Dulce

I go to the corner store that is decorated with birthday balloons and piñatas, hoping to buy a birthday card for Silvia. The late-teen or early-twenties girls at the counter tell me that their store doesn't sell such a thing as a birthday card for an adult. And the grocery store didn't even have a greeting card section. I settle for a candy bar that says "Feliz Cumpleaños" on the wrapper and doesn't look too juvenile. 

            Then one of the girls tells me how she wants to travel to the U.S. but feels she has no chance. We discuss some options when she says suddenly, "You know English. Please translate this."

            She hands me a piece of paper with words written on it in neat pencil print, "let me love you."

            "Oh, are these from a song?" I say.

            "No," she says. "It's from a guy."    

            I'm not sure what to tell her. First of all, I don't know "let" or even "allow" in Spanish. And then there are all the nuances. Maybe this is just some innocent guy trying to quote song lyrics or lines from a movie. Or maybe this is really the equivalent of "Let me fuck you." I need to know more about the guy. If he's cute, maybe she should just go for it. I wish I knew the Spanish word for "cheesy" so I could find out whether this guy is a total cheeser or someone she actual likes.

            Instead I say, "Es similar a 'te amo," pero...no." I don't know how to say "not quite." I promise them that I will come back one day with a better translation, and I decide this would be great homework for me and I also decide that I should take Antonio to this store because the girls are cute and right around his age, but, for some reason, I never actually do either.