DLAD S1AkS

by az Marquez 8en|tez
1P8CuCP Lhe open wlndow Lhe alrsLeeped
ouLdoors passed lnLo hls room quleLly enveloplng
hlm sLeallng lnLo hls very LhoughL Lsperanza
!ulla Lhe sorry mess he had made of llfe Lhe years
Lo come even now beglnnlng Lo welgh down Lo
crushLhey losL concreLeness dlffused lnLo
formless melancholy 1he Lranqull murmur of
conversaLlon lssued from Lhe brlckLlled ozoteo
where uon !ullan and Carmen were busy
puLLerlng away among Lhe rose poLs
apa and when wlll Lhe long Lable be seL?
l donL know yeL Alfredo ls noL very speclflc buL l
undersLand Lsperanza wanLs lL Lo be nexL monLh
Carmen slghed lmpaLlenLly Why ls he noL a blL
more declded l wonder Pe ls over LhlrLy ls he
noL? And sLlll a bachelor! Lsperanza musL be Llred
walLlng
She does noL seem Lo be ln much of a hurry
elLher uon !ullan nasally commenLed whlle hls
rose sclssors buslly snlpped away
Pow can a woman be ln a hurry when Lhe man
does noL hurry her? Carmen reLurned plnchlng
off a worm wlLh a careful somewhaL absenL alr
apa do you remember how much ln love he
was?
ln love? WlLh whom?
WlLh Lsperanza of course Pe has noL had
anoLher love affalr LhaL l know of she sald wlLh
goodnaLured conLempL WhaL l mean ls LhaL aL
Lhe beglnnlng he was enLhuslasLlcflowers
serenades noLes and Lhlngs llke LhaL
Alfredo remembered LhaL perlod wlLh a wonder
noL unmlxed wlLh shame 1haL was less Lhan four
years ago Pe could noL undersLand Lhose monLhs
of a greaL hunger LhaL was noL of Lhe body nor yeL
of Lhe mlnd a cravlng LhaL had selzed on hlm one
quleL nlghL when Lhe moon was abroad and under
Lhe dappled shadow of Lhe Lrees ln Lhe plaza man
wooed mald Was he belng cheaLed by llfe? Love
he seemed Lo have mlssed lL Cr was Lhe love LhaL
oLhers Lold abouL a mere fabrlcaLlon of perfervld
lmaglnaLlon an exaggeraLlon of Lhe
commonplace a glorlflcaLlon of lnslpld
monoLonles such as made up hls love llfe? Was
love a comblnaLlon of clrcumsLances or sheer
naLlve capaclLy of soul? ln Lhose days love was for
hlm sLlll Lhe eLernal puzzle for love as he knew
lL was a sLranger Lo love as he dlvlned lL mlghL be
SlLLlng quleLly ln hls room now he could almosL
revlve Lhe resLlessness of Lhose days Lhe feellng
of LumulLuous hasLe such as he knew so well ln
hls boyhood when someLhlng beauLlful was golng
on somewhere and he was Lrylng Lo geL Lhere ln
Llme Lo see Purry hurry or you wlll mlss lL
someone had seemed Lo urge ln hls ears So he
had avldly selzed on Lhe shadow of Love and
deluded hlmself for a long whlle ln Lhe way of
humanlLy from Llme lmmemorlal ln Lhe
meanLlme he became very much engaged Lo
Lsperanza
Why would men so mlsmanage Lhelr llves? Creed
he LhoughL was whaL rulned so many CreedLhe
deslre Lo crowd lnLo a momenL all Lhe en[oymenL
lL wlll hold Lo squeeze from Lhe hour all Lhe
emoLlon lL wlll yleld Men commlL Lhemselves
when buL halfmeanlng Lo do so sacrlflclng
posslble fuLure fullness of ecsLasy Lo Lhe cravlng
for lmmedlaLe exclLemenL CreedmorLgaglng Lhe
fuLureforclng Lhe hand of 1lme or of laLe
WhaL do you Lhlnk happened? asked Carmen
pursulng her LhoughL
l supposed longengaged people are llke LhaL
warm now cool Lomorrow l Lhlnk Lhey are
ofLener cool Lhan warm 1he very facL LhaL an
engagemenL has been allowed Lo prolong lLself
argues a cerLaln placldlLy of LemperamenLor of
affecLlonon Lhe parL of elLher or boLh uon
!ullan loved Lo phllosophlze Pe was Lalklng now
wlLh an evldenL rellsh ln words hls resonanL very
nasal volce Loned down Lo monologue plLch 1haL
phase you were speaklng of ls naLural enough for
a beglnnlng 8esldes LhaL as l see lL was Alfredos
lasL race wlLh escaplng youLh
Carmen laughed aloud aL Lhe LhoughL of her
broLhers perfecL physlcal reposealmosL
lndolencedlsLurbed ln Lhe role suggesLed by her
faLhers flguraLlve language
A lasL spurL of hoL blood flnlshed Lhe old man
lew cerLalnly would credlL Alfredo Salazar wlLh
hoL blood Lven hls frlends had amusedly
dlagnosed hls blood as cool and Lhln clLlng
lnconLroverLlble evldence 1all and slender he
moved wlLh an lndolenL ease LhaL verged on
grace under sLralghL recalclLranL halr a Lhln face
wlLh a saLlsfylng breadLh of forehead slow
dreamers eyes and asLonlshlng freshness of llps
lndeed Alfredo Salazars appearance beLokened
llLLle of exuberanL mascullnlLy raLher a poeL wlLh
wayward humor a fasLldlous arLlsL wlLh keen
clear braln
Pe rose and quleLly wenL ouL of Lhe house Pe
llngered a momenL on Lhe sLone sLeps Lhen wenL
down Lhe paLh shaded by lmmaLure acaclas
Lhrough Lhe llLLle Larred gaLe whlch he lefL
swlnglng back and forLh now openlng now
closlng on Lhe gravel road bordered along Lhe
farLher slde by madre cacao hedge ln Lardy
lavender bloom
1he gravel road narrowed as lL slanLed up Lo Lhe
house on Lhe hlll whose wlde open porches he
could gllmpse Lhrough Lhe heaLshrlvelled
Lamarlnds ln Lhe MarLlnez yard
Slx weeks ago LhaL house meanL noLhlng Lo hlm
save LhaL lL was Lhe MarLlnez house renLed and
occupled by !udge del valle and hls famlly Slx
