STORY OF AN IDIOTAlfonso Aguilar was a twenty-three-year-old boy, born in Granada and a resident of the capital of Darro

STORY OF AN IDIOTAlfonso Aguilar was a twenty-three-year-old boy, born in Granada and a resident of the capital of Darro; higher than low, but without going overboard; drained of meat, although without being thin, he had a rather slender figure; With a dark complexion, very black eyes and hair, he was a more than typical image of an Andalusian man. To finish the portrait, add that such a set was adorned by a face that was more attractive than unpleasant. Son of a colonel who was prematurely transferred to the Reserve as a result of the famous “23F”(1), due to his well-known Francoism, he studied law at the University of Granada, although his desires, to the chagrin of his father, were more in the direction of poetry, so the happiest day of his life had been the one in which a local newspaper, with regular circulation, published one of his poems, “El Mirador de Lindaraja”, with a Moorish atmosphere. And it is impossible to say whether his first passion was poetry or culture and everything Arab in general. That love for everything Moorish led to regular walks through the palaces, rooms, patios and gardens of the Alhambra, living in his imagination, more than dreaming them, eternal Moorish adventures among such settings; In them, the Abencerraje Aben Hamet was seen courting Queen Moraima, wife of King Boabdil; Prays King Muley Hacen breaking his beautiful Christian slave, Dª. Isabel de Solís... Or, in short, any of the gentle Granada gentlemen, captivators of ladies and maidens, who populate the Moorish novels from the 16th to the 19th centuries, to which the maiden was so fond... The young man was a boyfriend with a little girl named Ana María who was more a girl than a woman since she was not yet sixteen years old, whose childlike face showed her shortness in years, but who turned out to be entirely angelic, radiating innocence and candidness, as well as goodness that was proof against infinite evils; small nose, funny dimples on the cheeks, lips that are plumper rather than thin, and a mouth that is neither large nor small, well drawn; blonde hair like ripe wheat that fell in lovely curls, gracefully, to just below her shoulders and eyes blue like the clear Andalusian sky. But the body that extended from the neck, almost swan-like in length, belied the infantile impression that her face conveyed, as it showed breasts that were more developed than anything else, upright and perfectly rounded, rather wide hips, and legs that couldn't have been better shaped. But it happened that, one day, the girl asked her boyfriend to formalize the relationship into a very serious and formal courtship, since the girl was already more than crazy about tasting the honeys of marital intimacy; but this is exactly how: Conjugal. That is, calmly and with all the law, blessing of the priest included, in addition to the marriage certificate. It is clear that the passionate girl found many negatives to the madness she intended, since madness was that she, at sixteen years old and studying high school, and her boyfriend Alfonso Aguilar, at 23 and doing his last year of Law, would simply get married; To begin with, on the part of Alfonso himself, who saw his girlfriend's decision as hasty, but it was of little use to him, since Ana María took him to the “orchard”, (in the good sense, for the record) in no time. It was more difficult to raise the matter of the marriage to Mr. Manuel Sarabia, father of the crazy little girl, but there was Mrs. Ana María, opulent and more than affectionate, as well as understanding, mother of the “interfect”, whose little girl of her soul took it upon herself to “mess it up.” In short, Mr. Manuel went through the hoop, and like “Fonsito's” father, Mr. Enrique Aguilar, although he complained that getting married so young was insane, as he was, and since childhood, a good friend of the “bride's” father, whom he loved almost like a daughter, he also finally “swallowed,” so that on the same day that the girl turned sixteen, a wedding date was stipulated for seven months later, with the law degree in his pocket. by Alfonsito. Time passed with the couple “peeling it out” and with the passage of time the days, weeks and months also passed, until one afternoon, almost three months later, after two days of the girl Ana María being in the Alpujarra with her parents and her boyfriend alone in the capital of Darro, good old Alfonso got the hang of the Alhambra, which had not been visited for a long time, so on that afternoon he set off towards there. The afternoon was already in the doldrums, around seven o'clock, when the young student and vate candidate finally arrived at the red city (AlhambraAl-Hamra“The Red One” in Arabic) (2) at almost after seven in the afternoon. He entered through the Puerta de las Granadas, thus accessing the Alhambra Forest. He continued along the path on the left, the old “Cobbled Hill”, and along the way the Puerta de la Justicia appeared before his sight. Up to there I had traveled through an entirely bucolic environment as the walk crossed a forest of poplars, willows, acacias, hazelnuts and poplars, interspersed with laurels and myrtle trees that, trimmed, form hedges and figures that festoon the walk with their stone benches aligned along both banks. While Alfonso walked such a path, his environment inspired stillness and tranquility in the human spirit, since his silences were only broken by the chirping of the birds and the more or less sonorous murmur of the water that either fell in waterfalls from the top of the Alhambra or flowed through the ditches that provided the perennial and necessary humidity for the forest, so that it was almost impossible not to remember the stanzas of the transcription that Friar Luis de León struck at the “Beatus Ille” by the Roman Marcus Tullius “Cicero”: “The water in the ditches runs and the birds sing without an owner…” He crossed the Gate of Justice and Alfonso immersed himself in a universe of “The Thousand and One Nights.” His mood changed at once to sink into a form of gallant and chivalrous mysticism; a world populated by Arab knights, heroic Abencerrajes warriors, gallants of beautiful Moorish houris, only worthy of the sublime Eden of Allah, supreme God and Lord of the Universe. His delicate sensitivity as a budding poet since a provincial newspaper published his poem, “El Mirador de Lindaraja”, rose above the world that surrounded him and that, at such moments and under the ecstasy that this mysticism provoked in him, seemed prosaic, vulgar and petty to the point of suffocating him. It was said: Will I die without finding the love that my heart seeks or all the poetry that my soul keeps?... Will I be able to achieve all that in the current mediocre and positivist environment? He continued forward, barbecuing on the right hand side the Palace of Charles Vº, in a Renaissance style that clashes to the point of stridency among the Mudejar complex that surrounds it, to turn to that hand when he reached the corner of the Palace. And so, as in a cloud of melancholic sadness, that aspiring to the greatest poetic Olympus, arrived at the palaces, gardens and patios of the so-called “Royal House”, the rooms linked to the Nasrid kings, accessing the oriental beauty of the magnificent “Patio de los Arrayanes”, with its 34x7m rectangular pond fed by two fountains that flow into the pond, one on each narrow side and the massifs of myrtle trees or myrtle trees that surround it beyond the white marble paved walks that frame it, and the impressive “Comares Tower” on the narrow side facing the one through whose door it enters the Patio. He raised his eyes, placing them on the frieze of the portico he occupied, there next to the ceiling, and read the Arabic text that was there: “Happiness and prosperity are graces from the Sustainer of creatures.” And he said to himself: "Resign yourself, Alfonso. God does not want you to achieve everything your soul aspires to." He crossed the Courtyard and through the portico opposite the one he occupied passed through the “Barque Room”, without even stopping, to arrive at the “Courtyard of the Lions”, where the “Harem” was once located, the rooms of the women, the concubines and the king's favorite slaves… The chambers of love; of voluptuousness; of sex... Alfonso's mind was once again populated with noble Arab knights and splendid odalisques and sultanas of dreams... But among all those images the image of the beautiful among the beautiful soon dominated, Dª Isabel de Solís, the Christian captive who bewitched King Muley Hacen and who, upon renouncing Christianity for her love for such a king, took the name of Zoraya or Soraya, that is, "Morning Star." This mythical woman, who lived in the throes of the 15th century, was the inflamed, although rather platonic, love of Alfonso from his earliest adolescence, from his 13-14 years, born and nourished by his Arabic-chivalric readings that emerged throughout the 16th to 19th centuries. In his imagination the beauty appeared to him with an angelic face in which her slanted eyes shone with intense light, black as an abyss, her wavy hair, as black as the eyes, her long neck, made of snowy alabaster, adorned by a rich pearl necklace, with two turns, if not three, suggestively dressed in silks, tulles and transparent gauze here, semi-transparent there, and her tiny feet sheathed in fine golden gold dust slippers… He closed his eyes to better enjoy the divine vision that the eyes of the soul, of the spirit so gracefully gifted him, to be the favorite lover of the houri who stole the heart of Sultan Muley Hacen... He came out of the trance with a sigh and was instantly left speechless, because before him he saw Isabel de Solís herself and, furthermore, just as he had dreamed of her; Behind her was also her owner, Sultan Muley Hacen himself. He closed his eyes again, tightly, because that could not be true or reality, but his mind was still clouded by the vision that so dominated his soul and heart. But it happened that he had barely closed his eyes when he heard a female voice. Excuse me, gentleman, if we have scared you with our outfits... It's just that, you know?; Sometimes we like to dress up like this and wander through these patios and halls... They so evoke the loves of Dª Isabel de Solís and King Muley Hacen...! He opened his eyes again, and the image was still there. Only now he knew that neither the woman was his idealized Isabel de Solís nor the man, for him, the almost mythical Muley Hacen. The woman laughed widely at the face that Alfonso still presented. You might as well have thought we were Arabs from beyond the grave wandering through your old chambers!... Ha, ha, ha... The truth is, almost, almost!... Alfonso also responded, laughing, so that, when "Muley Hacen" joined in the laughter, the laughter ended up becoming widespread among the three of them. When the laughter subsided and Alfonso began to be able to speak again, he said Well, gentlemen, you come admirably disguised. In you, madam, I thought I saw the very Dª Isabel de Solís and in you, gentleman, Sultan Muley Hacen... Both of us revived... And Alfonso laughed again with real enthusiasm, in which the two visitors accompanied him with the same enthusiasm, if not more Well, you don't know how much your words please us... We'll give it to you, now... This had been said by the man who was accompanying the woman. Then Alfonso had a real opportunity to take a good look at both of their costumes. The woman, of course, looked magnificent. A dress, if it could be called that, of the most refined classical Islamic-Oriental fashion of yesteryear, from the court of the Nasrid monarchs of Granada, all covered in subtle silks, tulles and chiffons that were more than transparent in more than one place, which clearly left the legs and belly visible, the latter not hidden at all, showing off a precious stone in the navel, covering it. The woman's throat, ears, wrists and hands also showed off numerous jewels; double-strand pearl necklace, earrings, bracelets and rings... Another thing is that they were valuable or simple costume jewelry based on cheap zircons and other cheap stones... In addition, she was extremely beautiful to the point of almost seeming splendid and very young, no more than twenty years old, most likely... With the demeanor of a woman of quality For his part, the man also wore a stately and rich outfit, also quite jeweled and, likewise, endowed with great elegance in his bearing. He was almost fifty years old, sporting a noble beard which, like his hair, had many more strands that silvered both physical environments. Without even knowing what to say, but desperately wanting to continue the conversation in order to maintain contact with such an original couple, Alfonso said So they are very original visitors to the Alhambra… Well, not exactly. We are moved a little by art and a little by interest... And you, surely, will be a curious visitor to these places... Or not!... None of that. I'm from here... a pure-blood Granada native! I usually walk around here quite frequently... I know the Alhambra almost better than my house... Well, I, as sultan and absolute lord of these palaces, kidnap you right now to accompany us... Ha, ha, ha And I give myself to you, sovereign majesty, with a thousand loves for whatever you like... Ha, ha, ha... That was when the young Aguilar became hopelessly lost, caught in the devilish beauty of that woman, faithful likeness of the image that his mind forged of the idealized Isabel de Solís, his impossible love since he did not even reach adolescence, since he was, more or less, fourteen years old. She was taller than short and more slender than thick, with an extremely slender waist; oval face of dazzling whiteness and immensely black, slanted