Whatever Lola Wants

MAKING HER ENTRANCE. LATER, A BREAK FOR A CALL FROM #1 SON (THERE'S ALSO A #1 DAUGHTER).

Lola and I try to get together two mornings a week for coffee and conversation. Tuesdays for English and Thursdays for Spanish. We meet, usually outside, at Casa Santos, a little café about two blocks away from Lola's house (six or seven blocks for me). The café has three tables inside and, at this time of year, four outside. The number of outside tables more than doubles in warmer weather. The owners, Santo and his wife, do it all themselves... with warmth and charm. I love going there, even though the little plaza doesn't get a lot of sun. Our own plaza is very sunny and warm and we love it. It just doesn't have Santo.

SANTO AND CASA SANTOS. A VERY FRIENDLY PLACE.

Whether the focus that day is on English or Spanish, we both learn in both languages. I really enjoy my mornings spent with Lola. The always-generous Albert introduced us to Lola when we were here in January. He usually meets us for coffee and conversation Thursday mornings. Albert, who speaks several languages, leaves us to ourselves Tuesdays so Lola doesn't feel inhibited in her attempts at English.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD. A VIEW DOWN THE SIDESTREET.

Lola is a combination of the Lola of "Damn Yankees," Lola of the Barry Manilow song "Copacabana," a character from "Sex and the City" (or as it's called here "Sex in New York"), and Earth Mother. As I said last week (totally inappropriately in Spanish), "the total package." Whenever I see her, I want to burst into song.