weeks ago !ulla Salas meanL noLhlng Lo hlm he
dld noL even know her name buL now
Cne evenlng he had gone nelghborlng wlLh uon
!ullan a rare enough occurrence slnce he made lL
a polnL Lo avold all appearance of currylng favor
wlLh Lhe !udge 1hls parLlcular evenlng however
he had allowed hlmself Lo be persuaded A llLLle
menLal relaxaLlon now and Lhen ls beneflclal Lhe
old man had sald 8esldes a [udges good wlll
you know Lhe resL of Lhe LhoughLls worLh a
rlslng young lawyers Lroubleuon !ullan
conveyed Lhrough a shrug and a smlle LhaL
derlded hls own worldly wlsdom
A young woman had meL Lhem aL Lhe door lL was
evldenL from Lhe exclLemenL of Lhe !udges
chlldren LhaL she was a recenL and very welcome
arrlval ln Lhe characLerlsLlc llllplno way formal
lnLroducLlons had been omlLLedLhe [udge
llmlLlng hlmself Lo a casual oenoooneo?
wlLh Lhe consequence LhaL Alfredo called her Mlss
del valle LhroughouL Lhe evenlng
Pe was puzzled LhaL she should smlle wlLh evldenL
dellghL every Llme he addressed her Lhus LaLer
uon !ullan lnformed hlm LhaL she was noL Lhe
!udges slsLer as he had supposed buL hls slsLer
lnlaw and LhaL her name was !ulla Salas A very
dlgnlfled raLher ausLere name he LhoughL SLlll
Lhe young lady should have correcLed hlm As lL
was he was greaLly embarrassed and felL LhaL he
should explaln
1o hls apology she replled 1haL ls noLhlng Lach
Llme l was abouL Lo correcL you buL l
remembered a slmllar experlence l had once
before
Ch he drawled ouL vasLly relleved
A man named Manalangl kepL calllng hlm
Manalo AfLer Lhe LenLh Llme or so Lhe young
man rose from hls seaL and sald suddenly ardon
me buL my name ls Manalang Manalang ?ou
know l never forgave hlm!
Pe laughed wlLh her
1he besL Lhlng Lo do under Lhe clrcumsLances l
have found ouL she pursued ls Lo preLend noL
Lo hear and Lo leL Lhe oLher person flnd ouL hls
mlsLake wlLhouL help
As you dld Lhls Llme SLlll you looked amused
every Llme l
l was Lhlnklng of Mr Manalang
uon !ullan and hls uncommunlcaLlve frlend Lhe
!udge were absorbed ln a game of chess 1he
young man had Llred of playlng appreclaLlve
specLaLor and desulLory conversaLlonallsL so he
and !ulla Salas had gone off Lo chaL ln Lhe vlne
covered porch 1he lone plano ln Lhe
nelghborhood alLernaLely Llnkled and banged
away as Lhe players moods alLered Pe llsLened
and wondered lrrelevanLly lf Mlss Salas could slng
she had such a charmlng speaklng volce
Pe was mlldly surprlsed Lo noLe from her
appearance LhaL she was unmlsLakably a slsLer of
Lhe !udges wlfe alLhough uona Adela was of a
dlfferenL Lype alLogeLher She was small and
plump wlLh wlde brown eyes clearly deflned
eyebrows and dellcaLely modeled hlpsa preLLy
woman wlLh Lhe complexlon of a baby and Lhe
expresslon of a llkable cow !ulla was Laller noL so
obvlously preLLy She had Lhe same eyebrows and
llps buL she was much darker of a smooLh rlch
brown wlLh underlylng Lones of crlmson whlch
helghLened Lhe lmpresslon she gave of aboundlng
vlLallLy
Cn Sunday mornlngs afLer mass faLher and son
would go crunchlng up Lhe gravel road Lo Lhe
house on Lhe hlll 1he !udges wlfe lnvarlably
offered Lhem beer whlch uon !ullan en[oyed and
Alfredo dld noL AfLer a half hour or so Lhe
chessboard would be broughL ouL Lhen Alfredo
and !ulla Salas would go ouL Lo Lhe porch Lo chaL
She saL ln Lhe low hammock and he ln a rocklng
chalr and Lhe hourswarm quleL March hours
sped by Pe en[oyed Lalklng wlLh her and lL was
evldenL LhaL she llked hls company yeL whaL
feellng Lhere was beLween Lhem was so
undlsLurbed LhaL lL seemed a maLLer of course
Cnly when Lsperanza chanced Lo ask hlm
lndlrecLly abouL Lhose vlslLs dld some uneaslness
creep lnLo hls LhoughLs of Lhe glrl nexL door
Lsperanza had wanLed Lo know lf he wenL sLralghL
home afLer mass Alfredo suddenly reallzed LhaL
for several Sundays now he had noL walLed for
Lsperanza Lo come ouL of Lhe church as he had
been wonL Lo do Pe had been eager Lo go
nelghborlng
Pe answered LhaL he wenL home Lo work And
because he was noL hablLually unLruLhful added
SomeLlmes l go wlLh apa Lo !udge del valles
She dropped Lhe Loplc Lsperanza was noL prone
Lo lndulge ln unprovoked [ealousles She was a
bellever ln Lhe regeneraLlve vlrLue of lnsLlLuLlons
ln Lhelr power Lo regulaLe feellng as well as
conducL lf a man were marrled why of course
he loved hls wlfe lf he were engaged he could
noL posslbly love anoLher woman
1haL halflle Lold hlm whaL he had noL admlLLed
openly Lo hlmself LhaL he was glvlng !ulla Salas
someLhlng whlch he was noL free Lo glve Pe
reallzed LhaL yeL someLhlng LhaL would noL be
denled beckoned lmperlously and he followed on
lL was so easy Lo forgeL up Lhere away from Lhe
prylng eyes of Lhe world so easy and so
polgnanLly sweeL 1he beloved woman he
sLandlng close Lo her Lhe shadows around
enfoldlng
up here l flndsomeLhlng
Pe and !ulla Salas sLood looklng ouL lnLo Lhe she
quleL nlghL Senslng unwanLed lnLenslLy laughed
womanllke asklng AmusemenL?
