Mateo Perez

MATEO PEREZ ; THE INTRO

FULL NAME: Mateo Michael Perez 

MEANING: Mateo is Spanish and means gift of God

NICKNAME(S): N/A

BIRTH DATE: March 25, 1988

AGE: 33

ZODIAC: Aries 

GENDER: Male

PRONOUNS: He/Him

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Heterosexual 

CURRENT LOCATION: Rosewood Hills 

LIVING CONDITIONS: three bedroom, one and half bathroom home, fenced backyard with fire pit. 

 Willow had looked over at Mateo, the person she had been drawn to spend the day with at the Easter Egg Auction, and offered him a small smile followed by a nod at his question. “Sure! I could do with a drink. Considering the whether and all is nice, I might need something to cool me down.” She said with a small chuckle. Despite being outgoing, Willow was also shy around new people, but she was trying her best not to let her own insecurities get the best of her. “Are you a baseball fan?” She figured she’d ask, as it was never a sport she had gotten into personally, but she wasn’t opposed to watching it. Besides, Mateo seemed like a nice guy so far and she was always up for making new friends. 

“Absolutely what I was thinking,” nice weather made it way to Fallbrook and made baseball season all that more enjoyable for him. He loved getting out to see the games, though it would never replace the feeling of being out on the field and playing. Baseball was far from the fast paced sports, most people found it be quite boring but when he was out there, it was anything but. “I am,” he chuckled softly, “played all my life really, growing up it was what my dad got me interested in,” he told Willow, “played all through high school, went to Boston and played,” he continued on as he led them toward the drinks. “but now I just watch or coach here and there since my shoulder injury took me off the playing field.”

x

She didn’t want the man to worry, but she was curious now if Hal would talk to Mateo if the man wrote him. “I… I don’t know.” She said honestly. “He has been gone since the first of the month and he hasn’t talked to any of us and I just…” She stopped and took a breath so that she wouldn’t bust out with tears. “If you wouldn’t mind? I don’t know if he’ll talk to you, but… I just want to know he’s okay and safe and not just lying out there in a ditch.” Tears lined her eyes and she looked away. She didn’t want to come off this way with her employee and someone she saw almost like another son, but it was happening.

“I can do that,” he nodded his head, knowing just how worried Nancy was about her son. “the moment I hear anything I will let you know,” that was if he heard anything from Hal. If he wasn’t talking to his family, what made him think that he was going to respond to Mateo. “It’s going to be okay,” he told Nancy, hoping that he was being reassuring. “he’s going to be just fine.” Knowing that neither of them actually knew that. “I will help out in any way that I can, okay?” 

Hal: Did Ma tell you to text me?

Mateo: she might have been a bit worried

Mateo had always seemed to see things in her that others never tended to notice. Those that she let get close to her noticed, sure. But Mateo wasn’t exactly one of those people. However, being that he had watched her when she was young, she supposed there was something to watching someone grow up. It was nice feeling noticed for once, even if she wasn’t sure who she was being noticed as. Estelle took small sips of the samples that were offered as the woman spoke, turning back towards Mateo when she had invited them to go on the tour portion of the day. “Alright basically you’ve got your sparkling wines and aromatics. Tuscany specializes in aromatics–which isn’t the best of wines in my opinion but it’s not like we’re in the south of France.” As they were walking, she felt a couple of raindrops fall on her head. Quick to shield herself from the rain, she looked towards the guide. “Uh–ma’am, it looks like it’s going to rain.” She offered, in hopes of getting them out of the rain. Estelle wasn’t fan, much less her hair.

As Estelle dove into talking about wines, Mateo stood with his mouth agape. He didn’t know a damn thing about wines, especially in the way that Estelle did. “No we are not in the south of France, are we?” He chuckled softly at her words. The former baseball player parted his lips to question what she considered to be the best of wines when she made a comment that it was raining. A few droplets of rain graced his own head, causing him to look up. “Excuse me,” he tried to speak up to get the woman’s attention but the sky was looking more dooming by the second, “it’s starting -” Mateo didn’t finish the rest of his sentence as the sky opened up in a downpour of rain above them. “Shit, c’mon, we got to make a run for cover.” He had a feeling the amount of raining coming down over them was not going to be good for the roads.

“I find that is something people around here are pretty good at. Everyone seems so willing to support my art.” Harper replied as there have been quite a few times that people have supported her work. It was a nice change to what she had been used to back home. “I think that is pretty normal for dogs though, isn’t it? They get excited about everything, and it makes life a little bit brighter.”  She replied as she wasn’t sure that she’d ever met a dog that wasn’t happy about food. 

“Can’t beat that,” people of Fallbrook were definitely supportive of others. He remembered the support he got when he got signed with the Boston Red Sox right out of high school. It wasn’t an easy feat to do, but Mateo had managed to snag a spot on the team and have a fulfilling career. However, he hadn’t been the kindest in leaving and the people of Fallbrook deserved better than an eighteen year old with an ego. He had long since matured and done his best to make amends, but there was always someone that would hold it against him. “It does make life brighter,” he reached down to pet the dog with her tongue lolling out. “It really makes things better when she is around, knowing that if she can be happy about just about anything, I should at least not sweat the small stuff either.”

