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Authors: Monica La Porta
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my mind? Mauricio thought.
“I like the way you said it, that my baby is
going to be fine. You sounded so sure of it, as if you know. It
makes me feel better.”
Mauricio was pleased by her statement and
the longing to be in her presence became stronger. “You know what
I’d like to change at this precise moment?”
“No, what would you?” Rosie’s voice came
labored, as if she was pacing back and forth. Steps were resonating
outside.
“I’d like to tear down this wall in front of
me.”
“Why?” she asked after a second.
“I want to hold you,” Mauricio said without
hesitating. A silence louder than one thousand voices echoed inside
the cell and Mauricio shivered. He slowly slid from the bed to the
floor and threw his head back. He sat, staring at the dark ceiling,
waiting for her to say something. When it was painfully clear that
Rosie wasn’t going to say anything, Mauricio slapped his head with
both hands and then pressed them against his temples to mitigate
the oncoming headache. Then he heard steps coming closer.
“Mistress! What are you doing out here,
alone?” It was a young woman’s voice.
“Hi, nurse Celia. I like to come here at
night and sing to my baby. The eucalyptus tree keeps me company and
the view of the lake is too beautiful to miss.” Rosie’s voice was
subdued and not at all haughty.
Mauricio wondered why she was being nice to
the nurse.
“Don’t worry; I won’t tell the Priestess
that you leave your room at night. But you have to promise me to be
careful. Don’t do anything stupid to compromise the health of your
baby girl,” Nurse Celia said.
“I would never do anything to harm her. You
know that. She is the only thing in the world I care for,” Rosie
said, lowering her voice.
“You are going to be a wonderful
mother.”
For several minutes, neither the nurse nor
Rosie said anything and Mauricio imagined that they were
contemplating the view he would never see. He stared at the wall
instead, waiting for the nurse to leave. He wanted to talk to
Rosie, to apologize to her. He knew he had spoken out of line.
“Mistress Rosie, I will accompany you back
to your room. It’s very late and it’s starting to rain,” Nurse
Celia said with a tone that didn’t allow cajoling from Rosie.
“I guess that’s all for tonight then, my
dear friend.” Rosie had come closer to Mauricio’s wall. Her voice
resonated loud and clear through the window’s bars.
“You really like this tree, don’t you?”
Nurse Celia asked with an amused laugh.
“I do,” Rosie answered immediately.
Mauricio heard the steps growing softer and
was left with the urge to bang his head against the wall. He was
happy. And completely exhausted. He climbed back on the bed, hugged
the rough linen of his sheet, and fell asleep immediately. He
dreamed of Rosie and of a young girl with Rosie’s features and his
colors. The girl, three or four years old, was the most beautiful
thing he had ever seen, and he knew he loved her.
Chapter 6
Mauricio woke up the next morning to the
sound of chirping birds, which he now knew lived on the eucalyptus
tree just outside his cell. The rest of the world was so close to
him, yet still miles away. But his happiness from the night before
lingered, and the sad consideration didn’t change his mood. Rosie
had called him ‘dear friend.’ She hadn’t been offended by his
words. He felt energized.
When the new guard came, he wasn’t surprised
to see a different woman banging good morning on the bars of his
cell. He thought that as women went, this one wasn’t terribly mean.
For example, she banged only twice instead of the usual half a
dozen attempts to destroy his ears. Although he couldn’t find
anything else decent about the guard, he decided it was enough.
Mauricio was surprised that, instead of taking him directly to the
deposit room as usual, she opened a door that led to a place he had
heard about, but had never seen. He was even more surprised when
the
“I like the way you said it, that my baby is
going to be fine. You sounded so sure of it, as if you know. It
makes me feel better.”
Mauricio was pleased by her statement and
the longing to be in her presence became stronger. “You know what
I’d like to change at this precise moment?”
“No, what would you?” Rosie’s voice came
labored, as if she was pacing back and forth. Steps were resonating
outside.
“I’d like to tear down this wall in front of
me.”
“Why?” she asked after a second.
“I want to hold you,” Mauricio said without
hesitating. A silence louder than one thousand voices echoed inside
the cell and Mauricio shivered. He slowly slid from the bed to the
floor and threw his head back. He sat, staring at the dark ceiling,
waiting for her to say something. When it was painfully clear that
Rosie wasn’t going to say anything, Mauricio slapped his head with
both hands and then pressed them against his temples to mitigate
the oncoming headache. Then he heard steps coming closer.
“Mistress! What are you doing out here,
alone?” It was a young woman’s voice.
“Hi, nurse Celia. I like to come here at
night and sing to my baby. The eucalyptus tree keeps me company and
the view of the lake is too beautiful to miss.” Rosie’s voice was
subdued and not at all haughty.
Mauricio wondered why she was being nice to
the nurse.
“Don’t worry; I won’t tell the Priestess
that you leave your room at night. But you have to promise me to be
careful. Don’t do anything stupid to compromise the health of your
baby girl,” Nurse Celia said.
“I would never do anything to harm her. You
know that. She is the only thing in the world I care for,” Rosie
said, lowering her voice.
“You are going to be a wonderful
mother.”
For several minutes, neither the nurse nor
Rosie said anything and Mauricio imagined that they were
contemplating the view he would never see. He stared at the wall
instead, waiting for the nurse to leave. He wanted to talk to
Rosie, to apologize to her. He knew he had spoken out of line.
“Mistress Rosie, I will accompany you back
to your room. It’s very late and it’s starting to rain,” Nurse
Celia said with a tone that didn’t allow cajoling from Rosie.
“I guess that’s all for tonight then, my
dear friend.” Rosie had come closer to Mauricio’s wall. Her voice
resonated loud and clear through the window’s bars.
“You really like this tree, don’t you?”
Nurse Celia asked with an amused laugh.
“I do,” Rosie answered immediately.
Mauricio heard the steps growing softer and
was left with the urge to bang his head against the wall. He was
happy. And completely exhausted. He climbed back on the bed, hugged
the rough linen of his sheet, and fell asleep immediately. He
dreamed of Rosie and of a young girl with Rosie’s features and his
colors. The girl, three or four years old, was the most beautiful
thing he had ever seen, and he knew he loved her.
Chapter 6
Mauricio woke up the next morning to the
sound of chirping birds, which he now knew lived on the eucalyptus
tree just outside his cell. The rest of the world was so close to
him, yet still miles away. But his happiness from the night before
lingered, and the sad consideration didn’t change his mood. Rosie
had called him ‘dear friend.’ She hadn’t been offended by his
words. He felt energized.
When the new guard came, he wasn’t surprised
to see a different woman banging good morning on the bars of his
cell. He thought that as women went, this one wasn’t terribly mean.
For example, she banged only twice instead of the usual half a
dozen attempts to destroy his ears. Although he couldn’t find
anything else decent about the guard, he decided it was enough.
Mauricio was surprised that, instead of taking him directly to the
deposit room as usual, she opened a door that led to a place he had
heard about, but had never seen. He was even more surprised when
the
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