The Journey Ch. 04

I pulled the overstuffed pillow out from underneath my head and dropped it on the floor, then I wrapped her up tightly with one arm and rolled us off the couch, catching our weight with my other arm. She landed softly with her head on the pillow and a pleased noise of surprise. I took the opportunity to kiss down her neck, then back up to her ear. I quickly learned she liked her earlobes sucked. As I nibbled on one, I could hear her breathing quicken and I slowly slid my hand up her side. She grabbed my hand inches before it reached her breast.

"Make out, not foreplay," she breathed.

"You're kidding me," I mumbled, then her lips attacked mine again.

I lost track of time. It was an endless loop of kissing, licking each other's necks, ears, her collarbone at one point, where her shirt was down off her shoulder, with her maintaining the clear lines beyond which I must not go. After a while, I couldn't distinguish between the smell of her breath and my own, as our mouths took on each other's essence. Finally, as we both paused for breath, she said, "Can I say something terribly unromantic?"

"There's nothing you could say to spoil my mood after that."

"I have to pee and you're lying on my bladder."

I barked with laughter as I rolled off her, then I stood and helped her to her feet.

She excused herself and I stood in front of her windows, looking down at the street, my mind racing. Even as a teenager, I'd never had a make out session like that. I'd felt more depth and connection in the last hour with than with probably any woman I had fucked in the last ten years. It was scary. Not that I wouldn't drag her into her bedroom the second she came back if I thought she'd let me. But I had the sense that any attempt to do that tonight could be the premature end of... whatever this was.

I picked my phone up off the coffee table as she came back and looked at the time. We'd been kissing for almost an hour.

"I'm going to have to head out to make the last train home."

"Can I drive you?"

"I think you did that enough when you were my professor, don't you?" I said, moving to collect my empties for her recycling.

"I don't mind."

"Thanks, but I think I could use the walk back to the station. I need to cool off after that."

"When can I see you again?" Her voice sounded eager.

"Next weekend? Saturdays are kind of my only free days."

"I'd love that." She led me down her steps and I tried (and failed) to not look at her ass. Outside, we stood together on her porch.

"What do you want to do next week?" I asked.

"You choose," she said, "Challenge me."

"What?"

"You pick something to do that will show me what Viv's world is like."

"Wow, no pressure there."

"No pressure! Really! Just, you know, pick something you want to do that will teach me something about you. Then next time, it'll be my turn."

"Okay. I'll think about it. You may have to drive though."

"Just let me know where and when."

She wrapped her arms around me and kissed me again. And again. Then again, but slower.

"Okay," I murmured, "you're gonna have to stop doing that or I'm going to miss the last train and get stranded."

"If you do, call and I'll come pick you up."

I pecked her on the lips once more and walked away in a daze.

~~ Lorton, Virginia ~~

"Hey Viv!" Diego looked up from the kitchen table with surprise.

"S'up, man. Buenos días, Abuela."

"¡Cariño! ¡Diego dijo que no creía que vendrías!"

"Sabes que nunca me perdería el día del tamales, Abuela." I gave Diego a warning glance and he shrugged. I washed my hands then sat down and got to work rolling tamales.

"Hey, I'm really sorry about last week," Diego whispered.

"Forget about it, man, I have," I said, pitching my voice low and glancing at Abuela at the stove.

"Is that why you didn't answer any of my texts this week?"

"I just needed to cool off, that's all."

"Okay. I'm sorry anyway. I was being a dick."

"You weren't the only one. Push the masa closer over here wouldya?" I asked after stretching across the table for a spoonful.

"You look rough. Tie one on again last night?"

"Not really. I got just home really late."

There was a knock at the door. Abuela bustled off to the door, and we soon heard another neighborhood gossip session taking place.

"So, how'd the date go?"

"It was... it was good."

"Nice! You like her, huh?"

"A lot. Still pretty sure it'll be a flash in the pan, but she's pretty cool."

"You seeing her again?"

"Next week."

"Glad to hear it. If things go well, you wanna bring her to dinner with Virginia and me? Maybe after our honeymoon?"

"Whoa, dude, slow your roll. We've been on one date."

"Okay, okay! You just seem more excited about this one than any girl you've gone out with since the lawyer chick."

