Category: Jubilee!

Lisa

Love was love. But the magic of love, the rapture of love was what Orguz longed for. He had felt the current, the inevitability of it, the overpowering inexorability of it in his dreams and, sometimes, a pale echo of it in the shower when he had time. But never with a real girl.

It would mean trouble and he knew it. He had heard what happened to Bilko. He had felt the current himself but he could only guess at its full power. But from what he did know, it was magnificent.

The first time he saw Lisa, she was wearing a loose purple blouse and a short dark skirt that hugged her hips, she had a long flowered scarf that she wore around her neck.

And simple red shoes, round toed not pointed like so many girls, that were like slippers and seemed so elegant on her.

He saw her watching him and he saw her looking back to see if he was watching her as she walked away.

Orguz could only imagine what it would be like to touch her. And he did imagine it, it kept him awake at night. She was clearly Latina, with a perfect oval face and long brown hair with just a wisp over her doe eyes. Orguz wanted her badly.

Then he saw her again, and then, again over several days and wished he could talk to her.

One night, toward the end of the engagement, he was walking between shows and she was suddenly in front of him.  Smiling.

Orguz managed, “Hi,” then added, “I have seen you around.” He wanted to acknowledge somehow that she had caught his attention.

“And I have seen you,” she said smiling. “I’m Lisa,” she said, “and I want to give you something.” She said shrugging her shoulders.

Orguz was confused.

She looked around and nodded to a space between two tents.

He followed her into the semi-darkness wondering what she could possibly have to give him.

She stood very close to him, and bounced up on her toes, kissing him on the cheek. “You are cute,” she said.

Orguz had not expected that and in an instant of decision, he kissed her back. Then he took her in his arms, pressing her full against her, and kissed her again a little harder and felt her mouth open slightly and her lips surrender, and he wanted more.

She started to turn to go but Orguz would not let go, he held her by her waist knowing this could be the last chance he would ever have.

“I have to go, sweetheart, she said, I have to go,” she said gently.

Orguz said, “But I have to see you again.” And he meant it.

“Can you get away? I mean could we go somewhere?” She asked.

Orguz said, “yes, anything you want.” He knew he would do anything he had to.

When she ran off, he saw her join a group of girls that were all looking his way. When she got to them, they all started talking and laughing at once, excitedly.

As they walked away toward the entrance, Orguz saw her looking back at him, smiling and and waving. He waved back at her.

Nothing Could Stop Orguz

(Orguz was making faces and posing in front of his mother’s mirror. “Call me Orgaz, he said in a low raspy voice tossing his hair, Orgaz is the man can show you a goood time!” He laughed randily. 

His father was suddenly behind him: What are you doing?

Orguz was startled, “Nothing, Papa. I was just getting ready for the show.”) 

The townies enjoyed watching him romp in his little suit, straw hat and cane.

He was already well known around Jubilee! both for his enthusiastic show and for his escapades.

When he was 12 years old, he was caught peeping through a small hole he had cut in the dressing room tent for one of the kootch shows. He was taking pictures.

Saleh was mortified that his son would do such a thing. And the camera. “Did I raise a peeping tom? Don’t you think those women deserve their privacy?”

Bilko smiled an uncomfortable sideways smile. Syeira wouldn’t talk to him. He went and apologized to the girls in the kootch show. Management confiscated his camera and put him on probation.

But nothing could stop Orguz from growing up, and growing up fast. He was loved, envied and hated, often by the same people. Through the seasons, his act changed a number of times, and his walk gathered swagger. Orguz wasn’t humble.

(Orguz was slouching against the kitchenette sink in a t-shirt and shorts, letting his right shoulder drop a little more than his left. A cigarette between the forefinger and index finger of his right hand. Syeira sat on the couch covering her nose and making a face.)

At 15, he was lean, dark and handsome, his smile was bright and his skin was perfect and, already, a boy of legend.

Not only did he attract attention for his showmanship, a boy with so much acumen, but townie girls came to see him because he was beautiful with his wavy black black hair, big eyes and dark skin.

Orguz reveled in their attention and the fact that any trouble, fancies or romances ended on jump night. And every new town was a sterling silver promise.

By the time he was sixteen, Orguz claimed to have done it all. He had been drunk, been in fights, slept with townie girls, he even hinted that he involved with one of the girls in the kootch shows. Orguz said… Orguz said a lot of things.

That summer, Jubilee! arrived in Long Beach, California, for a month long engagement.

Lookee Here

“Hey, kids! lookee what I’ve got here. Its alright crowd around, its alright, come over and take a look.

“I’ve got treats, I’ve got candy, I’ve got passes to the best rides on the midway- I’ve got what you want to see on the midway, right over here!” Orguz shouted, patting the top of a long table draped with red cloth brocaded with stars and the sun.

Behind him were posters of Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Bettie Page, Jane Mansfield, Bridgette Bardot, James Dean, John Wayne and Commander Cody.

In the middle of the table was a one foot tall replica of Robby the Robot with blinking eyes and arms that moved. Next to the robot was a large bowl of folded strips of paper. “I am Robby the Robot”, the robot ground out in grainy inhuman speech.

