Los Dos Amantes

English

On a chilly night in December 2001, a small city called Reynosa sits on the border of Mexico. A young man and a young woman had decided to go to a dance. They didn't go together. Why would they? They didn't know each other, but love works in mysterious ways.

The young man, Juan, a simple man who was studying to be a lawyer in Mexico and who dreamed of owning a ranch with his own little plot of land, had come with one of his older brothers. They talked, they danced, and they drank.

The young woman, Norma, a woman who dreamed of marrying rich and living a luxurious life, had come with her sister and a friend. They talked, they danced, and they watched others in the crowd.

Everyone was having a great time.

Then suddenly, everything went dark.

The power had gone out.

Everyone waited for a while but things didn't change. The boys decided to leave, but right when they started to walk away, the lights turned back on. Norma was also heading outside when she saw a young man who had just turned away from the exit.

And almost like fate, their eyes met.

It was a weird and thrilling feeling the two felt. Almost as if they were connected. As if everyday that they had lived had led them to that moment.

Juan gestured his head wordlessly over to the dance floor and Norma walked over and took his hand. They headed to the dance floor and danced for hours and hours, all night long.

They had both left with the memory of each other and nothing else. Coincidentally, they had both decided to go back again the same day next week. They had hoped to see each other again but didn't plan it. Maybe it wasn't a coincidence, it was fate. There they were, together again, on the dance floor.

They kept in contact. They would call each other at night, go on a few dates, and have dinner with their families. It had seemed as if they had found their true love. Only months had passed when the two had decided to get married.

Were they fools?

Maybe.

Were they in love?

Without a doubt.

But just as fast as they had fallen in love, they fell out of it. Their love fell apart like the burnt building they met in.

The love they felt when their eyes met that night, the love that people search an eternity for, was no longer there and was replaced with regret and longing for something else. Mostly money.

On a chilly night in December 2018, A small city called McAllen, was now the place Juan and Norma called home. They lived in a small house with a broken bathroom, 2 rooms that flood, and a leaky ceiling when it rains, and not to mention way too many cracks on the floor, for 10 years.

The "lovers" had two daughters. A brilliant 15 year old daughter that excelled in school and an 11 year old daughter with a creative mind.

Juan and Norma loved their daughters but didn't realize that they hurt them. Not a day went by without Juan and Norma fighting, and at that point it just came naturally. It could've been about money, food, clothes, the house, and even their loyalty. They often argued about the bills they had to pay and the house that was falling apart.

One day, late at night, when the two kids were asleep, they were fighting like always. But something was... different. They both said what they never wanted to say out loud. What had been boiling in their blood from the moment they said 'I do'.