Puente—were being sent to 1426 F Street.
And at this address, there was one hard-and-fast rule: Only Dorothea could collect the mail.
CHAPTER 5
Tending the private details of her life as fastidiously as she tended her garden, Dorothea Puente enjoyed her secrets. She cultivated contacts, nurtured confidences. And she revealed only what she chose, vigilantly keeping certain segments of her life discrete, which she'd done for so many years now that it was second nature.
Some knew her as a retired doctor, some as a retired nurse, yet she'd had no formal medical training. Virtually everyone believed she was a widow, yet all four of her ex-husbands were still alive. And she'd come very close to marrying a fifth. But such things were nobody's business.
To most who met her, Dorothea Puente was a widowed landlady with a generous streak. They knew her to be a hard-nosed businesswoman with a soft heart, a civic-minded matron who donated money and clothing to charities. She had certain rules, certain standards, but she was willing to grant broad favors to her friends, even to lend some extra cash in a pinch. And she could always be counted on for a fresh cup of coffee and a chat on the porch.
But Mrs. Puente had her weaknesses. For one, she had a little trouble with consistency, being the sort who advised against drinking alcohol one day, then offered to spot a few rounds at the bar the next. And then, of course, there was her temper. When it came to certain things that were important to her, she could be downright testy. And Bert was important to her.
Unlike most of Dorothea Puente's tenants, Bert Montoya had a handful of regular visitors, including a couple of nurses. Known collectively as "the two Lucys," Lucy Yokota and Lucy Aquitania had treated Bert along with other tuberculosis patients at Detox. (TB patients often end up living on the street because staying in the hospital is too expensive and board-and-care operators, fearing contagion, refuse to house them.) Now at least one of the nurses would stop by the house twice a week to check on Bert's dormant TB.
Lucy Yokota noticed how dramatically Bert's appearance improved after moving into 1426 F Street. He was clearly thriving in his new environment, thanks to the kind attentions of Dorothea Puente, who said she always stocked cookies for Bert and prepared steak for him every day.
So Lucy Yokota was startled one day to hear the landlady's angry voice on the phone, "just stay away from Bert," she hissed. "Stop visiting. You make him nervous. He doesn't want you coming by all the time." Yokota started to protest, but Puente cut her off, saying she didn't want the nurses coming by to see Bert anymore or he'd "have to be sent back to Detox."
With that, she hung up.
Bewildered, Yokota sat and stared at the phone, wondering what to do. Finally, she picked it up and dialed Mrs. Puente's number. When Dorothea answered, the soft-spoken nurse diplomatically offered, "I think we were disconnected."
"We weren't disconnected!" Puente declared, "I hung up on you!" Then she laughed abruptly and switched to an entirely different tone.
Yokota thought this "a very strange mood swing, from very angry, to all sweetness."
The next time she saw Bert, she came out and asked him, "Do we make you nervous? Do you want us to keep away?"
He innocently told her no.
Yokota didn't quite know what to think of the mercurial Mrs. Puente. She certainly wasn't going to alter Bert's treatment because of her. But after this, she definitely didn't trust her.
When Judy Moise and Beth Valentine came over, Mrs. Puente would crow about Bert's latest deeds, saying, "Let me tell you what he did!" She even boasted with a chuckle that Bert wanted to change his last name to Puente.
One day the VOA co-workers ended up in her kitchen, watching her bustle about as they talked. She pressed them to take home some food. "I made all these tamales this morning," Dorothea said, wiping her hands on her
And at this address, there was one hard-and-fast rule: Only Dorothea could collect the mail.
CHAPTER 5
Tending the private details of her life as fastidiously as she tended her garden, Dorothea Puente enjoyed her secrets. She cultivated contacts, nurtured confidences. And she revealed only what she chose, vigilantly keeping certain segments of her life discrete, which she'd done for so many years now that it was second nature.
Some knew her as a retired doctor, some as a retired nurse, yet she'd had no formal medical training. Virtually everyone believed she was a widow, yet all four of her ex-husbands were still alive. And she'd come very close to marrying a fifth. But such things were nobody's business.
To most who met her, Dorothea Puente was a widowed landlady with a generous streak. They knew her to be a hard-nosed businesswoman with a soft heart, a civic-minded matron who donated money and clothing to charities. She had certain rules, certain standards, but she was willing to grant broad favors to her friends, even to lend some extra cash in a pinch. And she could always be counted on for a fresh cup of coffee and a chat on the porch.
But Mrs. Puente had her weaknesses. For one, she had a little trouble with consistency, being the sort who advised against drinking alcohol one day, then offered to spot a few rounds at the bar the next. And then, of course, there was her temper. When it came to certain things that were important to her, she could be downright testy. And Bert was important to her.
Unlike most of Dorothea Puente's tenants, Bert Montoya had a handful of regular visitors, including a couple of nurses. Known collectively as "the two Lucys," Lucy Yokota and Lucy Aquitania had treated Bert along with other tuberculosis patients at Detox. (TB patients often end up living on the street because staying in the hospital is too expensive and board-and-care operators, fearing contagion, refuse to house them.) Now at least one of the nurses would stop by the house twice a week to check on Bert's dormant TB.
Lucy Yokota noticed how dramatically Bert's appearance improved after moving into 1426 F Street. He was clearly thriving in his new environment, thanks to the kind attentions of Dorothea Puente, who said she always stocked cookies for Bert and prepared steak for him every day.
So Lucy Yokota was startled one day to hear the landlady's angry voice on the phone, "just stay away from Bert," she hissed. "Stop visiting. You make him nervous. He doesn't want you coming by all the time." Yokota started to protest, but Puente cut her off, saying she didn't want the nurses coming by to see Bert anymore or he'd "have to be sent back to Detox."
With that, she hung up.
Bewildered, Yokota sat and stared at the phone, wondering what to do. Finally, she picked it up and dialed Mrs. Puente's number. When Dorothea answered, the soft-spoken nurse diplomatically offered, "I think we were disconnected."
"We weren't disconnected!" Puente declared, "I hung up on you!" Then she laughed abruptly and switched to an entirely different tone.
Yokota thought this "a very strange mood swing, from very angry, to all sweetness."
The next time she saw Bert, she came out and asked him, "Do we make you nervous? Do you want us to keep away?"
He innocently told her no.
Yokota didn't quite know what to think of the mercurial Mrs. Puente. She certainly wasn't going to alter Bert's treatment because of her. But after this, she definitely didn't trust her.
When Judy Moise and Beth Valentine came over, Mrs. Puente would crow about Bert's latest deeds, saying, "Let me tell you what he did!" She even boasted with a chuckle that Bert wanted to change his last name to Puente.
One day the VOA co-workers ended up in her kitchen, watching her bustle about as they talked. She pressed them to take home some food. "I made all these tamales this morning," Dorothea said, wiping her hands on her
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