The Last of Cherie
Guillermo dances with his previous girlfriend one last time. The love and hate unravels in their Argentine Tango as his friend watch them in the corner unseen by both of them.
There was a different dance theme at the Pasión Derramada and Tuesday is the night of the Argentine Tango. This is a place to sip on a wide selection of Rioja, Merlot, Chianti, Chardonnay, Muscat, Madeira, Port and import beers while indulging the tapas made by Chef Ramon Francisco Carlos Devante. He pours his heart out into every dish he creates in the stuffy kitchen with his sous chef and apprentice. How he lives to create the little masterpieces that brings joy to the taste buds of the patrons who crave for more. For some, it is a place of sinful addictions and for others it is a place to enjoy the pleasures that life has to offer. The romance starts here as often as it ends on the last note of the song that moves the soul.
Guillermo had been sitting at the bar for the past hour sipping his Cabernet Sauvignon while nibbling on an assortment of cheeses. He favors the Le Moulis more than the aged Gouda despite the perfect balance of sweet and saltiness in a deep caramel color and flaky goodness. Maybe perhaps he is not favoring the cheese bursting with flavors to make his taste buds dance without inhibition due to his mood. Maybe it was the low lighting of the room except for the dance floor had set the tone. It was not completely dark as some places would be, but a fair amount to see the color of the drink and food with the bright spotlights at the four corners of the dance floor.
The past few days has been rough for him and his girlfriend who had been together for one month shy of a year. Every few months, they end up in arguments that leaves them in tears for days. This time around, Guillermo could not help to think of his previous relationship with Cherie. He compares her with Sophia and noticed there was not much difference between the two except that Sophia puts up with his bad habits and temper. Cherie did not make excuses for her mistakes and always tries to stay one step ahead to prevent her from falling. Sophia on the other hand is a bundle of nerves when anything is out-of-order and clings on to him in fear of loss. She gives into his faults and does not realize she adds more wood to the burning fire. He has always been quick to point the finger at the girlfriends time and time again.
As a friend who keeps some distance, but usually offers advice when he shares his, up and down moments in life, I can understand his pain. I sit in the back corner of the room noticing him wondering when he would draw the line on his toxic habits. There is a lack of compromise on his part which makes any relation uneven from the start. He is not a bad guy. It is the bad habits he gives into more often than he should. Sadly, he drags the woman into his pool of despair to soak with him. I can see he is constantly fighting with himself. Angry at his mistakes and loss, but at the same time feel that he has a right to be a certain way. Sometimes I think he is better off living alone till he organizes his life before he meets another unsuspecting woman. Then at times I think he needs someone who can help him every step of the way if he is willing to compromise. He had someone who did help for a while, but his temper got the best of him. I do not blame Cherie for leaving him to one of his many temper tantrums.
After having his third glass of wine, he then turned around to look at the room. To one side where the table met the dance floor was Cherie with her friend Linda. They had been there for the past 20 minutes laughing and enjoying a bottle of Beaujolais oblivious to his existence. He did not know what to think. Part of him wanted to walk up to her and say hello while another part of him thinks he should leave her alone in high spirit. There was this shame in him that made him want to leave, but there was also this guilt he had inside that he wanted to tell her how sorry he was for mistreating her.
He contemplated for a bit thinking what is the worst that can happen if she does not want to dance with him? If she does not want to dance then he can leave. If she does want to dance then there may be a chance for him to say he is sorry for what he has done. Maybe it was the wine getting the best of him. Maybe it was the music that made him want to dance. Somewhere, between his fourth glass of wine and last nibble of cheese, he built up the nerve to walk over and asked her to dance with him. He asked politely and she turned her head. For some reason, he would not accept the no. He then held her hand to lightly pull her to the dance floor. She turned her head away from him. He got closer to her and said, "Please dance with me." She tried to push him away, but he came back holding her hand again trying to lead her to the dance floor. She gave in hoping this will be the last dance with him.
There had been quite a few dances in the past when they were together. The many times they were snuggled together holding hands and giggling the night away. He bought her flowers on the days he felt good. Every time she was sad or upset, he would hug her and make her feel better by drawing comical sketches of her situation with a twist. Guillermo is a thoughtful guy until he is upset and then all the consideration goes out the door. For Cherie, it was too much to deal with not knowing when he would be level-headed or off-kilter. At the end, he could not blame her for wanting someone more stable and promising that could give her all that she deserves.
