Heavy Turbulence

by Kimberly Fox

  The old woman next to me throws her napkin at him and starts yelling something that I don’t understand. Everyone at the table starts laughing but she looks pissed.

  I grab two plastic flowers from the vase and present them to her. She smiles shyly like she’s fourteen again and kisses me on the cheek with rough lips.

  The old man across the table looks at me and nods. He says something in Spanish and then tries to switch to English. “How you say…swingers. Sí?”

  “No!” Manuel’s wife, Adriana, says reaching over a laughing, blushing Tanya to smack her father. “Stop it!”

  Jorge comes back with plates of food stacked up his arm. He places them anywhere he can and before long every inch of the table is covered in fresh hot food. The food looks and smells incredible. I don’t know what half of it is but it has my mouth watering.

  We try a bit of everything, passing the plates around the table. Every bite is an explosion of flavor. It’s way better than the cardboard tasting food at the resort buffet. Manuel tops off our drinks as we talk and have fun enjoying the crazy atmosphere.

  His family is a riot and they have us laughing the whole time. They really don’t do it like this where I’m from.

  Tanya grabs a little roll off the plate and slathers it in the green sauce. Adriana’s eyes pop out of her head and she says “no no no no no no,” as Tanya bites into it but she’s too late. Tanya has already taken a bite.

  Her face goes scarlet red and she looks at me with panic brimming from her enormous eyes. She spits out the food into her napkin and chugs her glass of slush. Her mouth is open, breathing short heavy breaths when she throws the empty glass down and looks around in a panic for more.

  She grabs the half full pitcher and starts to chug it while everyone laughs hysterically around us. People from the other tables jump up and rush over to see what’s going on and before long the entire restaurant is surrounding us chanting ‘chug, chug, chug,’ as Tanya goes to town on the strong slushy pitcher.

  I join in, pounding my fist on the table to the beat of the crowd. “Chug, chug, chug,” I chant along with them. The pitcher was half full but she’s still going strong. A smile rips across my mouth as she finishes every last drop and then holds the empty pitcher upside down over her head.

  Everyone cheers as she slams it down on the table. I’ve never been prouder.

  A song that I’ve never heard comes on over the speakers and everyone gets excited and jumps out of their seats to dance.

  Tanya leans over the table towards me. “Holy fuck that was hot!”

  “That was amazing, is what that was,” I answer.

  The old man beside her gets up on rickety old legs and offers his hand. Tanya takes it and steps out of the picnic table. She laughs as the old man starts dancing. He moves with more grace than I thought he would and before long she’s dancing with him. The restaurant is alive with excited energy and there are more people dancing than eating.

  Manuel’s mother-in-law is watching Tanya and her husband dancing with her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed.

  “Let’s go make them jealous,” I whisper to her.

  She looks at me in confusion but then smiles when I step out of the picnic table and offer her my hand. She giggles as she takes it and I can see the shy, young girl still inside her. She’s adorable. I take her tiny frail body in my arms carefully. I jerk my head back in surprise when she starts shaking her hips wildly. She can move!

  She steps in close and runs her hand up and down my bicep grinning and muttering something to herself. “Easy horn dog,” I whisper to her. “I’m with someone.”

  She doesn’t understand and just laughs. I like this lady.

  We have a blast dancing and before long the young men in the restaurant start pushing the picnic tables into the corner and the patio turns into a dance floor.

  I can’t take it anymore. I maneuver my dance partner over to where Tanya and the old man are shaking their asses and cut in. The old lady dances with her husband and it looks like all is forgiven.

  Tanya’s face is flushed as she dances on me, really getting into the song. Chugging a pitcher of that strong slushy stuff has really loosened her up. I step in close and she moves in even closer, shaking her hips and moving her shoulders. She’s got a smile on her face bigger than I’ve ever seen on her before.

  I get a whiff of apricots when I smell her hair and lightness fills my head again. My hands slide down her ribs and I give her waist a squeeze with my hands. She steps in close, pressing her breasts against my chest. The half pitcher of tequila is starting to work its magic.

