Meet Esteban, a carefree, 21 year old bachelor by day and bullfighter by night.
Since the night of his father's death, Esteban has made it his personal mission to kill every single bull in Espana, no matter what stood in his way.
But what happens...
"You ready?" Esteban asks, gently grabbing my hand. I nodded warmly and leaned into his arms. I was trying to mask the pain knowing my abuela wanted nothing to do with me and Esteban could see right through it. He helped me out of his black car and lifted my suitcases from the trunk.
"Right Anais?" The hard slam of the door snapped me from my thoughts of the night before.
"Hmm?" I frowned , staring into his eyes. He sighed and nodded, gently taking my hand to kiss it. "Don't drift to fat into your thoughts. That's when the worst ideas form" he warned me, pulling me to follow him. I squint up to observe the tall building and smiled. Sidewalks of gray stone and bricks weaves through the intricately placed apartments. The clattering of plates and cutlery echoed through the quiet air as we we passed by a small and quaint restaurant. A mix of old and young people strolled along the quiet pathway.
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"It's beautiful" I smiled and looked up to him. He nodded in agreement and continued to lead me to his apartment.
"Esteban! Buenos dias!" an older lady waved. (Good morning)
"Buenos Dias Mrs. Cruz. Que pasa el familia?" (How is thé family?)
"Little Pablo can't seem to get over the poster you sent him and signed. He's the most popular kid in his 1st grade class. No one believes he is neighbors with El Jefe"
"Ahh" he sighed and laughed. "One day they will have to believe."
She chuckled at his joke and shifted her eyes over to me, carefully taking in my form.
"Holà" she nodded to greet me and continued on with her day.
"A lot of these people...they know that I like my privacy" he explained, trying to explain her lack of interest. I nodded with understanding and leaned into his arm as we continued down the pathway.
Another lady with a empty basket came and waved to him. Behind her was two little children.
"Esteban!!!" they screamed and jumped to play.
"Hola Sonia! HolaTomas? You both have been good for your mother?"
"Yes! Yes!" They nodded warmly. He continued to talk and converse with them so I went to wander off and familiarize myself with the quiet city. I didn't realize how down to earth Esteban was compared to his loud persona. He was a matador in the stadium; adored by the screams of many.
But here?
He was nothing more than a humble saint.
"Anais!" he called and lifted his chin to call me over. I nodded and took my place next to him as we finally arrived at a bumpy doorway.
"Here we are" he sighed and flipped through his keys. He finally found the one to open the door and led me inside. Up the stairs we walked until we reached the highest floor of the building.
