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| Candy picked up the telephone at a
quarter to 2 on that special Monday in
late fall 1999. I was in the other room
watching television when the phone rang,
so I made no effort to see who was on
the other line. When Candy finished she
took a few moments to come tell me what
the message was. I was a bit curious but
I was too lazy to get up and hear mundane
news like we have rehearsal tonight or
would you like to try a free subscription
to the New York Times. Then she slowly
entered the living room to give me the
news. I could see on her face that this
was good news, but not the kind of good
news you get when you pass your history
final or when the dentist tells you that
you have no cavities. This was the kind
of good news that would stay with you
for the rest of your life. Candy finally
explained that Maria Torres wanted us
to do a show with her, Eddie, and Tito
Puente at Brooklyn College. We jumped
at the chance to be the only dancers on
Stage with Tito Puente and his orchestra.
However, there were 2 problems. Eddie
and Maria were bringing the costumes and
we had 45 minutes until the show started. |
Eddie Torres - "The Mambo King"
www.eddietorresstudio.com
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Thirty-Eight minutes later
we were standing breathless at the dressing
room waiting to do a show with "El Rey
de Timbal" and "The Mambo King." We had
heard that Tito was already there, but
not surprisingly, Eddie and Maria were
late. That is when I realized I had only
a few minutes to change into a costume
that Eddie was bringing to me. Now anyone
who knows Eddie, and I say this with the
utmost respect and love, knows that the
words late and Eddie Torres are synonymous.
Fortunately, for Candy, she still had
the costume that Duplessey (Eddie Torres’
niece) had loaned her the week before,
however, she looked like a million dollars
and I looked like an over dressed bus
boy. We quickly came to the conclusion
that I needed to put something around
my neck or waist to give the illusion
that I belonged on stage with Candy.  |
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