Thirteen Senses (14 page)

Salvador quit kicking the dog and started laughing, too. Instantly, the dog was smiling once again.

“Just look at that little
cabrón
bastard!” said Salvador, laughing. “He's actually proud as hell that he knocked us down!”

“Yes, he is,” said Lupe, “and the way he bit you when you tried to kick him, he looks like a real little—” she stopped her words.

“Go on, what were you gonna say?” said Salvador.

“Oh, nothing,” said Lupe, blushing as she lay there on the ground next to Salvador, petting the two cats and the dog.

One cat was a mousy-brown color, and the other had three different colors, and so, of course, this last one had to be a female cat. For a male cat to have three colors was as rare as a four-leaf clover.

“Come on,” said Salvador, “what were you going to say?”

Lupe blushed all red again. “I was going to say—” But she couldn't say the word, for she'd never used any swear words in her life.

“Come on, Lupe,” said Salvador, taking her chin in his hand and gently raising up her face so they could see each other eye-to-eye, “what were you gonna say? Remember, you're a married woman now, you can say and do whatever you want.”

“I can?”

“Sure, you are an adult now, a responsible person, ready to start your own home. So tell me, what were you going to say?”

“
Chingon
!” she said quickly, never having said this word before. “I was going to say that the little dog looks like a real
chingon
!”

The laughter, the
carcajadas
that erupted from Salvador's body was so huge, that it startled the two cats and dog—who'd obviously all been raised together the way they treated each other so well—and Lupe hit Salvador in the stomach to stop him from laughing at her, but then she was laughing, too. Oh, it had felt so good to say that forbidden word.

“So that's what we'll call him from now on,” said Salvador, “
el Chingon,
our great protector!”

Salvador and Lupe couldn't stop laughing. Then they drew close, held, looking at each other with so much feeling, and began kissing and kissing, here on the ground outside of their honeymoon cottage. Lupe didn't mean to—but oh, my God, she bit Salvador on the neck so hard that he screamed out in pain!

“You bit me!” he yelped. “First the damn dog, and now you!”

“Oh,” she said, “I'm sorry! I don't know what got into me, but, well, I think you better feed me, Salvador . . . real quick!”

Seeing her eyes, he didn't laugh. Oh, there was a look of hunger in Lupe's eyes that would've terrified most men. Salvador rubbed the place where she had bit him, then got to his feet and went to get the groceries.

Petting the two cats and the little dog, Lupe then got to her feet, too. She hated to admit it, but a large part of her had really liked biting Salvador. It had made her feel like, well, a really
chingona
!

She winked at the little dog, and he smiled at Lupe, then Lupe followed Salvador inside.

The house was all dark. Salvador lit a match, searching for the light switch, but couldn't find it. The house was quiet and spooky-feeling, especially every time they moved and the floor screeched. Lupe's whole mood quickly changed. They could each hear the other's breathing. Finally, Salvador found the light switch and turned on the lights.

Lupe glanced around and the first thing that came to her mind was how truly large the rooms were. She'd never been in such a large, spacious home. It made her parents' house look like a little shack, and her sister Sophia's house look like nothing but a migrant tent.

“Well, how do you like it?” asked Salvador, proudly.

“It's really big,” she said.

“Yes, I thought you'd like it,” he said, “and it has indoor plumbing, too, not just electricity. Come, let me show you the bathroom and the kitchen.”

Lupe followed Salvador. The other light switches weren't as difficult to find.

“Like you said, Lupe,” Salvador continued speaking as they went into the kitchen, then the bathroom, “a place away from both our families, so we can get to know each other without interference.”

He loved taking Lupe from room to room. Most of the furniture that they'd picked out together had already arrived and she was in awe as she saw the different rooms with all their furnishings.

“You know,” said Salvador, “my mother was very impressed when I told her that one of your first requests was that we live alone, without either one of our families close by for the first year. She told me, that for you being so close to your family, and yet to have the wisdom to want us to be alone is remarkable—but what are you doing?” he asked, interrupting himself. “Does the house smell bad or something?”