  A sexy gleam of sweat is on her hot skin. Feeling her move and grind on me is making my heart pound and if I’m not careful I’ll have a raging hard-on pushing against my pants when the song is over. Tanya is giving me a taste of her moves and now I want to fuck her more than ever.

  The fast beat fades away and the soft sounds of a violin take its place. The crowd of people quickly turns into a crowd of couples as everyone pairs up with that special someone.

  “May I have this dance?” I ask, holding my hand out.

  She smiles and takes it. “You may.”

  I pull her in close and for the first time she doesn’t pull away from my touch. She melts into me as we enjoy the song, enjoy the atmosphere and enjoy each other.

  Her skin is as warm and soft as the romantic song playing over the speakers. She tucks her head on my shoulders as her fingers entwine with mine. I usually take the opportunity to visit the bathroom or go get a bit of fresh air whenever a slow song comes on at a party but not tonight. This feels good.

  We’re surrounded by a sea of couples in love, swaying together to the music. Our friends, the elderly couple, are holding each other’s frail bodies and kissing.

  “Look,” Tanya says, motioning to them with her eyes. “I think they made up.”

  “You were making her jealous.”

  She laughs. “I think she forgot all about me when you were dancing with her.”

  “I forgot all about you when I was dancing with her.”

  She laughs, showing me her beautiful smile.

  “Is your mouth still on fire?” I ask.

  “Yes!” she says, her eyes lighting up. “That was insane.”

  “You can chug like a champ.”

  She flicks her eyebrows up. “I was in a sorority my first semester at college.”

  “That will do it,” I say.

  She takes a deep breath and her face turns more serious. “Thank you for taking me out,” she says. “I really needed to get off that resort.”

  I could stare at that face for hours.

  We stare into each other’s eyes letting the soft music move our bodies. She pulls in closer and she’s so beautiful that I have to do it. I lean in slowly with my lips and she does too. Just as our lips are about to touch I feel a tug on my arm.

  Are you kidding me?

  Jorge is standing next to us with a big smile on his goofy face. Ugh. I can’t get mad at the kid. He’s too fucking nice.

  “You like to dance?” he asks, smiling so much that he’s showing his back teeth. “We go somewhere really fun now.”

  I’m finally getting somewhere with Tanya and now it’s time to see how far I can take this. “Actually,” I say, “we’re going to head back to the resort.”

  Tanya drops my hands and steps in front of me. “We’d love to go, Jorge!” She turns back and looks at me with a grin. “Right?”

  She makes me laugh. “That’s right!”

  “Come, come,” he says, pulling Tanya’s arm towards the exit.

  “I’ll go pay our tab,” I say, heading to the kitchen.

  Uncle Chef Boyardee is in the tiny kitchen chopping tomatoes so fast that I wouldn’t be surprised if he moonlighted as a ninja. He drops the knife and waddles around the counter with his arms stretched open when he sees me.

  “Good?” he asks, standing in front of me with food stains all over his huge belly.

&
nbsp; “Very good,” I say, nodding.

  He claps his hands together and smiles. He looks thrilled that I’m happy.

  “How much for everyone?” I ask, speaking slowly. He doesn’t seem to understand. “I pay for everyone,” I say, waving my hand around the patio.

  “Everyone?” he asks, rubbing his bushy mustache. “No, too much.”

  “Everyone,” I repeat, pulling out my wallet. “I insist.”

  The Chef looks uncomfortable but when he sees the way I’m staring back at him he knows that arguing with me will be a losing battle. He reads the handwritten bills tacked onto the cork board and moves his lips as he calculates. “About ten thousand pesos or six hundred dollars,” he says. “But it’s too much.”

  I pull out fifteen hundred dollars from my wallet and stuff it into the pocket of his apron. “There,” I say. “I pay for everyone tonight. They can get more drinks and food on me.”

  He moves fast for a big guy and his big arms are wrapped around me in a bear hug. I try to keep him at arms’ length because of all of the food on his apron. I have to look sharp with Tanya and having smeared salsa on my shirt won’t cut it.

