Of course I dont know how you always manage to land the simplest jobs, youre so the favorite! Im sure itll be because youre always willing to do any job and you never complain about it, so they reward you by giving you the less strenuous jobs, and laughing, he added, Im only kidding by the way, dont get annoyed. Look at how heavy the rain is now, especially given how lovely a day it was earlier! It was so nice that I said to myself when I was up there, If the wind blows those clouds away, Ill have time to inspect that row of tiles and replace the broken ones, but clearly its not a day to be changing tiles, theyll have to wait a little longer. To be fair, Im sure theyre not too bothered, because I have no idea how long theyll have been like this, but its certainly been a good few years since anyone has lifted them off.
Impatient because the day was ending, and because I had to remove my sweater so I could get on with the work, I tried not to move much, because I feared that Blas, who was now there with me, would notice the bulge under my shirt, which felt massive to me, even though he was working on the wall behind me.
Suddenly, perhaps due to the rain, the temperature changed, and using that excuse I quickly put on my sweater again.
Youre gonna get it caked in dust! Blas told me when he saw that Id put it back on.
Its just that Im cold, but Ill be careful not to get it stained, I replied.
Cold? Are you for real? Take it off and youll see how much faster the work goes, he said laughing. Goodness, you get cold easily! He got on with his work and we didnt talk any further.
With that Little package already well hidden, I felt calmer, but I was wishing that the day would end so I could leave. I dont ever remember that having happened to me, because I was usually the one who always finished last.
Lets keep going for a while longer, theres still a lot of work to be done here, I would tell the others in the evening when it was time to pack up and leave.
Leave something for tomorrow! Dont you see that even the sun has gone to rest? they would protest at me, already looking tired and happy to leave it behind and go home.
I would drop whatever I was doing, but reluctantly, and on the way home I would always say:
We could have stayed a little longer, we still have a lot to get through, and if we dont hurry, the summer will be over and we wont have finished everything.
Fine, well stay longer tomorrow, they would answer me, but they never did. Normally, as soon as the sun went down, we would leave, but today I was the first to say it:
Guys, what if we leave it until tomorrow?
Earlier you were cold and now you want to go? Hmm! That sounds fishy to me, youre not getting sick are you? Those symptoms sound like you might be coming down with the flu, or something worse, Blas said surprised.
Get outta here, dont exaggerate, its not like we can wait for the sun to set today, because it hasnt even come out, I said trying to justify myself.
Well, lets gather everything up and well continue tomorrow, he said.
The others also agreed, because even though wed not yet finished the task wed set ourselves, as we do every day, today we all seemed a little more tired than usual. It would be because of the change in the weather, and picking everything up, we left.
The rain started falling even heavier than before and wore my raincoat. In Santiago de Compostela you always have to be prepared, and when you get into the habit, you always carry it wherever you go.
That prevented the rain from wetting my sweater, and with it, the object that I was hiding with such zeal, but my legs were soaking wet, because the rain had been accompanied by an unpleasant wind, so the water that fell came from all directions, and it was impossible to stop it from soaking me all over.
I took a warm shower when I arrived, but quickly, because I was impatient, and I think even nervous. That was something unusual for me, my classmates had always told me:
Manu, youre the calmest person we know. We never see you getting nervous, you dont seem to get bothered by anything.
Well, I would say that I did get nervous, but I didnt show it. Now I was really starting to notice it, instead of hitting the hot tap, I hit the cold, so when that jet of icy water sprayed out, I wasnt expecting it and I jumped back, then in the kitchen, I went to heat up a glass of milk, to invigorate myself, and instead of milk I poured water into the saucepan. You see! I thought. Boy, youre more nervous than Jell-O, be careful.
Just then, Mrs. Petra, the owner of the boarding house, came into the kitchen and asked me if I needed anything. She had told us from the first day that everything was at our disposal, that we were the only ones in the whole place, well, besides them of course, but that when we needed anything, there was no need to ask her, we could just take it because we already knew where everything was.