Gut punch. Why the fuck did he have to bring up Addie?

"Well, like I said. One date. Chill out."

"Sensitive much?" Diego teased me as Abuela came back. "What are you up to today, besides rolling tamales?"

"A friend's picking me up to go watch the Nat's game this afternoon at Smitty's."

"Sounds fun."

"She's a freakin' Pirates fan."

"Oh no, for real? Well, I hope Scherzer no-hits 'em today."

"You and me both, man."

Two hours, and a couple hundred tamales rolled later (a few of which had found their way into my belly), my phone pinged with a text. I kissed Abuela goodbye on the cheek, and went outside to find Connie sitting in the apartment parking lot in her bright red Jeep Renegade with the steel cargo cage on the roof. I hopped in the passenger seat and we took off.

"You have the most dyke car of any woman I know."

"Thanks," she said drily. She was wearing a t-shirt that said I'm lesbian! You can too, ask me how!

I hung my elbow out the window, enjoying the warm spring air as she cranked up the stereo.

That girl thinks she's the queen of the neighborhood!

I got news for you, she is!

They say she's a dyke, but I know she is my best friend, yeah!

Rebel girl! Rebel girl!

Rebel girl, you are the queen of my world!

"What is this crap?" I asked from the passenger seat of Connie's car.

"Hey now, don't be dissing my lesbian rock."

"Your car, your tunes," I said, raising my hands placatingly.

"Band out of Portland, Oregon called Graviton," Connie said, slapping the steering wheel along with the beat. "I was out there on business last month, and there's a killer new gay bar called Thirsty on Main. Graviton is the house band."

"Nice to support local musicians, I guess."

"Lucia Alvarez, the guitarist, was the drummer in the band Insanity Hall."

"Oh, I heard of them. Didn't the singer get coked up and wrap his car around a tree or something?"

"Stupidest way possible to go out, right?"

"I'll say. Get drunk or high all you want, but stay the fuck away from getting behind the wheel. That reminds me, are you going to Uber home?"

"Nah, I have a friend picking me up after the game for a bar-b-que at her apartment pool tonight. I'll leave my car at Smitty's and come get it later after I sober up."

"So... wait. This Alvarez chick was the drummer in the first band and now she's the guitarist in this band?"

"Same thing Dave Grohl did with Nirvana and Foo Fighters."

"I guess that only happens when the singer of the first band dies a tragic death, yeah?"

"Hope that's not the only way," Connie said, laughing.

I listened to the harsh rock chords blaring from her speakers.

"You can't dance to this."

"The hell you can't, I'll dance to this all day."

"Head-banging isn't dancing, white girl, but I'll give you a pass since the guitarist is a fellow Chicana."

"Awfully big of you."

We pulled into Smitty's and were lucky to find two seats at the end of the bar with a reasonable view of the TV. The Pirates were batting in the top of the second and the Nats were already up one-nothing.

"Fuck, we're already behind?" Connie griped.

"Bet you the first round that Trea Turner scored in the first. Beer and a shot, two times, Jim!" I yelled, holding up two fingers as the bartender looked our way.

"No bet. How'd the date go?"

"Jesus, you and my brother. It was one fuckin' date."

"C'mon, that was a big deal date. Didn't go well?"

"It went too well."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Jim returned with two beers and two empty shot glasses, He filled Connie's with whiskey and mine with tequila. We each took a small sip, then chased them with a gulp of beer.

"In addition to her being a genius, I found out she's fucking loaded. She owns a townhouse near U-Street in Northeast off Florida Avenue. It has two apartments she rents out so she can live on the top floor rent free. How do I compete with that?"

"Jesus, Esparza, you're not in a competition with her money, just the same as you're not in a competition with her education. Just fucking be with her and see what happens."

"I know, you're right." I sighed and reached for my mug.

"Hey, maybe it'll work out for you. She could rent you one of the apartments in exchange for a daily rug-munching session."

I snorted beer all over the bar-top. "Oh, fuck you for that!" I said, coughing, sputtering and reaching for the stack of bar napkins to clean up my mess.

"Seriously though, quit worrying about that class bullshit. If she likes you, she likes you. If you like her, don't get in your own way. Was she good in the sack?"

I had started taking another cautious sip and burst into another coughing fit. "Fuck you again, that's twice already! Not everyone has sex on the first date you know."

