Play My Puck

"Oh c'mon, Ben!" James pulled Ben's arm, trying to get him to go onto the dance floor. They were all outside in the beautiful sun rays of Brazil, waiting for Shakira and Wyclef Jean to come out on the stage at the beach. She was performing in front of only about 50 people, but everyone was going crazy as she greeted them with smiles.

"I told you I'm not a good dancer," Ben said nervously, not getting up from the straw stool under the ice cream parlor tent. James and Ben were wearing their matching black bottom bathing-suit shorts, and were the only white people there.

"Neither am I, but it's Shakira!" James grinned excitedly. "You can just shake your ass, let's go!" he bit his bottom lip and finally managed to get Ben to come with him.

They walked to the middle of the sand which was also the dancefloor. They were crowded near the other Brazilians that had sexy tans that made the Canadian goalies jealous. But they had been in Rio for almost a week, and had gotten to know some of these people very well.

"There she is!" Antonio, who lived in the hotel-room beside Screims, yelled. The music began and everyone started cheering.

"Ladies up in here tonight!" Wyclef Jean sang the beginning of Hips Don't Lie. "No fightin', no fightin', we got the refugees up in here.. no fightin', no fightin'... SHAKIRA! SHAKIRA!"

The drums started pounding and the music was loud and clear. Everyone began dancing to the music. Shakira started clapping her hands and Wyclef continued, "I never really knew that she could dance like this.. She makes a man want to speak Spanish.. Como se llama, si bonita, si mi casa, su casa."

"SHAKIRA! SHAKIRA!" everyone screamed along with Wyclef as he held the microphone out.

"Oh babyyy when you talk like that.. you make a woman go mad." Shakira started shaking her hips and the jiggly skirt she wore was creating a nice background noise. Ben and James were screaming in excitement. "So be wise and keep on, reading the signs of my bodyyyy"

Screims were grinding up against each other, singing along with the beauty on the stage. Ben looked like a natural belly dancer, his hips and chest just moved along with the beat perfectly.

"I'm impressed," Rosamaria whipped her long brown hair to the side and had a purple flower by her hair and it matched her bikini. She was also only one of the people who Ben and James had become friends with. "I thought you North Americans didn't know how to dance like this." she winked.

"Ben's better at this than I am," James stepped aside and everyone cheered during the instrumental part of the song as Ben danced his ass off in the middle.

"And I am starting to feel you boy.." Shakira walked down the few stairs in bare feet and came out to dance. "Come on lets go, real slow.." she sang as she spun around James. "Don't you see baby asi es perfecto!" she then twirled herself over to Ben, drawing more people near the goalies.

"Oh I know I am on tonight my hips don't lie.. And I am starting to feel it's right.. all the attraction, the tension," Shakira winked. "Don't you see baby, this is perfection.."

And instead of yelling the next part of the song which was 'Shakira!' twice, everyone changed the lyrics-- including Shakira. "SCREIMS! SCREIMS!" Antonio and Rosamaria hollered, and so did the rest of the dancing fans.

Ben blushed hard and laughed along with James, while dancing. They felt so much more welcomed in Brazil because no one judged them and because, at least here, no one wanted to trade either of them.

"Oh boy, I can see your body moooving.." Shakira walked back up on the stage. "Half animal, half man-- I don't, don't really know what I'm doooiiing,"

James wrapped his arms around Ben's waist and they continued shaking their hips. Grooving, moving and shaking to the Spanish song that could make anyone feel great, even if you're new to it.

"See, I am doing what I can, but I can't so you know that's a bit too hard to explainnn.."

"Baila en la calle de noche!" Wyclef Jean sang. Everyone understood what he was saying, including the two Leafs since they had learned a bit of Spanish over the last week and a half.

"Baila en la calle de diaaaa!" Shakira joined him in the verse.

"Como se llama, si!" Wyclef clapped his hands together on the stage and then moved his hand down Shakira's arm. "Bonita, si mi casa, su casa!"

Some people were wearing flip-flops but most weren't wearing anything on their feet, just letting the hot sand lay under them. They all cheered for Antonio as he was break-dancing as Wyclef started singing the rap part of the song, "I ain't guilty, it's a musical transaction--no more do we snatch ropes, refugees run the seas 'cause we own our own boats!"

James kept looking at Ben who was rocking to the music. He smiled at his himself, thinking about all the things he wanted to do to that body again.

"I'm on tonight, my hips don't lie and I'm starting to feel you boyyy," everyone sang the chorus. "Come on let's go, real sloooww.. baby, like this is perfecto!"

"Oh, you know I'm on tonight and my hips don't lie, and I am starting to feel it's right..the attraction, the tension.. baby, like this is perfection!" Shakira finished the last part.

The music grew slower and the drums stopped pounding, then Shakira and Jean bowed their heads. Everyone screamed and cheered with joy, before crowding by them as they chatted.



"You're amazing, Ben!" James hugged him. "I thought you said you're not a good dancer!?"

"I had no idea I could do that!" Ben laughed. They headed under the Bar-Ice-cream-Restaurant tent which had a variety of choices.

They ordered two cold beers and sat on the stools under the shade, catching their breath from the experience they just had.

"James," Ben turned to face his boyfriend. "I'm glad we chose Rio for vacation."

"Me too." Reims smiled.

"Guys, come!" Rosamaria called them over. "She's gonna start singing Whenever, Wherever now!"

James and Ben gasped and grinned, running back to the sand under the sun, hand in hand.

"Wheneverrr!" Shakira sang. "Whereverrr!" her wavy blonde hair flipped in the warm wind. "We're meant to be tooogether!"

As the song went, "I'll be there and you'll be near.. and that's the deal my deear!" Ben pulled James closer, so every part of their body was touching, and pressed his lips against his.

"I love you." Ben pulled back.

"I love you too," James sighed and they went back to dancing together.