This is a rather silly story, I wanted to see how the characters would behave if they drank sangria for the first time. The two silliest ways to get drunk are described here.
Chapter 1. Have a Glass of Sangria..
"How do you say this drink is made?" asked Victoria.
"The sailor told me that you have to put the fruit in the wine for it to pick up the flavor." said Pilar as she continued chopping up the fruit and adding it to the clay jugs.
"I don't understand, and then what do you do with the fruit?"
"You can eat it, but what's important is that it flavors the drink."
"I ´m not sure about this..."
"We're also going to pour orange juice in it."
The three girls busied themselves cutting up the fruit and portioning it into the jugs, then Alicia squeezed several oranges while Victoria went down to the cellar. They put the wine and juice in a barrel so they could stir it well.
"I think it's a shame to do this to Don Alejandro's wine." said Alicia looking at the mixture suspiciously.
"Several customers have said that it is very strong, if we reduce it with the fruit they will like it better for sure." said Pilar very convinced while stirring it with a spoon.
"We'd better take the jugs to the cellar so they'll be cooler." said Pilar. "Now I have to add the cane liquor we got from Cuba. But something is missing... of course, the sugar."
"Are you going to add sugar to the wine?" said Alicia.
"Yes, you'll see how good it turns out."
Victoria shrugged her shoulders. "Sugar is quite expensive, I hope I'm not wasting all this."
Once the ingredients were added they divided the drink into the jugs with fruit and took them down to the cellar to let them settle.
Three hours later they opened the tavern for the party. Almost the whole village was there. Victoria and her assistants began offering the drinks to the attendees.
"It's very good." said the smiling sergeant.
The alcalde tasted it and realized right away how loaded with alcohol it was, although the fruity flavor and sugar disguised it quite well. He recalled his experience with that drink at a picnic in Madrid and stroked his beard thoughtfully. Alcohol tended to loosen the tongue of the unsuspecting. Perhaps he could take advantage of the situation.
Diego sat at a table in a corner trying to remain unnoticed. His last visit to the village as Zorro had not ended as he had hoped. The bandits were tied up on their horses, the soldiers had already unloaded their weapons without hitting him, and he had gotten off Toronado to greet Victoria, who seemed less enthusiastic than usual. He remembered her exact words.
"Zorro, please leave as soon as possible. In half an hour a wedding starts and look how the square has turned out. We'll have to see if the flower arch at the church door can be fixed."
"Sorry, bandits and soldiers have no respect for aesthetics." he said jokingly.
"It's a very special day for my friend Emilia." she said very seriously. "As it would be for any woman." she added apologetically. "If you'll excuse me, I have a lot of work to do."
Zorro kissed her hand and left, suspecting that celebrating the wedding in the tavern was reminding her that for her it was not possible to marry. The bad thing was that later, when he went as don Diego to the ceremony and the meal at the tavern, he could see that she was still somewhat subdued. She tried to smile at her friends and customers, but she was not as cheerful as at other times.
Sergeant Mendoza spotted Diego at the corner table and approached with a jug of sangria.
"Don Diego, you have to try this."
"What is it?"
"Wine with fruit, it's very good."
Diego tasted it and it seemed to him that the sergeant was right. Mendoza refilled his glass. "You are very serious today Don Diego, come on, cheer up."
The sergeant stayed with Diego for quite a while, and kept refilling his glass without him noticing, distracted by other neighbors who came to greet him. The alcalde did keep a rough count of how much Don Diego was drinking and smiled mischievously. A drunken de la Vega could be very amusing.
"Victoria. Have you tried the drink?" asked Alicia.
"Not yet, I'm just finishing frying this."
"It's very hot in here, have a glass, I just brought this jug up and it's still cool."
"Put me only half a glass, I'm working, and with so much hustle and bustle I've hardly eaten." Victoria took a sip and acknowledged that the drink was worth it, you couldn't tell how strong Don Alejandro's wine was. Then she saw one of the already empty jugs and decided to try a piece of peach. "It's very tasty." she murmured.
