Dichotomy of a Dyad

Tlaxcala is a small state in central Mexico, just an hour and a half drive away from Mexico City. Flanked by colorful Mayan frescoes of Cacaxtla archaeological site in the south, the village is right next to the ruins of Xochitecatl ancient pyramids. Northeast of here, the state capital of Tlaxcala features notable architecture like the Palacio de Gobierno de Tlaxcala, with an orange-tiled facade and murals depicting local history.

They say the most pleasant time here is the summer rainy season.

Much of Tlaxcala's economy is based on agriculture, livestock and forestry. Although the state has 15 dams and 483 wells to provide water, a large part of the state's agriculture is dependent on the summer rainy season, leaving it vulnerable to climatic phenomena known as El Niño or La Niña. Most livestock raised in the state is beef cattle and dairy cows along with the renowned fighting bulls.

Right in the middle of this expanse lies the ranch of Juan and Esther Salazar where they raise and breed fighting bulls. For a 48 year old man, Juan looks older. With receding hairline and a bit of fat accumulated in the midsection, Juan is otherwise a small-framed man. His wife, Esther, on the other hand, has aged like a fine wine over the years. With a dedicated morning regime that includes ample cardio and strength training, the 45-year-old, mother of three, is as slim and tall as ever.

Her hair is the color of a swirling brown with streams of auburn, her eyes as brown as midday earth. An aquiline nose hints at her Iberian roots, but her thin lips and high cheekbones are a dead giveaway of a white European ancestry. Her face, a light spray of freckles on an otherwise monotonous porcelain complexion, is as delectable as ever. She is tall, as tall as Juan, long-legged and tight-bodied and is pretty much in charge of running the ranch.

The Salazars have been married for about 16 years but they have only been living the Ranch life for the past 12. Their oldest son, Juanito, named after his father turned 18 last month and has won a full-fledged scholarship to UNAM.

The Salazars have thrown a farewell party for Juanito in the garden today. The crowd is a mix of young teens and older couples - cowboys, horse breakers and nearby ranchers. Kids are playing in the garden, the lovely evening air is filled with a bit of mist and smells of wine. Distant, almost perpetual, sound of Mariachi chords from a Spanish guitar is not hampering any conversations.

One of these guests is the horse-breaker Phil Roger, the only American in the party or 'Gringo' as they call him. He is having a good time chatting up with these Mexican folks. He approaches Juan and shakes his hand.

"Thanks for hooking me up with these jobs, man. I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem, man."

Juan replies.

Juan has employed Phil in his Ranch since the latter's arrival in the ranching village about a month ago and has referred him to the neighbors and community for a lot of work.

The thing about Juan is that apart from being a full-time rancher, he is also an avocational poet. Though he is well satisfied and happy with his ranching life, he doesn't want to give away his artistic persona. He travels twice a year for international poetry conventions. A staunch liberal at heart, Juan always has had trouble accepting conventional concepts of society about marriage, relationships, art and nature. Drawing on the likes of Octavio Paz, Jaime Sabines and Pablo Neruda among others - his collegiate inspiration figures, he is always ready to challenge rugged, orthodox belief systems to solidify his closeness towards an artistic obsession of himself. He speaks English, French and Portuguese fluently, knows a whole lot about other cultures and is not shy to imitate elements of them.

This may be one of the reasons Esther and he have led an open marriage lifestyle from the beginning. They like to participate in what they call 'ethical non-monogamy'. They are free to explore, to broaden their horizons. For him, love is not an act of possession but sharing and living the experiences together. As long as they shared their innate desires and emotions, it was okay for him to find consummation outside their matrimonial bond.

It's strange how homo sapiens don't realize that their ideas, their lifestyle, their well formulated opinions on human/animalistic emotions and relationships often get upgraded with new ones over time and age across culture and distance alike.

"So, if you are not doing anything, you might as well stay for a nightcap."

Juan asks his Gringo guest.

"Oh.. I would love to, man, but I gotta head to the city tomorrow. I need to wake up early If I want to catch Esther's ride".

"Esther is going to the city?" Juan asks, surprised.

"Yeah, she didn't tell you?"

"Now that I think of it, she might have mentioned it. I must have forgotten".

They say their goodbyes and Phil turns around on his way home.

The other guests are leaving too, the garden is empty now. Cornella, the maid, is cleaning up and stacking up the chairs and Rece and Camila, the kids, are helping her.

Juan and Esther have raised their little darlings with good values. The two kids were born on this ranch. He and Esther moved here to raise these two and Juanito, who was already six by then, to give them the stress-free, natural ride of life. Open spaces to learn to ride their bicycles, play in the mud and essentially enjoy growing up.

Juan is inside his room now. Their well-furnished bedroom is full of Mahogany woodwork.

