Once Again

Chapter 25

I lost sight of him after the dance. Mama calls me to cut the cake. I walk over to my cake. It says "FELIZ QUINCE AÑOS, MARCELA" It was pink and white with flowers around it. I cut the cake and pass it out. After that, the guest are allowed to dance all night till 12, because we have to leave then. Everyone gets up and dances to norteñas and huapangos. I look around for Luis. I finally spot him again. He sees me coming. We are in front of each other.

"Marcela..." He starts. He comes towards me. He reaches for my hand. He locks his fingers in mine and looks into my eyes.

"Estas hermosa. You are beautiful." I look at him. I couldn't believe he was alive. After 10 years, I had been able to know he was not dead. He had changed. He lost his baby face. He had a deeper voice. His hair was short. His smile was stunning. But his eyes... They are the same. I wonder about his feelings for me. But I couldn't concentrate on that. For some reason, anger arose in me. I let go of his hand and I know exactly what I want to say.

"Why Luis? After all these years, you let me find out you're not dead? I blamed myself day and night for your death. I couldn't live quietly. I was in pain knowing that I had lost my best friend. Why Luis?" I cry out. He looks at me in grief. He too had been suffering. I felt selfish now. He comes towards me again. I back away.

"Marcela, I have suffered since the day I let go of your hand. The day you went to the U.S. and I stayed on the other side. I later found a way to come into the U.S. and never stopped searching for you. I cried day after day thinking I had lost you. Marcela, I almost quit looking for you. I had to risk it, hoping I'd find you. I moved here to El Paso a few weeks ago. Then I heard about a Quinceañera here in town by the name of Marcela Lozano, and I knew that had to be you but I wasn't very sure. I am now. It was you..." He starts to cry. I touch his cheek to stop the tears.

"Ya no llores. Don't cry Luis.." I tell him. He looks at me.

"Ya no llorare porque te he encontrado. I will not cry anymore because I have found you." He smiles at me. His smile is perfect now. Mama walks over to me, but doesn't see Luis.

"Come on Marcela. You have to attend your guests instead of standing with your friend." She turns me around. I stop.

"Mama that is Luis!" She stops.

"Que? What?"

"Yes it is what I said." she turns to him and looks at him carefully. She gets teary.

"Oh Luis!" Just then a woman walks out and touches Mama's shoulder.

"Anise..." It was Sarah.

"Sarah." Mama is just as shocked as I am. She hugs Sarah as hard as she can. She gets teary. Now she can't tell me anything because she is doing the same.

"We'll come back in a little, ok?" Mama says. She takes me into the middle of the room to chair. Then between all my family they bring over my gifts. There's big bags and little ones, ant there's a big box; el Regalo de Sorpresa. I am anxious to open that one. I go quickly through the others, making sure the photographer gets pictures. Mama and Papa bring over the box now and place it right in front of me. I slowly start cutting through the tape. I pull out the paper shreds inside. I see something big inside. I take out the styrofoam balls out and grab the box from inside. I open it and I gasp to what I see: a makeup kit, designer shoes that I had wanted, a little sparkly Virgen de Guadalupe, and a gold necklace with my name. I am intrigued with the Virgen. I had one exactly like that in Mexico. Then I look at the bottom. It was the one from Mexico. I start to cry. How did they retrieve it without going out the country, I thought. I hug my parents and push everything away and go to start the dance again. Everyone follows. I danced by myself until I felt someone come from behind me. I turn around and saw Luis.

"Quieres bailar? Want to dance?" He offers me his hand and I take it with a smile on my face. We dance to our own music in our head. I lay my head on his shoulder. He had gotten much taller too. He holds my by the waist. He stops dancing.

"Marcela, I love you. I always have. I want you and only you." he whispers into my ear. He takes my head from his shoulder and holds them in his hands. They are soft. He looks into my eyes.

"Quiero amarte. I want to love you. Quiero que seas mia, Marcela. I want you to be mine." he says the same back in Mexico. Then he asked me to be his novia.

"Marcela, give me a chance to make up all these years of love I have had for you and the many more that will come." His eyes sparkle even more.

"Marcela be my girlfriend. I don't want to lose you again. Te quiero amar, I want to love you," he is getting teary. I don't want to say anything tonight since it's my quinceañera, but I can't keep him waiting for long. Before I said anything, he starts again.

"I will talk to your papa to lets us date." I nod agreeing with him. He smiles and places my head back on his shoulder.

"I love you Luis."

And we danced the rest of the night.