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Cathedral-like Silences (12/28/08) Q (WC 824)


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Cathedral-like Silences

Vegetarians are people who are unable to hear the tomatoes scream.

-- Gry Jannicke Jarlum </i>

Despina is hungry for fresh tomatoes. Frustrated by the cardboard taste of the store-bought models and inspired by views of several bounteous Broken Lance gardens, on the way home from church, she talks Jacques into stopping at a farmer's market specializing in seeds and plants when the actual fruits and veggies are still out of season. The true gardeners among the populace have already picked over the plants, but with Jacque's indulgence, she buys a set of four "Big Boys" that don't look terminally scraggly.

When Despina and Jacques pull up to the school site to unload the blackboard, a row of huge beams have been added to the posts, creating a framework to support the roof. This evidence of progress heartens Despina far more than the scanty amount of additional shade they'll provide warrants.

Once he's deposited her at her hovel, she takes off in Baby Blue Ram. Wow! I never noticed how common the highly painted refrigerators have become! She sees two tourists photographing those visible from the road and a third car is making a video of one, complete with the young artist Guillermo. She smiles at him and waves as she passes. Stopping at the river, she pulls her shovel out of the back, positions the tail gate over a black bottomed area, dons her borrowed work gloves and begins to scoop.

When her arms start to shake, she decides she has enough muck. Along the edge of the road, she spies some "road apples" still steaming they're so fresh, so she adds them to the black glop, then drives around to the back of her hovel, out of sight from prying eyes.

Digging four holes, she places a bed of gravel sized rocks in the bottom.

A soft Spanish query interrupts her, "Why do you bury the rocks?"

"Oh, hi, Alberto. You startled me. When I repot my flowers, the rocks aid drainage."

"Parece estraño."

"Why does it seem strange?"

"I've watched a lot, and nobody does it that way."

"Well, it may be extra work, but I doubt it will hurt anything in the long run."

Shaking his head, Alberto leaves when he hears Cu's distinctive truck engine.

Slowly she adds a 2" layer of the manure, followed by the black dirt, with the tiny plants sticking up as an afterthought. They seemed exceedingly sickly.


As sunset approaches, Despina, her green journal and pen clutched in one hand, seats herself in her impression before the rotting log. Writing busily, she describes the scene around her, trying to capture the essence of the experience.

Re-reading what she has just written, she mumbles, "Trite, Pina, hopelessly trite," then scribbles out a phrase, replacing it with one that really pleases her.

"Ah, so that's the title!" she crows at one point, labeling the page Cathedral-like Silences,then continues writing quite desultorily, not contributing one word to the discussion of a new botanical species Bruno is trying to determine the Latin name for.

Cu is describing several possibilities for the unknown plant and their habitats as Despina glances up.

Watching his hands describe elegant loops in the air to match his eloquent words, she is entranced.

"You're awfully antisocial tonight. A penny for your thoughts, Pina," muses Paul Peter. "I'll bet a dollar they have nothing at all to do with desert flora and fauna."

His eyes are really blue, as blue as Mickey's, not dark like the cigar store Indian's!

"What?" she asks in confusion. "Flora who? I don't remember which one she is."

Soft laughter greets her remark.


"Gregorio Falcón got arrested last night," begins Jacques settling in with the White Eyes around the campfire. "Anyone hear what he did?"

"Not sure, but the tribal leaders came into my English class to see if anyone had the skills to translate from English to Náhuatl. Nobody felt as if they could handle it. I have to agree."

"That's new. When Mateo had his little problem, I heard he went to jail -- no representation. Didn't you approach the Chief about using Juan, Horst?"

"Yes, but..."

"Maybe if I bring it up again," suggests Jacques. "If they are willing to consider PP's students, maybe..."

"I bet Juan could handle it. I've noticed that he and several of the others seem to understand everything they've ever heard before. I think he's got an eidetic memory."

“Wat is das? asks Bruno.

"A memory that allows them to recall things totally. Sarah and Alberto might have one, too."

"Ah, is good."

Paul Peter comments desultorily, “What was the tribal council about?”

Cu, always reticent, responds, “Whether to sell Guillermo’s refrigerator, or not.”

PP nods sagely. “Ah, sure to get tempers flaring... a kid potentially earning more than most adults.”

Nobody else adds anything. Despina, tired out, sits silently, mesmerized by the flames' hypnotic dance.


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Last updated 12/28/08 Added as blue as Mickey's, 7/14/08 added tribal council debate about refrigerator art. (6/11/08 changed vegies to veggies; 1/2/06 on the way home from church added in 1st paragraph. 10/15/04 - Added start of Black Thumb; 8/30/04.) 4/30/02.

Word Count: 824

Thursday, March 28th, 2002 12:01 am (pandemo)
http://pandemo.livejournal.com/60949.html
http://summercircles.livejournal.com/11407.html