rafaelcb
rafaelcb
r a f a e l
3K posts
italian, mexican, merrockite. lawyer & real estate mogul, owner of bardales inc. please keep your dog on a leash rp only.
Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.
rafaelcb · 17 hours ago
Text
Talk about waking up from one nightmare into a living one, being completely covered in little paper cuts. Horrible. No, I really don't recommend it -- that coppery taste is overrated, trust me. The smartest, hm? Do you have some sort of trophy saying that? A plaque on your wall?
Tumblr media
That makes sense, actually. Mostly the paper cuts part, because that seems pretty brutal to wake up to. Hm, yeah, you've got a point there, though I don't make a habit of tasting blood or pennies if I can help it. Nah, I'll always fool them, because I'm the smartest man alive.
Tumblr media
142 notes · View notes
rafaelcb · 3 days ago
Text
As long as people don't expect me to be miserably grumpy twenty-four seven, things normally work out pretty alright for them. I hope so! I've had a couple of people quit just for the simple fact that it was their time to move on, or they quite literally were moving from town, and a couple more who just… honestly were not the right fit for the company? But that happens anywhere, with any business. They were, I enjoyed the display. And ate far too many good foods at the carnival, too.
Tumblr media
It is quite charming. We just know it's you and that you're not actually always all grumpy, it's just you're a bit grumpy, especially without that morning coffee or newspaper. That's a good sign, Raf! It means they like you! We'll make sure that you don't break your own rule. You have my word. Haha. The fireworks were quite lovely, weren't they?
Tumblr media
51 notes · View notes
rafaelcb · 3 days ago
Text
"It's better that she figures it out on her own, forming her own opinions, than just following something blindly," even if it was a bit scary to see how fast she was growing and changing, it had to still be a good feeling to know that Lara had equipped her daughter with the ability to make those decisions for herself, take care of herself, do what needed to be done to become an even better, more well-rounded human being. "Uhoh," he laughed, glancing towards the phone, "is it anything bad, or do you think she's just checking in?"
Tumblr media
Merrock was a nice place to raise a kid. There were a lot of good people around that she trusted. Of course, part of raising a daughter was to watch them grow and go through different phases of life. She had parent friends around who were experiencing the same things to help as well. She smiled again and helped herself to another fry. "Yes, and then she figures things out, which is a good thing, right?" she took a sip of her milkshake and checked her phone, which started blinking. "This is the part where I try not to freak out as a mom," she pointed to her phone.
Tumblr media
12 notes · View notes
rafaelcb · 4 days ago
Text
Tumblr media
4 notes · View notes
rafaelcb · 4 days ago
Text
"Absolutely," he said with a smile, nodding his head. That was one of those things about living in a town like Merrock -- there were always people around that you could count on, people that would have your back and help you out. Sometimes it was with the big things, and sometimes it was something as simple as having a fellow parent in town that your child was connected with that you knew would come to you whenever they needed to. That definitely helped. "I guess that's really not a bad thing, in today's world," he said. "It's better that they start young, speak up for themselves. Figure out who they are and what they believe in."
Tumblr media
Lara nodded in agreement. She loved that her daughter was enjoying being a teenager, and experiencing everything she could. It just took a bit of getting used to. The two kids just matched well together, and Colton was kind, sweet, and she knew things could have become more messy, more complicated. "It does," Lara nodded her head again. "Makes it a lot easier with school, weekends, knowing I have someone else to help check in on them with. "Oh yes," she gave him a smile. "More than she probably cares to really admit. Has so many opinions. Always changing, too."
Tumblr media
12 notes · View notes
rafaelcb · 5 days ago
Text
It feels a bit like one time, someone accidentally dropped something into their deep frier, dared someone to eat it, and decided that they were on to something. Whether or not that's true, we'll never know, but given the wide array of things that you see deep fried these days, it definitely seems like it might be a possibility. I like the traditional one, too. Now and then, I'll try something different, but I always have to have at least one traditional funnel cake to feel like it's truly summer carnival season. Me too, and apparently bubble waffles, I believe they're called? They're waffles shaped into a cone that people put ice cream and different toppings in. Which seems like a lot, I don't think I'd be able to eat all of that! He's… very traditional, we'll just leave it at that. He'll eat Mexican food at home, and Paco's. I've grabbed Taco Bell once or twice on a whim when I had no choice, and I genuinely thought that he was going to disown me.