“Someone is going to win this tonight, very likely someone standing right here, right now is going to win this tonight,” Orguz shouted raising his cane into the night sky and taking off his straw hat. “And it could be any one of you!

“You see those two barrels? Every time you buy a Bonomo’s, Sugar Daddy, or take a dive into my surprise package barrel, or make any purchase, your name is placed on a slip of paper and put in the bowl for the BBBIIIIIIIGGGG drawing, later tonight.

“Just think about it, kids, how would you like to go home with one of these???” Orguz pointed at the blinking robot with his cane.

“Don’t go off buying a hamburger and thinkin’ this stuff’s still going to be here when you get back! It won’t! Not at these prices. Management is going close me any minute and I have to get rid of everything, right now, tonight!

At each end of the table were barrels that at one time were full of pickles but now contained sealed paper bags of candy of assorted candy and small toys.

“You just look from one end of this table to the other, you will see every reason you came here tonight and more!

“See these all-in-one passes? You heard me discount passes to the biggest and best rides on the midway, all for one low price!

“I’ve got candy, I’ve got toys, posters and a barrel full of surprises.

…and,” he stopped searching the crowd with his eyes, “Yes Sir! I’ve got pictures.”

“What is this? This little lad asked?” Orguz pointed at a stack of pink envelopes behind him, “Well…

“Those girls in the shows down the way. Those girls are friends of mine and,” he smiled what he hoped to be an unctuous smile, “they let me take their pictures in some very interesting poses.” He said, with the accent on they.

“And some of the time, they didn’t even know there was a camera on them.”

“Now, I can’t show you what these girls are doing but your friends and neighbors have been talking about it, you have heard about it.”

Then he raised his cane over his head and shouted, “One dollar for anything on this table, one dollar for a chance at Robbie the Robot, One dollar for a pass to some of the best rides on the midway,

“And one dollar to take home pictures of some of my friends in the show down the way!”

Orguz’ hand rested on top of a stack of pink envelopes behind the table, the one on top revealed the edge of a glossy photograph.

A boy was straining to see, Orguz leaned close, “I’ve got your girl friend’s picture in here,” he said, winking at a him.

The Candy Stand

The first season, when he wasn’t delivering lunch and dinner, Orguz sold surprise packages out of a barrel, candy, posters and plastic figures of Superman, Batman and G.I. Joe from a small stand across from Aata’s Fancy.

But business was slow and he was having trouble juggling his delivery business with the candy stand.

Saleh could see his son was struggling, so, about mid-season, he made Orguz a deal. Saleh would supply all the candy and Cracker Jacks Orguz could sell at the same volume wholesale price Saleh paid in exchange for his food delivery business.

Under this agreement, Saleh could hire other carnie kids to deliver using the system that Orguz had set up and make a little more money. And Orguz could concentrate on making his stand work, plus he would be paying very little for his merchandise.

They made one more arrangement. Orguz and Saleh would conspicuously post prices on chalk board menus for their competing items. Saleh’s prices would be higher.

At slow intervals during the day, there would be pricing wars between Aata’s Fancy and Orguz booth. Saleh would suddenly drop his prices and Orguz would shout in protest, grudgingly offering his for a few cents less. When it got busy again, the prices went back to normal.

Orguz finished that season with a small profit and bragging rights. Privately, he was very dissatisfied with how well he did.

He vowed to make the next season better.

And it was.

But by the third season, Orguz was red hot.

Straw Hat and Cane

A couple days later, Orguz put on his gray suit and went with his father to the Russian River  Commercial Restaurant Supply House.

There, he bought a case of Pez dispensers and inserts, a case of Bonomo’s Taffy, wax lips, assorted hard candy, small plastic toys and a ream of sheet cellophane.

He also placed orders with several companies he found in the ad section of a Superman comic.

Later that same week, he got into the wardrobe trailer for the LeeMeng Miniature Circus act and stole a straw hat and cane.

Still, Orguz was barely ready when Jubilee! went on tour that following summer.

Gray Suit

At the end of that tour, he went to Aunt Leila, told her his plans and asked how much it would cost to make a gray suit for him.

Leila laughed out loud but was so tickled by the idea that, two weeks later, she delivered Orguz a gray silk suit, complete with a scarlet hankie for the breast pocket.

He was dumbfounded. It was even more beautiful that he imagined. Orguz dug into his right pocket and pulled out three wadded up five dollar bills and promised that he would see that she had hummus, pita and tea every afternoon until Jubilee! went back on tour.

He took the suit home, bathed and put it on. He sat in it and stood in it. He considered in it, and he spoke in it. He danced in it, and he posed in it.

He stood leaning against the kitchen sink with his left hand on his hip and his right foot balanced on the tip of his toe in it.

He was pleased, but he needed a hat and cane.

Commander Cody

When he was about eight years old, Orguz’ father, Saleh, would occasionally have him run a sandwich or dinner over to another carnie from their grab joint, Aata’s Fancy, near the midway. Sometimes, the hungry carnie would give Orguz a tip or let him keep the change.