Of course, she showed it to us by opening all the drawers, so that if we needed anything, like sugar at breakfast, or water or whatever, we confidently went into the kitchen and took it for ourselves, thats why I was here trying to prepare the milk for myself.
I answered that I was a little out of sorts and was going to prepare a glass of milk.
Hold on, Ill prepare it for you and Ill even throw in a little honey, youll see how well your body takes to it and youll have recovered in no time, and she immediately set herself to warming it up.
Already more relaxed after taking that little glass of warm milk, which went down so well, I returned to my room and sat down, carefully picking up the little package that I had left there when I came in. What might it contain? I asked myself. Who could have put this there? I also asked myself. Hold your horses Manuel, youre about to find out what it is, and with trembling hands, something that I could see perfectly clearly, I started to unwrap it.
First I removed the rag, which back in its day must surely have been white, but now it was a color somewhere between brown and blackish due to the moisture it had absorbed. It was that object that I had already handled when I pulled it out from the wall, but which I had then put back where Id found it. It seems I hadnt put it back so carefully though, because I remember that when I had originally taken out the little package from the hole left by the brick when it had been removed, the small package was well wrapped and the wrapping was uncrinkled. Now though, as Id rewrapped it hurriedly for fear that my companion would come in and see me with it, a part of the fabric had torn slightly.
I had already noticed myself doing it when Id tried to unwrap it there the first time, but my haste had made me so inattentive. Now I was treating it with great care, although there was nothing I could do about the damage.
I left the pieces of cloth there on the table and continued removing the rest of the fabric very carefully. I did not want anything to go wrong, because if the fabric was the packaging, what was important was what I was about to see, what I had here in my hands, Come on! I thought at that moment.
Before continuing, some questions popped into my mind, What should I do with what I have here? Who will own it? And how can I justify that Ive seen it?
A lot of doubts were jostling around in my mind, when I decided to cast them aside and continue with the task of finding out what it was, what it contained and I continued slowly, very slowly unfolding that fabric.
A lot of doubts were jostling around in my mind, when I decided to cast them aside and continue with the task of finding out what it was, what it contained and I continued slowly, very slowly unfolding that fabric.
With every fold I unwrapped, I imagined the hands that had wrapped it, surely they were feminine, a man wouldnt have been so careful.
<<<<< >>>>>
I was alone in the room. I had closed the door. I did not want any surprises, someone who needed something and came at that inopportune moment to ask me, or any of the guys wanting to ask me about something.
I dont know why, but I had suddenly become afraid and that was what made me not only turn the key to lock the door, but also to place a chair to jam the door, something that I was surprised to find myself doing, because it was a reflex, like I was protecting myself, but I wasnt sure what from.
At that moment, I saw myself doing it and I had no logical explanation for it. It seemed that I was anticipating the problems I would have in the future, but now I had no reason to be so cautious.
I took the object slowly with my hands. Id left it on the bed when going to lock the door, because a moment ago when I was finally on the verge of seeing it, I realized that anyone could come in and catch me with it in my hand, so I left it very carefully on the bedspread. Now back, I took it between my fingers as carefully as if it were a delicate crystal.
I noticed the calluses I had on the palms of both hands, anyone who saw them wouldnt doubt for a moment that they were the hands of a laborer, perhaps a full-time bricklayer. I had already gotten used to them, but Mom said that I had to take care of them, that my hands were going to spoil me forever and that no girl would want me to caress her, because I would scratch her.
Chelito had found that very amusing and said:
Youre going to stay single, nobody will ever love you.
You shut up snot nose, theyre hardly gonna be knocking down your door either with those freckles you have, whos going to notice you? And if they do itll only be to try to wash your face, to see if they can get those spots off you, I said jokingly, but it always ended up making her angry, although that wasnt what Id intended, because my little sister was the one I loved the most.
When my mother heard me, she scolded me:
Manu, youre too old to treat your little sister like that, dont you see what youve done?
