The bus drove all night, making it’s way straight to Guadalajara. I remember I didn’t sleep for the first few hours. Iliana and I talked most of the night, about anything and everything. We sat and reminisced about old times, about how we met and friends that we had made sense then. We thought of all cheezy 80's love songs, and sung them to each other as we laughed and laughed. I had no idea what time it was, but it had to be the wee hours of the morning. I remember we each had our own set of seats once again across from each other, so we were both sprawled out over the seats. There were more people on the bus then on the bus that had brought us to Vallarta, but we didn’t care. We still laughed and joked just as much. I remember feeling the turns as we made our way through the mountains in the dark. The sky was clear, and the stars could easily be seen through the windows. They spun in circles, in the sky as the bus made turn after turn, curve after curve. The night carried on and we both started to get tired. I remember putting my head against the seat and slowly falling to sleep.
I awoke to the bus driver saying something in spanish over the speaker. I sat up in my seat and could see that dawn had begun. I had no idea how long I had slept, but the sun was making it way into the sky, and some people on the bus were already awake and talking. I looked at Iliana and she too was waking up, she took a glance out the window and said in her half asleep speech “we’re close now.”
She spoke truth. The city started to pass us by as we drove for the bus station. The city looked peaceful in it’s orange and yellow morning light. Soon though it would be the busy city I had arrived in, with cars and busses lining it’s roads. As we pulled into the bus station I felt excited, we had made it, and soon I would be getting what I came here for. Time with her. Time to see her, time to talk, time for her to see me. The new and improved and now newly tanned me.
We got a taxi back to Iliana’s apartment, moving quickly through the city as there wasn’t much traffic yet. As we arrived we made our way up to the apartment and said our hellos. Everyone was glad to see us, and laughed at my “red” tanned face. We sat for a bit and talked with her mom and sister, updating on the weekend’s events. I looked at the clock, and realized it was only almost 8 AM. Her sister soon left for work, and her mom left for work or whatever errands she had scheduled for that day. As I walked into my room the bed called out to me. I walked over, lied down, and soon was asleep. I slept well.
I was awaken by the phone ringing, and as I started to get out of bed to answer it, the ringing stopped. I laid back down half asleep, as the thought came into my mind. Gaby was supposed to be calling us today, so we could make plans for tonight. Did I just miss her call? Was I just asleep when she called and missed my chance? Surely she would call back? Right? The thoughts assaulted my mind as I jumped out of my bed and made my way to the door. As I opened the door, I heard them speaking spanish, but not to me. They had answered the phone after all, and was speaking to the person on the other end. As I walked out, Iliana called out to me, “Robbie, it’s for you.” This was it. This was the moment. On the other end of that phone she waited, waited to speak with me. Soon we would be reunited in speaking, in voice. Soon I would be hearing the voice I longed to hear for months. “Ok I got it” I said outloud, as I picked up the phone in Iliana’s room. “Hello” I said into the receiver. “Hey, it’s me.” I heard come through the phone. Yes it was you. I knew it. I recognized the voice, as the memories flooded back from the times we spent together. The parties we went too, the movie at Karah’s, the perfect day at Garner, all those times we spent together, all came back to me when I heard her voice. I smiled from ear to ear, as I heard her voice. We talked briefly, because she was at work and couldn’t talk for long. She asked about my weekend and about Vallarta and I told her I would tell her everything later. When we could be face to face. When I could hold her hand. She giggled a bit, and said ok. She sounded good, in good health, and as happy to hear me as I was to hear her. It was great, we were both feeling great. And as soon as it seemed we said our hello, we had to say our goodbye. She told me she had to get back to work, but she would call me again that afternoon to for sure to make plans for tonight. She wanted to see me, she wanted to be next to me, she wanted me. I smiled as I said goodbye, and hung up the phone. I walked out of the room and Iliana looked at me. I must have looked extremely happy, cause she just laughed. I was happy, and in a few hours I would be beyond that.
The afternoon came and went and Iliana and I waited for her phone call. As 4 PM came and went I started to get a bit worried. She would be calling soon, I assumed she worked at least until 5 or 6, so I was still safe. 5 PM came and went, and I waited for 6. Iliana told me she was going to start getting ready for her German class and I agreed as I waited by the phone. She got ready and was almost finished, and still no call. I decided to take a shower myself and start getting ready, and Iliana reassured me she would wait by the phone for her call while I got ready. I took my shower, shaved my face, and ironed my clothes. I was wearing my best clothes, because this was the big night. This was my moment of glory after all. I waited by the phone in my new clothes and my groomed appearance, waiting for the phone to ring. But it never did. Iliana looked at me and told me we had to leave, because her class would be starting soon. But she had a plan. She decided to take her aunt’s cell phone, that way if Gaby did call when we were already gone, her mom would give her the number of the cell phone, and we could still make plans to meet up. It was starting to get dark as we left, and we made small talk as we rode the bus to her class. What do you think happened? Do you think she got busy and couldn’t call? I didn’t know. She sounded so excited when I had talked to her, it didn’t seem like she could just forget or be too busy to call. As we arrived to the neighborhood of the language school, we walked up a few blocks. The neighborhood was quite nice, with nice trees lining the streets and nice houses and business lining the street. Reminded me a bit of Brooklyn, how the trees grew right next to the street. As we arrived at Iliana’s school, we went inside to kill some time. We sat at the little coffee shop and Iliana spoke to some fellow classmates. She got a snack and a coffee and asked if I wanted anything. I declined. I didn’t feel much like eating, as I stared at the cell phone. Ring Ring I tell you I didn’t take my eyes off it, as if trying to will it to ring. As Iliana finished her coffee she asked me if I was ok. I said yeah, but I was just worried. Why hadn’t she called? Did something happen to her? Iliana, knowing my concern, then came up the solution. It was after 7 now, and