Have You Seen Luis Velez?

The next morning is a Saturday. At 8:30, Raymond knocks on the woman’s door. She opens, asking if it is Luis. Raymond identifies himself and apologizes for not being Luis. He verifies that the woman has no one to help her obtain necessities and tells her he will walk her to the bank and grocery store. She says, “thank you for being the answer to my prayers, Raymond from the fourth floor” (19).

As they walk, she introduces herself as Mildred Gutermann, and tells him to call her Mildred or Millie. She says she recognized his approach because one of his shoes squeaks. Millie explains that she has lived in the building for 77 years. Raymond expresses astonishment, then apologizes. Millie replies: “You spend a lot of time being sorry […] But most of the time I don’t know for what” (23).

After they return to her apartment, Millie fixes tea and cookies for Raymond and he helps her put away her groceries. She asks Raymond why he is unhappy, which she sensed without being told. He describes his family and how he does not fit in anywhere. Raymond tells Millie he is Black, about which she is clearly unconcerned. They discuss his family. He promises to check on her again soon. After he leaves, Raymond decides he will find Luis.

As he enters the abandoned basement to feed the stray cat, Raymond sees a boy from his high school. The boy says he intends to find the cat and give it to another boy for “[s]ome kind of evil genius experiment” (33). Raymond tells him he saw the cat in the alley outside the building. Raymond finds the cat, puts it inside a discarded pillowcase inside his shirt, and climbs out of the basement.

Raymond takes the cat to Millie. As he enters the apartment, she asks what kind of animal he has with him. He explains that he wants to save the cat from boys who want to harm it. At first, Millie says she cannot accept the cat, which might cause her to fall. Raymond suggests she put bells on the cat; this way she can hear it and always knowing where it is. Millie replies: “I am kicking myself for not having a cat all these years, if it’s as simple as all that” (41).

Raymond goes to the store and buys supplies for the cat. Millie decides to call the cat Louise. She warns Raymond that boys who hurt animals grow up to hurt people.

Back in his own room, Raymond begins an Internet search for Luis, including obituaries. He finds nothing useful.

Determined to locate Luis, Raymond casually questions Millie about him. Raymond finds 21 separate New York City listings for Luis Velez. His inability to speak Spanish stymies his first attempt to call a Luis. His stepfather’s warning about toll calls spurs Raymond to search for each possible Luis in person.

Against school rules, Raymond convinces the school librarian to loan him an English/Spanish dictionary. He then travels to a rough neighborhood where he meets Luis A. Velez, who is not Millie’s caretaker. Luis goes with him to the subway. They discuss Luis’s desire to do benevolent work, which his large family inhibits.

Raymond goes to Millie’s apartment. Hyde writes: “When the door opened she beamed up at him, and for the first time in as long as Raymond could remember, he felt happy” (57). He walks Millie to the store again. They discuss his friendship with Andre and how alone Raymond feels.

Raymond manages to make it home just in time for supper, explaining to his mother that he helped a new friend. She remarks: “Well, I like seeing you have new friends, baby. But don’t cut it so close on dinner” (62).

To find the next Luis on his list, Raymond goes to an exclusive high-rise in midtown Manhattan. This Luis’s wife tells the doorman to let Raymond come to the 22nd floor. The wife feared Raymond was coming to tell her that her husband was involved with another woman; she expresses great relief when Raymond explains. She fixes Raymond a big breakfast as they wait for her husband, a civil litigator, to arrive. She tells Raymond her husband secretly donates money and does benevolent work. Luis quizzes Raymond, then says he is not the Luis Raymond seeks. He gives Raymond his business card, offers to help if needed, and secretly slips a $100 bill into Raymond’s pocket.

At Millie’s apartment later, Raymond raises the issue of his asexual nature. He wonders if Millie thinks he is abnormal. She says that “normal” varies for each human being and he should not worry about what other people think. Millie says:

People laugh at things they don’t understand. It makes them feel safe. But it’s a false feeling. They are no safer. They just feel as if they are. The world is full of people too foolish to judge the difference. (78)

Raymond continues his search for Luis. In a tenement hallway, he pesters a young woman for the privilege of asking the Luis inside the apartment if he was the caretaker of a 92-year-old woman. The woman insists that he is not, and Raymond persists, asking: “But how do you know” (83). Finally, the woman opens the door enough to reveal an elderly, enfeebled man sitting in a wheelchair.

A tough-looking young man stops Raymond outside another tenement, demanding to know what he is doing. The man identifies himself as Luis. When Raymond explains that he is seeking a caretaker, the hostile Luis replies: “Do I look like a guy who helps little old ladies cross the street?” (85). Frightened, Raymond hurries away.

Raymond takes Millie to his favorite Midtown restaurant for Sunday brunch. Using the money from the attorney, he treats her to an omelet and champagne. He thanks her for telling him to research his gender concerns and says that he discovered a term that fits: “asexuality.” They discuss the pervasive nature of prejudice. As they take the subway home, Raymond recommits himself to finding the missing Luis.