"A certain mutual Mindy comes to mind."

"One time does not make a trend," I said, while thinking If she only knew.

"Fair enough. When are you going to see her again?"

"Next Saturday," I sighed. "She wants me to pick something to do that will 'challenge her'."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Hell if I know. I think maybe she was trolling for me to take her bowling? She asked me all about it. She said we should do something that would teach her something about my world."

"Welp," Connie said, then took a swig, "from what I know of you, you got four things going on in your world." She started counting off on her fingers. "One, you could take her for a train ride, but you already told me I'm not allowed to ride up in the control compartment with you."

"You told me you wouldn't be able to keep yourself from pushing the buttons! Besides, it's illegal."

"Details. Two, you're a college student, but you have nothing to bring to that which she won't already know."

"Thanks," I said, dryly.

"Three, the aforementioned bowling. Four, take her dancing."

"We've already been dancing, remember? That's how we met. I mean, how we re-met after our class was over."

"How was it?"

"Fuckin' amazing. She might be the best dancer I've ever--There it is!" I yelled, pointing at the TV as Juan Soto launched a home run to right field. The bar erupted in cheers, as Connie grumbled.

"Goddamn it! C'mon Bucs! Get it together!" she yelled out, magnificently indifferent to the glares of the mostly Nats fans around us. She slammed what was left of her whiskey, then slapped the heavy shot glass upside down on the bar with a loud thwack, nodding at Jim for another. "Take her dancing then. Sounds like you both like that."

"But how does that show her about me?"

"You said you met at seventies night, right?"

"Yeah, at The League."

"One of my favorite meat markets. So, take her dancing somewhere that says something about you then."

"Hmm... there's a thought."

~~ Annandale, Virginia ~~

"You said dress for dancing," Jane said, a little crossly, "I feel like I've missed the mark."

"Don't worry, you look perfect. We'll get to dancing later. Food first."

She did, indeed, look perfect. Jane was wearing a tight, black, sleeveless sheath dress that ended six inches above her knees. The flat, black suede boots that came up to her knees were a perfect complement, as was the matching black head-wrap with a rhinestone heart that gathered her ringlets up over her head.

I'd done my best to impress too. I was wearing my nicest pair of black slacks, with a dark blue sleeveless button-down shirt tucked in tight. After the hour I'd spent ironing everything until I could cut someone with the creases, I'd spent nearly again that long working on my flat-top until it was perfectly even. I'd even forgone my Doc Martens in favor of a pair of black gladiator style sandals. A gold medallion belt worn low around my hips completed my look. Together, we could have easily been on a date to a museum or a fancy-schmancy party.

Which was why I think Jane was a little put off when I directed her to pull into the parking lot for El Escondite. The place was no one's idea of fancy. In fact, the best descriptor of the exterior of the building would be a dump, the building likely a re-purposed convenience store.

She parked and while she was getting herself together, I hustled around the car and opened the door for her.

"M'lady."

She giggled, and held out her hand for me. Her skirt rode up, giving me an eyeful as I took her hand while she stepped out.

"Okay, this place may seem a little rough, but don't worry. I know the cook. Decent guy. And the food cannot be beat."

We walked through the smudged glass door into a white room with a linoleum floor, harshly lit with fluorescent lights. Cheap travel posters of different places in Mexico adorned the otherwise plain, white walls. A dozen tables were lined up in a grid, ten of them occupied.

"¡Siéntese donde sea! Estaré contigo en un segundo," the harried looking waitress called out to us as she was heading into the kitchen. I waved acknowledgement and led Jane to one of the empty tables in the corner.

"So, this is some hidden gem?"

"The hidden gem. This is the best Mexican food in Virginia."

"What do you usually get?"

"Depends what the special is. You want a beer? Or do you want to wait until we get to the club? The club has the best mojitos you've ever had."

"I'll wait then since I'm driving."

"Good call, I--"

The waitress bustled out and over to our table with a bowl of chips and a veritable tub of pico de gallo.

"¿Qué puedo conseguirte?" she asked us.

"¿Cuál es el especial?"

"Bistec ranchero con pudín de maíz y ensalada de aguacate."

I turned to Jane. "The special is beefsteak ranchero with avocado salad and corn pudding. Sound good?"

