MAMA LUPITA
Epilogue
It's karaoke night and everyone's got to sing something. Even Grissom. Even Sara, who opts to sing a song… in Spanish. Will Gil get the message?
There's a glossary at the end.
Gil Grissom got out of his car and joined his colleagues from the night shift; they were in the parking lot of Sal's Dinner, waiting for their guest of honor, Albert Robbins. It was Doc Robbins' 30th anniversary as a coroner, and they'd decided to take him to dinner to celebrate.
When the doc appeared, he and Gil led the group to the dinner.
"Wow, look at that," Robbins said, pointing at the huge banner that hung at the entrance.
Gil looked up and abruptly stopped. The banner read, "Karaoke night," and as soon as he saw it, Gil knew he was in for a nightmare.
Behind him, Catherine tapped his shoulder.
"What is it?" she asked impatiently. "It says Karaoke night."
Gil said, turning and looking accusingly at her. She had planned the event, after all. "Oh, yeah," Catherine said casually, "Did I forget to mention that?"
"Yes, you did," he glared.
"Sorry." She shrugged, obviously not sorry at all.
"Uh, Grissom?" Nick said, "We've got to be back at the lab in a couple of hours, so…"
Reluctantly, Gil entered the dinner.
Gil Grissom was not the only one who objected to being there on Karaoke night. Sara Sidle had stopped in her tracks as soon as she read the banner, and now she was discreetly glancing around, gauging the possibility of escape.
Unfortunately for her, Nick guessed her intentions. He firmly steered her inside.
"Come on, Sara. It'll be fun."
"Making a fool of myself isn't fun," she muttered.
"Sara, I've heard you sing," he said. "You've got nothing to worry about."
"Nick, I don't mind if somebody accidentally hear me singing to myself. Doing it in public's another thing altogether!"
Nick only smiled.
The CSIs chose the best table, and then they spent a happy quarter of an hour perusing the menu and the list of songs available.
"So, Sara?" Catherine asked loudly, "You ready to sing?"
"Oh, no. You don't want me to sing," Sara said self-deprecatingly.
"Everyone's gonna sing tonight," Catherine replied, "Right, Grissom?" she said, turning to her boss.
"I don't sing." Gil said austerely.
Catherine scoffed.
"Yeah, well, you also said you'd never come here on karaoke night."
Grissom was nervously drumming his fingers on the table. The last time he'd been here they'd had a great time giving Warrick a belated bachelor's party, and this was one of the reasons he didn't hesitate to come tonight. But the place had been half-empty then and, more importantly, they still hadn't introduced Karaoke singing. Now, the place was packed.
Gil glanced at the makeshift stage on the corner, wondering what to do. He could plead a sore throat… Or maybe he could simply claim that he didn't know any of the songs on the list.
That seemed like a perfect solution until Greg yelled from the other side of the table, "Hey, Grissom! You're in luck! There's a couple of Pink Floyd's songs on the list!"
Gil's heart sank. The drumming restarted.
Salvation came when Doc Robbins announced that he wanted to sing a Bob Seger song but wasn't sure if he could pull it off. Gil practically jumped up, offering to sing it with him. Gil and Robbins sat together for a while, discussing their options. They even offered to sing first. They stepped on the stage and sang:
Until you've been beside a man
You don't know what he wants
You don't know if he cries at night…
Sara perked up. She vaguely remembered hearing this song before, but Grissom and Robbins' version had its charms. She smiled as the two self-conscious men pour their souls into their singing.
Where nothing comes easy, old nightmares are real
Until you've been beside a man
You don't know how he feels
Gil took a solo:
But once inside a woman's heart
A man must keep his head
Heaven opens up the door
Where angels fear to tread
Some men go crazy, some men go slow
Some men go just where they want
Some men never go
Then Robbins joined him for the chorus:
But, oh, blame it on midnight
Ooh, shame on the moon…
Greg pulled out his cell and took a half-dozen pictures of the two men. Then, as the song winded down, Greg turned to his coworkers and, holding his cell phone like a microphone, he said,
"This is VH1's Where are they Now? Tonight, we followed the careers of Al Robbins and Gil Grissom. Their long journey ended the way it started, in an obscure café in Las Vegas. As the last chords of their immortal hit song faded away, the two old rock stars turned to -"
"Old rock stars?" Gil interrupted. He was standing right behind Greg, whose eyes bulged when he realized that his boss had been listening all along. He sheepishly turned to look at Gil.
