On the day of Cynthia's quince, Juan and Rosa were busy with the last-minute preparations. They were at Uncle Uriel's house, preparing the salsas and traditional condiments for the party. The party hall that was rented for the occasion came with complimentary buffet service, but the party still needed a little Mexican taste to it.
Phineas, Isabella, and Manuel were at home, getting ready for the party. They were to be ready by four in the afternoon.
Manuel and Phineas were the first to shower and get ready. Phineas ironed his pink Oxford shirt and dress pants. He was ready in half an hour.
Isabella took way longer. She showered, got dressed, and spent what seemed like an eternity shut in the bathroom getting her hair and makeup done. Phineas was in the living room watching the television, but he was not paying attention to what was on. He was anxious to see his girlfriend come out of the bathroom in her dress. The time waiting only increased his expectations of how beautiful she would look.
Finally, Isabella came out of the bathroom and walked to the living room where Phineas was seated. Standing in front of the television, she asked shyly, "How do I look?"
By then, Phineas' expectations were sky-high. But as he looked at the girl in front of him, those expectations paled in comparison to how stunning she was looking at the moment. Her hair was slightly curled, loose as always. She was wearing a fitted, knee-length satin dress, colored pink. The way it accentuated her features caused Phineas' jaw to drop. He couldn't find the strength to put together words for a long time. When he did, he just said a scintillating, "Wow!"
Isabella giggled, "I look wow?"
"Izzy…you look gorgeous. I can't even begin to describe it."
She saw the mesmerized look on his face, and grinned, "Mmm, I'm glad you like it. You look rather dashing yourself, Phin."
He stood up and gave her a kiss, feeling his mouth get sticky. "Wait, is this lipstick?"
"No, it's just lip gloss, but it's fairly sticky."
He chuckled, "Aww, why didn't you warn me?"
She just giggled. He continued, "Not that it matters, anyways." He pulled her in for another kiss, and held her in a close hug.
The sound of somebody clearing their throat ruined the moment. It was Manuel, "Excuse me you lovebirds, but some people are trying to watch the TV."
The couple smiled, and took a seat on the couch. Phineas asked, "Oh by the way, where's Rosalinda?"
"I'm going to pick her up and drive to the party myself. So yeah, she's going."
As expected, by 4 in the afternoon, Juan and Rosa arrived to pick up the couple. They had rented a Cadillac for the day of the party. Before they knew it, they had gotten on the interstate, gotten off at the right exit, and arrived at the party hall. It was beautiful, decorated in a Southwest style, and had an ample garden with a spectacular view of El Paso.
Phineas and Isabella were amazed with the beauty of the place against the backdrop of the afternoon sun. At any rate, it was still a little hot to be outside in formal clothes, so they caught back up with their hosts and entered the hall. It was decorated extravagantly, with the seats and tables having linens. The interior had a classical taste to it, having a sort of arch at the entrance and chandeliers lighting up the dance floor. There was a small balcony in the front of the hall, where the DJ was playing music.
Uncle Juan invited the couple to take a seat at the table reserved for them. They sat and relaxed, taking in the atmosphere. Phineas observed the invitees, recognizing some faces as those of Isabella's family. The uncles, aunts, and cousins were all there. The only people missing were the grandparents. Nonetheless, most of the people were friends of the family and of the quinceñera. Cynthia was visible in the crowd, greeting the people seated at the tables. She was wearing a princess-like pink dress. Phineas and Isabella smiled, because their apparel had inadvertently matched the colors of the party.
After Cynthia and her court had danced the typical quinceñera waltzes and did the girl-to-woman ceremonies, the DJ started playing popular Spanish music to kickstart the dance. The quinceñera and her escort opened the dance floor with the first song, and soon the guests went to dance in droves. Phineas and Isabella preferred to sit out the first few songs and soak in the atmosphere some more. Besides, Phineas was out of the loop with the type of music playing. It would be up to Isabella to teach him the ins and outs of how to dance to the Spanish genres.
When Phineas had gained enough confidence to finally go up to the dance floor, he asked Isabella if she would like to dance with him. "Of course I would," she replied.
The tanda (back to back songs of the same genre) that was playing at the time, not surprisingly, was cumbia. At first, Phineas improvised his own dance moves. After he had his own fun and realized that other people were staring, Isabella started teaching him the basic steps, and the two main forms of dancing the genre. He was a fast learner, and after about two cumbia songs, he did both forms with relative ease. She taught him the turns, and soon enough, he was dancing like a pro.
She leaned into his ear, "Phin, you're such a fast learner."
He replied, "Yeah, you get the hang of new dances kind of quick when you have a step-brother that's a lean, mean, dancing machine."
Isabella giggled. Apparently somebody had remembered Ferb and Jeremy's dancing stint on "Dance Until We're Sick." The producer of the show had contacted Ferb, and he now was a regular on the show. To say the least, Ferb's dancing skills were phenomenal.
When the tanda of cumbias ended, the couple stayed on the dance floor expecting the next song. After shout-outs and greetings to Cynthia, another tanda started, this one with norteño music. Again, Phineas learned how to move his feet, the hand placement, and how to hold Isabella. They both enjoyed this type of dance, because it was simple, relaxing, and intimate. Not rap-song intimate, but rather a type of proximity that allowed Isabella to nuzzle into Phineas' chest and enjoy the moment, while he whispered sweet nothings into her ear. When the mix ended, they were both kind of bummed that the moment of closeness had ended.
The rest of the night dragged on with the couple dancing to mix after mix of genres. While some mixes were short because of the dull response, others that really engaged the crowd lasted around half an hour at least. One such tanda was a classic rock n' roll mix. Phineas and Isabella were amused by how a bunch of Mexicans, some wearing cowboy hats and sporting crocodile-skin boots, could all of a sudden start dancing to Jailhouse Rock, the Rock around the Clock, and the like. The couple joined in, and created quite the buzz when they were the best dancers in the hall.
After a considerable amount of time dancing, Isabella leaned into Phineas and said, "Phin, my legs are killing me. Let's go take a break."
