GRINGA (77 page)

             
I feel sorry for
her
. It must be terrible being married to someone
who
loathe
s you. I down another shot of tequila and pass on the lemon.

             
Luckily, I s
pot
my dad again.

             
‘I wanna
talk t
o
my father,
’ I say and dart away from
Austin
.

             
My father is still deep in conversation with the brown eyed senorita. ‘
Si
,
si
  ...
si
... ’

             
‘Mr Wagner,’ I say.

             
‘Payton
,
hello,’ he says and gives me a one
-
hand hug. ‘Have you met Theresa?’

             
R
hetorical question
. Of
course I’ve never met her. 

             
‘Theresa, this ... is ... my ... daugh
…
ter. Da
aau
uughter,
si
?’

             
Theresa smiles and
rattles off
in Spanish.

             
‘Hi, pleased to meet you,’ I say. What the hell does she see in him? She’s
so young
.

             
Theres
a
speaks in Spanish again. I turn to look at my father. ‘What did she say?
’

             
‘I have no idea,’ he says
, his eyes glassy and bright.

             
Surprised, I look at him. ‘But you’re saying “
si
” all the time?’

             
‘I just do it to keep her talking. She’s so lovely to look at.’

             
I groan inside. My family is so
fucking
embarrassing.

             
Therese seems to like my father. She cocks her head to one side and smiles at him. Then she strokes his face. Eeeewww! 

             
I bolt away from the two lovebirds. Maybe I should eat. And drink
more
. Luckily I seldom lose my appetite.

             
As the sun sets, the
place lights up with s
parkles
with fairy lights
. The music is cranked up and the revellers engage in Kitchen Salsa
,
a combination of Latin American and modern salsa.

             
Unable to dance like them, I stand on the sides, hiding from my whacko family and watching the dancers. I’ve come a long way, I think. I’ve live
d
so many lives in the last year and I’ve endured so much. I have really grown and discovered things about myself that I never knew existed. I know
I’m
bordering my freedom now, something I once longed for. But now that I’ve fallen in love with Diago, I want to be with him all the time. It’s impossible for us to be together forever
,
I know that but
I’m
not ready to say goodbye. I don’t want to live my life without my love. 

             
Just then, I feel arms snake around my waist. Damn
Austin
, h
e found me. I spin around to tell him to get lost and look into Diago’s face. 

             
‘Ohmigod!’ I shriek. ‘What are you doing here?’ I should have guessed these were Diago’s arms. Nobody else ha
s
arms like tree trunks.

             
He grins and kisses me. ‘I miss you so I come. You dance already with ...?’

             
‘No
.
’ I look at him and smile. ‘Who dares ask Diago’s woman to dance, huh?’
Except
Austin
.

             
‘You heppy now? I come for you? You heppy?’

             
‘
I’m
very
“
heppy
”
,’ I mimic
as I stroke my love’s
face. 

             
‘Dance with me,’ he whispers.

             
I look at him, s
urprised that he’s
asking me to
.
What about his shyness?

             
He doesn’t wait for an answer and
pulls
me to the dance floor. All the lights suddenly go out but the music continues.

             
‘How can the lights go out but the music ...’ I stare at him
with slanted eyes
. ‘Did you have anything to do ...? ’

             
He nods. ‘I tell the man
to turn off the lights when I d
ance.’

             
I laugh. ‘Diago, you’re
incredible
.’

             
We don’t really dance, we just sway to the music in each other’s arms, contented and happy.  

             
‘
I am
heppy,’ he says, gazing into my eyes. Even though it’s dark, I see love and adoration in his eyes and I get all choked up. He too has come a long way.

             
‘I lov
e you,’ he whispers. ‘I don
’t
care wha
t
happens
manana
. I heppy you here. I heppy I meet you. I heppy ... jus
t
heppy.’

             
Somebody
is
happy to meet me. I
magine that
. ‘I love you, Diago,’ I croak. ‘
I’m
happy to have met you too. I just wish ... like, I really wish I met you when you were little. Then I would
taken care of you and
spared you sooo much pain.’ 

             
He nods.

             
I reach up and draw his head down to mine and kiss him. He likes that and takes
over, his kisses warm and filled with love.

             
We hear a roar and look up
. E
veryone
is
clapping at us kissing. Clapping the loudest
are
Rosa
and Maria.
‘Diablo es el baile! Diablo es el baile!’
  

             
‘Diablo is dancing.’

             
Diago
freezes in my arms for a moment, then
grabs my hand and yanks me back into the shadows.
             

             
I laugh and hug him.

             
It’s close to midnight and t
he fair is ending
. The
villagers
take a few minutes to
shower Diablo with gifts
of meat and cases of home brewed Tequila
, which he reluctantly accept
s
.

             
So, the fair is a success, Diago is present
,
has even
slowed danced with me and the villagers are thrilled. Why
am I not s
miling
then
?

             
Because Agents Depp and Grey are in the crowd.

             
Since they are in disguise, nobody notices them, but I do.
I spot them and my heart jumps around.

             
Are
they are going to arrest Diago right now
?
I will die if they do.

             
I can already feel the pain in my chest at the thought of losing my love who slow danced with me and told me how happy he was to meet me a short while ago. Surreptitiously, I brush away a tear. 

             
But they don’t
arrest Diago. T
hey just linger around
. I guess that’s their way of reminding me that I have a
mission to accomplish.

             
‘Wha
t
?’ Diago is
staring
at me.

             
I grimace. ‘Just tired. Maybe we should go home.’

             
‘
Si
.’ He does not need a second invitation. ‘Le’s go home and fark,’ he says running his hand over my butt.

             
I
smile and move out of Diago’s reach. But it’s too late. The
Feds notice
that
intimate
move.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Depp and Grey sit at a table across me. I see an admixture of scorn and contempt in their eyes but I don’t care, let them judge me.

             
‘
Please!
You have to let me out,’ I say. ‘I don’t want to do this anymore. He’s changed. Really. He’s doing
everything
I ask of him. He’s not the same ... ’

             
‘Changed?’ Grey’s lip curls as he snorts.