"Oh, this is so exciting! I can't believe. I shall be more than honored to watch the awards this year! I've always watched it!"Ma.del Carmen was saying. "Do you suppose Christian Castro will be there? Joan Sebastian? Who else is nominated?"
"Oh, you're not watching this time, Caramelo! You're coming."said Javier.
"What? But I don't have an invitation."
"Yes, you do. It's right here. You are going as his date!"
Ma.del Carmen and Lance looked shocked.
"It'll be good for publicity! Don't you see? If they see you with some one, well, it'll be good. What do you say?"
"I say yes!"she said immediately.
"And you? Yes, of course?"
Lance sipped his chocolate, while he thought. Well, so far, Javier had always been right. He seemed to know what he was talking about.
"Yes."he said.
"I just can't believe it!"
She really couldn't believe her luck. When Lance went out of the room, she said to Javier that it was really a dream come true.
"What shall I wear? I mean, people only wear designer dresses at those events. They interview them and everything, and ask them to model. I can't believe I am going to the awards, and on Lance's arm!"
"Don't you worry. We'll find you something extravagant. Something that goes with whatever Lance will wear."
"Will the other guys be coming, too?"
"I'm not too sure. I'll have to think about it."
Javier picked out the dress, since he knew much more about fashion than Ma.del Carmen did. He spoke to one of the designers, and he designed the dress for her.
"I really hoped I would look a little different."she said, as they finished her hair.
"Different how?"
"A different person. It's like for my party. I wore the white dresses, a tiara, and everything, and yet, I didn't manage to look like I wanted to. I see the pictures, and it's still…well, I guess I just won't ever get what I want."
"You look fabulous, at your party, too."
Ma.del Carmen shook her head.
"You are just living proof that people are their own worse critics! I mean, you are hardest judge."
"I only say the truth!"
"Well, the truth you see is the wrong one. I think you look great."
She sighed.
"If you say so."
"I do. Now put on a smile, because we can't afford to get there and look sad."
When they got there, they were swarmed with reporters. Every one of them wanted to know who Ma.del Carmen was, and asked Lance about his being a mutant. They wanted to know what he felt about all the persecution, north of the border. They even turned their attention to the Brotherhood, but Lance was the center of attention.
"This is just something I can't believe!"said Pietro, sitting down at their table. "I've got to hand it to you, Javier. Just how come I didn't get a date?"
"I can't believe it! Oh, look, Los Tigres del Norte! Joan Sebastian! Aracely Arambula! Alex Ubaga! Patricia Manterola, La Potra Zaina! You don't suppose that she brought Chepe with her?"she asked, giggling, knowing too well that it was highly that Eric del Castillo would be present here, since he wasn't a singer.
"I can tell you're in paradise."said Javier.
"Oh, yes!"
Some of the other singer to say hello. Ma.del Carmen couldn't help asking for autographs. She couldn't help but notice how some of the other womens' eyes followed Lance, and notice their expressions when he kissed their hands, and she felt proud to be seen on his arm, proud to be his date. The others were also very pleased and proud at the fact that they were being given so much attention, from the media, from the other stars, and being treated like kings, even though they were used to it. Even though he didn't show it, Lance was the only one to whom it seemed that something was perfect. He knew why. If only it was Kitty the one who came to pay him such compliments, or even better, had come in his arm, and sat next to him. Kitty, not all the other women, not Ma.del Carmen, not Mariana, or even Patricia. He sighed, and turned his attention towards the front, where Chantal Andere, and Andres Garcia Jr., started to welcome everyone and start with the award giving.
"Oh, wow, Billy el Elegante! H was one of the few respectable Americans, the other ones, especially the sheriff were only a bunch of murderers. I'll never get over Sergio Sendel being the sheriff. It'll be hard now that he is going to be in La Esposa Virgen, and as Adela Noriega's partner, imagine that! I never thought I'd ever get to see him again, after I saw him in Ramona. He hasn't been in any other telenovelas. And you know, Chantal, I still haven't gotten over her as Antonia in Amor Real. I don't think that will wear off. Like Ernesto Laguardia, whom I think as Carlos from Alondra, I really couldn't accustom myself to him as Humberto."
When Lance's name was announced, everyone clapped, and he went up the stage to get his award. He thanked Javier for helping him, and the Brotherhood and Ma.del Carmen for accompanying him.
"Well, that's step one. Just one step. Wait until you have a whole full of these!"said Javier.
"That's not long from now."said Ma.del Carmen.
