Playful

His head was a pounding salsa band in a humid cabana de baile. His cheeks ached from the strain of his smile, and he knew if he didn’t relax his ears would burst into flames and his eyes would pop out.

Dan stepped into the night.

Headlamps mixed with neon signs and street lights to create a mosaic of flashing colors and sounds. The rhythm was mesmerizing; clicking heals on pavement, beep-beep-beeping of horns and a wailing siren all joining in the dance.

The heat was sweltering.

He sat on a trash can and leaned his back against the stucco wall. A cool breeze swept up from passing cars and turned the sweat on his neck into tingling goosebumps.

Suddenly he felt her near him, taking his hands in hers.

“Are you you OK”? she said.

He looked into her eyes, and stroking the light strands of hair from her cheek touched her lips with his fingertips.

“Lucia”, he said. “I finally know how it feels”.

A slight gasp escaped her lips, and she squeezed his hands.

He saw the lights glimmering in her eyes.

“How it feels”? she said.

He leaned his head against the wall and drew her to him.

“Jubilation”, he said.

Abstract photoart of city lights, extremely out of focus, and a bit of camera painting.

Olympus E-3, Zuiko 14-54 mm f/2.8-3.5; f/3.5, 0.5 sec, 54 mm, ISO 100, 4 Star filter, taken around 8:30 pm in downtown Hermosillo, Sonora