Jose Spreads His Wings
By Ben
Chapter One
"Usted esta en mi Ciencias politicas clasifique?"
Jose was startled out of his daydream. He was having those shameful thoughts again. Padre Pedro would be so disappointed in him. He looked up automatically. "Que?" he muttered.
"Are you in my Political Science class?" He said again.
Jose finally recognized him. It was HIM! The guy he had been watching and fantasizing about all week. He had seen him on campus several times and he was, indeed, in his Political Science class. He found himself very attracted to this incredibly handsome young man. His mouth suddenly went dry. "Si. I think so." He managed to say.
`Bueno. I am Enrique. Pero en los Estados Unidos, la mayoria de mis amigos me llama Ricky. (But in the United States, most of my friends call me Ricky)." He extended a perfectly manicured hand.
Jose took it in his own and the moment they touched, he felt a surge of electricity pass between them. I am Jose. It is good to meet you, Enrique."
"There are not many Latinos here at college and it is good to be able to speak to somebody from home." Enrique's smile was radiant. His even, white teeth fairly sparkled beneath his neatly trimmed moustache.
In fact, everything about him was breath taking. His large, deep brown eyes were slightly almond- shaped and crinkled just a tiny bit at the outer corners as he smiled. Shorter than Jose's six feet, he judged him to be about five feet, seven inches. Also, in contrast to him, Enrique's build was muscular and compact.
Jose always felt gawky and ungainly because he was so much taller than his friends. He was so thin throughout his adolescence that they made fun of him and called him names. His favorite aunt, Tia Rosa, would always reassure him that he would fill out as he got older. She had even bought him a set of free weights for his sixteenth birthday. It wasn't until recently, though, that he had begun to see some actual results from working out with them.
Enrique was speaking again. "I am from San Augustin in the Baja. And you?"
"I am from a small town South of Tijuana. It is called Boca del Perro." Jose replied.
"I do not know it." Enrique said as he shook his head slightly. What was it about the way he wrinkled his forehead and pursed his lips that made Jose want to kiss him?
"It is very small and quiet. Mostly there are fishermen. My Papa is a fisherman, too. Mi Tio Jose esta alli un abogado (My Uncle Jose is an attorney there)."
"Ah the rich uncle! Sadly I do not have one." Enrique joked.
Jose nodded. "Si, he is very generous, also. Since I am the eldest son in my family, and his namesake, he is paying for my education here. When I graduate and am wealthy, I will pay for my younger brother to attend university, then he will do the same for the next brother." Enrique nodded his understanding. "And how many brothers are there?"
"There are seven, and three sisters. Papa says that my sisters will not need to go to school. Also, mi madre esta de nuevo embarazada."
"Ayee! Ten children and one more on the way! You have a big family, Jose. Yo tengo simplemente mi hermana, Carla, y mi padre y mi madre. (I have just my sister, Carla, and my father and my mother)." A look of sadness suddenly crossed Enrique's handsome face.
Jose was concerned. "Que pasa?"
Enrique looked up with moist eyes. "La mama esta muy enferma. She has cancer and is not expected to live much longer."
Jose wanted to hold his newfound friend and comfort him, but he barely knew anything about him and it would be inappropriate here, in the middle of the campus cafeteria. "Yo lo siento mucho, mi amigo (I am very sorry, my friend." Jose touched him on his shoulder and felt the firm muscle under the fine fabric of his shirt.
Enrique sniffed and smiled again. "Gracias, Jose. Papa has gotten her the best possible medical care. She even has two doctors and several nurses at our casa. Unfortunately, all that can be done now is to make her as comfortable as possible. She does not complain. She is so beautiful, even now."
"I am sure she is." Jose offered. He did not add that it must be from her that Enrique got his good looks. El era sumamente guapo! (He was extremely handsome!)
"Carla is muy bonita as well. She looks just like Mama. You should come home with me some weekend and meet her." Enrique wagged his eyebrows comically and poked Jose in his ribs.
This evoked an involuntary squeak from Jose. It was loud and attracted the attention of those seated near them. Jose blushed and they both laughed at hi embarrassment. "Are you finished eating? Would you like to go somewhere?"
Jose looked down at his tray at the uneaten food. Mama would have scolded him for wasting it. All his life, money was hard to come by. Papa worked very hard to provide the best for his family that he could. He felt guilty, but he really did want to spend more time with his new friend. "Si, let us go."
They disposed of their trays and walked out into the warm autumn sunshine. "Shall we go to your room and talk awhile. I have another class this afternoon, but not until three o'clock." Enrique suggested.
Jose thought of his cramped dorm room, which he shared with three gringos Two of them were loud and obnoxious-very immature. The other was quiet but his manner suggested that he would rather not be rooming with a student from Mexico. It wasn't that he was hostile, but he certainly kept his distance from Jose.
"Uh, no. Let us not go there." He said in an evasive way. "It is always a mess and I would be embarrassed for you to see it." He hastened to add, "My room mates are very careless."
"I understand." Enrique said. "Then we could go to my room, but it is all the way on the other side of the campus. When is your next class?"
"I have no more classes today. It is my study day. Will you have time to walk there and back before your class?" Jose asked, hoping that the answer would be yes.
"We will take my car. That way we will have plenty of time and I can drop you by your dorm on the way back so that you can get your studying done." Enrique decided. Hola! For those of you who are new to my stories, welcome! For my loyal readers, welcome back! The characters in this story come from my series "Berto's Roses" which I recently concluded. You can find it and many other stories I have written (mostly true accounts of my experiences) by clicking the "Authors" link and then scrolling down to find "Lyle Benton". You will see and index of my Nifty postings there. Enjoy! I love hearing from my "fans". Please email me at ben_sc@hotmail.com.
Thanks,
Ben