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and child rearing. I was reminded of those wind-up dolls that keep<br />
chattering away until they fall over.<br />
I tried giving them some privacy by concentrating on my work and<br />
remaining relatively silent, but I was bowled over by his animation in the<br />
presence of such a romantic guest. If she was sincere, it would be a prayer<br />
answered, I thought—a companion to share his overburdened days and<br />
long, lonely nights. If she were using him for his money or reputation, then<br />
I was witnessing a budding tragedy.<br />
They talked all afternoon, through dinner, and into the evening. I<br />
became as absorbed <strong>with</strong> her stories as he was. She spoke a different<br />
Spanish than his, and her dissimilar background and life history fascinated<br />
me. Soon she was disarming me <strong>with</strong> her charm as I too joined in the<br />
talkfest. When I asked about the father of her five sons, she said <strong>with</strong>out<br />
flinching that he had left her many years ago. She had raised the children by<br />
herself. It was a pitiful tale of hardship not unlike those of many Central<br />
American women I’d met.<br />
As we prepared for bed, I offered to hang my hammock in the kitchen<br />
hut, but Panti insisted I stay in the living quarters, where I slept just a<br />
curtain away from him and his new amante. I heard them cuddling together<br />
in his large, denim hammock, whispering and giggling until three o’clock in<br />
the morning, about the time I faded into a deep, numbing sleep.<br />
At first light, he jerked my hammock as usual: “Child, wake up. The<br />
time is right.” In spite of a busy night, he seemed bright-eyed and full of<br />
energy as we took off to his milpa. I could barely keep up <strong>with</strong> him.<br />
Although I still had serious doubts about La Cobanera, I was convinced, if<br />
nothing else, that she was an enthusiastic companion for him. I hoped that<br />
he had the power <strong>with</strong>in him to convince her to stay.