Chapter 5

A Peruvian Name for Charly

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TOCAYO
Part 1
Prologue
Playa Norte
Charly the American
A Catholic Education
Cold Showers
A Peruvian Name...
Tossing Armando...
Bob Cousey's Shorts
Inside Immaculada
Warming the Bench...
A Little Socrates...
Running From Lola
Ping Pong Politics
A Perfect Basketball Day
A Man Needs His Friends
A Pig In a Hole
Condors Over Ticlio
Wrestling in the Plaza
Handcuffs and Curfews
Rochabus
A Hero Hiding
Hitting A Brick Wall
Part 2

Charly's breathing had gained 50 pounds. It was also picking up speed. I did not want to see him get angry while driving his grandmother's Cadillac, so I discontinued my lessons. We waited and we waited and we waited. I used the time to correct any remaining irregularities among my finger nails. And in the laces on my shoes. I repaired the kinks in the creases of my school slacks. I was able to ascertain with complete certainty that the visor on my side of the car was not clamping unclaimed receipts or paper money against the soft fabric of the Cadillac's ceiling. During that time of inspection, the cars behind us got tired of honking the horn and went around us. My stomach had stopped begging me for dinner and had begun to demand breakfast. I had begun to wonder whether taking the bus wouldn't have been faster, but then, by a miracle, we were presented with an opening that would have allowed a train to enter the flow of traffic. Charly turned the big steering wheel and accelerated the beautiful car into the avenue

“Congratulations,” I said.

Charly straightened himself in the seat and asked me, “Which way?”

“Derecho,” I said, and indicated straight ahead. “Gringo,” I said then, having given the question much thought, "Did you know that Carlos is the name of Kings?”

00Charly, preocupied with keeping Zoila’s Cadillac from being struck by the cars, buses, and trucks flying past us at twice our speed, was not listening very well. He shook his head. “No.”

“Well, it is. Charly, however, is not."

Still not listening, Charly nodded.

"Charly is only the name of Television Tuna Fish.”

Charly frowned and tried to give me a look, but he could not let his eyes to turn all the way in my direction lest they miss an important event on the road ahead.

"Gringo, you are muy very worried about the other cars," I said in English, "So I help you. We can make your name the name of kings, too, ya? Because Charly is same name as Carlos, only in English. This is correct, no?"

"Say that again?"

"Your name is Charly. My name is Carlos, no?"

"Yes, of course," Charly said, irritated with me for stating the obvious.

"Then, because you and I, we have the same name, I will call you Tocayo."

“What?” Charly said, as if I had just started talking.

I sighed. “Do you know what Tocayo mean?”

Charly shook his head.

“Do you want I should tell you?”

He shrugged.