{"id":2250,"date":"2021-05-15T18:27:37","date_gmt":"2021-05-16T01:27:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/?p=2250"},"modified":"2021-05-15T18:28:59","modified_gmt":"2021-05-16T01:28:59","slug":"the-little-bull-and-the-calf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/2021\/05\/15\/the-little-bull-and-the-calf\/","title":{"rendered":"The Little Bull and the Calf"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

prompt: Start your story with someone accepting a dare.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

available at Reedsy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

…[P]eer power as an extrinsic force is a lot like radiation: a little goes a long way. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charles D. Hayes<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people, perhaps even most, in the situation Sam found herself would wonder how they got there. She had no trouble pinpointing the moment that led her to be sitting in an interrogation room, wrists cuffed to the table, ankles shackled to the floor. It was the simple sentence: \u201cI dare you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m Special Agent Angela Mackey. You\u2019re Samira?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSam.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSamira Thibideaux, twenty-six, from New Orleans, Louisiana, correct?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Angela leaned forward on her elbows. \u201cYou understand you\u2019re in a lot of trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sam nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy did you run up on the President like that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know she was there. I saw Hector and was going to get a surprise selfie with him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWearing a cape and a ski mask?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLuchador mask. El Torito, his favorite. It\u2019s a joke. Call him, he\u2019ll tell you. We prank each other all the time…or we used to, back in high school.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll involve Senator Valencia when we feel it\u2019s appropriate,\u201d Angela said. \u201cTell me about your day. Start from the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sam picked at her breakfast; her roommates\u2019 chatter a warm comfort. She had the day off and had no idea how she would spend it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey Sam, that senator you went to school with is in town today.\u201d Alicia was the unofficial \u201cmother\u201d of the group. \u201cYou should see if he can get some time to have coffee or something, reconnect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOoh, if you can get a selfie with him, that would boost your Insta.\u201d Trish was, to all appearances, a shallow, vain, young woman, with little interest in anything beyond fashion and fun. \u201cBut not a plain selfie, you should do something wild.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe doesn\u2019t have to do anything wild or \u2018boost<\/em> her Insta.<\/em>\u2019 If Sam wants to hang out with her friend, she should.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s Henry in to?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHis name is Hector, and he was always into Lucha Libre. His favorite wrestler since grade school was \u2018El Torito\u2019\u2014a little guy who fought like a bull. He told me in third grade that he sometimes had nightmares that he\u2019d made El Torito mad, and he was coming to get him.\u201d Sam turned to her phone to text Hector and stop herself from divulging yet more personal information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alicia began collecting the dishes. \u201cI have to work a double today. Sam, tell Hector I said \u2018Hi.\u2019 Trish, try not to burn down the house.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey! That was one time<\/em> in college, the dorm didn\u2019t burn down, and it wasn\u2019t my fault. I\u2019m not the one that left a rag on the hotplate.\u201d Trish scrolled through her phone, absorbed in whatever took her fancy at the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut you are<\/em> the one that plugged it in without checking,\u201d Alicia said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll handle the dishes,\u201d Sam said. \u201cHave a good day at work.\u201d In short order, Sam had the kitchen back to its normal, pristine state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour phone went off while you were in the kitchen.\u201d Trish held something behind her back. \u201cYour friend says he\u2019ll be at the coffee shop on 14th at two this afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019re you hiding?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh!\u201d Trish showed her phone to Sam. \u201cThis is the guy your friend likes, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sam nodded. \u201cYeah, El Torito.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trish put her phone away. \u201cGood. We\u2019re going shopping before you meet your friend.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy do you keep saying \u2018your friend?\u2019 His name is Hector.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause it doesn\u2019t sound like a real name when I say it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sam sighed. \u201cYou\u2019re weird. Why do we need to go shopping?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know you think that Insta is a waste of your time, but it\u2019s tied to your other online stuff, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, and?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow do you think you\u2019ll get those freelance editing jobs if no one even knows you exist?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, you\u2019re trying to help?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am.\u201d Trish could be sincere and convincing when needed. \u201cI\u2019ll get you just enough internet fame to get jobs rolling into your inbox, hopefully without too many Insta creeps.