1. Screenplay by...Copy !req
2. Based on a Story by...Copy !req
3. AUTUMN 1957Copy !req
4. Agustín?Copy !req
5. Agustín?Copy !req
6. Casilda!Copy !req
7. What is it, ma'am?Copy !req
8. My husband's gone.
Sinbad won't stop barking.Copy !req
9. Agustín!Copy !req
10. Is this the hospital?Copy !req
11. Is Dr. Arenas there?Copy !req
12. This is his wife.Copy !req
13. Ma'am, Estrella's bicycle is gone!Copy !req
14. No.Copy !req
15. I just wanted to know
if he dropped by during the night.Copy !req
16. Do you know where he might be?Copy !req
17. Yes, if he shows up,
please tell him to call home right away.Copy !req
18. Yes, it's very urgent.Copy !req
19. Yes.Copy !req
20. His wife.Copy !req
21. Thank you.Copy !req
22. That day at sunrise...Copy !req
23. when I found his pendulum
under my pillow...Copy !req
24. I felt that this time...Copy !req
25. everything had changed...Copy !req
26. that he'd never be coming home.Copy !req
27. Well?Copy !req
28. A girl.Copy !req
29. Are you sure?Copy !req
30. I'm sure.Copy !req
31. What will her name be?Copy !req
32. Estrella.Copy !req
33. They told me my father predictedCopy !req
34. that I would be a girl.Copy !req
35. That's the first memory
I have of him...Copy !req
36. a very vivid image...Copy !req
37. that in reality I made up myself.Copy !req
38. Want some?Copy !req
39. Yes.Copy !req
40. I grew up as we moved
from place to place.Copy !req
41. He was looking for a steady position.Copy !req
42. He found it in the north...Copy !req
43. in a walled cityCopy !req
44. on the banks of a river.Copy !req
45. We lived outside of town
in a rented house...Copy !req
46. "the Seagull."Copy !req
47. It was in a no-man's-landCopy !req
48. halfway between
the countryside and the cityCopy !req
49. on a road my father calledCopy !req
50. "the border."Copy !req
51. - Let's continue the same treatment.
- When can I go home?Copy !req
52. I'm fed up here.
I have to get home.Copy !req
53. Very soon.Copy !req
54. But you must do
what Sister Lucía tells you.Copy !req
55. And relax.Copy !req
56. - Will you take me for a ride?
- Isn't it a bit late?Copy !req
57. No.Copy !req
58. Come on. One little ride.Copy !req
59. All right. Hop on.Copy !req
60. Faster!Copy !req
61. - Faster!
- All right!Copy !req
62. Estrella!Copy !req
63. Don't make so much noise!Copy !req
64. Your dad's upstairs.Copy !req
65. I didn't know.Copy !req
66. If you bother him,Copy !req
67. he can't do his experiments.Copy !req
68. What did I tell you?Copy !req
69. I dropped it.Copy !req
70. Mommy...Copy !req
71. why doesn't Daddy want anyone
coming up into the attic?Copy !req
72. Because all the power
he keeps in there would escape.Copy !req
73. So that's why he locks the door?Copy !req
74. Without that power he couldn't do
any of the things he does.Copy !req
75. Where does he get it from?Copy !req
76. Nowhere.Copy !req
77. It's just something he has.Copy !req
78. Has he always had it?Copy !req
79. Yes, ever since he was born.Copy !req
80. Could I have it too?Copy !req
81. I don't know.Copy !req
82. Seeing you're his daughter...Copy !req
83. I imagine you might.Copy !req
84. Would you like that?Copy !req
85. Very much!Copy !req
86. And now...Copy !req
87. off to sleep.Copy !req
88. - Good night, sweetie.
- Good night, Mommy.Copy !req
89. The first thing you must learnCopy !req
90. is how to hold the pendulum.Copy !req
91. Take it.Copy !req
92. Don't squeeze too hard.Copy !req
93. That's the way.Copy !req
94. That's it.Copy !req
95. Now...Copy !req
96. close your eyes...Copy !req
97. and let your mind go blank.Copy !req
98. No, don't squeeze the chain so hard.Copy !req
99. Let it hang loose.Copy !req
100. That's it.Copy !req
101. Now...Copy !req
102. all by yourself.Copy !req
103. Let your mind go blank.Copy !req
104. Slowly.Copy !req
105. Nice and slow.Copy !req
106. Nice and slow.Copy !req
107. That's it.Copy !req
108. Just like that.Copy !req
109. Very good.Copy !req
110. Empty your mind completely.Copy !req
111. That's it.Copy !req
112. Very good.Copy !req
113. Daddy, it's swinging!Copy !req
114. Stop!Copy !req
115. Stop right there.Copy !req
116. It's swinging!Copy !req
117. - He found it.