  Chef Boyardee is too big, too strong and too relentless and I cave in. Fuck it. When in Cancun…

  I hug the big guy back. He smells like cilantro.

  He walks me out to the taxi and Tanya leaves him smiling like a drunk man when she kisses him on the cheek.

  Tanya pulls out her wallet when we’re back in the cab. “How much was it?” she asks.

  I place my hand on hers and stare at her with a serious look. “I don’t know what your previous boyfriends were like but with me, you never pull out your wallet.”

  “Really?” she asks, her eyes challenging me. “Or what?”

  “Or I’ll insist on seeing your driver’s license picture.”

  She stares at me for a moment and then puts her wallet away.

  “Yeah I thought so,” I say. We both laugh. “That bad huh?”

  “That bad.”

  Jorge jumps in the car. “Next, we go to the beach party.”

  Tanya looks excited. “I’ve never been to a beach party,” she says.

  We drive for about fifteen minutes through side streets, seeing the different communities and how they live. Tanya watches out the window the entire time. It’s not usually the part of Mexico that a tourist sees when they’re getting shuttled from the airport to their resort and back.

  Jorge pulls down a dark, secluded road in the woods. “Where are you taking us?” I ask. The headlights from our car are the only lights in the heavily wooded area.

  “Beach party,” he says, glancing back in the mirror. I’m about to respond when I hear the faint music coming from somewhere in the distance.

  Jorge parks the car and jumps out.

  “Where are we?” Tanya asks as we step out of the car onto the dirt road. We seem to be in the middle of the forest but we can hear the music louder now.

  “The party is this way,” Jorge says, pointing to the thick bushes. “Follow me.”

  He squeezes through the thick bush and quickly disappears.

  Tanya looks at me, shrugs and follows him in.

  “Where are you taking us?” I ask, staying close to her.

  “Come, come,” is all Jorge answers.

  Tanya turns back to me. “Are there alligators or snakes in here?” she asks.

  I laugh. “Don’t be silly.” But after I think about it for a few seconds I call out to Jorge. “Are there alligators or snakes in here?”

  “Oh yes,” he says in a serious tone. “Giant ones.”

  Tanya and I pick up the pace and before long we step out of the bushes onto the sand.

  “Holy crap!” she says.

  There’s a bonfire the size of a small house a short walk down the beach with a DJ spinning and people everywhere, dancing and drinking on the beach. Even from this distance, the light from the fire lights up Tanya’s face. The shadows dance across her cheeks and neck as the breeze takes her hair and dress and makes them flow. She’s beyond words.

  She takes my hand as we follow Jorge to the party. Young, beautiful people are everywhere, dancing barefoot in the sand. My insides vibrate with the beat of the music and my heart races from touching the angel by my side.

  Jorge grabs two beers from the huge, open cooler full of ice and bottles. He opens them and hands them to us.

  “Whose are these?” Tanya asks, looking around before she takes a sip. “Can we take them?”

  Jorge waves his hand. “It’s fine. It’s fine. This is Mexico.”

  “Cheers,” I say clinking the neck of Tanya’s bottle with mine. She’s looking a little buzzed. A good buzzed.

  “Let’s go dance,” she says. “I’ve always wanted to dance on the beach.”

  She grabs my wrist and yanks me towards the fire. The heat of that thing could melt metal. There’s a huge pile of old dressers and other broken furniture that people are throwing on to feed the flames. There’s even a full couch ready to go in next.

  I don’t normally dance but I can’t pass up another opportunity to be close to her body. There are hot, young women dancing in bikinis all around me but my eyes are glued on Tanya. She’s so hot and sensual when she moves her hips.

  She stumbles on the sand and laughs when I catch her, and it’s in that moment that I realize I really like her. There was just something about her when I first saw her on the plane but now it’s more than just a sense of intrigue. I’m starting to fall for her.

  And I don’t fall for anyone.

  A heaviness settles on my chest when I realize that we only have five more days together. Oh well. I’ll take what I can get. Might as well enjoy it now.

  We dance for hours until our calves are burning and the fire has dwindled down to the size of a car.

