First Out

Romelia and Antonio have been married for fifty-seven years “Too long,” according to Romelia. When Antonio, an eighty-something-year-old grouch suddenly dies, Romelia’s not so ready to mourn him; in fact, she feels like celebrating. She turns the living room into a tropical paradise and gets ready to live her remaining years with her one true love: Barbarito, her cockatiel. Her neighbor Ida, the crotchety church lady next door, judges her not so quietly. When Barbarito escapes, Romelia sets out in search of her avian friend.

The story opens as a seemingly naïve call girl escapes the clutches of a notorious gangster with a cell phone containing all his secrets. A 'tough-rough' female cop, who may or may-not be crooked, is given the job to "get the 'witness' to Detroit, on time and in one piece" to testify.