no youLhlLs splrlL
Are you so old?
And hearLs deslre
Was he becomlng a poeL or ls Lhere a poeL lurklng
ln Lhe hearL of every man?
uown Lhere he had conLlnued hls volce
somewhaL lndlsLlncL Lhe road ls Loo broad Loo
Lrodden by feeL Loo barren of mysLery
uown Lhere beyond Lhe anclenL Lamarlnds lay
Lhe road upLurned Lo Lhe sLars ln Lhe darkness
Lhe flreflles gllmmered whlle an erranL breeze
sLrayed ln from somewhere brlnglng eluslve
faraway sounds as of volces ln a dream
MysLery she answered llghLly LhaL ls so brlef

noL ln some qulckly noL ln you
?ou have known me a few weeks so Lhe
mysLery
l could sLudy you all my llfe and sLlll noL flnd lL
So long?
l should llke Lo
1hose slx weeks were now so swlfLseemlng ln
Lhe memory yeL had Lhey been so deep ln Lhe
llvlng so charged wlLh compelllng power and
sweeLness 8ecause nelLher Lhe pasL nor Lhe
fuLure had relevance or meanlng he llved only Lhe
presenL day by day llved lL lnLensely wlLh such a
wlllful shuLLlng ouL of facL as asLounded hlm ln hls
calmer momenLs
!usL before Poly Week uon !ullan lnvlLed Lhe
[udge and hls famlly Lo spend Sunday afLernoon aL
1anda where he had a coconuL planLaLlon and a
house on Lhe beach Carmen also came wlLh her
four energeLlc chlldren She and uona Adela spenL
mosL of Lhe Llme lndoors dlrecLlng Lhe preparaLlon
of Lhe etleoJo and dlscusslng Lhe llkeable
absurdlLles of Lhelr husbandshow Carmens
vlcenLe was so absorbed ln hls farms LhaL he
would noL even Lake Llme off Lo accompany her
on Lhls vlslL Lo her faLher how uona Adelas
ulonlslo was Lhe mosL absenLmlnded of men
someLlmes golng ouL wlLhouL hls collar or wlLh
unmaLched socks
AfLer Lhe etleoJo uon !ullan saunLered off wlLh
Lhe [udge Lo show hlm whaL a Lhrlvlng young
coconuL looked llkeplenLy of leaves close seL
rlch greenwhlle Lhe chlldren convoyed by !ulla
Salas found unendlng enLerLalnmenL ln Lhe
rlppllng sand lefL by Lhe ebblng Llde 1hey were far
down walklng aL Lhe edge of Lhe waLer
lndlsLlncLly ouLllned agalnsL Lhe gray of Lhe ouL
curvlng beach
Alfredo lefL hls perch on Lhe bamboo ladder of Lhe
house and followed Pere were her fooLsLeps
narrow arched Pe laughed aL hlmself for hls
black canvas fooLwear whlch he removed
forLhwlLh and Lossed hlgh up on dry sand
When he came up she flushed Lhen smlled wlLh
frank pleasure
l hope you are en[oylng Lhls he sald wlLh a
quesLlonlng lnflecLlon
very much lL looks llke home Lo me excepL LhaL
we do noL have such a lovely beach
1here was a breeze from Lhe waLer lL blew Lhe
halr away from her forehead and whlpped Lhe
Luckedup sklrL around her sLralghL slender flgure
ln Lhe plcLure was someLhlng of eager freedom as
of wlngs polsed ln fllghL 1he glrl had grace
dlsLlncLlon Per face was noL noLably preLLy yeL
she had a LanLallzlng charm all Lhe more
compelllng because lL was an lnner quallLy an
achlevemenL of Lhe splrlL 1he lure was Lhere of
naLuralness of an alerL vlLallLy of mlnd and body
of a LhoughLful sunny Lemper and of a plquanL
perverseness whlch ls sauce Lo charm
1he afLernoon has seemed very shorL hasnL lL?
1hen 1hls l Lhlnk ls Lhe lasL Llmewe can vlslL
1he lasL? Why?
Ch you wlll be Loo busy perhaps
Pe noLed an evaslve quallLy ln Lhe answer
uo l seem especlally lndusLrlous Lo you?
lf you are you never look lL
noL persplrlng or breaLhless as a busy man
oughL Lo be
8uL
Always unhurrled Loo unhurrled and calm She
smlled Lo herself
l wlsh LhaL were Lrue he sald afLer a medlLaLlve
pause
She walLed
A man ls happler lf he ls as you say calm and
placld
Llke a carabao ln a mud pool she reLorLed
perversely
Who? l?
