solo and an accordion wailing in semitones in the background. Her sister was in ecstasy—such contorted and inspired tangles!—too bad, the dunce would have to turn it down; at a sign, she complied, only to hear:
“We can’t possibly go to Múzquiz!”
Then the same old explanation. One step at a time, all the deficiencies that did not and never would do anything but cause horrible harm, in particular when their three or four objectives came up against this reasoning: which of the two would change first?, because miracles, no matter how strange, aren’t wrought with a plethora of detail but rather in a general kind of way. It was feasible that Gloria, busy much of the afternoon with her bean sorting and the delightful sounds of her borderland polkas, had already thought of that, so she showed no particular concern. Nor was it a victory for her, simply a showdown.
Therefore, and sadly, the remains of their parents no longer mattered.
The issue unmoored …
Next, the petition, in short, the marriage, what both had been expecting but not that Sunday, and here’s the surprise:
“I didn’t tell Oscar yes or no, I left it up in the air, or rather I told him to interpret it himself, though I did kiss him and hug him as a kind of answer. The thing is, I think I’ll say yes: I want to get married, and soon.”
“What about me?”
“Well, I don’t know what to think … I gave you the opportunity to have a little fun, and that was a big gift for you, but it was my good luck to have met him first, and my double good luck that he asked for my hand in marriage. Isn’t it exciting? … If you really care about me, you’ll understand that this is a great opportunity for me.”
The collapse of the other, who nonetheless stood up bravely without making a fuss or expressing any distress, and off she went, straightaway—even if extremely slowly—to her bedroom to lie down and think about specific courses of action and the consequences thereof. After such a lashing, best would have been to grope her way to bed, but that’s not what she did; her step was steady, and as the light there was on, she switched it off and lit a candle, which they both did often when they were at a loss. All of these actions were scrupulously observed by the now truly victorious twin, who didn’t move, aside from her head, which was indiscreet. As it happened, there were no tears.
Beans: the good and the bad shouldn’t mingle once they’ve been sorted. Constitución analyzed timorously. Hardships, plans, the first cause serious shrinkage whereas the second become inflexible and tend to win out. Which of the two piles on the table contained the most beans? Each bean would have to be counted—requisite patience—because they looked the same at a glance, but if the difference was minimal, small concessions would have to be made, because: a feeling can carry as much weight as a law: or vice versa, and this made the real sweetheart set about counting raucously and out loud the pile that was still full of grit. As soon as her sister, lying in bed in the next room, heard one , two , three , four , she called out in a commanding voice, whereat this one rose immediately and went running smugly to the other: who was already standing up: the now definite leftover distressingly backlit by a lively flame.
“I understand you well enough. You have the right, and I know full well that it’s silly to play childish games when it comes to marriage. I’m going to leave this house forever, yes, that’s what I think is best. I promise you’ll never see me again because I’m planning to go far away. I admit, I might one day feel like seeing you, but I’ll be so far away, it won’t even be possible. Forgetting will be difficult because it’s like a ghost that wends its way in and out of our thoughts at will, but time is wiser because it contains your death and my own. On the other hand, don’t think my going who-knows-where is just some passing whim;
“We can’t possibly go to Múzquiz!”
Then the same old explanation. One step at a time, all the deficiencies that did not and never would do anything but cause horrible harm, in particular when their three or four objectives came up against this reasoning: which of the two would change first?, because miracles, no matter how strange, aren’t wrought with a plethora of detail but rather in a general kind of way. It was feasible that Gloria, busy much of the afternoon with her bean sorting and the delightful sounds of her borderland polkas, had already thought of that, so she showed no particular concern. Nor was it a victory for her, simply a showdown.
Therefore, and sadly, the remains of their parents no longer mattered.
The issue unmoored …
Next, the petition, in short, the marriage, what both had been expecting but not that Sunday, and here’s the surprise:
“I didn’t tell Oscar yes or no, I left it up in the air, or rather I told him to interpret it himself, though I did kiss him and hug him as a kind of answer. The thing is, I think I’ll say yes: I want to get married, and soon.”
“What about me?”
“Well, I don’t know what to think … I gave you the opportunity to have a little fun, and that was a big gift for you, but it was my good luck to have met him first, and my double good luck that he asked for my hand in marriage. Isn’t it exciting? … If you really care about me, you’ll understand that this is a great opportunity for me.”
The collapse of the other, who nonetheless stood up bravely without making a fuss or expressing any distress, and off she went, straightaway—even if extremely slowly—to her bedroom to lie down and think about specific courses of action and the consequences thereof. After such a lashing, best would have been to grope her way to bed, but that’s not what she did; her step was steady, and as the light there was on, she switched it off and lit a candle, which they both did often when they were at a loss. All of these actions were scrupulously observed by the now truly victorious twin, who didn’t move, aside from her head, which was indiscreet. As it happened, there were no tears.
Beans: the good and the bad shouldn’t mingle once they’ve been sorted. Constitución analyzed timorously. Hardships, plans, the first cause serious shrinkage whereas the second become inflexible and tend to win out. Which of the two piles on the table contained the most beans? Each bean would have to be counted—requisite patience—because they looked the same at a glance, but if the difference was minimal, small concessions would have to be made, because: a feeling can carry as much weight as a law: or vice versa, and this made the real sweetheart set about counting raucously and out loud the pile that was still full of grit. As soon as her sister, lying in bed in the next room, heard one , two , three , four , she called out in a commanding voice, whereat this one rose immediately and went running smugly to the other: who was already standing up: the now definite leftover distressingly backlit by a lively flame.
“I understand you well enough. You have the right, and I know full well that it’s silly to play childish games when it comes to marriage. I’m going to leave this house forever, yes, that’s what I think is best. I promise you’ll never see me again because I’m planning to go far away. I admit, I might one day feel like seeing you, but I’ll be so far away, it won’t even be possible. Forgetting will be difficult because it’s like a ghost that wends its way in and out of our thoughts at will, but time is wiser because it contains your death and my own. On the other hand, don’t think my going who-knows-where is just some passing whim;
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