The Long and Storied Life of Jose Montoya
The Long and Storied Life of Jose Montoya The Long and Storied Life of Jose Montoya
The Long and Storied Life of Jose Montoya 86warm on noses and foreheads, the crowd of churchgoers from the Camp bounced and slid their way toa field of drifted snow edged by a tall hill that rose up from the farmland like a single, gleaming whitebreast.Jose and Eudora and the others struggled to the top, dragging sleds and stumbling and sweatinginto cold air. The view from the top was sweeping, rolling fields and lesser hills covered in white likesheets in beautiful disarray. Jose and Eudora held hands and looked out and then down; the hill theyhad just climbed seemed impossibly steep, the bottom impossibly far away. They climbed onto thesmall wooden toboggan that Jose had carried up. Eudora wanted at first to be in front, hanging over theedge of the hill and looking straight down with nothing to hold her but love. After a moment ofthought, however, she changed her mind and her position, snuggling up against Jose's back andclutching him around his waist. She didn't want to see what was coming, and instead decided that shewould hold onto love to keep her safe and shielded.Jose started the toboggan inching forward towards the lip of the hill, to the encouraging tauntsof the rest of the group. The front of the sled hung over the edge momentarily, balanced betweengravity and the weight of the couple, until an inch more of movement allowed the laws of the world toassert their full force. The nose of the sled tipped, and down the hill they went.The pair accelerated quickly. Every minor bump on the face of the hill became a ramp, liftingthe two briefly into the air and causing them to cling more tightly and yell with delight as they bumpedback down. Jose in the front wished that he could see more of the trip, but the speed and the glare fromthe snow were forcing him to squint to the point where he could see almost nothing. Eudora waspressed tightly against his back, and nestling closer with every bump.The bottom of the hill was close and the flat expanse of the field was tilting up to meet them. Afinal dip and bump, larger than they could see from the top, waited patiently and then launched the twoon their little toboggan sailing into the air. Jose felt Eudora squeeze him even tighter as she leaned into
The Long and Storied Life of Jose Montoya 87him and rested her chin on his shoulder. Over the wind rushing past them he heard her sigh into his ear,and then felt her words slide into his mind like a dream: I'm pregnant.Jose opened his eyes and smiled at the world. The toboggan continued to sail through the air, adefiant magic carpet. Jose turned himself as they flew so that he could see Eudora. Their eyes met,and silk ribbons curled out and connected them and drew them into a tight embrace. The two meltedtogether, and in their center they both felt the tiny spark already glowing brightly. The earth continuedto slide by underneath their magic carpet.At last the two pulled apart. The hill down which they had slid seemed impossibly far away. IfEudora noticed that they had actually been flying, she was too polite to say so. Instead, as the tobogganat last settled to the ground with the faintest whisper of wood against snow, she leaned forward andgave Jose a soft kiss. You smell like roses, she said.It was imperative that the two take a trip to Rockville, Eudora's hometown, before she started toshow her pregnancy. There was no question in either Jose or Eudora's mind that marriage was theironly option, and if they hurried it could be formalized and the baby nominally arrive only a little“prematurely.” This particular type of premature birth was common in her family, and yet somehowthe infants always seemed large even by full-term standards. These were facts that Eudora had oftenwondered aloud about in her teenage years. After several occasions on which her observations weremet only by nervously shuffling feet, throat clearing, and stares into the wood stove, her mother at lasttook her aside and explained some further facts of life that she had somehow forgotten the first timearound during a lecture that was based largely on farm animals.A car was quickly borrowed for the coming weekend from a fellow churchgoers and soldier,Gerald Ebbs, even though neither Jose nor Eudora had more than the faintest of rudimentary ideas onhow to drive. After brief lessons on the basics of ignition, starting, stopping, and turning, during which
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Long</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Storied</strong> <strong>Life</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Jose</strong> <strong>Montoya</strong> 86warm on noses <strong>and</strong> foreheads, the crowd <strong>of</strong> churchgoers from the Camp bounced <strong>and</strong> slid their way toa field <strong>of</strong> drifted snow edged by a tall hill that rose up from the farml<strong>and</strong> like a single, gleaming whitebreast.<strong>Jose</strong> <strong>and</strong> Eudora <strong>and</strong> the others struggled to the top, dragging sleds <strong>and</strong> stumbling <strong>and</strong> sweatinginto cold air. <strong>The</strong> view from the top was sweeping, rolling fields <strong>and</strong> lesser hills covered in white likesheets in beautiful disarray. <strong>Jose</strong> <strong>and</strong> Eudora held h<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong> looked out <strong>and</strong> then down; the hill theyhad just climbed seemed impossibly steep, the bottom impossibly far away. <strong>The</strong>y climbed onto thesmall wooden toboggan that <strong>Jose</strong> had carried up. Eudora wanted at first to be in front, hanging over theedge <strong>of</strong> the hill <strong>and</strong> looking straight down with nothing to hold her but love. After a moment <strong>of</strong>thought, however, she changed her mind <strong>and</strong> her position, snuggling up against <strong>Jose</strong>'s back <strong>and</strong>clutching him around his waist. She didn't want to see what was coming, <strong>and</strong> instead decided that shewould hold onto love to keep her safe <strong>and</strong> shielded.<strong>Jose</strong> started the toboggan inching forward towards the lip <strong>of</strong> the hill, to the encouraging taunts<strong>of</strong> the rest <strong>of</strong> the group. <strong>The</strong> front <strong>of</strong> the sled hung over the edge momentarily, balanced betweengravity <strong>and</strong> the weight <strong>of</strong> the couple, until an inch more <strong>of</strong> movement allowed the laws <strong>of</strong> the world toassert their full force. <strong>The</strong> nose <strong>of</strong> the sled tipped, <strong>and</strong> down the hill they went.<strong>The</strong> pair accelerated quickly. Every minor bump on the face <strong>of</strong> the hill became a ramp, liftingthe two briefly into the air <strong>and</strong> causing them to cling more tightly <strong>and</strong> yell with delight as they bumpedback down. <strong>Jose</strong> in the front wished that he could see more <strong>of</strong> the trip, but the speed <strong>and</strong> the glare fromthe snow were forcing him to squint to the point where he could see almost nothing. Eudora waspressed tightly against his back, <strong>and</strong> nestling closer with every bump.<strong>The</strong> bottom <strong>of</strong> the hill was close <strong>and</strong> the flat expanse <strong>of</strong> the field was tilting up to meet them. Afinal dip <strong>and</strong> bump, larger than they could see from the top, waited patiently <strong>and</strong> then launched the twoon their little toboggan sailing into the air. <strong>Jose</strong> felt Eudora squeeze him even tighter as she leaned into
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