eyes, shining like stars; fresh lips, red like freshly spilled blood, showed behind them rows of fine pearls... The visiting couple was from Madrid and father and daughter, Rafael and Alicia Izquierdo. He was a painter and they were in Granada for a project by D. Rafael, as Alfonso called him: Paint a large painting about the betrothal of Isabel de Solís and Muley Hacen in the incomparable setting of the Alhambra. It is true that Mr. Rafael Izquierdo was a painter of some renown, but that was almost forty years ago, at the age of eighteen or twenty, because at around twenty, he found himself a multimillionaire, in pesetas, of course, when his father died and he inherited his more than appreciable fortune. He then “hung up” on brushes to dedicate himself to the good life, wasting money hand over fist, living like an Arab sheikh full of petrodollars. He became involved with countless women, and his relationship with a French star was notorious, with whom he lived for several years and had his only daughter, Alicia, but the star one day abandoned him and his daughter to go after an unknown American tycoon. D. Rafael accepted that as if nothing had happened and continued with his life as a great lord, owner of endless fortune. Thus, Alicia was sent to more than select schools in France, Switzerland and England where she was given the refined education typical of daughters of the highest lineage, from great aristocrats to the most resounding fortunes, the Bill Gates “and company”… But since what is continually taken from and never put in ends up drying up, D. Rafael Izquierdo's money also ended up running out. Then he returned to painting, but now his work was of no interest and misery began to knock on his door. And that was how he came up with the idea of the great painting, in order to recover the lost popular favor with such a work; The topic was chosen by her daughter Alicia, impressed at the time with the story of the captive and captivating Christian, thanks to finishing reading Francisco Martínez de la Rosa's novel, “Doña Isabel de Solís, Queen of Granada.” But Alfonso Aguilar's knowledge completely changed these assumptions, since the young man opened horizons for both of them that they believed to be closed. The same afternoon that they met the young man, as soon as father and daughter were alone in the hotel, they began the investigations regarding the new acquaintance, and that same afternoon-night they learned from him that he was the scion of one of the oldest and most respected local families, and the son of a prestigious lawyer in the city. Of course, the Aguilars' fortune, although not negligible, did not allow for excessive stipends either. Well, a good life, more than a good time, did ensure his wealth, but from then on, more than anything. So the immediate objective of father and daughter was common: Get Aguilar to marry Alicia. But from then on the projects differed almost diametrically. For Mr. Rafael Izquierdo, that marriage was, in itself, his goal, since it would ensure him a dignified and peaceful life, which he no longer aspired to much more. But Alicia was not satisfied with mediocrity; She aspired to everything. While she was in the more than privileged European schools, she lived in a happy world, sure that her father was more than a potentate. Come on, Onassis, in front of his father, is a poor man. But when she returned to Madrid, with her father, although he tried to hide the sad reality from her, she was extremely perceptive and intuitive and immediately realized the reality that her father was trying to hide. And the blow, the disappointment that came with it was horrendous. She wanted to continue living in that bubble of luxury and extravagance at full speed; and being able to follow such a lifestyle became the ultimate goal of his life; his reason for living. He was aware that his great asset was his palmetto; her beauty, her splendid figure. And she worked hard to use all of this for the sake of her objective: to find a rich, very rich, and influential husband. That had been more than two years ago, since he would never really reach twenty again and he arrived at his father's house when he was about to turn eighteen. More than two years futilely pursuing that supreme objective. When she arrived in Granada with her father, the truth is that she was completely disillusioned, since she already despaired of achieving what she dreamed of. During those more than two years she had had four, maybe five boyfriends who responded to what she was looking for, but in all cases the result had been the same: From a marriage, nothing at all. Have fun with her, hit her more than once, more than two, yes; but from there onwards, “nasti monasti”; that is, nothing at all, in “román paladino”. Then he realized that, in high spheres, marriage is, more than anything, an “inter-pares” alliance, between equals, to achieve more wealth, because wealth is power. And she was nothing more than the daughter of an insignificant being, who one day had money but now not even a penny. So meeting Alfonso had revived his hopes. It is not that the boy, in himself, constituted a desirable target, but marrying him would open the doors of Granada's high society, and those would be not inconsiderable opportunities. Thus she would not simply be the daughter of Rafael Izquierdo, a very poor Mr. Nobody, but rather Mrs. Aguilar, a long-respected family in Granada. Then meeting men who perfectly adapted to your desires would be easy and unseating wives or girlfriends would be even easier. But of course, poor Alfonso has no idea about that. For him, Alicia was absolute perfection. She was beautiful even from behind, but what attracted him most to her was what, he believed, came from within her. He found her ingenious and a muse of art; a beneficial fairy coming from Parnassus to open the doors of the poetic heaven that he always dreamed of. An ethereal being arrived to free him from mediocrity, the vulgarity of the world around him... For Alfonso Aguilar, “romía”(1), as he sometimes called Alicia, was the opposite of vulgarity, and vulgarity was what he had always hated the most in this life. In short, little by little Ana María became more and more distant; more and more forgotten, because in a short time the times that Alfonso spent with his still official and formal girlfriend became more distant, dominating more the days when, with the most implausible pretexts, he excused himself from going to look for her than the days when he did. And when he was next to her, he seemed absent, absorbed in thoughts that his girlfriend couldn't understand. Poor Ana María no longer found in “her Alfonso” the dedication or, why not say it, the passion that she previously showed him, when she had to push away his little hands determined to go beyond the border that the clothes indicated. She came to miss those times when she had to, gently, sweetly, but firmly, stop those hands that struggled to caress her naked skin. She came to think, fear rather, if perhaps that gentle but firm resistance was not to blame for the evident current detachment on the part of her boyfriend... And one of the increasingly rare afternoons that Alfonso picked her up from her house to take her for a walk through one of the Granada parks, she maneuvered so that they ended up sitting on a bench on one of those strategic walks insistently sought by the couples most fond of solitary intimacy. Then, after ensuring the absence of witnesses that no one would witness anything, she unbuttoned several buttons on her blouse, so that much more than the “channel” that the breasts form at the beginning was visible; Then she launched herself at her boyfriend, seeking to engage with him in the most torrid “sexing” that the annals “of the industry” can remember. But she found that her boyfriend, her beloved Alfonso, was not very up to the task: He stole her own mouth, preventing her from "screwing" and, taking her by the upper part of her arms, he kissed her tenderly on the cheeks, the temples, the eyes... Then, gently separating her, he got up from the bench saying Come on, get up. It's late and I want to take you home... What's wrong with you, Alfonso?... Don't you like me anymore...? Don't talk nonsense, Ana María. The thing is, I have things to do at home. Last minute orders from my father...Ana María looked at him for a long time, as if examining him. Then she fastened the buttons that she had previously undone and stood up, straightening her blouse and skirt as she did so, and began to walk next to Alfonso, although without holding on to his arm as she had until then been accustomed to do. They walked, in silence, to the girl's doorway. Upon arriving there, as he usually did, Alfonso prepared to enter after his girlfriend to go up to the apartment with her for a while and chat for a few minutes with Ana María, her mother and father, but she stopped him when he was about to cross the door. Not Alfonso; don't go up Since day, many days you have changed a lot... You are different; very different... There are almost more days that you don't come with me than those that do... And when you are with me, you really aren't... You are absent; I don't know where or with whom, but you are not there and with me...Ana María remained silent; She waited a moment for her boyfriend to contradict her... She waited for him to tell her what she was wanting to hear... But Alfonso didn't say anything... She remained silent, with her head lowered, focusing her gaze on the ground. Finally she continued Goodbye Alfonso... May you be happy with... With whoever... Don't come back home... Don't come back to look for me... When I come up I'll say that I've broken up with you... That my love has worn out, like the Jurado... My love has worn out from not using it so much... Ana María remained silent; He approached Alfonso, lightly kissed his lips and, turning his back to him, he headed towards the elevator... With a firm step and his head held high; upright; very upright... And without looking back even once. Alfonso watched her walk away, get to the elevator and get into it. At that moment, how the elevator began its climb towards the floor and immediately disappeared from sight. Only then did he leave the step that gave access to the building's portal. He went down to the sidewalk and stopped for a moment; He took out the packet of tobacco, took a cigarette and lit it. He inhaled the smoke, exhaled it in weightless wisps and started walking. The state in which he found himself was contradictory, because he felt, more than happy, liberated... Free from ties to Ana María... Free to be able to marry the “romía”, that kind of Isabel de Solís rediviva that Alicia was for him... And he liked that, it made him happy... It made him, yes, happy, very, very happy But at the same time he felt bad; as if overwhelmed... He felt strong remorse... He knew that she, Ana María, would cry that night and many more... He knew that she walked away from him with a broken soul... Destroyed... Yes; I knew very well how much I loved him; how much she loved him... The last proof of her love had just been given to him by being the one to cut the Gordian knot that he did not dare to break... He loved, without a doubt, the sultana Alicia, but he loved Ana María very, very much; If she were his sister, he wouldn't love her, and hurting her, as he knew he had just done, hurt him more than if it were done to him himself. But in the end the joy of the newly recovered freedom prevailed in his mind; He quickened his pace, but not to go to his house but to take the road to the Alhambra towards the hotel that father and daughter occupied at the foot of the Alhambra, in front of the Puerta de las Granadas. There he found the father and daughter, Mr. Rafael Izquierdo and his more than beautiful daughter Alicia, at the door of the hotel sitting at a table on the brief terrace that the hotel maintained in front of its door, with their everlasting mug of beer, Mr. Rafael and Alicia enjoying a popular Coca Cola. He came up to them with an arrow and, kneeling before them both, he delivered this speech to them. My dearest Mr. Rafael. Before you I prostrate asking you to grant me the hand of your incomparable daughter, in order to make her my wife; Mrs. Alfonso Aguilar. And to you, relive Isabel de Solís, the insurmountably beautiful “Romía”, I humbly beg you, prostrate at your feet, to be magnanimous with this miserable insect that burns every day in the ember of your blinding light, granting her the sweet mercy of consenting to be his wife. Needless to say, the laughter of father and daughter at such a pilgrimage scene, however comical, must have resonated even in the most remote corner of Granada, nor will it be necessary to reveal that the bold demands of such a fiery lover were instantly satisfied, concluding that the long-awaited hymeneo would be celebrated, if possible, in no more than two weeks. And almost giddy with joy, the young aspiring vate retraced his path to his house. That night Alfonso slept as he had not slept for a long time, overwhelmed by Love or Eros, but the next day things did not look so happy for him, because as soon as he got up he went to his father, Don Enrique, taking the bull by the horns; or, what is the same, raising the issue of his more than next “marriage”. When Alfonsito told his father, point blank, that in a maximum of fifteen days he would be getting married, he, in addition to being very surprised, also did not stop being happy, because it was not that he appreciated Ana María, but that he loved her almost as if he had fathered her, so when he was sure that what his son told him was more serious than the Gospel, more elated than anything else, he talked about immediately calling the happy bride, his dear semi-daughter Ana María, to give him his “please” and congratulations. And