Goodbye Natalie

Chapter Thirteen: Necessary Tragedy

     Alexandria Avenue gets quiet soon after the late Californian sunset. Tall palms tower majestic and silent above the wide apartment-lined street...standing stoic sentry over anonymous comings and goings. It’s a working class neighborhood. Most retire early to their one and two bedroom plasterboard and stucco boxes. The clock ceaselessly ticks down the moments and hours until dawn erases the curtain of darkness, exposing the scurrying night people, as they scatter and hide from the revealing light.

     Under the veil of the night, Frankie Valentine cloaked himself between two closely-adjoined buildings, watching apprehensively from his hiding spot. He had a clear view of four-four-two Alexandria which was directly across the street; but, even with all precautions taken, he felt anything but secure. If it were left solely to him, he wouldn’t be anywhere near the scene of Emma Cuenca’s still fresh murder. Not only were the guilt and emotional wounds still tender, Frankie had other concerns. If the police knew of his relationship with Emma, he’d no doubt be the leading suspect. Yet, the trepidation concerning that aspect of the scenario paled compared to the source of his real fear. The author of the gut-wrenching anxiety that flooded through him at every twig snap or passing car was far more sinister than the police. Perhaps, with the cops you might be able to rely on them at least loosely adhering to some semblance of judicial fairness. When you were dealing with a heartless, bloodthirsty monster, all rules and negotiations were off. And that’s exactly what Mudcat Jones was, a monster. The guy could break your neck in one easy motion, and that’s when he’s in a good mood. Frankie had him livid, and he knew if he wanted to continue living, the best place to be was anyplace Mudcat wasn’t. Frankie imagined Mudcat to be in every shadow, and behind every bush. The sooner he got out of the neighborhood, the city, the state...couldn’t be soon enough.

     Frankie had been extremely reluctant to allow Mirna to go back to her apartment to gather even a few essentials, but Mirna Salguero was a hard-headed, feisty and hot-blooded one, and even though she was hopelessly in love with Frankie, enough so that she was willing to leave her entire life behind to follow him to some unknown destination at the drop of a hat, with only the scantest of explanations, she absolutely wouldn’t leave without a few prized personal possessions. As she ran across the street carrying the single bag that contained her most precious mementos, Frankie couldn’t help but be in awe of the strength and grit of the plucky Mirna. It was that kind of inner determinedness that had allowed her to accomplish the perilous trek from El Salvador in order to pursue her American dream. When she met Frankie, she thought all her dreams were finally coming true; little did she know, she had run headlong into a nightmare...and it was just beginning. Frankie knew how Mirna felt for him and he consciously despised himself for what he was doing. He knew he could never match her feelings back, but he needed her right now. Similarly, he had needed her when he was down on his luck and happened to run into her walking along the busy Santa Monica beach on a cloudy, windy day. He needed a place to stay, the naive immigrant girl was a too-easy mark and he hated himself for taking advantage...the same way he hated himself now for whatever it was inside of him that would allow him to use another person in this callous manner. Mirna had needs too, but hers were deep and sincerely personal...something in her required the love and attention of a good man. Frankie fit exactly half of those qualifications. As she neared, Mirna spoke breathlessly.

     ”Okay Poppy, let’s go!”

     She knew Frankie had a lot of girls, she knew that couldn’t be helped because he was definitely out of her league in the looks department...but, as she had reminded him time and time again, ...”She knew who she was!” Meaning, she knew the type of woman she was compared to the rest of the bruja’s that were attracted to Frankie for his looks. She was the kind of woman who would stick with her man to the bitter end, fight for him, die for him. She was a one-man woman and she had made her choice. The fact that Frankie hadn’t been able to understand those things just yet was irrelevant. When the time had come for him to choose someone to accompany him in his hour of need, who was it that he had come to? None of the other dog-licking whores...it was she who Frankie had chosen! Now was HER time, and she was going to make the most of it.