Mom, said Chelito, but dont you see that the poor thing has no other way of messing with me? He always says the same thing to me. Its because men are so dense that on some rare occasion, when something occurs to them, they use it all the time. Manus problem is that he envies me, youve not noticed it, he knows Im smarter than he is, and with a laugh from my mother, the discussion was over:
Itll be as you say darling, Manu would like to have freckles like you, and off she went to get on with her tasks.
<<<<< >>>>>
I stopped looking at my hands and being careful not to damage what I had between them right then, I went ahead. I carefully removed the papers from the wrapper, I had already seen how fragile they all were when theyd been covered, and how theyd been damaged as soon as they were touched. Now I saw that yellowish paper and I took it out with great care. I was surprised; inside was a little book.
I sat on the bed, a chill ran through my body, what was I doing with that it my hands?
I looked around the room, as if wanting to make sure nobody saw me. What nonsense! I told myself.
Nobody can get in here and theres nowhere to hide, since the room was very small. A bed, which was indeed very comfortable; a nightstand with a drawer; the chair which I had placed at the door earlier; a small closet, which of course would only be capable of hiding someone very thin, and the table placed in front of the window; that window through which the light entered and you could see the small courtyard down below, a white wall opposite and nothing else.
That made me feel calmer. I was sure that nobody was watching me. Sitting on the bed, I shifted as if wanting to reassure myself. I corrected my posture, because I had a nervous itch that ran down my back.
I realized, what if someone had slipped into the bathroom? And as if propelled by a spring, I jumped up and moving around the bed I abruptly opened the door.
At that moment, again I thought, What nonsense! It was naturally empty.
As my nerves were making my hands all sweaty, I rinsed them in the sink since I was already there, and taking the towel, I dried them. When I tried to put it back where itd been hanging, I missed and it fell to the floor. I bent down to pick it up. As I put it back on the towel rack, I saw myself in the mirror and I said to myself, Manu, why are you so nervous? This is very strange for you, calm down.
I turned around and went back into the bedroom, I went around the bed, and sitting down again carefully, I took that little book that was there waiting to be looked through.
BREVIARIUM, yes, thats what it said on the cover, which left me thoughtful for a few moments. Who would have left their prayer book in there? Why would they have hidden it in the first place? What fears led them to hide it so carefully? How would they have managed to find the right place? Its not easy to take a brick out of those pilasters, which are solid and usually strongly secured.
The questions were crowding my mind, without giving me time to find any logical answers that could clarify anything. I opened that Little book that I had in my hands with great curiosity, with those black covers made of a strong cardboard, but which were very worn.
It was clear that it had been used a great deal, but why had the owner left it there hidden despite clearly having loved it so much? Maybe the plan had been to retrieve it at a later date?
I dont know how many mysteries were surging through my mind, but what I was sure of was that it belonged to a woman. Why? That was simple, the place was a convent for nuns, as far as I was aware. That was the reason it had been built and it had never had any other tenants aside from them.
I looked at it carefully and thought, Surely it had to belong to one of them, but why would she have put it in such an unusual place? And if shes living there, why hadnt she taken it out when shed learned that we were going to repair the walls?
It might be that the owner is no longer there, perhaps shes already passed away, or shes gone somewhere else. Then, why wouldnt she have taken it with her? Maybe she forgot about it, it all seemed so strange to me!
Reflecting on these questions, I stopped and closed the Little book again. What if it was personal? What if she had something written down? What right did I have to read something personal that someone had written in there?
I started to feel like an intruder who was going to violate someones privacy, who was going to break that veil of mystery that the person had wanted to cover up there, so well-hidden, and who did I think I was to clumsily handle the discovery of that secret that she wanted to keep?
I really didnt believe that anyone would put it there as a joke, if they were hiding it there for a prank and someone had taken it from its owner and hidden it there for her to find, why would it still be hidden there? Who would it belong to?
Of course, what was certainly beyond any doubt, is that it had been there for a long time because of the fragility of the fabric that it had been wrapped in, or could it be that the fabric was part of the joke? and it was already old and fragile when she put it there. Surely not! If so, whoever it was would have wrapped it up with more care.