Chapter 21: Reconciliation

ALEJANDRA’S VOICE WAS STEADY when she telephoned on a Friday about a month after that evening when she discovered me with her mother.

“Michael, will you meet me for coffee?”

“Sure.”

It was a hesitant Alejandra who waited for me at the sidewalk bar near the plaza. She rose when I arrived and leaned forward for a hug. I kissed her cheek and held her face in my hands for a moment.

“Thanks for coming, Michael.”

I smiled.

“My pleasure, Alex.”

I ordered coffee for both of us. After it came I watched Alex trace a design of her own creation on a napkin. She examined her work very carefully. Apparently satisfied, she looked up and sighed.

“Mom and I had a long talk. I guess I was being a little naïve when I saw the two of you.”

She sighed again.

“After all, it’s not like we’d made any promises to each other, you know?”

I nodded.

“I guess I thought, well, maybe we had something that might go somewhere.”

When I didn’t respond she said, “Say something, Michael, OK?”

I took her hand in mine.

“I think ‘might’ is the important word here, Alex, but I’m not trying to hide behind words.”

Her eyes held mine.

“I’d like to keep seeing you, Alex. I don’t think either of us knows right now what might happen, but I’d like to find out.” I took a chance and leaned across the table to kiss her cheek. She smiled.

“I’d like that, Michael.”

A frown.

“I’m not sure I like the idea of you with my mother, though.”

She took a deep breath.

“But it’s not my call. I know that now. It’s between the two of you. I’m not going to tell you what to do.”

“I know, Alex.” I doubted there’d be much of anything more with Natalia but it would be foolish to make a promise I didn’t need to make.

“There’s something else, Michael. It’s my father.”

“What’s up with Monsieur M?”

“He’s not sure of your intentions, Michael.” She burst out laughing. “That’s a pretty funny phrase, but you know what he means.”

I did.

“He’s afraid you are, what’s the phrase, stringing me along. You’re taking advantage of me.”

I reached out to touch her hand. She didn’t pull away.

“I’m not stringing you along, Alex.”

I held her hand in both of mine.

“I’m trying to be honest with you. I meant what I said earlier, that I’d like to get to know you better and see where we go.”

I think she relaxed a little.

“I like that, Michael.”

She smiled.

“I’d like to see where we go, too.”

She waggled her eyebrows, a cheesy move perhaps but it sparked my laughter and she joined me. I didn’t want to end our date, if that’s what it was, yet.

“Alex, how about something to eat or a drink somewhere?”

She brightened.

“Sure. You up for Máximo’s?”

Máximo’s was a casual bar with a short but pretty good menu.

“Yeah. I’ll get a taxi.”

“I have Carlos tonight. He’ll drive us, is that OK?”

“Sure.”

Máximo’s was busy enough that evening we decided to settle in at the bar instead of waiting for a table. Carlos stayed with the vehicle at first as he always did, but he’d look in on us, on Alejandra, really, later on. Turns out it’s a good thing he did.

We’d just been served our dinners when I excused myself to use the restroom. I had to pass close to a guy who’d been paying a little too much attention to us. I’d noticed that, but the place was crowded enough I didn’t think it mattered.

I was wrong.

I returned to find he’d moved between my empty stool and Alejandra and seemed to be trying to persuade her of something. I couldn’t hear his words but I had a pretty good idea what he was saying. His posture alone was aggressive by itself and he was too far into Alejandra’s personal space and she had withdrawn as far as she could without falling off her stool.

I put my hand on his arm, firmly but not forcefully. I wasn’t looking to start something I didn’t need to start, but I meant to cut his little maneuver short.

“Excuse me, the lady is with me.”

It’s an old-fashioned line, I know, but it got his attention if only long enough to shake my arm off. When I took his arm again I pulled him a little and he turned and swung. I’d already stepped back far enough to be out of range, and while he finished his swing I had time to move forward, weight on my leading foot and to drive my fist as far as I could through his solar plexus all the way to his spine. My karate instructor would have used stiff fingers but I wasn’t confident enough to carry that off. Besides, done right the maneuver is successful even with the flat of the hand. The jackass collapsed, but not before the second swing he’d already started connected with the side of my head and I found myself on the floor and woozy looking up at Alejandra.

Rafael the bouncer moved in quickly to yank the jerk to his feet and toss him out on the street. Right behind him was Carlos who helped me up and over to a chair.

“Wait here a moment, don Miguel.”

“Mlle Alejandra, it’s time to go.” When she paused he added, “Now.”

“I’ll be back for you, don Miguel.”

I was able to stand by the time he returned but I let Carlos help me out to the vehicle.

“Carlos, we will drop Michael at his house first.”

She left no doubt it was an order.

“Of course, Mlle Alejandra.”

Carlos and Alejandra escorted me to my door.

“Will you be OK, Michael?”

I smiled and tried to kiss her cheek. I missed. I tried to kiss Carlos as well but stopped at the last second.

“Yeah. I’m going to lie down.”

I felt human, barely, by noon the next day. The phone rang just as I came back from my shower. It was Alejandra.

“Michael?”

“Hi.”

“How do you feel?”

“Like crap, Alex.”

She laughed.

“Good. You’re alive.”

There was a pause, a long one.

“Michael, thank you for last night.”

“Not necessary, Alex. I’m glad Carlos was there. Thanks for the ride home.”

“Michael, my father would like to thank you as well. He asks if you could come to the house for a drink tomorrow afternoon, Sunday?”

A drink was about the last thing I needed at this point.

“Sure, Alex. Maybe tea instead of a drink?”

She chuckled.

“No problem. Say half past six, OK?”

“Sure.”

Alejandra’s father wasn’t at home when I arrived at their compound, but Carlos was in front of the house chatting with a groundskeeper. He broke off when I got out of my car.

“How do you feel, don Miguel?”

I grinned.

“I’m alive, don Carlos, thanks to you and Alejandra last night.”

“It was nothing.”

“Thank you anyway.”

At that point Alejandra and her mother came out to greet me with strong hugs. Natalia lingered just long enough to make me think she hadn’t given up, but for the moment it didn’t matter. I held Alejandra in my arms and kissed both cheeks.

“Thanks for the ride Friday night, Alex.”

“De nada, Michael. Really.”

Monsieur M arrived just as we sat down with our tea, coffee for Natalia, who I’d learned was something of a coffee junkie. I rose and he stepped close and embraced me and kissed my cheek.