Smoke Rings in the Dark

Sergio pretended to pout as he watched Cassandra brush her hair, his dark eyes raking over her body. "You have practice and I have class, senor", she teased.

"Verdad, pero prefiero mirar a mi hermosa novia en lugar de mis compañeros de equipo feos", he joked.

"Don't say that to them, reckon they'd all kick your ass", she retorted.

"Si, pero es verdad. What class you have today?", he asked.

"I have my Anatomy and Physiology class, for the midterm we gotta cut up and dissect a pig. We cut it open and take out the guts and label 'em, it ain't pretty", she laughed.

"That is a waste of pig, back in Argentina we would have roasted it", he said.

"Yeah, but it's the closest mammal we got to a human short of a chimp. And since chimps live in zoos, pigs are cheaper. Plus, the pig is preserved in formaldehyde so it doesn't rot, you can't eat it. In high school, we cut up frogs and worms and in freshman Biology we cut up fetal pigs, that is the big one", she said with a laugh.

"Ese no para comer, verdad? It is still a waste of pig, they should cut up and old dog or a cat porque nadie comer ellos", replied Sergio.

"A lot of folks have 'em as pets, they don't wanna cut one up. Since we eat pigs, people don't feel bad cutting them up", she said.

Sergio nodded in agreement as he grabbed his keys and led her outside to the car. "I will take you to Abuela's house so you can get your books and then I will drive you to school", he said.

Cassandra nodded as he helped her into the passeseger's seat, the ever-present cumbia music playing on the speakers. "You might be the only person in England who listens to this", she teased.

"Verdad, people here like indie rock mucho. It's not bad, but I like cumbia mas. You ought to see it when Leo and I get together, we play la cumbia mas alta", he chuckled.

"Who's that?", she asked.

"Ese son mi amigo y capitan de Argentina, Lionel Messi. He plays for Barcelona y son un hombre bueno, he is an old friend desde que éramos adolescentes. We go on international break after the derby, vamos a jugar en Francia contra el equipo Francés. Leo va hacer el capitan de nosotros", he said proudly.

"So you guys are playing a game against the French in France? Damn", she muttered.

"Si, ese son stupendo. Our manager Sabella doesn't like to have the families travel, pero Leo no tiene novio o esposa por lo que no importa", he said dryly.

Sergio parked in front of the house and watched as she went inside. "I hope you enjoyed the night with your handsome Argentine lover", teased Mary.

Cassandra blushed furiously as she grabbed her knapsack from the couch. "Gran", she muttered.

"There is nothing wrong with that, luv. You are only young once, I remember when Toby and I were courting how much fun that was. It is lovely to see how happy you are", said Mary wistfully.

Cassandra embraced her grandma and went back to the car as Sergio immediately got out to open the door. "How is your abuela?", he asked.

"I think she knows we had sex", she mumbled, her cheeks turning red.

Sergio burst into laughter. "Ay, tu abuela son una mujer muy intelligente. Perdon, pero son verdad, me gusta tu abuela", he chuckled.

"Gran is actually okay with us, I'm more worried about Daddy. He doesn't like Latin American people, he thinks they are going to take over the US. Plus, Mom ran off with a Mexican guy", she said dryly.

"Si, eso son malo. Su mama poner los cuernos a su papa, son muy malo", he said, shaking his head.

"Uh, what does that mean?", she asked.

"Perdon, Cassie. It means she, que dice, put horns on him, cuckold. No man likes that, she is lucky he did not kill her. En Argentina, mujer hace eso, el hombre se mata", he said.

"That's illegal in the US, they did that in the old days", she said.

"Si. We have a week before we leave, I want to spend mucho tiempo con tigo", he said.

"Sergio, aren't you the charmer. Shelton is coming in two weeks, he's half-done mixing the album. You'll be home by then?", she asked.

"Si, voy estar aqui. Is there anything que necessito a saber a su hermano?", he asked sardonically.

"Just be on your best behavior, Shelton is in big brother mode. He's like that with Tammy and Jenny, Tammy is 21 and Jenny is 16 and they are both pretty", she replied.