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFine, let\u2019s go shopping. I guess I need to get something classier than my jeans and hoodies, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUh, yeah…classy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They stood in front of the store. Sam looked at Trish, unable to form the question that played across her face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrust me, okay. This\u2019ll be fun.\u201d Trish gave a little tug to Sam\u2019s hand and led her inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a costume store.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd they have something waiting for you.\u201d Trish walked in and called out in her best party-girl, carry-over-the-crowd voice, \u201cWho\u2019s got the El Tortilla mask?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEl Torito.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhatever, they know what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sam spent the next fifteen minutes feeling like the third wheel as Trish and the saleswoman talked about clubs, parties, brands, makeup, celebrities, and random trivia. Finally, the saleswoman brought out a bag containing a red cape and a luchador mask that was a close, if not perfect, replica of the mask worn by El Torito.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As they left the store, Trish having paid for the costume, Sam said, \u201cNice of her to let you use her employee discount. Why didn\u2019t you introduce me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho? The chick that works there? I don\u2019t know her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2014I have no words.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the coffee shop, Sam looked in the bag, then back at Trish. \u201cThis is ridiculous. I\u2019m not doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou think he\u2019ll be mad?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI mean, he\u2019d probably think it\u2019s pretty funny, but I\u2019m not sure about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trish leaned close. \u201cYou\u2019ve known the guy forever. You even know his favorite lecher-whatsit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLuchador.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhatever. This\u2019ll blow up on Insta. And his team will probably tweet it, get you noticed. Unless you\u2019re scared of him, or afraid he\u2019s forgotten you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not scared of him, and we literally<\/em> texted less than four hours ago. He hasn\u2019t forgotten me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trish leaned back and took a sip of her latte. She looked Sam in the eyes and said, \u201cI dare you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUgh, fine.\u201d Sam retreated to the restroom and put on the costume, waiting for the text from Trish that they were there. In a matter of minutes, it came: \u201cThey\u2019re here. Streaming. Go time!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She peeked out from the restroom and saw him, his back to her, with several other men and women in suits. She took a deep breath for courage, then burst into the main room shouting El Torito\u2019s tag line, \u201c\u00a1Cuidado con los cuernos!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sam was no more than three steps into the room when she found herself face-down, covered by two large men who had her cuffed before she knew what had happened. The President\u2019s shocked face swam into her vision and her heart dropped through the floor. \u201cHector! It\u2019s me. I\u2019m so sorry, Madame President!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The interrogation room she found herself in was in a nondescript office building, not the police station. The fact that she hadn\u2019t spoken to anyone other than Secret Service agents so far led her to believe that she was in a deeper hole than she could ever get out of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat happens now?\u201d she asked. \u201cDo I go to Guantanamo? Disappear?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSit tight.\u201d Angela left the room without saying anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minutes dragged on, and Sam feared the worst. She looked up at the camera in the corner of the room. \u201cPlease? Call Hector Valencia? Please?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was an hour later when a large man in a suit entered, carrying a briefcase. \u201cMs. Thibideaux? I\u2019m an attorney. Let\u2019s talk about your options.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo you\u2019re not,\u201d Sam said. \u201cI saw you at the coffee shop. You\u2019re trying to trick me into saying something incriminating, even though I haven\u2019t done anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He sighed and waved at the camera. The door opened again, and another agent entered, with Trish. She wasn\u2019t in cuffs, but she looked like she was holding in tears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey, Sam.\u201d Her voice was barely above a whisper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt least you got a funny stream out of it, at my expense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She looked down at her phone, dark and silent in her hand, and shook her head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want a real attorney.\u201d Sam would have crossed her arms if she weren\u2019t chained to the table. \u201cYou\u2019ll back me up in court, right Trish?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlease.\u201d The agent who had claimed to be her attorney raised a hand. \u201cYou won\u2019t see a courtroom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh god, I\u2019m going to disappear!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The door opened and Hector walked in, holding the mask and cape. \u201cAll right, guys, that\u2019s enough. Let her go. I win this one, Sam.