Smiles are Key

Highlights of a night perfumed with dizzy auras and melody. Four wednesdays straight three friends and sometimes four ease into the round table with the little napkin inked "Reserved;" the drinks clink and one by one we are asked. While I dance with the little man who knows how to move like no other, I can't help but notice the guy with the hazy eyes. He was my challenge, the one I eyed come to be known as 'the keyboard player'. Four weeks of mascaraed eyelashes, red-handed glances, and embarrassed smiles frustrated me. The tunes and turns continued and the band started removing their equipment. Saddened and edging towards the door, Ginesa carried her rose and jumble of numbers while I brought my headache. Coffee-colored and with his laid-back presence, he walked amid the figures dotting the patio. My green and his sleepy eyes magnetized and acknowledgment fell off his lips. He's no longer the keyboard player; he's Dominican and his name is Joel.