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I turn my eyes up to David who is smiling down at me. His face is warm and welcoming, dimples ingrained in his cheeks. His dark tanned skin sports a full but short beard, dark hair longer on top and shorter on the sides, like all men seem to have these days. There are a few tattoos scattered on his arms that are on display with his black T-shirt. I can tell he’s Latino, but I’m not sure where exactly he’s from.
He sticks his hand out towards me. “Hi Ana, it’s so nice to meet you.”
I look down at his hand and as much as I don’t want to touch a stranger, I don’t want to be rude so I place my hand in his. He gives me a little squeeze and shake before quickly releasing me.
“Hi, David. Nice to meet you too,” I say, giving him a half smile before turning my attention to Maddie who is watching me intently. “Let’s get this over with, pollito.”
David chuckles and I turn to look up at him. “Pollito?” he asks, still smiling, with his dimples on full display.
I want to glare at him because it’s obvious he knows he’s a pretty boy, and I’ve never liked the kind of man who knows he’s a pretty boy.
“It doesn’t mean pretty, if you were wondering,” Maddie mutters under her breath. Elliot laughs and pulls her close to him.
“It’s a long story,” I say and turn away from them to walk toward the old and decrepit house. “Where are we starting, boss?” I call.
“Inside. There’s a few pieces of furniture that we’re going to load into the truck and take to the dump,” Maddie says, catching up to me and matching my pace while she loops her arm in mine.
She guides me up the rickety steps, staying on the white x’s taped to indicate where it’s safe to step and to where your impending doom is awaiting you. She opens the front door and pulls me inside.
“Oh,” I say, looking around. “It’s not as bad as I thought.”
“I told you,” Maddie sings.
It’s not so much broken and run-down inside as it is just super outdated. There’s fake wood paneling on the walls and a terrible shag carpet that looks like a mix between blood orange and magenta somehow.
“It’s still awful,” I tell her.
“No more hate on my house, Ana,” Maddie scolds. Elliot chuckles as he and David come to stand on either side of us.
“I can see the potential,” David says on my right. I hold in an eye roll.
“Thank you, David,” Maddie says. “At least someone believes in this.” She pulls Elliot towards the bright yellow kitchen that honestly hurts my eyes if I stare at it for too long.
“Don’t tell her this, but I lied. This place is terrifying and I don’t know how we’re going to make it look better,” David mutters down to me. I turn my head up and give him a half smirk.
“Here I thought you were a kiss ass.”
“Only sometimes. But I learned quickly that Madeline doesn’t mess around and I don’t want to get on her bad side,” David says firmly, then sighs. “She scares me a little.”
“That’s a good lesson to learn. ¿Hablas español?” I ask him. Do you speak Spanish?
“Sí.” David smiles, those stupid dimples showing. “Where are you from?” he continues in Spanish.
“Puerto Rico. Moved here in second grade,” I answer in Spanish. “You?”
“Argentina.” He grins. “I was born here. My mom was also, but my dad moved here when he was a teenager.”
“Nice.” I give him a smile, this one not as forced.
“You’re the one that taught Madeline how to speak Spanish?” he asks in English now.
“Yes. It was a group effort between me and my family.” I sigh. “Maddie didn’t give us much of a choice and the books she took out from the library were awful. We taught her the real slang.” I smile as I remember those days, where everything seemed so simple. When I look back up to David, I find him grinning down at me. I look away.
“Excuse me,” I hear Maddie call from somewhere down the hall. “I’m not paying you two with sandwiches for you to chit-chat all day!”
“She’s terrifying,” David murmurs before he walks towards Maddie’s voice. I let out a small laugh, take a breath, and reluctantly follow.
Seven hours, many buckets of sweat, and a whole lot of aches and pains later, we’re finally done for the day. It might be September, but the summer heat is lingering as long as it can. Maddie gave us a few water breaks and sub sandwiches for lunch, and now she finally dismisses us.
