Page 79 of With a Little Luck

“I’ll dance,” says Ezra.

Maya hesitates, giving me another chance. But then she shrugs. “Okay!”

They head off, making their way toward the stage where hundreds of people have gathered into a turbulent, jostling mess of bodies and limbs and sweat. A lot of sweat.202

“Are you having fun?” Ari asks.

I turn to her. “Yeah. This has been great,” I say. Which isn’t alie.

I consider telling her about the weird interaction with the fortune teller and Cosmo the Cat, but for some reason, I hold my tongue.

Your aura is very divided.

Instead I ask, “Have you caught any other bands?”

“We sat in on a rock group on one of the smaller stages,” she says, “but just caught the end of their show. They were good, but this is next level. You can feel the influence of nueva canción in their music, with the defiant lyrics, and those woodwinds!” The lyrics are all in Spanish, so after a second, Ari scoots closer to me and goes on. “This song is all about empowerment and love and embracing the beauty of Latin culture. Oh, and look!” She points at the stage, her eyes shining. “That girl on the right, playing what looks like a lute? It’s actually a charango! I’ve never seen one in person before.”

I grin at her. “You’re nervous.”

Ari’s face crumples. Then she laughs. “Terrified.”

I chuckle and scoot closer still so we don’t have to yell quite so loud. “Yeah. You get extra music theory-ish when you’re nervous about performing. Of course, I would rather go swimming with sharks than get up and perform on a stage like that. It’s really impressive that you’re here, Ari. And I know you’re going to do great.”

She pulls her knees into her chest. “Thanks, Jude.” She smiles at me, though there’s something a little sad lingering behind her eyes. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“I wouldn’t miss it. I know Pru is really sorry she couldn’t come.”

She nods. “I know.”

“So …,” I say, tilting my head to one side, “would Araceli the Magnificent be proficient in charango playing?”

Ari dreamily clasps her hands under her chin. “She would be a charango master!”

The band finishes their set, and we cheer with the rest of the crowd as they take their bows. A lot of the audience disperses, heading off for food203or to check out what’s happening on the other stages around the festival. But a lot of people remain, too. Lounging on their blankets and beach towels, pulling drinks out of coolers. Maya and Ezra return, grinning and breathless. Maya sinks down onto the grass beside me, which is when I notice how close Ari and I have gotten in their absence. Ezra sits cross-legged on Ari’s other side and starts listing all the food vendors he saw earlier and trying to decide what he’s going to eat later.

It takes a while for the stagehands to clear off the slew of instruments, drum kits, microphones, and amps, getting ready for the contest finalists.

“Hey, Escalante, check it.” Ezra holds up a piece of grass. No—not grass. A shamrock. A four-leaf clover. “Found it for you.” He winks.

I gawk at the clover as it passes from Ezra’s fingers to Ari’s, feeling strangely … betrayed. Obviously, if any of us were going to find a four-leaf clover and give it to Ari as a special gift, it should have beenme.

“Wow,” says Ari, twirling the clover between her fingers. “I haven’t found one of these since I was a kid.”

“We have a big patch of clover in our backyard,” says Maya. “You can find a ton of four-leafers. I think it must be a genetic mutation or something.”

“So they’re not really that rare,” I say, and it comes off sounding more bitter than I’d intended.

Ezra gives me a look, like I’ve offered a challenge, then whips out his phone. After a second, he holds up the screen. “Maya’s mystical clover patch aside, this says they are about one out of every five thousand clovers. Seems pretty rare to me.”

I frown. Again … why didn’tIfind it?

“Thank you, EZ.” Ari opens up the case of her guitar and tucks the clover inside. “I’ll take all the luck I can get today.”

“As a proud Irishman, I am pretty much the world’s leading expert on all things luck.” He hesitates before adding, “And also a ridiculous amount of superstition.”

Ari laughs. “You might have four-leaf clovers, but I bet we Mexicans have more superstition than you do. We are steeped in it.”204

“That sounds like a challenge.” Ezra clears his throat before proclaiming earnestly, “Did you know it is considered unlucky to”—he ticks off on his fingers—“dream about nuns, kill a spider, kill a hedgehog, wear gray to a wedding, or cross the path of a feisty redhead?” He lowers his voice, adding, “A woman, that is. Us ginger men are fine. Gotta love a little sexism in your superstitions.Oh!And also, you can’t give anything away on Mary Day.”

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