Every few weeks One of us gets a call from Loli, it’s brief and it always feels like you’re being volun-told to do something.

But I’ve never met anyone who’s been upset to oblige.

The phone call goes: “niña?” -girl

“Dime?” -what’s up?

“Estas cerca de la panadería?” -are you near the bakery?

“Estoy en camino.” -yeah I’m on my way.

Which is never true, but our bakery is down the road, and she only calls us if she knows our cars are home. It also never seems to be an inconvenient time when she calls, she has excellent timing.

So I’ll head over and she always asks for three pastelitos de guayaba y dos cafe con leche. “Una pa’ mi, una para ti, y otro para mi amiguito.” -one for her, one for me, and one for her little friend.

She’d then grab her chair and sit at the edge of the canal, usually she shoo’s me off, but today, it was different. She wanted me too see. So she turned a second seat around to face the canal.

“Siéntate niña quiero que conozcas a Pancho.” -sit, I want you to meet Pancho.

Pancho?

I give her the little box of pastries and I hold the cups of cafe con leche in my hands and sit beside her looking at the canal. I’m confused, and definitely dismissing her for being absolutely nuts. So I laugh but I’ll humor her, I have nothing better to do on a Saturday morning.

She starts telling me stories of how she had a friend, who would bring her these pastries on the weekends as he was doing his rounds and every time he’d save one for his friend Pancho.

She always thought he was joking, silly stories he’d tell just to entertain her and her friends. Until he took her to the canal and introduced them.

At this point I’m sipping my coffee laughing at her silliness, until I see movement in the water.

“Ahí está.” -there he is! She exclaims giddily.

“There who is?” I’m a little uncomfortable at this point.

“Pancho, ay niña tú no prestas atención.” -Pancho, girl you weren’t listening. She scolds me.

Then from the canal two eyes emerge and peak. They lift slowly revealing a long snout, and rough scaly skin. He angles his head up and sideways a bit to look at her and she claps gently.

“Ay mira ese nene tan lindo.” -aw look at the child how handsome. She cooed and opened the box tossing the gator his pastelito. He caught it in the air and ate it with her then lowered back down and seemed to relax closing his eyes.

I was in shock for a moment, but knowing Loli, her having a pet gator really isn’t that far fetched. “Por lo menos una ves al mes yo trato de traerle su pastelito como mi amigo lo hacía por el. Malcriado.” -At least once a month I try to bring him his treat, like my friend used to do, he’s so spoiled. She giggled and continued telling me stories.

While she did the gator never moved, staying perfectly still as if enjoying the stories with us, then when the time came we both got up, he swung his tail gently towards us and left. She waved him off and we parted ways for the day.