JOSÉ – ESCAPE TO SPAIN
Kim's mother arrived at home with a bright smile and two tickets in her hand.
asked Kim's father, who was curious about all those things.
asked she her husband, but Lloyd had to give her a negative replay.
There the grandmother intervened.
Her voice was deciding.
said Kim who couldn't understand, why this time her mother allowed her to travel. Sure, she would be under the supervision of her mother, but nevertheless it was something new, what happened! Fast they bought some summer clothes for Kim or better: not they, but only the mother. It was Arden, who made the choice as she always did, even for the underwear. Kim liked to buy some modern clothes, but the mother strictly taught her daughter otherwise.
Obedient like all the other times, Kim accepted her mother's choice as she accepted to plait her hair and to leave out all make-up. After this Kim looked like a schoolgirl under sixteen. At last the father carried them with their bags to the airport. When Kim, who never flew before, entered into the plane, she was very excited and afraid but she knew very well, that she hadn't to show it to her mother. Arden would be able to leave her daughter at home in the last second before taking off. So Kim sat down on her seat, fastened the seatbelt and prayed without a noise, that the plane wouldn't crash down like many other small ones like this did it each year. But the small iron bird made a soft landing on the airport of Madrid after some quiet hours in the air. There a car waited for Arden and Kim to bring them to the hotel, where they had to spend the first nights. When they arrived, a young man opened the doors of the car.
answered Arden. With those words she turned to the lift and Kim followed her. Later, after the taking of photographs and the dinner, the young man told them the program. After a lot of visits to museums and other tourist attractions, they would meet a young bullfighter, who would welcome them on his hacienda, invite them to lunch with him and later try to kill the bull in the arena for their glory.
remarked the man.
said Kim quickly, before her mother could say anything.
shouted the man. Arden put them into her handbag, then they said good night to him and went to their hotel room. The following days gave them a confusion of impressions and adventures. Kim was as happy as she had never been before! She only knew the landscape and the Spanish people by some television reports, but now she felt the burning sun of the South on her skin, she saw the shimmering heat on the streets and over the fields. She saw orange trees and an ocean of flowers everywhere. How nice could it be to live here? What a contrast to the cold, foggy and rainy weather of her home country! Sure, here the landscape wasn't green at all! But Kim's eyes never longed for the green valleys and hills of the Emerald Island. Tuesday they went to Seville. Arden, Kim and the two men were in a taxi, driving between the never ending olive groves. The hacienda of the young bullfighter, José Almerida, was standing on a small hill with an excellent sight on the lower situated Seville. The house was surrounded by high, gleaming white walls and in the blue sky eagles and vultures were describing their endless circles. Far away Kim saw the mountain range of Sierra Nevada in the mist. The young bullfighter stand under the arch of the large entrance, which opened to a wide court. In the middle was a big, old eucalyptus tree giving fresh shadow to the heated people. A large table was covered with a lot of fine meal.
His English was a little bit clumsy, but they could understand him. When Kim saw José, she was lost the moment she set eyes on him.
she spoke Spain and he looked at her in surprise.
answered Kim.
The young bullfighter took her arm and escorted her to her place. The young man thought that Kim was a desirable young woman – he, the lady-killer – saw, that she was older, than her mother liked her to show. She was beautiful, she wasn't like those Spanish girls and women who threw themselves at him. Perhaps there was a little chance......
The meal was excellent and they spoke not only about the bullfight. The young man was – of sure – a defender of bullfights, after all he earned his life with it. But they talked about Spain, the Spanish people, towns and landscapes. Kim ignored a lot of things about this beautiful land, her mother seemed to be better informed. After a while Kim stopped to speak and looked sadly around. José saw it and tried to catch her attention. After the dessert he came to her place and begged her to follow him into the garden.
whispered he in his hesitant English in her ears. Kim was overpowered by his behavior. She hadn't got a compliment until yet, nobody seemed to remark her. And this stranger in a strange country, this man with the ardent, black eyes, who possibly was the lover of hundreds of beautiful women, this man admired her, Kim, a shy girl coming from the cold North.
sighed Kim. She was standing under a cascade of wisteria and jasmine, stunned by the scent of the flowers and the magic of the hour.
and when he saw that Kim nodded her head he asked:
Kim started to laugh.
