Caffé Di Roma [Eng/Spa]

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"You have a despicable habit," Janeth spat with a sneer of distaste on her face.

"What can I tell you? I've been doing it since I was born," Erick defended.

"You can't help but share a coffee with me, can you?" he added drawing a grin

The afternoon was cool, a small breeze made the summer heat tolerable, and sharing a cup of coffee with Erick in that small establishment in Salamanca was priceless.

It had been a long time since they had done that. Janeth never thought she would miss that custom so much. Having gotten a good paying job in another city was a good fortune that she was very grateful to the universe, she had everything she had wanted thanks to that, but even so, Erick was absolutely right, sharing a coffee with a good friend was stimulating and made her forget the hustle and bustle of the day, the routine stress that her job demanded, the constant complaints from her mother for not having married yet; undoubtedly, it was like being in an oasis in the middle of the desert.

At last, the waiter arrived with a couple of cups filled with his delectable concoction. A flawless blend of milk and coffee adorned with a layer of gently sweetened foam, which caused Janeth's mouth to water in anticipation.

Neither short nor lazy, she hurried to enjoy her drink, a small sip that activated her taste buds and the nostalgic memory of her peculiar company. Erick, immune to what was going on, watched a couple walking hand in hand down the street.

"I'm sorry you got divorced," Janeth blurted out, licking her foam mustache.

"Who would have thought my peculiar taste would ruin everything?" commented Erick.

"I never thought Tiana would be so shallow," he added.

"There are professionals who deal with those kinds of fetishes," Janeth replied as she dunked a cookie in her steaming drink.

"I was always faithful, respectful, understanding, a great companion," Erick atoned

"Mmhmm" muttered Janeth, still juggling her cookie.

Suddenly a fly landed on the rim of Erick's cup. He fixed his gaze on it and bit his lips. She gave him a sidelong glance.

"Don't even think about it," she blurted out as she puckered her lips and saw that her cookie had broken in half and was slowly, hopelessly, soaking wet in coffee.

"What?" replied Erick with surprised innocence.

"Play the victim, I know damn well what you were going to do."

"I can't help it, it's in my nature."

Janeth rolled her eyes

"Everyone has a vice, some people smoke, others drink," Erick defended himself. "What do you think is the downside of having married someone who used to be a toad?"

“Having a house clean of vermin?” completed Janeth and burst into laughter.

Erick rolled up his eyes.

"You're disgusting," she said as she rubbed tears from the corners of her eyes.

Erick looked toward the horizon and Janet hurriedly apologized waving her hand and continued

"You might move to Mexico, there are places over there where it's normal to eat any kind of bugs," Janeth recommended letting out a mischievous giggle as she dug into her drink with a teaspoon in search of the sunken remains of her cookie.

Erick was thoughtful for a moment and then suddenly, he nodded as if someone had opened his eyes

"No!" suddenly cried Janeth

"Who am I going to drink my coffee with?" she added, pouting.

"You are still the same old girl as always", he reproached

They laughed and continued chatting pleasantly as the afternoon slipped away into orange shades.

See you next time...

"Tienes un hábito despreciable", escupió Yaneth con una mueca de desagrado en su rostro.

"¿Qué te puedo decir? Lo hago desde que nací", defendió Erick

"Pero no puedes evitar compartir un café conmigo", agregó dibujando una sonrisa

La tarde estaba fresca, una pequeña brisa hacía tolerable el calor del verano y compartir una taza de café con Erick en ese pequeño establecimiento en Salamanca era invaluable.

Hacía tiempo que no lo hacían. Yaneth jamás pensó que extrañaría tanto esa costumbre. El haber conseguido un buen empleo remunerativo en otra ciudad era una suerte que agradecía mucho al universo, tenía todo lo que había deseado gracias a él, pero aún así, Erick tenía toda la razón, compartir un café con un buen amigo era estimulante y la hacía olvidar el ajetreo del día, el estres rutinario que demandaba su trabajo, los constantes reclamos de su madre por no haberse casado aún; indudablemente, era como estar en un oasis en medio del desierto.

Por fin, el mesero trajo un par de tazas repletas con su delicioso elixir. Una combinación perfecta entre leche y café, adornada con una capa de espuma tiernamente endulzada, que hacía agua la boca de Yaneth.

Ni corta ni perezosa, se apresuró a disfrutar de su bebida, un pequeño sorbo que activó sus papilas gustativas y el recuerdo nostálgico de su peculiar compañía. Erick inmune a lo que sucedía, miraba a una pareja que caminaba agarrada de las manos por la calle.

"Lamento que te hayas divorciado", soltó Yaneth lamiendo su bigote de espuma.

"¿Quién iba a pensar que mi peculiar gusto arruinaría todo?" Comentó Erick

"Jamás pensé que Tiana fuera tan superficial", agregó

"Hay profesionales que tratan ese tipo de fetiches", respondió Yaneth mientras remojaba una galleta en su bebida humeante.

"Siempre fui fiel, respetuoso, comprensible, una gran compañía", expuso Erick

"Mmjmm" murmuró Yaneth aún malabaréando con su galleta.

De pronto una mosca se posó en el borde la taza de Erick. Este fijó su mirada en ella y mordió sus labios. Yaneth lo miró de soslayo.

"Ni siquiera lo pienses", soltó mientras arrugaba sus labios al ver que su galleta se había partido a la mitad y ésta se hundía lentamente, sin remedio, empapada en café.

"¿Qué?" Respondió Erick con sorpresiva inocencia

"Hazte la víctima, sé muy bien lo que ibas a hacer"

"No puedo evitarlo, está en mi naturaleza."

Yaneth puso sus ojos en blanco

"Todos tienen un vicio, unos fuman, otros beben," Erick se defendió. "¿Cuál crees que es la desventaja de haberse casado con alguien que solía ser un sapo?"

"¿Tener un casa limpia de alimañas?" completó Yaneth y explotó en una carcajada.

Erick puso sus ojos en blanco

"Eres repugnante", repitió Yaneth mientras restregaba las lágrimas de la comisura de sus ojos.

Erick miró hacia el horizonte y Yaneth se apresuró a disculparse moviendo su mano y continuó

"Podrías mudarte a México, allá hay sitios donde es normal comer insectos", recomendó Yaneth soltando una risita pícara mientras escarbaba su bebida con una cucharilla en busca de los restos hundidos de su galleta.

Erick quedó pensativo por un instante y de repente, asintió como si alguien le hubiera abierto los ojos

"¡No!", gritó Yaneth

"¿Con quién voy a tomar mi café?" agregó soltando un puchero

"Sigues siendo la misma niña de siempre", reprochó Erick

Ambos rieron y continuaron charlando amenamente mientras la tarde se escurría entre tonalidades naranjas.

Hasta la próxima.