Leonor, Jacinto’s young sister, was delighted with the white and sweet smelling foam of the soap in her hair, which caressed again and again at the wooden washboard where she was washing it. Marcelo had brought the soap from far away Zaci. As she played with her softened hair, bending slightly over the washboard, her thoughts returned to the days when her brother Jacinto and Marcelo traveled far away.

On several occasions, while she was serving the meals in silence, she had caught sight of the penetrating look of the "tsuul". The look of his eyes made her nervous, and she had to look away or close her eyes, feeling and intense heat in her cheeks or a slight tremor in her whole body. When he said good bye or simply spoke to thank her, her confusion was greater. She had spoken briefly to him in just a few occasions, although he served him every day since his return from Zaci. During his absence she was sad, a feeling never felt before and that she was not able to understand. Her life was happy again when they returned

How long ago had Marcelo arrived? It was when the corn was tasseling, when the forest was green and its splendor, when the branches of the trees were covered in colors, when the rain stopped and left the distinctive smell of wet dirt. She remembered the day he came like if it were yesterday. From then on, everything changed for her. She remembered her initial curiosity like everybody else’s in the village, when her brother brought him to the house for the first time and the anguish and fear that her family would be rejected by the rest of the people. She remembered the hateful glances when she went with the other women to fill their water jugs. She also remembered the first time the "tsuul" looked her with those clear eyes, she remembered the long hours of conversation in the evening at the door of the house with the whole family, conversation which on nights of full moon went on until very late. And she couldn’t forget the calm and affectionate look in his eyes.

How could he hurt them as many, including his parents, said he would? Her friends did not bother her anymore with questions or remarks, or when they did it was out of simple curiosity and not out of malice. They asked her what they talked about; why he had come. How was it that he spoke their language? If it were true that his mother was like them, if it was true that he did not have a woman in the town, since at his age nobody could be single?

What was it that she felt when she thought of it? Why, while he was away during so many days, she thought that someone in Zaci could be waiting for him? It was until her brother returned that he mentioned that his mother was living alone while he was not at home. When Marcelo return from that long trip, she knew for certain that he did not have a wife and she was happy and her thoughts were clear. She thought of him wanting to notice her. Her feelings were a mixture of terror and desire since she felt that he would never look at her like a woman. Leonor was lost in her thoughts while she washed her black hair, delighting in the aroma of that gift that Marcelo had brought her from Zaci. The sudsy water ran down her back and her virgin breasts dampening her white underskirt.

When Jose Marcelo arrived in Tok’tuunich, Leonor had just turned 16. She was single because when she began to mature, she suffered several attacks of yellow fever which the J’meen was not able to control. Only when her brother and father brought those medicines from Tihosuco weeks later that she had gotten better. The disease damaged her body and two long years passed before she began to develop as a woman again. Her girl’s body was just beginning to change, when Marcelo arrived in Tok’tuunich. She had seen girls her age get married and have babies. Her worried parents had promised her to a widower in Chuum-poom when she recovered.

Fortunately, she thought, because of her apparent weakness the matrimony hadn’t been formalized. She was in frank recovery when the "tsuul" arrived and her life changed. But it wasn’t until now when he came back from Zaci that she understood her feelings toward him and she was afraid that as she was healthy now, somebody would notice her. That some young man might asked her to marry him. Her parents would not think twice about marrying her off as soon as possible. And she thought, with heartache, that Marcelo would never ever notice her.

Immersed in her thoughts, she didn’t notice that the young man was coming toward her until he stopped at the backdoor of the house when he greeted Jacinto’s wife, who was grinding nixtamal on the stone. Leonor rinsed her long, black hair vigorously and began to dry it with a white, fine, cotton cloth. She gathered it, little untidy, on the back of her neck, like the women of her race had done for centuries, and covered her naked shoulders and breasts with the same cloth.

She went inside the house to change her underskirt and put on an huipil, which she usually used in the early morning or at night because the mornings were usually cool the first days of the year. Jose Marcelo saw her as she went by and they exchanged a brief smile, He couldn’t help admiring the freshness of her skin, the beauty of her body and her black, long hair.

"Did you like the soap my mother sent for you? She says it is the best. She uses it herself to wash her hair". He spoke to her in Maya so that the conversation would be more fluent, although he liked to speak in Spanish to help her to learn that language.

"It is the best I have ever used" She answered. "When my father comes from
X-ho’otsuuk or from Belize, he brings soap, or when somebody goes to those places they bring it to sell. This one reminds me of the night flowers"

"Teacher ..." said Leonor, when she was interrupted by Jose Marcelo.

"I don’t like such formality" he said " I have told your that you can treat me like one of your family, with confidence and trust"

Leonor lowered her eyes, at the words of Marcelo.

"Forgive Leonor, but almost six months have gone by and you still treat me like a stranger" He spoke more gently to the young indian girl who went on fixing her hair, carefully tying it at the back of her neck.

"What do you do that you are prettier and more lovely every day?" I imagine that you have a boyfriend or something"

"I don’t have a boyfriend"- She said obviously angry.

"What about that boy that I saw you with at the cenote?"

"He is not my boyfriend, he is my cousin and he is married, if it is what you want to know"

"Don’t get mad, I didn’t mind to offend you, forgive me if I upset you"

Leonor did not answer. She walked out of the kitchen and went into the house.

Jacinto’s wife had overheard the conversation and smiled as she went on with her work.

"What did I do wrong?" He said to her, with surprise.

Jacinto came in the front door just then, The conversation changed. However, Marcelo kept on thinking about that dialogue

Main Page                           Chapter 17  ''Chucbac''

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