that was when the “tiberium” began, when his much-loved son informed him that the chosen one was not the daughter of his friend Manuel Sarabia, but another lady immensely more adorable than his almost goddaughter. Mr. Enrique was first shocked when listening to his son, and then immediately asked for explanations about it; But when he learned that the “more than adorable lady” was a stranger from Madrid, the daughter of a stranger from the capital of Spain, whom Alfonsito had known for less than a month, he almost had apoplexy. But, fool, more than fool! What do you know about those people?... Don't you realize that they could be a couple of adventurers?... If his father had denied Jesus God, for the candid Alfonso it would not have been a greater blasphemy than that of doubting the more than, for him, proven honorability of father and daughter. And the confrontation between father and son did not take long, a brawl that ended with the impulsive young man leaving his father's house, slamming the door loudly behind him. Alfonso immediately took refuge in the same hotel where Mr. Rafael Izquierdo and his daughter were staying, the “Puerta de las Granadas” exactly, where he took a temporary room until occupying the suite that would become the wedding bed. Furthermore, it happened that the two-week period previously agreed upon by the new spouses was shortened to just over a week, exactly nine days, since the event finally took place on that ninth day since Alicia said her sweet yes to her more than in love Alfonso Aguilar. The canonical marriage took place in the best setting that Alfonso could have dreamed of: The church of Santa María de la Alhambra, next to the Puerta de Los Carros and in front of the Palace of Carlos Vº, in the Alhambra itself. Nobody from the Aguilar family came and only two or three from his friends, including Paco Garrido. This Paco Garrido was the antithesis of Alfonso, since being more interested and materialistic than him would be rather difficult to find. His father, Mr. Crispín Garrido, was the owner of one of the most important wholesale grocery stores in all of Andalusia and a millionaire. Of rather low birth, at the age of five or six he was following a herd of goats as his father's boy, a shepherd of the flock who also at that age began as his father's boy, young Paco's grandfather. When the civil war broke out, D. Crispín, at the age of eighteen or so, enlisted under a Falangist flag with which he waged the entire war. Brave, he was wounded twice in combat, decorated and promoted to sergeant, and did not become an officer because he barely knew how to read and write. D. Crispín was not intelligent but he was “wise” and clever, with that natural “cleverness” so typical of many people made to endure bitter times, so when after the war the years of hunger arrived he saw his opportunity to escape from poverty in the black market. He was good at it, and when the famine disappeared from Spain back in the fifties, with the most friendly relations of General Franco with the USA, D. Crispín was already a more than wealthy man, owner of a modest grocery store that was going from strength to strength and that prospered year after year until it was the great commercial power that it now was. Alfonso and Paco Garrido met when they were very young and the friendship arose immediately. Together they did their first letters, together they completed high school and together they began their law studies, which Paco soon dropped out to join his father to learn the family business that he now ran with a firm hand and even more ruthless spirit than his father. And this man, Paco Garrido, was the best man at the wedding, while the godmother was a lady, a guest at the hotel, with whom Mr. Rafael and Alicia had become friends. That night Alicia and Alfonso spent in a sumptuous suite, with even a hydromassage in the bathtub, a small living room at the entrance and a bedroom further inside. An arm and a leg, come on, but what would he deny to his “romía”… And what can we say about what the night was like for the newlywed… That his beloved Alicia not only did not disappoint him but also exceeded whatever expectations he had regarding such an important moment, the first night; the wedding night... Two days later, Alfonso began to learn about some aspects of life that, although seemingly prosaic and vulgar, were also unavoidable, such as that things that are bought, used or used, must be paid for; and the corollary to the novel discovery was that, as much as it seemed like the most vulgar and horrendous thing in the Universe, money was absolutely essential to live. What was it that made you see the sordid side of life? Well, the hotel manager presented him with the minutes of what had been consumed until then. And the bill was astronomical, so to speak; The hotelier had charged his account with everything Mr. Rafael Izquierdo and his daughter Alicia had consumed since they moved into the hotel, before even meeting him. Needless to say, Alfonso protested, because charging him with the couple's expenses since she was his wife was a pass, but for him to pay for everything that father and daughter consumed since their check-in at the hotel... But as the hotel director told him that such a thing had been arranged by his "illustrious" father-in-law, Alfonso put his mouth to rest, accepted the more than large bill and did not even dare to say a word to his "sweet" wife, lest he get uncomfortable with your daddy. Come on, that was the first, and on the forehead, of the many that would soon receive. But as it also happened that, at such moments, with more money in his pocket than anything else, the young man had no other choice but to take the road towards his denigrated paternal house so that his lord father could get him out of the quagmire; the immediate one of the hotel bill and those that, sad reality of life, would surely follow later, since we already know that the young man had half woken up from the dream in which he had until then lived, that of being a father's son, "D. Everything Can", who did not have to worry about the vulgarities of life, since he was already "papourri" for that. But of course, he soon glimpsed that the new "D. Everything Can" was going to be him, having to take care of his divine wife... And, of course, his not so divine father-in-law His father, Don Enrique, received him with marked coldness, taking him to the office, and not to the living room, to listen to whatever his son had to tell him, although the experienced father could hardly imagine it, since he knew by heart the embassy that his son was bringing him. Alfonso, nervous, insecure and with more fear than anything else, explained his money worries to his father, his father listening attentively and without saying a word. Alfonso finally concluded his speech and then Don Enrique began to speak. And boy did he speak. Come on, not a cent of money, so the conference, which did not have dialogue, ended like the “Rosario de la Aurora”, almost with a flash of lights, with the claim, by Alfonso, of his mother's inheritance, which to date was part of the family patrimony managed by his father and the final appointment, for the next morning, at the notary's office, so that Mr. Enrique could formally transfer his maternal properties to his son, three small properties that, the truth is, by far not they gave The transfer of assets was actually carried out the next morning, rather early since they had met at nine o'clock, and from the notary, with a notarial certificate that guaranteed Alfonso's free ownership of said properties but with the deeds pending registration in the Property Registry, the enraged young man ran to the bank in order to cash in on what he had just inherited. He finally managed to earn cash in cash, although with a lot of effort, because since he still lacked deeds, the mortgage he started by applying for remained a personal loan at a much higher interest rate than the mortgage, but that way Alfonso was able to settle the hotel account that same morning. Once that first obstacle was overcome, the couple's life continued along the path of newly discovered marital honey, since the nights shared for the new husband became an imperishable memory. The days passed like this, another eight or ten, when a new blow came to beat the birds over his head, in the form of another hotelier with a stay-at-home bill. And living in a hotel and, in addition, in a suite with a bedroom, living room and bathroom with a hydromassage, the truth is that it was no small feat. And that was without taking into account the splendor of his admired father-in-law who, at the expense of his son-in-law's pocketbook, was extremely generous with every quisque who approached him, son-in-law included, because every moment he saw him he insisted on inviting him. And without even counting the thousand and one whims of his wife, who had a penchant for buying clothes, perfumes and other trifles, so why rush. Anyway, once again he found himself in the urgent need to make money because for the second time he found himself in panties, sorry, underpants, in the face of danger. So, as had happened before, he once again asked the director of his bank for arnica, with which the push and pull was repeated until he got the banker to sufficiently expand the personal loan granted, with which the debt he was acquiring with the entity began to grow like a snowball down the slope, since that first extension had its eighth not many days later, when he and his beloved Alicia agreed with a real estate company that their friend Paco Garrido introduced them to, and in which, coincidentally, He was the majority shareholder, renting an apartment with more traces of an almost mansion than a utilitarian home, another of the “little whims” of his sweet Alicia, with which Alfonso increased in proportion “King Sice” the weight of the millstone that was around his neck, since the rent was worth his own and that of his neighbor. When they finally left, accompanied by their friend Paco Garrido, from the real estate agency, Alfonso had the distressing impression that he had really just gotten into trouble, since it seemed obvious to him that this kind of mansion would not be too big for him, but miles long, since the monthly payments were princely. In short, the new marriage began its journey in a perpetual honeymoon, since each night that followed the first was a continuous repetition of that unforgettable one, until each of those first ones that followed the wedding became just as imperishable in Alfonso's memory. And of course, it happened that the newlywed lived in a cloud of happiness, clouded by marital happiness and of course, everything that was his insatiable love transformed into his wife's inflamed desire for him did not exist. Time in the form of days gradually began to unfold until about twenty had passed, which was when, together with his father, they formalized Alfonso's free disposal of his mother's inheritance, while Mr. Enrique gave him another check that settled the benefits generated by his mother's inheritance since his eighteenth birthday: Just over four million pesetas. But lo and behold, that day was the first, let's say, important "fight" that he had with his wife, Alicia, although in the end the blood had not yet reached the river. The thing was that, when he went to the bank and deposited the aforementioned check, he found that the balance in his account barely reached two hundred thousand pesetas. Come on, in the period of twenty and very few days, the account had decreased by almost one million eight hundred thousand “pelas” of his soul. His first reaction, in addition to stupor, was that this was, without a doubt, a mistake; that the bank had made a huge mistake. And, logically, he immediately went to ask that this error be corrected immediately; But it turned out that the bank gave him complete justification of the movements in his account, presenting him with invoices accepted by his sweet wife and checks issued by himself in her favor, but many of them endorsed by the beauty to her father, Mr. Rafael Izquierdo. Million-dollar bills, and literally one of them, since it amounted to just under one million two hundred thousand of the wing, in furniture; the furniture that, as soon as he settled in the cármen next to the Albaicín, he acquired, replacing the old furniture that the rural house had, which to him was even more beautiful than the new ones, but which to Alicia seemed horrendous. The rest were dresses, suits and coats, as well as shoes, perfumes, jewelry and other “trinkets”, yes, all of the most select… In short, it was more than clear that between his beloved wife and his more than respected father-in-law, the famous divo of painting, they were plundering him in a way. It would be unnecessary to say that Alfonsito returned home “with Alberi's”, presenting her as soon as he arrived with the accounts that the bank had provided him with, but Alicia didn't even flinch. With the greatest naturalness in the world, she told him that the furniture she bought was extremely good and elegant, so, of course, it was a bit expensive, but what less for the home of a great poet like her husband, and that the wife of such a great man was not going to go down the street in rags either. And to finish off the task with two ears and shoulders, all that remained was the night she gave her husband, which remained for him, as it almost went down in the Guinness list of the most pleasant marital nights. So Alfonsito remained softer than a glove and tamer than a lamb for another season, this one somewhat longer as it approached seven months, with almost eight months of marriage, when things between the couple, until then more than loving, began to go irreversibly wrong. It was when the director of the bank called him on his cell phone one day to urge