Fandango
A Josefina/Patrick fanfic. One-Shot. Pairing: Josefina Montoya/Patrick O'Toole
One night, during a lively fandango, Josefina and Patrick confess their love to the world. One-Shot. Includes authentic Spanish dialogue!
I do not own. The characters belong to Valerie Tripp.
Spanish words used in this fic:
Te amo - "I love you."
Mi bella - "My beautiful"
Mi corazon - "My heart"
Other misc. words include gran sala, the big room for dances, si the word for "yes", curandera the word for a woman healer, and, of course, Americano, the Spanish name for the traders coming to New Mexico from America.
Can also be considered a sort of "excerpt" for a larger, multi-chapter fic I plan to write about Josefina and Patrick called The First Love.
"Do you care to dance?"
Josefina glanced up at the man standing beside the piano, her large brown eyes laughing as she stared into the handsome face of her abulito's business partner – the man she had met at age ten in Santa Fe so many years ago it seemed. In the three years after that meeting, Patrick O'Toole along with his father, who knew her abulito well, had joined into a partnership for trade with him due to their frequent visits down to New Mexico. Patrick's blue-eyed gaze darted around the gran sala, amongst the midst of bright, vivid colors of silks and satins as couples danced, intertwined with each other in a graceful tango as Josefina gaily played the accompanying music along with Papa' on his violin.
The Americano scout attempted his suit once more. Bending down, he whispered into Josefina's ear,
"How about if I request if your Tia' can play instead?"
Placing her hands on the keys, Josefina began a lively waltz, charging the atmosphere in the room from sultry to down-home and raucous. The couples matching their steps to her music swiftly began to clap in response to the waltz.
"Oh, si," Josefina replied as calmly as possible, hoping to steady her fluttering heart. "I think that would be a fine idea."
Bowing towards the sixteen year old pianist, the young man hurried over to talk to Tia' Dolores. Josefina stared after the strong, upright figure of O'Toole, admiring his broad shoulders, his short blond hair, and his magnificent build, keenly aware of the other couples dancing in the room – Ana had her arms wrapped around her husband, Tomas, while on the far side of the sala; headstrong Francisca gazed soulfully into the dark eyes of her Americano husband, Roger Rexford. Snapping back to attention, Josefina refocused on her playing.
"Josefina?" A voice said at her shoulder. Tia Dolores stood next to the piano, ready to play. Patrick waited patiently behind her, his face crinkling up with smile lines as he looked at the tanned young beauty he'd lost his heart to years ago when he had first met her in Santa Fe. Josefina rose to her feet, her silken slippers making no noise, thus making them perfect for dancing the night away. Smiling up at Patrick, she handed a sheaf of sheet music to her aunt, whispered,
"For Patrick," and then crossed over to join the americano.
Dolores raised her eyebrows at Papa, subtly letting him know that the next song would be a Spanish/American amalgamation. He nodded in reply. Off in a dimly lit corner, Abulita scowled, displeased, as she watched her youngest granddaughter place her hand in Senor Patrick's. Another one of her granddaughters professing interest in an americano. For shame! Did no one here regard their traditions as worthy of upholding with honor anymore?
Taking Josefina's hand, Patrick led her out into the middle of the sala, amongst the other couples, who were busy chatting in semicircles as they waited for the music to begin again. Dolores inclined her fine head at Papa, and then gently laid her fingers on the piano keys, working them into the rhythm of the new song. Josefina turned to face Patrick, clasping his hands in her own tightly as the piano sang, reaching down within itself for hidden chords – the nuances of "Home, Sweet Home" intermixed with that of an old Spanish love song. Slowly, Patrick led Josefina into the dance, whispering to her,
"I remember this one, mi bella Josefina. Your Papa' played it at your Abulito's when I'd first met you – " realizing his slip, he quickly amended, "your family."
Gazing into his light blue eyes that mirrored that of a turquoise sky, Josefina replied softly,
"Si – I had it chosen especially for you."
Suddenly, the New Mexican girl pulled the scout closer to her, unable to hide the tears staining her long eyelashes. Patrick, though quite worried about what had disturbed her, enjoyed the sensation of her snuggling up next to him for comfort, so he held her close, much to the astonishment of the other guests, including Francisa's husband, who had followed the rules of Spanish courtship very well.
Josefina raised her face to Patrick's – her eyes glittering with intermingled love and sorrow. Is her heart's desire really for me? Patrick wondered soberly as he gracefully complied with the movements of the waltz, guiding them both outside to the solitude of the new curandera's garden. In the moonlight, the flowers Josefina tended as a memorial to her mama' bloomed with a brightness rivaling the sun. Cupping Josefina's delicately beautiful face in his callused hands so that she was looking at him, the scout finally said the words she had longed, with heart and soul, to hear after he had playfully danced with her during a visit at Abulito's when she was merely fourteen.
"Josefina, mi corozon. Te Amo... Te amo... Te Amo," he murmured passionately, staring gently into her dark brown eyes and her anguished countenance. A veil appeared to be lifted just then, causing the pain to gradually fade out of Josefina's expression as she realized anew how earnestly the throbbing of her heart in correlation with her relationship with this americano scout had brought her her most perfect heart's desire. Throwing her arms around her americano's neck, Josefina let him swing around and around in a circle of jubilant ecstacy. At last, he set her feet upon the rough dusty ground again.
"Te amo – truly?" Patrick asked, his light blue eyes probing her deep brown ones intensely, feeling he wouldn't be strong enough to bear it if she didn't reciprocate with her love.
"Te amo – truly," Josefina replied, her last word spoken in the hard learned English language she'd studied under her sweetheart, taking his hand as they both of their heads leaned inwardly, breathlessly – silently – ardently, making a curve of a corazon out of their silhouette as they shared their first real kiss – the kiss that sanctioned their love for all time.
As if in celestial agreement, a comet of good omen soared through the dark night, slicing right through the sky over the intertwined couple, apparently seeming to give off sparks, surrounding them with its grace.
Fin (:
Review please! I'd love to see how many people are fans of this sadly underused pairing!