“This, is our great healing. Together as one heart and spirit.”
“Oh, good Lord…”
“Shhhhhhhh!!!”
“As avatars of the Great Montezuma—”
Alex could stand no more. Ignoring the looks and indignant grunts from those he passed, he edged his way over several sets of knees to the end of the row and snuck out as quietly as he could.
“Yea, know we cannot walk from this, brother!”
Alex hurriedly shut the door behind him, expelling his relief in one long, steady breath.
***
“Alex?” Leo said. “I thought that was you. What did you think of the show?”
As if his night could get any worse. Alex hoped the third glass of wine he now held would kick in soon. “It was… a show.”
“He’s brilliant, isn’t he? Completely shakes off the conventions of structure and dramaturgy—”
“He certainly does that.”
“—while delivering a message that feels so today. As we shake off the shackles, what about the shackles we left behind? Ooof! It gives me chills.”
“We? Who is ‘we,’ Leo? And who’s doing the shaking? Because Semen—”
“Si-Man.”
“Si-Man, seemed to think he was single-handedly saving the colonised world. It was patronising, Leo. It was gross and borderline racist.”
Leo let out an exaggerated sigh. “Not everyone can get it, I suppose.”
“I suppose not. Now excuse me, I think I see someone—”
“Oh, you know someone here? Wouldn’t think it’s your crowd. Who?”
“Anybody.”
“What?”
“Antonio. Yes, I think that’s him. Excuse me.” Alex ducked away toward the stranger he’d picked to be his hastily invented friend. In the corner, he spied Vicente nursing a bottle of beer while he waited for Joanna.
“Are you okay?” Vicente asked.
Alex shook his head. “I think I’m actually dumber after watching that. I’ll let you know later if I remember how to put on pants.”
“Maybe we should ditchBlood Weddingand doThe Emperor’s New Clothes?”
“He was wearing a diaper.”
“Right. Apparently ready to be covered in—”
“There you are!” Joanna swept toward them with a bored-looking woman sporting thick spectacles and a bob haircut. “This is Peach. She’s kindly offered to introduce us to Si-Man.”
“Pardon?”
“Introduce us?” asked Alex. “That’s really not necessary.”
