STEAMY SUN ROMANCE: ..."Love Minus Zero"...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

HARLINGEN, Texas:...Cool Carlos Ramirez had been a big fan of Bob Dylan's music since his freshman year days at Harlingen High School. The Texan forever saw himself as the dude behind the song.

And when he met perky Clara Gonzalez that one Friday night when the Cardinals beat the snot out of Brownsville Lopez High, 77-0, he took her by the hand, walked her to his truck and said sit there and listen to this song. A CD of Bob's Greatest Hits followed them to the town's Dairy Queen, where a confident Carlos asked Clara to be his girl for the rest of their senior year in school.

He could - and would - hug her tightly, as if dancing at the Mexican bar across town, where the women knew the score.

When the Cardinals went on a district tear, the two celebrated by driving out to the desolate cotton fields and angling-in to park in a secluded, dimly-lit spot for an excitable round of perspiration-driven lovemaking. As per their agreement, and because Clara worked at a 7-11 convenience store, Clara brought the condoms.

She thought it corny that he would bring a somewhat beaten blow-up mattress and air pump for the pickup's bed, where they first rested on their backs to stare at the high sky's stars and then got on with the body-grinding at hand.

Always, Carlos played his Dylan CD.

When the schoolyear ended, both agreed the romance had left the love balloon. Clara went on to college at Texas Tech in Lubbock and Carlos got a steady job at the mall.

They never saw each other again...

-30-