Suddenly he whispered the last words and eclipsed by a small door in the wall. His fine ears had heard long before Kim the silent steps of her mother's feet on the sand. When Arden entered the garden, she found Kim alone, marveling at the flowers in all their splendor.
said Arden reproachfully. Obediently Kim followed her mother, but her thoughts were far away. She smiled automatic for the photographs, let herself stock like a display dummy into the taxi, which brought them to the arena and when she took her place on the stand she finally realized the danger, the young bullfighter will be exposed to. In her mind it was only HE, the hero, who soon will play the game between life and death with some hundred pounds of concentrated force and furious aggression. She was torn between the detestable killing and the pagan ritual, when human and animal force collide. She saw the gleaming steel and the dance in the sand. And she screamed with all the other spectators when the first bullfighter was gored by the black bull and had to be carried out on a stretcher. When José came into the circle, the crowd chanted his name and received him with big applause. Kim shook all over by fear and excitement. Never before in her life she felt like this! The man, she met for the first time only a few hours before became suddenly the centre of her life! Was this love? She prayed with all her heart for his luck and health. José was marvelous in his shimmering, green dress, while he tried to tire the bull. After some ? and ?, while the crowd was shouting, he finally stood face to face with the black animal, from whose back blood was flowing in a wide stream down to the sand. When the animal bowed his head, José took the ? and with one strong and well-placed stab he cut the ? and the bull collapsed dead in the sand. José was celebrated by the crowd and the referees allowed him to cut one ear of the bull. With this trophy the young bullfighter went on his lap of honor around the arena. Flowers, hats, handkerchiefs and other things were thrown down to him. But he ignored all those things, picked up only one red rose from the sand and went to the place where Kim was sitting.
he whispered, while he kissed the rose, then he passed over the flower to Kim. She became red in her face and fastened the rose to her dress. José made a bow to Kim, then left the arena. While she left the arena at the side of her mother, Kim didn't say a word. And later, in the taxi, it was Arden who started to speak.
Kim's mother was very angry about the behavior of her daughter, but Kim didn't understand, why. When they came back to the hacienda, Kim went into her room and changed her clothes. She knew very well, that her best dress wasn't very pretty at all, but her mother hadn't allowed her to buy something else, better and much more fashionable. So she put on a simply cut knee-long dress with an indefinable grey color. When she saw herself in the mirror she liked to stay at home. Between all these colorful and nice dresses worn by beautiful women, she looked like a very, very poor Cinderella and she was beware of it! But her mother would be very happy, if she would really stay in the room and so Kim decided to join the party. When the two women entered the big ballroom, José welcomed them with the warm cheerfulness he always showed. During all the time he was surrounded by many ardor-eyed Spanish beauties and seemed to ignore the Irish girl. But he was able to evaluate his enemy – the mother – and knew how to throw dust in her eye's. After midnight, when the mood became more and more wild, he came to the table, where Kim, her mother and their two permanent companions were sitting and watching the party.
asked the young bullfighter with a deep bow.
answered Arden in a very brusque and offend way. But the photograph, who had seen how Kim's eyes became happy, when José came to her table, interfered.
Kim supplied her mother with all her charm. Her mother looked around and saw, that a lot of people was watching her or perhaps the young bullfighter, who was still standing before Kim. Arden wasn't willing to make a scandal, so she nodded.
José took the hand of Kim in his own.
Kim followed him to the dance-floor, without a look back to her mother. The young bullfighter gave a sign to he band and they started a slow waltz, her favorite dance. While she sent so light and free in the arms of the young man, she forgot all things around her. Suddenly José whispered something into her ear.
While Kim answered with a little smile, the music stopped and José brought her back to the table. Sure, the remaining time Kim was sitting at the table, watching the others dance, but her thoughts turned around the young man and tomorrow morning. So she was really glad, when her mother stood up and left with her the party at one o'clock in the morning. At seven o'clock Kim sneaked carefully out of the room, where her mother was still sleeping. When she arrived before the stables, José was waiting there with two magnificent Andalusian stallions. The young man began to smile, when he saw the girl in blue-jeans, green T-shirt and tennis-shoes coming silently around the corner.