she would surely be home from work by now. She would just call her house and see if she was there. If her mom and dad answered, no problem, they would here a girl’s voice and not think anything of it. I almost ran down to the closest pay phone, as I scrambled to get the number. I had her home number, but had never called it, because of fear of exposing that I was there in town. If her dad had truly found out about us, how he would react if he knew I was in the same city? Maybe that would blow any chance of me seeing Gaby at all. So as Iliana dialed, I held my breath. I watched as she counted the rings, and then nodded that someone had picked up. She started with her spanish introduction, most of the meaning flying by me because of the speed of the spanish. I heard her ask for Gaby, and then said ok. She whispered to me, “it’s her mom, and she went to go get her.” As I waited for any indication she was on the phone, Iliana said something in spanish. What? What did you say? Iliana repeated it as if in confused disbelief. I heard her this time. She had said “el dormir?” I thought to myself, trying to make sense of the words. It had sounded familiar, and I knew I had heard it used before. The meaning escaped me, and as Iliana hung up the phone she was speechless. I asked her for the meaning of the word, and in disbelief she said it “sleeping. She is sleeping.” What? Sleeping? Are you sure? Did her mom know for sure? Did she even look? Did she just do the whole knock on the door and if she didn’t answer she just figured she’s asleep? You got to be kidding me We had just talked We had just said we were going to meet up tonight, and now that tonight was here, she was asleep How could you even sleep at a time like this? Wouldn’t she be so excited by pure adrenaline, that she couldn’t even sleep in a time like this? I stood there in disbelief as Iliana explained. “Her mom said that she had come home from work very tired, and took a nap, and was still asleep.” What This had to be a joke This had to be a cover that she thought up, and soon she would be sneaking out and calling us to meet up. I was convinced this couldn’t be real, it just couldn’t be How? Why? Iliana stood there confused herself, but soon it was time for her to head to her class. As I walked her back to her school she asked me “What are you going to do for an hour and half?” I didn’t have an answer. I didn’t know. I guess I would just have to wait. She told me there was a mall a few blocks up, and if I wanted I could go there to kill time. She handed me the cell phone, as she walked up the steps. “When she calls, tell her that we will meet her anywhere she wants.” I agreed and said that I would remember the place, wherever it might be. Iliana had given me hope, she had said “when she calls” not “if she calls.” I thanked her for her optimism, because at the time I wasn’t feeling to optimistic. As I held the cell phone, I started walking up the street. It was just me now, on the street alone. At night, in a neighborhood I wasn’t familiar with, in a city that I wasn’t from. Not able to speak the language, and waiting for a call from someone whom was apparently to tired to call. I walked, up and down the block I walked. The thoughts racing through my head, waiting for the sound of a ringtone.
I walked for what seemed like hours, up and down the street, and down to the mall area. The mall was quiet big, and as I walked in it was full of people. Girls shopping in each store and kids in the arcade. I walked by the full food court and watched as people sat and ate their dinner. I walked by myself through the mall, and noticed that I could hardly hear. I decided I would leave, because I was afraid I would miss her call because I couldn’t hear the phone. Every second or two I would look at the phone, waiting for the display to light up with her number. I looked and looked, but it never lit up. As I walked back down the street I got a bit lost in my thoughts. I was worried and wondered why? Why? How can you just fall asleep on a night like this? Earlier I had just about jumped out of bed when I heard the phone ring, wouldn’t she have done the same? As I noticed the time had moved quickly, and it was time to head back towards Iliana’s school. As I arrived, I waited about 10 minutes and she came out. The first thing out of her mouth was “did she call?” Iliana was so supportive of me, I really appreciated it. She really wanted me to be happy, and knowing about this girl, she wanted me to be happy with her. What a true friend she was. As I shook my head in a disappointed “No” she too just shook her head. She couldn’t believe it either. How could she just be asleep? “So now what?” Iliana asked. I said, “well lets just go back home I guess, if she calls sometime before we get there, maybe we can still meet up.” As we walked down the street towards the bus stop we were quiet, both of us in disbelief. As we reached the bus stop and caught the bus we both sat there silent. And just as the silence almost became unbearable, it happened. No, the phone didn’t ring. But what did happen was the bus driver suddenly stopping the bus, opening the door, and running out of the bus. We just stared in even more disbelief, “uh...the bus driver just ran out of the bus.” And it didn’t seem like he was coming back anytime soon. The other passengers seeing this happen, made their way for the door themselves. When the bus driver starts running, then I’m running too. Knowing my luck, the bus was on fire and was going to explode. As we stepped off the bus, I noticed a old man sleeping in the back, and I nudged him to wake him up. He saw everyone was getting off the bus and soon joined in. Poor old man. As we walked down the street we looked back to see the vacant bus still sitting there in the middle of the road. The bus driver being nowhere in sight. I laughed to myself, even in the most confusing situation, I could still laugh at the craziness of this place. I felt a bit better.
We hopped another bus and made our way home. As we arrived Iliana asked her mom and aunt if she had called, to which they both said “No.” As we sat there in her room, we tried to make sense of the night. It was truly a odd night, not being anything how I expected it to go. That night we ended up just getting tacos and eating at the house. I waited and waited, but it was futile, the call never came. That night I remember laying there in Iliana’s bed, trying to piece together the events of the day. It had started out with so much promise and potential, and ended with just as much confusion and disappointment. I checked my email from Iliana’s computer, with hopes that maybe a explanation for the night would be there. But nothing was there. I was at a loss for words, I didn’t know what to say. And as the hours passed I decided to sleep. The next day would surely provide more answers. I fell asleep there with my new clothes still on, wrinkling the pain staking ironing job I had done. Everything was upside down now. Day 7 was in the books.
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