     Frankie and Mirna made their way through the eerie, quiet darkness. He knew from experience that if you’re going to be out roaming around L.A. at this time, you better have your head on a swivel and your hand on a weapon. He gripped the five-inch buck knife in his pocket and held onto Mirna’s hand as he lead her across Third Street. They were on foot due to an unfortunate set of circumstances, much of which was Frankie’s doing. Since striking out on his own he’d entangled himself in an ever-increasing web of lies that threatened to drag him, and anyone in his vicinity, down into a grimy pit of woeful regret.

     It had started out innocently enough. He’d found that he could gain a certain degree of comfort and security by dating slightly older, financially established women. He learned to dress the part, groom accordingly and talk the talk to attract his prey. He trolled Beverly Hills department stores and the high-rise office buildings for potential ”clients”. While cruising the Equitable building on Wilshire, he’d caught the eye of a Filipina office worker, who was a bit of hustler herself and saw potential in the attractive Frankie. She quickly befriended him and within weeks had schooled him on the finer points of the seedy world of convenience marriages to wealthy immigrants.

     He learned about fake i.d., false documents, how to appear married during extensive I.N.S. interviews. The fee was, at times, significant...the down side was incalculable. He had divested the money into clothing, jewelry, some stocks, but most went into his beloved, money-green Mercedes Four-Fifty SL. He loved and treasured that car. Unfortunately, he’d purchased it in the name of one of his faux wives in order to avoid tax and legal repercussions, and when it had been stolen recently, the last thing he could do was file a police report. He also couldn’t stand an insurance company investigation, so he was forced to eat the loss. He could pawn some jewelry, borrow some cash and sell some stock, but, for the moment Frankie was existing on his wits and what was on hand at the time of Mudcat’s unexpected arrival at Emma’s apartment. He was living life on the run, nothing new to the adaptable Frankie, but this was a whole new level...this was for real.

     The twosome set up camp at a bus stop under a bright streetlight on Third and Alexandria. Despite the late hours, the buses were running.

     ”Poppy...where are we going?” Mirna asked.

     He looked into Mirna’s wide eyes; it was a warm night, but, as he wrapped his arm protectively around the diminutive girl, he could feel her shivering. Although she was a scrappy, determined person by nature, whatever Mirna was feeling inside was readily apparent on the outside. She was completely without guile or cunning and incapable of lying or covering her true feelings. He saw deep concern and uncertainty in her eyes and his heart melted with empathy and a fresh wave of guilt. Frankie was Mirna’s opposite. He was an expert at concealing his emotions and lies came to him as natural as salmon fishing to a Grizzly bear. He had matinee idol looks, the charm of a Baptist Minister and the scruples of a used car salesman. He had a way of minimizing the dangers and maximizing the potential upside.

     ”Hollywood babe, we’re going to Hollywood.” In fact, they were headed for the Hollywood Greyhound station, to catch the first bus going anywhere.

     ”So I no going to work today?” Mirna asked plaintively.

     ”No babe, no work today.” Frankie answered.

     Frankie knew the benefits of a calm, confident demeanor under pressure, and was polished in the dark arts of emotional sleight of hand and deception. Mentoring under the skillful tutelage of one of Hollywood’s most prestigious actresses had served him well in those areas. He could slip in and out of roles as need and circumstance dictated. Right now, he was the brave, confident hero, rescuing the damsel in distress from potential harm. Unfortunately, Mirna saw herself as the leading lady and forever love interest in the drama, and Frankie knew where that would lead. As they waited in the early morning mist for the Hollywood bus, Mirna held Frankie’s hand tightly and huddled close. A light fog cast a shroud over the streetlights and seemed to create a crushing weight in the air. Frankie had never been responsible for anyone other than himself before...It weighed on his mind and heart and conscience like lead bricks in a paper canoe. He didn’t particularly care for tragedies, and this was a set up for the grandest, most heartbreaking romance since Romeo and Juliet. For Frankie however, survival would require a necessary sacrifice. That was unfortunate for the trusting, unsuspecting Mirna.

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