Bolo’s house was towards the top of a hill, at the end of a long and winding road. The house wasn’t anything particularly fancy, in the modern sense of the word- it was a two story, Caribbean style villa built in the 1970s, visible from the street and not cordoned off by a security gate. Anyone could just drive up to the property. That surprised me, but I said nothing about it to Mano.
Bolo was at his front door, waiting for us.
“Hopeton,” he greeted me as I exited the car. “Welcome to Panama! I trust you had a safe journey?”
I made my way towards the house, Mano trailing slightly behind.
Bolo clapped me on the shoulder, as I stuck out my bottle of Scotch and murmured my hello.
“Mano,” he said to my driver.
“Señor,” Mano replied. The exchange sounded stiff, but I could tell both were playing up the formality of the moment.
“Come, come,” Bolo said to me. “We’re dining al fresco tonight. My family is waiting to meet you.”
We passed through the house quickly, walked through a wide framed doorway and entered the well-manicured backyard. Fairy lights were strung through the trees. A kidney shaped turquoise colored pool was lit from within. Bolo’s wife and daughter were seated at a large oak table, waiting for us. A servant brought out platters of meats and cheeses and freshly baked bread from the kitchen.
It felt like a homecoming.
Bolo steered me over towards the table, Mano still lagging behind.
“Hopeton, I’d like to introduce you to my wife, Carolina, and my youngest daughter, Isabela.”
Bolo’s wife stood up to greet me. At first glance, I could tell she was at least ten years younger than her husband, a beautiful woman who looked like an “uptown girl,” as we called them in Kingston. Isabela looked to be around thirteen years old.
“Our other daughters are still both in America,” Carolina said. “Olivia is in her Junior year at NYU and Jennifer is a Freshman at University of Miami.”
“And they’ll both be coming back to Panama when they’re graduated,” Bolo interjected.
Carolina and Isabela both rolled their eyes at him. Apparently, this was an ongoing topic of conversation. But it made sense- Rafael Montilla clearly considered his family to be his greatest source of prosperity. He needed to have his people around him.
“Sit, sit,” Bolo urged. “I’m hoping you’re hungry. We have plenty of food for you to try.”
I looked around for Mano. He must have slipped back into the house during introductions.
Dinner was exceedingly pleasant. Conversation centered around things to do in Panama, Carolina’s fundraising work for the Red Cross and Bolo’s upcoming bid for Rotary Club presidency. Carolina and Bolo would direct a question to their daughter every so often, but for the most part Isabela ate silently, as the adults chatted.
“By the way, my godson is getting married in Coronado this weekend so we’ll be out of town,” Bolo told me in a casual tone.
“Coronado’s down by the beach,” Isabela said. This was the first time she’d seemed to have any interest in joining in the conversation.
“Sounds lovely,” I replied.
I turned back to Bolo and asked him if there was anything he’d like me to look after while he was gone.
“No, no, not at all,” he said. “I want you to enjoy yourself. Get to know Panama City on your own terms- I’m going to give you Mano to carry you around.”
I briefly wondered where Mano had gone off to, then let the thought slip away.
“That would be nice,” I replied. “Mano’s a very good driver. I can tell he knows the roads around here like the back of his hand.”
I assumed Bolo was paying enough attention to get my point.
“He does indeed,” he confirmed. “And I know you’ll enjoy whatever he has to show you- Mano’s from your part of the world.”
My premise had been correct- Bolo had linked me and Mano for a reason.
Later that night, on our ride back to the hotel, I asked Mano if he minded being stuck with me all weekend.
“I’m perfectly fine with going around by myself,” I said. “I’m used to it.”
“No, man,” he replied. “This is one assignment I’ll actually enjoy. I’ll pick you up around 1 p.m., tomorrow and take you over to my neighborhood. You’ll have fun. I’ll take you to some bars, introduce you to some of my friends. It’ll be a good time.”
He took his eyes off the road for the briefest of moments and asked me if I play dominoes.
“Do I play dominoes?” I laughed. “Bwoyyy you betta watch out!”
“That’s big chat, my friend,” Mano parried back. “Just make sure you have some money on you.”
