The Next Thing

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fda neyer understood why Beatriz found that comment so hilarious. AK • , f3 P , reie"e the story about the sP'der Aida had named after her ex-bovfriend to diScovered a sP'det •" Alda's basement

"Juan?" "Yes, I named him after Juan." "But he wasn't so ugly..."

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W^le Aida eni07ed sharing some of her stories with their aunts, there were some thines she SET* F°r °ne thln«' Alda bad never released Juan from her thoughts anddreara Hef S flawsTnd there ,USt V3m attrPtu f° C°nVinCe HerSelf °f hlS worthlessness. She could recite all to fees nnf Shf h He 7 k IT smelled, , C°Uld n0t f°rget WS S°rr0Wful exPressi°ns nor the taste of and sounded like the prince of her childhood dreams- she could

T'P but cherish his memories with the same childish naivete. The day Juan first asked her out spellbound 3 W1 ^ W°Uld CO"apSe ^ 6XCit6m6nt And when hVfirst feed her shl was spellbound- unable to process any thought beyond her sensations, as close to bliss as she could ' SETf*" rrr'f5;the day he Prouno — d undying devotion, she clTd not res st thinking how silly he looted with his face scrunched into a mock display of passion S£e saw past his thm disguise and felt his weakness and desparation. At that moment she realized he needed'

the sheTX " ° i KS Se'f"W°rth' f° 3dd mySt6ry 3nd depth t0 his shaIlow interior - She longed for had them Lh T T emotions betrayed her. Her pounding heart and dilated pupils

deotteT0™ u W3S mTVe' When in reality She was on]y scared - scared of the

en,ua"y'he 8rew tad of her ™bivale"ce Hc <<"».fe-

tell her how^V'^^ °VfrhLeard him Say "she wants someone to follow her around and vou^e \ VS\ But She has never cr,ed for me' never said' 'PaPi I HUSS you' or '1 need never adm'iTrnl h"6 her warned he 7 her warned her agianst exprssmg " Aida was mortified. To some extent he was right. She could 71 ^ but n°l 15603056 she was selfish - Something ins.de all the emotions he inspired in her. mother he aHhlater ShC diSC0V6red tbe cause of her dist™st. Concerned about Aida's future, her the seeds haSl 'mp antlnS seeds of mistrusf into A.da's carefree soul. By her sixteenth birthday monTS the 81 > within^her and I"8' d T that 777" $ """P" on fhe flo-6^ of her innocence. The day she sum- ^ W6pt f°r the P°°r' ^(broken child X ithm her and cursed the old, intuitive mised that lurked beneath her soul. Eventually the two opposing forces were reconciled, but Aida never let go of her childhood dreams. the" 1 7 U • TZ£:lntPe L J1" ]9th blrthday- Mar'bel came to wish her cousin a happy birthday By then baddWind,ed f° 3 mCre f°rmality Fr°m Alda'S P6rSP6Ct-' Mar^eUadfenged anTadvenh . A° S" aSSCOC,ate with the lauthir hld hT 7 ?rP/°°T °f hCr baS6ment ''ghthearted girl that had brought romance She had lost her spunk. Even her contagious WhS A d, H h T SUbStUUted rith an endless succession of sights, followed by "Que grave..." que^^f h 'th3t Mar?d C°nSid6red h6r ChanS6d aS wel1 - Gone her innocent to sav to each othl ih , SP° 7'^' a"d her unquestioning devotion to her cousin. They had little were both awa f f'm°nth gap between their lasf visit. Ironically, they could find tte si u ?T a" reSpCCt that confinued t0 exist ^tween them, but neither b7akdorthe emotional barrier Theywere forced to use indirect fondness of animals ^ 3 °n6 another; they conveyed their love though their mutual

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