1. Screenplay by...
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2. Based on a Story by...
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3. AUTUMN 1957
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4. Agustín?
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5. Agustín?
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6. Casilda!
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7. What is it, ma'am?
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8. My husband's gone.
Sinbad won't stop barking.
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9. Agustín!
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10. Is this the hospital?
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11. Is Dr. Arenas there?
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12. This is his wife.
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13. Ma'am, Estrella's bicycle is gone!
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14. No.
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15. I just wanted to know
if he dropped by during the night.
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16. Do you know where he might be?
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17. Yes, if he shows up,
please tell him to call home right away.
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18. Yes, it's very urgent.
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19. Yes.
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20. His wife.
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21. Thank you.
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22. That day at sunrise...
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23. when I found his pendulum
under my pillow...
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24. I felt that this time...
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25. everything had changed...
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26. that he'd never be coming home.
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27. Well?
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28. A girl.
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29. Are you sure?
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30. I'm sure.
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31. What will her name be?
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32. Estrella.
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33. They told me my father predicted
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34. that I would be a girl.
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35. That's the first memory
I have of him...
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36. a very vivid image...
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37. that in reality I made up myself.
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38. Want some?
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39. Yes.
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40. I grew up as we moved
from place to place.
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41. He was looking for a steady position.
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42. He found it in the north...
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43. in a walled city
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44. on the banks of a river.
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45. We lived outside of town
in a rented house...
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46. "the Seagull."
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47. It was in a no-man's-land
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48. halfway between
the countryside and the city
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49. on a road my father called
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50. "the border."
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51. - Let's continue the same treatment.
- When can I go home?
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52. I'm fed up here.
I have to get home.
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53. Very soon.
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54. But you must do
what Sister Lucía tells you.
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55. And relax.
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56. - Will you take me for a ride?
- Isn't it a bit late?
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57. No.
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58. Come on. One little ride.
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59. All right. Hop on.
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60. Faster!
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61. - Faster!
- All right!
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62. Estrella!
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63. Don't make so much noise!
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64. Your dad's upstairs.
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65. I didn't know.
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66. If you bother him,
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67. he can't do his experiments.
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68. What did I tell you?
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69. I dropped it.
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70. Mommy...
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71. why doesn't Daddy want anyone
coming up into the attic?
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72. Because all the power
he keeps in there would escape.
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73. So that's why he locks the door?
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74. Without that power he couldn't do
any of the things he does.
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75. Where does he get it from?
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76. Nowhere.
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77. It's just something he has.
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78. Has he always had it?
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79. Yes, ever since he was born.
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80. Could I have it too?
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81. I don't know.
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82. Seeing you're his daughter...
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83. I imagine you might.
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84. Would you like that?
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85. Very much!
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86. And now...
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87. off to sleep.
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88. - Good night, sweetie.
- Good night, Mommy.
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89. The first thing you must learn
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90. is how to hold the pendulum.
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91. Take it.
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92. Don't squeeze too hard.
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93. That's the way.
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94. That's it.
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95. Now...
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96. close your eyes...
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97. and let your mind go blank.
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98. No, don't squeeze the chain so hard.
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99. Let it hang loose.
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100. That's it.
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101. Now...
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102. all by yourself.
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103. Let your mind go blank.
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104. Slowly.
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105. Nice and slow.
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106. Nice and slow.
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107. That's it.
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108. Just like that.
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109. Very good.
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110. Empty your mind completely.
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111. That's it.
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112. Very good.
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113. Daddy, it's swinging!
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114. Stop!
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115. Stop right there.
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116. It's swinging!
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117. - He found it.
- Now for the depth.
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118. Count them.
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119. - Did you find it?
- The water's right here.
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120. two...
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121. three...
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122. - How far down do we dig?
- Each coin is one meter.
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123. The total equals
the depth you have to dig.
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124. seven, eight.
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125. - How many coins?
- Eight.
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126. You have to dig down eight meters.
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127. - Now we know what to do.
- That's not very deep.
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128. My dad could do things
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129. that others considered
practically miracles.
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130. But to my eyes, coming from him...
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131. nothing could have seemed
more natural.
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132. My mother was one of the teachers
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133. who suffered reprisals
after the Civil War.
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134. She taught me to read and write.
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135. Gentle going up...
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136. and harder going down.
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137. A bit more.
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138. Wet the pen.
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139. Another blot!
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140. It doesn't matter. Go on.
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141. We'd spend
almost the entire day together,
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142. yet I have only a few
clear memories of her from that time.
