Taboo, variation #1 – A 100 Word Story

“I do not like to speak Spanish in public,” she said, hoping he and his bright, inquisitive eyes would just go away.

“Well, could I practice with you? I am having problems in my Spanish class.”

Kate (“Katiana,” her mother whispers in accented English) twirls a dyed blonde strand of her hair. She prays he has not heard her call home.

“No. I do not remember that much, anyway. I am sorry.”

“Lo siento, tambien,” he says, walking away.

That night, she hears Univision from her mother’s television and cries. It is a melodramatic soap opera.

She understands every word.