"Did I say old?" he asked, "I meant golden. Yeah, golden rock stars."
"Sure you did," Gil said skeptically. "Your turn," he added, handing him the microphone. "I expect a great show from you, young Sanders."
Poor Greg was subdued as he took on the stage.
------------------------------------------------------
Sara was sweating bullets; her turn to sing was coming up. She'd browsed the list in desperation, trying to find something cheerful to sing. The problem was that she didn't know many cheerful songs. Her favorite singers all seemed to favor gloomy, thoughtful stuff; not the kind that would be appropriate for a celebration like this.
Finally, Sara turned to the last part of the list -songs in other languages. A smile spread on her face.
'Oh, yes.' She thought.
Catherine, who had been cajoling each of the CSIs towards the stage, turned her attention to her.
"So, Sara. Your turn's coming up. You ready?"
"Why, yes, Catherine." Sara said calmly, "I'm going to sing a song in Spanish."
"A what?"
"I've been taking lessons." Sara explained. She kept her gaze on Catherine, but she was aware that Gil had looked up sharply the minute she said she was going to sing in Spanish. "I've been taking lessons with Detective Vega's aunt."
"Really?" was all Catherine could say.
Sara confidently walked up to the stage and conferred with the DJ –actually, one of the waitresses, who abandoned her duties every time someone new got up to sing. The girl nodded and went down to prepare the new song.
To everybody's surprise, she also dimmed the lights on the stage. For a moment, Sara stood in shadows.
"A song in Spanish," Catherine mused aloud, "Didn't see that one coming," and she glanced at her coworkers, who were all looking expectantly at Sara.
All, except Grissom, who pretended to be really thirsty. He was drinking his orange juice the way a desperate man drains tequila. He had the feeling that something big was about to happen.
And suddenly, Sara spoke clearly into the microphone:
No se da ni cuenta que cuando lo miro,
por no delatarme me guardo un suspiro
Que por mi amor por él callado, se enciende con verlo
y que daría la vida por poseerlo.
Grissom choked. She was reciting lines from the same song he had quoted to her a couple of months before. She had simply adapted the lyrics.
No se da ni cuenta que le he concedido
los calidos besos que no me ha pedido,
que en mis noches tristes desiertas de sueño,
en loco deseo me siento su dueña
Gil knew he shouldn't be surprised. Sara's curiosity was boundless. She must have memorized the words he said, and then she must have asked around until she found out which song he'd been quoting.
Now a melody started, and Gil looked up just in time to see the lights flood the stage again.
Sara started to sing:
Si te dijeron que anduve
vagando en la madrugada
y que de pronto un recuerdo
me ilumino la mirada,
sabrás que estaban hablando de ti,
porque aunque no diga nada,
sueño contigo, sueño contigo.
Grissom was mesmerized. It was evident that she knew what the words meant –she was not simply parroting the lyrics. How could she have learned the language so quickly?
The joy she felt at singing the song was contagious; soon, people were joining in, not in the actual singing of the song, but clapping along.
Grissom didn't join in; he was too focused on her to think of doing anything but listen.
Si te preguntas qué pienso
cuando me ves distraída,
cuando te miro en silencio
y sin querer me sonrío,
sabrás que siempre se trata de tí
porque despierta o dormida,
sueño contigo, sueño contigo.
Toda la vida he soñado contigo
porque mis pasos regresan a ti
al fin de cada camino,
sueño contigo, sueño contigo,
por donde quiera que vaya
yo siempre sueño contigo.
Sara returned to her table on rubbery legs, and her coworkers welcomed her with hugs.
Catherine, whose turn was next, rose and hugged her too.
"Yours is a tough act to follow!" Catherine said peevishly.
Sara laughed.