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143. I remember her
sitting next to a window
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144. in the afternoon sewing my dresses...
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145. in the greenhouse
looking after her flowers...
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146. on the patio varnishing old furniture
she got from God knows where.
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147. And at night
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148. reading the novels
she enjoyed so much.
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149. How is it?
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150. Really good.
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151. My father's origins were always
a real mystery to me.
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152. I knew nothing of his past...
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153. but that never bothered me.
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154. What's that?
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155. Mint.
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156. It smells so good!
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157. We'll take some
to Mommy for the soup.
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158. With him at my side...
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159. all my cares vanished.
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160. The mystery of his past
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161. was revealed to me bit by bit
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162. through my mother's words.
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163. In the south...
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164. it almost never snows.
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165. What a strange place!
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166. Mommy, how come
we've never gone there?
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167. Your dad left when he was young
and has never wanted to go back.
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168. Why did he leave?
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169. He never got along
with your grandfather.
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170. I heard they fought
like cats and dogs...
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171. that your dad was a rebel
and your grandpa was an ornery coot.
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172. So you can imagine what happened.
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173. From the very beginning...
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174. these stories
lent themselves to fantasies...
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175. and I filled them with images
I collected from all over the place.
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176. Not knowing
the real distances involved...
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177. I situated it all
on the other side of the globe,
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178. always with palm trees in the background,
somewhere in the south.
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179. There, something
I never understood clearly
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180. had happened to my father...
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181. something that made him leave
and never return.
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182. One May afternoon...
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183. the day before my First Communion,
two women arrived from the south.
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184. The seagull! There it is!
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185. - You see it?
- Where?
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186. On top of that house.
It's like it's really flying!
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187. Milagros, I don't see a thing.
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188. Pepe, stop! This must be it.
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189. Are you sure, Milagros?
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190. We don't want to be wrong.
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191. I said stop the car,
ye of little faith!
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192. I think they're here.
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193. Run and open the gate.
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194. What a racket you're making!
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195. I'm coming.
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196. Mommy, they're here!
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197. I hope you behave.
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198. Where's Daddy?
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199. - Come here a second.
- What for?
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200. - To comb your hair.
- I'm fine!
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201. Please. Come on.
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202. Does Agustín Arenas live here?
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203. Yes, we've been expecting you.
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204. Pepe, you can unload the luggage.
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205. I don't like the part on that side.
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206. That's how you always wear it.
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207. It looks terrible!
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208. It's better like this.
Stop fidgeting!
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209. Don't forget to give
your grandmother a kiss.
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210. Fine.
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211. Because I know you.
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212. My little Agustín!
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213. It's been so long...
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214. and so much sadness all around.
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215. You've changed so much.
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216. - Are you happy?
- Yes.
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217. You're not trying to fool me?
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218. - Where's my mother?
- In the car.
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219. She's not too well.
She had an attack four days ago.
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220. A terrible thing.
We almost had to stay home.
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221. Go on. Go welcome her.
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222. Is that little Estrella?
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223. You're Estrella, right?
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224. - Yes. And you're Milagros?
- Yes!
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225. Hello, son.
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226. How are you?
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227. A bit weak, but all right.
And Estrella?
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228. She's grown a lot.
You won't recognize her.
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229. This beard makes you look very old.
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230. Shave it off.
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231. And your wife?
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232. She's fine. Let's go inside.
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233. I can't believe
how far away this place is.
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234. I thought we'd never get here.
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235. Good afternoon, ma'am.
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236. - What's your name?
- Casilda.
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237. Would you kindly get
my cane from the car?
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238. "The Seagull."
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239. Did you give it that name?
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240. No, it was called that
before we arrived.
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241. You remember me?
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242. That's your grandmother.
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243. The last time I saw you,
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244. you were just a baby.
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245. Julia.
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246. - How are you feeling?
- So-so, my dear.
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247. But I wanted to see my granddaughter
on her First Communion,
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248. and here I am!
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249. You must be tired,
and it's getting chilly.
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250. Let's go inside.
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251. - The lady's cane.
- Help Pepe with the luggage.
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252. You know who I'm thinking of now?
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253. - Who?
- Your father.
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254. If only he were here.
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255. Milagros had looked after my father
ever since he was a little boy.
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256. She had a way about her
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257. that made her seem
extraordinary to me,
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258. different from anyone I'd met before.
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259. That night we shared a room.
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260. When does it warm up here?
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261. It almost never gets warm here.
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262. It doesn't?
What a strange world!
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263. Some people roast from the heat,
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264. while others freeze from the cold.
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265. But God's old enough
to know what he's doing.