"That might be a little heavy for me before dancing. Is there a menu?"

"Actually, no. They only have a few things and everyone knows what they are. Can I order for you?"

"Please," she said, gesturing for me to take the lead.

I ordered myself the special and Jane the street taco platter with an iced tea for her and a corona for me.

"So, what led you to bring us here?" she asked as we dug into the chips and pico.

"You said you wanted me to show you something of my world. This is my world."

"An episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives?" she said with a grin.

I found myself frowning. "You could call it a dive. I call it the best diner in Little Mexico, in the middle of the biggest Mexican immigrant population in the metro area." I felt myself getting angry and decided I should take a breath before I said something I'd regret. "I have to hit the bathroom before our food comes. Be right back."

"Viv wait, I--" she started, but I didn't hang around to listen.

I locked myself in the one-hole ladies' room and found myself staring at the mirror.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I asked my reflection.

I took a few deep breaths, then washed my hands. I was debating what to say when I got back to the table when I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I pulled it out and read the text waiting for me.

Jane: This is the face of a professor who teaches about unconscious biases and still can have blind spots of her own. Look at this dummy face.

After that she'd sent a close-up, fish-eye lens selfie of her face. She was making puppy-dog eyes and her bottom lip was stuck out in a pout so exaggerated and comical I couldn't help but laugh. The curls of her ringlets drooping down over her forehead were sexy enough to get me over the hump of being mad.

Jane: You'd better come back out here because otherwise I'm going to eat this entire bowl of salsa before you get back

God, she was adorable. I stuffed my phone back in my pants, squared my shoulders and gave myself another look. Grow up, and get over it.

"I'm really sorry about my stupid joke," Jane said as I rejoined her at the table.

"It's cool."

"Really?"

"Yeah, sorry I got a little sensitive. You wanted to learn more about me. Besides bowling, driving trains and being gay, being Latina is the biggest part of me and I thought..."

"You're showing me your world, like I asked you to, and I made a stupid joke. I'm really sorry, Vivian."

I made a face. "Okay, you're forgiven for the joke, but not for calling me that."

She laughed as our waitress showed up with our food.

"Where's the cheese and lettuce?" Jane asked, looking at her tacos.

"This isn't Tex-Mex. This is Mexican food. Big difference. Give it a try."

Her tacos were chicken and chorizo with no toppings except onions and cilantro. She picked one up and took a tentative bite while I cut into my steak.

"That's... Oh my God, that's so good!" she almost moaned, then took another, bigger bite.

"Right? The cook here is a wizard with his marinades. Here, try this," I held out my fork with a piece of the bistec towards her. She chewed and swallowed her mouthful, then daintily took the bite I was offering, holding her hand under her chin.

"Oh my God!" she said again, "That's the best steak I've ever tasted! Now I'm mad I didn't get the special."

"I was kinda hoping you'd say something like that," I said as I cut a third of my steak off. I transferred it to her plate, then helped myself to one of her three tacos.

She laughed with delight. "So that's how this relationship is going to work!"

I laughed too, but part of me was slightly shocked. Relationship? I can't believe she-- stop it. Stop sabotaging yourself. Just enjoy the moment, Esparza. Enjoy the moment.

Dinner went better than I could have hoped after how it started. Our conversation was non-stop, interrupted by us stealing bites off each other's plates. Afterwards, we got back in her car and I directed her a few blocks away. The night club was a windowless grey building, this time a repurposed warehouse, with red neon along the roof and a large sign that said La Zona De Baile.

It took us a while to get inside, the crowd was pretty big. The men were all Latin and hot (hot for men anyway) and the women were all gorgeous. Jane looked a little intimidated while we were waiting to pay the cover. She shouldn't have worried. She was the hottest woman in the building to me.

Inside, On The Floor was absolutely pounding out of the speakers and I took Jane's hand to lead her straight to the huge dance floor.

I started slow, simply grooving a bit while we held hands and she took in the place. The blue and green club lights made her skin glow.

"This is great!" she yelled.

I leaned in closer so she could hear me over J-Lo's voice. "Yeah, I love it here. Fair warning, this might be the only song in English you hear all night."

"Fine with me!" she said with a grin and picked up her moves.