Esther is bent at the nightstand removing her makeup. Juan walks up to her from behind and cusps her small breasts in his hand. He slowly takes his hands down her body and pulls the elastic fabric of the lingerie sticking perfectly to her taut, firm frame, highlighting her curves.

"You are going to the city tomorrow"? He asks her.

"Si, mi Amor. I told you about it last week, remember? I need to see that the web page guy gets our website up and running. There is some paperwork to finish too with the livestock purchase."

Juan didn't remember her telling him that, but he had been so busy the past week with his upcoming convention and managing the ranch that he didn't remember a lot of things.

Juan starts to slowly slide his fingers inside his wife's lingerie.

"Honey, let's leave that for tomorrow. The kids could walk in."

Juan removes his hand and places them on either side of her cheek instead. He pulls her face to himself and kisses her deeply and passionately. She returns his kiss.

"Good night, love."

Juan goes to bed while Esther goes to take a shower.

The next morning, Juan wakes up to find that Esther has already left for the city. He goes to the hall to join the kids for breakfast.

"Cornelia will pick you guys up from school. Do tell me what you learned today, okay?"

"Si papá." cooed the kids and left. Juan worked with the horses until four in the evening when he got a call from Esther.

"How did it go, honey?"

"Perfecto, mi Amor. The website is up and running and our bulls are labeled."

"Great. How were Maria and Phil?".

"Maria was kind enough to throw up in the truck. She puked last night's wine all over the floor. I shouldn't have brought her with me. Phil is really funny for a Gringo."

"Funny for a Gringo or he is funny, period?".

Juan teased her.

"Stop it, Juan. By the way, I am taking Maria to the hotel room now. I will talk to you later".

Juan went home and played with the kids. He was about to hit the bed when Esther called again.

"Honey, were you going to bed"? She asked.

"Si, honey, how about you"?

"I was actually going to Phil's place to get a headstart for the day tomorrow".

"Now? It's about midnight".

"Yes, Phil told me he is not an early riser. We could get the paperwork done right now instead of in the morning. That way, I will be able to return early and I won't have to stay another day."

"Okay, honey. Was this your idea or his?"

"It was actually his idea, but think about it, I will be able to spend more time with you and kids tomorrow".

"Sure, Mi Amor. I will see you tomorrow."

"Buena noches".

"Buena noches".

*********

The next day, Esther drove her truck along the dirt track to her ranch. She took a glance at her phone screen and flipped a few fingers then placed it inside her bag. She saw Rece riding his bicycle across the corner.

"Hola Mijo".

"Hola, mama."

"Get the gate for me, sweety".

Rece ran to the gate and opened it all the way. Esther parked the truck into the driveway. She left the bag inside the truck and went to her husband who was chatting up with the cowboys. His demeanor gave an impression of slight anger.

"Hola, mi Amor".

"Hola, Esther." Juan replied flatly.

"Honey, what happened"?

"One of the bulls killed a mule. The mule was attached to the cart the ranch help were in. Someone could have been killed."

"Oh, lo siento, mi Amor. Are you upset?".

"Of course, I am upset, Esther. It was the bull you bought last week. It was still untrained. It went rampant and last I checked, training them was supposed to be your undertaking."

"Oh, honey. Don't be upset."

"Sure honey, why should I be upset? Let's open a bottle of champagne right now. As if I don't have to buy a new mule now."

"No, I didn't mean that".

The cowboys tried to glance sideways awkwardly. They did not intend to be part of the conversation.

It was fortuitous anyway. It wasn't really Esther's fault the bull killed the mule. She wasn't even here.

Juan realized the atmosphere around him and how rude he was being. Was the anger really coming from the bull's wild killing or was it his unplanned cuckolding that drew him furious? Sure, he noticed the initial attraction between Phil and Esther when they met a month earlier and at the occasional soirées thereafter and of course the lingering eye contact at the party the night before. Her pellucid attempts at coquetry, the occasional arm patting. It didn't go unnoticed.

No, the thing that bothered him was that she didn't open up to him about this newfound interest as she had done previously with her other sexual escapades.

It was almost as if she wanted to live this occurrence with Phil in a private sphere, thus making him concede the control he always seemed to have.

Yes, there was the source of hurt and anger clear as a sky on a fine day. Yet, he didn't want his petulant jealousy to ruin what could be an enjoyable experience for both of them.

He took a deep breath, put his childlike sulking aside and led Esther to their front porch.

"I am sorry, honey, I shouldn't have talked to you like that".

"It's okay, Juan. I should have been here. I missed you and the kids. Let's spend the day together, okay?".

"Si, Amor. So how did it go last night?"

Juan was calm again, a grin on his face now.

"Stop it, Juan."

Esther said laughingly.

"Come on, tell me. Were there kisses"?