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266. - Is it very hot where you live?
- Very.
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267. - How do you stand it?
- With patience and lots of shade.
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268. Are there really lots of Moors there?
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269. There are still a few,
but they're well-disguised.
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270. What's so funny?
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271. The way you talk.
My dad doesn't talk like that.
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272. Because he's a gentleman,
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273. besides being a renegade
who turned his back on his hometown.
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274. But pay no attention to me,
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275. or I'll start prattling and never stop.
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276. But it's a crying shame
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277. that he never returned
to the house where he was born.
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278. And it's been
so many years since he left.
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279. I know.
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280. How would you know, child?
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281. He never went back
because he quarreled with my grandpa.
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282. Your father told you that?
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283. No, my mother did.
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284. Is Grandpa really a bad man?
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285. Nonsense!
People like to exaggerate.
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286. And you know what?
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287. Even wild beasts grow tame with age.
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288. Your grandfather has changed.
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289. All the things that have happened,
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290. and all the people who've died...
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291. all over some silly ideas!
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292. It's true, your grandfather's ideas
were the worst.
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293. And since your dad always thought
just the opposite, he couldn't take it.
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294. Your grandfather
was a cantankerous man,
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295. and your dad wasn't one
to hold his tongue.
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296. Just the opposite.
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297. So they were
at each other's throats all the time.
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298. They had no respect for each other,
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299. and one day your dad just left.
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300. Or he was kicked out.
That's never been clear.
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301. And that's how
it's remained ever since.
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302. They both wandered
into a tunnel with no way out,
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303. and they're still trapped
in there today.
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304. But Grandpa was
with the bad guys, right?
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305. Bad guys... good guys.
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306. Look.
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307. Just so you understand.
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308. When the Republic —
Anyway, before the war,
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309. your grandpa was with the bad guys,
and your father was with the good guys.
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310. But when Franco won,
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311. your grandpa became a saint
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312. and your father a devil.
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313. See how things are in this world?
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314. Just words and more words.
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315. But why did they put Daddy in jail?
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316. Because that's what
the winners in a war always do.
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317. But you're just a little girl.
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318. - Who told you all this?
- My mother.
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319. Good Lord!
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320. Couldn't she have found
more pleasant topics? Or waited a bit?
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321. You have plenty of time
to learn about all that.
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322. Look, Estrella...
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323. you're just a little girl.
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324. Forget about all that
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325. and think about
your First Communion tomorrow,
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326. one of the most wonderful days
of your life,
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327. just like you were getting married.
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328. That's what the priest says,
but I don't understand.
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329. I don't either, but no matter!
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330. You get to dress in white
just like a bride.
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331. I'm not getting married when I grow up.
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332. And why not?
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333. Brides always have
that stupid look on their faces.
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334. Just look at wedding pictures
in shop windows.
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335. That's enough chitchat now!
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336. Go to sleep.
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337. - Don't turn it off yet.
- What do you want?
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338. You think my father will come
to church tomorrow?
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339. Why, of course!
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340. He never goes to church.
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341. I know that, but don't you worry.
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342. I'll drag him there myself if I have to!
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343. Go to sleep now.
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344. Good night, Estrella.
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345. Good night, Milagros.
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346. Mom, these shoes are too tight.
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347. I told you that in the store.
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348. That's just at first. They'll stretch.
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349. Julia, use a little talcum powder.
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350. And now...
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351. the veil.
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352. Dear Jesus! What was that?
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353. Agustín is out shooting.
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354. What an idea!
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355. My son's only happy
if he's making a scene.
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356. There's no excuse for going out
shooting on a day like today.
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357. He's always doing
what you least expect.
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358. I'm getting used to it.
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359. Will he come back soon?
Mom, will he?
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360. I don't know.
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361. Just like a bride!
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362. Milagros! The things you say!
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363. Am I right or not?
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364. Girls, now that
you have received Our Lord,
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365. go and greet your parents.
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366. - He came.
- Where is he?
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367. In the back.
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368. If you get bored, go outside,
but don't leave, okay?
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369. All right.
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370. He did it for me.
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371. He did it for me.
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372. They left when the party was over,
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373. late in the afternoon.
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374. From that day on,
whenever I thought of the south,
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375. the image of those two women
always came to mind.
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376. I don't remember clearly now...
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377. but I think it was around that time
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378. that I discovered
that in my father's imagination
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379. there was another woman.
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380. Who could Irene Ríos be?
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381. Did she really exist?
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382. Or was she an imaginary figure?
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383. Why had Dad written
her name over and over?