Ch no!
?ou sald l am calm and placld
1haL ls whaL l Lhlnk
l used Lo Lhlnk so Loo Shows how llLLle we know
ourselves
lL was sLrange Lo hlm LhaL he could be woolng
Lhus wlLh Lone and look and coverL phrase
l should llke Lo see your home Lown
1here ls noLhlng Lo seellLLle crooked sLreeLs
ot roofs wlLh ferns growlng on Lhem and
someLlmes squashes
1haL was Lhe background lL made her seem less
deLached less unrelaLed yeL wlLhal more dlsLanL
as lf LhaL background clalmed her and excluded
hlm
noLhlng? 1here ls you
Ch me? 8uL l am here
l wlll noL go of course unLll you are Lhere
Wlll you come? ?ou wlll flnd lL dull 1here lsnL
even one Amerlcan Lhere!
WellAmerlcans are raLher essenLlal Lo my
enLerLalnmenL
She laughed
We llve on Calle Luz a llLLle sLreeL wlLh Lrees
Could l flnd LhaL?
lf you donL ask for Mlss del valle she smlled
Leaslngly
lll lnqulre abouL
WhaL?
1he house of Lhe preLLlesL glrl ln Lhe Lown
1here ls where you wlll lose your way 1hen she
Lurned serlous now LhaL ls noL qulLe slncere
lL ls he averred slowly buL emphaLlcally
l LhoughL you aL leasL would noL say such
Lhlngs
reLLypreLLya foollsh word! 8uL Lhere ls none
oLher more handy l dld noL mean LhaL qulLe
Are you wlLhdrawlng Lhe compllmenL?
8eenforclng lL maybe SomeLhlng ls preLLy when
lL pleases Lhe eyelL ls more Lhan LhaL when
lf lL saddens? she lnLerrupLed hasLlly
LxacLly
lL musL be ugly
Always?
1oward Lhe wesL Lhe sunllghL lay on Lhe dlmmlng
waLers ln a broad gllnLlng sLreamer of crlmsoned
gold
no of course you are rlghL
Why dld you say Lhls ls Lhe lasL Llme? he asked
quleLly as Lhey Lurned back
l am golng home
1he end of an lmposslble dream!
When? afLer a long sllence
1omorrow l recelved a leLLer from laLher and
MoLher yesLerday 1hey wanL me Lo spend Poly
Week aL home
She seemed Lo be walLlng for hlm Lo speak 1haL
ls why l sald Lhls ls Lhe lasL Llme
CanL l come Lo say goodbye?
Ch you donL need Lo!
no buL l wanL Lo
1here ls no Llme
1he golden sLreamer was wlLhdrawlng
shorLenlng unLll lL looked no more Lhan a pool far
away aL Lhe rlm of Lhe world SLlllness a vlbranL
quleL LhaL affecLs Lhe senses as does solemn
harmony a peace LhaL ls noL conLenLmenL buL a
cessaLlon of LumulL when all vlolence of feellng
Lones down Lo Lhe wlsLful serenlLy of regreL She
Lurned and looked lnLo hls face ln her dark eyes a
ghosL of sunseL sadness
Pome seems so far from here 1hls ls almosL llke
anoLher llfe
l know 1hls ls Llsewhere and yeL sLrange
enough l cannoL geL rld of Lhe old Lhlngs
Cld Lhlngs?
Ch old Lhlngs mlsLakes encumbrances old
baggage Pe sald lL llghLly unwllllng Lo mar Lhe
hour Pe walked close hls hand someLlmes
Louchlng hers for one whlrllng second
uon !ullans nasal summons came Lo Lhem on Lhe
wlnd
Alfredo grlpped Lhe sofL hand so near hls own AL
hls Louch Lhe glrl Lurned her face away buL he
heard her volce say very low Coodbye

ll
ALl8LuC Salazar Lurned Lo Lhe rlghL where
farLher on Lhe road broadened and enLered Lhe
hearL of Lhe LownhearL of Chlnese sLores
shelLered under lowhung roofs of lndolenL drug
sLores and Lallor shops of dlngy shoerepalrlng
esLabllshmenLs and a cluLLered goldsmlLhs
cubbyhole where a consumpLlve benL over a
magnlfylng lens hearL of old brlckroofed houses
wlLh qualnL handandball knockers on Lhe door
hearL of grassgrown plaza reposeful wlLh Lrees of
anclenL church and nooveoto now clrcled by
swallows glldlng ln fllghL as smooLh and sofL as Lhe
afLernoon lLself lnLo Lhe qulckly deepenlng
LwlllghL Lhe volce of Lhe blggesL of Lhe church
bells kepL rlnglng lLs lnslsLenL summons llocklng
came Lhe devouL wlLh Lhelr long wax candles
young women ln vlvld apparel (for Lhls was Poly
1hursday and Lhe Lord was sLlll allve) older
women ln sober black sklrLs Came Loo Lhe young
men ln droves elbowlng each oLher under Lhe
Lallsay Lree near Lhe church door 1he gally decked
rlcepaper lanLerns were agaln on dlsplay whlle
from Lhe wlndows of Lhe older houses hung
colored glass globes helrlooms from a day when
grassplLh wlcks floaLlng ln coconuL oll were Lhe
chlef llghLlng devlce
Soon a double row of llghLs emerged from Lhe
church and uncolled down Lhe lengLh of Lhe sLreeL
llke a huge [ewelled band sLudded wlLh gllLLerlng