&

“It is, I’m not sure how much of a beautician I am.” Melisa laughed softly and hoped that Aniyah wouldn’t be having too many disgruntled customers coming back to her later on today. It was nice hanging out with Mateo, he was one of the few who had easily forgiven Melisa for leaving. And it was kind of nice being back at the Cherry Festival. She had grown up attending these, and even came back for a few during college. Small town festivals were something she had missed while being in New York City. “You always could have volunteered at the dunk tank, I’m sure lots of people would have lined up for that.” She teased, nudging him with her elbow as the line they were currently in moved forward a little bit. “I’ve had it since I got back, their take out is so good. I probably get it more than I should.” 

“Oh, yeah, I’m sure they would have,” Mateo rolled his eyes at Melisa with a shake of his head. Though, he was grinning nonetheless. Had he been picked to sit up on the dunk tank, he wondered how many people would line up to see him get wet or simply to dunk him due to the way he left  after they graduated high school. “It’s hard place not to get take out at. I probably get it more than I should too,” he looked around, “but don’t tell Teodora, she will have my ass.” He laughed at the thought as he turned his attention back to Melisa, “So, catch me up,” he told her, “what have you been up to the last few weeks since I’ve seen you last?” He raised a brow at her, “The news has been free of any dead people, so I’m assuming if you have killed Johnny, you haven’t been caught,” he teased the other, knowing of her strong dislike for Stevie’s long time love.

Mateo: hey

x

“Have you seen Hal at all?” She asked him; her heart was beating almost out of her chest, at least it felt like it, as she did. She was worried, to a point, that he hadn’t seen him. She was hoping and maybe getting that hope up a little that he had. That he saw Hal that morning. That he got a text from him that he was going to be late. Something. Anything. She was hoping, but there was a gut feeling she was wrong. “Or heard from him? At all?”

It had been some time since Mateo had seen Hal. The two had become friends over the years, especially more so since Mateo was working at his mother’s bar. He tended to see more of him, though they had known each other all through high school when Hal had a bit of a crush on him. “I haven’t,” he shook his head, encompassing all of her questions. “I’m sorry, Nancy, is everything okay? Do you need me to try and reach out to him?”

Harper let out a small chuckle while she looked between Mateo and his dog.  She was glad to know that he hadn’t been trying to have a full on conversation or something with her that she’d been ignoring on accident. Mostly as it wouldn’t be the first time that someone tried and failed to get her attention. “No worries, I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing something important.” She added as it wasn’t a big deal or anything. “It’s such a nice day out, I am sure that your dog is enjoying it.”

“Being praised is important,” he teased lightly, though he had been praising his dog. “though with your work,” he said with a pointed nod of his head, “I’m sure you hear it quite often.” Mateo wouldn’t have been surprised by it in the least bit. “She sure is. It’s nice to get out and about with her, not that the both of us don’t enjoy lounging in the backyard,” he chuckled with his words, “she especially loves it when I take the grill out to make food, always waiting for scraps to hit the floor for her.” 

Since Mateo’s return to Fallbrook three years ago, almost four years, he had been to the baseball stadium a few times. It was a city league, nothing crazy and tended to be college kids looking to play before they went pro. Mateo skipped that step, having been recruited right out of high school for the Boston Red Sox, though being back in the stadium brought up some poor memories for him. Lucky for him, he was to be distracted by the company of another. When he signed up for the Easter Egg Auction, he didn’t know what to expect, simply doing it because Teodora wouldn’t quit pestering him about it. However, at the end of the day, Mateo wasn’t going to turn down free drinks and food and a chance to watch the baseball game. “You want a drink or anything before we go sit?” He asked the younger woman as they reached the food and drink section of the game. The lines weren’t terribly long but he imagined they’d only get longer. “I mean it is free, after all, huh?” He chuckled with a smile. 

Open: @fallbrookstarters​ 

Harper was glad that they’d moved past the colder months and were slowly getting closer to summer. She had never liked the cold, and often wondered if she’d be better off moving somewhere that never got cold. She sat on a bench in the park and was sketching the scenery when she heard a voice nearby. “Sorry, did you say something?” Harper asked the person that she now noticed had shown up while she was not in her drawing.

Mateo was happy to enjoy a full day off. Nala panting happily at the end of the leash. They had enjoyed a walk to the park and decided to take a load off. “Who is a good girl,” he smiled down at the dog, setting down her travel bowl of water for her to drink out of. Mateo looked up at the sound of another voice, having not realized he sat so close to someone. “Oh, sorry,” he laughed, “I was talking to my dog here, she did one hell of a walk.” 

x

She laughed softly as she finished cleaning Ivey and standing back up. “Possibly. I learned early when I got jam on my clothes that I would help my mom make.” She explained with a smile. “I think I’m more easy going about it all since I know how messy kids can be. After all, I work with them all day.” Dominique grinned. “That’s definitely true. And at least is a smoothie and not paint. I’m used to that one.”

