DANCE OF QUESTIONS

“I love Colombia; there is no such thing as boredom here; I don't know why people go elsewhere.”

“Ximena, I thought you were in this country to be with me.”

“Liz, I also thought you left Europe for me.”

“Ximena, that was the main reason; then I started to meet beautiful specimens that made me fall in love with the country; for example, look, pay attention, here comes our sociology professor; he is the only reason why I came to study here; unfortunately, I discovered that he is not my type; it hurts me to admit it; he is more your type; come, let's say hello.”

“Hello, teacher D.”

“What a surprise if it's Liz with her beautiful friend, who, as I remember, is called Ximena.”

“The surprise is that you left without saying goodbye; you are a very rude teacher,” Liz complained, clenching her fist.

“I had to leave; I had a family matter. How did it go? How did the dance go? The party was great.”

“And how are you doing, Angelo?” Liz asked him.

“I am very, very worried.”

“What about that?” asked Ximena anxiously.

“Well, all my friends claim to have been Liz's boyfriend, and in my social circle, I'm the only one missing.”

“No, that's false; they slander me, or maybe they're right, although I must be the one worried since you didn't invite me to your boxing match,” Liz complained.

“Besides being an eminence in psychology, does he also box?” asked Ximena in astonishment.

“Yes, and he is one of the best, besides competing in archery tournaments and using those funny guns,” commented Liz.

“Too bad you're not perfect,” said Ximena, pouting.

“Why do you say that?; You don't even know me,” Angelo tried to defend himself.

“It's that you dance horribly,” Ximena bluntly blurted out her dissatisfaction.

“Yes, and they say that a man who dances badly is bad at it,” Liz interjected, laughing.

“It's just that I was a little beat up from the training,” was a somewhat true apology.

“You should invite her to dance at my place today, so you can take away that bad impression,” proposed Liz.

“I would love for you to give me the opportunity to vindicate myself; what's more, let's get something to eat, and when we finish, we'll go to Liz's disco.”

“I'm sorry, but I can't go to lunch with a professor; people might say that I'm a freeloader who wants to spend the semester horizontally,” Ximena said.

“You're right, how about if I go home and change my professor's suit for the prince's and see you at night in that dive?”

“Angelo, respect me; it's one thing for you to insult me and another thing to insult my bar; I spent fifty times what you earn as a teacher in a year when I created it,” Liz replied furiously.

“It's a joke, Liz; don't fill yourself with hate. To apologize, I'll take you to meet a friend that you don't know,” Angelo suggested.

“All right, and take another one for Ximena,” Liz replied, wrinkling her forehead and putting her hands on her hips.

“Of course, I'll take her to a friend of mine, whom I know very well; his name begins with A and ends in Ngelo,” the professor proposed with a laugh.

“Well, you must buy me a very expensive bottle for me to excuse you, and another one for going out with Ximena,” Liz recommended.

“I'll buy the whole place for her if I have to,” Angelo replied.

“Wait, I am not merchandise; you can't negotiate with me, much less for a few bottles of drinks,” Ximena interjected.

“So, if there is a way to barter for your love, what would it be?” asked Professor D.

“Of course there is; everything has a price, and my love is worth that: love, hugs, and affection,” smiled Ximena.

“I have a lot of that; I will bring you a sack of love, a bundle of hugs, and lots of affection of different kinds,” she said, moving her hands as if she were dancing.

“You're already warming up; I hope today you'll hit the rhythm; he seems to have more hearing in one eye than you do,” Ximena teased him.

Angelo closed one eye and said, “Well, I'll see you tonight; you'll see how many pairs are in three flies.”

                 

 …

Angelo arrived late; he desperately entered Liz's store; the colored lights were mixed in that place; he ran anxiously in haste to avoid another bad impression; he bumped into the owner:

“Why are you coming so late? Can't you do anything right?” Liz demanded. “She is over there.” She pointed to the side.

When he saw her, he felt that the floor collapsed, and he floated out; he could see how everything around her was erased and rays of light came out; he felt as if he was being thrown down a slide; he felt the famous butterflies in his stomach, something he thought was a myth; he was unable to move; she was the one who approached him.

“Hello, how nice of you to come.”

“I'm late, but I'm here; I'm confused about direction and made a bad decision.” Angelo tried to fix things with a joke.

“I hope you didn't leave the dancing software at home.”

“I think I did bring it, although I don't know if it says I installed it, ran it, or played it.”

“I guess all three; first you have to install it, then run it and at the end, press Play.”

“Well, if you are a box of surprises, besides being a pretty psychology student, you are also a linguist, which leaves my tongue craving,” the Mr. professor began to insinuate.

“Wait, I don't usually give them on the first date, and I don't give them on the second either.”

“I don't give it on the first date either,” said Angelo, pausing and continuing, “Of course, the good thing about our story is that technically this would be our third date.”

“I don't think so; what we talked about in college doesn't count; that was a meeting to make this invitation concrete, doctor D.”

“I agree, that doesn't count; I'm referring to the first time we met. Is it impossible that you don't remember? You're being forgetful.”

“Angelo, I don't understand you, and you're scaring me a little,” Ximena said, wrinkling her forehead, and he approached her ear and asked her:

“Why have you been lying to me all this time?”