short stories

• There was nothing to fear, for the man was always so gentle, so kind
• The little girl and her brother would look up at him where they sat at the big table, their eyes bright in the bright light, and watch him come fully into the light, but his voice soft, his manner slow
• He would smell very faintly of sweat and pomade, but the children didn't mind although they did notice, for they waited for him every evening as they sat at their lessons like this
• The man would throw his visored cap on the table, and it would fall down with a soft plop, then he'd nod his head to say one was right or shake it to say one was wrong
• The man came in the evenings therefore, and he helped solve fractions for the boy, and write correct phrases in language for the little girl
• The rage was for pencils. School children always have rages going at one time or another
• The man promised that he would give each of them not one pencil but two. And for the little girl who he said was very bright and deserved more, he would get the biggest pencil he could find
• The little boy had two pencils, one green, one blue. And the little girl had three pencils, two of the same circumference as the little boy's but colored red and yellow. And the third pencil, a jumbo size pencil really, was white, and had been sharpened
• The man said, Are you not going to kiss me for those pencils? They both came forward, the little girl and the little boy, and they both made to kiss him but Vicente slapped the boy smartly on his lean hips, and said, Boys do not kiss boys
• The little girl went up to the man shyly, put her arms about his neck as he crouched to receive her embrace, and kissed him on the cheeks
• The man's arms tightened suddenly about the little girl until the little girl squirmed out of his arms, and laughed a little breathlessly, disturbed but innocent, looking at the man with a smiling little question of puzzlement
• The little girl muttered under her breath, I'll ask Vicente for some more
• The mother said, He's only a bus conductor, don't ask him for too many things. It's a pity
• Vicente held the little girl by the arm, and said gently, Of course I will buy you more pencils, as many as you want
• Vicente took the girl up lightly in his arms, holding her under the armpits, and held her to sit down on his lap and he said, still gently, What are your lessons for tomorrow?
• The little girl felt very queer, she didn't know why, all of a sudden she was immensely frightened, and she jumped up away from Vicente's lap
• The mother said, very low, but very heavily, Do not move
• The mother went to the cowering man and marched him with a glance out of the circle of light that held the little boy. Once in the shadow, she extended her hand, and without any opposition took away the papers that Vicente was holding to himself
• The mother raised her hand and slapped him full hard in the face. Her retreated down one tread of the stairs with the force of the blow, but the mother followed him. With her other hand she slapped him on the other side of the face again
• The mother thus shut his mouth, and with those hard forceful slaps she escorted him right to the other door. As soon as the cool air of the free night touched him, he recovered enough to turn away and run, into the shadows that ate him up
• The woman presided over the bath the little girl took, scrubbed her, and soaped her, and then wiped her gently all over and changed her into new clothes that smelt of the clean fresh smell of clothes that had hung in the light of the sun
• Although the heart may care no more, the mind can always recall
• A little over a year after I was orphaned, my aunt decided to turn me over to your father, the Datu
• In those days datus were supposed to take charge of the poor and the helpless
• I could not bear the thought of even a moment's separation from my aunt. She had been like a mother to me, and would always be
• There are always things to remember: languid days of depressed boyhood; shared happy days under the glare of the sun; concealed love and mocking fate
• A little over a year after I was orphaned

  My aunt decided to turn me over to your father, the Datu
• Datus were supposed to take charge of the poor and the helpless
• My aunt placed me under the wing of your father to relieve herself of the burden of poverty and safeguard my well-being
• I was only five then - very tractable
• Babo bathed me in the afternoon


  1. She cleaned my fingernails meticulously

  2. She cupped a handful of sand, spread it over my back, and rubbed my grimy body, particularly the back of my ears

  3. She poured fresh water over me afterwards
• Babo tested me over and over again on those royal, traditional ways
• Pateyk

  What, or for answering a call
• Babo told me the Datu's house was called an astana, not a house
• Babo cleaned my harelip, wiping away the sticky mucus flowing from my nose
• You withdrew your hand at once, I think my harelip gave it a ticklish sensation
• Babo came to see me every week as she had promised
• Babo came to see me, to advise me every week, for two consecutive years - until death took her away
• I was your favorite and you wanted to play with me always
• I wanted to prick your skin and see if you really had blue blood