Swift as Desire by Laura Esquivel Page A

letter by letter and had to be memorized as they were received until a word was formed. Then the word had to be written down while one continued to listen to the rest of the message. It was a very strange and difficult thing to do, because of the delayed time frame, to always stay just behind the incoming message. Converting a signal into words was very difficult and tiring for the ears. A transmitting operator was said to have “good writing” when his messages were characterized by distinct, pronounced sounds, which made them easier to comprehend. But there were people who had terrible “writing” and used very loose sounds. This was the case for Lluvia, Aurorita, and Nati. The only one who had good writing was Reyes, but that was completely understandable; after all, he had been a telegraph operator for four decades. Despite not having transmitted for many years, he was able to get back up to speed in just a few hours. In contrast, don Júbilo’s women were totally lost. They confused dots anddashes, mixed up sounds, or translated incorrectly. In short, they were a disaster, but they meant well.
    In order to master the telegraph they were going to need many more hours, many more days, many more years, but in three weeks they had learned enough to understand don Júbilo’s first words.
    It was a memorable moment. Lluvia had asked Reyes and don Chucho to be present. She also invited Lolita, another close friend, who had spent her life working as a secretary in the Telegraph Office. Everyone arrived punctually. Already present in the house were Lluvia, her children Federico and Perla, and the nurses, Aurorita and Nati. Don Júbilo didn’t suspect a thing until he learned that don Chucho was there. Then he guessed that something had to be going on for his friend to be there with him instead of at the hospital taking care of his wife. Of course, he never imagined the enormous surprise that awaited him. When his granddaughter Perla placed a portable computer and a telegraph transmitter on his legs, don Júbilo’s face lit up. No one who witnessed that moment will ever forget the glorious smile that broke out on his face when his fingers felt the transmitter. There was no need to explain anything, he knew exactly why they had bought it and he didn’t need any coaxing. Timidly, but firmly, he sent his first message. It was for his daughter Lluvia.
    “
Gracias, hijita.
I love you very much,” he tapped.
    Lluvia’s eyes filled with tears. To her father’s surprise, she took the transmitter and responded in Morse code.
    “Me too,
chiquito
,” she answered.
    Don Júbilo opened his eyes as wide as he could. His daughter knew Morse code! That was a surprise indeed. And it only got better when he found out that his other two women did too. Aurorita and Nati wanted their turn and each tapped out a message in Morse code that she loved him too. The unmistakable sound of the telegraph filled don Júbilo’s room with joy. It was a very emotional moment. Lolita shed more tears than she had on that sad day in 1992 when Mexico’s telegraph service died. She had been present at the ceremony at the Telegraph Office during which the telegraph was irrevocably retired as a means of communication. The telegraph operator who had the honor of transmitting the final message added, at his own initiative, “
Adiós
, my dear Morse,
adiós
.”
    Lolita had cried out of sadness on that occasion, but now she was crying with happiness. Tears had bid the telegraph farewell, now tears were welcoming it back. When Federico, who believed he knew his grandfather better than anyone else and who was aware that Júbilo didn’t like to show his feelings in front of others, saw tears in the old man’s eyes, he decided to interrupt the emotion of the moment with a short, but very precise, explanation of how the computer program worked. Federico and his grandfather had a great relationship. Lluvia’s children were don Júbilo’s favorite