He helped her into the saddle of a black stallion, then he took place in the saddle of a grey stallion. When they turned out of the walls, Kim took a big breath of fresh air. The young man smiled and guided the steps of the horses between the olive trees. The mild air was filled with thousand birds songs and million strange scents. There was no cloud in the blue sky and nothing disturbed the magnificent infinity! They didn't need a lot of words to understand each other and their feelings. José liked very much the shy girl, who was so very different from all the others, he knew. She seemed to come from a good family and there was without doubts some money, too. And Kim saw in the young bullfighter the man of her dreams and yearnings. He seemed to be romantic and sensitive, liked horses and lived in a country, where sun and heat seemed to be eternal. For a first time, José rode slowly, but when he saw, that Kim was a good rider and knew how to treat the fiery stallion, he pushed his horse to a fast gallop. Kim followed him and tried to overtake and so they raced for a long time. Never before she had galloped as fast as now and she enjoyed it very much. When the horses began to slow down by themselves, Kim and José stopped, out of breath and excited. Alone in the middle of the magnificent nature under an old olive tree, Kim got the first kiss in her life. She never thought, that this feeling could be so strong, so wonderful and she was in the seventh heaven. José's lips were smooth and gentle, but when he felt, that the young girl was reacting to his touches, his kisses became more demanding and he tried to open her mouth. First she made a little sign of surprise, but then she gave herself to her feelings and returned his kisses. A long time passed. Suddenly José started to stroke all over her body, his fingers found the bottoms of her blue-jeans and he tried to open them. But when he saw that Kim looked scared, he interrupted himself.
asked he Kim, surprised that a young lady like her was still virgin. Kim's head became red and she shook her head, while she looked embarrassed with her eyes to the ground.
declared José, contrary to all his habits. But in this moment he decided to conquer this little stranger girl – and to marry her, if possible. He would be envied by all his friends for such a wife and if she didn't come up to all his wishes – no matter, there will be hundreds of Spanish girls and women, who were only waiting for the moment, to fall in his arms......
He gave her another kiss, then stood up.
He helped her on the horse, jumped on his own and they took the way back. Slowly, hand in hand and stirrup besides stirrup. Just before coming to the hacienda they separated. But when they had hoped that the trip hadn't been noticed, they were wrong. It was only eight-thirty but Kim's mother was walking with big and angry steps up and down in front of the stable. Her face didn't say something good to Kim. But when she arrived, she first took care of the stallion and gave her thanks to the young bullfighter, before she went to her mother.
she shouted more and more and seemed to be beside herself.
She left her daughter and went to the house. Kim had heard the speech of her mother without showing any emotion. She knew her love growing, nothing else mattered. She wrote a few words on a small paper and gave it to José.
Then she went to her room and prepared herself for the trip to the next town. When the car arrived, Arden took place in it without saying a word to José, but Kim took his hand and looked deeply in his eyes. She hoped, he will see, that all her love was and would be for him.
she whispered, while her mother took her by her arm and pushed her into the car. Then they left the hacienda for the coast. Kim not even saw the beauty of the landscape, she was in her own dreams and hopes. Now she had an object which was worth to be worked for. Now she had to try to dare the step into the freedom, now – or to rest, became an old maid and to be at her mother's disposal forever. Like in her nightmare.
The last days in Spain became as long as weeks. And Kim, who first had been so happy to travel to Spain was now waiting that the trip came to an end. She had only one wish: to be as soon as possible back to Ireland where she would start to work for her love. That it wouldn't be easy, she knew it very well, but now she had something to fight for and the possibility to leave her mother was worth to have some difficulties. When she arrived at home, the next day she spoke to her boss, who understood her and let her phone from the office. The Spanish Embassy told her, what to do to marry a Spanish man in Spain and how to get a residence permit to live there. In deed, it wasn't very easy, she had to make translations of a lot of documents, give ad-hoc statements and respect dates. All about this time she waited for a letter from her friend. But one day Kim's sister came into the kitchen, where Kim was cleaning beans.
more she couldn't say, because Kim was jumping up from her chair and taking the letter out of her sister's hand.
joked Maude, who knew, what had happened in Spain to her sister.
whispered Maude.
And Kim hurried, the letter pressed on her heart, upstairs into the room, he still shared with her sister. She sat down on her bed and opened the letter with trembling fingers. There was written in a bad English that José loves her, that he would see her back and that he likes to present her to his family, what was like an engagement. José asked Kim if it would be possible for her to come back to Spain after Christmas, New Year they could spend in his family making plans for the future. He signed with: All bulls for you, José. Tears of happiness and love were running down her cheeks, while Kim read the letter. She looked for something to write and wrote some fast lines.
Dear José, I will come, nothing can hold me back! – Yo viene, te quiero! She addressed the envelope and put her into her bag. The next morning she posted it and hoped, that it would make the long trip over the ocean in a very fast time, to tell him, that she loves him and that he hadn't to wait any longer. In secret she asked for planes and trains and tickets, bought the tickets some days before Christmas and hid them in one of her books. So it became Christmas. After the photographs and the gifts the family was taking the dinner. When they had finished the dessert, Kim asked her mother.
asked Arden who never accepted, that one of the girls had a secret before the family.
said Kim and went to her room.
accepted her mother who was very curios to know what her daughter will have to tell her, while Kim left the dining table. When the mother entered the room, Kim was sitting on her bed and looking out of the window.
started Kim and when the door was closed, she began with an neutral voice and without looking to her mother.