Esther hesitated, then she said, "yes, a couple".

"A couple? Honey, your face looks puffy. Come on, tell me".

"Nothing to tell, Juan. We just got drunk and wasted".

"Alright, Mi Amor".

Esther went inside the house. Juan stood at the porch for a minute. He thought about something, then quickly went to Esther's truck. He grabbed her bag and took out her phone.

He unlocked it with the passcode he had always known and launched her iMessage. A recent message thread with someone named "P" was at the top of the list but there were no texts. Everything was deleted. A familiar anxiety returned to his body.

...

Esther is in the city with Maria. Both women are dressed up nicely. Esther is wearing a maroon one-piece that ends just above her knees with maroon shade lipstick and matching eye shadow. They are attending a timpani performance by renowned percussionist Gabriela Jimenez.

"I am glad to be here."

"Yes, me too. I needed some time for myself".

"So, what does one have to do to get into your husband's pants?"

Maria asks casually, lighting the mood. The two have been friends since college.

"Oh...He is a bit slow to get the hints. Don't worry about it".

"Yes, it seems so."

The lights in the theatre went out one by one and the whole auditorium is now covered in a dark shadow yet Esther's face is illuminated with the light from her phone screen.

She reads the texts "why not today"?

Esther replies "I am in the city. How about on your way to the Ranch tomorrow"?

"Yes, it's always better in sunlight".

"See you tomorrow, Esther".

"Hasta manaña, Phil".

Esther finally puts the phone down and takes in the immense beauty of the sonorous thumping of Jimenez and her orchestra. Esther's mesmerized visage is speaking of the turbulent emotions in her mind.

After the concert, Esther calls her husband to let him know she is going to visit an old friend in the city.

*********

Esther is driving on the dirt track amid a heavy downpour. The rain falls like a battering ram on the windows. She is smiling while talking on the phone. The car engine is humming a rattling noise making her voice inaudible. Then, the car stops. A figure is approaching the car door. Esther's smile is widened. A burly man with a thick beard gets inside and kisses Esther on the cheek. They talk for a while and Esther starts to drive again.

It's raining cats and dogs everywhere. The small insects, earthworms and other earthlings have come out of their holes. The birds are chirping. Little puddles of muddy water have been formed everywhere. The sun is peeking through a small slit between the clouds shining up the tapestry-like stone pattern in the courtyard of La Meridia hotel.

Upstairs a bed is creaking. The stairwell is deserted. No one is on the street to hear the sweet moans coming from the corner-facing room.

Inside, a woman is on her knees, her long black hair flailing on her sweaty back. A dainty round patterned tattoo on the small of her back. Then, two burly hands appear caressing the tattoo. The hands belong to Phil Roger who is thrusting his pelvis into the woman whose face can be seen clearly in the mirrored headboard she is being pushed into. With every thrust, Esther's lips meet her own laterally inverted reflection while a cry of pleasure escapes through those thin lips every couple of seconds.

The rain doesn't seem to stop. The shower head in the hotel's bathroom is imitating the sound of rain outside. Esther is sitting on her knees under the showerhead. Her head bobs up and down as if she is trying to scoop up an apple which for some reason is stuck at Phil's pelvis.

Finally, Esther takes a bar of soap to rub her hands and clean up the organ of pleasure in front of her eyes. Then, she starts to clean herself.

Juan is riding the horse with his helper. The rain falls over and behind their heads as the fast pacing horse trots through wet air. Juan hasn't felt this great in several months. The first rain of summer has brought along with it a sense of joy and thrill and unbeknownst to him a new rival of his wife's affections.

Esther watches her husband from her truck window as she drives back home. He is riding the horse and shouting at the top of his lungs.

"You will get drenched, Mi Amor."

She shouts at him.

"That's the point, Esther".

He shouts back happily. His voice devoid of any anxiety he may have felt had he known where and for what impetus the truck had stopped momentarily on its way home from the city. Whom it had accompanied for a shimmering, exuberant confluence that surely if seldom changes the course of life.

Esther, enchanted and bemused in the transiency of the moment, drives back to her home. The platinum on her finger touches the dashboard as she turns up the volume on her stereo.

The rattling of the engine is now conjoined by the soft humming of Peter Gabriel's voice as he sings :

"Mild mannered supermen are held in kryptonite

And the wise and foolish virgins giggle with their bodies glowing bright

Through a door, a harvest feast is lit by candlelight

It's the bottom of a staircase that spirals out of sight

The carpet crawlers heed their callers:

We've got to get in to get out"

Esther's truck trots out into the dirt road far and far away out of sight. A wide shot of the dirt track transitions smoothly to an aerial view glimmering the raindrops drops of 'El Nino / La Nina', acting so innocent in their pristine beauty as if they haven't already planted a seed of dichotomy between the dyad.