him to quickly deposit cash into his account, under penalty of being overdrawn. Alfonso's astonishment upon receiving such news was splendid, because he couldn't understand how Alicia could have "brushed" four million in seven months. Of course, if he had been a little more attentive to what was happening in his home, he would have realized that it was a rare day when some boy from this or that store, always one of the most luxurious in Granada, did not arrive at the house, loaded with packages of all kinds; And something else, especially lately, he would have known about if he weren't as in Babia as he was... Now he really entered the house like a cyclone, throwing in his wife Alicia's face the bank's movements, as well as the payment receipts, detailed invoice by invoice. Can we know what you have been doing?... Four million!!! Four million you have spent in seven months!!! Do you believe that money grows on trees, or that it enters through the chimney every day? Alicia gave him an icy look, immensely disdainful; contemptuous you could say, before answering him Do you want me to walk naked down the street? No way, because if you did that, I'm sure they would take you to the hospital because you were crazy... Another look from her, now completely contemptuous. Well... So what?... What do you want me to do?... Dress like a gypsy? I want us to live according to our possibilities. Without lacking anything, but without wasting money excessively. I want you not to ruin me between you and your father, since you two are taking such a step... And, keep in mind, that my ruin would be yours... We would see that... That my class is very high... More than yours... How; that you, bastard daughter of a painter and a cabaret girl, are of a higher class than mine; that of the Aguilars, who came to Granada with the Castilian troops of the Catholic Monarchs? God and the one that Alicia put together when listening to him!... But, also, with reason, since Alfonso had spent at least seven towns with his wife; Of course, he hadn't been so far behind before, but even so... Anyway, the thing is that Alicia, pale as a dead woman and with her eyes shining, looked at him again, but now with infinite contempt. He approached him slightly and spat in his face. Then, without deigning to speak, he turned his back on her and left the room. Hostilities, from that moment, were completely broken, and it could be said that for the remains. But the bad thing was that Alfonso immediately felt lost without his wife and instantly ran after her to ask for forgiveness. He reached her and prostrated himself before her. Alicia continued to look at him with marked contempt and gave him the finishing touch when he said Get up, you wretch, and show a little dignity!... You are nothing more than a wimp!... A pitiful wimp!...And without stopping another minute, she continued, very proud, towards the bedroom. Forgiveness finally came, but after almost a month of Alicia having her husband banished from the conjugal bedchamber, sleeping, necessarily, in the guest room. Peace was negotiated because it was in both of their interests. To him, because the nights in his new bedroom could not be made longer, and to her because after her "closed legs" strike, her already most reviled husband had "turned off the tap" on her "sailor fabric" by withdrawing her bank signature recognition, which had caused her soul's purchases to go bankrupt. Come on, they reached an agreement that he would give her banking carte blanche again, returning to the common dormitory, and she would cancel the happy strike. Yes, normal coexistence seemed to be restored, but it was just that, it seemed like it. Because, really, the cordiality and manners between the two of them disappeared forever. She, of course, returned to her life of unbridled waste, but already disillusioned with finding a good match among the “good people” of Granada, because since they got married those houses had closed the door to the Alfonso-Alicia marriage, out of pure contempt for her, well-known by all that high society, how stupid such people usually are. And he, in turn disillusioned by the woman he believed to be exalted, ended up seeing what both she and his father really were: A couple of freeloaders. So, while Alfonso longed for the peaceful times with his former girlfriend, Ana María, falling into the immense mistake he made by abandoning her, she told herself that she had to take advantage of the only thing she saw within her reach at the time: Paco Garrido, her husband's friend who was best man at their wedding. An ass, yes, but full of gold And the thing is that this Paco, especially lately, visited them with unusual frequency, because almost every afternoon he showed up at their house shortly after eating, joining the after-dinner coffee, staying there for periods that could be a little more than half an hour or extend into the hour or so. And, since she would not understand anything else, but about men for a long time, in a flash she realized that the object of such visits was not, precisely, her husband, as he believed, but herself. At first he didn't pay any attention to him, "passing" on him olympically, but as the months went by, and in view of the lack of success in his efforts to enter Granada's high society, the figure of the "hillbilly" began to become very attractive to him, as much as his growing fortune, so the angelic face he began to give him was visible and, no less, the unusual attention he paid to his conversation, which had previously been so insipid. it seemed to him. But let's go back for a moment, to the day when the bank director demanded a new deposit into his checking account, under penalty of leaving him in the red. As is easy to imagine, Alfonsito did not have a single nail with which to balance his current account, but it happened, happily, that at that time the payment of what had been agreed with the sharecroppers who worked his farms was due, with which he was able to get out of the most pressing debts, the bank ones, and economic tranquility once again reigned for him. But, as it is well said that "happiness does not last long in the poor man's house", the financial peace lasted as long as his "dear" Alicia's lack of means to continue the plundering of her spouse's money, who to those "argues" of the "movie" had already surrendered unconditionally to the voracious money hunger of his "dear" little wife, which in not too long a time translated into the mortgage of each and every one of his properties, with the subsequent remortgages, according to the account, decreased more and more But here, months later, and on the eve of the most absolute economic ruin of Alfonso Aguilar being declared, an event occurred that, as a first providence, had the fortune of freeing the young man from the burden of his father-in-law. The thing was that the old crook hooked up with a young girl with the best appearance and ran away with her overnight, with the saying, “And now, let them throw me a greyhound.” The event, in addition to the delight of freeing him from such a heavy burden, had another joyous incentive for Alfonsito, since the more than autumnal scoundrel had not left empty-handed, but with the jewelry, a good part of the wardrobe, mink and fox coats plus outfits from Dior, Versace, Chanel, etc., mostly, in addition to how much cash his daughter, the "sweetest" Alicia, kept at home, who almost did not suffer a triple apoplexy between such a “thrust”… Saying that she was silent for almost a week will be enough… But from that sweet event came another that, for the moment at least, was not so sweet, although at close range it turned out to be much more flattering than the first. The thing is that the old D. Juan whom he seduced was the girlfriend of an old and good friend of Alfonso, and when they had already set the date for the marriage; Come on, the good young man was left composed and without a bride at the foot of the altar, as he says. The truth is that Alfonso felt very sorry for his friend, Joaquín Ordoñez, but he thought it was more appropriate to let the days pass before going to see him and console him, because the scoundrel, after all, was his wife's father, and he had even introduced them not so many weeks before, but it happened that when he entered a café three or four days later he saw the troubled Ordoñez sitting at a table. The truth is that he was impressed, and not a little, by the state in which he saw him, much thinner, emaciated and haggard. In those days, years had passed for his friend. He walked towards him, sitting at the same table and began his talk of moral support. Friend Joaquín, I already heard about your misfortune. You can believe me that both my wife and I are completely shocked. If possible, Alicia even more than me, because it is not in vain that the evil one is her father and we present him to you...Then the destroyed Joaquín Ordoñez looked at Alfonso with undisguised hatred in his eyes, to say coldly, as if wounding his friend with an icy dagger Well, don't feel so sorry for me, Alfonso. At least, I hadn't gotten married yet, while you... Alfonso was truly frozen when he heard his friend's devastating, however veiled, allusion to his wife's moral integrity. He jumped towards him as if propelled by a spring, grabbed him with both hands by the lapels of the jacket he was wearing and, lifting him up in suspense, snapped at him, more in a low voice than in a thunderous voice, although with such firmness and determination in his tone that he clearly invited him to refrain from joking with him at that moment. Ordoñez, you better know for sure what you just insinuated. Say, clearly, why you said what you said; Tell me everything you know, or I'm capable of killing you right now. Alfonso's friend, not so much of a friend at the time, was immediately intimidated by Alfonso's expression, which was not at all reassuring, so, getting a little stumped when speaking, he said What everyone in Granada knows and comments: That your wife has you well crowned, and not exactly with laurel, with your friend Paco Garrido... You didn't know that, did you?... Welcome to the club of "The last to know"!... I feel for you, friend... Joaquín Ordoñez, free from the hands of the battered Alfonso since he told him about his "coronation" stood up with marked slowness from the chair he occupied, left some coins on the table, the amount of his drink, and, putting a hand on Alfonso's shoulder, clearing away all the dark clouds that seconds before weighed between the two, he said to his, once again, bosom friend Don't be too sad, Alfonso; It's not worth it... No woman is worth it... In the end, all of them are sluts... Some prostitutes... Through the mouth of Ordoñez, a young man not given to slander, he spoke only of the resentment that dominated him then. And such resentment was responsible for him wanting to hurt his friend. He simply wanted me to really know how he felt; But when he saw him collapse after he revealed his wife's great secret, Alfonso returned to being his old friend and fellow student in law school. What's more, the friendly feeling that united him was reinforced by this other, new one, of members of the same club, that of the “horned” or “cornupetas” and as such they were even twinned. Joaquín Ordoñez walked away from Alfonso, heading with a firm, and rather lively, step towards the door, through which he immediately disappeared, while his friend Aguilar remained there, sitting at the table, his hands covering his face and not knowing if he was sobbing or simply bursting into a dull interior rage. Although if we have to see the truth, what was inside Alfonso was rage, hatred. Immense rage, immense hatred of wounded pride. Pride of a man, pride of a macho... Pride of a man, of a macho, mocked. But nothing that affected his affections, because these, towards his wife, Alicia, no longer existed. The magic in which she once enveloped him faded day by day since the big fight that culminated in Alicia's "closed legs" strike, and even though the strike was cancelled, the relationship between the couple, since then, has run along paths of mutual disaffection. Alicia fulfilled her commitment to "open her legs", but the passion previously put into the intimate marital relationship disappeared, so that what her husband found in bed was a kind of corpse that allowed itself to be restored to life as soon as he emptied himself, leaving her, at which time Alicia rushed to the bathroom to wash thoroughly, making every last vestige of her husband's masculine scent disappear, and then returning to the bed, turning her back to Alfonso, and peacefully fall asleep. It is true that sometimes the corpse came to life in the middle of her husband's "task", even violently joining the marital orgy as she was the victim of her own libido, aroused by his desires, but those were the least of the time. From such a situation, almost day after day, the idea began to make its way into Alfonso's mind and sensations that he was not sleeping with his wife, but with a prostitute who did it with him solely and exclusively for money. So, to the hatred that Alicia was slowly awakening in her chest, she was joined by a deep contempt for her; an almost, almost insurmountable disgust, which ultimately led to Alfonso, of his own free will, exiling himself perennially from the bedroom that, theoretically, belonged to both of them. It is said that in this life there is no evil that lasts a hundred years, and Alfonso's rage was certainly no exception to the popular saying, because as the minutes passed, and after the minutes some hours, his anger subsided from time to time, until he allowed him to think with a certain lucidity, with which he began to realize the positive side of the event of his "horned coronation": The possibility of getting rid of the hateful person once and for all. If