Second Act

Chapter 4

The next morning, Sol took a plate of breakfast up the stairs to Shownu. When he opened the door, he looked a bit wilted, as if he had not slept well. Sol walked in and set his food on the counter.

"Chilaquiles," she said, pointing at the sauced tortilla chips with chopped onions and queso fresco. Shownu said nothing but nodded in appreciation.

"I still need to replace that pipe," Sol said. "Pipe," she repeated, pointing to the bathroom.

"Oh, yes," Shownu said.

"I'll bring the PVC and my tool belt so I can get on it, okay?" she asked.

"Okay," he answered, having missed most of the words before it.

Sol ran downstairs and reappeared a few minutes later, armed with a length of plastic pipe and her trusty tool belt. She measured the amount of pipe she needed and began to saw off the excess before replacing the broken pipe with the new one. She tightened all the connections and put some caulk around them for good measure.

"I think that should do it," she said as she stood up. Shownu didn't want to look at her. He knew he shouldn't after what had happened the night before. But his eyes didn't listen to his brain. He looked at her tan arms that came out from her white tank top. Her tool belt sat above her ample hips. He couldn't quite understand how her bottom was both large and completely toned. She made no attempt to hide her wide cleavage, but Shownu had noticed that lots of Mexican girls seemed to feel pretty comfortable with showing some skin. The events of the night before came flooding back to him. He stared at her tool belt, picturing it dropping to the floor with a thud. He shook his head to pull himself back to reality. He looked up to find Sol staring at him quizzically.

"You okay, there?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah," he said rather too quickly. His face flushed pink. As much as Sol enjoyed the apparent consternation she caused him, she decided to give him an out from this awkward moment.

"Do you want to go to town? There's a festival today. It should be pretty good," she offered.

"Town?" he responded with one of his typical one-word questions.

"Yeah, there will be food," she said, pantomiming eating. "And dancing," she added, swinging her hips to imaginary music.

Shownu looked hesitant. "I don't know," he hedged.

"Come on. You can't come to Mexico and not see anything Mexican," she scolded.

"But at night, guns," he reminded her.

"Yeah, but that was at night. We should be okay in the downtown area in the middle of the day," she assured him. "You can't miss the festival. Come on," she urged.

Shownu nodded. "I come down after get dressed," he answered.

When Shownu knocked on Sol's door, he was surprised to see that she had changed into an off-the-shoulder embroidered blouse and a full skirt with large ruffles.

"Did I forget to mention I'm dancing at the festival?" Sol asked.

"You dance?" Shownu asked.

"I'm Latina. Do you really need to ask that?" Sol quipped.

In the small cab on the way to el centro, there was barely room for Sol's huge skirt. Shownu tried to catch secret glimpses of her when she was looking out the window. When they arrived at the downtown area, Sol left Shownu by himself while she joined with her dance troupe. Soon a group of women dressed like Sol emerged from the crowd. The audience stepped back, leaving a space for them to dance. Shownu was mesmerized by the swirling skirts and the sheer joy that emanated from them. It was the first time he had seen a traditional Mexican dance, and something about it resonated with him. When Sol had finished, she rushed to him, face flushed from her exertions.

He held up his hand to give her a high five. "Amazing!" he praised with a wide grin. Sol breathed a sigh of relief. It was the first smile she had seen from him since he had run away the night before. He had seemed stiff and uncomfortable up until this very moment when it seemed he had finally allowed himself to relax in her presence.

"Come on," she urged. "There's so much I want you to try."

They wound their way through stalls of colorful candies and artisan works. Finally, they stopped in front of a stall run by an elderly woman in a wheelchair. She waved them closer. The woman extended small wooden spoons toward them that held a very thick, sticky caramel.

"This is cajeta," Sol explained. "It's only made here in Celaya. If you ask anyone from Mexico what is made in Celaya, they will tell say cajeta. Here, try it. It's really good," she urged.

Shownu took the little spoon and stared at it curiously before popping it in his mouth. His eyes grew wide with approval.

"It's made from goat's milk," Sol told him.

"Goat's milk?" he repeated in disbelief, but he nodded and conceded, "It's good."

The next stall they stopped at was brimming with various types of tequila. The stall owner had created a sort of pop-up bar along the side of the street. People were crowded around, shouting their orders at him.

"Dos del añejo," yelled Sol. She handed Shownu a shot of amber liquid. "This is the aged tequila. You'll love this," she assured him. He drank down the shot quickly, cocking his head back as he did when he drank soju. When the tequila hit his throat, he began to cough slightly. He smiled at Sol as he watched her down the fiery drink with ease. She slammed the empty cup onto the counter and yelled, "¡Otro!"

After downing another tequila, Sol pulled on Shownu's arm and dragged him closer to a live band that was playing lively salsa music. She put her hands on Shownu's waist, guiding his hips to swing in rhythm with the music. Since Shownu had a natural talent for dancing, it wasn't long before he was able to hold his own. Sol ducked in and out under his arm and spun in circles around him, all the while undulating her hips to the music. She wasn't sure if it was the tequila or Shownu's beautiful face, but she wanted to dance closer to him. She moved in close and moved her hips in rhythm with his. Sol knew what she was doing. She knew what it would do to him to feel her this close, swinging her hips with all of the sensuality within her. Shownu looked down at her intensely but didn't stop dancing. His eyes snapped with electricity as his breath began to come in small gasps. When the song ended, Shownu reluctantly took a step

back. They were silent, but they both knew something was happening between them.

They hailed a cab to take them home as the sun was just beginning to set. They didn't make conversation in the cab. Neither knew what to say. Sol leaned on Shownu's shoulder, and he did not try to stop her.

When they arrived back at the house, they stood in front of Sol's door. She thought of asking him in, but she realized that she had been behind all the advances in their relationship.

"It's about time I let him take a step toward me," Sol thought. She was never afraid to express how she felt, but she also knew that she shouldn't chase after a man who wasn't fully invested. She wasn't sure about Shownu. He had an obvious sincerity, but there also seemed to be a wall that was stopping him from being all in.

They stared into each other's eyes. Sol waited for Shownu to say or do something, but he stood silent and motionless. Sol knew that there was nothing more she could do to show him that she was open to a relationship. She had done a lot already, maybe too much. Shownu's eyes looked sad as he scanned her light bronze face. Finally, he took a deep breath and said, "I go now." He bowed slightly and added, "Thank you" before climbing the stairs slowly. His shoulders were slumped with a silent weight he could not share.