Another loud crack of thunder seemed to answer Lizzie. “I think that settles it!” Giana said. “We have plenty of guest rooms that never get used, so I say you just accept it, open another bottle of wine, and don’t even think about leaving this party!”
Abuela answered by finishing her glass of wine and standing up. “Well, that’s that.Cafe?”
The party moved to the living room, at least Lizzie assumed this was a living room. Lizzie’s home had only one living room, andit was where all the living happened. They watched TV in there, conversed, opened presents on Christmas morning, and passed alongchisme.
This was a different living room than the one she’d been in earlier; it had tall bookshelves and couches and only one window, no TV. Was this, maybe, what she’d heard called a library or a den? It felt warmer and cozier than the other room.
The coffee tray was set out, and Isabela and Giana were looking at records and discussing what to play. They settled on some music fromEl Gran Combo,trumpets sounded through the speaker, and Isabela motioned for her son to join her. Lizzie looked at Will, assuming that he’d refuse to join his mother, but, to her surprise, he put his coffee cup down and walked over to her.
Without a word, Will and his mother coupled up and fell into step with some of the smoothest and most effortless Salsa dancing Lizzie had ever seen. Every shift seemed choreographed. Will led with ease; the slightest motion of his wrist, and Isabela responded with a seamless turn or step. Will’s moves weren’t flashy or exaggerated, but instead they had a careful control, as if he had trained his muscles exactly for this purpose. His mother seemed entirely at ease. Lizzie was transfixed.
Giana, who was sitting nearby watching, suddenly jumped up and said, “There that! That’s the turn I was talking about. How do I do that?” Will and his mom broke apart, and they began discussing the logistics and slowing down the process.
Isabela suddenly called out to Lizzie. “Do you know how to Salsa?”
“Oh, not very well…” Lizzie said, hoping they wouldn’t expect her to dance next to them. Will walked over to Lizzie and held out his hand. Lizzie didn’t want to be rude, but she could feel her face redden. “I wasn’t just being modest; I’m really not a greatdancer. My dad didn’t want to dance with me without steel-toe boots on.” She said this as Will led her to the front of the room, where they had more space.
“That’s ok,” Will said. “I have fast feet.”
Lizzie could feel her heart racing as Will slipped his hand around her waist and pulled her in close to him. She could feel the heat off his body, and she felt his thumb caress against the soft part of her belly, thecarnita, as Abuela affectionately called it, which was protruding a bit more than it had before she had gorged herself on dinner. The song changed, and Lizzie looked at Will with a little panic in her eyes.
Brujería(Witchcraft) started playing, and Will looked at her comfortingly. “Hey, calm down, this is supposed to be fun. You can face down the warehouse; you can do this.” He winked, and Lizzie released the breath she hadn’t noticed she’d been holding.
Will pulled her, and they began to fall into step. Lizzie was counting in her head and trying to keep step. “Don’t overthink it,” Will said and forced Lizzie to stop looking at her feet. She met his eyes as the song launched into the chorus.
You have me shaking all day and all night. Tu me hiciste brujería. (You did witchcraft on me.)
Lizzie started relaxing into the step. She took cues from Will’s firm but gentle pushes and pulls as he guided her easily around. She felt the room disappear around her and allowed herself to be led by Will’s confident moves, as she spun out and then was pulled back in.
I don’t know what you put in my food. Tu me hiciste brujería.
As Lizzie grew more confident, so did the complexity of Will’s moves. Lizzie began to feel that she might be a good dancer. She was moving on instinct, daring to add even a little more flair to each step. She was smiling, enjoying the movement and new confidence.
And now I can’t eat, I can’t sleep. Tu me hiciste brujería.
Lizzie had never danced like this. She had never danced with anyone she wasn’t related to, and she never knew what a difference a good partner could make. She was suddenly doing spins she’d only seen. And then Will grabbed her and dipped her as the final note hit.
When Will pulled her back upright, their faces were inches apart, both of them breathing hard. For one suspended second, the entire room held its breath with them. Giana cleared her throat, breaking the spell. Her face held a sly smile. Abuela’s mouth literally hung open.
Lizzie reddened. “Better than you thought, huh?” Will Sr said.
“I think it’s just that I had a good partner,” Lizzie said, stepping away from Will.
“Or at least the right partner,” Giana said.
“Debe ser,” Abuela added. “Because I’ve never seen Lizette move like that, not even when wearing skates!” Then, as if she’d just had an epiphany, she gasped and said, “Brujería?”
As if on cue, thunder clapped, plunging the whole room, including Lizzie, mid-eye-roll, into darkness
Chapter 14- No Unless
The blackout had acted as a cold plunge for Lizzie. It brought her back to her senses. It was just a dance, not some performance or sign of anything. “Don’t be that girl,” Lizzie thought to herself. “Don’t be that girl who thinks that everything is something and that things are more than what they seem.”
From the darkness came Abuela’s triumphant voice:
“¡Te lo dije! ¡Brujeeeeería!” ( I told you! Witchcraft!)
A click and a buzz sounded, and the lights came back on. “Generator,” Will Sr said by way of explanation.
