The advent of springtime in Galacian country and the beautiful cityof Divol was gorgeous. The enchanting natural panorama and theentire atmosphere came alive with vernal splendor. Flowers in deepcolors—crimson, yellow, violet, and blue—blossomed on the hightrees, spraying the sky with floral tints that were dazzling in the brightsunlight. Streams of the Xian and its tributaries reflected the prismaticcolor of the flowers blooming on the trees on the banks. People inGalacia country went into an ecstasy of spring madness. Everywherethey danced to the beats of drums and the music of the flamenco guitar,castanets, and flutes. They sang both traditional and innovative folksongs with romantic, even erotic, contents. It was a time of rejoicing;the city held public festivities, and people made sweets and eats in everyhome. People in the countryside and towns put on their best dressesand danced and sang in euphoric frenzy. During this time, many youngboys and girls, while dancing together, got engaged and wedded. It wasindeed the greatest annual festival of the Galacian country.

The students of Divol College decided, as they did every year, toparticipate in the springtime celebration held at the general playgroundof the city of Divol, known as Juegos del Rey, or the King's Playground.Legend had it that the ruling kings of ancient Galacia had played poloon the large field that was now the venue of cultural shows and politicalrallies. The students erected a stage and a tarpaulin canopy for theaudience to sit beneath while enjoying the show. Aaron requested thatMayu join the celebration and participate in dancing and singing. Aaroncomposed and conducted the music for her performances. She joinedthe rehearsal for the dance. She was no longer shy after participating inthe college social, and she became friendly with Aaron. Because of him,she could be a radio artiste. She admired his talents and his humility.

One morning, before the spring festival, Mayu's classmate Benedicto,popularly known as Benito, brought a paper box to the college andoffered it to Mayu. She wondered what could be in the box. Benitowhispered with a smile, "A small gift you will need for the dance."Embarrassed, Mayu opened the box and found a beautiful silken dressfor the dance. Mayu hesitated to accept the gift, but Benito asserted ina firm tone, "You cannot refuse me. You have to accept it."

Mayu had never expected such a commanding tone from Benito.She had a feeling that Benito was perhaps getting jealous of Aaronbecause she had not only learned Aaron's compositions but also wasparticipating in the rehearsal conducted by him on his own compositionof music. She thought that if she refused the gift, Benito might explode,as was his nature. She quietly took the box, wondering what she wouldtell her mother about the gift. Benito walked away as she stood holdingthe box containing the gift. After school that day, she carried the gifthome and quietly placed it in a dresser drawer full of other clothes.Perhaps nobody had noticed, because nobody asked her about the boxshe had taken to her room. However, she felt uncomfortable aboutconcealing Benito's expensive gift from her mother.

On the evening of the spring festival, Mayu took the dress to thefunction and put it on in the green room behind the stage. She dancedtogether with others on the stage before a packed audience. Aaron wasconducting the music. Mayu's parents attended the show to watchMayu's dance. After her program was over, her parents left for home inan autorikshaw. The celebration was expected to be an all-night show.Mayu thought that she would go home after her part of the show wasover. Most of the old people had already gone home or went home soonafter midnight. Only young men and women stayed back to watch theshow. Nonetheless, the crowd was still thick. After midnight, Mayuthought about finding an autorikshaw or a cab outside the crowd togo home. Backstage, Aaron and Mayu congratulated each other, andshe took leave of Aaron to go home and came out from backstage tothe rear side of the field. The area behind the stage was comparativelydarker and quieter. Suddenly, she discovered Benito leaning against hismotorbike. She couldn't avoid him. He gave her a smile and said, "Youlooked beautiful on the stage. I was admiring you from a distance."He asked her to get into the rear part of the seat of his motorbike as hestarted the vehicle. Mayu told him that her parents were in the crowdand that she had to find them and go home with them.

"Forget that," said Benito. "They have already left in an autorikshaw.I'll take you home. Please don't make any fuss here, before so manypeople. Just get on the seat. I saw your parents leave. They came only tosee your dance and left the place after the dance was over. I don't thinkthey asked you to wait for them. Did they?"

"Of course they didn't tell me to wait for them," replied Mayu.

She could not tell him another lie. It was true that her parents hadn'ttold her to wait for them so that they could go home together. Shealso thought it probable that they had left after her dance. Besides, shethought that Benito must have seen them going back in an autorikshaw,as he'd said. He wouldn't lie to me, she thought.

For a moment, Mayu didn't know what to do. Benito might createa scene if she refused. However, she was afraid that Benito might takeadvantage of the situation. She hesitated. She didn't know what to tellhim. She only murmured, "I have to go home; I cannot go with you."

"I know what you're thinking," said Benito. "I will take you to noother place. I will only take you home. Trust me, and just get on thebackseat." Like a spellbound being, Mayu climbed up onto the rearseat of the motorbike, not knowing if she was doing the right thing. AsBenito's motorbike moved, she was scared she might fall off. She heldhim tightly from behind.

Benito did not betray Mayu's trust. He drove her to Trachy, andMayu guided him to her home. Immediately after she got down fromthe motorbike, Benito once again said, "You look beautiful." Then hedrove off before she could thank him or tell him anything else. He didnot utter any other word. For a while, Mayu stood still on the dimly litroad, trying to comprehend Benito's exotic behavior. She had wanted tothank him for the ride and had desired a more cordial parting. Was heoffended for some reason? But there was no reason for him to be offended,thought Mayu.

The main door of her home was bolted from inside. She knockedon the door. Her mother, Anulana, opened the door. She asked Mayu,"Did you come all alone in an autorikshaw? Did anyone escort you? Wethought that the function would continue till morning and you wouldwait until the function was over and then, in the morning, come bybus. So we left after your dance was over. How did you come? We wereanxious for you. I could not sleep. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine; I was dropped by one of my class friends," she replied.

"Did your friend drop you by an autorikshaw? I heard the sound ofan autorikshaw, but I thought that it might not be you traveling at thishour of the night. I thought it was someone else—someone who cameto another house in the neighborhood."

"No," replied Mayu, "I was dropped by my friend Benito on hismotorbike."

"Motorbike! How could you manage to sit on the backseat of amotorbike?" asked her mother.

Mayu couldn't resist smiling at the manner in which her motherwondered at her motorbike ride. She mumbled, "Yeah, I could somehowmanage."

"You never told...