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“It was an invitation. I’m so used to giving orders that sometimes, I forget to switch it off. But, I want you to know that even if it had been a work invitation, you can say no to me. You’re an employee, not a servant. If something doesn’t sit well with you, tell me.” She nods shyly, but I can see the relief in her eyes.
“Now, you answer a question for me.” Her look turns wary. “What happened in the past to make you think sex could be the only other thing I want from you?”
She tents her fingers under her chin, elbows resting on the table. Her eyes are solemn and frank. She swallows hard and then says, “There haven’t been many people who have given me a chance without wanting something in return.”
“Well, that just proves that the world is full of fools.” She rolls her eyes.
“No really, Reece. You’ve done much more than give me a chance. You’ve taken a huge risk and given me the opportunity of a lifetime. I’ve admired you from afar for a long time. I know you could be anywhere else in the world tonight. With people who are much more interesting than I am—”
I interrupt her with a chuckle. “I find you endlessly fascinating. You work hard and you don’t bullshit anyone. You’re teaching me yoga. What’s not to like?” I don’t add that it doesn’t hurt that her eyes captivate me. Or that when she smiles, I feel motivated to make it happen again.
My humor disappears as I look at her and see that she’s not smiling back.
Her tone is resigned when she speaks. “I started working when I was twelve. I’ve cleaned other people’s toilets. I’ve parked cars, I’ve bussed tables. I’ve worked for every single thing I have. I’m not sophisticated or well-educated.” Her laugh is short and humorless. “The first people who didn’t ask for anything other than friendship were Jessica, and then Sol. And even they are really just my landlord and my agent.” Her shoulders slump a little.
“I don’t want to start thinking we’re friends if we’re not. I know you want this film made. And I’m afraid that’s the only reason you’re spending time with me. I’ve learned the hard way that life is too short for assumptions and innuendo. So, if it’s just to get the movie made, cool. I promise I want that, too. You don’t have to hang out with me, teach me how to swim, take me out to dinner, tell me I look nice, and act like you care that Coco hit on me just to keep me around. This,” she spreads her arms out as if she could hold the whole universe in them, yet she never takes her eyes off me, “is already more than I ever thought my life would amount to.”
She brings her hands down, and rests them on the table. “So, if you’re doing this for any reason beside enjoying my company, you can stop. Tell me now, and there won’t be any hard feelings.”
Her eyes are naked, and her vulnerability bared. So, I return her gaze, and hope she can see the sincerity in my eyes.
“I want to make this film to honor the story you told in your book. It touched me. I have the ability to bring it to a huge audience. So, I’m doing it.” I sit back and look away as I speak less candid thoughts. “I also really enjoy your company. I think your honesty is refreshing and I admire that you’re not willing to compromise on anything that’s really important to you. So, yes, I want to be your friend, Lucía. And I want you to be my friend too.”
She rewards me with one of those smiles that makes me feel like a fucking superhero. “That’s awesome. Thank you.”
“Thank you, Lucía. Now, that’s settled.” I lift my hand and signal our waitress. “Let’s eat, I’m starved.”
We’re half way through dinner, and the company, food and view are the best I remember experiencing in a long time. The conversation has moved from less emotional things to progress on the screenplay. She asks me a lot of questions about my swimming career. I love talking about that. It was the most important part of my life for so many years. Throughout my entire childhood and until I was twenty-four and swam in my final Olympic trials. The injury I suffered in a car accident on the way to the airport, fractured my leg and tore a muscle in my rotator cuff. The injury cut my swimming career short. It meant downtime that I hadn’t had in years.
“So, what sparked your interest in the issue of immigration. One minute you were a famous swimmer, the next you were setting up a foundation, attending rallies.” I wish I could tell her, but I’m not ready to yet. I want to know her better and have her know me better too. It makes what I did easier to explain.
So, I give her my canned response. “While I was recuperating from my injuries, I started seeing stories in the news that bothered me. And when I did some reading to learn more, I discovered what a crisis it was, especially for the DREAMERs. I mean, you already know that. You wrote a whole book about it.” I shrug. “And I found that I had the right platform to elevate the conversation.”
“You said the new driver would be here tomorrow? Haven’t you wondered why I don’t drive myself?”
I’m perplexed, and I frown at her. “No, I haven’t wondered. A lot of people don’t drive here, even though I don’t understand how. I can teach you, it’s not hard. And then you can drive yourself.”
And the smile that’s been dancing on her face for most of the night disappears, as quickly as an extinguished flame on a candle. “What did I say?” I ask her, the urgency in my tone not disguised.
“I know how to drive, Reece,” she says softly, exasperation giving her voice an edge.
“Okay, I’m not following, then, why don’t you?”
Her hands, which had been moving fluidly between her wine glass and her cutlery are now balled into fists on the table.
“Can’t you guess?”
“No. I can’t guess. Tell me what I’m missing?”
She looks at me like I should understand, but I don’t.
I’m truly lost. “I don’t understand. What are you trying to say?”
“Reece, I can’t get a driver’s license. California doesn’t allow undocumented immigrants to have one.”
I scoff. I know this to be untrue. “Of course they do. The lady who worked for us had one.”
She looks at me like I’m a moron and then what she said finally registers.