Alfonso instantly believed the accusation that his friend Ordoñez leveled against his wife and his old friend Paco Garrido, it was because at that very moment he clearly saw an aspect that he had not even noticed before: The folksy interest that his “friend” took in getting him out of the house almost every afternoon he arrived there. That was shortly after the agreement with Alicia that ended her “crossed legs” strike; Two or three weeks after such an event, his “friend” Paco Garrido began to push him to go out together. “You're going to get moth-eaten here if you don't go out,” he told him. And, the truth is, Alfonso welcomed that initiative to the best of his ability, since a few hours of expansion outside of a home that day by day was becoming more and more unbearable served as a pleasant escape valve for him. His friend took him to the theater whenever there was an opportunity, which wasn't that many, because Alfonso found performing art “cool” more than quantity; other times to watch a movie or, simply, to spend a few hours chatting with old friends, generally classmates from their distant high school years and their not-so-distant years as a law student, in any of the cafeterias and beer halls that they used to frequent in the back with punctual regularity. On the first of such outings, Paco accompanied him from beginning to end, until accompanying him back home, which ended up also saying goodbye to Alicia, his friend's wife, but after two or three weeks of leaving the house together, Paco began to receive daily phone calls that translated into him having to be absent urgently for ill-fated business matters, which were always unavoidable. You stay and enjoy; It is foolish for you to come with me because, as you can imagine, I will not be able to assist you and it is a sad grace that you confine yourself at home again. Take advantage of the rest of the afternoon, man, and have fun...Alfonso loved not returning home so soon, although now he saw that the one who really took advantage of the afternoons was Paco's ladino, because while he was focused on the theater stage, the movie screen or, in short, the sea of entertainment with his old friends, whom since he got married he barely saw, his dear "friend" Paco Garrido "benefited", quite at ease, at his leisure. no longer so beloved wife. So then, knowing, by intuition, yes, but sure of his conclusion, of the actions of the two ominous men, he said that what was best for him was to surprise the adulterers "in flagrante" and scare them to death that they would never forget, which demanded maximum discretion in him, wisely concealing his knowledge of the affront so as not to arouse suspicion in the despicable ones. He was already in complete retreat in the afternoon when Alfonso left that cafe, starting to walk aimlessly through the streets of Granada until, shortly after nine at night rather than in the afternoon, his feet took him in front of the house of his ex-girlfriend, Ana María. The truth is that he was almost surprised to find himself in such a place, since he was certainly not going anywhere specific, since it would be more true to say that he was wandering like a zombie than consciously; but it is seen that the subconscious, perfectly aware of his most intimate desires, had taken him there echoing his mortal longings. Once there, and wanting the greatest mystery for his most intimate desires, he took refuge in the shade of a doorway more or less bordering that of Ana María. He didn't have to wait too long, since the hands of the clock went past nine o'clock at night for no more than fifteen or twenty minutes when he saw her approaching from the end of the street, the one that leads towards the city center. Ana María did not come alone, but accompanied by a handsome young man, a boy somewhat younger than him whom she knew by sight and hearing, knowing him to be an excellent person, from a great and good family in addition. The couple came in animated conversation punctuated from time to time by frank and joyful laughter. At such a sight, Alfonso felt his soul shrink, breaking into who knows how many pieces. Yeah; For the first time in his life he knew what lovesickness really is; feeling your heart bleeding from loving frustration... The cruel pang of jealousy But... What did you expect, idiot?... What was she going to cry for you and wait for her whole life?... You idiot... more than an idiot!... You abandoned her and you, alone and only you, took her away from your side... You ran after the false tinsel, despising the good fine gold that you had... Now, Alfonsito, hold on...Then, taking advantage of the fact that Ana María and her companion had stopped in front of her doorway still chatting, Alfonso slipped silently down the street, away from the place... Eight or nine days passed without anything special happening in Alfonso's house, since Alicia spending the days looking like a dog was nothing special, except that since her father cleaned her jewelry, outfits, and money, even Paco Garrido could look like a dog. But finally what happened that they sometimes say in Galicia, "it never rained so much that it didn't rain", so that after a week and a half, more or less, Alicia began to soften the dog's face of Paco Garrido, but not of her husband Alfonso, which, to be honest, didn't matter to him. That meant that she was returning to normality, because Alicia, convinced that by maintaining the perennial suffocation at her father's expense and the plundering to which he subjected her, she would gain little and lose a lot, since her new lover, Paco Garrido's gold-lined donkey, could cool her down and send her farther than the stars, since undoubtedly the offspring of the goat herder was not like her husband's "lilac", who “she swallowed” everything she wanted; So, with all his might, he smiled sweetly at Garrido again, with the eyes of a slit lamb, which determined that in another three or four days Alfonso's “friend” would invite him to the theater again, to see a recently premiered play. Then Alfonso knew that things had truly returned to normal, since such an invitation meant that his friend and his wife were preparing for another torrid encore to encore that same afternoon that he was more than willing to make it worse in any way and manner. Finally, with great enthusiasm, Fonsito “El Lila”, as his “loved” wife called him and his lover Paco Garrido, agreed to the theatrical excursion that his “friend” proposed, so that both men immediately left home around seven in the afternoon. Since our friend Garrido already had the tickets approved, just needing to purchase them, shortly after seven thirty in the afternoon the two were ready to enter the theater, as they did, finding their seats in the stalls. They sat down and at eight o'clock the curtain rose to the applause of the audience who welcomed the start of the performance. The first scenes of the play took place and between five and ten minutes after the actors began their performance, the timely phone call “forced” Paco Garrido to leave the theater; Of course, full of “disgust and dismay” for leaving his friend Alfonsito alone there, who was only left with a thousand loves. As soon as Paco Garrido had left the theater, Alfonso in turn stood up, leaving the theater in turn. As soon as he stepped onto the street, he saw, somewhat from a distance, how Paco, leaning against a wall, was talking on his cell phone, and then stayed there, as if waiting. He assumed that his “friend” had called a taxi, so he also phoned one of those companies that send you a taxi to wherever you say, asking them to come pick him up on the same street where he was, but a few numbers further back from where he was; enough to continue seeing Paco from there, but without his “friend” being able to realize that he was following him. He saw the taxi that Paco ordered arrive and hurriedly went back, looking for the vehicle that was supposed to come pick him up. The car where Paco Garrido was parked had barely started when his taxi arrived and, almost without letting it stop, he got inside, ordering the taxi driver to follow the taxi in front, although taking care not to notice that he was following. This was done and, indeed, he found that they were heading to his house. Of course, his wife, Alicia, was waiting for his disloyal friend, the lover of his adulterous wife. If we must tell the truth, realizing that his suspicions were more than justified made him feel downright bad... Did any remnant of the past love he felt for her still linger in him? Frankly, Alfonso neither yes nor could he say then; He only knew that something broke inside him; It was as if he had hoped that his suspicions would ultimately be unfounded, and seeing that this was not the case produced a certain disappointment. But anyway, it was not that time to regret and, even less, to back down from his intention of unmasking them live and direct... And, of course, completely distraught. The trip continued without incident, both cars stopping when the one carrying Paco Garrido arrived at the door of Alfonso's house, leaving the one carrying the owner of the apartment at a safe distance from the one in front. Paco got off immediately and immediately disappeared into the portal. Alfonso waited about fifteen to twenty minutes before getting out of the car, being accompanied by the taxi driver when he got out, and so, together with the taxi driver, he walked towards his house. They both went up to the floor and he entered the house with his key and trying not to make the slightest noise. Thus, with great care he entered the room where he usually slept, the guest room, and took a hunting shotgun from a closet. He left his accidental bedroom with the barrels of the shotgun open, thus showing them to the taxi driver so that he could verify that the weapon was unloaded. The two men then went to the master bedroom and the two remained there, sitting in front of the door and in deathly silence, until the howls of pleasure of the adulterous lovers began to be heard, at which point Alfonso rushed at the door, opening it with a tremendous kick that resounded with a tremendous roar. Inside, Paco Garrido and Alicia were hard at work, although at that moment, both of them were staring at the door and, above all, at Alfonso, whose figure was silhouetted under the lintel. Such an image, with the shotgun in his hand, although pointing at the ground, appeared to them as an avenging angel, as a revived Nemesis. At that moment, all of a sudden, Paco's “thing” was the size of a lollipop, and Alicia swore that at that very moment her heart was exploding in a sudden heart attack. The “friend” Paco immediately jumped out of the bed in dead bodies, and almost, almost, threw himself on his knees to the floor, to beg forgiveness from his betrayed friend, who died more of terror than of fear. For God's sake, Alfonso!... Think again!... Don't get lost!... If... If you kill us, you would get lost!... You would go to jail!... Now; Yes, to prison... How many years?... Multiple murder for passionate reasons... Husband mocked, catches his wife in bed with his best friend... And, in a fit of jealousy, without knowing exactly what he was doing, he kills them both... I repeat... How many years?... Five, six... No more... Such crimes usually have "good press"... And the normal thing is that the judges are not extremely harsh... They usually see many defenses... But you would be dead... Completely... Forever... And my honor safe... And my thirst for revenge satisfied... And, above all, free... Free from that whore who took me as his wife, Paco crawled before him, begging for forgiveness... At the same time he cried; He sobbed his eyes out for his life, terrified by the almost certainty that Alfonso was going to kill him at any moment... And Alicia was no more cheerful at such moments... Kneeling before him on the bed and crying uncontrollably... Please; please, Alfonso... Don't kill me... Remember... Remember the happy times we lived... If you want... If you want, those times will return... Only... It was only this time... I swear, Alfonso!... I swear... Me; I still love you like before; as always... Yes, honey... I love you... You will be happy again... I will make you happy again... Honey, I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in you anymore... I don't love you Alicia... I don't love you Alicia was terrified, sure that Alfonso would kill her at any moment No...don't kill me Alfonso!... Please...please!... For God's sake...for God's sake I beg you!...Alicia cried, and cried, and cried... Hiccuping, sobbing, scared to death. Alfonso thought that the shock he was carrying was enough... But then it occurred to him to put the icing on the cake he was enjoying... Yes; What I had just thought would be very tasty as a finishing touch to the day of glory I was living. Do not fear; I don't mean to kill you... I just want to get rid of you two... Never see you again. Get out of here!... Get out of here!... Get out of this house!... Get out of my house! Paco and Alicia didn't have time to grab the clothes scattered on the floor and, without putting on more than part of them, just enough to cover their shame, they left the room like the devil. When they went down to the street they found the taxi that took Alfonso to the house and the taxi driver who came after them, and who ended up taking the couple to the Garrido home. They had to pay not only for the race they did themselves, but also for the one that previously took Alfonso home, something that Paco Garrido went through as the lesser evil. The next day, by messenger, Aguilar sent the belongings that Alicia still had in her house to Paco Garrido's house. From that same day, a radical change occurred in Alfonso, because that bohemian, dreamy and completely idiotic boy died forever on the same day that through his friend