Orguz liked having the money. It was ice cream, popularity and importance.

So, he came up with an idea of his own. Before noon and late afternoon, he would tour the midway taking orders from carnies for lunch and dinner which he would then deliver at an agreed upon time for a small surcharge.

And he got Saleh, grudgingly, to give him a discount on the meals he bought.

This idea had its ups and downs. He dumped food, he lost money and, occasionally, there was no one there when he did arrive with the order.

Saleh said nothing, worrying that his son was in for a loss.

Orguz continued to work at his delivery service. His handwriting got better. His memory got better. He paid more attention. He used Bilko’s smile. He brought his wagon into service to carry food, condiments, napkins and plastic knives and forks for his customers.

After a while, he managed to pay Saleh for every meal he ordered, and he started to make a profit.

But Orguz wasn’t satisfied, he wanted his own concession. He wanted an outer space themed candy and ice cream joint. He would put up posters of Commander Cody, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and he could sell Atomic Fireballs, M&Ms, all his favorite candy and ice cream.

Even firecrackers, if he could get them.

And he would wear a gray suit, a straw hat and carry a cane like the ones the bally talkers at the kootch and freaks show had.

Orguz Dreams

Orguz was a beautiful child with a lean face, wavy black hair and striking, playful black eyes; the devil’s eyes, Vafa said. Mehmet, his little brother, was darker and heavier, with a brow that was forever set in a frown.

Bilko and Hormat’s daughter, Syeira, had thick, black hair and her skin was a subtle shadowy dark that was very attractive. She also had chubby cheeks and her grin was missing teeth.

During the off-season, if the weather was good, the three of them played down by the river, while either Aata or Hormat watched, did chores or talked.

They played detective, looking for clues along the river bank. Someone might spot a water snake weaving its way through the water. There were birds to chase.

Or they would catch frogs down by the metal bridge, put them in the socks and swing them around over their heads until the frogs peed in terror.

Toward the end of the day, Orguz would sit with his brother, Mehmet, on the river’s edge wearing once white brief underwear that were now filthy from the mud and stare across the water or up at the moon, dreaming.

(A long red Thunderbird passes over the metal bridge, a woman with blond hair sits in the passenger’s seat, her hair streaming in the wind. Orguz glances at Mehmet, and they both smile.)

When the weather was not so good, they had to play games inside the trailers or under an awning between the Ortrar and Dilmac trailers. Sometimes, they listened to records or put on shows for each other.

At night, Orguz would often sit by himself and watch Syeira play with her Barbie and a G.I. Joe. Orguz liked to listen to her whisper stories to herself while she manipulated the dolls.

Orguz loved his father, a quiet, friendly, religious man, but Bilko was his idol.

Bilko had muscles and he was strong. Orguz also thought Bilko was handsome and brave, and he liked the way he handled people with his smile, just like in the movies.

When he was alone, or sitting in the back row of the trailer Jubilee! used for a school house, Orguz would imagine that he and Bilko were flying through the stars in a space ship that looked something like a metal bottle rocket and used a wood burning stove as an engine.

He and Bilko would wear tan uniforms with wide lapels and button down pockets and the kind of caps that pilot’s wore. They would travel to other planets and fight the enemy.

Orguz imagined that, one day, he and Syeira would live on another planet, have a cat, and he would drive to work in a red ThunderBird.

The Water at Russian River

During the winter, when Russian River was its moodiest, Jubilee!’s home office sold water excursion and rafting tours. People came from all over the country to ride the water.

But there was a short period of time when, just after they returned from tour and just before they set off again, the weather was warm and the water was a clear and friendly though earnest flow.

During those times, as the sun went down, the muddy shore behind the Jubilee! back lot was lined with carnie kids in undershorts wiggling their toes in the water.

A short way up the shore, their parents would stand chatting lazily, smoking, eating or sharing a drink. The men in t-shirts, the women in brightly colored light skirts and cotton blouses.

Over the Next Few Years

Bilko moved in with Vafa, his father.

Hormat would not let him back in the trailer or let him spend time with Sara.

Bilko pleaded and raged, he tried to explain that he was in a bar, remembered the card Lori had given him, on a whim he went to see her. It was just something that happened. But he had not done anything really wrong. Nothing.

Hormat wasn’t listening, and, soon, he stopped trying to explain.

When he got back in his car outside Lori’s apartment, he thought himself something of a hero for leaving when he did. But there was no way he tell Hormat about that moment.

He was never ever able to tell anyone, drunk or sober.

It was difficult for Bilko to accept being so abruptly cut off. He had built his life around Hormat, and then Sara.

He felt empty and was often ill. The end of the season brought no change.

Bilko continued to slip the money he had saved and made buying, selling and working on cars through the door on Hormat’s trailer. He explained this to himself in a number of ways, but mostly it was hope.

By the end of the following season, it was duty, continuity and the only way he knew.

Now, Hormat would sometimes talk to him and let him see Sara. Occasionally, but irregularly, they would play backgammon.

Over the next few years, he realized that he could not give up on Hormat because the only dream he had was the one Hormat and Sara gave him.