Love In Translation
1
My hands tremble as I grip the wheel and
drive fast, too fast, down the road that leads to David’s. It is nearing
midnight when I park a few houses away from his. The full moon lights up the
street and I have a clear view of his house.
What
the hell am I doing here?
I take in a deep breath and turn off the
engine. I really don’t know what I’m doing, or how I got here, but, here I am
anyway.
David was the perfect boyfriend; smart,
confident, kind, and loving. But, a few weeks ago, he changed. At first, the
changes were hardly significant. But
they grew, as did the feeling in my gut telling me that something was wrong,
and I’ve always trusted my intuition.
I was too embarrassed to talk about it with
anyone. I needed unbiased advice – so I did what any person of my generation
would do and looked online. I stumbled upon a pretty in-depth article on a
relationship help website that seemed right up our alley. It offered good
advice and listed our current state as a “rough patch.” It said that all
couples go through something similar around the two-year mark. Common factors
included pressure related to moving in together, getting married, etc. The
article said that I had nothing to worry about and that things would sort
themselves over. So, I didn’t worry, even though things continued to get worse
— even though I was sure that the end of our relationship was near.
And I was right. Late last night, David
stumbled into my apartment. He was a complete mess. We exchanged a few words,
and then I looked into his eyes and knew what was coming. He was focused. He
cleared his throat and said that he needed space.
I stared at him blankly as he walked out
the door and never looked back.
I replay the night over in my head as I sit
in my car staring pensively across the street into the bay windows of his
living room. I can’t see anything through his thick wood blinds, but I think of
David and what he might be doing at this very moment. I picture him lying on
the couch in his favorite pair of basketball shorts watching “SportsCenter.” I
can see him munching on salty popcorn and drinking a cold beer while he watches
the replays from the basketball game earlier today. I would even bet that
stinky bulldog of his is lying at his feet, panting heavily as he takes his
evening nap.
A part of me wants to knock on his door and
say something, but what? I don’t know. I think about all of the things that I
should say to him; all of the things that I should have said last night. We are making a mistake David, I say aloud
to myself while looking in the mirror. Ouch!
I’m such a mess right now. I haven’t brushed my hair all day, so I run my
fingers through it quickly. If I am going to knock on his door, I want to look
presentable – not desperate. As I straighten my t-shirt and check my teeth, I
spot something from the corner of my eye. I see David’s front light turn on,
then, a few seconds later, the garage door opening.
I could be face to face with him any minute
now and it makes my insides turn. He walks out of the garage toward his car. He
isn’t wearing his favorite basketball shorts like I imagined. Instead, he’s
wearing a pair of dark slacks, a gray polo shirt and his dress shoes.
He’s dressed up. But why?
He walks over to the passenger side and
opens the door. Within seconds, I see a woman walk out of the garage toward
him. She is model-esque and effortlessly chic with long, straight hair in that
new ombre style I kept meaning to try out on myself. Good thing I never got
around to it. She takes a few more
steps, and then glides effortlessly into the car.
What
the fuck is going on?
My body tenses and my heart starts
pounding. Not in a good way — but in the “Oh, you dirty bastard” kind of way.
Who
is she?
Feeling slightly naïve, I give him the
benefit of the doubt as I run through my mental rolodex of the women in his
life, but my mind draws blank after blank. After a few more attempts at
convincing myself that this isn’t really what I think it is, I give up and it
hits me like a ton of bricks.
How
long had this been going on?
My hands tremble as I grasp the steering
wheel tightly and think about how blind I had been. My ex-boyfriend of a few
hours is going on a date, with another woman.
David casually walks over to the other side
and climbs in. After a few seconds, he begins backing out of the driveway.
Where
are they going?
Where
is he taking her?
I quickly debate my next move before
settling on three options: confront them, follow them, or walk away.
What do I do? What do I do?
David starts down the street and I’m on the
verge of losing them. I’m not sure if
it’s gut instinct or pure stupidity that decides for me, but I know I have to
follow them and find out what is going on. This is nothing that a little
private investigating won’t solve.
