaps of Kevin’s unbuttoned Enyce jersey. “Well you looking good, Kevin. Been hitting the gym, I see.” Kevin tapped his hand away.

“Sorry. We headed over to the pier.” Kenny said. “Wanna come?”

“I just came from there.”

“Who’s there?”

“The usual suspects. I might hit The Monster, since I turned twenty-one a few weeks ago.”

“Happy belated birthday.” Kenny kissed him on the cheek.

“Chill, Kenny, don’t be slobberin’ all over me. Stop acting so hungry.”

“The Monster is one of the oldest gay bars in the Village,” Carlos explained to Chulito, pointing to it, “but we have to be over twenty-one to get in.”

Chulito looked over to The Monster. He had been to so many bars and lounges with Kamikaze that he figured the gay bars looked the same, except for guys and women it would be guys and guys. He could make out men sitting in the big windows with drinks in hand.

“Well, enjoy the Monster,” Kenny said. “It’s just the pier for us young queens.”

They continued down Christopher Street, stopping to look at windows of shops that sold Speedo swim trunks, tight form fitting clothes displayed on shirtless mannequins with big bulges, sex toys, exotic soaps, candles, and porn magazines and DVDs. Chulito thought that it was wild for everything to be out in the open.

“Let’s go in.” Kenny stepped into a shop that had a mannequin wearing leather chaps, a harness and mask.

“Nah.” Chulito said looking down the block. “Y’all go on. I’ma be right here.”

Carlos shook his head and smiled. “You don’t have to be afraid.”

“I ain’t afraid.” Chulito folded his arms across his chest. “It just ain’t my scene.”

Carlos laughed. “Yeah, right.” He was unphased, relaxed and even laughed a lot more than he did walking down Garrison Avenue.

By the time they reached the pier, Kenny and Carlos had greeted about fifty people and had as many mini conversations about as many topics. Chulito felt out of place. He longed to go back to the ’hood.

The sun was setting over the Hudson River with its rays dancing on the rippling waves and the warm light casting long shadows. The pier was buzzing with young people, rollerbladers, joggers and vendors selling ice cream, hot dogs and shish kebobs. Chulito thought it looked more like a park than a pier. There was a small plaza at the entrance and a long expanse of neatly trimmed grass full of people relaxing. “This is dope. I wish we had one of these back up in Hunts Point.”

Carlos smiled. “Glad you like it, Chulito. This is where I spend most of my time. It’s free, there are always lots people, there’s food and there’s even a bathroom.”

Chulito continued to check out the scene and wondered if the group of break dancers, spinning on their backs and uprocking, were gay. There were guys who looked like Papo, Davey and Chin-Chin from his neighborhood, except these guys were holding hands or making out. “I’m a little bugged out,” he said with a laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Carlos asked.

Kenny leaned into him. “Culture shock, honey.”

The trio walked over to a couple sitting on the grass. Pito was a slim Black, Cuban guy wearing baggy sweats, high top New Balance sneakers and a ribbed, white tank top. He had his arms wrapped around Sebastian, a creamy colored Latino with sky blue eyes who was short, very muscular, shirtless and also wore sweat pants.

Kenny plopped down next to them. “Hey, lover boys, this is Chulito, Carlos’ friend.”

They both said “wassup” to Chulito. Pito kept nuzzling Sebastian’s neck and kissing his ear. Sebastian winked at Chulito who looked away.

A short drag queen in high heels called out to Kenny, “Bitch, where have you been?”

Kenny jumped up and ran over to her. The two hugged and had a conversation that was all arms.

Carlos sat on the railing near the couple and invited Chulito to join him. Chulito just leaned beside him.

“Kenny’s talking to Lady Elektra,” Carlos said. “You O.K.?”

“This is not what I expected, but niggas are definitely doing their thang.” Chulito looked at Pito and Sebastian who were locked in a kiss.

“Well, you wondered where I go. This is one place. We’re too young to get into clubs or bars. The Gay Center sometimes has parties and there is Kurfew, an under twenty-one party, which is fun. We go to the pizza shop we passed on Christopher Street, too.”

Two tall white boys who reminded Chulito of slightly younger versions of the German twins from Tats Cru walked over to them. They were slim with tattoos on their arms. Both had on eyeliner, which made their blue eyes brighter.

“These two lucky suckas are models,” Carlos whispered to Chulito.

“We got a call back for an A and F campaign, but another set of twins got it. They asked Sean over here to come back, though,” Siobhoan said of his brother.

“I’m not going. We’re a team,” Sean said.

“You are going, ‘cause money is money, right?” Siobhoan asked. Carlos nodded.

Sean leaned on his brother. “So then you go. Those assholes are not going to be able to tell the fucking difference.”

“Guys, this is my friend Chulito.”

Sean and Siobhoan raised their eyebrows simultaneously. “Very nice,” they said in unison.

Kenny danced with the drag queen and some other young folks. The break dancers joined them and started voguing and striking poses to the beat from a boom box playing house music. Carlos swayed.

Chulito was amazed by so much activity. He thought the Village would be overrun by goth kids and drag queens, but he was excited to see so many guys who looked like him.

Carlos hopped off the railing. “You wanna dance, Chulito?”

“You crazy? I don’t dance,” Chulito responded. “But go do ya thing.”

“I don’t want to leave you by yourself.”

“I’m cool.”

Carlos ran over to Kenny and danced. The twins joined the crowd, and soon about thirty or forty people were dancing wildly and freely to the music under a streetlight. Meanwhile, Pito and Sebastian kept kissing and Chulito noticed Pito slip his hand inside of Sebastian’s sweats, grabbing hold of the bulge that had grown.

Embarrassed, Chulito walked away from the couple and wondered if everybody on the pier was gay. His question was answered when he recognized Damian dancing with one of the strippers from the club they’d gone to for his birthday. A salsa song had come on and some people left the dance area while others broke into pairs and started salsa dancing—boys with boys, girls with girls, and boys with girls. The little bit of ease and fascination that Chulito had with the pier quickly shifted to panic. What the fuck was Damian doing there?

Carlos and Kenny came over to Chulito, laughing.

“We gotta bounce,” Chulito said abruptly.

Carlos followed Chulito’s line of sight and saw Damian spinning the young woman around. “Is that Damian? I’ve never seen him here before.”

Kenny looked over. “You know that guy dancing with the stripper? I’ve never seen him either, but she’s always here. That’s Lady Elektra’s sister. Anyway, some of us are gonna head over to Kurfew. You two wanna come?”

“Let’s get out of here.” Chulito pulled his cap down low and stormed off. Carlos and Kenny followed.

Kurfew was like the pier, except multiplied by a hundred. Young people danced under elaborate, flashing lights and the entire room vibrated from the massive sound system. The bar area was lit from below so the bartenders, male and female, looked like alien beings. All around the periphery of the dance floor there were tall tables and clusters of writhing, dancing young people around each one.