Jumping Bean Productions

"Yes, my family is Catholic."

"Then I must see your father and your priest."

"No. First you must become Pedro de la Garza. You must have something to show my father and my priest."

This was language Pedro understood well. It was a quest of sorts, to prove his worth. He had read Don Quixote as a child. Unstated, but also clearly understood, was the time limit. Angela would not be in school much longer.

"Si, Angela mia. Pedro de la Garza must become a man."

Some things were very easy to arrange. Patricia had mentioned Pedro around her job on several occasions. It did not hurt that the context was in studying English and Banking Regulations. So when Pedro applied for a job at another downtown bank, the buzz had him as diligent, family oriented, bright, in short like Patricia. The hours were no problem. Pedro applied for late night work, saying he had another job.

Moving out of the hotel proved no more difficult. Patricia and Pedro would be keeping an apartment together. The ladies who had sponsored him to a room, were quite happy to see Patricia moving in with family. It was all quite respectable. Miss Walker became quite teary eyed, something which shocked no few of the girls, who had never moved her with any of their stories. Deirdre and Edith organized a collection of boys to handle the actual move. Exactly who thanked whom, for what, and with what would be another story. Sufficient to say that Patricia's now substantial wardrobe was moved with little fuss.

The biggest problem proved to be Gretchen. A senior now, trying to squeeze out a respectable grade average, she had been unaware of the preparations. She was more than a little upset that her "discovery" was leaving her. Never mind that she had dumped him in an unfamiliar place, a boy in a borrowed dress, and left him to fend for himself. Gretchen threatened to call the "Sun", she never read the "Times", and blow the whole story. Accusations were made, threats were lobbed, and voices were raised before it all settled. In the end, the fact that all of the girls banded behind Pedro and threatened to tell her family all her dirty laundry, meant nothing. The fact that Pedro shrugged it off as unimportant carried the day.

Edith and Deirdre exposed her anyway. It was not hard to get one of Gretchen's parties raided. Gretchen did tell the whole story at that point, but to deaf ears. It worked out well for her in the end. She married her defense attorney.

The timing could not have been better. Pedro was barely into his new apartment, when he received his big break. Almost as a sideshow, Jumping Bean Productions had been launched some weeks before. Edith had taken an interest in theatre once she understood that she had the looks for the stage. She turned out to be a natural. Able to memorize whole acts overnight, she was soon in demand as a one night fill in. Pedro was her agent and Patricia was her dresser. JBP was organized to provide a mailing address. Patricia fielded the phone calls from her bank desk.

Pedro had just gotten Edith a fill in part in "The Toll of the Clock" for three nights. As he finalized the arrangements, he chanced across an old acquaintance. Early in her time in the hotel, Patricia had auditioned for Maria in a traveling "West Side Story." Pedro introduced himeself as Patricia's cousin. As it happened, the promoter had a hot script, a leading man and was casting the ladies. He wondered if Patricia be interested reading for a part. Pedrosteered him to Edith, as Eve Conner, who auditioned for and won the lead. When the inevitable money problems came up, Pedro, through Patricia's bank contacts, helped iron out the financing. Viola. Almost without realizing it, Pedro de la Garza d.b.a. Jumping Bean Productions was listed as a producer of a hit off Broadway play.

One thing led to another, and soon Pedro was hiring. Edith was part time assistant and full time Star. Deirdre was part time actor and full time Agent/Girl Friday. Soon the twins were on the phones. Miss Walker turned out to be another natural in any kind of matron role. She eventually quit the hotel to take over JPB's security. To his dying day, Pedro would be amazed at the sums of money to be made in entertainment. He achieved his goal of respectability by early March. When the time came, he was so busy Angela had to remind him of their date with her father and priest.

Vicente Molinari turned out to be less of a problem than Pedro had anticipated. Born in the ghettoes of Brooklyn, he had helped his immigrant father build a company that bowed to no one. That his daughter brought home an immigrant with accented English, bothered him not at all. Father Bernini wanted whatever made Mr Molinari happy.

Beatrice Molinari was another story. She was from quality stock and wanted her daughter to marry into an elite family. Her husband reminded her that she had once heard her own mother speak the same words, from the same seat, at the same table(it was a wedding present from Beatice's mother. Her subtle point was that they had no dining room bigenough. Vincente's subtle reply was to buy a house with a dining room big enough to make the table look small), about 25 years earlier. This did not improve Beatrice's disposition, but it did quiet the argument. The discussion about the wedding plans went on somewhat longer.

It was after midnight that they finally retired. Pedro had thought the hotel's 12'x15' rooms expansive. The guest room had a closet that size. He was composing himself for sleep when a half seen figure slipped under his covers and fumbled with his cock. Knowing better than to cry out, he still threw back the sheets to find Angela, wearing only a bottomless teddy, under his covers. She put her fingers to her lips.

"Sshhh my darling. Several months ago, the night I first saw you, I decided that I would only have you if I could have you here. You have not disappointed me. Now be quiet or mother will find out."

At that she took his half alert member into her mouth. Pedro was shocked, flattered and frankly humbled.

"No Angela mia. Let us first greet each other as a man should greet his wife."

He took her in his arms and, stroking her hair and calling her an angel, he kissed her. She answered. For several long moments they embraced and the kisses lingered. Then the kisses became more urgent and Angela began to explore his body with her hands. She stopped to pull the teddy over her head, but when Pedro kicked of the shorts he wore in bed, Angela laughed. Pedro was a little startled that she laughed while looking at his penis, but it was a kind laughter. Taking Pedrito's length in her hand, she whispered,

"No Pedro my love. You do not disappoint me either."