his savings. Instead, she indulged his every whim, her only goal to make his stay in Parras pleasant and thereby obviate any absurd notion of him abandoning her anytime soon. A mother’s love—with a dose of humility? Let us admire her fortitude in the face of his lassitude, for once he told her: You know? I am making a lot of money at the club. In just a short while I’ve become the best dominoes player in Parras … To which she only penciled in: Do as you wish, but be careful. And, in fact, he did exactly as he wished. Every week he went to Torreón, to the cathouses: there were four classy ones, the place was teeming with beautiful whores. So, go for more than one!, though—he knew all too well—he wouldn’t be stupid enough to fall in love with any of them. Moreover, the distance, understood as infinitely reckless, even though by 1947 there was an excellent dirt road from Parras to the junction of Paila and from there a flourishing highway to Torreón, but no; there and back week after week … with nauseating faith, certainly derived from confusion … Hmm, may the past rot: a thick stew whose defiled dregs will molder: a lingering scruple with an unbearable stench … Nonetheless, Renata: that breath of a future life … Sure, it was on the verge of collapse, but …
Traces of regret …
At one point his mother told him that if he did decide to invest in something, she would like to participate, for she still had a lot of money … You still have a lot? I can’t believe it … In response came a spontaneous and affectionate, because snug, hug, and that was all.
31
Let’s pause for a moment. We have reached a point we deem fitting for the elucidation of an assortment of worn-out ideas, to wit: the five basic allocutions Doña Luisa imposed on her daughters to ensure they’d behave properly with their suitors. The first had to do with not looking their beaus directly in the eyes, for that would be a sign of flirtatious impertinence. The second concerned the filthy nature of all things carnal, meaning that the beau should never dare kiss any part of the beloved’s body, for kisses in general led to the worst of perversities. The third was more radical: it involved failing every once in a while to keep a promise: if, say, they agreed to meet on a certain day at a certain time, the girl should not show up. The beau’s misgivings would establish a pattern for judging just how interested he was. Any forthcoming reproaches, especially angry ones, would prove the aforementioned’s lack of self-control and mean that a breakup was advisable. The fourth regarded the timing of trysts, which should be strictly limited and held within sight of the mother. Like, for example, on a bench in the main plaza, directly in front of the house. To run off elsewhere, to hide, well, that would be a dangerous decision and, needless to say, injurious. The fifth, and final, and most thoroughly outlandish one was the most difficult to follow, because, in order to prove the extent of the subject’s love, it would help at one point or other, to say, for example: “What you did is not okay, so I don’t want to see you again,” or even: “You are a scoundrel,” or “You are a pervert,” or “I thought you were a gentleman,” or something similar that would be insulting and, as a result, bring about a definitive break. Nor should the beau’s immediate apology suffice. He must be required to apologize over and over again (first and foremost, over an extended period of time); his failure to do so showing clearly that his love was in no wise true. There were other maternal pronouncements but the essence of the advice was constant, so any different interpretation … No other! … That is, about fifteen years before Doña Luisa had written this short but substantial list on a piece of sky-blue cardboard. The handwriting was, let us say, quasiperfect, in part because she used an indelible India ink, a special one that in spite of the passage of time continued to shine … who knows if the daughters, having memorized this advice, became faithful adherents. The mother informed each one in turn that this was how she had conducted herself with their father before she had gotten married. Courtship with a