“No, not really,” said Lupe. She was sniffing at the room. They were now in the little bathroom. “It's just, well, strong,” she said, lying, because the truth was that the whole house smelled awful.

“The owners, Hans and Helen, you know, they're German,” said Salvador. “And they were cleaning.”

“Well, it's spotless,” she said, “I'll say that for them. But it smells so strong of soap that—could we open the windows while I start dinner? Tomorrow, I'll bring in some flowers from the garden to give fragrance to the house.”

“Yeah, sure,” said Salvador, shoving the bottom half of the two windows upward. “But couldn't we eat afterward?”

“After what?” said Lupe, slipping off her coat as they went back into the kitchen. But, then, she turned and saw Salvador's face and she realized what he meant. “Oh, that,” she said, turning a dozen different shades of red as she put her coat over the back of one of the kitchen chairs. “No,” she said very strongly, “I have to feed you first.”

“You have to feed me first,” he repeated. “What am I, a horse?”

“Well, no, of course not,” she said. “But you see, my sister Maria, well, she explained to me that—” Lupe stopped her words, turning an even deeper shade of red. She couldn't tell him what her sister had explained to her. She glanced down at the polished hardwood floor, avoiding her husband's eyes.

Once more, Salvador became very intrigued. “Just what exactly is it that Maria told you?” he asked, coming closer to her with a twinkle in his eyes.

“No,” said Lupe, pursing her lips together and keeping her head down. “I can't tell you.”

“But why not?” he asked, truly enjoying her predicament.

“Because,” she said, glancing up, ready to tell him the truth. But then she saw that his eyes were dancing. He was making fun of her. “No!” she now said angrily. “I won't tell you now! You get out of my way, while I start cooking, and that's that!”

He heard her tone of voice, saw her stance, and he could still feel where she'd bit him, so he backed off. His bride could be a tiger. He started laughing.

“Don't you dare laugh at me!” she snapped. “I might not know much about marriage yet, but I've seen what happens to male pigs during the mating season!”

The howl, the scream of laughter that came ripping out of Salvador's body was so great, that even the dog,
Chingon,
outside began to bark once more.

“Oh, oh, oh, oh!” screamed Salvador. “So that's why we had to get groceries, so you could feed me first! So I don't waste away to skin and bones like a male pig in rut!”

Lupe's cheeks now flushed so red that her face burned of fire. “Well, it's true,” she said. “Even Sophia told me the same thing; not just Maria! ‘Women have to be careful to not wear out their husbands on their honeymoons, or they get so weak that they can't go to work!' “

Hearing this one, Salvador fell down on the floor, laughing, kicking, and banging his fists—howling! Outside
Chingon
ran around the house, barking wildly and then the other dogs of the neighborhood began barking, too. Finally Lupe couldn't help it, and she lost her anger and was laughing, too.

Sobering up, Salvador lay there on the floor looking at Lupe's long, strong, well-shaped legs as she stood here leaning back against the stove, wiping the tears from her eyes from laughing so hard.

Lupe looked at Salvador's eyes. She saw how his eyes were devouring her, eating her up leg by leg, thigh by thigh, breast by breast; oh, my God, Almighty, why, he was as hungry for her as she was for him!

It was really frightening, because if his hunger was anything like the hunger that she, herself, was feeling when she looked at him—then, oh, my God, her sister Maria's stories were absolutely true . . . and newlyweds had, indeed, been found dead, because they'd consumed each other to death!

He, Salvador, was now slowly getting to his feet, saying, “Lupe,” as he now came closer to her, “I'm strong,
querida.
Believe me, you don't have to worry about me dying for at least—” he grinned, “—three days.”

Saying this, he came to her, pressing his body against her body as she'd leaned back on the stove, and his open mouth was on her mouth, and they were kissing, mouthing! And she could feel his rock-hard, molten-fire growing and growing, pressing up against her, getting huge! Then he was picking her up in his powerful arms, and they hurried down the hallway, where he kicked open their bedroom door with a bang!