clusLers where Lhe salnLs plaLforms were Above
Lhe measured muslc rose Lhe unLuLored volces of
Lhe cholr sLeeped ln lncense and Lhe acrld fumes
of burnlng wax
1he slghL of Lsperanza and her moLher sedaLely
paclng behlnd Cur Lady of Sorrows suddenly
desLroyed Lhe llluslon of conLlnulLy and broke up
Lhose llnes of llghL lnLo componenL lndlvlduals
Lsperanza sLlffened selfconsclously Lrled Lo look
unaware and could noL
1he llne moved on
Suddenly Alfredos slow blood began Lo beaL
vlolenLly lrregularly A glrl was comlng down Lhe
llnea glrl LhaL was sLrlklng and vlvldly allve Lhe
woman LhaL could cause vlolenL commoLlon ln hls
hearL yeL had no place ln Lhe compleLed orderlng
of hls llfe
Per glance of absLracLed devoLlon fell on hlm and
came Lo a brlef sLop
1he llne kepL movlng on wendlng lLs clrculLous
rouLe away from Lhe church and Lhen back agaln
where accordlng Lo Lhe old proverb all
processlons end
AL lasL Cur Lady of Sorrows enLered Lhe church
and wlLh her Lhe prlesL and Lhe cholr whose
volces now echoed from Lhe arched celllng 1he
bells rang Lhe close of Lhe processlon
A round orange moon huge as a wlnnowlng
baskeL rose lazlly lnLo a clear sky whlLenlng Lhe
lron roofs and dlmmlng Lhe lanLerns aL Lhe
wlndows Along Lhe sLlll densely shadowed sLreeLs
Lhe young women wlLh Lhelr rear guard of males
lolLered and maybe Look Lhe longesL way home
1oward Lhe end of Lhe row of Chlnese sLores he
caughL up wlLh !ulla Salas 1he crowd had
dlspersed lnLo Lhe slde sLreeLs leavlng Calle 8eal
Lo Lhose who llved farLher ouL lL was pasL elghL
and Lsperanza would be expecLlng hlm ln a llLLle
whlle yeL Lhe LhoughL dld noL hurry hlm as he sald
Cood evenlng and fell lnLo sLep wlLh Lhe glrl
l had been Lhlnklng all Lhls Llme LhaL you had
gone he sald ln a volce LhaL was boLh exclLed
and Lroubled
no my slsLer asked me Lo sLay unLll Lhey are
ready Lo go
Ch ls Lhe !udge golng?
?es
1he provlnclal dockeL had been cleared and !udge
del valle had been asslgned elsewhere As lawyer
and as loverAlfredo had found LhaL ouL long
before
Mr Salazar she broke lnLo hls sllence l wlsh Lo
congraLulaLe you
Per Lone Lold hlm LhaL she had learned aL lasL
1haL was lnevlLable
lor whaL?
lor your approachlng weddlng
Some explanaLlon was due her surely ?eL whaL
could he say LhaL would noL offend?
l should have offered congraLulaLlons long
before buL you know mere vlslLors are slow abouL
geLLlng Lhe news she conLlnued
Pe llsLened noL so much Lo whaL she sald as Lo Lhe
nuances ln her volce Pe heard noLhlng Lo
enllghLen hlm excepL LhaL she had reverLed Lo Lhe
formal Lones of early acqualnLance no revelaLlon
Lhere slmply Lhe old volcecool almosL deLached
from personallLy flexlble and vlbranL suggesLlng
poLenLlallLles of song
Are weddlngs lnLeresLlng Lo you? he flnally
broughL ouL quleLly
When Lhey are of frlends yes
Would you come lf l asked you?
When ls lL golng Lo be?
May he replled brlefly afLer a long pause
May ls Lhe monLh of happlness Lhey say she
sald wlLh whaL seemed Lo hlm a shade of lrony
1hey say slowly lndlfferenLly Would you
come?
Why noL?
no reason l am [usL asklng 1hen you wlll?
lf you wlll ask me she sald wlLh dlsdaln
1hen l ask you
1hen l wlll be Lhere
1he gravel road lay before Lhem aL Lhe roads end
Lhe llghLed wlndows of Lhe house on Lhe hlll
1here swepL over Lhe splrlL of Alfredo Salazar a
longlng so keen LhaL lL was paln a wlsh LhaL LhaL
house were hls LhaL all Lhe bewlldermenLs of Lhe
presenL were noL and LhaL Lhls woman by hls slde
were hls long wedded wlfe reLurnlng wlLh hlm Lo
Lhe peace of home
!ullLa he sald ln hls slow LhoughLful manner
dld you ever have Lo choose beLween someLhlng
you wanLed Lo do and someLhlng you had Lo do?
no!
l LhoughL maybe you had had LhaL experlence
Lhen you could undersLand a man who was ln
such a slLuaLlon
?ou are forLunaLe he pursued when she dld noL
answer
lsls Lhls man sure of whaL he should do?
l donL know !ullLa erhaps noL 8uL Lhere ls a
polnL where a Lhlng escapes us and rushes
downward of lLs own welghL dragglng us along
1hen lL ls foollsh Lo ask wheLher one wlll or wlll
noL because lL no longer depends on hlm
8uL Lhen whywhy her muffled volce came
Ch whaL do l know? 1haL ls hls problem afLer
all
uoesnL lLlnLeresL you?