Tumblr media
It's definitely like a lot of things, we take them a bit too far. Butter is a hard no for me, I'm not going to eat a stick of deep fried butter. Can't do it. Sure, give me a good slab cut of butter on a baked potato, or a good amount melted over my popcorn, but as itself -- no thank you, I'll pass. I'm a traditional girl, powdered sugar all the way. I may allow for a drizzle of like a chocolate sauce but it still has to have the powdered sugar. So I'm definitely going to always go the traditional route when it comes to that. But same goes for deep fried oreos, I've seen full on sundaes, topped with a million other things -- I'll just take a little powdered sugar and go. Now I'm not saying they're not an abomination but they're absolutely delicious from this one place that does them. At least the ground beef is seasoned really well that it doesn't taste all that different. Though I still think you're missing out, I mean what your dad doesn't know!
Tumblr media
26 notes · View notes
rafaelcb · 5 days ago
Text
"I doubt that you want to spend the entire time dodging complaints from unhappy customers," he said with a laugh, gesturing to the foods. He doubted that it was even possible. People loved baked goods, but they loved the baked goods at Cherry Amour even more. "Are you doing a good business out here, getting lots of people coming by to grab things?" Rafael could imagine that at a carnival and beach party setting, plenty of people worked up a good appetite and wanted anything and everything that they could get their hands on. "I do, count me in on that. It's going really well, though. I never take enough advantage of the fact that we live on the ocean, so it's good to have a whole week to do that."
Tumblr media
Hadi grinned back at Rafael's excitement. It was known to be his favorite and Hadi was more than happy to oblige. He nodded and went to the counter they had set up to get the baked goods ready. He took two plastic containers and took off his icing-covered gloves. "You know it. I wouldn't even be selling it," Hadi said. "The last thing I will do is cause a ruckus like that. The chef accepts your compliment," Hadi laughed. He put the tiramisu in first making sure it was a generous portion. He then took the key lime cupcake he made first and put it in the other container. On top of the key lime cupcake were lime charms that made him smile more. "I guess you need some sugar to keep you going out there?" Hadi asked. "The day's ok?"
Tumblr media
35 notes · View notes
rafaelcb · 7 days ago
Text
"Of course," he replied with a laugh, nodding his head. That would make sense -- the Newmans were some of the very first people Rafael had gotten to know when he moved to town eons ago, working for their father. Colton did seem to be a good kid, which matched well with what he knew of Lily, just from talking to Lara, and seeing her around town. "I'm sure it helps when you're friends with the other family -- you can keep in touch a little easier." Keep tabs on the kids, too, make sure that they weren't getting into any kind of trouble without knowing. "Is she a very opinionated kid?" he asked as he reached for a bite of food.
Tumblr media
Lara chuckled and smiled as she took a fry and dipped it into her milkshake. "Very good," she replied. She had gotten lucky with Colton being a good kid, and then becoming good friends with Cage. They both knew what it was like to raise kids as single parents and it helped that things moved along the way they did. "He's Cage's son. He's a good kid. Teenage boys are teenage boys. They're in their own little world," she said. She watched Raf closely as he spoke and picked up on a few words while he signed. "I am. It's just crazy to think of how fast she's growing up. Sometimes I forget she has her own opinions now."
Tumblr media
12 notes · View notes
rafaelcb · 11 days ago
Text
That's what I always regret the most, is the time that I don't get to spend with family and friends because I decided to do something else, somewhere else. It's important to be with them. But at least we do have the here and now to work on our tans and also become a little water logged, right?
Tumblr media
Too much. I also wouldn't want to miss out on family time for the holidays. At least for right now, we can all enjoy the summer time happenings around here. I'm looking forward to spending all day getting some color tomorrow.