It was clear that Cherie did feel some sadness towards Guillermo on the dance floor. You can see their love and hate in every step of the dramatic Argentine Tango. She felt his strong, muscular arms that made her feel safe before and then she breaks away to be out of his hold. He slowly walks towards her with caution and swings her back into motion swaying back and forth. Every beat of the drums was synchronized with his heartbeat. His body full of emotions ready to burst out, but he had to hold back. The eyes of a tiger dead set on her black and brown hair tied back into a pony tail that accented her smooth, round face thinking how much he wanted to glide his hand up and down her cheeks again as he dances forward. She can see his eyes wishing she would stay with him. Her eyes full of fire as she pushes him back to say she does not need the drama any more. He holds her arms straight up as her leg swirls one at a time facing him as if to tease him with her hips.
As his emotions run high, he lifted her up by the waist and spun her around and around. She could not help to remember all the good and bad times they had been through. When he set her down, her hands was on his face as if she was ready to kiss him, but then pushed him away. He then extended his arm out to grab her hand and spin her back to his chest and leans forward to slowly dip her. How much he wanted to kiss those soft, sensual lips. She came back up and then pushed him away again. He gave a small tug to have her spinning back towards him and they held each other in a warm embrace thinking of the love they had that is nothing more than a memory in the distant past. She gave a deep sigh and pushed him away. Then the song ends with her back facing him as she stood there with her head up and eyes closed.
It felt as if time stood still during the dance and before he knew it, she walked straight out the door. He was watching her every step. It was the last time that he would ever see of Cherie. Her friend Linda came around to slap Guillermo and then went running after Cherie. He stood there for a moment feeling foolish and then went back to his seat at the bar to have another glass of wine. The dance went through his mind over and over again. He saw the fire in her eyes, but also the pain he had caused too. Somewhere in between the dance, he was able to say sorry twice. It was clear that sorry was not good enough because he has not changed and did not change his habits when he was with her.
After his last hard swallow, he got up to take a look at the dance floor for a few seconds before leaving. As he slowly walked home, the bright lights on the street made his vision blurry. He kept thinking to himself if life would be different if he would change some habits. Should he do this alone or hold on to someone who is not most ideal for him? He woke up the next day asking me what he should do because he could not bear the thought or sight of someone that would be good for him to walk out on him again.
Guillermo had been sitting at the bar for the past hour sipping his Cabernet Sauvignon while nibbling on an assortment of cheeses. He favors the Le Moulis more than the aged Gouda despite the perfect balance of sweet and saltiness in a deep caramel color and flaky goodness. Maybe perhaps he is not favoring the cheese bursting with flavors to make his taste buds dance without inhibition due to his mood. Maybe it was the low lighting of the room except for the dance floor had set the tone. It was not completely dark as some places would be, but a fair amount to see the color of the drink and food with the bright spotlights at the four corners of the dance floor.
The past few days has been rough for him and his girlfriend who had been together for one month shy of a year. Every few months, they end up in arguments that leaves them in tears for days. This time around, Guillermo could not help to think of his previous relationship with Cherie. He compares her with Sophia and noticed there was not much difference between the two except that Sophia puts up with his bad habits and temper. Cherie did not make excuses for her mistakes and always tries to stay one step ahead to prevent her from falling. Sophia on the other hand is a bundle of nerves when anything is out-of-order and clings on to him in fear of loss. She gives into his faults and does not realize she adds more wood to the burning fire. He has always been quick to point the finger at the girlfriends time and time again.
As a friend who keeps some distance, but usually offers advice when he shares his, up and down moments in life, I can understand his pain. I sit in the back corner of the room noticing him wondering when he would draw the line on his toxic habits. There is a lack of compromise on his part which makes any relation uneven from the start. He is not a bad guy. It is the bad habits he gives into more often than he should. Sadly, he drags the woman into his pool of despair to soak with him. I can see he is constantly fighting with himself. Angry at his mistakes and loss, but at the same time feel that he has a right to be a certain way. Sometimes I think he is better off living alone till he organizes his life before he meets another unsuspecting woman. Then at times I think he needs someone who can help him every step of the way if he is willing to compromise. He had someone who did help for a while, but his temper got the best of him. I do not blame Cherie for leaving him to one of his many temper tantrums.
