Getting Off

"Sorry about what I said at the club earlier, it was really not polite" said Rosa with a guilty look on her face, her chin held up high and with visible veins on her face looking like wrinkles on the face of an eighty year old.

"It's fine, I get where you are coming from. It's not often one gets along with strangers and certainly not in a club like Coco Bango" Javier chuckled and gave her a slight smile. His face looking rather yellowish from the street lights that shone on the broad deserted highway as they drove past. He had a charming smile and his brows well lined to show his dark eyes. He wore brown pants and a grey jacket with a white sleeve and a cowboy hat. He was light skinned too and had the perfect Mexican accent when he spoke.

"So, where are you from" he asked her, occasionally taking his eyes off the road as he watched her talk.

"Bilbao" she replied.

"Wow… so, how did you end up in Mexico?"

"Uh, it's a very long story" she answered rather abruptly, picking at her flurry of long hair that swept across her face.

"Okay, so, can I hear your story?" He paused "I'm not trying to be picky though, I respect your decision if you think it's inappropriate to talk about it at this time".

"Yeah, it is very inappropriate" she said with a slight smile across her face. She was lost in thought about Fernando, she had made a mistake leaving him in the street alone in the middle of the night and had left with a total stranger. Different thoughts flooded her mind, she had just deserted her boyfriend for someone she knew nothing about till about two hours ago. And here he was, trying to know her life's story, how pathetic.

Then Fernando's question crossed her mind, he had asked her earlier if she liked him when she had questioned why he confronted Javier at the club. Could that be the reason why she deserted him in the street and left with the same guy from the club?

"Whatever man!" she thought to herself, I don't give a fuck about what he thinks."

"I will stop at the store right there" she said as they approached the popular Andre's Mall by the corner of the well lit street. It was late at night but the store was still open as the neighborhood was still awake. This spot was one of the busiest places in Cancún, it was a no go area for cops and the rest, not even the military came here uninvited; this was where dealers came to sell their supplies of all sorts ranging from drugs, arms, slaves and whatever was illegal in the market. Even prostitutes hanged around looking for hook-ups.

"You live around here"? Javier asked rather surprised that she wished to stop there.

"Yes" are you surprised?

"Well… yeah, I mean, this place is one of the very rough places in town you know"

"I will be fine… thanks for your concern" she said and made to walk away.

"You know I don't even know your name" Javier's voice called her back.

"Rosa, call me Rosa"

"Okay Rosa… it was nice meeting you, hope we see again soon".

"Yeah, thanks for the ride" she said and walked away.

"Hey man! You want some coke?" One of the guys pulled over at the window to ask Javier.

"No man, I don't need that" he replied and drove off, he played classical Mexican music and swayed to the beat of Carlos Chavaz's 90's classic 'Sinfonia India'.

"Ah, crap" he muttered as he saw the indicator blink, he had run out of gas and needed to refill, luckily there was a fuel station just ahead. He pulled over at the station to refill his tank.

"Buenos dias" the attendant greeted as he stepped out of his car.

"Buenos dias, here" he stretched his hand, extended his card to pay for the service.

"Gracias" the attendant said and handed him the card as he ignited his car to continue his journey home.

He got home at about 3.12 a.m. and hopped to bed while his bodyguard who had been sitting in the backseat all along parked the car properly in the garage.

"Javier? Is that you?" His mother called out at the creaking of the door.

"Si mama" he answered and walked towards the door.

His mother or Madre as he preferred to call her was in her late 70's and walked with the aid of a staff. Her ailing health deteriorated at an alarming rate, she had undergone several knee surgeries and hoped to get better.

"Si mama, you should be asleep, why are you still up? He asked.

"It's okay, I just woke up when you came in" she managed to say and walked a step at a time, retracing her steps back to her room.

Just then his father, Senor Carlos as his close associates would call him came out to see who was talking;

"Hola papa, Buenos dias"

"Buenos dias Javier, cómo due tu noche?" Senor Carlos asked.

"Fine papa"

"Okay, I have a package for you to deliver to Manúel at dawn.

"Okay papa" he retired to bed, thinking about what it was he was going to deliver, the last time he took a package to Manúel, things had gone south when he would not pay him off for the package rather he was talking thrash about how he had being friends with his father before he was born.

"I'll cut off his tongue this time" he thought to himself as he closed his eyes and tried to sleep for at least two hours.