date(d) in translation

hey, he said, te quiero un chingo

and for a second, for a tiny second, she thought, oh my god is this really happening?

but then

then

she realized that his level of Spanish was not hers. she realized, he is not that savvy when it comes to verbs in Spanish. he just isn’t.

do you know what that means? she asked him (after all, they have only dated for a couple of weeks the chances of querer were null).

i am saying i like you a lot, aren’t i.

no, you are not.

she then became a language instructor (and forgot she was simply woman with a man she met through an app). she told him there is only one word to show love in English while in Spanish there are two. te amo means this. te quiero means that. me gustas, is different.

you clearly don’t love me un chingo, she told him. (YET, she wanted to say) (or perhaps she actually said it YET!) (her index pointing at time). you just like me.

un chingo, he said.

she smiled. he kissed her. she smiled again.

you are so smart, he said.

no, i am just bilingual, she wanted to say. (or maybe she did say it)

 

then

after the kiss

then

she realized that his level of Spanish was bad yes. but HER levels of affection are messed up, and no grammar lesson might fix them any time soon.