thought those little lights up there were an airplane.
âMercedes.â
âIs that your real name?â
âI only have one,â she said angrily. âAnd in case you were wondering, Iâm not a whore. I was his girlfriend. He took me out of a show I was working in.â
âAt the Vacilón, a club in downtown Lima,â the guard explained. âShe wasnât the only one. Hog had a string of girlfriends. Iscariote introduced him to five at least.â
âWhat a life.â Lituma sighed. âFive at the same time! A change of woman every day, every night, like underwear or shirts. And here we are, Tomasito, starving to death.â
âMy back was aching,â his adjutant went on, absorbed in his memories. âThere was no way to persuade the driver to let us ride in the cab. He was afraid weâd attack him. We were covered with bruises. And I was eaten up by doubts when I thought about what Mercedes had said. Could it be true, was all her crying just an act to get him excited? What do you think, Corporal?â
âI donât know what to say, Tomasito. It probably was an act. He pretended to beat her, she pretended to cry, then he got hot and got off. Iâve heard about guys like that.â
âWhat a pig, a real pig,â his adjutant growled. âHe deserved to die, damn it.â
âAnd in spite of everything you fell in love with Mercedes. Loveâs really complicated, Tomasito.â
âDonât I know it,â murmured the guard. âIf it wasnât for love I wouldnât be in the damn barrens waiting for some motherfucking fanatics to decide to come and kill us.â
âDid you hear something? Iâm going to have a look around, just in case.â Lituma listened intently. He stood, holding his revolver, and went to the door of the shack. He peered in all directions and came back to his cot, laughing. âNo, itâs not them. I thought I saw the mute taking a shit in the moonlight.â
What would happen to him now? Better not think about it. Just get to Lima and then heâd see. Could he face his godfather after this? It would be a bitter pill to swallow. He had always behaved like a gentleman and this is how you repay him. Thatâs called being a real asshole, Carreño. Yes, but he didnât care. He felt better now, bouncing around with each jolt of the truck and touching her sometimes; much better than back in Tingo MarÃa, shaking, sweating, choking, leaning against the walls of that house, listening to his filthy shit. All those moans, pleas, blows, threats, just an act, just a lie? False. Or, unexpectedly, true.
âI didnât regret a thing, Corporal, and thatâs the truth,â Tomás declared. âWhatever happened to me would happen. Because I was already crazy about her, just like you guessed.â
The motion and the sweet aroma of the mangoes made them both drowsy. Mercedes tried to rest her head against a sack, but the bouncing of the truck made that impossible. Carreño heard her grumble, saw her bury her face in her hands as she shifted again and again in an effort to find a comfortable position.
âLetâs make a deal,â he heard her say at last, trying to be casual. âYou lean on my shoulder for a while, and then Iâll lean on you. If we donât get some sleep, weâll be dead on our feet by the time we get to Huánuco.â
âWell now, things are getting interesting,â remarked Lituma. âTell me once and for all about the first time you fucked her, Tomasito.â
âRight then and there I stretched out my arm and made a little place for her,â Tomás said joyfully. âI felt her body coming close to mine, I felt her head resting on my shoulder.â
âAnd, of course, you got a hard-on,â said Lituma.
The boy didnât take the hint this time, either.
âI put my arm around her, I rested my hand on
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