Little Joker stood up. “You don’t have to, homes!” he shouted.
“Albion Street is over there by Avenue 18.”
“Holy fuck,” Smiley said.
“Ruben, doesn’t your tia abuela live on that street?” she asked.
“Yeah, on the corner of 18 and Albion but I haven’t been there in a while.”
“Well, it’s too late to go now. She’ll be sleeping.”
Little Joker shook his head.
“No, she’s not. She’s out selling those ray guns with your abuela, Sara.”
“What the fuck?”
Big Joker concurred.
“Yeah those two viejitas be selling tamales in the morning and at night they be selling those ray guns they got off that space ranfla a few years ago,” he said.
Ruben shook his head.
“I thought that was Smiley’s grandma doing that shit and they stopped after that pleito with the CIA.”
The Jokers laughed. “Nah, yeah she sold the business to Dona Sara and Dona Isabel.”
“No mamen,” Dopey said.
“Es verdad. They make good money. They sell weed too.”
“Dios mio, these old ladies are gonna be the death of me,” Smiley said.
“Well, in any case, Ruben has to get to sleep for work tomorrow, we’re gonna have to wait till the weekend. If the Grail has been there all along, then it ain’t going nowhere.”
They all nodded and got up to go.
“Saturday then?” Dopey asked.
“Yeah, come Saturday morning and I’ll make you guys chilaquiles. Don’t bring fucking Veneno though. You can bring the other homies you’re thinking about rounding up.”
Smiley considered. “Well, maybe not till after we figure out what’s up at Ruben’s tia abuela’s house.”
They nodded and sauntered out into the night.
At the car, Dopey asked, “You vatos need a ride?”
The Jokers shook their heads.
“Nah, gracias homes, we just jump this fence here, a wall there and we are home,” Big Joker said.
“Cuidate.”
They nodded and disappeared over the fence.
Dopey sighed and got into the car.
“Trouble, mi amor?” asked Elena.
“No, not really. Just, do you really think Ruben is gonna find this grail chingadera?”
“Oh yes,” she said. “I do.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s meant to be, just like we were meant to be together, just like we were meant to beat the aliens.”
She places her almost transparent hand in his and he stroked it softly.
“You know,” she said. “The Grail legends have a lot in them about resurrection. I wonder…”
Dopey looked at her.
“You mean, it could bring you back, Lenita?”
“I don’t know but maybe.”
“Si Dios quiere,” he said. “Si Dios quiere.”