The Way You Make Me Feel: The Brothers Guevara
- Themi Alexandra

- Jan 14, 2019
- 3 min read
I mentioned in a previous post (see Shed a Little Light) that I flexed my “no” muscle pretty hard in Córdoba in order to take time to recharge and get back to me. And I did: for three whole weeks. Córdoba was a five week month for us, so by week four I was ready to socialize.
I went from quiet nights with Netflix to shutting down bars. Things changed on the turn of a dime one Thursday night when Mary and I decided to check out one of the events on our community calendar. “Espanol y Cerveza” needs no translation. It was billed as a language exchange and I was excited for the practice.
Well I got some practice...in conversation, laughter, and flirting. It was one of those nights that was good from the minute we walked in the door. We were immediately greeted by the events gregarious host Benjamín. Usually I need to be hit over the head to realize that someone is flirting with me. Not with our host. I picked up on it from minute one.
After securing our first cervezas, he lead us upstairs and introduced us to the group. We found ourselves standing in front of a huge table with about 20 people already seated. All eyes were on us. Tourists in Córdoba are akin to a zoo animal, so you tend to attract a lot of stares and what are you doing here? Benjamín made room for us at the table and we proceeded to yield questions from the group.
Excellent practice it was! And that’s the thing about speaking another language you need to loosen up, and then the longer you do it, the easier it becomes. Before I knew it, I was giving it back to Benjamín with his relentless teasing (going with the classic fifth grade approach to flirting). Hell I was even telling jokes and getting laughs no less! Laughter has never sounded sweeter coming from the likes of my new friends at our end of the table (looking at you Tomas, Nicholas and Alejandro).
I was making some joke about being an abuela with my early bedtime, when I got a boisterous rebuttal from a stranger at the other end of the table. He tells me that I am not an abuela, but “un clásico.” The stranger proceeds to come over and introduce himself, David is his name. And there is something immediately familiar about the way that David is looking at me. It’s the same way Benjamín looked at me when I came in the door. No sooner has David offered to get my next drink when Benjamín says “I see you’ve met my brother.” Oh, brother.
Conversation eventually turns to what’s next for the night. There is talk of a club. Benjamín asks if Mary and I will come to the club. My first response to a club invite is always no. But I was having a good time and eventually changed my mind.
We moved to the club where the competition got real. Both of them were revelatory in their own right. Neither wasted time telling me how they felt: with Benjamín telling me I am essentially his living teenage dream, meanwhile David is telling me how his heart leads him to me. Hyperbolic, sure. But they both made me feel seen and wanted in a way I haven’t felt in years. The feeling was exciting.
And the feeling was possibility. And it was pursual: a first for me along this RY journey. I’ve always been a late bloomer, so no wonder it took me eight months. Benjamín point blank asked me if I liked him. Honesty begets honesty, so I told him: I don’t know if I like you, I just met you. But I do know I like the way you make me feel. If I got drunk on one thing that night, it was just that. They way they made me feel.
The brothers Guevara gave me a night I’ll never forget that was sealed with a kiss from each. Perhaps the best thing they gave me was the gift of sight: seeing myself through their eyes (however cerveza filled), reminded me that just because I don’t get approached frequently doesn’t mean I’m invisible.




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