- Now for the depth.Copy !req
118. Count them.Copy !req
119. - Did you find it?
- The water's right here.Copy !req
120. two...Copy !req
121. three...Copy !req
122. - How far down do we dig?
- Each coin is one meter.Copy !req
123. The total equals
the depth you have to dig.Copy !req
124. seven, eight.Copy !req
125. - How many coins?
- Eight.Copy !req
126. You have to dig down eight meters.Copy !req
127. - Now we know what to do.
- That's not very deep.Copy !req
128. My dad could do thingsCopy !req
129. that others considered
practically miracles.Copy !req
130. But to my eyes, coming from him...Copy !req
131. nothing could have seemed
more natural.Copy !req
132. My mother was one of the teachersCopy !req
133. who suffered reprisals
after the Civil War.Copy !req
134. She taught me to read and write.Copy !req
135. Gentle going up...Copy !req
136. and harder going down.Copy !req
137. A bit more.Copy !req
138. Wet the pen.Copy !req
139. Another blot!Copy !req
140. It doesn't matter. Go on.Copy !req
141. We'd spend
almost the entire day together,Copy !req
142. yet I have only a few
clear memories of her from that time.Copy !req
143. I remember her
sitting next to a windowCopy !req
144. in the afternoon sewing my dresses...Copy !req
145. in the greenhouse
looking after her flowers...Copy !req
146. on the patio varnishing old furniture
she got from God knows where.Copy !req
147. And at nightCopy !req
148. reading the novels
she enjoyed so much.Copy !req
149. How is it?Copy !req
150. Really good.Copy !req
151. My father's origins were always
a real mystery to me.Copy !req
152. I knew nothing of his past...Copy !req
153. but that never bothered me.Copy !req
154. What's that?Copy !req
155. Mint.Copy !req
156. It smells so good!Copy !req
157. We'll take some
to Mommy for the soup.Copy !req
158. With him at my side...Copy !req
159. all my cares vanished.Copy !req
160. The mystery of his pastCopy !req
161. was revealed to me bit by bitCopy !req
162. through my mother's words.Copy !req
163. In the south...Copy !req
164. it almost never snows.Copy !req
165. What a strange place!Copy !req
166. Mommy, how come
we've never gone there?Copy !req
167. Your dad left when he was young
and has never wanted to go back.Copy !req
168. Why did he leave?Copy !req
169. He never got along
with your grandfather.Copy !req
170. I heard they fought
like cats and dogs...Copy !req
171. that your dad was a rebel
and your grandpa was an ornery coot.Copy !req
172. So you can imagine what happened.Copy !req
173. From the very beginning...Copy !req
174. these stories
lent themselves to fantasies...Copy !req
175. and I filled them with images
I collected from all over the place.Copy !req
176. Not knowing
the real distances involved...Copy !req
177. I situated it all
on the other side of the globe,Copy !req
178. always with palm trees in the background,
somewhere in the south.Copy !req
179. There, something
I never understood clearlyCopy !req
180. had happened to my father...Copy !req
181. something that made him leave
and never return.Copy !req
182. One May afternoon...Copy !req
183. the day before my First Communion,
two women arrived from the south.Copy !req
184. The seagull! There it is!Copy !req
185. - You see it?
- Where?Copy !req
186. On top of that house.
It's like it's really flying!Copy !req
187. Milagros, I don't see a thing.Copy !req
188. Pepe, stop! This must be it.Copy !req
189. Are you sure, Milagros?Copy !req
190. We don't want to be wrong.Copy !req
191. I said stop the car,
ye of little faith!Copy !req
192. I think they're here.Copy !req
193. Run and open the gate.Copy !req
194. What a racket you're making!Copy !req
195. I'm coming.Copy !req
196. Mommy, they're here!Copy !req
197. I hope you behave.Copy !req
198. Where's Daddy?Copy !req
199. - Come here a second.
- What for?Copy !req
200. - To comb your hair.
- I'm fine!Copy !req
201. Please. Come on.Copy !req
202. Does Agustín Arenas live here?Copy !req
203. Yes, we've been expecting you.Copy !req
204. Pepe, you can unload the luggage.Copy !req
205. I don't like the part on that side.Copy !req
206. That's how you always wear it.Copy !req
207. It looks terrible!Copy !req
208. It's better like this.
Stop fidgeting!Copy !req
209. Don't forget to give
your grandmother a kiss.Copy !req
210. Fine.Copy !req
211. Because I know you.Copy !req
212. My little Agustín!Copy !req
213. It's been so long...Copy !req
214. and so much sadness all around.Copy !req
215. You've changed so much.Copy !req
216. - Are you happy?
