Eeeee, úcale
Boy and his childhood sweetheart, Meche, finally arrived at Boy’s cousin’s house in El Chuco, where they were gonna spend the night after the Liddy Joe dance— their reason for traveling to El Chuco. They got there later than expected because Boy took a detour while Meche was asleep in the car. They had planned to spend most of the day walking around downtown, but their late arrival had foreclosed that part of the plan. As it was now mid-afternoon, there was no time for anything except to make small talk with their host, Boy’s empty-nester cousin. But la prima seemed to be up for it.
“So you just get to El Chuco or did you go somewhere else here?” Boy’s cousin asked.
“We just got off the road,” Boy said.
Meche didn’t say anything, only smiled.
“So, Meche, I remember you from school. Also because Boy talked about you at family gatherings,” the cousin said.
“Oh, sí?” Meche said, giving Boy a side glance.
Boy didn’t say anything.
“Siról, he talked and talked about you. That Meche said something witty. That she…,” the cousin began to say but was interruped.
“Simón, long time ago. We were children. All of us,” Boy interrupted.
His cousin got the point.
“Had I known you were talking about me…,” Meche told Boy.
The cousin stayed quiet but smiled widely, as if holding back something big.
Boy looked as if he wanted to say something. But nothing came out.
“Qué onda?” Meche asked Boy’s cousin, who looked at her then at Boy.
“He was just a little boy, maybe in the fourth grade,” tell her, Boy.
“It’s sweet. Nothing bad.”
“What?” Meche asked Boy.
“What?” she said turning to the cousin.
“That someday he was going to marry you,” the cousin said in a gentle, reassuring tone.
“My sisters and I were older than him, and we told him to go ahead and ask you.”
Meche beamed a big smile.
“Why didn’t you ask me? Anything? Ever?” she said to Boy in a loud voice.
“Pos that’s why I came back to the Southside,” Boy said.
The cousin looked back at Meche.
“Should’ve never left,” Meche said.
“I know that, now,” said Boy.
Meche and Boy looked at each other a long time. Eventually, the cousin spoke.
“Well, wanna see the bedroom?” the cousin asked.
“Simón,” said Boy.
“Here it is. My two daughters’ room,” the cousin said.
Boy and Meche stepped inside. The bedroom was big, and it had a private bathroom. And two small beds.
“I’ll let you move in,” the cousin said and left.
Meche and Boy looked around. Their eyes stopped at the small beds.
After a long pause, Meche spoke up.
“Úcale,” she said.
“Úuuuucale,” Boy responded.
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