Marcelo in the Real World Chapter 7 Summary

  • Marcelo's in the mailroom doing an Internet search for "cognitive disorder" when the phone rings.
  • It's Holmes. He wants to see Marcelo right away. Jasmine's not surprised—Holmes always wants everything right away.
  • Marcelo goes to Holmes's office to find him sitting behind a big glass-topped desk. 
  • Holmes calls him "Gump." Charming. Marcelo doesn't understand why that would be an insult, even though he knows it upsets Arturo, because he's seen Forrest Gump, and he thought the main character was a good person.
  • Sure enough, Holmes thinks Marcelo should help Wendell with the Vidromek litigation. Marcelo says he works for Jasmine, which causes Holmes to wonder aloud what Arturo sees in Jasmine. And that, in turn, makes Marcelo uncomfortable—after all, it's just because Jasmine's a good worker, right? Holmes answers with a snort.
  • Oh, but wait, it gets even better when Marcelo meets Wendell, Holmes's son.
  • Wendell, it turns out, has exactly one topic of conversation: women, specifically Jasmine and how he wants to get with her.
  • Marcelo's baffled; he doesn't understand this sexual attraction stuff. He has no idea how to talk to Wendell, who seizes the opportunity to make him feel even more uncomfortable by getting graphic about the things he likes to do.
  • He finishes their meeting by doing something particularly insulting: unbuttoning Marcelo's top button, which Marcelo has fastened again. 
  • Peeps need to leave Marcelo's wardrobe alone, right? Right.
  • Overwhelmed by trying to comprehend the conversation he's just had, Marcelo goes back to the mailroom. 
  • On his desk is a detailed schedule, courtesy of Jasmine, of exactly what he's supposed to do and when he's supposed to do it.
  • Marcelo is so relieved that he finds himself tearing up for the first time in his life.