After having his third glass of wine, he then turned around to look at the room. To one side where the table met the dance floor was Cherie with her friend Linda. They had been there for the past 20 minutes laughing and enjoying a bottle of Beaujolais oblivious to his existence. He did not know what to think. Part of him wanted to walk up to her and say hello while another part of him thinks he should leave her alone in high spirit. There was this shame in him that made him want to leave, but there was also this guilt he had inside that he wanted to tell her how sorry he was for mistreating her.
He contemplated for a bit thinking what is the worst that can happen if she does not want to dance with him? If she does not want to dance then he can leave. If she does want to dance then there may be a chance for him to say he is sorry for what he has done. Maybe it was the wine getting the best of him. Maybe it was the music that made him want to dance. Somewhere, between his fourth glass of wine and last nibble of cheese, he built up the nerve to walk over and asked her to dance with him. He asked politely and she turned her head. For some reason, he would not accept the no. He then held her hand to lightly pull her to the dance floor. She turned her head away from him. He got closer to her and said, "Please dance with me." She tried to push him away, but he came back holding her hand again trying to lead her to the dance floor. She gave in hoping this will be the last dance with him.
There had been quite a few dances in the past when they were together. The many times they were snuggled together holding hands and giggling the night away. He bought her flowers on the days he felt good. Every time she was sad or upset, he would hug her and make her feel better by drawing comical sketches of her situation with a twist. Guillermo is a thoughtful guy until he is upset and then all the consideration goes out the door. For Cherie, it was too much to deal with not knowing when he would be level-headed or off-kilter. At the end, he could not blame her for wanting someone more stable and promising that could give her all that she deserves.
It was clear that Cherie did feel some sadness towards Guillermo on the dance floor. You can see their love and hate in every step of the dramatic Argentine Tango. She felt his strong, muscular arms that made her feel safe before and then she breaks away to be out of his hold. He slowly walks towards her with caution and swings her back into motion swaying back and forth. Every beat of the drums was synchronized with his heartbeat. His body full of emotions ready to burst out, but he had to hold back. The eyes of a tiger dead set on her black and brown hair tied back into a pony tail that accented her smooth, round face thinking how much he wanted to glide his hand up and down her cheeks again as he dances forward. She can see his eyes wishing she would stay with him. Her eyes full of fire as she pushes him back to say she does not need the drama any more. He holds her arms straight up as her leg swirls one at a time facing him as if to tease him with her hips.
As his emotions run high, he lifted her up by the waist and spun her around and around. She could not help to remember all the good and bad times they had been through. When he set her down, her hands was on his face as if she was ready to kiss him, but then pushed him away. He then extended his arm out to grab her hand and spin her back to his chest and leans forward to slowly dip her. How much he wanted to kiss those soft, sensual lips. She came back up and then pushed him away again. He gave a small tug to have her spinning back towards him and they held each other in a warm embrace thinking of the love they had that is nothing more than a memory in the distant past. She gave a deep sigh and pushed him away. Then the song ends with her back facing him as she stood there with her head up and eyes closed.
It felt as if time stood still during the dance and before he knew it, she walked straight out the door. He was watching her every step. It was the last time that he would ever see of Cherie. Her friend Linda came around to slap Guillermo and then went running after Cherie. He stood there for a moment feeling foolish and then went back to his seat at the bar to have another glass of wine. The dance went through his mind over and over again. He saw the fire in her eyes, but also the pain he had caused too. Somewhere in between the dance, he was able to say sorry twice. It was clear that sorry was not good enough because he has not changed and did not change his habits when he was with her.
After his last hard swallow, he got up to take a look at the dance floor for a few seconds before leaving. As he slowly walked home, the bright lights on the street made his vision blurry. He kept thinking to himself if life would be different if he would change some habits. Should he do this alone or hold on to someone who is not most ideal for him? He woke up the next day asking me what he should do because he could not bear the thought or sight of someone that would be good for him to walk out on him again.
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