I decide right then and there though that
tailing him is as far as I will go. I will not confront him. I will not demand
answers. Once I see what is going on, I will simply turn around and go home.
I take a deep breath and start the engine.
I reach to turn on the lights and accidently hit the brights instead.
Shit!
Rookie mistake!
I panic. Did he see the lights? Is he going
to turn around and catch me? I’m going to have to be more discreet if I am
actually going to go through with this.
Thankfully, there is no change in their
direction. I let out a sigh of relief and try once again to turn the lights on,
hoping I can do it this time without alerting anyone to my covert operation. I
luckily manage to get things right and slowly ease myself into drive. I catch
up to them just as they are pulling out of the subdivision. I keep a close tail
as we merge onto the access road, and then, onto the highway.
We drive another five minutes until he
exits the highway and begins to approach downtown Austin. I realize that things
are about to get tricky; one red light can make all the difference in the world
right now. I ease my vehicle closer to his slowly and inconspicuously. I make
no sudden lane changes or quick turns and end up with one vehicle between us as
we turn onto Seventh Street. All the one-way streets are going to make things
rather tricky, so I hone in and focus.
My cell phone rings just as I turn off my
blinker. The sound is breaking my concentration, so I grab the phone and see
that it’s my best friend, Sophie. She’ll just have to wait. I hit the ignore
button and toss it on the seat next to me. There is no way that I can possibly
have a conversation right now.
The phone rings again. It’s only seconds
after the first call and I know that if I don’t answer this time, the calling
will continue. I reach over and answer while trying to maintain my visual. We
are both waiting for the light to turn green.
“Hello?” I answer; my voice tense.
“Emily?”
“Yeah. What’s up?” I say quickly and to the
point. I attempt to sound calm and breezy but fail miserably.
“What are you doing? Is everything ok?” she
asks. She knows something is up, I can hear it in her voice.
“Yes. I’m fine,” I say, even though I most
definitely am not. “Can I call you back?” I ask as the light turns green and
they pull through the intersection. I am going to lose them if I don’t get off
the phone and focus.
“No. What the hell are you doing?
Seriously, Emily, what are you up to?” I had cried my eyes out to Sophie last
night after David left, and I know that she is just concerned about me. But,
the last thing I need right now is for her to know what I am actually doing.
Quite frankly, I don’t even know what I’m doing. How could I possibly explain
it to someone else?
“Emily?” she questions again.
I don’t have time to deal with her right
now. “Please let me call you back,” I beg.
Just as I finish my sentence, I see David
parallel park alongside the right curb in a vacant parking spot. I glance
around frantically; I need to find somewhere to park, and quick. I spot an
empty loading zone marked specifically for commercial vehicles and pull in
quickly and illegally. I toss the phone onto the seat again and I can hear
Sophie pleading for me to answer her.
“Emily? Emily? Are you there? Answer me!”
I block her and every other noise out of my
head. All I hear is silence.
I am now two cars away and have a perfect
view of his car. I watch as he gets out and walks over to open the door for his
lady friend (girlfriend, mistress, sancha, whatever you want to call her). He pulls
open the door and my chest tightens. She gets out and leans in to kiss him. Is
this really happening? A tear falls down my cheek as my worst fear comes to
light. Seeing them this way, kissing the way that David and I used to kiss,
confirms everything. This had been going on for quite some time.
I want to look away, but no matter what I
do, I can’t pull my eyes off the two of them.
I’m mortified. Or more accurately, I’m
completely humiliated. I cover my face and sob and wonder how the hell I ended
up here.
I cry harder and a little louder until I
catch a glimpse of David from the corner of my eye walking up the sidewalk,
toward me, hand in hand, with her.
The tears stop as I panic. I slump down as
far as I possibly can, until I am practically sitting on the floorboard. What if he sees me? I know my chances of
going unnoticed are slim, but I am hopeful. This night has been hard enough
already. Could I handle getting caught too?