  “Look,” Tanya says, pointing to Jorge. He’s sound asleep in the sand. “Let’s go back. The poor guy is exhausted.”

  We wake him up and head back to the car. Jorge keeps rubbing his eyes and yawning as he drives down the dark road. He keeps looking back at us through the rear view mirror.

  Tanya strokes the top of my hand with her finger and watches me. She looks like she wants to get kissed. I reach over the seat, past Jorge and tilt the rearview mirror to the side.

  “You get one kiss,” she says, watching me.

  I roll my neck from side to side and stretch out my arms and shoulders. “I better make it a good one,” I say, blowing my breath into my curled hand and smelling it.

  “Smell okay?” she asks with a raised eyebrow.

  “I’m regretting eating those onions at dinner but it’s not too bad.”

  She smiles. “I’m sure the tequila washed the taste away.”

  “You tell me,” I say leaning in.

  Our mouths meet and her silky tongue sweeps over mine. “Mmm,” she moans as I kiss her deep and passionate, struggling to hold my hands to the PG-13 areas of her body.

  Kissing her feels as natural as breathing and an ocean of warmth floods through me as our lips meld together. I kiss her for a long time but not nearly as long as I’d like to.

  Every nerve ending in my body is tingling when I finally pull away. The warm, soothing feeling is replaced by a tinge of sadness when I realize that we only have a limited time together.

  How can I not do that every day for the rest of my life?

  It’s after three when we get back to the resort. It’s mostly empty, except for the tired staff who is stuck cleaning up after the partying tourists.

  Jorge leaves with a million thank you’s out of his mouth after I give him a huge tip.

  “Tired?” I ask Tanya. Her eyes are half closed as we stand in the lobby of the resort.

  “Yeah but it’s okay,” she says. “Want to go sit on the beach?”

  I take her hand and pull her towards the path outside. “Fuck yeah.”

  We walk hand in hand through the dark resort. We pass a bar that’s closing and after a min
ute of convincing the bartender who is too tired to give a shit, he sneaks me a bottle of wine. We bring it to the beach, walking barefoot in the cool sand. The stars are out and the bright full moon is shining on the ocean, lighting it up in sparkling waves.

  Tanya heads to a lawn chair under a palm tree and we both sit down, sharing it. I’m behind her and she’s sitting between my legs with her back to me so we can both look out at the dark ocean.

  I twist open the bottle of wine and offer her the first sip. I wrap my arms around her as she takes a drink straight out of the bottle.

  It’s pretty romantic. Just the two of us with the relaxing ocean waves, the glowing stars, the caressing breeze, the creepy looking security guard holding an M16. Hey, it can’t all be perfect.

  He nods and smiles at us as he passes, giving us some privacy. She hands me the bottle as the apricot scent of her shampoo floods my nostrils, leaving my head swimming. We touch hands as I take the bottle from her and there is nothing I’d rather be doing at this moment. Well, maybe one thing but that will come soon.

  I try to hand her back the bottle after a few minutes but she doesn’t take it. She’s sound asleep in my arms.

  “Good night, my love,” I say as I kiss the top of her head gently. I take a sip of wine, sit back and enjoy the beautiful night and enjoy having this beautiful girl in my arms before I drift off to sleep as well.

  We both wake up groaning from the stiffness in our sore limbs. The sun is rising over the ocean and the early bird tourists are already claiming the best beach chairs.

  Tanya keeps yawning as we walk through the resort, past the restaurant staff setting up the breakfast buffet and the maintenance staff cleaning the pool. I wipe my heavy eyes with the back of my hand and sand goes in my eyes. Damn it.

  I walk her all the way to her room and feel a tinge of panic when she pulls out her key card. “Stay with me,” I say. I don’t want her in the same room as Aaron. But mostly, I don’t want to be apart.

  She looks to the side and takes a deep breath. “I’m not into the whole one night stand thing,” she says, fidgeting with the key card in her hands. “I can’t be with a guy that I’ll never see again after a few days.” She finally looks up at me but her face is grimacing. “I’m sorry Mr. Trampoline but I don’t work like that.”