Crying at the Eras Tour
J Buentello Benavides
Two thirty-somethings stand in the sidelines at The Eras Tour, staring at the much younger girls twirling in their sequined tops and blinding mini-skirts with the chunky glued-on gems. On stage, the blonde sings about the one she loved and lost, swaying her hips to the sound of her own heart breaking in two. She must hate herself, one thirty-something tells the other. Imagine having to sing about your lost love like this to thousands of people. In the row before them, two teenagers slow their dancing to a stop. Tassels swing from the ends of their sleeves as they poke frantically at each other’s faces. Heart-shaped sequins and plastic gems slide down their sweaty foreheads. Yes, you’re right, the other thirty-something says, staring at the blonde on the jumbotron. That’s the face of someone with a broken heart. One teenager peeks over her shoulder at the women behind her. But she can’t be heartbroken, the teenager says, pointing towards the stage. Look at the way she glows. Light fractures across the blonde’s beaded bodice as she spins on the tips of her toes, twirling to a song about a woman wanting to marry a man who wanted to marry someone else. I went to work the morning after my divorce, the thirty- something says. The world keeps spinning even if you don’t. A few tears roll over the heart-shaped gems glued to the teenager’s cheeks. Damn, the teenager says as glitter drips down her face. Damn.
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About Author
J Buentello Benavides is a writer, teacher, editor, and translator. Her prose and translations have appeared in The Florida Review, Denver Quarterly, The Los Angeles Review, and elsewhere. She is a Hedgebrook writer-in-residence alumna, and among her other awards, her writing has been named finalist for the Newfound Prose Prize, finalist for the Florida Review Editors' Prize, and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Recently, her short story manuscript (Border Girls: Stories) placed second for the Everett Southwest Literary Award which was selected by Brandon Hobson. She teaches creative writing at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. You can find J Buentello Benavides on Facebook.