Vampires2.com Proudly Presents
An Audio Production of:
"WHEN PEDRO MET VANESSA"
Written, Read and Illustrated By: Carlos Dunn
Another fine Vampires2.com Audio Production

It was  one hour before closing time at Rose’s Cantina.  The TexMex band had stopped playing over an hour ago and left.  Only the bartender and Vanessa remained.  She too should have gone back to her apartment hours ago.

Her long black hair shined like silk in the flickering “La Mejor Cerveza es Dos XX” neon sign behind the bar.  Her skin was too white to be Latin.  Most of her friends called her “Guera” which means the light skinned girl.  And if a hombre looked deeply enough into her soft brown eyes, he would see the loneliness and longing that plagued her life.

Then the bat wing doors swung in and a man come in.  A potential customer.  The hombre sat at the other end of the bar and ordered a shot of tequila.  Only then did he glance down the bar at Vanessa. 

“Hola.”  She said simply. 

Although the man smiled and nodded, he turned back to his drink and downed it in one swallow, then stared at the empty glass.  It was obvious he was not in the mood for conversation. 

“Looks like you are having a really bad day.”  Vanessa said getting up and moving to the stool next to the man. 

He still did not look at her.  He just kept staring at his empty Tequila glass. 

"Why don't you tell me about it"  Vanessa said.

The man sighed.  “I went home after work the evening and found the apartment empty, me esposa was gone.  She left me a note telling me she was moving to the United States to live with her sister and she was never coming back.  Now, I’m goanna drink some Tequila and get shit faced.” 

Then to Vanessa’s surprise he turned to look at her.  He sighed again.  “Sorry, but I’m not going to be very good company for anyone tonight.”

He was handsome.  He too was a “Guedo” a light skinned man with deep blue eyes.  And she liked the Spanish accent, the way he pronounced "Thon" instead of "Son."  But that wasn’t what stunned her.  Looking into his eyes she saw the same loneliness.  The same sadness and despair.

She had to force her gaze away from his eyes.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare.”

Then something amazing happened, he smiled.  It lit up his whole face.  It was a sad smile but it was a smile just the same.  “What’s your name?”

“Vanessa.”

“Vanessa I am Pedro” He stuck out his hand.
They shook hands.

“I’m a good listener Pedro and as you can see we pretty much got the place to ourselves.”

He nodded.  “Okay.”  He ordered another shot of Tequila and downed it.  “For as long as I can remember, I sacrificed everything for her.” 

“When my business failed me casa got repossessed by the bank, I found a decent apartment and get a job at “El Gordo’s” meat packing plant.  But her love for me, her lust her passion, the romance it was all long gone.” 

“I know what you mean having sex is not the same as making love.  I can't remember the last time I made love.” Vanessa whispered, mostly to herself.

As she sat there next to Pedro, feeling the warmth of his body and listening to his story she found herself wanting him to stop staring at his empty Tequila glass.  She wanted him to turn and face her so she could stare into his eyes again.  She knew they held the same loneliness and despair she felt.

“Pedro I am so sorry.” 

He turned and looked at her again, God those eyes! 

“Don’t be sorry.”  He said.  “It’s probably the best thing that ever happened to me.  We stopped loving each other a long time ago.  And all the reasons for us to stay together they were gone a long time ago.  Well like I said,  I’m not much company tonight.”

“Actually you are.”  Vanessa smiled and she meant it.

Something was definitely happening here.  He sensed it too. She didn’t know how she knew that, but she did.

Sighing Pedro downed his third shot of Tequila.  “I  got three hundred pesos on me and I’m going to drink up every peso.”

Vanessa put her hand on his wrist,  it was so warm.  “Listen, I’ve no right to tell you what to do, but I believe people should only drink for happy reason’s not sad ones. Don’t get drunk.”
 

Pedro seemed to think on this long and hard on this.  “That’s good advice Vanessa.  You are right. No more Tequila.”  

The bartender came over and said it was last call.

They looked at each other as if to say:  “Okay so what do we do now?”

She caught herself staring into his eyes again.  This time she pictured them together in a fancy candle lit restaurant sharing a glass of fancy red wine.  And she wandered for the first time what kissing him would be like, what making love with him would be like.

