Rosa

Twenty-Six

Veinte y seis

When they arrived, there was music playing. A few guys were unwrapping the meat that was covered in aloe vera and tinfoil from an underground oven.

As soon as Lino got out of the car, a little boy called his name as he ran to him.

Lino got excited and picked him up. "¿Cómo estás? (How are you?)" He kissed him on his head. "¿Y tú, qué? Grande. (What about you? Big.)"

Poor little dude most likely doesn't know what he does for a living, Rosa thought to herself as she looked at the two while she walked a bit, already feeling awkward.

"Lino!" A man said when he saw him. He laughed as he put the kid down and they greeted each other.

"Señor," he said with a smile.

"Mira (Look)," the man said as he pointed to the burning hole in the ground that contained the meat. "Acabamos de terminar la barbacoa. (We just finished the barbecue.)"

"Perfecto, tengo hambre (Perfect, I'm hungry)," Lino told him as he was guided by him somewhere.

"Tengo una mesa para ti aquí (I have a table for you)," the man told him, not once faltering his smile. "Es genial verte. (It's great to see you.)"

He's too happy to see him, Rosa thought to herself. Hmm, wonder if anyone knows what he does for a living.

Her thoughts were interrupted when her hand was suddenly grabbed by the little boy that Lino greeted. She looked down at him and smiled a little before she was practically dragged by him, following Lin's footsteps.

"Te ves muy flaco (You look very skinny)," the man told Lino, poking his stomach. "¿Por qué no comes, cabrón? (Why don't you eat, you bastard?)

Rosa couldn't help but chuckle as the man complained about Lino being skinny and questioning if he ever eats or not. She knew how that felt because during family gatherings, she, her sister, and even her brother were always complained about being skinny and if they were ever being fed. Now that she wasn't the one being picked on, it was a relief and entertaining to see.

When her chuckle was heard, it was like she was finally noticed by the man.

He turned to look at her and he couldn't help but smile wide. "¿Esta es tu novia? (Is this your girlfriend?)"

The question caught her off-guard, and before she could say no that she wasn't his girlfriend, the question was already answered.

"Sí, ella es (Yes, she is)," Lino said as he went to go stand by her. When he wrapped his arm around her, she tried to nudge away. "Play along," he whispered as he turned his head a little.

"I hate you," she whispered back before she looked at the man and forced a smile.

"Ay, qué linda (Oh, how cute)," the man said as he went and shook her hand. "¿Cómo te llamas, mija? (What is your name, mija?)"

She cleared her throat as she shook his hand, feeling awkward and forced. "Rosa, señor."

"Por favor, llámame Don Ramón (Please, call me Don Ramón)," he told her.

She just nodded and smiled at him before she looked around at her surroundings.

"Bueno, te voy a traer tu comida. Perdóneme. (Well, I'll bring you your food. excuse me.)" Don patted Lino's back before he went to go get their food.

Once he was out of sight, she shrugged his arm off her shoulders. "I said it earlier and I will say it again-"

"I hate you," Lino finished for her. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Believe me, I know." He shook his head as he went to sit down. "Just...do play along, all right?"

Now it was her turn to shake her head. "Why? Don't they know what you're occupation is," she said, putting air quotes around 'occupation.'

"That's none of your concern."

"How am I suppose to know whether or not to bring this whole case up to the dinner table during a Christmas party?"

He smirked. "So you will be around for Christmas after all."

She snorted. "I hope not. I hope I'll be away with my sister safe at home with my brother and Gloria before this damn month even ends."

Before Lino could open his mouth to say something smart, the food was brought to them. It was the meat that just finished cooking when they arrived.

"Gracias (Thank you), Don Ramón," Lino said, giving him a firm pat in the back.

"Gracias," Don replied before he nodded at Rosa and he walked away from the two to give them some privacy.

"You had barbacoa before?" He asked as he took a tortilla. When she didn't answer, he said, "Nah. Not like this one. Come on," he said as he put meat on the tortilla and made it into a taco. "Here-"

"I'm not hungry."

He shook his head. "Ah, you got to be hungry."

Yeah, because I am barely fed, she thought to herself. She would say that out loud, but that would prove his point that she was hungry after all.

She bit the inside of her cheek as she looked at the food, tempted. After a few seconds and him moving the taco closer to her, she finally grabbed it and took a bite.

"So?" He asked when he pulled the taco away, letting her process the food.

"It's good," she said in a monotone voice.

He looked at her, not believing her. "Just 'good?'" He held the taco up again. "Hmm?"

She sighed in defeat. "Fuck it." She took the taco from him and took another bite.

"¡Híjole!" He laughed as he knew she was lying. "That's what I thought." He started to make another taco, this time for himself. "That's how you eat some barbacoa, güey. That is what I am talking about."

"Don't be full of yourself," she told him when she didn't have food in her mouth. "I'm like on a diet over there."

"No," he told her, shaking his head and making a face as he didn't like what he heard. "You do get fed. You, stubborn-ass, just choose not to."

"How do I know the food wasn't drugged? I don't want to wake up in their or your bed-"

"You already did-"

"Because you made me-"

"You're making it seem like-"

"I know what I'm making it seem like. Believe me, I am actually thankful that you're not doing it to seem like something else. Me or Gloria."

He looked at her when he was done making his taco. The way she looked at him, he never thought she would look at him that way. Every time she looked at him it was either hate, disgust, anger, anything negative.

This time, however, she looked at him in a positive way. She said she was thankful he didn't try anything with her and she expressed it with an accepting smile. Accepting because he accepts the smile and if he could, he would take a picture of it and treasure it forever.

For once, he didn't know what to say. He just looked down at his food and nodded. "Now, this is what I am talking about. Let's go," he said before he took his first bite of the taco. "Mmm. Chingada madre (Motherfucker)."

edited

A/N: Please understand I don't update as much because I am currently in college and that takes up a lot of my time. I promise I will update when I can.