In Bayville, since no one wanted to go out, as everywhere they went, they were persecuted just about everywhere, everyone was restless. Kitty sat, bored, channel surfing. There was nothing on, but she did this often. You never knew. She came on the Spanish channel. Hmm, it looked they had canceled their regular programs. Maybe there was a movie. She saw a smiling woman with blond hair, opening an envelope. In front of her, beside to the microphone was a trophy.
"Lance Alvers!"she said into the microphone, and picked up the trophy.
She saw Lance walked down an aisle, up the stairs, to the stage, as people applauded. He kissed him, hugged him, and saying felicidades, she handed him the trophy. Kitty was shocked. It really was him.
When the ceremony was over, and they were back at the house, Javier placed the award in a cupboard.
"We oughtta start getting a special place to put these in, eh? Some night! Caramelo was right. I didn't think I'd live to see the night when I would be sitting there, among the stars. You're one of them, Alvers."
The next day, Ma.del Carmen was saying to Lance that he should be very proud of himself.
"I know someone who has a great voice, too, but he isn't anybody. He never will be. He's only a loser. He's too lazy. But you're something else. You really are something special."
"There are a lot of stars."
"Not just anybody could do it."
"Well, a lot of people do."
"You're not happy with the way things are going? I thought you'd be thrilled. Javy did say that you didn't have to do anything that made you unhappy."
"Oh, no, it's not that. It's just that…"
"He said that he didn't think you still thought about that Kitty."she said. "She doesn't deserve you! She never did appreciate you! I mean, who did she thinks she was? Calling you a hood! I should've….she's only a…oh, well, I don't like to use that language."
"Maybe she was right."
"Oh, please! I will simply not permit you to bring yourself down! And definitely because of her!"
"I have gotten the impression that you never liked her. Especially after you slapped her so hard. Just what ailed you?"
"I couldn't let her insult you!"
"Well, Javier did tell us we shouldn't have done that."
"I think you should've."
"You disagree with him. That's odd. Both of you always seem to think the same ways."
"Well, I don't know. Maybe."
"You didn't have to take up for me, though."
She sighed.
"I'm sorry. I really never had done anything like that before. The only person I ever got into fights with was my brother and my cousins. Outside of them, I only insult people behind their backs. It's not Christian, I know, but…I just never had the courage to do it in their faces. I'm too…farsighted. I think about the consequences."
"So what made you do it then?"
She looked away.
"Only…well, she was being so unfair."
Later, Javier was saying that she should've just said what she felt right there.
"I couldn't do that, you know it. Besides, you know I have my career to finish."
"You don't think you're good enough for him, do you?"
"Well, let's be realistic, I'm not."
"Why?"
"For a lot of reason. Besides, he would be proud to be seen with a pretty girl. I know I'm far from that. I'm far from meeting those standards in any way."
"Maybe you could catch someone else."
"I don't want to catch anyone!"
"I see."said Javier, watching the news. "Oh, look! Doesn't that look like Mr.Summers?"he asked.
He turned the volume up.
"He blew the roof off the hospital!"
"But what would he be doing here?"
"Oh, no!"said Javier.
He sat up.
"What?"
"You can't let anyone know! Don't you see? I thought we were rid of them!"
Javier ran out of the room. Now, if I were looking for Lance, and I didn't know where he was, where would I look. The city was enormous. He wouldn't know where to find Summers first. The hotels, yes! He called every single hotel in the city, but none had a Scott Summers. He spend the next day looking on the streets. He found Scott, blindly seeking his way though an alley, in one of the poorest section of the city.
"Summers!"he said.
"Whose there? I know that voice."
"Can't you see?"
"Medina?"
"Yeah, it's me. What are you doing here?"
"You helped Mystique."
"Mystique?"
"Don't you play with me."
"You blew the roof off the hospital. Naughty, naughty, keep that up, and you'll undo everything we have done to help mutants here."
"By recording albums."
"Oh, so you know. That's good. Well, I'm a very busy man, you know. I can't stay here for long."
Seeing as Scott seemed lost, and if Mystique was after him, then that was her business, not his. He laughed, and left, feeling much more calm.
"Oh, aqui viene!"said Pietro, to someone on the phone.
He ran towards Javier.
"It's for you. It seems important."
Javier took the phone, and went into another room. When he got back, he looked delighted.
"Guess who I just got off the phone with? You will never guess. Lance, can you act?"
"Act?"
"Yes! That was Carla Estrada! She wants to see you, because she want you to compose the theme for a telenovela, and she says she want to see if you're good enough to act in it!"