“Making jam with your mom? That sounds like it could be a messy and fun adventure as a kid.” His memories with his own parent’s were few and far between at times. They didn’t have a bad childhood by any means but after the divorce, Mateo threw himself into protecting his siblings and playing baseball. It was all that he really cared about. “That makes sense,” he chuckled, nodding his head. “I don’t have a ton to do with kids, at least not when I’m not coaching during the summers.” Though it was something Mateo hoped to pick up full time. “Paint can’t be easy to get off, huh?” He chuckled again as he smiled at Dominique. 

where: cherry blossom festival - cola toss who: open! @fallbrookstarters​

Ebony loved attending all of the little events her sweet town had to offer. Cherry blossoms were a big thing in East Asian cultures generally, and though mainly celebrated in Japan, South Korea also had a big love for the blush colored flowers.  Her job was to ensure everyone at the cola toss was following the rules and award them their gifted stuffed animals if they were to win and she had been enjoying herself thus far. Having tugged her long, brown and curly hair up into a bun, she smiled at the person as they stepped up and grabbed the three rings for them to take their turn. “Okay, so if you get three rings on the bottles, you get a teddy bear! If you get all three on the bottles in the back, you get one of these big guys!” she explained with an excited tone behind her words, patting one of the large panda bear prizes and holding her hand containing the rings out to the participant.

Mateo had finished up a shift at The Pit Stop, bartending for the local event taking place in Fallbrook. It was one that he had continued to attend over the last three years since his return from playing baseball in Boston. It wasn’t his favorite by any means, but Mateo wasn’t going to turn down a change to hang out with his friends, eat great food and catch a music show at the end of the night. In the meantime, Mateo found himself stepping up to one of the games that was set up. He listened, eyes following her descriptions as she pointed out the bottles, then the prizes. “I think I can do that,” he grinned at her as he took the rings from her hand. “well, maybe,” Mateo thinned his lips, narrowing his eyes in concentration as he tossed one of the rings. It caught the top of a bottle for a second before flying off. 

Poppy always threw people off, most of the Fallbrook natives who sweeter than pie and had that Southern hospitality. One of the biggest examples of it was Emmaline Valentine, she was the kindest woman in this town and the brunette sitting at the bar knew she could make her cry with a single look. Her head turned to look over at Mateo as she raised her glass up to her lips, tilting her head back to drink back the shot in one swift motion. “What’s the difference?” She hissed through the bitter liquid running down her throat, plopping the glass down onto the bar. Her eyebrow arched when he admitted there was actual ass smacking going on. “Interesting,” she mused, never imagining someone would admit to that. She shrugged her shoulders as she raised her hand up to get the bartender’s attention. “I think people who figure out they are good at something become cocky and think they are better than everyone else.” She scoffed, thinking about how drastically her relationship with her brother changed when his friend died… even if he had been her friend too. “Do you think I’m wrong?”

Fallbrook was full of sweeter than pie people, though it seemed tonight he had run into the exception to the rule. There was always one, at least, right? Mateo knew that his return hadn’t been well received by some people in his life, simply because he had spent his baseball career with more of an ego than he cared to admit at this point in his life. “Interesting,” he repeated the word back to her. The woman’s perception of sports players wasn’t far off. “I don’t think you are wrong, no,” he shook his head. Mateo had met his fair share of people like that and he wouldn’t be surprised if people thought he acted like that. “I’d like to think that I didn’t think I was better than anyone else, but you get immersed in that world and well,” his shoulders shrugged, “it gets ahold of you.”

-

Estelle didn’t really do touchy feely emotions. They didn’t really come naturally to her unless she was with Chase. But it really meant a lot to her that Mateo said that because she never had any siblings. It was something she always wanted, always jealous that everyone else got automatic playmates. “I totally tried hard to get you to like me.” She shook her head softly with a laugh. “I just didn’t want you to think that because–I don’t know shit, let’s just drink some wine.” Estelle couldn’t say it, but she knew it was because trying hard meant she was left open for vulnerability. She didn’t do vulnerability, for the most part. Luckily the first set of white wines were placed before them. Estelle took a sip as she listened to the lady explain each one.

“I don’t think you had to try that hard,” though, thinking back, he figured that as a young teen babysitting, the last thing he wanted was a friendship. At least, at times. The baseball player did have a reputation to uphold but he didn’t recall ever outright being a dick. Mateo let out a small laugh, nodding his head. “Wine it is.” He agreed to her suggestion. Listening as the woman before them explained the wines, Mateo knew this was going right over his head. As the explanation came to an end, Mateo looked over at Estelle with raised brows, “okay, walk me through this in kindergarten terms.”