Ordoñez he learned of the “crown” with which his wife and Paco Garrido assiduously “decorated” him. That same night, rather late, he began his new life by accumulating his own “poetic work” and how many “books of chivalry” the Moorish woman had absorbed his brains, like Don Quixote those others by Amadís de Gaula, Palmerín de Oliva and others, to finally burn everything in the heating boiler. Then, as soon as he could, he left the almost mansion that Alicia had fallen in love with to live in a shallow studio; a single room that during the day was a living room and kitchen, thanks to a small gas stove and a sink for washing dishes and such, and at night a bedroom, thanks to the sofa convertible into a night bed. He also enrolled, again, at the University, in order to finish his law degree. And, to complete things, he began to personally take care of his estate, what he inherited from his mother. He began by learning the “trade” of a farmer, from driving the tractor that pulls the plow and having said implement till the land, tearing out furrow after furrow, to sinking the hoe or hoe into the ground himself… Of course, his father, Mr. Enrique, since he learned of what had happened to his son and how he had taken the woman he married out of his life, extended his hand to him, inviting him to return home and leave the solution of his financial problems in his father's hands, but, after thanking him, Alfonso refused to accept his father's offer: Dad, I have to become, once and for all, an adult; man. And this involves assuming my own mistakes and the inherent responsibilities. I can't accept your help; I cannot, much less should I, unload on your shoulders the solution of what I have worked hard for myself, day by day.D. Enrique, the truth is, when he heard this from his son's lips, he felt proud of him like he had never felt before; and his chest expanded, almost, almost, until it burst. Of course, he respected his son's decision, but to a certain extent. And the thing is that the worthy gentleman had already been supporting his son before, supporting him before the bank; in the shadows, of course, because Alfonso never knew that. Time, days, weeks and months, passed with Alfonso's mornings at the University, afternoons on the farm, some learning to be a farmer, others to be an agricultural owner, reviewing expense invoices, purchases of fertilizers, seeds, pesticides, tools, spare parts... And control of what was produced and collected... And from dusk until almost dawn studying. They had spent a little more than Almost every day, when he held hands in his fields, he went up to his father's house to chat for a while with his father; Even more than one night and more than two, he allowed himself to be convinced by Don Enrique to stay for dinner with him. The truth is that the poor old man, because that was more Don Enrique than anything else, felt alone and those visits from his son were a balm on his pain of loneliness; And of course, in the end Alfonso moved to live, permanently, in the ancestral home of the Aguilar family, in order to be closer to his father who, clearly, needed him more every day. But with his return home it happened that his father, D. Enrique, delegated to him the administration of the entire family estate, with which Alfonso became the official “factotum” of the Aguilar house, which also meant that the responsibility on his youthful shoulders grew visibly. Only seven or eight months had passed since his breakup with Alicia and nearly two years since he married her and in this case Alfonso's past tense was more than unrecognizable. Even his physique had changed noticeably, since that air of dreamy candidness that previously dominated his face had now changed into a gesture so serious that it could even be described as austere. At that time the boy received a phone call from his despicable former friend Paco Garrido in which he, without ambiguity and quickly, informed him of Alicia's desire to legally divorce him, to which Alfonso had no objection, as long as the thing did not cost him a cent, which was guaranteed by Garrido, so that a couple of days later both men met so that the ex-husband could sign the joint divorce petition, which Alicia would be in charge of. process before the court, so that after two months, more or less, the divorce was a real fact The months went by and while Alfonso immersed himself more and more in work and study, his father, now free from worries and disappointments of life, let go of all responsibility by passing them all on to his son, returning to his social life to such an extent that in the afternoons he almost never stopped at home, always entangled with his old friends, especially with his dear childhood friend, Mr. Manuel Sarabia, Ana María's father, and his wife, Mrs. Ana María. But D. Enrique's life, much more relaxed than the one he had recently led, also meant that upon returning home, at dinner, he began to almost torture Alfonso by telling him how beautiful Ana María, his ex-girlfriend, was and how very nice she still was. But that, for the young man, was to rub in his face what he lost due to his bad head; It was like telling him: “Look what you lost, stupid l’haba”… And no one had to tell him how terribly “silly l’haba” he had been… But then Mr. Enrique, without ceasing to praise how beautiful, more than attractive, and how charming his longed-for Ana María was, he also began to let slip into her ears how much the girl asked about him, to end by stating how good the girl was and that, of course, and despite all the regrets, how much she still appreciated him, because in plain sight was what she cared about him. Oh, and without forgetting his parents either, his friend Manuel Sarabia and his wife, Mrs. Ana María, who were also constantly interested in how he was doing, and were happy about the radical change that had occurred in whoever was their daughter's boyfriend. Several days passed like this, eight, ten; maybe twelve or fifteen, until one Sunday afternoon, Mr. Enrique asked his son to accompany him for a walk around, since he had no one to do it with because of football, the Madrid-“Barça” match, Barcelona, come on, on “TV” and Alfonso had no problem accompanying him, since he also did not like his father to spend the afternoon without company. They left the house shortly after eating and the boy was amazed that his more than serious father wanted to walk through the Alhambra, its forest and the Generalife, but that's where they headed. They had been lost for just over an hour in the twists and turns of the palaces, patios and gardens of the Red City, when Don Enrique decided to walk through the forest that surrounds the old Nasrid court, and of course, father and son directed their steps there. They had barely been wandering for thirty or forty minutes among the shady trees and their fountains and beds of exquisite flowers, when Alfonso was stunned and without a drop of blood in his veins when he saw the entire Sarabia family appear before them, father, mother and daughter. Mr. Enrique and Ana María's parents, upon seeing each other, hugged each other profusely, celebrating the “chance” of meeting each other that afternoon, but the big fuss they made, celebrating the meeting, from miles away sounded false. After the hugs between the “older people”, came the attention to the children, with Alfonso the girl's parents, and with her those of D. Enrique. Alfonsito, son, with how much we love you and you are so attached to us... Mrs. Ana María, the mother of his ex-girlfriend, said to the boy, and Mr. Enrique was not far behind praising Ana María. Finally, Mrs. Ana María herself said But guys!.. At least say hello... If only out of politeness... But Alfonso continued as before, all embarrassed and polite towards his girlfriend, so that finally it was she who ended up reacting by taking a few steps towards him; the righteous to be able to extend their hand to him so that he could take it I'm glad to see you Alfonso; I'm really glad... It was then that the young man Aguilar was able to articulate a word, although with a rag tongue, why rush? I... I too... I too, this... I'm glad too And finally, with all courtesy, although not without warmth for both young people, they joined hands for a moment; a few seconds only. Then the somewhat older part of the group moved forward, turning their backs to the young people, who remained standing where they were. Ana María's gaze followed their parents, while an expression more bordering on comedy than a smile appeared on her face. Then, looking back at her ex-boyfriend, with a smile that was almost more like laughter, she said It seems to me, Alfonso, that we are the victim of a trap on the part of our parents... And the young man, partially recovered from the embarrassment and "cut" that Ana María's presence caused in him, precisely because of the naturalness and humorous attitude that the elderly and elderly ones caused him, commented in turn You are more right than a saint, Ana María... And how clever they have turned out to be!...The two of them laughed heartily. Then, Ana María jumped It would be better if we went out after them... Well, if you don't mind walking, more or less, next to me... But what things do you have, woman!... Well, of course I don't mind!... The truth is that I want to be by your side; If it doesn't bother you, of course...Ana María did not answer him, but she started walking after both of their parents while Alfonso did the same, joining her... Well, more or less, because through the void between them a battalion of soldiers could almost pass in formation. One question, Alfonso. Has your father been making you dizzy that I ask a lot about you? Well... The truth is that yes... Maybe you?... Also, son, too; especially my mother... It only seems that both your father and my parents wanted you and me... Well; you know…Yes; let's walk together again... A somewhat ominous silence reigned between them for a minute or two; silence that, once again, was broken by the girl I heard about your wife; the shock he gave when he left you for your friend Paco Garrido... I never liked that boy... He always seemed selfish to me; untrustworthy, come on... I assure you that I'm sorry... I was very sorry when I found out, and I'm very sorry right now... Well, don't be sorry; That was a real liberation for me. I had known for a long time; that I knew that I didn't love her... That, really, I never loved her. It simply dazzled me; He seduced me by pretending a false personality... A mask to deceive me... And I let myself be seduced... But I soon saw what it really was... The tremendous lie in which he wrapped me... No, Ana María, don't be sorry because I didn't suffer anything with that. I repeat it; I never really loved her… Now; but you married her...Alfonso did not respond and silence reigned between the couple again; silence that now it was Alfonso who shattered it. You, from what I see, you didn't end up marrying that boyfriend you had... My boyfriend? Little son, servant, single and without commitment... What do you want; Nobody loves me! Well, I did see you; I have seen you come home several nights accompanied by Luisito Garmendia...Wow! So now you spend your time spying on me!... Very nice; yes sir, but very nice!... Well, you know, snoopy gentleman, that Luisito Garmendia is not and has never been my boyfriend; The truth is that the poor thing wanted it, but I didn't. And not for anything in particular; I simply don't love him and I will never love him... Alfonso, as if caught at fault, lowered his head and did not respond to the girl's words; But from then on, the conversation took a much lighter path, as the most inconsequential topics prevailed in the talk, with fresh and frank laughter abounding, making the afternoon very pleasant for both of them, until Mr. Manuel Sarabia judged that it was time for his family to go home, so both young people had nothing to say goodbye to. At that moment, Alfonso, more eager than a man condemned to death for a possible pardon, asked the woman with whom, without a doubt, he was more than in love, if he could see her again one day. There son, the street belongs to everyone and, if by chance, any afternoon we meet, by chance, of course, I will not deny you the greeting. Simply out of politeness, let it be very clear... Anyway, if you happen to spend an afternoon in the Navas Street area, well, who knows; perhaps, until, by chance, we meet...The very next day, shortly before six in the afternoon, and giving some hesitation to his daily dedication to both his personal inheritance and his paternal properties, he planted himself on Navas Street, one of the nerve centers, along with its surroundings Sarabia, Piedra Santa, Escudo del Carmen, Mariana Pineda and others, of the "chateo" and "tapeo" of Granada, next to the cathedral and the town hall of Granada. He walked, wandering rather, both through the heart of the area, Navas Street, and through the closest streets of Sarabia and Piedra Santa, also becoming a nervous wreck when he found no trace of the loved one, until he managed to calm down a little and reconsider that wandering around there, without direction, order and concert, would do him little favor, since she could be on one side and he on the other, without ever meeting, so he considered it more appropriate to lock himself in at one point. of Navas Street and wait there calmly, because, without a doubt, sooner or later she would pass by such a place. So, as calmly as he could, he sat down at one of the tables placed on the street by one of the many taverns that do business on that street, preparing to wait with all the patience he could muster. His new position strategy bore fruit when, just after seven in the afternoon, he saw his beloved appear at the end of the street, from the Avenida de los Reyes Católicos, we could say... But, damn