Marinera Norteña 2
Once on the dressing rooms, she took off her beautiful dress and, carefully, put it on the bag. She washed her face and combed her hair. Put on a white t-shirt and capri jeans. Took a look at her tennis shoes...nah! Her feet were too sore for them. She put them in the bag too, waved good bye to Carlos, her dance partner and headed towards the entrance. She had just made up her mind: she would go home barefoot.
The gravel of the pathway hurt her sore soles, but she didn't care. She walked the two blocks to the bus stop. The pavement was searing hot, it hurt, but she was lost in her thoughts. She had an exam on Monday and had to study for it. People stared at this pretty girl who walked barefoot in the street, but said nothing.
Her bus had arrived and she climbed on it. No empty seats left. Bad luck! She had to remain stood up all the way home, taking special care for her bare feet not to be stomped on. The bus was so crowded that no-one noticed her feet were naked. Better that way, she was not in the mood to give explanations or listen to dumb comments.
Once off the bus, she walked a couple blocks more home. There was no-one there. She just went to her room, left the sport bag on the floor, took her nice dress out and hung it in the closet, and then fell down to the bed, face laying down and feet hanging down the edge. She was exhausted! The dance plus the hour in the bus and the walking had drained all her energies out. She would sleep a short while, take a shower later and start studying.
A pair of hands woke her up. It was dark, she had slept more than she wanted too.
-It was hot today, wasn't it?
It was Jorge, her husband. He was caressing her feet, as he liked to do. Even though all the dirt, he could notice her soles were hurt, sore, burnt.
-Yes, pretty hot
-But you just kept dancing, you always do. And your feet tell me there was no stage...what was it this time, gravel? Broken glass?
-Come on! Just coarse concrete...
-Ah, my love, you will never learn...
-I had to dance, you know...
-Yes, I know...and I know how much you love it
-Yes. But I love you more! She said with a smile, as he kept caressing and massaging her sore feet. Just like that...There!..Thank you! She added, once he had pressed a specially sore point. His foot massages were relaxing, she loved them.
-Don't you mind hurting your feet like that?
He had asked that same question hundreds of times before
-Not at all, as far as I keep dancing! It's just feet, you know, and they are tough. And I am tough too.
Yes, she was tough. And beautiful. And he loved her.
-Come on get a shower, we'll eat something then and you must study, don't you?
-OK my love!
She kissed him and went to the shower. There was another dance tomorrow, at noon too... She wouldn't bother wearing shoes this time, she would leave them home and go barefoot all the way to the place. That way it would be more challenging... and she would enjoy it better that way.