Why musL lL? ll have Lo say goodbye Mr
Salazar we are aL Lhe house
WlLhouL llfLlng her eyes she qulckly Lurned and
walked away
Pad Lhe flnal word been sald? Pe wondered lL
had ?eL a feeble fluLLer of hope Lrembled ln hls
mlnd Lhough seL agalnsL LhaL hope were Lhree
years of engagemenL a very near weddlng
perfecL undersLandlng beLween Lhe parenLs hls
own consclence and Lsperanza herself
Lsperanza walLlng Lsperanza no longer young
Lsperanza Lhe efflclenL Lhe llLeralmlnded Lhe
lnLensely acqulslLlve
Pe looked aLLenLlvely aL her where she saL on Lhe
sofa appralslngly and wlLh a klnd of averslon
whlch he Lrled Lo conLrol
She was one of Lhose forLunaLe women who have
Lhe glfL of unlformly accepLable appearance She
never surprlsed one wlLh unexpecLed homellness
nor wlLh sLarLllng reserves of beauLy AL home ln
church on Lhe sLreeL she was always herself a
woman pasL flrsL bloom llghL and clear of
complexlon spare of arms and of breasL wlLh a
sllghL convexlLy Lo Lhln LhroaL a woman dressed
wlLh selfconsclous care even elegance a woman
dlsLlncLly noL average
She was pursulng an lndlgnanL relaLlon abouL
someLhlng or oLher someLhlng abouL CallxLa
Lhelr noLecarrler Alfredo percelved so he merely
halfllsLened undersLandlng lmperfecLly AL a
pause he drawled ouL Lo flll ln Lhe gap Well
whaL of lL? 1he remark sounded ruder Lhan he
had lnLended
She ls noL marrled Lo hlm Lsperanza lnslsLed ln
her Lhln nervously plLched volce 8esldes she
should have LhoughL of us nanay pracLlcally
broughL her up We never LhoughL she would Lurn
ouL bad
WhaL had CallxLa done? Pomely mlddleaged
CallxLa?
?ou are very poslLlve abouL her badness he
commenLed dryly Lsperanza was always poslLlve
8uL do you approve?
Cf whaL?
WhaL she dld
no lndlfferenLly
Well?
Pe was suddenly lmpelled by a deslre Lo dlsLurb
Lhe unvexed orLhodoxy of her mlnd All l say ls
LhaL lL ls noL necessarlly wlcked
Why shouldnL lL be? ?ou Lalked llke anlmmoral
man l dld noL know LhaL your ldeas were llke
LhaL
My ldeas? he reLorLed goaded by a deep
accumulaLed exasperaLlon 1he only LesL l wlsh Lo
apply Lo conducL ls Lhe LesL of falrness Am l
ln[urlng anybody? no? 1hen l am [usLlfled ln my
consclence l am rlghL Llvlng wlLh a man Lo whom
she ls noL marrledls LhaL lL? lL may be wrong and
agaln lL may noL
She has ln[ured us She was ungraLeful Per
volce was LlghL wlLh resenLmenL
1he Lrouble wlLh you Lsperanza ls LhaL you are
he sLopped appalled by Lhe passlon ln hls volce
Why do you geL angry? l do noL undersLand you
aL all! l Lhlnk l know why you have been
lndlfferenL Lo me laLely l am noL bllnd or deaf l
see and hear whaL perhaps some are Lrylng Lo
keep from me 1he blood surged lnLo hls very
eyes and hls hearlng sharpened Lo polnLs of acuLe
paln WhaL would she say nexL?
Why donL you speak ouL frankly before lL ls Loo
laLe? ?ou need noL Lhlnk of me and of whaL
people wlll say Per volce Lrembled
Alfredo was sufferlng as he could noL remember
ever havlng suffered before WhaL people wlll say
whaL wlll Lhey noL say? WhaL donL Lhey say when
long engagemenLs are broken almosL on Lhe eve
of Lhe weddlng?
?es he sald heslLaLlngly dlffldenLly as lf merely
Lhlnklng aloud one Lrles Lo be falraccordlng Lo
hls llghLsbuL lL ls hard Cne would llke Lo be falr
Lo ones self flrsL 8uL LhaL ls Loo easy one does
noL dare
WhaL do you mean? she asked wlLh repressed
vlolence WhaLever my shorLcomlngs and no
doubL Lhey are many ln your eyes l have never
gone ouL of my way of my place Lo flnd a man
uld she mean by Lhls lrrelevanL remark LhaL he lL
was who had soughL her or was LhaL a coverL
aLLack on !ulla Salas?
Lsperanza a desperaLe plea lay ln hls sLumbllng
words lf yousuppose l ?eL how could a mere
man word such a plea?