- Yes.Copy !req
217. You're not trying to fool me?Copy !req
218. - Where's my mother?
- In the car.Copy !req
219. She's not too well.
She had an attack four days ago.Copy !req
220. A terrible thing.
We almost had to stay home.Copy !req
221. Go on. Go welcome her.Copy !req
222. Is that little Estrella?Copy !req
223. You're Estrella, right?Copy !req
224. - Yes. And you're Milagros?
- Yes!Copy !req
225. Hello, son.Copy !req
226. How are you?Copy !req
227. A bit weak, but all right.
And Estrella?Copy !req
228. She's grown a lot.
You won't recognize her.Copy !req
229. This beard makes you look very old.Copy !req
230. Shave it off.Copy !req
231. And your wife?Copy !req
232. She's fine. Let's go inside.Copy !req
233. I can't believe
how far away this place is.Copy !req
234. I thought we'd never get here.Copy !req
235. Good afternoon, ma'am.Copy !req
236. - What's your name?
- Casilda.Copy !req
237. Would you kindly get
my cane from the car?Copy !req
238. "The Seagull."Copy !req
239. Did you give it that name?Copy !req
240. No, it was called that
before we arrived.Copy !req
241. You remember me?Copy !req
242. That's your grandmother.Copy !req
243. The last time I saw you,Copy !req
244. you were just a baby.Copy !req
245. Julia.Copy !req
246. - How are you feeling?
- So-so, my dear.Copy !req
247. But I wanted to see my granddaughter
on her First Communion,Copy !req
248. and here I am!Copy !req
249. You must be tired,
and it's getting chilly.Copy !req
250. Let's go inside.Copy !req
251. - The lady's cane.
- Help Pepe with the luggage.Copy !req
252. You know who I'm thinking of now?Copy !req
253. - Who?
- Your father.Copy !req
254. If only he were here.Copy !req
255. Milagros had looked after my father
ever since he was a little boy.Copy !req
256. She had a way about herCopy !req
257. that made her seem
extraordinary to me,Copy !req
258. different from anyone I'd met before.Copy !req
259. That night we shared a room.Copy !req
260. When does it warm up here?Copy !req
261. It almost never gets warm here.Copy !req
262. It doesn't?
What a strange world!Copy !req
263. Some people roast from the heat,Copy !req
264. while others freeze from the cold.Copy !req
265. But God's old enough
to know what he's doing.Copy !req
266. - Is it very hot where you live?
- Very.Copy !req
267. - How do you stand it?
- With patience and lots of shade.Copy !req
268. Are there really lots of Moors there?Copy !req
269. There are still a few,
but they're well-disguised.Copy !req
270. What's so funny?Copy !req
271. The way you talk.
My dad doesn't talk like that.Copy !req
272. Because he's a gentleman,Copy !req
273. besides being a renegade
who turned his back on his hometown.Copy !req
274. But pay no attention to me,Copy !req
275. or I'll start prattling and never stop.Copy !req
276. But it's a crying shameCopy !req
277. that he never returned
to the house where he was born.Copy !req
278. And it's been
so many years since he left.Copy !req
279. I know.Copy !req
280. How would you know, child?Copy !req
281. He never went back
because he quarreled with my grandpa.Copy !req
282. Your father told you that?Copy !req
283. No, my mother did.Copy !req
284. Is Grandpa really a bad man?Copy !req
285. Nonsense!
People like to exaggerate.Copy !req
286. And you know what?Copy !req
287. Even wild beasts grow tame with age.Copy !req
288. Your grandfather has changed.Copy !req
289. All the things that have happened,Copy !req
290. and all the people who've died...Copy !req
291. all over some silly ideas!Copy !req
292. It's true, your grandfather's ideas
were the worst.Copy !req
293. And since your dad always thought
just the opposite, he couldn't take it.Copy !req
294. Your grandfather
was a cantankerous man,Copy !req
295. and your dad wasn't one
to hold his tongue.Copy !req
296. Just the opposite.Copy !req
297. So they were
at each other's throats all the time.Copy !req
298. They had no respect for each other,Copy !req
299. and one day your dad just left.Copy !req
300. Or he was kicked out.
That's never been clear.Copy !req
301. And that's how
it's remained ever since.Copy !req
302. They both wandered
into a tunnel with no way out,Copy !req
303. and they're still trapped
in there today.Copy !req
304. But Grandpa was
with the bad guys, right?Copy !req
305. Bad guys... good guys.Copy !req
306. Look.Copy !req
307. Just so you understand.Copy !req
308. When the Republic —
Anyway, before the war,Copy !req
309. your grandpa was with the bad guys,
and your father was with the good guys.Copy !req
310. But when Franco won,Copy !req
311. your grandpa became a saintCopy !req
312. and your father a devil.Copy !req
313. See how things are in this world?Copy !req
314. Just words and more words.Copy !req
315. But why did they put Daddy in jail?Copy !req
316. Because that's what
the winners in a war always do.Copy !req
317. But you're just a little girl.Copy !req
318. - Who told you all this?