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agent freed her wrists and ankles, chuckling quietly. \u201cWe figured out you weren\u2019t a threat after the FBI searched your apartment, but Senator Valencia wanted us to wait until he got here to tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter they searched\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey finished up about fifteen minutes ago,\u201d the agent said. \u201cThe senator has your phone, by the way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you wanted to meet up, I knew you\u2019d try something silly, but not this silly.\u201d Hector handed her the costume and looked at Trish. \u201cThanks for not spilling the beans before I got here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trish broke down, laughing so hard tears streamed down, smearing her mascara. \u201cSorry, sorry. Can\u2019t stop laughing. The stream went viral! And the President just tweeted that it was quote, \u2018An ill-timed prank, no harm done,\u2019 end quote.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hector gave Sam a hug. \u201cIt\u2019s good to see you after so long.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou too. Sorry I couldn\u2019t surprise you with El Torito the way I wanted to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, I was surprised, all right. Put that on, and let\u2019s get a couple selfies for your fans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re calling you \u2018La Ternera\u2019 online.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe calf. You are<\/em> smaller than even El Torito.\u201d Hector put an arm around her shoulder and snapped a selfie with her phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sam was glad of the luchador mask to cover her blush of anger at herself and knowing that a friend she respected had seen her mess up a simple prank so terribly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\u2019s get some without\u2026,\u201d Hector reached for her mask and lifted it off. \u201cAre you all right, Sam?\u201d Hector\u2019s voice was soft. \u201cI went too far, didn\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sam sniffled, then chuckled. \u201cI guess it\u2019s payback for the fake murder victim in the back of your car, senior year.\u201d She broke off the pose and tried to fix her hair and compose herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI never got the fake blood out of the seats,\u201d he said. \u201cIt makes a great story, though.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTruce?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hector pulled her back in for another couple selfies with her phone. \u201cTruce. I\u2019ll be down for Christmas. We\u2019ll have a big get-together. Craw-fish boil, gumbo, red beans and rice, tamales, gingerbread cookies, and bu\u00f1uelos.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou know your family has the weirdest Christmas menu ever, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know, but you love it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trish was typing furiously on her phone. \u201cThis is so<\/em> awesome! I can\u2019t wait for Christmas! Alicia says she\u2019s down too!\u201d She paused and looked at the others. \u201cI mean, um, am I\u2026are we invited?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy friends,\u201d Sam said. \u201cThey won\u2019t let me be, and I\u2019d never hear the end of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHmm.\u201d Hector leaned in close and whispered to Sam, \u201cOnly if we can prank her together. She told me this was her idea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d Sam stood straight. \u201cTell Alicia that both of you are invited. Details when it gets closer to Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trish returned to typing on her phone. \u201cThis is exciting! I\u2019m having Christmas dinner with a Senator!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGentlemen, could you escort the ladies out?\u201d Hector asked the agents. \u201cI need to get back to my schedule, and I\u2019m sure they have other places to be. Thanks again for waiting for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alicia returned in the evening to find Trish picking up the items scattered about the living room. \u201cWhat the hell? Where\u2019s Sam?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t do it, FBI did. Sam\u2019s hiding in her room. She\u2019s a little overwhelmed with the whole La Termina thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLa Ternera.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhatever.\u201d Trish pointed at the open bottle of wine on the counter. \u201cHer friend left that for us as an apology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alicia sighed and poured herself a glass of wine. \u201cI\u2019ll go calm her down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey, can you, um, tell her I\u2019m really sorry. And not just for the dare, but the laughing too.\u201d Trish sniffled. \u201cIt was scary, but I couldn\u2019t stop laughing. I think I might have hurt her feelings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alicia heard a muffled snort from Sam\u2019s room. \u201cI\u2019ll tell her, but I think she\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

prompt: Start your story with someone accepting a dare. available at Reedsy …[P]eer power as an extrinsic force is a lot like radiation: a little goes a long way.  Charles D. Hayes Some people, perhaps …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[208],"tags":[214,210,209],"class_list":["post-2250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-trunk-stories","tag-drama","tag-fiction","tag-short-story"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pxT7i-Ai","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2250"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2250\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2252,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2250\/revisions\/2252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}