Victoria continued eating pieces of peach and some apple and orange, not realizing that they were impregnated with the drink. On one occasion she stepped out of the kitchen and in making a sudden movement almost lost her balance. The alcalde was one of the few who had hardly been drinking, and therefore kept his powers of observation intact, so when he saw her he knew that she was also quite tipsy. An idea made its way into his head, and this time he weighed all the possibilities. He decided to act.
De Soto watched the curtain that separated the kitchen from the main room, and when almost an hour later he could see that the two assistants were outside, he slyly entered.
"Señorita Victoria, you have to come out, Zorro has come to greet you."
She had continued eating peaches and was worse off than before, so she stopped what she was doing and looked up at him smiling. "Yes, I have to tell him that what I said the other day was a misunderstanding."
"And what happened the other day?" asked de Soto trying to get as much information out of the tavern keeper as possible.
"I told him to leave, but I would have liked him to stay." she said.
"Well he's there now, come with me."
Victoria peered into the room and looked around.
"He's not here." she said turning to him somewhat angrily.
"Of course he is..." replied de Soto trying to disguise his interest. "He has come without his mask."
Victoria with her index finger tapped the alcalde's chest. "Then how am I to know he's here?" said Victoria crisply emphasizing each word with a little tap. Suddenly she stopped and opened her eyes wide. "Wait a minute. Do you know who he is?" she said eagerly.
"No, I don't." he replied frustrated.
"Then don't waste my time." she replied irritably turning back to the kitchen.
"Too bad." muttered de Soto. He looked over to the table in the corner and decided to wait until don Diego was alone to talk to him. Mendoza finally got a victim for a dance and de Soto was able to approach.
"Good evening, don Diego, what a lively party, isn't it?"
Diego looked at him and nodded and sighed. "It's true, everyone seems to be having a great time." he said in a voice somewhat muffled and slurring his words.
"I believe the whole town has come."
"Yes, except señora de Marin, who is eighty years old and no longer in the mood for parties."
"I suppose you're right, although someone else is also missing. Do you think Zorro will come?"
Diego shook his head. "No, he only comes when there are bandits, new taxes or something, he can't come to a party."
The alcalde looked at him with interest. "But he could come without his mask, he could be here right now."
Diego shook his head. "Zorro is not here, because when he takes off his mask he is not Zorro."
The alcalde found that very interesting. "Then who is he?"
"A man, not a legend."
"But what's his name?"
Diego blinked and looked up from his glass. "What's whose name?"
"Zorro´s name."
"Well, just that, Zorro."
"No, without the mask." insisted the mayor who was beginning to lose patience.
"I'm telling you, without the mask he's not Zorro."
"But when it's not Zorro he has to be someone else."
"Well, that's it, he's someone else and not Zorro."
"But that person has to have a name."
The alcalde realized that Diego was not listening to him, but staring at the curtain that separated the dining room from the kitchen. He followed his gaze and saw the tavern keeper and one of her assistants taking a tray from her hands so that she would not drop it. She noticed Diego gawking at her, and another idea occurred to him.
When the party was in full swing, de Soto slyly climbed the stairs and headed for Victoria's room. He looked both ways, making sure no one saw him, and went in. He didn't stay inside for long, because he could immediately confirm that the key was indeed on the inside. With a wolfish grin he put the key in his pocket and went back out.
He approached Diego, who was still sitting at the same table looking somewhat depressed. "Don Diego, I heard señorita Escalante say that she was going out to get some air, and I offered to accompany her, but she turned me down in very bad manners."
"I think... she doesn't like you very much after putting her in jail so many times." said Diego in a philosophical tone.
"She asked one of her assistants to go upstairs to get a shawl, but they told her they couldn't now, I offered to get it for her too, but she told me not to go near her room. How suspicious. So I suggested that you could go, and she didn't think that was a bad idea."
