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“You should keep messing up because Mariana is looking at you like she would love to swoop in and steal you away from me,” She whispers against my neck. Her breath sends shivers down my back.
“I’d like to see her try. You’re half her height but you’ve definitely got more fight,” I joke and she elbows me in my stomach which makes me laugh.
“I don’t know…I think I’d like to see you endure dancing with her…” She ponders and I glare at her, making her giggle. “Remember what I said about the glaring!” She looks at me mischievously before clearing her throat and saying, “Excuse me, Mariana…Elliot was wondering if you could help him, he can’t quite get the steps right.” She smirks and I look at her with betrayal.
“Oh yes, of course!” She sweeps in immediately and Mads slowly backs away trying to hide her smile. “Put your hand on my waist,” Mariana says. My eyes get huge and I look at Mads who is silently shaking with laughter now.
I endure ten minutes of Mariana teaching me step by step, meticulously. At one point she gets on her hands and knees and is trying to lift my feet with her hands and stomp them back down on beat. Mads loses it at that, and she has to excuse herself to use the bathroom.
When I finally get released, I speed over to Mads who is back now and drinking some water. “You’re going to pay for that,” I say—half joking and half serious—as I fill a cup with water from the fountain. She cackles.
“So worth it!” She smiles up at me, her forehead slightly shining with sweat and a few pieces of hair fall from her messy bun and frame her face.
“Okay, my dancing tortilla chips! It’s time to dip ourselves in the spicy hot salsa dip! Partner up, we are starting from the top!” Alejandro calls, clapping his hands and fluttering around the room. I groan.
Mads takes my hand and leads me to the dance floor. Mariana walks over to us. “You got it, yes?” She asks me, ignoring Mads completely.
“Yes.” I clear my throat. “My wife and I have it.” I rub Mads arm with my left hand, trying to make my wedding band obvious.
Mariana sighs, mumbling, “Lastima. Que hombre tan hermoso.”
“He is beautiful, isn’t he?” Mads says to her with a wink. Mariana’s eyes get huge before she darts away quickly. “Thank you, Ana.” We both grin. My heart is racing at her calling me beautiful.
She wraps her arms around my waist and looks up at me. I smile down at her. “Thanks for doing this with me,” She grins.
I sigh, “I would do anything for you…even…salsa dancing.” She laughs again. The music starts and I try to remember the instructions that I was given.
“I think this music keeps changing the rhythm,” I mumble and Mads starts laughing again.
“I don’t think I can eat this,” Mads admits. She holds up chitlin on her fork.
“It almost has a bacon-like consistency, I think,” I muse while chewing. Her eyes are comically big and her mouth is scrunched down into a frown. I pop another piece in my mouth.
“Elliot…I really don’t think I can,” She whispers and closes her eyes. “It’s pig intestine.”
“Baby, uh Mads, you don’t have to if you don’t want to.” I chuckle.
She groans. “No…I want to do it…I’m overthinking it. No offense to people who enjoy this…but I can’t stop thinking about where it comes from. Honestly I do this with hot dogs also. It freaks me out.”
“Seriously, you don’t have to.”
“No, I want to eat something I’ve never eaten before…this was the first thing I thought of,” She winces and I hide my smile. She closes her eyes and brings the fork back to her mouth and takes a bite. She chews while keeping her eyes shut and face tense. I watch her anxiously.
She swallows, “I don’t like it.” She opens one eye to look at me. “Don’t let me do something like this again.”
I nod as she takes a big sip of her iced sweet tea. I chuckle. She takes a hushpuppy and pops one in her mouth. “Ah…much better,” She says with a mouth full of fried, sweet cornbread.
I take another chitlin and hold it up above my face, lean my head back and slowly lower the piece to my tongue. I put it in my mouth and chew obnoxiously. Mads makes a disgusted face.
“You’re gross,” She says before picking up a hushpuppy and tosses it at my face. I catch it, pop it in my mouth, and we laugh together.
THIRTY-ONE
MADELINE, THEN
Fall rolls into winter. Elliot and I spend almost every day together. Every day with him feels seamless and perfect.
We spend Thanksgiving in Penbrooke. We eat at my parent’s house and then bring food to Elliot’s grandma who isn’t doing too well and wasn’t up for a trip to eat with my family. We do the same for Christmas. While she is quiet, she smiles softly at us as we carry on the conversation.
