Ch. 50 - Rico
A week later, Rico sat at his desk and re-read the email one more time. He’d written it last night, carefully crafting every line as if it were the most important story of his life.
Well, maybe it was.
He’d waited all day to send it, and now it was almost time. Would it be enough?
Something bumped gently under his chin. Rico looked down and smiled. Sancho stood from the breast pocket of Rico’s jacket, paws on Rico’s chest, whiskers tickling against his neck. Rico stroked the rat, immediately feeling the sharp edges of his worry dull.
The rat came with him to work every day now due to Sancho’s separation anxiety, of course. Rico had set up a permanent rat enclosure in his office that was nearly identical to Sancho’s tricked-out rat palace at home. But Sancho also needed lots of attention and contact, which is why the white-and-brown rat so often ended up in Rico’s pocket or on his shoulder. Turns out, rats could be utter snuggle bugs.
“I know, I know,” Rico said now to Sancho. “An email isn’t exactly a grand gesture.”
Everly had been so disappointed when he’d dismissed her many ideas, which ranged from hiring a band and serenading Jax at the winery to luring her into a long romantic weekend on Catalina Island through an astounding array of subterfuges. Everly’s idea of an on-air marriage proposal—complete with soul-cringing speech— had taken the cake, though.
In the end, the idea had come to Rico when he’d least expected it. After settling his mother at her sister’s house in the bustling Mexican city of Hermosillo, he’d started the long drive back to the States. Sitting in the hours-long line to cross back over into California, the idea had popped into his brain.
Fully formed. Perfect.
He’d spent the rest of the week preparing everything and hoping beyond hope that he hadn’t lost Jax forever.
A soft knock on his open door snapped Rico into the present. Diane stepped into his office, looking elegant in a royal blue tweed suit with a complementary silver broach.
“The broadcast starts in fifteen minutes. Your segment is up first,” his producer informed him. She pursed her lips. “You extra double sure you want to do this?”
Rico nodded. “I’ve been running from this my whole life. I’m done running.”
“It’s going to be a good segment. And an important one for our community,” Diane told him. “Torres, you’re one hell of a reporter.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “If you ever tell anyone I said that, I’ll put you on senior citizen proms and Boy Scout fundraisers until the end of time.”
Rico smirked. “You’re going soft on me, boss.”
Diane glowered at him. “Just get your ass to the set. They need to start miking you.” She spun around and marched out of his office. “And lose the rat!” she snapped over her shoulder .
“Love you, too!” he called, his chest full of warm and fuzzies. Earning a Diane compliment was about as easy as walking onto an NBA team or finding a parking spot within half a mile of La Jolla Cove Beach.
His producer was right. He did need to get to the set. Normally before a big story, he’d be obsessively reading and re-reading his notes. Maybe restyling his hair. Okay, definitely restyling his hair. But instead, Rico stared at the email on his desktop.
Be a man and click send, he ordered himself.
“Rico!” Melissa, his fellow reporter, practically threw herself into his office, her eyes wide and round. “I just read the news script. OMG! You’re so brave! What a wonderful story!”
Rico adjusted his tie. “Yeah. Um, thanks.”
Melissa plopped down into the chair in front of his desk and smoothed down her frilly skirt. “I’m doing this piece on a dolphin at Sea World that needed dentures. Dolphin dentures, can you imagine?”
Only too well. “That sounds . . .” Rico struggled.
“Adorable? I know,” Melissa gushed. “I’m soooo glad I got the human-interest stories back . . . and animal interest stories.” She giggled.
“Yeah, me too,” Rico told her. Melissa had no idea. He probably would’ve given away a kidney to get out of the dolphin denture story. Might have even agreed to cut the organ out of his body with a dull spoon.
“Anyhoo,” Melissa continued, “I know you have to start getting ready, but I wanted you to know—” She grinned at him, then clapped her hands and released a happy squeak. “I can take your rat!”
The words did not compute. “What?” Rico stammered.
“I know, my allergies,” Melissa said. “I was super worried about that, too, but I just couldn’t let this furry little guy down.” She leaned forward and plucked Sancho from Rico’s pocket. “So, I talked to my doctor, and she prescribed these really, REALLY strong allergy pills. I just have to take two a day for the rest of my life, and I should be mostly okay.”
Melissa squeaked in excitement again. “It means I can adopt your rat!” She cradled Sancho like a baby and rocked him. “You and I are going to be friends,” she cooed as Sancho struggled to right himself. “And I already have a new name all picked out for you. What do you think of Mr. Pickles?” She turned to Rico. “Rats don’t get attached to names, do they?”
Mr. Pickles? Oh, hell no!
“Actually, rats do recognize their names,” Rico said. Gently, he reached over the desk and rescued Sancho from Melissa’s loving grip. The rat scampered up Rico’s arm and huddled on his shoulder.
I’ve got you, Rico thought to the rat.
“And, uh, I’ve actually decided to keep Sancho,” Rico told Melissa. “Sorry for the mix-up, but he just grew on me. He turned his face and received a snout boop from Sancho. “We’re a team.”
“Oh, okay.” Melissa pressed her lips together in a pout. “I mean, that’s wonderful for you, but I was just really looking forward to having another pet.”
“I’m really sorr—” Rico began, but Melissa cut him off with a gasp of delight.
“Do you think I should get another sphinx cat?” she asked.
Rico grinned. “I think that’d be a great idea.”
“OhmyGod, ohmyGod, ohmyGod, another Sphinxy!” Melissa hopped up and practically skipped out of his office. She stopped at the door and turned back. “I’ll send you all the pics!”
“Can’t wait,” Rico answered with a laugh. His eyeballs would probably melt from looking through a million pictures of a hairless kitten in various sweaters, but if it made Melissa happy, he’d find a way to power through.
As Melissa’s steps faded in the hallway, Rico refocused on his computer screen. On the email. He blew out a deep breath. Then, before he could think better of it, he clicked send.
“Here’s hoping,” he muttered to Sancho.
There. The hard part was done.
Now, all he had to do was sit in front of a camera and open his chest cavity to the viewing public of San Diego.