"Sure, I can pull down a shawl for her, no problem." replied Diego somewhat taken aback by the request. He rose from his chair and staggered a little, to the satisfaction of the alcalde. De Soto escorted Diego to the stairs so he wouldn't get lost and stood for a moment watching him go upstairs, then headed for the kitchen.
"Señorita, I'm afraid don Diego is quite drunk and for some reason he has gone into your room."
"How odd, he doesn't usually drink." said Victoria with the typical pronunciation of someone who has had quite a bit to drink.
"He must not have realized how strong the drink was. I'm afraid most of your parishioners are drunk."
Victoria went out into the living room and from downstairs saw Diego entering his bedroom. "Let's see what he wants." she muttered and climbed the stairs.
The alcalde followed her trying to dissemble. She entered the bedroom and saw Diego looking in her trunk. She didn't notice the alcalde close the door behind her and lock the key.
"Diego. What are you doing here?"
"The alcalde told me to bring you down a shawl to go for a walk."
"I didn't ask for a shawl. Who knows what he's up to. Let's go."
Victoria tried to open the door, but couldn't. "It's locked."
Diego walked over and also tried to open it. "Yes, it's locked."
"I just told you."
"And where's the key?"
"It should be in the lock."
"It's not."
"I can see that." said Victoria somewhat annoyed. Then she knocked on the door. "Pilar, Alicia, we're here!"
"I don't think they'll hear you, with a party down there."
"Well, no." she said with a sigh. "Let's see what we do now."
"I can climb out of the window."
"No way, as clumsy as you are you're sure to fall out, if anything bad happens to you your father will be upset."
"I'm not clumsy. I can climb out of a window."
"Yes you are, you fall off stairs and horses. If you go out that window you'll break your head for sure."
Diego shook his head, remembering for a moment that it was true he was pretending to be clumsy. "So what do we do?" he said.
"Wait for someone to notice." she said despondently, leaning against the wall opposite the door.
"It could be hours." he said looking worried. "Don't worry, I'll save you. I'll break the door down." he stated with conviction.
She imagined it and a giggle escaped him. "You're going to throw yourself against the door? That's not a good idea, because you're so clumsy, and besides..."
He took a few steps backward, picked up his pace and threw himself against the door, slamming it with his shoulder. The door resisted, and he bounced backwards, lost his balance and fell to the floor. At the sight of him she burst out laughing and had to brace herself by leaning against the wall.
"What's the matter with you now?" he said with an expression of not understanding what had happened.
"You have a very funny face." she said as she laughed so hard that she was slowly slipping down, her back still leaning against the wall.
"And that makes you laugh?"
"Yes, because besides that, you won't be able to open the door like that, it opens inward, you clumsy man." she said with a chuckle as she continued to slide down to the floor.
"It's not that funny." he said rubbing his shoulder, he now looked offended, which Victoria found even funnier.
"Yes, yes it is." she replied between guffaws already sitting on the floor.
"No, it isn't. It's funny to you because you're drunk."
"No, you're drunk. I've hardly had a drink. I just ate the fruit."
"You're even drunker than me."
"No way."
"Let's see," he said getting up from the floor with difficulty. "Walk in a straight line toward me."
Victoria stood up awkwardly and tried to walk toward him, but she staggered pitifully. She ended up tripping over her own feet and Diego held her as best he could, because he was also wobbling.
"Al right, I can't, but neither can you."
"No, but I've already acknowledged that I'm drunk."
She had the feeling that she should ask him to let go, but she couldn't remember why, so she stayed hugging him. Diego let go of her and stepped back.
"Why are you pulling away?" she asked.
"To stop hugging you."
"But I want you to hug me, I like it."
"Me too." he said without thinking hard about what he was saying. "But if I hug you I'll want to kiss you."
"You want to kiss me?" she said quizzically.