- My mother.Copy !req
319. Good Lord!Copy !req
320. Couldn't she have found
more pleasant topics? Or waited a bit?Copy !req
321. You have plenty of time
to learn about all that.Copy !req
322. Look, Estrella...Copy !req
323. you're just a little girl.Copy !req
324. Forget about all thatCopy !req
325. and think about
your First Communion tomorrow,Copy !req
326. one of the most wonderful days
of your life,Copy !req
327. just like you were getting married.Copy !req
328. That's what the priest says,
but I don't understand.Copy !req
329. I don't either, but no matter!Copy !req
330. You get to dress in white
just like a bride.Copy !req
331. I'm not getting married when I grow up.Copy !req
332. And why not?Copy !req
333. Brides always have
that stupid look on their faces.Copy !req
334. Just look at wedding pictures
in shop windows.Copy !req
335. That's enough chitchat now!Copy !req
336. Go to sleep.Copy !req
337. - Don't turn it off yet.
- What do you want?Copy !req
338. You think my father will come
to church tomorrow?Copy !req
339. Why, of course!Copy !req
340. He never goes to church.Copy !req
341. I know that, but don't you worry.Copy !req
342. I'll drag him there myself if I have to!Copy !req
343. Go to sleep now.Copy !req
344. Good night, Estrella.Copy !req
345. Good night, Milagros.Copy !req
346. Mom, these shoes are too tight.Copy !req
347. I told you that in the store.Copy !req
348. That's just at first. They'll stretch.Copy !req
349. Julia, use a little talcum powder.Copy !req
350. And now...Copy !req
351. the veil.Copy !req
352. Dear Jesus! What was that?Copy !req
353. Agustín is out shooting.Copy !req
354. What an idea!Copy !req
355. My son's only happy
if he's making a scene.Copy !req
356. There's no excuse for going out
shooting on a day like today.Copy !req
357. He's always doing
what you least expect.Copy !req
358. I'm getting used to it.Copy !req
359. Will he come back soon?
Mom, will he?Copy !req
360. I don't know.Copy !req
361. Just like a bride!Copy !req
362. Milagros! The things you say!Copy !req
363. Am I right or not?Copy !req
364. Girls, now that
you have received Our Lord,Copy !req
365. go and greet your parents.Copy !req
366. - He came.
- Where is he?Copy !req
367. In the back.Copy !req
368. If you get bored, go outside,
but don't leave, okay?Copy !req
369. All right.Copy !req
370. He did it for me.Copy !req
371. He did it for me.Copy !req
372. They left when the party was over,Copy !req
373. late in the afternoon.Copy !req
374. From that day on,
whenever I thought of the south,Copy !req
375. the image of those two women
always came to mind.Copy !req
376. I don't remember clearly now...Copy !req
377. but I think it was around that timeCopy !req
378. that I discovered
that in my father's imaginationCopy !req
379. there was another woman.Copy !req
380. Who could Irene Ríos be?Copy !req
381. Did she really exist?Copy !req
382. Or was she an imaginary figure?Copy !req
383. Why had Dad written
her name over and over?Copy !req
384. Mom, do you know Irene Ríos?Copy !req
385. No. Who's that?Copy !req
386. No one.Copy !req
387. A new girl in my class.Copy !req
388. I lied for the first time
when I spoke of Irene Ríos.Copy !req
389. The fact my mother didn't know her
made me suspectCopy !req
390. that behind that woman's name...Copy !req
391. my father was hiding
some unknown secret.Copy !req
392. So almost without realizing it...Copy !req
393. I became his secret accomplice.Copy !req
394. A few months later,
when I least expected it,Copy !req
395. something extraordinary happened.Copy !req
396. I discovered
that Irene Ríos really did exist.Copy !req
397. It was a winter afternoon,
just after school.Copy !req
398. May I have a program?Copy !req
399. It's not allowed, you know.Copy !req
400. Yes, I know.Copy !req
401. Here.Copy !req
402. - Who is Irene Ríos?