“Look, it’s closing time, would you like to come over to my apartment for a glass of wine.  I only live 2 blocks away.”

So they left the Cantina.  Pedro grabbed her hand and they walked hand and hand silently to Vanessa’s apartment.   

Once inside she pored him a glass of cabernet.  Then she poured herself a glass of something red that looked like wine from her refrigerator.

“I’ve been jabbering on all night about my troubles Vanessa. You haven’t told me anything about yourself.  Where are you from.”

“There isn’t much to tell.  I grew up in Peru.  Had inspirations of being a model.  Now, I’m stuck here in Colima.   I am sorry if I was too bold back there in the Cantina.  I just wanted someone to talk to.” 

“And you thought I might be a customer.”

“That too, but that doesn’t matter now,  we can do it for free if you want.”  She stopped realizing that she’d just told him what she did for a living, realizing he might just stand up and walk out.  “Pedro, I just need to feel your arms around me.  You’re so warm, and I’m just so damn cold.  I just want you hold me.  That’s all.”

Pedro’s face registered surprise, then softened. Perhaps he realized that she was just as lonely as he was.  He ran his fingers down her cheek.  “There’s something else you aren’t telling isn’t there.  And Jesus Christ girl.”  He gasped as he touched the rest of her body.  “You really are cold aren’t you?” 

“Yeah.  But if you hug me for a while I’ll get warm.”

Vanessa didn’t wait to be invited.  She just sat on Pedro’s lap and kissed him.

Their passions ignited. 

She took Pedro’s hand and led him into her bedroom and for the next thirty minutes they made love.  It was good and tender and satisfying, something neither of them had felt in a very, very long time. 

An hour later, they lay in each others arms.  She was warm now. 

As she lay there, her head resting on his chest, she could hear Pedro’s heart beating inside of his chest, smell his blood and the adrenaline and testosterone. 

“Vanessa?”

“Yes.”

“That was really, really good.”

“Yes it was.”

“So what is it you were going to tell me?”

Vanessa was silent.

“Okay.  You were cold when we got here, now your warm,  and when we were making love, your eyes changed.  They were yellow and the pupils were red.”

“Pedro either you won’t believe me, or you’ll think I am crazy, or it will scare the shit out of you and you’ll run like hell.  Please not now.  I don’ t want this moment to end I don't want it to ever end.”

Pedro felt something wet on his chest and realized it was a tear.

“Vanessa.  I’m not going to run away, you can tell me.  Besides I think I might already know.  When I checked the frig I saw a jar of animal blood.  That’s what you were drinking instead of wine. So, you were cold, your eyes change color, you drink animal blood.  Vanessa the only thing you haven’t shown me is you fangs.”

Vanessa didn’t know what to say.

“So you believe in Vampires?”

“I think I'm in bed with one.”

Vanessa sighed.  “It’s okay you can go if you want, I will understand.”

“Vanessa, I just had the most wonderful night of my life and you think I want to leave, just like that?”

Vanessa raised her head and look into Pedro’s eyes, God those wonderful eyes.

“You are beautiful Vanessa, he touched her between her breasts.  You are beautiful in there too, en tu cortizon.”

“That’s how I feel about you Pedro.  I like being with you”

“Okay, then show me them.”

“What?’

“You know.”

“You sure you won’t run away.”

He smiled and her heart warmed.  “I’m sure.”

So Vanessa set up in bed.  And she smiled so that he could see her pointed incisors. Then she blushed.

“There beautiful Vanessa.”

He pulled her down and he kissed her.  “I think we’d be really good for each other.”

“What?” 

Vanessa smiled and a tear slid down her cheek.  “You mean that?”

Pedro laughed.  “I work at a meat processing plant for God’s sake.  I can get you all the blood you’ll ever need.”

“And what will you get out of this Pedro?”

He kissed her again.  “I get a beautiful woman.  I get a chance to fall in love again.  And if what just happened is any indication of what I'd be coming home to every night.  I think I would like that.”    

“I’d like that too Pedro.  Make love to me again."

And so he did