Cholo

(30) Treinta, Part Two

She rolled back her shoulders in an attempt to relieve her aching pain and almost tore off her shoes to massage the throbbing heels of her feet, but of course, the environment she's in is not suitable for such barbaric acts. So, she scrunched up an unusable piece of paper into a ball. With her eyelids squinting, she hurled the ball of paper at a waste bin. Unfortunately, it hit the edge of the waste bin and fell idle by some pen caps. Maria groaned in frustration; her shoulders slumping. A man in a green cap interrupted her childish antics of defeating boredom. He mumbled a patent's name to Maria, who didn't even bother memorizing the name. Through the clatter of keyboard letters being stabbed and the drowning of voices, her voice rose as she gave a room number and quick directions.

"Room 503. The fifth floor, take a left then a right and you'll find an elevator."

At some point, the man must've taken off his green cap and now held it closet his chest as he gave a sincere thank you. Mia found herself staring after his retreating figure; a sense of familiarity washed over her. She could feel the tears prickling her eyes. With a quick nose twitch that could land her a role in Bewitched, the brunette nurse heaved a sigh as she made her way towards the discarded ball of paper before returning to her assigned seat. Of course, she flopped herself onto the chair rather than sit down elegantly.

Her nails tapped the desk, much to the annoyance of her colleague.

Maria's eyes darted back at the ER's door and she couldn't help but long for what lies behind the door. Her musing was thankfully stopped by the vibration emitted from her left pocket. While fishing for the phone, she gave a quick scan for any heads hovering about before grabbing the phone and smacking into her ears.

"Want to ditch work?" Four words. Fifteen syllabi. And she was rushing out of the door with a quick lie to her colleague of: "The baby's not doing fine."

Her elder colleague gave a knowing smile.

-     C    H    O    L     O     -

Just when the sun began to set and the birds rushed back home, Oscar was leaning against his car with his signature brooding expression itched onto his face. Maria couldn't help the smile that came naturally whenever she caught sight of him. The smile grew when his features softened and his eyes twinkled at the sight of her. She squealed and flung herself onto him. His chest rumbled as he held her closer.

For a moment, both, man and woman were utterly happy; father issues, gang trouble, and parenthood - forgotten. She glanced up through her thick lashes and did what she always did, poke his dimple.

Oscar smiled. He wondered how one person can actually brighten his day without talking, or how she actually loves a man like him. His smile flattered, and to his dismay, Maria noticed. But knowing him, she knew that he wouldn't like talking about it in such a public place. She bit her bottom lip, untangled herself from his warm embrace. With a slight tilt of her head and bright eyes, she suggested: "wanna go for a ride?"

His lips quirked up at her horrible imitation of him.

"¿Que Pasa? [what's up?]" María gave a slight swagger with her chest puffed out. "Whatcha lookin' at homie?"

Óscar shook his head at how ridiculous she looked. He chuckled, lightly, and slowly closed the gap between them. His arms circled around her waist, pulling her closer until his breath warmed her cheeks and his lips touched hers. It was a light peck on the lips before he murmured into her ears. "Nothing, homie. I just want to ride." He thrust his torso forward.