Today I was at Fernes’ Internet café or, more accurately, the internet bunker. A security guard came in who watches the empty lot across from us. He is a no-nonsense character, never responding to our “holas” with anything more than an “hola” or a “bien.”
He said something to me in spanish, which I turned to Primi, my consultant in all things Spanish at the internet bunker, for interpretation. Primi had been giving me a Spanish lesson in religious (or as he put it, Christian) Spanish phrases. He had taught me Spanish for “when one door is shut, another one opens” and “when god extends his arm / hand, you are free” or something like that, all while he attended to his usual internet dating communications.
After I turned to Primi for my translation, Primi turned to me and said John Travolta? -only with a Spanish pronunciation. After I understood what he had said, I spelled John Travolta out for him so he could search for him on Youtube. He came up with a bunch of excerpts from the movie “Grease,” mostly of the songs. The monosyllabic guard said “Mi mucho gusto John Travolta” (I really like John Travolta) and sat back to watch “You’re the one that I want” video, with the “Grease” cast, featuring Olivia Newton John. Both he and Primi loved it. Before leaving, I wrote down “Saturday Night Fever” and “Pulp Fiction” for them to search. I left with them sitting back to “Summer Nights.”
CURRENT READING: “Naked Portraits of Famous People” by Jon Stewart, a collection of his essays. “Lenny Bruce’s Sitcom” is very funny.
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