Tlaxcala is a small state in central Mexico, just an hour and a half drive away from Mexico City. Flanked by colorful Mayan frescoes of Cacaxtla archaeological site in the south, the village is right next to the ruins of Xochitecatl ancient pyramids. Northeast of here, the state capital of Tlaxcala features notable architecture like the Palacio de Gobierno de Tlaxcala, with an orange-tiled facade and murals depicting local history.
They say the most pleasant time here is the summer rainy season.
Much of Tlaxcala's economy is based on agriculture, livestock and forestry. Although the state has 15 dams and 483 wells to provide water, a large part of the state's agriculture is dependent on the summer rainy season, leaving it vulnerable to climatic phenomena known as El Niño or La Niña. Most livestock raised in the state is beef cattle and dairy cows along with the renowned fighting bulls.
Right in the middle of this expanse lies the ranch of Juan and Esther Salazar where they raise and breed fighting bulls. For a 48 year old man, Juan looks older. With receding hairline and a bit of fat accumulated in the midsection, Juan is otherwise a small-framed man. His wife, Esther, on the other hand, has aged like a fine wine over the years. With a dedicated morning regime that includes ample cardio and strength training, the 45-year-old, mother of three, is as slim and tall as ever.
Her hair is the color of a swirling brown with streams of auburn, her eyes as brown as midday earth. An aquiline nose hints at her Iberian roots, but her thin lips and high cheekbones are a dead giveaway of a white European ancestry. Her face, a light spray of freckles on an otherwise monotonous porcelain complexion, is as delectable as ever. She is tall, as tall as Juan, long-legged and tight-bodied and is pretty much in charge of running the ranch.
The Salazars have been married for about 16 years but they have only been living the Ranch life for the past 12. Their oldest son, Juanito, named after his father turned 18 last month and has won a full-fledged scholarship to UNAM.
The Salazars have thrown a farewell party for Juanito in the garden today. The crowd is a mix of young teens and older couples - cowboys, horse breakers and nearby ranchers. Kids are playing in the garden, the lovely evening air is filled with a bit of mist and smells of wine. Distant, almost perpetual, sound of Mariachi chords from a Spanish guitar is not hampering any conversations.
One of these guests is the horse-breaker Phil Roger, the only American in the party or 'Gringo' as they call him. He is having a good time chatting up with these Mexican folks. He approaches Juan and shakes his hand.
"Thanks for hooking me up with these jobs, man. I really appreciate it."
"It's no problem, man."
Juan replies.
Juan has employed Phil in his Ranch since the latter's arrival in the ranching village about a month ago and has referred him to the neighbors and community for a lot of work.
The thing about Juan is that apart from being a full-time rancher, he is also an avocational poet. Though he is well satisfied and happy with his ranching life, he doesn't want to give away his artistic persona. He travels twice a year for international poetry conventions. A staunch liberal at heart, Juan always has had trouble accepting conventional concepts of society about marriage, relationships, art and nature. Drawing on the likes of Octavio Paz, Jaime Sabines and Pablo Neruda among others - his collegiate inspiration figures, he is always ready to challenge rugged, orthodox belief systems to solidify his closeness towards an artistic obsession of himself. He speaks English, French and Portuguese fluently, knows a whole lot about other cultures and is not shy to imitate elements of them.
This may be one of the reasons Esther and he have led an open marriage lifestyle from the beginning. They like to participate in what they call 'ethical non-monogamy'. They are free to explore, to broaden their horizons. For him, love is not an act of possession but sharing and living the experiences together. As long as they shared their innate desires and emotions, it was okay for him to find consummation outside their matrimonial bond.
It's strange how homo sapiens don't realize that their ideas, their lifestyle, their well formulated opinions on human/animalistic emotions and relationships often get upgraded with new ones over time and age across culture and distance alike.
"So, if you are not doing anything, you might as well stay for a nightcap."
Juan asks his Gringo guest.
"Oh.. I would love to, man, but I gotta head to the city tomorrow. I need to wake up early If I want to catch Esther's ride".
"Esther is going to the city?" Juan asks, surprised.
"Yeah, she didn't tell you?"
"Now that I think of it, she might have mentioned it. I must have forgotten".
They say their goodbyes and Phil turns around on his way home.
The other guests are leaving too, the garden is empty now. Cornella, the maid, is cleaning up and stacking up the chairs and Rece and Camila, the kids, are helping her.
Juan and Esther have raised their little darlings with good values. The two kids were born on this ranch. He and Esther moved here to raise these two and Juanito, who was already six by then, to give them the stress-free, natural ride of life. Open spaces to learn to ride their bicycles, play in the mud and essentially enjoy growing up.
Juan is inside his room now. Their well-furnished bedroom is full of Mahogany woodwork.
Esther is bent at the nightstand removing her makeup. Juan walks up to her from behind and cusps her small breasts in his hand. He slowly takes his hands down her body and pulls the elastic fabric of the lingerie sticking perfectly to her taut, firm frame, highlighting her curves.
"You are going to the city tomorrow"? He asks her.
"Si, mi Amor. I told you about it last week, remember? I need to see that the web page guy gets our website up and running. There is some paperwork to finish too with the livestock purchase."
Juan didn't remember her telling him that, but he had been so busy the past week with his upcoming convention and managing the ranch that he didn't remember a lot of things.
Juan starts to slowly slide his fingers inside his wife's lingerie.
"Honey, let's leave that for tomorrow. The kids could walk in."
Juan removes his hand and places them on either side of her cheek instead. He pulls her face to himself and kisses her deeply and passionately. She returns his kiss.
"Good night, love."
Juan goes to bed while Esther goes to take a shower.
The next morning, Juan wakes up to find that Esther has already left for the city. He goes to the hall to join the kids for breakfast.
"Cornelia will pick you guys up from school. Do tell me what you learned today, okay?"
"Si papá." cooed the kids and left. Juan worked with the horses until four in the evening when he got a call from Esther.
"How did it go, honey?"
"Perfecto, mi Amor. The website is up and running and our bulls are labeled."
"Great. How were Maria and Phil?".
"Maria was kind enough to throw up in the truck. She puked last night's wine all over the floor. I shouldn't have brought her with me. Phil is really funny for a Gringo."
"Funny for a Gringo or he is funny, period?".
