Abel Sanchez and Other Stories
Language: English
Pages: 267
ISBN: 0895267071
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Translated by Anthony Kerrigan and with an insightful introduction by Mario J. Valdes
mother of my children, flesh of my flesh, heart of my heart, entrails of my entrails which were tortured by the devil. She would be the mother of my children and for that reason superior to the mothers of the children of others. She, unhappy woman, had chosen me, the antipathetic, the despised, the affronted one; she had taken up what another woman had refused with disdain and scorn. And she even spoke well of them to me! Abel’s child, little Abelin—for they gave it the same name as the father,
himself spoke to the boy a few times and gradually grew attached to him, or simply “fond” of him, as he thought at the time. “How does it happen that you prepare him for medicine instead of for painting?” Joaquín asked the father. “I am not preparing him, he is preparing himself. He doesn’t feel any vocation toward art. . . .” “I see, and to study medicine one needs, of course, no ‘vocation.’. . .” “I didn’t say that. You always take everything the worst way. He not only does not feel any
shows respect for your integrity, confidence in you. . . . It is probably the most generous and noble way to bring up a son, and demonstrates faith. . . .” “No, it is nothing like that, in this case. It is simply indifference.” “Don’t exaggerate, it isn’t indifference. . . . What could he say to you that your conscience wouldn’t already have told you? A father can’t be a judge.” “But he can be comrade, an adviser, a friend or teacher like you.” “And yet there are things which decorum forbids
too!” “Where in heaven’s name have you gotten this temper of yours?” “Temper, is it? Ah, of course, temperament belongs only to artists.” “Oho, listen to our harmless little mouse, the one who was going to become a nun before her father hooked my son for her. . . .” “I have already asked you, madame, not to repeat this lie. I know well enough what I did.” “And my son does too.” “Yes, he too knows what he has done. And let’s not talk of it again.” CHAPTER 34 And the son of young Abel and
Roman; that is to say, of the Holy Mother Church of Valverde de Lucerna. And now, farewell; until we never meet again, for this dream of life is coming to an end. . .” “Father, Father,” I cried out. “Do not grieve, Angela, only go on praying for all sinners, for all who have been born. Let them dream, let them dream . . . O, what a longing I have to sleep, to sleep, sleep without end, sleep for all eternity, and never dream! Forgetting this dream! . . . When they go to bury me, let it be in a