Tumblr media
111 notes · View notes
rafaelcb · 11 days ago
Text
"The dream, Nathaniel. The dream," he laughed as he said it, shaking his head in wonder at the image of himself toppling out of the office, boxes falling out of his arms, unable to hold on to all of the mugs that represented all of the love that his staff held for him… or something like that, anyway. Looking over at Nathan as he corrected him on the name, he nodded his head slowly, and then broke into a smile. "I guess that means I should start calling you Sailor to make up for lost time." Or, he would call him Mr. Ames, now that he knew and had committed his name to memory. Once Rafael knew his employees, he didn't tend to forget the important details about them. Like their name. Obviously. "Don't worry, I don't have any plans of canning you," he assured him with a smile. Not when he had come to look at him as a friend, as well as someone that was a valuable asset to the company, and definitely helped them grow every single day. "Mhm," he laughed as Nathan said that his kid agreed with him, "that's because to kids, they're dad jokes. And that somehow makes them even worse." Glancing around once the door was open, he stepped inside carefully, not wanting to disturb anything, and looked around, "is the electricity still on, or do we need to use our flashlights to get around?"
Tumblr media
"I'm suddenly picturing you carrying dozens of boxes of 'best boss' mugs at the end of day, trying to see in front of you as you make your way to your car," Nathan said with a laugh. That would be a sight. And it'd be a bit funny if everyone somehow coincidentally gave Rafael mugs as a gift for bosses day. When he heard what nickname his boss used to refer to him when Nathan had just started, he couldn't help raising his eyebrows. The automatic response he usually used to reply to was on the tip of his tongue. He managed to swallow it and just chuckled softly. It could be worse. "Sailor, Raf. Sailor," he said with then gave a small nod. "I appreciate that. I happen to like working there so getting fired because we get chased by dogs would be really sucked," he gave a grin. He then used the keys to unlock the front door, a quick glance at the exterior told his amateur skill about real estate that it didn't look that bad. It might work if his client wanted to rent it. He let out a chuckle when Rafael stopped at his words and gave a shrug in response. "In that case, I'll take the 'best boss' mug back. Although, my kid probably agrees with you." Opening the door, he couldn't help the cough at how dusty it felt once he entered the house. "No one had lived here for a while, definitely."
Tumblr media
17 notes · View notes
rafaelcb · 12 days ago
Text
Yes, absolutely -- I've owned the grumpiness that sometimes consumes me! And it's okay. I've made it a somewhat charming part of who I am… some days, anyway. Other days, maybe not so much. Those kids deserve my wrath, especially if they spill my coffee. I would go as far as to say that's the one rule that they cannot and should not break! I like to think so, no one's really ever stormed out and rage quit on me… that should be a sign that things are good, right? I'm glad! I'm getting excited to kick back and watch those fireworks, to be honest.
Tumblr media
Okay, well at least we're on the same page about it and it seems like you are living for it! And wearing that proudly. So only for the kids who get you all grumped up, who spill your coffee or are too loud, right? They seem to be happy with you, Raf! They all like you and think you're a great boss, from what I've heard. Then there is me, always in search for another cup of coffee before noon. It's been great so far! I did get up on the ferris wheel this time, the views are absolutely stunning.
Tumblr media
51 notes · View notes
rafaelcb · 12 days ago
Text
Rafael couldn't help his laugh as Lara said that her daughter had a boyfriend, not even wanting to try to imagine what that must feel like. To go from raising someone from the moment that they were born to realizing that there was someone else in their life that was their number one, most important person… it had to be a tough one. "A good boyfriend?" he asked, knowing that could make the difference. Some parents panicked when their children started dating, but if they had someone good in their corner, it at least made a little difference. "You must be proud, though. Underneath all of the nerves."
Tumblr media
“You are probably right,” Lara signed with a small chuckle. She hadn’t met them herself, but there were some people who were bound to have very different tastes from hers. Some of them surprising, some of them not so much. But for her, personally, she loved those French fries. She followed his hands and nodded, getting the gist of what he was saying. “Yes,” she signed, nodding her head along. “Now all she wants is to spend time with her friends and her boyfriend,” he emphasized the last word. “My daughter has a boyfriend…” she shook her head with a smile. “Shes great. Smart, funny, adventurous. But she’s growing up too fast,”
Tumblr media
12 notes · View notes
rafaelcb · 12 days ago
Text
"Tiramisu!" he said with a bit of excitement to his tone, breaking into a wide grin, "oh Hadi, you absolutely outdid yourself, as usual." It was well known that it was one of Rafael's all time favorite desserts -- he loved the sweet stuff, even more so when it was tiramisu, a flavor he had adored for such a long time. "Maybe I'll take one of each. Tiramisu and the key lime cupcakes. You wouldn't be pushing them if they weren't good enough to eat, right?" even if he was supposed to be making them sell, Rafael knew that it didn't take away from the fact that they would be delicious, regardless.
