Part 4

That month of November went by so fast. I can’t really remember everything that happened. But I’ll try to remember as much as possible. I remember we going to a party at Gaby’s Aunt’s house one night. We got there somewhat early and met the rest of her family. Her little cousin Dan. Little Dan. Boy he talked a lot. He never shut up! And how loud he spoke! He constantly talked about his big brother Dan. Yes, they are both named Dan. Don't ask me, I didn't understand it either. Big Dan was in Mexico City at the time. I remember Gaby would just roll her eyes when he spoke. The family mostly only spoke Spanish, and that posed a little bit of a problem because I didn’t speak much Spanish. We were in the back yard, sitting around the pic nic table and talking. It always seemed like Gaby was right by my side. We weren’t even together, but she still always seemed right next to me. I liked that about her. She wasn’t really the flirty type (that I saw). She would be quiet most of the time, but around me she was herself. I like that she was comfortable around me, it made me like I was something special. Even at that party, some other guys had been invited and of course they wanted to talk to Gaby and get to know her and all that. But she never seemed like she was interested in them. She always seemed to be next to me, and when she wasn’t it didn’t bother me. She made me feel really confident, even at times when I didn’t think I was. That night the party went on, me and her danced a song or two. It was Spanish, so as you can imagine I was just trying to hold on for dear life. She danced ok too, but neither of us were experts. I guess that helped, it seemed like we were learning together. Over time now, I’ve thought more about her, and thought about how I acted around her and how she reacted to me. It wasn’t a bad thing. I enjoyed her company and I think she was really starting to enjoy mine. The group hung out and joked around with the family, I even kind of got the vibe that they could tell that I liked her. It was a good vibe and a bad vibe. To me it’s a good thing when the family looks at you as the guy who likes one of their own. But then it was bad too, because when you do that, it almost like your out in the open. If they were to never know, then I wouldn’t mean anything to them. I would just be another guy at the party. But because I was always next to Gaby, it seemed like I was wearing a target. And I got a few glances and looks from family members that I didn’t quite understand. I thought it ridiculous, why would they get mad with me? Who am I? Gaby had never even admitted to liking me or even thinking of me as more of a friend? Did they know something I didn’t know? That kind of excited and scared me. If only I knew then what I know now. How different I would have done things.

We hung out some more, we saw each other every week or so. We had even talked on the phone some. I knew something had to give. And it did, in a very big way. Things between me and Gaby were going great, we were closer then ever. I was almost thinking that we were like a couple. I hadn’t heard it from her though. I was excited because I had taken off a day from work and me and my brother were going to take the girls (just Gaby and her cousin) to the Botanical Gardens one Wednesday. I woke up early that day, got the oil changed and the car washed and vacuumed. I was ready for the day. We were going to have a Turkey dinner that night too, and it was my job to clean the house also. Of course I only cleaned it about half way, so I was running a little behind. We got to their aunt’s house and they came out after a while and off we went to the Botanical Gardens. We got there , started walking around, and after a while it started to rain. We had seen most of the gardens so we decided to leave and go somewhere to eat and maybe chill out. My brother suggested The Fox and the Hound. It was a sports bar which had food and pool tables, and tv’s. It was still early afternoon so you didn’t have to be 21 to get in. I drove in the rain across town to the place and we went inside. I ordered a hamburger cause I was hungry (like I said, I was fat back then) and a soda and was eating as we shot pool. The teams? What do you think? Gaby and I vs my brother and her cousin. I don’t remember if we won or not, but I remember flirting the entire time. We stayed there for a while before we headed back to our house. I had to clean don’t forget. The girls stayed with us at the house, and helped clean. My brother pretty much refused to clean, and went into his room. I think he was talking on the phone with his girlfriend the entire time. Gaby’s cousin did the dishes and then got on the computer to write her boyfriend a letter. (which ended up being a novel). So that left Gaby and I there by ourselves to clean most of the other part of the house. I vacuumed and she dusted and we talked about a lot of things. We started talking about relationships and how mine all seemed to go bad. We talked about many subjects, music, things we enjoy doing, places we’ve been. I really liked our conversations with each other. The way we got into it remains a blur now, but I remember her asking if I liked any girls. I told her I liked one, but wasn’t sure if the girl liked me back. I said that I thought the girl was out of my league. I told her I really did like the girl but I wasn’t sure if she liked me back. But I would really wish if she did. I kept on trying to give hints, but I couldn’t tell if she was understanding me. So I said, “I don’t think she likes me, because she’s up here (gesturing with my hand) and I’m down here.” I looked her in the eyes and asked if she understood what I was saying. She said yes. And that’s all she said. I continued to vacuum as she walked around the corner of the kitchen wall. I bent down to turn off the vacuum, and as soon as I stood back up, she was there. She hugged me. Instantly she grabbed me and gave me a close hug. I was caught off guard and didn’t know what to do, so I tried to hug back as much as possible. She said the words as we hugged “you know I like you.” I was stunned. My mouth was dry, I couldn’t speak. It finally happened. The impossible. The girl that I wanted, wanted me. I was ecstatic, shocked, scared and elated all at the same time. It was a great feeling, one I would love to feel again. For that moment, everything was going my way, I was on cloud 9 for the first time in years. That night I was so happy. The dinner was delicious, and my cousin Tanya brought Sangria’s so we drank some too. It was a great end to a great day. I had finally made the progress I had wanted. I liked Gaby, and yes, she liked me back. The world was a beautiful place.