'Parking meter fairy' is a dream come true in Coconut Grove

As the man in a pink curly wig, a lavender tutu and diaphanous angel wings skated along the streets of Miami's trendy Coconut Grove area, a woman sitting at a table asked him if he was a fairy of some sort."Yes," he replied, "I'm the parking meter fairy."
 
"Thank you," said a man at the same table, before giving the fairy a cigarette in appreciation for his kindness.The fairy chatted briefly with them while taking a few puffs. Then he was off on his appointed rounds -- putting quarters in parking meters about to expire. As he was leaving, the man at the table said, "Long live the meter fairy."Hired to skate around the Grove adding 15 minutes to a visitor's time at the curb, Xavier Cortes is a popular figure. He provides relief from the pesky parking tickets that threatened to discourage patrons from returning to restaurants and shops.His job was created when a business owner in Coconut Grove grew tired of getting parking tickets for missing the meter by a minute or two. Cynthia Bettner, publisher of Best Tourist Publications Inc., advertised in the Miami New Times for a "colorful one-of-a-kind extrovert who looks good in tulle."Bettner wasn't necessarily looking for a male fairy, just someone who could skate and would not be afraid to dress like a fairy.Cortes found the job interesting enough to call."At first I thought it was almost humorous, like something with good intention that I would want to be a part of," he said.When Cortes answered the ad, however, he first wanted to make sure it wasn't a joke. Convinced that it wasn't, he applied."Xavier was perfect. He's an artist, someone who likes to be dressed in this bizarre outfit to help educate people about the parking tickets," Bettner said. "Tourists stop him."Every time he works, a different merchant sponsors Cortes. Storeowners pay him $10 an hour for a five-hour day. He gets $40 in quarters and a $25 parking card for the parking meters.People don't get a free ride. They simply get a chance to avoid getting a ticket.The job comes naturally to Cortes, an artist with a theater background whose works have been featured in galleries, music album covers and local newspapers."I've done Che Guevara, who is a communist, so this is just another performance," Cortes said. "I'm out skating, and I'm getting paid for doing somebody a favor."Visitors and locals are happy he's on the job, and many thank him for his work. Children look at him in awe."He's our favorite fairy," said Kathleen Brennan, a Grove resident.But not everyone admires his work. On a recent day, while Cortes skated around the Grove, two teenage boys laughed at him. But this did not bother him."My dad was my biggest worry," Cortes said. "He knows where I stand in my sexuality."Surprisingly, Cortes gets along with all the parking meter officers."Meter maids have been nothing but nice to me," he said. "I've had a secret fear that they'd be antagonistic."Jill Swerdlow, a business owner who has sponsored Cortes more than once, said he is a goodwill ambassador."I'm a big fan," Swerdlow said. " I think it really captures what the Grove is about."After saying hello, Cortes quickly moves on. With more meters to fill, he fixes his lavender tutu, makes sure his wings are on straight and waves goodbye as he skates away.