Tumblr media
"For a man of your taste I would say go for the snickerdoodle or the tiramisu. Don't tell anybody but I might have made the tiramisu just for you," Hadi chuckled. He held the icing steady and got the last of the cupcakes in a swirl just like he wanted. He checked to make sure the tri-color frosting hadn't mixed then stuck a toothpick in it. "But if you want something out there or summery? Key lime cupcakes. And yes I am getting told to push them," Hadi held a finger to his lips. He didn't mind. If he did he wouldn't have baked them. It was how he cracked jokes. The kitchen sense of humor was a weird one.
Tumblr media
35 notes · View notes
rafaelcb · 15 days ago
Text
Rafael had known plenty of people who had the exact mindset that Minnie was talking about -- developers and investors who came into a small town like Merrock, bought up land, and did whatever it took to further their own interests, rather than helping the town itself. People who didn't care about anything or anyone but themselves. Thankfully, in a town like this… people fought back. Anyone who came in with ideas like that was going to face an uphill battle getting it to happen. "I've seen people run out of this town who have tried to come in and make major changes," he admitted with a small smirk. "Hell, I've bankrolled historical projects to make sure that they were restored, and not torn down. So people fight back here." And it was a good feeling, to see an entire town come together like that. "I can understand that -- the romantic aspect. I've heard so many people say that this town reminds them of a Hallmark movie, so it makes sense. I'd imagine some of the couples in this town feel like they've walked through a Hallmark movie, too," in such a quaint little town, it was hard to imagine it being anything other than perfect.
"Who ever would have thought that an existential crisis would be seen as a good thing?" he asked on a laugh, shaking his head. But she wasn't wrong. It was always better to be slowly growing than to be staying idle, never changing. Rafael was someone who wanted to grow. Even at his older age, where he was so settled into his life, he still wanted to grow, wanted to change, wanted to become a better person. One day at a time, though, that was the best way to do it. "Okay, six months is a little much," he said with a laugh and a shake of his head, but if he were in her position… he couldn't really say that he would have been any different or any better. Sometimes, it was the easiest option, after all. "When I'm at home, I'm a little better at making sure that my clothes are where they need to be. You know, need to keep my suits and ties in a line for work," otherwise, it was a scramble to get ready in the mornings, and he wasn't good with that. Reaching into his pocket to remove his wallet, he pulled out his card as the waitress came by, handing it to her discretely. "I've got this, by the way. My treat."
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Minnie's scrunched up face let Rafael know exactly what she thought about that. People making it their personality to find out the identity of someone who preferred to remain anonymous — she had known snakes like that, slick-talkers in the galas who wanted to find out who donated high amounts of money to no spare expense of their own. It often ruined the vibe of the gala itself, and lessened the impact of the philanthropy at hand. Sure, she disagreed with a lot of the crowds there, but no one deserved to have their entire life rooted out, nor should anybody give up their life to do something like that. She simply couldn't imagine. Now, it would be a different story if they were the lawyers trying to find out shady things about Mx. Benefactor. But that wasn't the case. Ha! A pun. "Ugh. Of course there are people like that. We can't escape them. I'm just glad that the balance of historical and stuff has been struck. I know there are many developers out there who are like, nah, let's just take it all down, out with the old and in with the new. And I'm like, okay, I'm all for updating the interior, but there's some things out there that shouldn't be forgotten. Maybe it's weird to think of a town as, like, almost a living time capsule, or something, but I think it's kind of neat. A little romantic, too! In, like, the romanticise life way." And romanticising her life was something which Minnie was striving to do more. She most certainly wasn't going to wait around for someone to enter her life again and give her permission. She'd been there, done that, left that boat in the harbour.
