Chapter 268: The Problem of Puppy Love
Jimmy and his wife, Estefania, were forced into marriage under pressure from a Brazilian crime boss. There was no real affection between them—they each had lovers of their own and were equally resistant to the union.
However, disobeying the boss wasn't an option. So they got married and moved to the United States.
Estefania, despite the forced marriage, was still a fiery Brazilian woman in her twenties. In America, she was a stranger in a strange land—she didn't know anyone, didn't speak much English, and could barely communicate. The only person she could talk to was Jimmy.
And they weren't kids—they were both adults and hardly conservative in their thinking. Jimmy was a regular at nightclubs, with no shortage of flings. Estefania, sexy and bold, rarely liked to wear clothes. Naturally, the two had ended up in bed more times than they could count.
Under these circumstances, even without emotional attachment, it was easy to develop feelings over time. Jimmy could tell that Estefania was growing increasingly attached to him—and that was not good news.
To deal with this, Jimmy planned to smuggle Estefania's lover into the U.S. from Brazil. With her boyfriend by her side, Estefania would leave Jimmy alone.
That would give Jimmy the freedom to win Fiona back.
As long as he could maintain appearances during occasional immigration checks—just being home when needed—the rest of his time would be his own.
In fact, this plan had been forming in Jimmy's mind ever since he returned to Chicago.
He had even chosen to live close to Frank's place. That way, if he got a warning call, he could drive home in less than ten minutes.
This arrangement would allow Jimmy to keep up the façade of marriage with Estefania for immigration, while still pursuing Fiona on the side.
Once the three years were up, and Estefania obtained U.S. citizenship, Jimmy would have fulfilled his end of the bargain with the Brazilian boss. Then, he'd file for divorce and be free.
"Just three years. I promise—after three years, I'll marry Fiona," Jimmy vowed.
"I won't let my precious daughter marry a liar," Frank replied coldly, kicking Jimmy out.
As Jimmy stood in the yard, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted,
"Fiona, my wife loves another man! I'm going to bring him here illegally—they'll be together, and I'll finally be free! Then we can get back together!"
"Fuck you!" Frank flipped him off with his middle finger.
Back inside, Frank saw Fiona standing by the window, watching Jimmy.
"Still not over him?" Frank asked.
"No," Fiona said as she looked away, her expression complicated. But clearly, she wasn't over Jimmy.
"Sigh... I won't stop you from loving who you love," Frank said, pulling her into a hug. "I just don't want you to get hurt. I only want you to be happy."
As always, Frank could help solve his children's financial problems—but when it came to matters of the heart, he was powerless.
Later, Debbie came home and asked Frank:
"Dad, where can I get a dagger and some cigars?"
"Huh?" Frank was baffled.
"What do you need those for?" he asked, completely unable to connect those things with Debbie.
"Nothing," she said, running off to her room.
"Debbie? Debbie!" Frank called after her.
Turning to the others, he asked, "Anyone know what's going on with Debbie?"
"Little Debbie has a crush on Little Hank," said Pinkman.
"Who's Little Hank?" Frank asked, confused.
"That skinny blond kid who's always hanging out with Carl," Pinkman explained.
Frank thought for a moment—he did vaguely remember the boy.
"Wait, is he the punk who tried to steal our toaster a while back?" Frank asked.
"Yeah. His family's always in and out of prison—they smuggle weapons. That kid's headed for juvie, no doubt about it," Pinkman said.
Carl didn't connect much with his older brothers Lip and Ian, but he got along surprisingly well with Pinkman—almost like real siblings. So when it came to Carl's friends and social circle, Pinkman actually knew more than the others.
Among all the kids in the neighborhood, only Little Hank could keep up with Carl. He was often at the house.
Frank, who had been preoccupied with the older kids like Fiona, realized he hadn't been paying much attention to Carl or Debbie. Now, learning that Debbie had a crush on this delinquent made him frown deeply.
Upstairs, Frank and Pinkman heard a commotion and rushed to see what was going on. Debbie was chasing Carl, who was holding an earring. Debbie was wearing Fiona's clothes and had her face covered in makeup.
"Both of you, knock it off!" Frank stepped in.
"He stole my earring!" Debbie pouted angrily.
"It's not yours, it's Fiona's! Nyeh!" Carl teased, sticking his tongue out.
Frank took the earring from Carl and told Pinkman to take Carl elsewhere.
Then he knelt beside Debbie.
"Why are you wearing Fiona's clothes and makeup?" he asked.
Looking closely, Frank almost laughed. Debbie had clearly attempted adult makeup but looked like a mess—lipstick smeared all over, making her look like she had a bloody mouth; eyeliner and foundation poorly applied, resembling a little clown.
"I wanted to increase my pheromones. That way, Little Hank will like me," Debbie said, head down.
"You're still too young for that," Frank said gently, patting her head.
Sure, people give off pheromones when attracted to someone—like guys who can't stop staring at a sexy woman in stockings walking down the street. But no one, except total creeps, would be releasing pheromones for an 11-year-old.
Frank rubbed his temples—this was a real headache. Debbie was only eleven and already caught up in love troubles. This was way too early for puppy love.
Compared to Fiona's issues, Debbie's premature crush was even more worrisome. But seeing her looking so heartbroken, Frank couldn't bring himself to scold her.
"Makeup's not your thing. Go wash your face," he told her.
Then he asked Fiona to talk to Debbie, since they were both girls and she might understand better. Fiona did try, but it didn't seem to help much.
"Debbie, how about we go visit your big sister?" Frank offered.
"Fiona?"
"No—Karen," he said, taking Debbie to Sheila's house.
Frank explained Debbie's situation to Karen.
"Leave it to me, Daddy Frank," Karen said with a confident grin.
-