his very bad luck!, his beloved did not come alone that afternoon either, but flanked by two friends, also known to him in the past. Disturbed and with his soul in suspense, Alfonso got up from his chair and went out to meet his beloved, greeting both her and his “company,” while placing the table he occupied at her disposal. Ana María received him with marked apathy, but her two friends in the kindest way possible, looking at him with undisguised curiosity that it was a life of theirs; And the fact that the boyfriend who previously stood her up, as he says, at the altar, wanted now, divorced in addition, to approach her and, let's not fool ourselves that the police are not stupid, court her again as if nothing had happened, the truth is that for the feminine curiosity of those two daughters of Eva, not precisely distinguished by their discretion, it had more crumbs than a kilo of bread. In short, the friends prevailed over the beauty's more than calculated detachment and there the three of them sat next to the more than nervous Alfonso. Ana María only wanted to accept a beer from Alfonso, but his nobility meant that the beers were accompanied by portions of good grilled shrimp from the Gulf of Cádiz, fried mullets from the Mar Menor, squid, baby chopitos and some other delicacies. There, sitting with the three girls at the table of that tavern, Alfonso spent the first hour or so since he met them and then got up and began walking with them up and down the streets, although interspersing occasional stops at this or another tavern, with renewed beers or, rather, on the part of the women, the occasional Coca-Cola, orange or lemon. But it happened that the hopes placed by Alfonso that afternoon were something like his joy in a well, since there was no way that the young man could have a single minute of intimate talk with his beloved, flanked at all times by his two friends, both while sitting and then standing, walking, so direct proximity with the love of his loves was entirely impossible, to the point that he talked much more with the two "candle holders" than with the object. of his current concerns. The icing on the cake was when Ana María talked about returning home, because although she did not want her two faithful goalkeepers to accompany her, she did not allow him to do so either, so the afternoon could almost be said to have gone no worse for Alfonso. And, logically, when he began to return home he did so in the worst possible mood. And so he entered the house, goring one would say if it weren't for the thing about "Do not mention the noose in the hanged man's house", on account of the "ornament" with which Alicia, his wife, crowned his head. His father, at that moment, was “stuck” at the Homeric “anger” that his child had and, inwardly, he laughed a lot, saying: But what did you think, stupid l'haba, that Ana María wouldn't give you a hard time... Of course she would, my soul! And you already know what, for the moment, you have to do: Swallow the “ducas” (4) as best you can, man… Anyway, Alfonso was “swallowing the ducas” for about two weeks, because although he did not get discouraged and every afternoon he went back down Navas Street to meet Ana María, she stuck to her guns of always appearing flanked by at least two friends, if not more, which sometimes they were, and without allowing him to accompany her back to his house. But since perseverance almost always obtains its reward, Alfonso also obtained his the afternoon that the girl's friends, canceling their role as Ana María's guardians, allowed Alfonso to place himself alongside the desire of her sleepless nights and vigils, arriving that same afternoon the supreme good of escorting his gentle lady to her father's house and in mutual company as well; that is, walking alone with the two of them. Such a miracle became a daily habit from that first glorious afternoon-night, the joy becoming so exquisite that soon the daily unarranged appointments were attended alone by the longed-for maiden, without any escort of friends, so Alfonsito was able to monopolize the attention of his beauty in absolute exclusivity. Thus, the afternoons and more than evenings were spent in idyllic mutual company with the final touch, when he left her at home at the stroke of ten at night, of the farewell under the protection of the shadows of the doorway, where she leaned in a corner and he boxed her in, separated only by the masculine arm. There they chatted, they talked about a thousand nothings, although her little jokes stood out in the form of harmless little barbs that, rather than insulting him, made him laugh, which in turn caused the young girl's sing-song laughter. They seemed like an old-fashioned wedding couple, only in an even more chaste attitude than those of those couples from, more or less, prehistory compared to today, and in those years, the end of the eighties-beginning of the nineties, it is and was the usual But one night things took a 180º turn, because at a given moment Alfonso lost his usual composure by taking her by the waist and leveraging her towards him with all the strength of his soul, because he hugged her like he had never done before and his masculine lips sought the dreamy mouth of the gentle girl, who turned out not to reject him at all, because her mouth, a panel of honey and sweetness, opened to the caress of the invading tongue with which The two, feminine and masculine, locked in mutual caresses and surrender. That barely lasted a minute, because Ana María immediately broke it when she separated from Alfonso, giving him a push that was almost violent as it made the boy stumble. This cannot be, Alfonso... You are married!... You have no right to love another woman than yours and neither do I have the right to love you... That is not true, Ana María! I'm not married; Alicia and I divorced!... I am free again to love whoever I want... And I love you; to you only and exclusively... To you nothing more, and always... I fell in love with you and I never stopped loving you... She... She bewitched me; It dazzled and seduced me; but, in truth, I never loved her... It was... It was like a drug... As if she had administered an evil filter to me that tied me to her, you know, Alfonso? I always knew that... That you left me loving me... And that was what made me most angry: That you destroyed yourself without knowing that you were doing it... Yes; I know you are divorced... Civilly... But Alfonso, you and I are Catholics and our faith prevents us from divorcing... Before God and the Church you remain married... You remain hers; of your wife... You therefore have no right to love me nor do I have the right to love you... Go away!... Go away Alfonso and don't come back!... Don't ever come back to look for me again!...Ana María cried inconsolably as she said these last words, also spoken while running at full speed towards the elevator. Alfonso made the intention of following her; to stop her... He even took a couple of steps or three after her, but he stopped; He finally stopped and saw how he went inside the dressing room, disappearing from his sight as it ascended towards the upper floors. Alfonso then left the doorway and, going out onto the street, walked quickly towards his house, while Ana María entered hers like a cyclone, because, without stopping crying her eyes out, she ran to her room without even greeting her parents. These, as expected, became extremely alarmed when they saw their daughter like this and immediately left after her. Ana María, daughter, what's wrong with you?... What has Alfonso done to you? D. Manuel was trilling, imagining a new “feat” for his friend's son, and Dª Ana María was not far behind her husband when it came to Alfonsito. But her daughter practically slammed the door in their faces, because she closed it behind her, immediately plopping down on the bed full of bitterness and hopelessness. But her father, Don Manuel, was a man of arms so that in the end paternal authority prevailed and Ana María ended up opening the door and, crying profusely, told her parents the reasons for her misfortune. No; Alfonso had not done anything to her; I loved her and truly... But I was married; He had married without considering the consequences of his madness... So, before God and the Holy Mother Church, he was not free, but rather he continued linked to the woman he married at an evil time. And she would never, never, be anyone's concubine... That's why she had been the one who, with all the pain in her soul, because she had it destroyed, broken and torn, had broken up with him. And for the remains Her parents, more staunchly Catholic than her, understood her perfectly, completely agreeing with her decision. To swallow it, yes, because they had truly harbored, like D. Enrique, Alfonso's father, the hope that the boys would resume their relationship where they left off... But without taking into account that "small" detail of the lifelong indissolubility of canonical marriage... Yes, their daughter's decision was correct, no matter how much it hurt them; Not like the girl, of course, but the truth is that very little less... Two full days passed with Ana María stuck in her room permanently crying profusely, except for the moments of the midday meal and the evening dinner, when, once again, Mr. Manuel imposed his law that when sitting at the table it was done by the entire family, father, mother and daughter, remaining there until, once the meal was completely finished, Mr. Manuel himself would clear the table when he retired to the little room to smoke the cigarette with the coffee more, sometime. that again, a glass of brandy. Thus, the third time arrived since Ana María broke up, definitively, with Alfonso and it happened that, after mid-afternoon, as it was now closer to seven o'clock than six, the maid announced to the gentlemen that Mr. Alfonso Aguilar wished to be received by them. Logically, they immediately received him in the living room where both spouses spent the afternoon although, for the first time in their lives, the reception was rather cold, since they did not even invite the boy to sit down, the couple also receiving him standing and in a very circumspect manner. Alfonso, I do not think that, given your circumstances, married before God, and your romantic past with our daughter, it is most prudent for you to visit our house; so say what you have to say and please leave. I really regret talking to you like this, but I understand that you will understand me, because as a complete and formal man, now at least, I do have you...So don't worry, Mr. Manuel, I perfectly understand your position and respect it. I am not at all offended by his attitude. But, you know, regarding what you just said, that before God I am still married, I came to talk to you. But I wish that both you and your daughter would listen to me... The girl's parents did not agree at all with young Aguilar seeing his ex-girlfriend, but he finally managed to get the conspicuous parents to agree to call their daughter Ana María, but making it very clear that she would do whatever she wanted; That is to say, she would only come to listen to him if she freely decided to do so. But it happened that the girl, when her parents told her that Alfonso wanted to speak to the three of them together, after thinking about it for a few moments, agreed to go down to the living room to listen to whatever Alfonso had to say to the three of them. He greeted Alfonso with little warmth when he saw him and sat down at the living room table with his parents, the three of them surrounding the girl's ex-boyfriend, ready to listen to him. Then, the young man limited himself to opening a book that he had with him and which turned out to be a copy of the Gospels, asking Ana María to read, aloud, the text previously illuminated by him with a green marker. The text was a passage from the Gospel of Matthew, in which Jesus talks about marriage and divorce. It is about a question that the Pharisees put to Jesus: "Teacher, is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?" Jesus begins by reminding them of what Genesis says "A man will leave his father and his mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh" to continue saying "So they are no longer two, but one flesh; therefore, what God has joined together, let no man separate" Here Ana María left the reading to, raising her eyes to Alfonso, say We already know this, and it is the reason why I told you not to look for me anymore. You are married, whatever human law says, because for God marriage is indissoluble for lifeAna María, what you have read is only part of the text that, precisely there, does not end. So keep reading, please. Almost reluctantly, the young woman returned to reading. The immediate continuation of what was last read, says that then, after Jesus, forcefully, consecrated the perennial conjugal indissolubility, the Pharisees objected to him that, despite this, Moses authorized them to divorce the woman, to which Jesus responds: "Because of the hardness of your heart, Moses allowed you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it was not so. And I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for the cause of fornication, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries the divorced, commits adultery." Good; I have already read it. So what? But... But you don't realize what's being said there; of what the apostle Mark puts in the mouth of Our Lord Jesus Christ?... "EXCEPT FOR THE CAUSE OF FORNICATION"... According to that evangelical text, Jesus God did recognize divorce under a very express circumstance: FORNICATION OF THE HUSBAND OR WIFE... That is, according to that text, the divorce of the man or the woman, with respect to his/her spouse, would be accepted by God in the case of his/her adultery... Therefore, my divorce must be valid before