- Who?Copy !req
403. Irene Ríos. She's in the movie.Copy !req
404. You're right.Copy !req
405. It's true.Copy !req
406. Is she the blonde or the brunette?Copy !req
407. Carmen Alonso is the brunette,Copy !req
408. so Irene Ríos must be the blonde.Copy !req
409. When will the movie be over?Copy !req
410. In half an hour.Copy !req
411. Well, good-bye.Copy !req
412. You!Copy !req
413. Yes, it's me!Copy !req
414. Surprised?Copy !req
415. I thought you were —Copy !req
416. Go on. I dare you to say it.Copy !req
417. You're wrong.
It's not what you think.Copy !req
418. You thought I was dead, right?Copy !req
419. That's not true. I swear.Copy !req
420. Don't swear.
God can hear you.Copy !req
421. You're such a fool.Copy !req
422. You're right.Copy !req
423. I am a fool.
That's why I love you.Copy !req
424. Give me a light.Copy !req
425. Well, why are you here?Copy !req
426. Hurry. I go on in a minute.Copy !req
427. I came to say good-bye.Copy !req
428. You're leaving?Copy !req
429. No, I'm not leaving.Copy !req
430. You are.Copy !req
431. What are you talking about?Copy !req
432. You're crazy.Copy !req
433. It's true.Copy !req
434. I'm crazy.Copy !req
435. I stood outside the door earlier,
listening.Copy !req
436. I heard you singing our song.Copy !req
437. We could have been so happy.Copy !req
438. Happy?Copy !req
439. Yes, happy!Copy !req
440. I never knew real happiness...Copy !req
441. I loved her!Copy !req
442. "Dear Laura...Copy !req
443. I'm sure this letter will surprise youCopy !req
444. after such a long silence.Copy !req
445. But I just saw a lover of yours
on the big screenCopy !req
446. fire a few shots
and send you off to the next world.Copy !req
447. Yes...Copy !req
448. I realize that what happens
in movies isn't real...Copy !req
449. but I'm still hopelessly superstitious...Copy !req
450. and I wanted to make sure
you're still walking this earth...Copy !req
451. if only lurking
behind that stage name of yours.Copy !req
452. By the way...Copy !req
453. your killer wasn't bad...Copy !req
454. but the star
and her leading man were terrible.Copy !req
455. Since I don't know where you are,
I'm mailing this letter to Seville."Copy !req
456. I'll never forget
my father's face when,Copy !req
457. sitting in the Café Oriental,Copy !req
458. he looked up from his writingCopy !req
459. and saw me outside the window.Copy !req
460. Now I understand that he reacted
as if caught red-handed,Copy !req
461. but I didn't realize that at the time.Copy !req
462. I only knew that it seemedCopy !req
463. he'd been writing a letter.Copy !req
464. - Julia, listen to me!
- You'll wake Estrella!Copy !req
465. Please listen!Copy !req
466. I don't want to hear a word!Copy !req
467. If you want to go talk to her, go!Copy !req
468. Do whatever you want!Copy !req
469. Just don't tell me about it!Copy !req
470. It's not that.Copy !req
471. You're wrong, Julia.Copy !req
472. A certain idea I'd had
about my father up till thenCopy !req
473. began to change.Copy !req
474. It was like opening my eyes
and suddenly discoveringCopy !req
475. that I knew
almost nothing about him.Copy !req
476. "Dear Agustín...Copy !req
477. at one point eight years agoCopy !req
478. I decided never to expect
anything from you.Copy !req
479. I was very lonely at the time...Copy !req
480. much lonelier
than you could have guessed.Copy !req
481. It wasn't easy,
but I gradually managed it.Copy !req
482. I never heard from you all that time.Copy !req
483. That was to be expected.Copy !req
484. Things between us
had become very difficult.Copy !req
485. Besides, there were others around you
who were more important to you.Copy !req
486. I understood that.Copy !req
487. I tried to accept it, and that helped.Copy !req
488. What I really don't understand
is the letter I just received from you.Copy !req
489. Why, after all this time?Copy !req
490. Why write to me now?Copy !req
491. To see if I'm still alive?Copy !req
492. Yes, I am... but what of it?Copy !req
493. I can't believe it's because
of the magic of cinema you allude to...Copy !req
494. a magic you may not realize
I had to give up over a year ago.Copy !req
495. I've searched high and low...Copy !req
496. but I've never found that place.
