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Authors: Kirstan Hawkins
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have lived all your lives staring at this plaza and never seeing anything beyond its four corners.â Don Bosco winked at Arturo again, indicating that he was taking the insult in good spirit.
âNot all that âmodern manâ nonsense again,â Don Alfredo mumbled as he took a gulp of his beer. âHaving been in the mines makes you no more modern than the rest of us. I donât see what is so modern about going here, there and everywhere. Iâm sure the beer is the same wherever you go. And anyway, if you are so modern and we are not, then why did you come back?â
âIf it wasnât for people like me, with a bit of experience of theoutside world, this town would be dead on its feet,â Don Teofelo retorted. âMy only concern now is what the mayor is up to. I tell you, changes are afoot. I keep telling you this but youâre all too caught up in your little lives to listen.â
âWell, why donât you do something about it then?â Don Arsenio added to the debate. âEspecially as youâre so much better than we are.â
âNow, now,â Don Bosco said, opening another bottle of chilled beer to cool readily heated tempers. âBut, Teofelo. We are not clear. What is your point?â asked Don Bosco. âIt seems to me you are confused. One minute you tell us how we are small-minded people who are stuck in our ways here and never open to change, and the next you tell us to beware because changes are afoot. Iâm not sure you can have it both ways. I canât see how the arrival of a doctor from the city is a sign of disaster for our town, can you, doctor?â
Arturo was uncertain, but was spared the effort of answering as Don Teofelo cut in.
âMy point is quite simple, even for you. All I am saying is, things should be done in the right way, and we need to be careful. What is the mayorâs intention? Thatâs what Iâm asking. Heâs never shown any concern for the welfare of this town before. You people have a short memory. Donât forget his family owned the estate that sucked the lifeblood out of our fathers and grandfathers. There are ways and means of going about things.â
âWell, I have never understood why Bosco here would never stand for mayor,â Don Alfredo said.
âHear, hear,â Don Arsenio added in support of the suggestion.
âWell, Iâm not sure about that,â Don Julio suddenly interjected. Everyone looked at him. âI mean, Iâm not so sure about progress. You say, for example, that a bigger school with a well-qualifiedteacher from the city would be a good thing for our children. On the other hand, Iâve heard of this happening in other places. The children start to see the world in a different way and they begin to argue with their parents and the next thing you know theyâre leaving in their droves, not just a few at a time. Eventually all you have left is a lot of old people sitting around on benches in the plaza discussing how sad the town is now that there are no young people left. So, doctor, the question I am asking myself is this. If weâve managed for so long without you, are we really going to be better off having you here? I only ask this out of interest. I mean no disrespect.â
âSo, you would stop progress for our children because youâre afraid of becoming a lonely old man?â Don Teofelo challenged him provocatively.
âDon Julio is only saying that because heâs afraid of what a doctor might do to him,â Don Bosco added. âHeâs been suffering from toothache for the past two months and Iâve offered to pull his teeth out. He wonât have it, you know.â Don Julio smiled sheepishly at the doctor, revealing a row of black stumps. Arturo suddenly wished that he had paid more attention to his emergency dentistry classes.
âWell, I have never needed a doctor yet,â Don Alfredo said. âThe
âNot all that âmodern manâ nonsense again,â Don Alfredo mumbled as he took a gulp of his beer. âHaving been in the mines makes you no more modern than the rest of us. I donât see what is so modern about going here, there and everywhere. Iâm sure the beer is the same wherever you go. And anyway, if you are so modern and we are not, then why did you come back?â
âIf it wasnât for people like me, with a bit of experience of theoutside world, this town would be dead on its feet,â Don Teofelo retorted. âMy only concern now is what the mayor is up to. I tell you, changes are afoot. I keep telling you this but youâre all too caught up in your little lives to listen.â
âWell, why donât you do something about it then?â Don Arsenio added to the debate. âEspecially as youâre so much better than we are.â
âNow, now,â Don Bosco said, opening another bottle of chilled beer to cool readily heated tempers. âBut, Teofelo. We are not clear. What is your point?â asked Don Bosco. âIt seems to me you are confused. One minute you tell us how we are small-minded people who are stuck in our ways here and never open to change, and the next you tell us to beware because changes are afoot. Iâm not sure you can have it both ways. I canât see how the arrival of a doctor from the city is a sign of disaster for our town, can you, doctor?â
Arturo was uncertain, but was spared the effort of answering as Don Teofelo cut in.
âMy point is quite simple, even for you. All I am saying is, things should be done in the right way, and we need to be careful. What is the mayorâs intention? Thatâs what Iâm asking. Heâs never shown any concern for the welfare of this town before. You people have a short memory. Donât forget his family owned the estate that sucked the lifeblood out of our fathers and grandfathers. There are ways and means of going about things.â
âWell, I have never understood why Bosco here would never stand for mayor,â Don Alfredo said.
âHear, hear,â Don Arsenio added in support of the suggestion.
âWell, Iâm not sure about that,â Don Julio suddenly interjected. Everyone looked at him. âI mean, Iâm not so sure about progress. You say, for example, that a bigger school with a well-qualifiedteacher from the city would be a good thing for our children. On the other hand, Iâve heard of this happening in other places. The children start to see the world in a different way and they begin to argue with their parents and the next thing you know theyâre leaving in their droves, not just a few at a time. Eventually all you have left is a lot of old people sitting around on benches in the plaza discussing how sad the town is now that there are no young people left. So, doctor, the question I am asking myself is this. If weâve managed for so long without you, are we really going to be better off having you here? I only ask this out of interest. I mean no disrespect.â
âSo, you would stop progress for our children because youâre afraid of becoming a lonely old man?â Don Teofelo challenged him provocatively.
âDon Julio is only saying that because heâs afraid of what a doctor might do to him,â Don Bosco added. âHeâs been suffering from toothache for the past two months and Iâve offered to pull his teeth out. He wonât have it, you know.â Don Julio smiled sheepishly at the doctor, revealing a row of black stumps. Arturo suddenly wished that he had paid more attention to his emergency dentistry classes.
âWell, I have never needed a doctor yet,â Don Alfredo said. âThe
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