God, although before the Church Don't be (5) Both Ana María and her parents were stunned by what Alfonso said, because it was clear that he was right. They all remained silent for a long time, thoughtful, trying to digest something they would never fall into and of which, until then, they had no idea. The three of them, father, mother and daughter, were Christians and Catholics of strong conviction and roots and the fact that in the Scriptures, in the New Testament, divorce was contemplated in very specific cases, they were completely new. Finally, the one who reacted first and therefore spoke, was D. Manuel, Ana María's father And what do you want then, AlfonsoSencillo; that, in any case, his daughter and I get married; civilly of course. I am sure that God will not condemn us for that: He is infinitely magnanimous and understanding towards poor humans... Stop the car, Alfonso!... I, behind the Church, do not want to get married... Then I will have to think very hard about this... And consult it with Father Juan, to see what he tells me about it... The one who had spoken like this was Ana María, completely confused and indecisive about what she had just discovered... "Will it be true that, before God, the one who unites me?" to Alfonso will not constitute, in truth, concubinage, cohabitation?” the girl said to herself... Her mind wandered happily at such a possibility... Because, if things were as Alfonso said, although they did not even get married civilly; Even if, plain and simple, they were going to live together, which for her was the same as if they were married only civilly, they would not be committing adultery... They would not be offending God, whatever the Church wanted... It was too beautiful just to think about it... But... Would it, in fact, be like that... Alfonso, why deny it: I love you with all my soul... I have always, always loved you and my peak of happiness would be to share life with you until I die... What you say is tremendously beautiful and fortunate for me... But I want to be sure that it is like that... I don't want to rush... So, for now, things between us continue as they have been lately. Please let me; don't haunt me; Don't look for me... If I change my mind... If I convince myself that what you say is as you say it, you can be sure that I will be the one to look for you... Stop, from that moment on, be yours... And you, finally, mine... But now, please, let me... Let me go... Ana María then got up to return to her room, her mind racing through a whole world of delights that had just opened up before her... Then the one who spoke was him. girl's father Are you... are you sure that this is so?... Are you not rushing your judgment?... Because the doctrine of the Church, in this regard, is very categorical... D. Manuel, I don't judge or give any opinion; I simply explain what Matthew says in his Gospel, without adding or removing anything... I can say that, from the text, I deduce that, in the end, Jesus-God, although he very clearly opts for the indissolubility of marriage as a basic rule, also admits an exception to the rule... That is indisputable from "Except for"... And there ended Alfonso's visit to his former girlfriend's house. Despairing, without a doubt, he left the Sarabia home, although he maintained the hope that, in the end, Ana María would “take things into her own hands,” as we usually say in Spain when a person decides on something risky, and would end up deciding to live with him based on a simple civil “casario”… For her part, the girl, as said before, was left in a sea of doubts although with a little light of hope in the distance... The first thing, she thought, was to check what truth there was in the evangelical quote presented by Alfonso, and what the Church's position was regarding it. First of all, he consulted the copy of the Gospels that had always been in that house and verified that also in that edition the passage appeared exactly as he had read it in the copy that Alfonso provided him, and that was something... The next day, sooner rather than later, the girl went to the convent of San Francisco, on the Camino de Ronda and a stone's throw from her house, where she asked for Father Juan Galcerán, or, more properly, Fray Juan Galcerán. This was a man in his late sixties, of short stature, with a wiry body and lively eyes that denoted clear intelligence. He was a childhood friend of both Ana María's father and Alfonso's, and he was the one who blessed the weddings of his two friends and baptized their children. He was a missionary in the Peruvian Amazon, in the Andean highlands of Bolivia and even in Nicaragua, around the time the “Sandinistas” ended the Somoza dictatorship. There he knew, first-hand, the most absolute misery; the oppression of the strong against the weak... The worst of the human being in short; and that left an intense mark on his soul and mind... As soon as the good friar arrived with Ana María, the girl, a nervous wreck, told the priest what Alfonso had taught her about the Gospel of Matthew. Fray Juan was immediately silent, with a very serious face, as if meditating or reflecting on what the girl told him. Finally he spoke Yeah; that's how it is. The quote that Alfonso showed you is exact... I imagine you want to tell you something about it... Something in relation to the civil divorce of your former boyfriend... You still love him, right? Yes, father; with all my soul... But I am Catholic, and I wish to be consistent with my faith. You see Ana María, my little daughter. Here and now I can't tell you anything more. As a Franciscan friar and priest in addition, I can't tell you anything else... Would you mind meeting us this afternoon in... let's say, neutral territory?... In a cafe, for example... The girl had no problem with it, so they arranged to meet again in the afternoon, around three thirty, to have a coffee together. The Franciscan then left the room where the girl was accommodated to wait for her confessor, while she left the room and convent, returning to her home. She was radiant with joy, because what Friar Juan told her indicated that things, indeed, should not be as dark for her and Alfonso as she initially thought. He could not imagine what the Franciscan friar could tell him and, to put the cherry on top of his anxieties, he well knew the ecclesiastical position regarding the perennial indissolubility of canonical marriage but, despite all the sorrows, a breath of hope cheered his soul. At the agreed time the two met, Ana María and Fray Juan, in a well-known cafeteria near the convent of San Francisco. The girl was surprised to see the friar dressed entirely in civilian clothes, without a trace of the well-known Franciscan habit. And Friar Juan's talk began. He began by telling her that, if he had preferred to meet with her outside the convent and wearing "civil habit", it was because he did not want to speak to her, about such a thorny issue, as a minister of the Church obliged to papal obedience, but as a man, Christian and Catholic of course, but who thinks and forms his own judgments and opinions, free of external influences, because God wanted Man to be free and think on his own, for better or worse. Already focused on the dilemma that the girl presented to him, whether or not to accept Alfonso's love, the first thing he stated is that in that Gospel passage from Matthew, the first thing that can be seen is Jesus' RESPONSIBLE NO to divorce in general, with that “WHAT GOD HAS JOINED, LET MAN NOT SEPARATE”; but at the same time it is also undeniable that JESUS-GOD himself maintains a very specific exception to the basic rule of marital indissolubility when he says: “EXCEPT FOR THE CAUSE OF FORNICATION”, that is, mediating adultery that makes normal marital coexistence impossible. In short, regarding the dilemma in which she found herself, neither he nor anyone else could solve anything, since it was she herself, alone with her conscience, who could only solve her dilemma. If he chose to “take the blanket over his head and push forward” with Alfonso, there is no doubt that for the Church they would live in love, but who knows how God would see that; quite possibly not as critically as the Papacy. Ana María came out of the interview with “cold feet and a hotter head”; She hoped that the good father would clearly resolve her doubts, but she found herself, after speaking with the religious man, as in the dark as she arrived at the meeting. So the young woman's sleepless nights continued, until one day she woke up with a decision made: "Take the blanket over your head," as good old Brother Juan said, and marry Alfonso; civilly, of course. The wedding took place on a day in the early spring of Granada, sunny and even somewhat warm, and in an atmosphere that could hardly have been happier and more festive, since the courtroom where they got married was packed with friends and acquaintances, and even at the doors of the court there were more people close to the couple who could not fit in the room; and not to mention the crowd that later gathered in the rooms where the marital fusion was celebrated, in style. As godfather for her wedding, Ana María chose the one who in minutes would be her father-in-law, Mr. Enrique Aguilar, father of the bride and groom and godfather at the baptismal font of the woman who would soon be her daughter-in-law, while Alfonso wanted to enter the courtroom on the arm of his future mother-in-law, Mrs. Ana María, Mrs. Sarabia. And what can we say about the happiness of the newlyweds when they finally found themselves, just the two of them, in the hotel room chosen as their nuptial love nest. The rapture with which Ana María received and finally gave herself to her more than beloved Alfonso and the enchantment with which the newlywed saw his adored wife come out of the bathroom, in that vaporous nightgown, all lace and more than transparent tulle that showed, almost more than if she had been presented to him naked, the wonderful turgidities of his wife's feminine body. And what can we say about the passionate sweetness and delicacy with which the husband took his wife, caressing every last centimeter of her naked skin, because the nightgown lasted in place as long as a cake at the door of a school, until he made her a woman, his wife, for the rest of their lives. And, red color, this story is over. That you liked it is what would please me the most, although if you value it, let alone if you distinguish me with a comment, my joy would almost have no limits THANK YOU FOR READING ME, FRIENDS, AND YOU KNOW, AN AFFECTIVE HUG FOR ALL OF YOU. NOTES TO THE TEXT “23F”: Refers to the frustrated Coup d'état carried out on February 23, 1981 by Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Tejero, of the Civil Guard, General Alfonso Armada and Lieutenant General, Captain General of Valencia, Jaime Milans del Bosch. The Arabic word “Al-Hamra”, after the conquest of Granada by the Catholic Monarchs, is converted into Spanish by inserting a “B” between the “M” and the “R” of “Hamra” and canceling the bar that joins the two words of the Arabic name. The “Red” comes from its typical Arab construction, in brick, which makes it appear painted in bright red when the sun reverberates on the wall, especially at twilight.Romía: Name that the Hispano-Arabs gave to the Christian slaves. Thus, in fact, the enemies of Muley Hacen used to call Isabel de Solís, supporters of his first wife, Aixa “la Horra” (The Casta, the pure one!) and their son, Boabdil. “Ducas”: Traditional idiom, to refer to sorrows, fatigue, etc. It is often used quite a bit in Andalusia. What I am exposing is verbatim from the Gospel of Matthew; chapter 19, verses 3 to 9. I have sought opinions from the Church in this regard that Jesus explicitly admitted a cause for divorce in “fornication.” The result obtained cannot be poorer; In fact, there are quite a few writings by theologians and the like that address Mt 19.9, but they always do so by interpreting what Jesus meant in that verse, separating it from any sexual activity, to, ultimately, deny that Jesus “saved” a theologically valid cause of divorce. And I tell myself that in that text it is very clear that, undoubtedly, Jesus-God defends tooth and nail the indissolubility of marriage; That is to say, a clear and forceful “No” to divorce, but it is also evident that there is a “SAVED BY CAUSE OF FORNICATION”, and the meaning of such a word is very clear, maintaining an illicit sexual relationship before God. Another item, also in San Pablo we find a quote that authorizes divorce. It is in his famous "1st Letter to the Corinthians", in its chapter 7, verses 12 to 15: "If a brother has a wife who is not a believer, and she consents to live with him, do not abandon her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer, and he consents to live with her, do not abandon him. But if the unbeliever separates, let him separate, since the brother or sister is not subject to servitude in such a case, but to live “God called us in peace.” Come on, I find this stubbornness of the Church to not consider, in any way, divorce, entirely unfair. And it's not that I advocate a "full-throated" divorce, like civil divorce, which I don't hate either because I respect each person's intentions and opinions, but that I understand that there are very specific cases in which the Church should reconsider. Come on, “look at your navel less” and have more understanding towards the state that many good Catholics, fervent adherents of the ecclesiastical mandate, are faced with cases like the one I expose in this story: A spouse abandoned by the other spouse, whom the Church condemns not to live their sexuality within the Divine Law. Jesus and Paul are much more magnanimous regarding such spouses than the Church, which thus appears more Christian than Christ himself from whom it takes its name.