Years ago my son and a friend and I go to Carlos O’kelly’s mexican restaurant in Fort Wayne. They had those little candy and toy machines. So of course Conrad wanted to get something. I gave him some quarters and just said to get whatever. He wanted one of these little guys, or figurines, whatever they were. I looked and thought they were like little fighting men. And then I noticed the sign on the machine, “HOMIES COLLECT ALL 24”. I’m thinking what the Hell???? Homies? So we put our quarters in and pull it out a little Mexican dude.

Black handle bar moustache, wearing a white shirt and a stocking cap. I about died laughing. So we had to get more quarters and see what else there was. Kris and I were laughing about these homies and how they are all little Mexican men dressed as gangsters. She swears up and down the one conrad has had a gun in his pocket. There was another one with a wife beater, shades and a do-rag on his head. We were laughing about homies and the waitress comes up and sees Conrad playing with his little men and says “Oh so he got a homie”. Of course that set us off again in laughter. I mean really, who in their right mind thought that little Mexican homies wasn’t the least bit stereotypical or racist. And I’m sorry but I had to say it makes me wonder if somewhere they have more of these machines “CRACKERS COLLECT ALL 24” how about “CRACK WHORES COLLECT ALL 24”.

Seriously though I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. I can’t believe no one complained. Then that night my older son Zachary saw Conrad’s little man and said “Conrad got a homie? I have a friend that collects those”. Now how in the Hell long have homies been around? Has anyone else heard of these?  Carlos O’kellys is closed now so I can’t even tell you if they still sell them. All I know is they made for one funny night.