You remember?Copy !req
497. The place from which
you never want to return?Copy !req
498. I wonder if it really exists.Copy !req
499. So here I am, back home again.Copy !req
500. The past doesn't move me
like it once did,Copy !req
501. and more importantly,
I don't want to keep thinking about it.Copy !req
502. I try to look ahead...Copy !req
503. and I'm afraid I've grown old at last.Copy !req
504. I was in four movies,
but I never got my big break.Copy !req
505. In three of them
I met an unpleasant end:Copy !req
506. in a hail of bullets, as you saw,Copy !req
507. or from some silk stockings,
and even a straight razor.Copy !req
508. Incidentally,
which would you have used?Copy !req
509. Forgive me. I was just joking.Copy !req
510. I didn't mean me
but the femme fataleCopy !req
511. who prompted you to write.Copy !req
512. Poor Irene Ríos,
may she rest in peace.Copy !req
513. She can't answer you.Copy !req
514. And by answering for her,Copy !req
515. I fear I've fallen into a trap
without knowing it.Copy !req
516. Here I am remembering the pastCopy !req
517. and even joking about it
in questionable taste.Copy !req
518. But it's your fault.
I mean, the things you wrote!Copy !req
519. In a nutshell,
what is you want from me?Copy !req
520. No, it's best you don't answer that.Copy !req
521. It's not worth it.Copy !req
522. Please forget I asked.Copy !req
523. I'd honestly prefer you didn't write.Copy !req
524. It's so terribly difficult to reply.Copy !req
525. Time is the most implacable avenger
I've ever known.Copy !req
526. And though I'm older now...Copy !req
527. sometimes, especially at night...Copy !req
528. I'm afraid."Copy !req
529. Agustín!Copy !req
530. That was the first time Dad left
in the middle of the nightCopy !req
531. without a word to anyone.Copy !req
532. Wake up! The train's leaving!Copy !req
533. He came back the next morning.Copy !req
534. We didn't hear him come in.Copy !req
535. He must have snuck in the back doorCopy !req
536. so he wouldn't wake us up.Copy !req
537. - Mom?
- What?Copy !req
538. What's wrong with Dad?Copy !req
539. Why do you ask that?Copy !req
540. He's been acting strange.
Haven't you noticed?Copy !req
541. Yes, a little.Copy !req
542. Ever since he ran away.Copy !req
543. He didn't run away.Copy !req
544. Honestly, the things you say!Copy !req
545. But it's true. He ran away.Copy !req
546. Please don't say that, you hear?Copy !req
547. Besides...Copy !req
548. what would you know?Copy !req
549. I do know.Copy !req
550. And so do you.Copy !req
551. From that day on...Copy !req
552. my father never used
his pendulum again.Copy !req
553. One afternoon...Copy !req
554. tired of the atmosphere at home...Copy !req
555. I decided to protest in my own way.Copy !req
556. I hid under a bed,Copy !req
557. prepared to never come out again.Copy !req
558. When they noticed my absence,Copy !req
559. my mother and Casilda
began looking everywhere.Copy !req
560. From my hiding place,Copy !req
561. I defied them with my silence.Copy !req
562. From their footsteps I could tellCopy !req
563. they were growing
more and more worried.Copy !req
564. Little by little the night came on.Copy !req
565. I knew my father was home.Copy !req
566. I waited the whole time
for him to call me...Copy !req
567. but he never did.Copy !req
568. He answered my silence with his own.Copy !req
569. Thus I suddenly understoodCopy !req
570. that he was playing my game...Copy !req
571. accepting my challenge...Copy !req
572. to show me that his painCopy !req
573. was much greater than my own.Copy !req
574. What?Copy !req
575. - Why are you crying?
- 'Cause I like to!Copy !req
576. I began to wish with all my heartCopy !req
577. that I could grow and grow
and suddenly be all grown upCopy !req
578. and flee far away.Copy !req
579. I grew up more or less
like everyone else,Copy !req
580. growing accustomed to being aloneCopy !req
581. and to not thinking
too much about happiness.Copy !req
582. "Dearest Estrella,
thank you for the lovely letter.Copy !req
583. I've read it many times.Copy !req
584. Is it all true?Copy !req
585. I hope you'll come visit someday.
I might not even recognize you!Copy !req
586. The picture shows
your grandmother and me in Rome,Copy !req
587. when we went to see the pope.
Pretty, isn't it?Copy !req
588. Hugs for everyone,
and a big kiss for you."Copy !req
589. Television will soon be hereCopy !req
590. I'll sing for you and you'll see meCopy !req
591. Dress me up, MotherCopy !req
592. I'm going to be on TVCopy !req
593. Hi. What's for lunch?Copy !req
594. Soup and fried fish.Copy !req
595. You always make the same thing!Copy !req
596. It's your mother's condition.Copy !req
597. - Has she gotten up?
- No.Copy !req
598. Did you see what someone
wrote on the wall?Copy !req
599. No.Copy !req
600. What did they write?Copy !req
601. Again?Copy !req
602. Again.Copy !req
603. Don't laugh. It's not funny.Copy !req
604. I know who it was.Copy !req
605. So do I.Copy !req
606. - How are you doing?
- Oh, the same.Copy !req
607. I tried to get up, but I got dizzy.Copy !req
608. Have you eaten?Copy !req
609. Not yet.Copy !req
610. Don't wait for Dad. He'll be late.Copy !req
611. - What?
- Telephone.Copy !req
612. Could you pick this up
from the pharmacy?Copy !req
613. Don't forget.
I could hardly sleep last night.Copy !req
614. - Coming!