Arden couldn’t believe. She never thought, that her well-educated daughter will commit something like this! She ignored, that Kim was changing letters with José and she never thought, that her daughter could have something with this "stranger"! Hadn't she said clearly to Kim, what she thought about this character after the "escape" on the horses? Hadn't she felt, that her daughter accepted – like she always did -the mother's opinion? So Kim's words touched her like swords. She was very surprised and couldn't find words. After a long moment of hesitation, she turned to her daughter.
While her mother spoke, Kim looked out of the window without a sign. Only when her mother spoke so ironic about the "romance" her face became hard. For Kim it was pretty more than a "romance", it was something overpowering, holy, the true love! And so she answered her mother only with one phrase.
She turned her head and let her mother alone with her troubles. Arden left the room, filled with consternation. When she gave the news to the others, their reactions where different. Kim's father only asked, what will happen with the university, Maude played the unwitting and said, she thinks, that her sister is old enough to make her own way and the grandmother made her daughter remember her own escapades.
Arden wasn't very convinced, but she grinned and beard it. The next morning she was driving her daughter to the airport and when Kim checked in, her mother gave her a small package.
she said, while Kim tried to guess, what could be in the package. She only sent free, when the plane took off and was on its way to Spain. Kim liked to cry out loud, that she was now living her own life, free to go to the loved man, free to start her own life! Longing to know the contents of her mother's gift, she opened it – and her smiling froze. She saw half-a-dozen warm and old-fashioned ....... briefs! With a feeling of deep repulsion she put them into the trashcan. The team of cleaners might be surprised to find them, but she didn't worry about it. When Kim saw the skyline of Seville and the plane begun to slow down, her heart was beating wild. In a few moments, she would be in the arms of the loved man – all the other things were forgotten. It seemed to her that it took an eternity at the customs, but then she hold her suitcase in her hands and searched the hall for a well known face. Suddenly she saw him! He was standing at a newspaper's counter and looking around to watch the incoming travelers. Kim saw him the first and ran, no hurried to him. When he recognized her, she opened wide his arms and she threw herself in.
Their lips met in a long kiss full of love and Kim's blood was running much more faster through her veins.
José took her suitcase and the went arm in arm to his convertible car. During the trip Kim couldn't speak so excited she was and José seemed to feel the same, because he pushed the car fast and faster to arrive as soon as possible at the hacienda. Kim stroke his knee with her hand and absorbed with wide opened eyes the beauty of the Andalusian landscape. The airstream dishevelled her long hair and a warm sun was shining, even though it was winter. She saw the hills with never ending olive trees, black bulls standing on a pasture and one time there were some men, riding these marvelous Spanish horses behind a lot of greyhounds, hunting rabbits. A popular sport, she was told later. Soon she saw the hacienda. José turned off to the left on a dusty path, slowed down and stopped before the entry to the hacienda. With an adroit jump he went out of the car and hurried to the other side, to open the door for Kim. He took her hand and brought her into the court. He showed her a nice little room, with white walls and some paintings of horses and bullfights. In the middle was a big bed and on the bedside table was a lot of flowers with an overpowering scent in a nice vase. The shutters were half-closed and the smooth half-light gave some unreal note to the room.
Kim was angry about herself. Why did she ask such silly things, while a lot of other things were on her tongue? But José understood her hesitation and showed her a small door in the backside wall of the room.
Then he went out and closed the door behind him. Kim took a fast, cold shower and choose her best dress. Then she lied down on the bed and waited impatiently and with some fear that the loved man will enter. During her shower José had taken some drink at the bar and opened her door with a theatrical gesture. When he saw Kim lying on the bed with her dress it took his breath away. And Kim made a little movement with her small hand, like she had seen it once in an old movie, when the lady invited the hero to come to her. José approached, still looking at this extraordinary girl.
whispered the young bullfighter while he was more and more excited. Kim executed his wish and while she put off her dress and the pants José undressed, too. He slipped under the cover and Kim dared a small view on the first naked body of a man she saw in her life. She was surprised by the sun-tanned, supple and athletic body of the young man. When José started to stroke her body, she first made a little sign of defense, but the bullfighter was an experienced lover and so she lost her shame. But after a while it was clear that the young man never had loved a virgin. So their first night of love turned into a nightmare for both. Kim was too excited and inexperienced and José liked to make the things happen as fast as possible – and so at last their two bodies were lying one beside the other, covered in sweat – and Kim was still a virgin! After some hours of sleep, José tried it again in the morning hours, but now Kim wasn't only inexperienced, but she thought, that is had been her fault, that José was unfulfilled and she was afraid, that he couldn't love her after this night. Unnerved, José gave up.