lf you mean you wanL Lo Lake back your word lf
you are Llred ofwhy donL you Lell me you are
Llred of me? she bursL ouL ln a sLorm of weeplng
LhaL lefL hlm compleLely shamed and unnerved
1he lasL word had been sald

lll
AS Alfredo Salazar leaned agalnsL Lhe boaL rall Lo
waLch Lhe evenlng seLLllng over Lhe lake he
wondered lf Lsperanza would aLLrlbuLe any
slgnlflcance Lo Lhls Lrlp of hls Pe was supposed Lo
be ln SLa Cruz whlLher Lhe case of Lhe eople of
Lhe hlllpplne lslands vs 8ellna eL al had kepL hlm
and Lhere he would have been lf 8rlglda Samuy
had noL been so lmporLanL Lo Lhe defense Pe had
Lo flnd LhaL eluslve old woman 1haL Lhe search
was leadlng hlm Lo LhaL parLlcular lake Lown whlch
was !ulla Salas home should noL dlsLurb hlm
unduly ?eL he was dlsLurbed Lo a degree uLLerly
ouL of proporLlon Lo Lhe prosalcalness of hls
errand 1haL lnner LumulL was no surprlse Lo hlm
ln Lhe lasL elghL years he had become used Lo such
occaslonal sLorms Pe had long reallzed LhaL he
could noL forgeL !ulla Salas SLlll he had Lrled Lo be
conLenL and noL Lo remember Loo much 1he
cllmber of mounLalns who has known Lhe back
break Lhe lonesomeness and Lhe chlll flnds a
cerLaln resLfulness ln level paLhs made easy Lo hls
feeL Pe looks up someLlmes from Lhe valley
where seLLles Lhe dusk of evenlng buL he knows
he musL noL heed Lhe radlanL beckonlng Maybe
ln Llme he would cease even Lo look up
Pe was noL unhappy ln hls marrlage Pe felL no
rebelllon only Lhe calm of caplLulaLlon Lo whaL he
recognlzed as lrreslsLlble forces of clrcumsLance
and of characLer Pls llfe had slmply ordered lLself
no more sLruggles no more sLlrrlng up of
emoLlons LhaL goL a man nowhere lrom hls
capaclLy of compleLe deLachmenL he derlved a
sLrange solace 1he essenLlal hlmself Lhe hlmself
LhaL had lLs belng ln Lhe core of hls LhoughL
would he reflecLed always be free and alone
When clalms encroached Loo lnslsLenLly as
someLlmes Lhey dld he reLreaLed lnLo Lhe lnner
fasLness and from LhaL vanLage he saw Lhlngs and
people around hlm as remoLe and allen as
lncldenLs LhaL dld noL maLLer AL such Llmes dld
Lsperanza feel baffled and helpless he was
genLle even Lender buL lmmeasurably far away
beyond her reach
LlghLs were sprlnglng lnLo llfe on Lhe shore 1haL
was Lhe Lown a llLLle upLllLed Lown nesLllng ln
Lhe dark greenness of Lhe groves A snubcresLed
belfry sLood beslde Lhe anclenL church Cn Lhe
ouLsklrLs Lhe evenlng smudges glowed red
Lhrough Lhe slnuous mlsLs of smoke LhaL rose and
losL Lhemselves ln Lhe purple shadows of Lhe hllls
1here was a young moon whlch grew slowly
lumlnous as Lhe coral LlnLs ln Lhe sky ylelded Lo
Lhe darker blues of evenlng
1he vessel approached Lhe landlng quleLly Lralllng
a wake of long golden rlpples on Lhe dark waLer
ecullar hlll lnflecLlons came Lo hls ears from Lhe
crowd assembled Lo meeL Lhe boaLslow slnglng
cadences characLerlsLlc of Lhe Laguna lakeshore
speech lrom where he sLood he could noL
dlsLlngulsh faces so he had no way of knowlng
wheLher Lhe telJeote was Lhere Lo meeL hlm or
noL !usL Lhen a volce shouLed
ls Lhe ooqoJo Lhere? oqoJo!
WhaL ooqoJo? someone lraLely asked
1haL musL be Lhe telJeote he LhoughL and
wenL down Lo Lhe landlng
lL was a pollceman a Lall pockmarked lndlvldual
1he telJeote had lefL wlLh 8rlglda Samuy
1andang 8lndayLhaL noon for SanLa Cruz
Senor Salazars second leLLer had arrlved laLe buL
Lhe wlfe had read lL and sald Co and meeL Lhe
ooqoJo and lnvlLe hlm Lo our house
Alfredo Salazar courLeously decllned Lhe
lnvlLaLlon Pe would sleep on board slnce Lhe boaL
would leave aL four Lhe nexL mornlng anyway So
Lhe telJeote had recelved hls flrsL leLLer?
Alfredo dld noL know because LhaL offlclal had noL
senL an answer ?es Lhe pollceman replled buL
he could noL wrlLe because we heard LhaL
1andang 8lnday was ln San AnLonlo so we wenL
Lhere Lo flnd her
San AnLonlo was up ln Lhe hllls! Cood man Lhe
presldenLe! Pe Alfredo musL do someLhlng for
hlm lL was noL every day LhaL one meL wlLh such
wllllngness Lo help
LlghL oclock lugubrlously Lolled from Lhe bell
Lower found Lhe boaL seLLled lnLo a somnolenL
quleL A coL had been broughL ouL and spread for
hlm buL lL was Loo bare Lo be lnvlLlng aL LhaL
hour lL was Loo early Lo sleep he would walk
around Lhe Lown Pls hearL beaL fasLer as he
plcked hls way Lo shore over Lhe rafLs made fasL
Lo sundry plles drlven lnLo Lhe waLer
Pow peaceful Lhe Lown was! Pere and Lhere a
llLLle tleoJo was sLlll open lLs dlm llghL lssulng
forlornly Lhrough Lhe slngle wlndow whlch served
as counLer An occaslonal couple saunLered by
Lhe womens nloelo maklng scraplng sounds
lrom a dlsLance came Lhe shrlll volces of chlldren
playlng games on Lhe sLreeLtlqoo perhaps or
hawkandchlcken 1he LhoughL of !ulla Salas ln
LhaL quleL place fllled hlm wlLh a plLylng sadness
Pow would llfe seem now lf he had marrled !ulla
Salas? Pad he meanL anyLhlng Lo her? 1haL
unforgeLLable redandgold afLernoon ln early
Aprll haunLed hlm wlLh a sense of lncompleLeness
as resLless as oLher unlald ghosLs She had noL
marrledwhy? lalLhfulness he reflecLed was noL
a consclous efforL aL regreLful memory lL was
someLhlng unvollLlonal maybe a recurrenL
awareness of lrreplaceablllLy lrrelevanL Lrlflesa
cool wlnd on hls forehead faraway sounds as of
volces ln a dreamaL Llmes moved hlm Lo an
oddly lrreslsLlble lmpulse Lo llsLen as Lo an
lnslsLenL unflnlshed prayer
A few lnqulrles led hlm Lo a cerLaln llLLle Lree
celllnged sLreeL where Lhe young moon wove
lndlsLlncL flllgrees of flghL and shadow ln Lhe
gardens Lhe coLLon Lree Lhrew lLs angular shadow
aLhwarL Lhe low sLone wall and ln Lhe cool sLllly
mldnlghL Lhe cocks flrsL call rose ln Lall soarlng
[eLs of sound Calle Luz
Somehow or oLher he had known LhaL he would
flnd her house because she would surely be slLLlng
aL Lhe wlndow Where else before bedLlme on a
moonllL nlghL? 1he house was low and Lhe llghL ln
Lhe sala behlnd her Lhrew her head lnLo
unmlsLakable rellef Pe sensed raLher Lhan saw
her sLarL of vlvld surprlse
Cood evenlng he sald ralslng hls haL
Cood evenlng Ch! Are you ln Lown?
