A King and his Kingdom...

Der Koenig is the Father of the Princess. Logical so far.

Der Koenig

He reigns on his old furniture factory, a handful of workers, and in his house, his children call him "El Viejo", the Old Man... Sheesh. King Lear, anyone?

A King in his Castle...

He's a funny, dirty old man, and makes me think of my paternal grandfather, who once asked my english teacher (my big crush at 14) upon meeting her for the first time, if her husband satisfied her. The innuendo is, if anything, even clearer in French. (I still wince, sixteen years later) In Spanish, I miss most of the jokes, but I can always tell he just put out a good one from the rolling eyes of his family, the twinkle in his, and the sudden silence of any other people who might be present... such as the future in-laws.

Making Plans for the Past...

Business is quiet at the factory, the local economy has been bad for years, and he can't compete with asian production on the US or European markets. He has cabinetsfulls of the plans for furniture he made for the Sheraton Hotel, or the National Assembly, or the Embassy of this or that...

Where Once the Plans Were Laid...

Now he just keeps busy, and cracks jokes just to embarrass his family, and despite all the warnings from the Princess and the Queen Mother, Der Koenig has been good to me.