And on the sheets, that Lupe's sister Sophia had embroidered for her with pink roses and green leaves and vines, Salvador lay her down across the length of the wide bed. His breathing changed, becoming long, and hot, and very heavy.

Lupe could now truly understand that the Almighty had, indeed, made men of rock and molten fire, for Salvador was just burning on top of her, kneeling over her body. His eyes alone were burning hot coals; a fire just wanting to consume her!

Then he was kissing her softly, gently, slowly, on the mouth, the cheeks, the neck, and she now also knew why God had made woman from the flower and the tree. For she could feel her whole body now opening up to Salvador
como una flor a la lumbre del Sol,
like a flower to his fire of the Sun, as she arched her back to him, wanting him all deep inside of her as quickly as she could!

He was her Sun!

She was his Moon!

He was her Day!

She was his Night!

And the Almighty Holy Creator was now here with them both, equally, guiding them, helping them, into a Creation of their very own
Paraiso
!

Time disappeared. And this Miracle of the Union between a Man and a Woman began.

Yes, something had, indeed, happened since they'd left Santa Ana.

All their Senses had begun changing, changing, growing, expanding from the moment that Salvador and Lupe had decided to get married and to leave their parents' homes; two people, two hearts, two souls, preparing to enter into their own Kingdom
con Papito
!

Adam and Eve all over again!

Lupe now felt the roughness of his shaved face as she pulled Salvador down to herself, smelling him as she put her arms about his neck, feeling his wide, thick body pushing down on her.

Lupe thought of taking off her royal blue dress before it got wrinkled, but decided against it and she listened to the dogs barking outside—much like the dogs that had always barked outside their lean-to back home in
la Lluvia de Oro
in Mexico. She now ran her fingers through Salvador's thick mane of curly-black hair as she arched her back up to him, and he . . . and he continued kissing her in quick, little nibble-like kisses.

Her skin was beginning to glow, to sweat, as he continued kissing, nibbling, whispering tender words of endearment.

Then suddenly her skin was alive and beginning to sing! To tingle in hot, little-quick-rushes all over her face and neck and shoulders, then travel down, down between her shoulder blades, the length of her whole body!

No one had ever told her about this!

Oh, this was wondrous!

She began to open her mouth wide just to breathe, and pull his face down to hers so she could mouth him, bite him, eat him all up! Miracle of miracles, the rushes continued, and Lupe got so hot that she had to push him away so she could breathe.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said between gasps for air. “I'm all right. I'm just, well, hot.”

And she was, indeed, so hot that she now had to pull back her long, dark hair before she could continue kissing again.

“Okay,” she said, having caught her breath and reaching out for him again. And here they were again, kissing and mouthing and breathing together, and it was like their two separate bodies were now becoming one.

As if they were now becoming one huge mass of feeling, one huge body of wonderment, of delicious, marvelous . . . oh, oh, oh, and these strange feelings were building, building up inside her, feelings she'd never known before in all her years of yearning, dreaming, and wanting!

Then, suddenly, she was on FIRE!

AFLAME!

She could feel his hard stone of molten lava pulsating up against her through her dress, and she felt a sudden, hot—hurting sensation begin at the base of her skull, slowly at first. Very slowly. Then faster and faster . . . as it all came shooting down her spinal column ... in a volcano of exploding fire!

She heard a SCREAM!

From whom this scream had come, she had no idea, 'til she realized that she was the one who was gasping to catch her breath. She screamed again!

She could now feel her body BURSTING OPEN, and she was now all wet at the center of her being!

She began to go wild with fear, thinking that she was going to get sick again and have to rush to the bathroom. But she didn't. No, she could feel that this time, different than last time, she'd actually become more alive than she'd ever been before in all of her life!

She'd burst through into a whole new world of feeling!

Now she was ready to the root of her being to burst open and take this man deep inside of her, to levels of feelings she'd never felt before!