Read Online The Winterlings by Cristina Sánchez-Andrade - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Cristina Sánchez-Andrade
Tags: FIC019000
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infections, recent and persistent coughs, and chronic bronchitis.
It was the most solemn and velvety voice they had ever heard. When he said the line about the âchronic bronchitisâ he didnât sound like a doctor, he sounded like a bishop. Saladinaâs heart leapt. When the donkey had finished reading, she approached him. She thrust herself forward courageously â normally, she would never speak to someone she hadnât met before, much less a donkey.
âHello, little donkey. Iâm Sala, Saladina, the seamstress, and itâs a pleasure to meet you. I greatly enjoyed your reading, and I would be delighted to listen to you more often,â she whispered.
The donkey shifted in his seat. He raised his head and looked at the bewildered Saladina through his spectacles. His eyes were glassy, and bulging like those of a fish.
âEven dressed as a donkey I wouldnât visit with you, you hag!â pronounced the same velvety voice that had read the newspaper.
Saladina stood there frozen and smiling, like a stuffed animal, not knowing what to do. When she got out of the tent, she had to grab onto her sisterâs arm to avoid falling over. She said she wanted to go home.
Just then a young man in a frenzy interrupted them. He was thinking about going into the tent, and wanted to know if it was true that the donkey could read. Summoning the last of her strength, Saladina took two steps forward to answer:
âHe reads splendidly. Even the most complicated sentences. And heâs also a priest or a chemist.â
Although the donkeyâs words weighed on Saladina as the worst of all possible humiliations, her sister, who hadnât quite heard everything that had been said, managed to convince her not to leave. For the rest of the festival, the Winterlings went from group to group introducing themselves.
When the others heard them exchanging words in a language they didnât understand, they asked them what language it was that they were speaking. The Winterlings said it was English, but the villagers of Tierra de Chá couldnât believe it. An Englishman spoke English, a Frenchman spoke French, and someone from Portugal spoke Portuguese. They couldnât understand how the Winterlings, who werenât English at all, could speak that language.
They also asked if it was true that over there, in England, priests could get married. The Winterlings told them that they could, because they were Protestant.
Don Manuel, the priest, who was also very interested in that particular conversation, came over.
âAnd is it true that all Protestants have tails?â
The Winterlings told him that they did. England was full of beautiful cathedrals and Protestants with tails.
âAnd what about teachers? Do they have country teachers in that land or have they all recertified their qualifications already?â chimed in Uncle Rosendo.
The Winterlings told him that they had no idea, but that they supposed that all the teachers had studied extensively and had many degrees, because they didnât mess about in England. When he heard this, Rosendo felt his legs turn to jelly with fear.
While a man approached Dolores to ask if he might buy her some churros, or invite her to dance, and she told him no, no thank you, she wasnât hungry or thirsty or in the mood for dancing, she saw that her sister had slipped away from the crowd, and was stumbling through the darkness of the vestibule until she could stop and lean against the wall of the church. A few minutes later, the dental mechanic, Mr Tenderlove, came up to her. He was the only man who had shown an interest in her all night long. When she spoke to him, Saladina looked at the ground. What could they be talking about?
On the road home, Saladina again felt the sharp sting of humiliation: a group of young men came up to flirt with Dolores, passing her by as if she didnât exist. And although Dolores couldnât help but feel
It was the most solemn and velvety voice they had ever heard. When he said the line about the âchronic bronchitisâ he didnât sound like a doctor, he sounded like a bishop. Saladinaâs heart leapt. When the donkey had finished reading, she approached him. She thrust herself forward courageously â normally, she would never speak to someone she hadnât met before, much less a donkey.
âHello, little donkey. Iâm Sala, Saladina, the seamstress, and itâs a pleasure to meet you. I greatly enjoyed your reading, and I would be delighted to listen to you more often,â she whispered.
The donkey shifted in his seat. He raised his head and looked at the bewildered Saladina through his spectacles. His eyes were glassy, and bulging like those of a fish.
âEven dressed as a donkey I wouldnât visit with you, you hag!â pronounced the same velvety voice that had read the newspaper.
Saladina stood there frozen and smiling, like a stuffed animal, not knowing what to do. When she got out of the tent, she had to grab onto her sisterâs arm to avoid falling over. She said she wanted to go home.
Just then a young man in a frenzy interrupted them. He was thinking about going into the tent, and wanted to know if it was true that the donkey could read. Summoning the last of her strength, Saladina took two steps forward to answer:
âHe reads splendidly. Even the most complicated sentences. And heâs also a priest or a chemist.â
Although the donkeyâs words weighed on Saladina as the worst of all possible humiliations, her sister, who hadnât quite heard everything that had been said, managed to convince her not to leave. For the rest of the festival, the Winterlings went from group to group introducing themselves.
When the others heard them exchanging words in a language they didnât understand, they asked them what language it was that they were speaking. The Winterlings said it was English, but the villagers of Tierra de Chá couldnât believe it. An Englishman spoke English, a Frenchman spoke French, and someone from Portugal spoke Portuguese. They couldnât understand how the Winterlings, who werenât English at all, could speak that language.
They also asked if it was true that over there, in England, priests could get married. The Winterlings told them that they could, because they were Protestant.
Don Manuel, the priest, who was also very interested in that particular conversation, came over.
âAnd is it true that all Protestants have tails?â
The Winterlings told him that they did. England was full of beautiful cathedrals and Protestants with tails.
âAnd what about teachers? Do they have country teachers in that land or have they all recertified their qualifications already?â chimed in Uncle Rosendo.
The Winterlings told him that they had no idea, but that they supposed that all the teachers had studied extensively and had many degrees, because they didnât mess about in England. When he heard this, Rosendo felt his legs turn to jelly with fear.
While a man approached Dolores to ask if he might buy her some churros, or invite her to dance, and she told him no, no thank you, she wasnât hungry or thirsty or in the mood for dancing, she saw that her sister had slipped away from the crowd, and was stumbling through the darkness of the vestibule until she could stop and lean against the wall of the church. A few minutes later, the dental mechanic, Mr Tenderlove, came up to her. He was the only man who had shown an interest in her all night long. When she spoke to him, Saladina looked at the ground. What could they be talking about?
On the road home, Saladina again felt the sharp sting of humiliation: a group of young men came up to flirt with Dolores, passing her by as if she didnât exist. And although Dolores couldnât help but feel
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