Lupe had a charm to her that was heavily intoxicating. Part of it was the hint of a Spanish accent that she spoke with, which made everything she said seem so exotic and mysterious. Part of it was her long, silky hair that fell like a waterfall of obsidian to her back. Part of it was her cinnamon-colored skin, always so smooth and sensual to the touch. Part of it was the way her eyes sparkled when she giggled so playfully. Part of it was the sheer curvaceousness of her form, which seemed to naturally tempt human hands to touch.
Lupe was well aware of the effect she had on men. It had its perks. She could pretty much always count on special treatment from those people hypnotized by her beauty. Yet at times, it was awful too. Other women always scorned her, hating how her beauty would draw the attention of all the men, even their partners. As a result, she had no real female friends. She could have as many male companions as she wanted with a flick of her hair. They didn't really care about her as a person, so in truth, you could not call them friends.
She worked as a housekeeper for a variety of people. She recently began working for a fellow named Devin. His home was a quaint two-bedroom place, and he spent much of his time in the second bedroom, which he had converted into a study. He seemed addicted to knowledge and was almost always absorbed in a classic book. Lupe decided to do the study last to disrupt him as little as possible. When she finally got to the study, he was still sitting at his desk reading a translation of "Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes.
As Lupe was working, she said, "I loved Don Quixote," to Devin.
He looked up at her. "Really?" he asked, "Did you read it in its native language?"
"Yes," she said.
"Would you sit and talk with me for a bit?" he asked, "I would love to hear an interpretation of the book from someone that read it in the original language. I'm curious to see if the English translation lost aspects of its meaning."
Lupe sat with him, and they talked for hours. Devin talked about how Don Quixote seemed to be a symbol of the chivalry of the past, and the tragedy that the days of those values are now dead. Lupe disagreed and said that Don Quixote is written specifically to mock those values, hence why he is depicted as being driven mad by books of chivalry. They discussed the significance of different characters such as Sancho Panza, Rocinante, and Dulcinea. Though Lupe had several differing opinions on the characters, Devin expressed admiration for her deep thoughts.
An alarm went off on Lupe's phone, causing her to realize she had to go to her next job. Devin seemed disappointed that she had to leave but expressed that he looked forward to having more conversations.
It became a regular practice that Lupe would sit and talk with Devin about whatever book he had been reading. He began to specifically target novels he knew she had an interest in, just to make sure they had something to talk about. Lupe felt deep satisfaction in finally having someone that listened to her. It gave her a feeling of safety and acceptance that she never had before. She began to let her guard down and felt herself becoming attracted to Devin.
