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Fountain drinks were not recommended on the tip sheet.
    Caroline conveyed her motherly disapproval with a grimace. “You know,” she said to Karen, “we parents don’t always get to do what we want to do either. There’s this little thing called earning money to put food on the table, clothes on our backs, and a roof over our heads that comes first.”
    â€œThat’s what Dad and Nana are always saying. I wish Uncle Mark or Aunt Jeanne had come instead. They’re more fun.”
    Caroline packed their trash into the large bag their meals had come in. “Maybe so, but I’d cut him some extra slack. After all, your dad didn’t get to plan this trip in advance.”
    â€œYeah, give him a chance,” Annie chimed in. “At least he came.
    My dad didn’t even bother to tell me he was too busy. No call, no nothing.”
    The words squeezed Caroline’s heart. As she looked away from the girls, the clock over the soda cooler caught her eye.
    â€œOh my goodness, it’s six-thirty!” Incredulous, she glanced at her wristwatch to confirm it. “We have to be dressed and in the lobby in one hour.”
    Fortunately, Caroline and the girls weren’t the only ones who had lost track of time. An hour and a half later, they squeezed into the backseat of one of the VW taxis. The front passenger seat had been removed to facilitate getting in and out. Outside, Hector worked with the taxi drivers to sort passengers like cattle to squeeze the most bodies into each vehicle.
    â€œOkay, we need one more,” Hector said, after peeking into their cab. He held up his hands to indicate the narrow width of space allowed.
    â€œThank goodness I made it in before he started measuring,”
    Caroline mumbled under her breath, exacting a giggle from Annie.
    â€œYou’re not that big, Mom.”
    Judging from the jabbing hipbones of the girls on either side of her, Caroline was at least older and rounder.
    â€œThink we can squeeze two more in here?” Hector asked.
    Standing outside were Kurt and Wally, looking like lost sheep in their idea of evening attire—clean T-shirts and jeans.
    â€œYou know Eddie and Rick are with Amy and Christie,” Karen remarked.
    â€œSure, there’s always room for more.” Annie moved over as far as she could. “Who wants to be with those snobs anyway?”
    â€œI don’t want to be with all of them . . . just Eddie,” Karen said, unaffected by the look Caroline shot in her direction. “Or maybe Rick.”
    â€œWho needs those guys when you got the best?” Kurt announced.
    â€œOh, puh-leeze,” Karen groaned as he squeezed into the back seat next to Annie.
    â€œSorry, princess,” Wally said as he settled on the nonexistent front seat, which was literally a cushion on the floor.
    â€œWhat about seat belts?” Caroline protested.
    â€œYeah, isn’t there a law or something?” Kurt chimed in.
    Hector simply shrugged. Apparently safety precautions weren’t as important in Mexico as in the States. “No worries, Señora. It’s a short ride.”
    But not short enough, Caroline thought when they pulled up in front of the nightclub. There hadn’t been room to breathe with four of them wedged across the back, not even to gasp when the driver threaded through the thick traffic so fast that the street signs blended into a continuous neon blur. Poor Wally would need his hands pried from the armrest, and she needed an oxygen tank.
    â€œAre the others behind us?” the spectacled youngster asked.
    â€œCan’t tell,” Caroline said. “We’re packed too tight to turn our heads.”
    They got out of the car under a flashing marquee that read Banditos . The mountain air raised the gooseflesh on Caroline’s clammy skin as they made their way into what appeared from the outside to be a movie theater. The lobby had been converted into a soda-fountain