3. La Fiesta

3 La Fiesta As the sun set over Mexico City, Stanley stood in the courtyard of Carmen's home, where her family had gathered to celebrate after the bullfight. Stanley had never known a person with so many brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles, aunts, in-laws, nieces, nephews, and godchildren. An older woman with enormous eyeglasses rushed up and squealed at Stanley. She reached out to squeeze his cheeks, but pinched the sides of his head instead. He tried to smile. "Bienvenidos," the woman cried. "Bienvenidos!" Stanley looked around for Carmen to translate. "Bien means 'well'," a voice said. It was an older boy, the first signs of a mustache sprouting on his lip. "Venidos comes from the verb venir, 'to come'. Bienvenidos means—"

"Well—come. Welcome!" Stanley said. "You speak English!" "I am Eduardo," the boy said, nodding. "We are excited to meet you." He stepped aside to reveal a group of children.

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"Está liso como un plato," a little girl said, gasping, wide-eyed. "She says you are flat as a pancake," said Eduardo. He grabbed Stanley and led him through the crowd. A moment later, Stanley and Eduardo stood in a corner of the courtyard, the other children arranged around them on the grass. Eduardo said they were eager to hear Stanley's stories of adventure. Eduardo would translate. The children ooohed as Stanley told them how he had used his body as a lever to rescue his friend Calamity Jane from a gold mine. They aaahed as he described how he had used his elbows as lethal weapons to defeat ruthless villains in Japan. They gasped when he told them he could fly like a jet plane using nothing but his muscled, aerodynamic body. Stanley did not tell them that his brother, Arthur, had helped save Calamity Jane. He did not tell them that neither the villains he had encountered in Japan nor his elbows were particularly dangerous. And he did not tell them that he couldn't really fly like an airplane,

although he sometimes got carried away by heavy winds… or, at moments like this one, by telling stories that weren't quite true. It was dark when Stanley concluded his tale of the mummy he befriended in an ancient Egyptian tomb. There was no mistaking the admiration and amazement of his listeners. Someone called something out to Eduardo. The other children cried, ".Sí! .Sí!" "We have a surprise for you," Eduardo said, with a grin. "Come!" They led Stanley to a grand tree. The little girl who had compared Stanley to a pancake stepped forward and held out her hands. They were filled with small candies in shiny wrappers. "Thank you!" said Stanley. He took one and started unwrapping it. "Not yet," said Eduardo in a low voice. "You must put them in your pockets." Stanley did. "Up!" commanded Eduardo, and two tall boys grabbed Stanley's legs and lifted him into the air. Above his head was a tree limb. Stanley grabbed on with both hands. This is a strange surprise, thought Stanley. He looked down and saw the little girl standing

beneath him. Her wide eyes were hidden by a blindfold. The other children started spinning her around and counting. ".Uno! .Dos! .Tres! .Cuatro! .Cinco! .Seis! .Siete!" After seven spins, the girl weaved with dizziness. Someone handed her a giant stick. The girl held the stick over her head and swung it. Stanley felt a swish of air against his leg. "Hey!" he cried. All the children were cheering. "What are you doing!" yelled Stanley again as the girl swung the stick a second time, grazing his foot.