"All the time, but I can't." he said in a sad voice.
"Why not?"
"Because you're not my girlfriend, you're Zorro's girlfriend, and you don't want me to kiss you."
She thought to herself. "Actually sometimes I do, but I think it's out of curiosity. When I was little I wanted to, but you were too old and wouldn't noticed me. Then you went to Spain and when you came back you were really weird. And I met Zorro and then I wanted to kiss him."
"Well what I was saying, you don't want to kiss me."
"Sometimes I do, to check that I don't like it and stop wondering what it would be like."
"Do you want me to kiss you?"
"Only sometimes, when I remember the night at the mill. If you had kissed me then I wouldn't have to wonder anymore. I thought you were going to kiss me, but you weren't." She went thoughtful again. "Do you mind if I kiss you now? We have nothing better to do."
He too stood thinking, convinced there was a reason to say no, but with the alcohol clouding his mind he wasn't able to find it. Seeing him so focused she laughed again. When he looked at her quizzically she said. "You've made that funny face again. Come on, I'm going to kiss you, sit on the bed, you are very tall and so I don't have to look up."
Diego obeyed without a second thought and sat on the bed. She sat on his lap, looked him in the eyes and then kissed him gently. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back enthusiastically, to which she couldn't help but respond.
They pulled apart and she frowned. "I thought I wouldn't like it, but I did like it. Now I don't know what to do."
"You could kiss me again." said Diego hopefully.
"No, because I'm Zorro's girlfriend and you're not Zorro."
For Diego to be able to keep kissing Victoria was the most important thing in the world. He didn't think about what the consequences might be and decided to tell her. "But I am Zorro."
She glared at him. "You're not Zorro. You're just saying that to get me to kiss you again. Men will say anything to get kisses. If you were Zorro I'd know it. "
Instead of answering Diego snorted, laughed, and shook his head.
"You are not Zorro. Zorro is not clumsy, and you are." stated Victoria very seriously.
"That's not true."
"Yes it is, you crashed against my door."
"Because I'm drunk now, but I'm not normally clumsy."
"Yes you are, and I'm telling you you're not Zorro."
"Yes, I am."
"I'll prove it to you. I've got a Zorro mask around here somewhere, I'll put it on you and you'll see you're not him."
"You´ll se, I´m sure I am."
Victoria got up from Diego's lap and opened a drawer. She rummaged around for a while, and grunted, "Gee, I moved it so no one would find it, and now I can't find it."
Meanwhile Diego had gotten up and was behind her looking around curiously. She turned to go look elsewhere and as she turned she bumped into him, bouncing backwards a bit.
"Why is there a wall here?" she said in confusion. She raised her hands to touch the obstacle she had bumped into. "Oh, it's you. You're so hard, I thought you were a wall." she said feeling his chest. Then she looked up at him. "I can't find the mask, but no need, I'll try this." She put the index finger and thumb of each hand together and then brought her hands closer forming with them a kind of mask.
"You're too tall, sit down again." she said pushing him a little. He sat back down on the bed, and she looked straight at him and raised her hands to his face.
"See, it's you, Diego."
She brought her hands up to Diego's face and placed them covering the top except for his eyes, which were encircled by her index finger and thumb.
"And if I put a mask on you You see? Now you're still... Wow..." Victoria stared at him thoughtfully. "Yes, you are Zorro. How funny!" she said, laughing. "Did you know you're Zorro?"
"Of course I did, I just told you and you didn't believe me."
"Now you're Diego." he said taking his hands away. "Now you are Zorro." he repeated putting them back on.
"Diego... Zorro." she kept saying as she repeated the motion.
"Now that I am Zorro. May I kiss you again?" he said on the third time she did the same.
"Diego... Zo..." she interrupted herself. "Yes, what a good idea." and she sat back down on his lap to kiss him, so enthusiastically that Diego and she fell onto the bed. They broke into laughter and then kissed again.