Shit!
Shit! Shit! I am freaking out but I try to stay calm. As they inch closer,
I keep my gaze on her until I muster up enough courage and look at David. He is
blissfully happy; his smile is as wide as ever.
I feel the enormity of the situation start
to sink in. It is official now — we are over.
Once they are long gone, I pull myself up
and glance in the mirror. I am a complete mess — my hazel eyes are swollen and
my hands are still shaking. I try to make them stop, but can’t. I don’t know
what to do next so I close my eyes and take in a single deep breath. I take it
nice and slow and then follow it with another.
Breathing
is good. Just take it nice and slow.
It is then that I realize that Sophie is
still on the phone, pleading for me to answer.
“Sophie?” I ask once my hands stop shaking
and I’m able to hold the phone again.
“Emily? What the hell is going on?”
“Nothing,” I say.
“What are you doing?”
I say nothing for several seconds; all I
can hear is my own breathing. “David was cheating on me,” I say, hearing the
words echo over and over in my ears.
“What?” She is upset also. “How do you know
this?”
“Because,” I pause, trying to keep my voice
from trembling, “I saw them.”
“How?”
“I followed them, Sophie.”
“What?” she yells through the phone.
I know what she is thinking. This is all so
crazy. This was completely out of character for me, and I am embarrassed to
admit that I actually went through with it. This was a different side of me
that I had never seen — one that I never wanted to see again.
“Emily! Answer me!”
“I followed him,” I say as I fight back the
tears.
“I can’t believe it. Why would you do
something like that?”
I begin to sob. “I don’t know, Sophie.” My
words are muffled, “I just needed to know. I needed to know why I wasn’t good
enough for him.”
There is no use in trying to hold back
anymore. I am in full hysterics now.
“Emily, please don’t do this to yourself.”
She lets out a loud sigh, “I hate seeing you like this. Will you please come
over? I don’t want you to be alone right now.”
I don’t respond. I don’t know what to do.
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4.5 stars
I loved this sweet story about realizing that you can be loved intensely, honestly and truly and that settling into a relationship that is wrong is never worth it. Palacios writes real characters that are slightly flawed, completely believable and immensely enjoyable. I loved that Palacois was able to write a story that was romantic and tender, focusing on beauty and respect in loving relationships. I am very impressed with this debut novel and I cannot wait for future novels by this very promising writer!
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Bio:
Sara Palacios is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a major
in Advertising and a minor in English Literature. It was during her time in
college that she really fell in love with the written word and ventured into
writing her own stories. In addition to writing, Sara spends a majority of her
time reading the works of other authors. She reads most genres –
but thoroughly enjoys chick-lit, women’s and historical fiction. When she isn’t
busy reading or writing, Sara enjoys spending time with family and friends. She
is happily married, the owner of two precious doggies and a new mom to a
handsome baby boy. Sara is also an avid animal-lover, runner, yoga
enthusiast and wannabe vegan.
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Q. What inspires your writing?
I am not sure if anything in particular inspires my
writing per se, but I have always dreamed of being a writer and I think
ultimately I work hard to be able to prove to myself and my son that you can do
anything you want to do.
Q. What is your favorite thing
about being an author? I am absolutely in love with this
wonderful community that I have magically stumbled upon. Everyone is so nice
and for once in my life, I feel like I finally have a place amongst people who
love books as much as I do.
Q. What is the toughest part
of being an author? Since having my son, I am
definitely struggling to find the time to write. Early on, sleep definitely won
that battle but now that he is older, I am starting to have a little more freedom
and plan on getting more writing done.
Q. If you could not be author,
what would you do/be? I have always wanted to be a yoga
teacher … or a cupcake chef. I keep brainstorming ideas to make them both
happen, but so far I haven’t had much luck.
Q. What would the story of
your life be entitled? The Luckiest Gal
Q. What is your favorite book
of all time? I LOVE Pillars of the Earth by Ken
Folliet. Ever read it? Gah, it is so good!
