DOI: 10.20375/0000-0011-48b1-4
title: Yo, también

description: Abstract: 
“Yo, también” essentially consists of three interwoven storylines. The main plot is the love story of two greatly differing colleagues: Daniel has Down syndrome and falls in love with Laura, his unconventional colleague, who spends her free time drinking alcohol at parties and sleeping with different men to distract herself from the disturbed relationship with her family. The other strands of the story consist of Laura dealing with her family problems and the love story of Luisa and Pedro, two young adults with Down syndrome, who get to know each other during their dance class.

Details:
Daniel is 34 years old and living in Sevilla. He has Down syndrome and advocates for meaningful employment opportunities for people with disabilities. He leads a good life and maintains a harmonious relationship with his parents and brother. After completing his degree in education and psychopedagogy, he starts working at the General Directorate of Personnel with Disability, where he is welcomed as an esteemed colleague.
At the office, he meets Laura, who is 46 years old. Far from being a typical diligent and organized social service worker, she comes in late, and her attitude does not sit well with her colleagues. Her broken family and sexual proclivity earn her snide remarks from her co-workers. Daniel is immediately attracted to her. He takes every opportunity he gets to talk to her and quickly becomes her best friend. They have lunch together every day and as their friendship grows, they start seeing each other outside of work. They go to the beach together, where Daniel understands that he cannot keep his feelings hidden any longer. He wants romance in his life, just like everyone else.
Daniel’s brother is married and expecting his first child with his wife. He and his wife run a dance studio that offers classes to people with disabilities. Two students at the studio fall in love and in the face of their family’s opposition to their relationship, run off to marry. Daniel and Laura support the couple. Meanwhile, Laura is reluctant to admit to herself that she has romantic feelings towards Daniel, too. Their friendship develops undertones of flirting, and everyone around Daniel starts worrying about their developing relationship. One night, at an office party, Laura is tipsy, and Daniel and she dance together. He tries to kiss her, but she rejects him. Out of frustration, he goes to a strip club, but he is not let in. He heads to his brother’s house, where he is advised to let Laura go.
The next day at work, he acts cold towards her, and his behaviour bewilders Laura. She asks Daniel if they could still be friends. They grow closer with each passing day. She stops dying her hair as suggested by him, and she confides in him of her family issues when she receives the call that her father is on his deathbed, and she has to go to Madrid to visit him.
Meeting her family is painful for her because she is not able to reconcile with her brothers. Her father’s apology through her sister-in-law offers her some closure. Daniel visits her for New Year’s Eve. In the square, during the midnight celebrations, Laura kisses him. That night, they go to a hotel room together with the intention of having sex. She tells him that she loves him but that they could not be together for more than that one night. He agrees, and what he had dreamed of for so long finally happens. But only for one night.