What If

15. Bottoms Up

Tuesday July 13th
3 Days Later

The drive to Tijuana was a long one. Just like the drive to New Orleans, it gave us a chance to stop at a few places along the way to do some sightseeing. The first stop we made was San Antonio, Texas. It took about ten hours to get there from New Orleans. That's including a couple bathroom and food breaks. But Lydia was a champ and drove the whole way. That was my teasing punishment for her little remark about all the stuff I bought for her and, unfortunately, returned to keep my word.

Once we got to San Antonio, we immediately checked into the hotel and both crashed in our separate rooms. We spent most of Sunday driving around as we visited the Alamo and the San Antonio Zoo, which Lydia really enjoyed. Then we left after having dinner at the San Antonio Riverwalk.

The eight-hour drive to El Paso, TX was a bitch, unfortunately. Since we left San Antonio around 5pm, we didn't end up getting there until almost 4am. I drove the whole way while Lydia slept soundly in the passenger seat. The following morning, per Lydia's request, we went to the El Paso Museum of Art and the Holocaust Museum. Ever since she told me her dream was to be a painter, she seemed to be opening up more about that. As we walked through the museum, she pointed to different paintings and told me their history. I had to admit, I was extremely impressed.

When we left El Paso, we drove 5 hours to Tucson, Arizona where we arrived just in time to check into a hotel and get a good night's sleep. The following morning it was my turn to convince her to go with me to see the Cactus Garden and the Old West Exhibit. Let's just say, Lydia was not a fan of the desert. After a couple hours, we made the final seven-hour drive to Tijuana. I was surprised when Lydia told me she did have a passport. One less thing we had to worry about when we crossed the border.

Which brings us to our current predicament as we were standing at the check-in counter of Hotel Lucerna.

"I'm sorry, sir. It's a busy time for us so we only have one room available tonight," the concierge said to me with a regretful expression.

I let out a long breath and looked over to Lydia who was standing next to me. "What do you think? Do you want to go somewhere else?"

"It's fine. I mean we're here already."

I'm surprised she agreed to it, but if she was cool with it, I was cool with it. "Alright. One room, please."

I can be cool with this, I thought. Yeah, good luck with that, my inner voice contradicted.

8:56pm Tuesday July 13th
Menealo Night Club, Tijuana

"I want another shot!" Lydia yelled to the bartender over the loud music of the club.

I was surprised when she said she wanted to come here. I didn't mind and when I asked her, she said she wanted to let loose tonight. With Lydia, I had no idea what that meant. But right now, she was five shots deep, and seemed to be having a blast.

I, on the other hand, decided to remain sober tonight. After what happened in New Orleans, I was a little hesitant to be drinking. Besides, if Lydia wanted to get drunk tonight, it was probably smart for me not to. Not only did one of us need to drive, but the idea of having both of our inhibitions lowered was not good.

So, here I was, sitting on a bar stool eating peanuts and pretzels as I watched her throwback another shot, and I couldn't hide the smile on my face as she closed her eyes tight from the strong taste of the liquor as it went down her throat.

She put the shot glass back on the bar before looking from the dance floor to me. "Wanna dance?"

I did, actually. But not quite yet. Leaning up to her ear I said, "How about you go dance and I'll join you in a little bit."