- Casilda will give you the money.Copy !req
615. - Who is it?
- Who else? Same as always.Copy !req
616. "El Carioco."Copy !req
617. - Tell him I'm not here.
- You tell him.Copy !req
618. Go away.Copy !req
619. What do you want?Copy !req
620. Nothing. Just to talk to you.Copy !req
621. I waited an hour this morning.
Where were you?Copy !req
622. I went a different way.Copy !req
623. Why? Didn't we say we'd meet?Copy !req
624. Yes, but —Copy !req
625. You don't want to see me, huh?Copy !req
626. No.Copy !req
627. Why not?Copy !req
628. Because I'm tired of youCopy !req
629. and the stars
you keep drawing on the walls.Copy !req
630. Who do you think you are?Copy !req
631. Whoever you want me to be.Copy !req
632. You invite me to the movies,Copy !req
633. you take me to the park,
you give me a kiss...Copy !req
634. What of it?Copy !req
635. "What of it"?
You're making a big mistake.Copy !req
636. You don't know me.
I'm capable of doing anything.Copy !req
637. You know why the girls call me
"El Carioco"?Copy !req
638. Well, you'll soon find out!Copy !req
639. - Hi.
- Leaving already?Copy !req
640. Yes, or I'll be late.Copy !req
641. Bye.Copy !req
642. Bye.Copy !req
643. This is from Milagros.Copy !req
644. You can read it.Copy !req
645. After school...Copy !req
646. when the lights came onCopy !req
647. and a faint glow
remained in the sky,Copy !req
648. I loved to stroll alone leisurelyCopy !req
649. through the city streets.Copy !req
650. I never forgot Irene Ríos.Copy !req
651. I kept looking for her name
on movie posters...Copy !req
652. but I never found her again.Copy !req
653. It was if the earth
had suddenly swallowed her up.Copy !req
654. I often passed
by a photography studio.Copy !req
655. There in the window,Copy !req
656. among pictures of couples,
schoolchildren, and soldiers,Copy !req
657. was my portrait.Copy !req
658. Can you give me a light?Copy !req
659. Most nights, before going to sleep,Copy !req
660. I'd write in my diary.Copy !req
661. Rereading those pages today...Copy !req
662. I see just how much I'd come
to accept my father's crisesCopy !req
663. as an inevitable part of daily life.Copy !req
664. Perhaps that's why
almost nothing I wrote hintedCopy !req
665. at what would happen later.Copy !req
666. And yet one day
my father had done somethingCopy !req
667. he'd never done before.Copy !req
668. He came to get me at school...Copy !req
669. and took me to lunch
at the Gran Hotel.Copy !req
670. That autumn day,
a wedding party occupiedCopy !req
671. one of the dining rooms.Copy !req
672. Hurray for the band!Copy !req
673. Hurray for the wedding!Copy !req
674. Hurray for the bride and groom!Copy !req
675. - I saw you this morning.
- Where?Copy !req
676. You passed by the Café Oriental
with a boy.Copy !req
677. Yeah... Miguel.Copy !req
678. They call him "El Carioco."
He's a little crazy.Copy !req
679. Is he dangerous?Copy !req
680. No, he just draws on walls.Copy !req
681. Ah, right. I believe
I've seen some of his work.Copy !req
682. He's a pain in the neck!Copy !req
683. - Is what he wrote true?
- I don't know.Copy !req
684. He says it is,
but I think he just wants attention.Copy !req
685. But that's nice, isn't it?Copy !req
686. Wanting attention?Copy !req
687. Telling the whole world
what you think.Copy !req
688. It depends.Copy !req
689. I'd like to.Copy !req
690. Then why don't you?Copy !req
691. Because I'm not "El Carioco."Copy !req
692. We never talk seriously
about anything.Copy !req
693. And that's my fault, I suppose?Copy !req
694. I guess so.Copy !req
695. - Mind if I order another drink?
- I don't care.Copy !req
696. - Why do you drink so much?
- Are you scolding me?Copy !req
697. It was just a question.Copy !req
698. Your coffee...Copy !req
699. and cognac.Copy !req
700. Thank you.Copy !req
701. - Why did you bring me here?
- I don't know.Copy !req
702. I suddenly thought you'd enjoy it.Copy !req
703. I did... but why else?Copy !req
704. I wanted to patch things up.Copy !req
705. I know we didn't quarrel
about anything this time.Copy !req
706. But the other night,
when you got home late...Copy !req
707. I don't think I behaved well.Copy !req
708. - It wasn't to ask me something?
- No.Copy !req
709. There are so many things
I'd like to ask you.Copy !req
710. Very well. Ask away.Copy !req
711. - Forget it.
