Turf War Dance Off, Two Become One

Synopsis:  Lorelai Davis grew up part of the Lemon Gang and fronts her way through Lime territory daily.   She gets by, survives, and thrives until Antonio Olivera catches her eye and the two fall totally in love with each other.     

Chapter 1—Trotting Through Lime Territory 

Lorelai Davis had been a tough cookie ever since her birth.    She wasn’t prone to crying, but there were things that would make her sad occasionally.   Only the closest to her saw her shed tears even if they were rare.   That is how solid and stoic Lorelai could be.    

Lorelai was born as a part of the Lemon Gang.   Like most gangs in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, she didn’t cause trouble.    All Lemons did was talk smack and look rough.   Even though they knew how to fight when it counted, they were never found getting arrested for misdemeanors or being nuisances.    Mostly, the Lemons liked tagging their territory.   Others liked the graffiti so much they considered it ‘creative license’.   Anything she or the other Lemons could do to beautify downtown and turn it from a pig sty into a paradise, she could get behind.   

Lorelai loathed school.   She learned on the streets and knew what to avoid.   She could spot fakers and cheaters as well as saavy academics who could be fooled by simple sleights of hand.   She stole to survive to keep her sisters bellies full.   It wasn’t exactly proper or morally correct, but so long as she could keep the tap and electricity running, she was fine.    

Chapter 2—Stallion Needs a Tune Up 

After stealing so long, Lorelai could afford her very own metallic royal purple Vespa.   She had it painted with lightning bolts and screaming blue-flamed skulls.   It looked like something out of a glam rock album mixed with a hint of D&D.    

As she was dodging Limes that were taunting her (they never meant any harm either, just all bluster and bluffing), Stallion, her Vespa hit a nail.   

‘Shit !’, she swore to herself.   She knew how to fix a flattened tire and fortunately, had saved up for a tire to repair the damage.    Another sly character wearing green asked if he could help her and she shrieked in sheer terror.

‘Lemons aren’t supposed to interact with Limes.   I know I’m in your territory, but I’ll be fixing Stallion and we can all agree this never happened.   Capice ?’, Lorelai said, not making direct eye contact with the Cholo.  

Chapter 3—Cupid’s Arrow Strikes it’s Mark 

 His name was Antonio Olivera.  Lorelai promised herself she wouldn’t look at him, but his clothing was very sharp and distinct.   He wasn’t flashy, just refined and had a sort of austere way in how he postured himself.    He spoke well and was polite.   His chivalry was overt and he didn’t care about the unwritten laws of separation when it came to gangs.   He was following his heart.   It was obvious he was smitten by this Lemon lady.   She made his heart sing, and even in the brief contact where their hands touched, she could sense his quickened heartbeat.    

One look and that was all that it took.   Antonio’s gorgeous hazel-green eyes, his brunette hair, that shimmering smile and his gold chains made time stop for a millisecond.  

‘I shouldn’t be here.’, she said.    Antonio took her hands into his.  

‘Screw everything you know.   Once I saw you, I knew my heart couldn’t belong to anyone else.   Oh, I’m Antonio, by the way.   Call me Tony.’, Antonio said, gently lifting Lorelai’s hand to his lips and kissing it.   Lorelai’s cheeks flushed.   No man had ever actively pursued her romantically, let alone offered to help her.   Before she knew it, Antonio was assisting her, and Stallion was as good as new.   He showed her his ride, Brujo.  

‘We should go riding sometime away from this cesspool.   Away from all the others.  Just you, me, and maybe some of my homemade chimichangas.’, Tony said, winking.   He didn’t mind cooking for others, but when it came to literal angels like Lorelai, he wanted to see if it was possible that he might be able to provide for her eternally.  

‘I’m a Lemon, Tony.   You and I have no reason to be together.’, Lorelei said, not wanting a turf war between their gangs.   

‘I don’t care if you are a Lemon, Lor.   I don’t think I could last another minute without your glorious light.’, Tony confessed.   He had never met another woman like Lorelei and he was aware in his lifetime, it was likely, he never would again.   

Chapter 4—An Unorthodox Solution 

Then, a sudden burst of inspiration hit Lorelei.   There had been one instance that the Lemons and Limes had a dancing competition to settle old scores.   Nothing had been recorded on how that exchange was received or even how it worked, but obviously each side had survived, and it was a far more civil way to conduct affairs than an out and out battle between the gangs where lives would ultimately be lost and both factions would destroy each other.   

It was true, too, that Tony and Lorelei were head over heels for each other.   The two had inevitably changed each other’s lives for the better.    Everyone would be dancing to prove themselves, but for Tony and Lorelei, they were dancing out of pure devotion and hope that this could broker peace and bring about better days for both gangs.  

Pretty soon, Lemons and Limes were dancing against one another and both were equally matched.   Lorelei and Tony began to dance together since they started exclusively dating and the gangs watched in wide-eyed awe as the two performed probably the most erotic version of the tango any of them had ever seen.    When they finished, Tony drew Lorelei to him and they locked lips.    There wasn’t a sound from either gang, but Tony’s dad, Marco, began to clap, loudly.   

Chapter 5—Gonna Make a Change

Marco stood up among the crowd and cleared his throat. 

‘It’s clear that my son loves this woman.  It doesn’t matter that she’s a Lime.  Limes aren’t much different than us.   Sure, they live in a different part of town, but who cares ?   Love can unite us like it once did.   Why can’t we strive for that again ?’, he said.   Tricia, Lorelei’s mom, absolutely agreed.   They were seen as dignitaries and sages in their respective ‘clans’ as it were.    With a shake of their hands, an amnesty had begun and the ‘gangs’ were dissolved.    It would take time for the residual hate to wash away, but it had all begun with a spark of romance and a bopping soundtrack to resolve years of bigotry and pigeonholing.  

Epilogue 

The cities where the Lemons and Limes live are far more serene and no violence or wars ever broke out between the two after Tony and Lorelei united their lives as one.   Of course, the occasional spat happened rarely, but these disputes were always resolved assertively.   Even now, as we speak, the two lovebirds are getting ready to welcome twins into the world and this time, it is a brighter, happier, and more amenable one than the one they had grown up in. 

The End