Boy learned about being cut out of a relationship for the first time when he was in the 11th grade. Until then, his friends were mostly cousins, male and female. The affinity that bound them was innate— blood, not social.
Then something happened the summer before his junior year in high school. Maybe it was the fact that for the first time in his life he didn’t spend the summer in Los Montoyas. Or maybe it was his first brush with boys and girls from across town. Whatever it was, it led Boy to befriend a girl from across town. The girl called Boy first.
“This is Melissa, Cindy’s friend. She tell you about me? She told me about you. What are you doing?” the girl called asked out of the blue.
Boy was surprised, but he stayed in the conversation.
“Nothing, just fixing the loose steering wheel on my uncle’s car. Cindy didn’t say soca to me,” he responded.
At first, Melissa would call only once a week. But soon she and Boy were calling each other every other day.
“I’m going to the church fair. Come by. Cindy’ll be there,” she told Boy the Friday before Ash Wednesday.
“Órale. I’ll meet you there,” Boy said.
“Great! You can meet my friends,” she said.
That Sunday, Boy went to the church fairgrounds. But he didn’t know soca what Melissa looked like and wasn’t sure what he’d do or say once he met her.
Toward the end of the evening, he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around and saw it was a girl he didn’t recognize. She was alone.
“Hi,” the girl said.
“Melissa?” Boy said and smiled and stuck out his hand to greet her.
The girl nodded then looked long and hard at his outstretched hand.
“Hmmm,” she said but didn’t take Boy’s hand.
“What’re you doing?” Boy asked not knowing what else to say.
“Here with my friends,” she said pointing to a small group of boys and girls.
One of the boys in the group made eye contact with them and walked over.
“You get lost?” the young man asked.
“No just saying hi to one of Cindy’s friends,” the girl said.
The young man didn’t even acknowledge Boy’s presence.
“I don’t think Cindy’s here. We’re talking about cutting out,” the young man said.
Melissa looked over at Boy silently.
“You coming?” the young man insisted as if Boy wasn’t even there.
Boy didn’t say anything. He didn’t know what to make of the whole affair, including Melissa’s calls and invitation to meet that evening.
He didn’t hear soca from her again.