He put on his clothes and went out of the room, leaving behind him a young girl in tears. After a long time, Kim dressed and went into the court. She found the kitchen besides the large dining room and opened the door. A very old woman, half-deaf and only speaking the Andaluzian dialect, was sitting there, cleaning potatoes. Kim had to make a lot of effort, before the old domestic servant understood, that the young women was José's guest and wanted to have some breakfast. The servant shook her head and showed Kim the dining room. The long table was covered with delicious things and Kim served herself. In her grief she eat all, she could find. When she was still sitting at the table, the door opened and José came in. He looked very distressed and gave a small kiss to Kim.
Kim gave him a little smile.
The kissed and after a fast breakfast José invited Kim to a trip in his coach. He showed her the beauties of the landscape and on the side of this agreeable conversationalist she lost her inhibition. When the young bullfighter tried it again, in the evening after a day under the warm sun, she was ready for him and love. She threw off all her false shame and she gave herself to him. José restrained himself and showed her how to feel the best. This night Kim slept in the arms of José until the morning light waked them up. This day they went out riding, watching the bulls on the pasture and later José showed her in the small arena behind the hacienda, how he trained himself and the horses. The nights were dedicated to their love. Too fast arrived the day, José liked to present Kim to his parents. The last day of the year in the morning they went with his car to the small town, where his parents had their house. From outside there was only a big, white wall, but when they entered, Kim was surprised. The house was like a small castle, everywhere she looked, there was an ocean of flowers in magnificent colors and high orange trees made the court shady. The parents of José were and older couple and only later Kim got to know, that they had divorced long time ago. Only for their sun and to meet his later wife, they met this day in their old house, where the father used to live with a new wife. The mother had a man she lived with in another small town. But for the moment all things seemed to be all right for Kim, the parents were very courteous and seemed to accept the choice of their son. The New Year's Eve was a great happening and Kim was the happiest girl in the world, when at midnight José asked her to become his wife. Tears of luck were running down her cheeks and she wasn't able to speak. So she only nodded her head, while the young man kissed her. The parents gave them their congratulations and went out of the room, leaving the lovers alone.
whispered Kim when they were alone.
said José. Then they made plans for their further life.
said José looking with admiration on the young woman who was sitting at his side.
closed Kim her enumeration.
What choice did she have but say "Yes"? This was his job, but she was sure, that each time he would stand face to face with some hundreds of tons of wild rage, she would have fear for his life.
So the holidays came to an end and she had to go back to Ireland, which wasn't already her home, because her heart stayed in Spain. Naturally her mother was waiting for her at the airport.
behind this question was more, than only curiosity. Arden still hoped, that her daughter would be disappointed by this foreigner and come back to her family to stay. But Kim was only smiling mysteriously.
But Kim was too happy, to remark her mother's irony. She was thinking about the things to do and remembering the face and body of her fiancé. The next day she pretended to go to the university, but she went to the translation office, to a furniture movers and to a customs office. Late in the evening she withdrew from the university register and went to the architect's office she worked for. Her boss first thought she was joking, but when he understood, that it was reality, he shook his head.
answered Kim with conviction.
answered Kim and said good bye to her colleagues. The next morning, her boss sent her a small gift for her marriage. Kim's mother was very surprised, when the postman gave her the nice parcel and she wished to be informed by her daughter, what was the content. But Kim didn't open the box. She put it into her suitcase and waited, until the translations arrived. Then she sent a telegraph to José and bought the tickets. This time her mother didn't say a word during the trip to the airport and gave nothing to her daughter, too. Kim was in the seventh heaven during the flight, she didn't felt airsick at all and her anxiety was washed away. But when she entered the arrival lounge her heart seemed to stop beating: It wasn't José who was waiting for her, but his mother! And the woman didn't speak anything else than Spanish dialect! And Kim in her fears, had forgotten all Spanish words she had learned. Black thought were coming. What has happened with José? Why wasn't it the loved man, waiting for her at the airport? She hurried to his mother and when the woman started to smile, that was a load of her mind! And the words came out of her mouth.
asked Kim, while she followed the woman to the exit.
Kim only waited for the moment, she would be in the arms of her future husband. But she had to wait a long time. Only very late in the evening she heard the door clock ringing. But when he entered the room, she forgot all troubles and an aura of happiness surrounded the young woman, while she was running to him.
|
AJÁNLOM AZ OLDALT