Cn some llLLle buslness he answered wlLh a
feellng of palnful consLralnL
WonL you come up?
Pe consldered Pls vague plans had noL lncluded
Lhls 8uL !ulla Salas had lefL Lhe wlndow calllng Lo
her moLher as she dld so AfLer a whlle someone
came downsLalrs wlLh a llghLed candle Lo open Lhe
door AL lasLhe was shaklng her hand
She had noL changed mucha llLLle less slender
noL so eagerly allve yeL someLhlng had gone Pe
mlssed lL slLLlng opposlLe her looklng
LhoughLfully lnLo her flne dark eyes She asked
hlm abouL Lhe home Lown abouL Lhls and LhaL ln
a sober somewhaL medlLaLlve Lone Pe conversed
wlLh lncreaslng ease Lhough wlLh a growlng
wonder LhaL he should be Lhere aL all Pe could
noL Lake hls eyes from her face WhaL had she
losL? Cr was Lhe loss hls? Pe felL an lmpersonal
curloslLy creeplng lnLo hls gaze 1he glrl musL have
noLlced for her cheek darkened ln a blush
CenLlywas lL experlmenLally?he pressed her
hand aL parLlng buL hls own felL undlsLurbed and
emoLlonless uld she sLlll care? 1he answer Lo Lhe
quesLlon hardly lnLeresLed hlm
1he young moon had seL and from Lhe unlnvlLlng
coL he could see one half of a sLarsLudded sky
So LhaL was all over
Why had he obsLlnaLely clung Lo LhaL dream?
So all Lhese yearsslnce when?he had been
seelng Lhe llghL of dead sLars long exLlngulshed
yeL seemlngly sLlll ln Lhelr appolnLed places ln Lhe
heavens
An lmmense sadness as of loss lnvaded hls splrlL a
vasL homeslckness for some lmmuLable refuge of
Lhe hearL far away where faded gardens bloom
agaln and where llve on ln unchanglng freshness
Lhe dear dead loves of vanlshed youLh
1r|p1a [ourney or voyage2Lo cause Lo sLumble
(ofLen followed by up) 1he rug Lrlpped hlm up
L|ght
Check
Show
8ank
|ay
Can
S|gn
watch
Marks
a. bail n. money paid Ior release Irom
jail
b. bail v. to throw water out
a. band - n. a thin strip Ior binding
b. band v. group oI musicians
c. band - v. to gather together
d. band n. a ring oI elastic
a. batter n. liquid mixture used
Ior cakes
b. batter n. baseball player
a. grave adj. important, serious
b. grave n. a place oI burial
Iigures oI speech
synecdochea flgure of speech ln whlch a parL ls
used for Lhe whole or Lhe whole for a parL Lhe
speclal for Lhe general or Lhe general for Lhe speclal
as ln Len sall for Len shlps or a Croesus for a rlch
man
meLaphor a flgure of speech ln whlch a Lerm or
phrase ls applled Lo someLhlng Lo whlch lL ls noL
llLerally appllcable ln order Lo suggesL a
resemblance as ln A mlghLy forLress ls our Cod"
lrony Lhe use of words Lo convey a meanlng LhaL ls
Lhe opposlLe of lLs llLeral meanlng l losL my walleL
lL's my lucky day
pun Lhe humorous use of a word or phrase so as Lo
emphaslze or suggesL lLs dlfferenL meanlngs or
appllcaLlons or Lhe use of words LhaL are allke or
nearly allke ln sound buL dlfferenL ln meanlng a play
on words
hyperbole obvlous and lnLenLlonal exaggeraLlon l
am veryhungry as lf LhaL l can eaL a horse
assonaceAlso called vowel rhyme rosody rhyme
ln whlch Lhe same vowel sounds are used wlLh
dlfferenL consonanLs ln Lhe sLressed syllables of Lhe
rhymlng words as ln penlLenL and reLlcence -on a
proud round cloud ln wh|Le h|gh n|ghL

CnomaLopoela Lhe formaLlon of a word as cuckoo
meow honk or boom by lmlLaLlon of a sound made
by or assoclaLed wlLh lLs referenL

erson|f|cat|on Lhe aLLrlbuLlon of a personal naLure
or characLer Lo lnanlmaLe ob[ecLs or absLracL
noLlons especlally as a rheLorlcal flgure Neck|ace |s
a fr|end
a|||terat|on refers Lo Lhe repeLlLlon of a
parLlcular sound ln Lhe flrsL syllables of a serles
of words and/or phrases
aposLrophewhen a speaker or wrlLer breaks off
and dlrecLs speech Lo an lmaglnary person or
absLracL quallLy or ldea such a flgure of speech
ls ofLen lnLroduced by Lhe exclamaLlon C
slmlledlrecLly compares Lwo dlfferenL Lhlngs
usually by employlng Lhe words llke as