"Si, I feel the same way about my sisters. Voy hacer un chico bueno para tu hermano, Cassie", he laughed.

Sergio dropped her off at the university. "What has been going on with you, luv? Dont' tell me, you've been spending time with a certain handsome Argentine", teased Maggie.

Cassandra blushed as Maggie just laughed. "I knew it! Don't feel embarrassed, you haven't dated anyone since your junior form. And you have gone and bagged yourself an Argentine footballer", she laughed.

"Don't let the other girls hear that", she chided.

"Aye, I know. Some of these girls just want the posh WAG lifestyle, they think it's all glamorous like on the telly. But you're not a typical WAG girl, you're bloody smart and a Yank", said Maggie.

"We don't have the whole WAG thing in the US, reckon we got more celebrities", said Cassandra.

"Yeah, we don't have as many famous people as you Yanks. Are you ready to dissect the pig?", asked Maggie.

"Yes, reckon Grandma Beckett would be having a laugh up in heaven. She helped Grandpa butcher hogs on the farm, it ain't pretty. Pigs make a ton of noise because they have the brain of a three-year old, they know something is gonna happen. It squeals a helluva lot and tries to bite and kick, people gotta hold it down and cut it's throat and they gotta wait until it dies, then they butcher it", said Cassandra.

"Fuckin' hell, I'm glad we get bacon from Tesco's. I canna imagine killing a pig like that", said Maggie with a shudder.

"My daddy's people are rednecks from Tennessee, I've seen him and Shelton hunt deer, wild pig, you name it. It's a Southern thing", she laughed.

"Us Brits don't hunt, I canna do it", said Maggie.

The women arrived at class and found their seats in the lecture hall. The chatter stopped as Professor Joseph Hughes stepped up to the lectern, everyone giving the dignified middle-aged man their attention. Cassandra took out her textbook and notebook and a pen as she began to listen, taking down notes. "On Friday, we shall be dissecting a sow who had just birthed piglets. We will be examining the organs with an emphasis on the reproductive system, the difference between a female pig who is nullaparous and one who isn't. Please wear old clothes and trainers, it will get messy", said Professor Hughes.

"Bloody hell, we might need a shot of something before and after", said Maggie.

"It can't be worse than seeing Daddy and Shelton dress a deer, that is gross. But you gotta do it if you want to it, the organs are inedible", said Cassandra.

"You Yanks are crazy, we just get our things from Tesco's", said Maggie in distaste.

"Only us Southern Yanks, Yank Yanks are boring", she quipped.

Cassandra saw the text from Sergio and waved goodbye to her friend, seeing the silver Aston Martin in the parking lot. "Hola, Cassie. How was class?", he asked.

"Bueno, Professor Hughes says we are doing the pig on Friday and to wear old clothes. It was a sow who just had piglets, we are studying it's reproductive system", she replied.

"Si, pobre cerdo. We had a little practice this morning, in a few days everyone is leaving for their friendlies. I am flying to Barcelona to meet up with Leo before we go to France, I will take pictures and put them on Instagram", he said.

"Nice, reckon you're gonna have a good time", she teased.

"Verdad. I will teach you Spanish. Para primera, digo eso. Me llamo Cassandra Beckett y estoy de los Estados Unidos", he said.

"Me llamo Cassandra Beckett y soy de los Estados Unidos", she repeated slowly.

"Si, bueno. Vivo en Manchester y ir al colegio, la Universidad de Manchester. Soy estudiando biologia y soy intelligente", he said with a chuckle.

Cassandra repeated the words as Sergio nodded in approval. "Si, bueno. Dice que tengo uno novio muy guapo y que son un futbolisto bueno", he said with a rakish grin.

Cassandra gave him a lok and repeated the words as Sergio preened. "Your head is big as it is, senor", she retorted.

Sergio just laughed. "Pero es verdad, soy tu novio y soy guapo y bueno futbolisto", he chuckled.

"I know, but you already got a big ego. Lucky for you, I know how to deal with guys with big egos", she teased.