- No, ask me.Copy !req
712. There's one thing.Copy !req
713. It may be silly.Copy !req
714. I've always wanted to ask
but never dared:Copy !req
715. Who was Irene Ríos?Copy !req
716. The actress.
You knew her, didn't you?Copy !req
717. No.Copy !req
718. I knew a woman
who looked a lot like her.Copy !req
719. But Irene Ríos, no.Copy !req
720. What a letdown.Copy !req
721. Then why did you write
her name over and over?Copy !req
722. I did that?Copy !req
723. Yes. You don't remember?Copy !req
724. No.Copy !req
725. Well, I do.Copy !req
726. I found an envelope of yours onceCopy !req
727. on which you'd written
her name over and over.Copy !req
728. It seemed sort of odd.Copy !req
729. I didn't know who she was,
and neither did Mom.Copy !req
730. Then one day I saw her name
on a movie poster.Copy !req
731. A Flower in the Shadows.Copy !req
732. I saw it.Copy !req
733. Was it good?Copy !req
734. I left early.Copy !req
735. I know.Copy !req
736. That afternoon
I was walking by the theaterCopy !req
737. when I saw your motorcycle.Copy !req
738. I thought, "I bet he's inside."Copy !req
739. I hid outside and waited.
It was freezing cold.Copy !req
740. I saw you come out,
and I followed you down the street...Copy !req
741. until you went into the Café Oriental.Copy !req
742. I saw you were writing a letter.Copy !req
743. Then I knocked on the window.Copy !req
744. You remember?
You gave me a ride home.Copy !req
745. It's true.Copy !req
746. I'll be right back.Copy !req
747. Nothing for you?Copy !req
748. No, thank you.
How's the wedding?Copy !req
749. Like all the others.Copy !req
750. Keep the flower.Copy !req
751. Thank you.Copy !req
752. I have to go.Copy !req
753. - So soon?
- It's time.Copy !req
754. What class do you have?Copy !req
755. French.Copy !req
756. Why don't you skip it?Copy !req
757. You want me to cut class?Copy !req
758. - Yes.
- Really?Copy !req
759. Yes.Copy !req
760. I don't understand you.Copy !req
761. When you were this high,
did you not understand me then either?Copy !req
762. Dad, it's not the same thing.Copy !req
763. Listen.Copy !req
764. You remember that paso doble?Copy !req
765. You've forgotten.Copy !req
766. "En er mundo."Copy !req
767. We danced to it together.Copy !req
768. Yes, the day of my First Communion.Copy !req
769. I'm going.Copy !req
770. Are you staying?Copy !req
771. - Yes.
- Bye.Copy !req
772. Be careful with "El Carioco."Copy !req
773. I left him there
sitting by the window,Copy !req
774. listening to that old paso doble,Copy !req
775. all alone and left to his fate.Copy !req
776. Was there more
I could have done for him that day?Copy !req
777. I've always wondered that...Copy !req
778. because that was
the last time I ever spoke to him.Copy !req
779. He'd emptied his pockets
before leaving the house.Copy !req
780. Among the things
he'd left in a drawer...Copy !req
781. I found a receipt
from a long-distance telephone call.Copy !req
782. That's how I found out
that the last night of his life...Copy !req
783. my father had called down south...Copy !req
784. to a number I didn't recognize.Copy !req
785. I kept that slip of paperCopy !req
786. and never breathed
a word of it to anyone.Copy !req
787. Why are you sleeping up here?Copy !req
788. I was cold.Copy !req
789. - Why don't you go to your bed?
- It's not made up.Copy !req
790. - I'll make it up for you.
- No, don't.Copy !req
791. It won't take a second.Copy !req
792. I fell sick a few days later.Copy !req
793. Alone, shut up in my room...Copy !req
794. the hours seemed to drag on.Copy !req
795. Everything's always on the floor!Copy !req
796. - What time is it?
- Almost noon.Copy !req
797. - I'm getting up.
- Don't you dare!Copy !req
798. You know what your mother said.Copy !req
799. - I'm feeling better!
- Stay there and don't move!Copy !req
800. The voice of Milagros
came to my aid from down south.Copy !req
801. Having learned of the situation,Copy !req
802. she easily convinced my motherCopy !req
803. that I should spend some time
down there to recuperate.Copy !req
804. Her reasons were valid ones.Copy !req
805. I needed a change of climate
for my health,Copy !req
806. and neither she
nor Grandma RosarioCopy !req
807. had seen me in many years.Copy !req
808. The night before I left...Copy !req
809. I could hardly sleep.Copy !req
810. Estrella, the taxi's here!Copy !req
811. Although I didn't show it...Copy !req
812. I was very nervous.Copy !req
813. I was going to see the south at last.Copy !req