David E Balaam - Columbus Day

"I lived in Oxford for a few years working at Ford," replied Martin.

"Ha," George replied, "a place I know well."

Martin stood up and shook hands with George. "George Morton."

"Martin Gardel. Do you have a car that needs looking at?"

"No, not yet, but I am thinking of buying one so I can see more of this wonderful country."

"Ha," said Martin with some enthusiasm, "you need an open-top tourer. I know someone who has one for sale. It is a 1988 Roadster in good condition – I know, I service it. Do you like classic cars, George?"

"I was thinking of something a little newer and something to suit my age more. A Seat Leon convertible maybe."

"Yes it is good, but the older cars are more fun, yes?"

George could not help but admire the man’s enthusiasm. There was also something about him George could not put his finger on. Not the accent, but something in his manner. Yes, he reminded him slightly of his own son, Christopher, but a little older.

"If you see anything suitable let me know. Leave a message for me at El Tango, or please call in and see me at home."

Martin raised an eyebrow. "So, you have met the lovely Maria. What about our mayor, Vincente. His bite is worse than his bark." Martin emphasised.

"Mayor?" George asked. "I did not know that. When I came over last year to finalise the sale I saw a different man."

"Si, Senor Sanchez Snr. He died last January. Vincente was elected soon after."

Martin moved closer and lowered his voice. Not that anyone else was around to hear. "Be careful of our Mayor Vincente. He is a powerful man and not to be," Martin searched for the right words. ". . . double-crossed, especially when it come to the lovely Maria. Si, you know what I mean?"

George was not sure he did. "Thank you, Martin. I will be careful, but I think Maria is old enough to look after herself."

Martin shrugged and picked up a spark-plug remover from his toolbox. "Si, she is, but all I say is when Vincente is around, be careful when it come to her."

George realised the young man meant well, and there may be something in what he was saying, but George just smiled and nodded, not wanting to get into a long discussion just then, but made a mental note to learn more about the mysterious Mayor Vincente.

Having said goodbye, George cycled back via the delicatessens and brought some ham, bread and salad for lunch, and by the time he had reached home, decided a car was needed sooner rather than later.

. . .

The next morning George sat at his computer and searched Google for "Rock Ola".

12,800,000 entries appeared.

"Excellent, bound to be something here, but need to narrow the search a bit."

He keyed in Rock Ola 1485. This time 856 entries appeared. That’s better and scrolled through the list.

He spent the next few days emailing and calling specialist Jukebox suppliers and was surprised to see so many still selling spare parts for these old models.

Eventually, he found a very helpful man in England, Mr Wilson, not far from where he used to live in Windsor. He emailed a request for the 1485 manual and spare parts list, which he paid for with PayPal. It took over a week to arrive, but that gave him time to explore the heavy beast.

The Rock-ola 1485 was made in 1962 and could hold fifty 45rpm vinyl singles. It was a popular model in small bars and cafes all over the world, especially in countries wanting to hear the emerging new 'pop' music from America. Spain, however, was an exception. Franco was still in power and the authoritarian state discouraged foreign culture. Because of this Spain had been largely isolated by the international community for many years until 1953 when she was reconciled, thanks mainly to the USA, who helped her to kick-start the economy. The rest of the 1950s brought rapid wealth and acceptance, and some say, unfortunately, the start of cheap package holidays. The rest is history.

George removed the remaining rather old 45’s from their racks and put them to one side without really looking at them.

He knew the jukebox could hold fifty in total and would like to see it complete one day. He tried to imagine the residents of Calabaza listening to the popular music of the day. He knew it was made in 1962 so it could have been installed anytime that year, or the following year perhaps. Just what did the population of Calabaza listen to way back then? America had Elvis, and the new Rock ‘n’ Roll sound dominated the charts. Some of the most popular artists in the USA then were; Perry Como, Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett, Elvis Presley, Bill Haley and the Comets, Chuck Berry and Doris Day.

Europe however still preferred home-grown artists, even if they were copying the new sounds of the decade. France had Johnny Hallyday. Italy adopted the most popular America/Italian artists of the time; Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin and Perry Como for instance, (all of whom had an Italian heritage), but they also had their own stars like Domenico Modugno, Luigi Tenco and Milva (Ilva Biolcati).

George picked up a handful of the 45’s taken from the jukebox and read the titles;

Las Muchachas De La Plaza De Espana - Visconti, Mario

Bambino - Lasso, Gloria Y Su Orquesta

Estudiantina Portuguesa - Gamez, Celia

Usted - Garrido, Lolita Y Su Orquesta

Flamenco - Rosalia

La Chicha Ye-Yé - Concha Velasco

El baúl de los recuerdos - Karina

These looked to George all very . . . err, Spanish. No USA or UK imports here, and until he repaired the jukebox there was no other way of listening to them.

He had checked over all the parts and was satisfied they were correct but said a silent prayer that he could make this work, which was unusual for George because he never prayed.

What was so special about this job? Did he want to make it work and impress Maria, and now her father? Would it help him to be more accepted in the community? Or was it just something else waiting to be mended, and no one cared if it ended up on the council tip, like many newer pieces of modern-day technology do.

This did worry George. Was he doing it for the right reasons? Did Maria think of him as a new friend, or just a customer wanting to help out, and taking advantage of his generosity? Did she think of him at all?

Well, he had gone this far in buying all the parts; he may as well finish the job.

He imagined Aimee smiling at him with his head buried in something to repair. They weren’t short of money but George would always try and repair something once broken, or had died of old age; toasters, kettles, CD players, video players and especially computers. Aimee had lost count of the computers in the loft. Some of their short-lived arguments were generally over the repair, or sometimes non-repair of an essential appliance, like a toaster or kettle. She would give George twenty-four hours and then if the said appliance was not returned fully functional she would go out and buy a new one.

This had resulted over the years with a good stockpile of duplicated products. However, as each of their offspring left the family home they were presented with a useful, second hand, fully working appliance. He blinked a tear from his eye at his memories. He did miss her.