Q. Which part of your book(s)
was the easiest to write? I had such a fun time writing the
scenes between Andres and Emily. Their chemistry was instant and was so fun to
write.
Q. Which part of your book(s)
was the hardest to write? I struggled writing the emotional
scenes between Emily and Steven. I felt so bad because they were best friends
and Steven loved her so much. It was hard watching Emily break his heart.
Q. Which character from any
book are you most like? You know, that is an excellent
question. I would really have to think about that one.
Q. Can you tell me a little about the inspiration behind your book cover(s)? Yes! There is a pivotal scene in the book that takes place in a field of bluebonnets. Like I mentioned before, they are very prominent here in Texas and I thought that the scenery was absolutely perfect for the book cover. I designed it with my husband and couldn’t be more pleased with the way that it turned out.
Q. What is your favorite
season? I live in Texas so we really only
have three seasons … spring, summer and fall. Summer in Texas is SO hot but I
am a big fan of the heat. But, I would have to say that I absolutely love
spring time in Texas. All of the bluebonnets are in bloom and the weather is
gorgeous!
Q. Tell me something funny
that happened while on a book tour or while promoting your book(s). I had to listen to a co-worker talk to me about the sex scenes in my book
– while at work – and my boss overheard. It was pretty embarrassing. At least
she was telling me how much she enjoyed them! Which, I guess adds to the list
because she is much older than me and it was kind of awkward. Ha!
Q. Are you working on
something new? I am. It is still so new that I
don’t really want to reveal any details just yet, but I think you will love it.
Q. Anything you want to say to
followers of this blog or those that are just stopping by? I would just like to say that I am so grateful for their time. I know
that there are thousands of new authors out there and I am so glad that they
were able to spend the last few minutes with me, reading these really fun
questions that you prepared! Thank you for having me!
Guest Post: How to write a love scene!
When I
first began writing LOVE IN TRANSLATION, I must admit that I was a tad bit shy
when I was writing the love scenes between Andres and Emily, and often times, I
found myself blushing right in the middle of one. Here is an example of one:
He
parks the car and opens the door for me. I glance at my watch and notice that
it is close to 1 o’clock in the morning. There is no way that any restaurant is
open this late on a Sunday night.
“Please
close your eyes. It is a surprise after all.”
He
leads me forward, and I follow, careful to not stub a toe or stumble off the
curb. I hear him fumbling with his keys, and then a door creaks open. We take a
few steps inside a building. La Tierra maybe? All of my senses are on high alert
right now and all of the sounds and the smells are intensified. The suspense is
killing me. I hear what sounds like another door opening. Suddenly, we stop and
within seconds, Andres kisses me softly on the lips. It is very, very sexy.
“Can
I open my eyes yet?” I ask anxiously.
He
whispers in my ear, “Yes, you can open them now.”
His
voice is so sensual that it sends chills down my spine. I open my eyes and see
that we are standing in what I presume is a restaurant. He reaches for my hand
and leads me into the kitchen. “You are still hungry right?” he asks, his eyes
wide with excitement.
“Starving,
actually.”
“Good!”
he says. He rubs his hands together excitedly. “What would you like for me to
make you?”
I
give him my “are you serious” look, but I know that he is not joking. “What do
you want to make?”
“Anything
for you,” he says as he walks over to me and begins kissing my neck. “So, what
will it be?”
I
laugh nervously, as if I have had any chance to focus on anything except his
kisses. “What are your specialties?” I ask playfully.
“Well,
I can make anything, but one of my favorite things to make is a dish that my
mom used to make. Do you like duck?”
I
smile. I’m not really sure if I like duck or not, but I will try anything he
cooks for me.
He
takes my smile as a yes and within seconds he has his apron on and a frying pan
out. He begins doing a million things at once, chopping herbs, digging through
the refrigerator for an onion and several pieces of fruit. He sautés the duck
with spices and onion while preparing and heating up something that looks
similar to bread. I am amazed watching him. He is incredibly passionate about
his cooking and is intense in his sampling of the spices, making sure that
everything tastes just right.