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384. Mom, do you know Irene Ríos?
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385. No. Who's that?
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386. No one.
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387. A new girl in my class.
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388. I lied for the first time
when I spoke of Irene Ríos.
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389. The fact my mother didn't know her
made me suspect
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390. that behind that woman's name...
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391. my father was hiding
some unknown secret.
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392. So almost without realizing it...
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393. I became his secret accomplice.
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394. A few months later,
when I least expected it,
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395. something extraordinary happened.
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396. I discovered
that Irene Ríos really did exist.
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397. It was a winter afternoon,
just after school.
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398. May I have a program?
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399. It's not allowed, you know.
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400. Yes, I know.
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401. Here.
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402. - Who is Irene Ríos?
- Who?
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403. Irene Ríos. She's in the movie.
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404. You're right.
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405. It's true.
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406. Is she the blonde or the brunette?
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407. Carmen Alonso is the brunette,
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408. so Irene Ríos must be the blonde.
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409. When will the movie be over?
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410. In half an hour.
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411. Well, good-bye.
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412. You!
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413. Yes, it's me!
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414. Surprised?
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415. I thought you were —
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416. Go on. I dare you to say it.
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417. You're wrong.
It's not what you think.
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418. You thought I was dead, right?
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419. That's not true. I swear.
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420. Don't swear.
God can hear you.
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421. You're such a fool.
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422. You're right.
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423. I am a fool.
That's why I love you.
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424. Give me a light.
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425. Well, why are you here?
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426. Hurry. I go on in a minute.
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427. I came to say good-bye.
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428. You're leaving?
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429. No, I'm not leaving.
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430. You are.
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431. What are you talking about?
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432. You're crazy.
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433. It's true.
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434. I'm crazy.
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435. I stood outside the door earlier,
listening.
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436. I heard you singing our song.
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437. We could have been so happy.
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438. Happy?
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439. Yes, happy!
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440. I never knew real happiness...
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441. I loved her!
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442. "Dear Laura...
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443. I'm sure this letter will surprise you
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444. after such a long silence.
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445. But I just saw a lover of yours
on the big screen
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446. fire a few shots
and send you off to the next world.
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447. Yes...
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448. I realize that what happens
in movies isn't real...
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449. but I'm still hopelessly superstitious...
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450. and I wanted to make sure
you're still walking this earth...
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451. if only lurking
behind that stage name of yours.
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452. By the way...
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453. your killer wasn't bad...
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454. but the star
and her leading man were terrible.
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455. Since I don't know where you are,
I'm mailing this letter to Seville."
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456. I'll never forget
my father's face when,
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457. sitting in the Café Oriental,
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458. he looked up from his writing
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459. and saw me outside the window.
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460. Now I understand that he reacted
as if caught red-handed,
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461. but I didn't realize that at the time.
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462. I only knew that it seemed
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463. he'd been writing a letter.
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464. - Julia, listen to me!
- You'll wake Estrella!
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465. Please listen!
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466. I don't want to hear a word!
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467. If you want to go talk to her, go!
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468. Do whatever you want!
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469. Just don't tell me about it!
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470. It's not that.
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471. You're wrong, Julia.
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472. A certain idea I'd had
about my father up till then
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473. began to change.
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474. It was like opening my eyes
and suddenly discovering
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475. that I knew
almost nothing about him.
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476. "Dear Agustín...
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477. at one point eight years ago
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478. I decided never to expect
anything from you.
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479. I was very lonely at the time...
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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 fatale
Copy !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 past
Copy !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 night
Copy !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 door
Copy !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 tell
Copy !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 understood
Copy !req
570. that he was playing my game...
Copy !req
571. accepting my challenge...
Copy !req
572. to show me that his pain
Copy !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 heart
Copy !req
577. that I could grow and grow
and suddenly be all grown up
Copy !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 alone
Copy !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 here
Copy !req
590. I'll sing for you and you'll see me
Copy !req
591. Dress me up, Mother
Copy !req
592. I'm going to be on TV
Copy !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 you
Copy !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 on
Copy !req
647. and a faint glow
remained in the sky,
Copy !req
648. I loved to stroll alone leisurely
Copy !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 crises
Copy !req
663. as an inevitable part of daily life.
Copy !req
664. Perhaps that's why
almost nothing I wrote hinted
Copy !req
665. at what would happen later.
Copy !req
666. And yet one day
my father had done something
Copy !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 occupied
Copy !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 once
Copy !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 theater
Copy !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 paper
Copy !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 mother
Copy !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 Rosario
Copy !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