Catherine waved her hand at the waitress to indicate that she was next, and then she took off her jacket with a swift movement… and revealed the skimpy top she was wearing underneath.
Everyone in the dinner cheered.
Sara looked around for a seat. Now that most of the CSIs were standing and cheering, she had her choice of places to sit. She chose the chair opposite Grissom's.
She smiled at him.
"It's hard to compete with that," she said ruefully, tilting her head in Catherine's direction.
Grissom kept his gaze on Sara.
"Did you like the song?" she asked.
"I did." he said quietly, "Congratulations." He added, "You said you'd learn Spanish in two months, and you did."
"Oh, I still have a long way to go," she said. "But in the meantime, I've learned a few songs."
Grissom nodded.
"Songs and poems are good learning tools." He looked at her, "So, you're studying with Detective Vega's aunt."
"They call her Mama Lupita," Sara smiled.
"I didn't know you and Vega were friendly." he said.
Sara paused. Was there a hint of jealousy in Grissom's question? She thought there was but she wasn't about to ask.
But then, even if she'd known for sure, she wouldn't have used it to her advantage. Sara just wasn't a manipulative woman. She'd refused Mama Lupita's renewed offers to concoct her a love potion, and she'd decidedly balked at the old lady's suggestion that she get a new, sexy wardrobe.
So, instead of trying to pique Gil's interest by suggesting that Vega was indeed a friend, Sara had answered Gil's question truthfully. "I didn't meet her through Vega." She said. "Nick and me came across her during the course of an investigation."
"Oh." He said simply. "Well, all I can say is, she's a good teacher."
"She is," she smiled, "She's absolutely nuts about a singer named José Luis Rodríguez," she said, uttering the name with some difficulty, "She insisted that I learned a couple of his songs."
Gil smiled.
"It came in handy tonight." He said.
"Yeah. I liked this song from the start, you know? It was simple and sweet –unlike most of the songs I knew," she smiled, "Every time I hear it, I'm reminded of all the things that make me happy just by being there -"
"Such as?" He asked, looking enquiringly at her.
She shrugged slightly.
"A full moon," she said, "A garden in bloom… The quiet of the desert…" she glanced at her coworkers, who were raptly watching Catherine's performance, "Friends," she added pointedly, and then she looked back at him, "You." she finished.
Grissom looked down at the table.
"It's true, you know," she said quietly after a moment. "I dream of you."
Grissom looked up but didn't say anything.
She hesitated.
"It makes me happy," she added, and by Gil's silence she knew that she had gone too far.
Well, it wasn't the first time she had, but this time she was not going to apologize or feel bad about it. Instead, she forced herself to smile again.
"So, what about you?" she asked, "What makes you happy?"
Gil hesitated. He was still trying to come to terms with what she'd just said about her dreams, and now, to top it all off, she'd asked him just the sort of question he dreaded: The kind that invited all the wrong answers. One ended up either revealing too much about oneself or saying too little –thus disappointing everybody.
He chose to reveal little.
"The resilience of nature, I guess…" he said cautiously, "Beetles crawling deep in the earth, oblivious to human kind -" he paused, "The sea -"
"The sea?" she seemed surprised.
"I love the sea," Gil said, "Specially at night. There's something about being alone in the middle of the ocean," he said thoughtfully, "There's a feeling of being completely cut off from civilization –even when you have a radio or people around you -"
He knew he was talking too much, but he couldn't help it, "There's a moment when you stand and look around, and you wonder if you're really going to make it back home… and then you look up and you realize you're not lost. The stars will show you the way."
"The stars," she whispered, "Tan lejos, en la inmensidad..."
She was quoting from his song again.
He studiously looked down.
"What is it that you like about the stars, Grissom?" she asked quietly, "That they can guide you back home… or that they're out of reach?"
He looked at her –really looked at her. It seemed he was studying every inch of her face.
"I like them because they're beautiful." He said simply.
She stared back. He didn't say more –but he didn't have to; his love for her was openly revealed in that wistful look he was giving her. It was a look she knew well –it was what had kept her hopes alive all this time.
He looked down after a moment.
She smiled faintly.