"Gosh, if we're not having an existential crisis of some kind, then I am really convinced we're simply not living. The ones where you're like, am I just getting by? are the ones that croak me up like a tree frog for sure, but I'd rather be having those, and like, trying to get some growth in before the day is done as opposed to not." A nod of triumph. There were many cases in her life where she had grown that much — and, to balance that out, places where she was still quite immature and needed some work. But c'est la vie, and so it went. A bucket full of time had opened up before her so that she could do a lot of internal work she never anticipated, and he was partially to be thanked for that. "Mhm, for sure. My suitcase has stayed packed for like ... I think my longest record was six months. Like, I opened it up and I was just pulling things from it, and that's how I got it to be unpacked again. So tedious. And as you know, I'm always into a change of pace!" This was part of why Minnie became very excited about more difficult or strange cases which crossed their desks. It was never to the lengths of a Miss Marple mystery, but there were a lot of numbers and puzzle pieces even so. She finished up the last twirl of her pasta, and the stabs of her salad, sighing with satisfaction. "Yup, I'm getting convinced that nothing will ever be hitting like Italian food." She rummaged in her bag, both on the search for her wallet and for her usual wet wipe post-meal.
18 notes · View notes
rafaelcb · 16 days ago
Text
"There are few people on the planet who don't love French fries," he said with a laugh, shaking his head. And when he ran into someone who didn't love them… well, he tried not to judge, but it was a little tough. "I can imagine that's tough," he said with a shake of his head, "one moment you're buying her cotton candy, next thing you know, she's off on her own." Rafael could remember what it was like to be that age, to want to just be out on his own, enjoying his free time. Lara was brave, and a good mom for letting her do her own thing. "She seems like a good kid."
Tumblr media
"A very lucky guess!" Lara agreed. "A very good one," she smiled back at him. "Looks so yummy," she signed, pointedly towards the food that Raf had just set down. She smiled again. "Yes," she said. "She's gone off with her friends, wanted to spend the whole day around here, with the carnival, get some carnival food," she signed, but a bit slower so that Raf could follow along. "Kids... they grow up so quickly..."
Tumblr media
12 notes · View notes
rafaelcb · 18 days ago
Text
"Oh, take your time," Rafael said with a soft laugh as Hadi explained that it would be a little bit of a wait, not wanting to rush him. After all, you never wanted to rush a master at their craft, he knew that much. Having decided to walk around some of the food tents and trucks to see what he could eat after getting out of the water -- it was good surfing weather, thankfully -- his sweet tooth had demanded to be fed. And this was the best place to do that. "Anything that you recommend trying?"
Tumblr media
WHERE: The Swim Beach in the food trucks WHO: Hadi and your character WHEN: Mid-afternoon or any time that works @merrock
Hadi had been putting a lot of work into the pastry he was debuting at the corner tent. They didn't have a food truck set up yet for Cherry Amour but there was no waiting around so far as he was concerned. The intention was to have it be red, white and blue stripes but there was a problem with it being hot despite being in the shade. He was really focused and not wanting to look away from the swirl of icing he put atop the mini cupcake. "Go ahead and have a look around," Hadi said when a shadow fell across his way. "I've got more than just this done, but if you want one of these it'll be a bit of a wait." Hadi gave an apologetic smile because he couldn't turn his attention away yet.
Tumblr media
35 notes · View notes
rafaelcb · 18 days ago
Text
Catching the way that Lara's eyes moved from the group of teenagers to the food in front of her, Rafael realized that it must have been her daughter that had just left from the table, offering her a smile as he sat down, making himself comfortable. "Lucky guess," he said with a wide smile, nudging them forward and setting down his cheesesteak, milkshake, and the container of fried vegetables. They were... healthy, right? A little bit? "Was that your daughter I saw take off?" he asked, pointing in the direction that she had left towards.
Tumblr media
Lara almost had a hard time letting her daughter go off with her friends. The more she thought about it, the faster the teenager seemed to grow. But she knew Lily was a good kid, getting out there and having fun during her summer. Lily had promised to keep her updated if she and her friends wanted to leave the event grounds. It gave Lara some time to go around with friends, maybe grab a drink for herself. She sipped on her milkshake, watching her daughter run off with her friends to look for the rest of their group. Turning her head, she grinned seeing Rafael. “How did you know I love French fries?”
Tumblr media
12 notes · View notes