“So
is your mom as good of a cook as you?”
He
smiles bashfully. “Oh, no. She is much better. With me,” he pauses and spoons
up a scoop of the broth from the duck and walks over toward me. “With me, I had
to learn everything from schools and watching. But not her, she just knows how
to cook. It is natural to her.” He brings the spoon up to my mouth. “Taste
this,” he says as he blows on the broth and allows me to sample.
There
are so many flavors. He waits for a reaction. “¡Fabuloso!” I say, and I can
tell that he is pleased.
He
grins and walks back over to the stove and stirs something into the broth. “I
love it when you speak Spanish to me,” he says as he pulls out a plate. “It is
very sexy.”
It
is? My practice has paid off. I am glad that he’s too busy to notice the shade
of red I just turned.
It’s
getting warm in here.
He
tells me to close my eyes again, so I do. Once again, the suspense kills me. I
listen to all of the noises around me, but I have no idea what is going on.
After
what seems like an eternity with my eyes closed, Andres grabs my hand and pulls
me to another part of the restaurant. He helps me sit down in a chair. I hear
him pull out another chair and then feel his hand on my leg.
“You
can open your eyes now.”
I
open them, and I am completely blown away. A perfect romantic setting is before
me — candle light, gourmet cuisine, and the most gorgeous man I have ever seen.
He is unbelievable.
“This
is beautiful. No one has ever done this for me,” I say breathlessly. Pleased
with my reaction, he smiles.
“What
is this?” I ask, referring to the dish.
“It
is called coca de pato ahumado.”
“What
is in it?” I ask curiously. I am definitely intrigued.
He
grabs my hand and begins fingering my palm. “Pato means duck.” He smiles and
continues on with his description.
I
take a bite with my free hand. It is delicious – mouthwatering. He is as
talented in the kitchen as he is handsome. “It is amazing, Andres. Thank you so
much for doing this for me.”
“I
loved every second of it. I enjoy cooking for you.”
I’m
speechless, so I take another bite. Again, I’m blown away by the taste. It’s
just that good.
Before
I can eat any more, Andres leans over and kisses me. The feelings intensify
when he begins kissing my neck and then moves slowly down to my collarbone. His
hand slides from my hip to my breast. When I don’t stop him, he reaches for my blouse, lifting it over my head and tossing it aside. He looks into my eyes
and kisses me again as he unhooks my bra and unbuttons my jeans.
Before
I know it, we’re both lying naked on the floor. Who needs thicker carpet? I
catch my breath at the sight of him in the candlelight — absolutely gorgeous.
He’s equally entranced with me as we admire each other with our eyes, then our
hands, then our mouths.
Foreplay
is definitely underrated.
My
body responds to his every touch, and I feel things I have never felt before.
We make love tenderly right there on the dining room floor.
As you can
see, things were definitely heating up on the page for Andres and Emily. And,
after I wrote a few intimate scenes, I became more and more comfortable. So,
today I have compiled a list for Mrs. Mommy Booknerd on the steps that I used
to create a love scene.
Be
realistic and make sure that the scene fits not only your book but something
that the characters would actually do.
·
Create a
romantic setting. There are candles and a romantic dinner in this one.
·
Elevate
the mood by using anticipation. Here I use a blindfold.
·
Be unique
and original. I promise you that almost every sex scene you can think of has
been written before, but put a unique twist on it that makes it all yours.
·
Details.
Details. Details.
·
Be as
descriptive as possible. I tried to think of all of my senses when writing
these scenes and thought of how something might taste or feel or smell. You get
the picture.
·
Focus on
emotions. Show the reader vs. telling them.
·
Always
keep your boundaries in mind. For me, there is a thin line between just enough
and too much.
Whew! Is it hot in here or is it just me? These are the items that worked
for me and I hope that they help you too. What are your key elements in writing
a love scene?
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You can purchase LOVE IN TRANSLATION here:
Amazon: |
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