"We're two of a kind, aren't we?" She said ruefully, "We're less than two feet apart, and yet, you'd rather look at the stars and I'd rather dream."
It seemed she was going to add something, but she was interrupted by the beep of her pager. She immediately pulled it out. She would not admit it aloud, but the truth was, she was relieved. Another minute, and she wuld have over talked yet again.
Her eyebrow rose.
"Sofia's on duty already." She muttered, "I asked her to page me the minute she found a witness of that jewelry heist we're investigating…" she looked up, "Gotta go," she said.
She rose and went to talk to Doc Robbins. They'd probably meet later at the morgue, but it seemed appropriate to hug him goodbye.
When she returned to pick up her shoulder bag, Grissom was not there anymore.
Sara sighed.
Sara had left her car in a relatively quiet part of the parking lot, so when she approached it and saw a man standing there, she was understandably wary.
Wariness turned to surprise when she realized it was Grissom. He was standing with his back to her, and he was looking up at the sky.
Not wanting to intrude, Sara merely watched him in silence. She didn't made another sound but he must have recognized her steps, because he spoke without turning to look at her.
"There's a full moon tonight," he said.
Sara didn't look up. She approached him until she was standing by his side.
Gil kept his gaze up in the sky.
"There's lots of stars, too." he said.
Sara only looked at him, studying his profile.
After a moment, he spoke again.
"What if reality doesn't measure up to the dream, Sara?" he asked softly.
The question took her by surprise, and before she could say anything, he added, "It's a scary thought."
She mused on this for a moment.
"Well…" she said at last, "I've always believed that reality will always be infinitely better. But there's really only one way to find out, Griss."
Grissom glanced at her. Sara was looking expectantly at him.
After a moment, Grissom turned and faced her. He waited.
And waited.
He was obviously hoping she'd take the first step, just like she always did… But she didn't move. She was simply staring at him.
Grissom understood then; he was the one who harbored all those scary thoughts; he needed to overcome them by himself.
After a moment, he took a step closer and tentatively reached for her. He didn't quite know where to put his hands at first. One found its rightful place around her waist, while the other moved hesitatingly from her shoulder to her cheek, until it finally settled on the nape of her neck.
He stepped even closer, and Sara smiled when he did this. She liked the fact that for Gil, kissing was a full body contact experience. She didn't like it when guys pursed their lips and stretched their necks-
And that's when it hit her –the fact that Gil was going to kiss her. But all these thoughts blurred at the first contact of Gil's mouth on hers. His mouth and his body and his hands…
Sara confidently wrapped her arms around him under the warmth of his leather jacket (faux-leather jacket, she happily noticed), and pulled him closer. She believed in full-body contact experiences, too.
He pulled back after a moment, and looked at her. Sara smiled dreamily.
"Mmmmh. Qué maravilloso eres," she whispered.
He shook his head.
"Mais non." He whispered, "C'est toi qui est merveilleuse."
Her eyes bulged.
"French?" she exclaimed in dismay, "You speak French, too?"
But Grissom only laughed and pulled her for another kiss.
THE END
"Que maravilloso eres," would translate as "You're so wonderful."
"Mais non. C'est toi qui est merveilleuse," would translate as: "Nah, you're the one who is wonderful."
This is a very loose translation of the lines Sara quoted from, "Esta Cobardía"
He doesn't know that every time I see him,
my secret love is awaken;
that I have to hold back a sigh so no one suspects.
He doesn't know that in dreams
I've given him the sweet kisses he's never asked for,
and that in those lonely nights,
in the secrecy of my room
I've had him completely.
This is a very loose translation of the song SUEÑO CONTIGO:
If they told you they saw me wandering at midnight
And that suddenly, a memory seemed to light up my eyes,
You should know it was because of you
'cause even though I never say it
I dream of you, I dream of you
When I can't have you by my side,
I dream of you, I dream of you
If you wonder what's in my mind
whenever you see me distracted
or when I look at you in silence,
a secret smile on my lips;
You should know it's because of you
'cause awake or asleep, I dream of you, I dream of you
'Cause my steps keep taking me back to you
at the end of each road,
I dream of you
Wherever I go, I dream of you, I always dream of you