the return

the father, a thin man with hunched shoulders and a sincere smile, walked away. his four children watched in silence. they had already said their goodbyes, nothing was left.

maria, the oldest, followed him with her eyes and then her feet. then her voice, you should be ashamed to leave your children like this.

he stopped, turned and stayed for a moment observing them. he lifted his hand in a farewell and continued his slow steps to the bus stop. it wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last.

maria elena doesn't forgive.

sitting on benches waiting for the boat, they are skinnier than when they left two months ago. they argue between themselves about who wanted to return. maria acuses jose, you wanted to return to see diana. red, and smiling, he doesn't know how to contradict her. so he joins the laughter. and luis to see ana. luis knows how to feign and begins to insult the absent girl in front of the others whose laughter is fed by his lies. and lucia, victor. jose almost falls from his seat imaging the boy whose broken arm was never mended correctly and hangs perpetually at an almost perfect ninety-degree-angle. the air is lighter, but nobody, nobody, dares to mention the boyfriend maria elena has left behind.

beneath the chuckles and accusations, jose says to maria, its that i couldn't handle the hunger.



january 2008
casa guatemala
rio dulce