cuentos de barro - DSpace Universidad Don Bosco

La Chana era una cipota chulísima.
Había crecido de diadentro, al servicio
del cura. Hacía mandados, lavaba
los trastos, les daba de comer a las
gallinas y se comía lazúcar. Cuando el
padre estaba bravo, como no tenía en
quien descargar, regañaba a la Chana.
La Chana no se quedaba chiquita y le
contestaba cuatro carambadas.
—¡Agüén, usté! ¡Asaber qué lián
confesado las biatas y descarga en
yo!...
El padre, en vez de enojarse, la
estrechaba contra su pecho y le daba
un beso en la frente. Se estaba viendo
en ella, como decía la Coro.
En un dos por tres se había hecho
mujer. De la mañana a la tarde echó
rollo, se cantonió y le brillaron los ojos.
Ya se trababa una flor en el delantal,
con un gancho, muy alto, muy alto,
para podérsela oler ponien do cara
interesante. Seguido se cachaba logas;
por el tacón muy encum brado, por
unos papeles colorados para untarse
los labios, por andar sus pirando muy
duro. El cura la miraba de lejos. La
miraba pasar, disimula damente, y
alejarse. Se cogía el mentón azul y su
cara de cuarentero se ponía grave.
130
Chana was a very beautiful girl. She
had been raised within the walls to be
of service to the priest. She ran errands,
did the dishes, fed the hens and ate the
sugar. When the priest was angry, since
he did not have anyone to vent on, he
yelled at Chana. Chana did not stay
quiet and she yelled back in kind.
“What’s wrong with you? Who knows
what these so-called holy women220 have confessed to you and you vent on
me!”
The priest, instead of getting mad,
hugged her against his chest and
kissed her on her forehead. “He was
seeing himself in her,” like Coronada
used to say.
Suddenly she had become a woman.
She matured overnight. Her hips
danced and her eyes turned bright. She
even put a flower on her apron with a
very, very long hook so that she could
smell it and have a happy face. She soon
got yelled at; because of the high heels,
because of the red papers she used to
redden her lips, and because of sighing
too deeply. From a distance the priest
surrepticiously eyed her come and go.
He grabbed his blue chin on his fortysomething-face
and his expression
turned grave.
220. SpanDict: 1. Woman who wears a religious habit, and is engaged in works of charity. (f)