Juanita la Larga: a Novel

Chapter 20

Chapter 20 J uana la Larga was overjoyed when, at seven in the morning, she received the letter, which she deciphered with some dif ficulty because, although she knew how to read, she did not do so easily and disliked it. As she was not very reflective or foresighted, Juana did not think about the difficulties raised by Don Paco’s proposal, she thought only about the triumph that, in her opinion, she and her daughter had achieved. So she went to the downstairs room where Juanita was sewing and joyfully informed her of his letter. As a comment the mother could only exclaim: “What a victory! All those wretched, beastly women are going to explode when they find out.” “Well, Mamá,” said Juanita, very calmly, “I don’t want anyone to explode, so the best thing is for no one to know about this letter of Don Paco’s.” “What do you mean, girl?” “What I mean is that we—you, he, and I—would be the ‘exploded ’ ones, that is, ostracized, if we did such a nonsensical thing. Doña Inés wouldn’t stand for it, and the priest and the cacique—the Church and the State, the eternal and the temporal—would fall on us and crush us. They’d kick us out of town. And who knows if in another one we would acquire, and how long it would take us to acquire, you the reputation and clientele that you have here, me as much sewing, and Don Paco the power he exercises here, as well as his profitable dealings, which in large part stem from his ability, but no less from the protection and backing of Don Andrés, whose favor he enjoys.” 105 106 Juanita la Larga “And what provokes these ill omens of yours?” “You don’t have to be a prophet or seer to come by them. And besides, I’m neither in love with Don Paco, nor perhaps is he in love with me. So why the hasty marriage? What do we gain by it? Don’t you understand that if he’s asking for my hand it’s because of his extreme sensitivity? I’m grateful to him for it. This proof of his esteem flatters me a great deal, but I draw the line at being grateful and flattered. Just because he gave me the fabric for the dress, and because gossips are grumbling, he intends to right a wrong by marrying me. So it would make just as much sense for him to marry you, because people also criticized him and you, or for me to marry the blacksmith’s son, seeing that they’ve talked more and in worse terms about my relationship with him than about my relationship with Don Paco. No, Mamá, all this is foolishness, or proof, if you wish, that Don Paco is both a dear and a perfect gentleman, even though he may not have the lions, ugly birds, and other strangelooking things that his son-in-law’s coat of arms has.” “And if you, my dear Juanita, recognize and admit that Don Paco is a complete gentleman, why don’t you take him as a husband?” “Because I don’t want to marry out of calculation. Because, even if I did want to marry out of calculation, this one now would be a miscalculation. And above all because not for anything in the world am I going to take advantage of that man’s generous chivalry to hold him to his word and satisfy my vanity and my ambition, since I feel no love for him. I delight in his company; I applaud his discretion; I gladly listen to him talk; but between this and a desire to be his and marry him . . . there’s still a long haul. Just between you, me, and the lamppost, a couple of times I’ve felt inclined to go that route, to travel that road, and God knows if I would have traveled it without these stumbles that there have been here. But, in any case, I haven’t traveled it yet.” “Oh, my dearest, what scruples and subtleties you’re coming out with! Readily apparent is the knowledge that Don Pascual has stuffed inside your head. Why, it seems that everything you say comes from those books he gives you to read. But, anyway, how do we answer Don...