Later on, Tali cleaned Juan’s wound in the bathroom, thinking of the dirty door and Juan’s fragility; she knew an infection would be very dangerous. He let her work, and only asked her to wrap the bandage more tightly.

“You look beautiful,” he told her when she’d finished.

“Don’t say that, you know I don’t like it.”

“You always were beautiful. Rosario was pretty, but you’re beautiful.”

“But you love her, so don’t talk to me like that.”

“Oh, but falling in love has nothing to do with beauty.”

Tali put her hands on her waist and had to take a deep breath to keep from shouting.

“You know what, Juancito, you need to let me know when you’re coming, because otherwise these things happen.”

“What things?” he asked, and he crossed his legs, sitting on the edge of the tub.

“The thing is that I never forget you, but I manage and I’m happy with my plants, my house, my dogs, I have my bed and some nights I imagine it’s you when I hear footsteps but other nights I sleep just fine, let me tell you. And suddenly you show up here with the kid and I get all stupid, I’m such an idiot, thinking you’re going to stay and we’re going to be together and all that nonsense. I even get it into my head—just listen to this—that my sister would be happy if you stayed with me. My poor, dear sister. You really piss me off, asshole.”

Someone knocked gently on the bathroom door and Juan said, come in, son. Gaspar entered shyly. Tali straightened up beside the sink and smoothed her hair, which she wore very long, almost down to her waist. Sometimes she thought she might be a little old for hair like that. Gaspar didn’t even glance at her.

“What happened to your finger?”

“I cut myself outside.”

“On what?”

“On a broken bottle that was there to keep cats out of the chicken coop.”

“Does it hurt?”

“No.”

“When they cut you there it hurt a whole lot.” Gaspar pointed at Juan’s chest.

“But that’s totally different,” replied Juan, and Tali saw him holding back laughter. “This is a little cut on my finger. And also, as I explained before, what hurts in the chest is the bone.”

“Right, because they sawed open the bone to operate on you.”

“Oh, honey, don’t talk like that!” said Tali.

“They sawed it open, you didn’t know?” Gaspar looked up at her, blinking as if the light bothered him. “They cut him down the middle and then they sewed him up again. It was to cure his heart, but I don’t think they cured it very good.”

Juan burst out laughing. He stood and picked his son up.

“It’s just that there’s no cure for your dad! You little animal, you’re scaring Tali.”

“I just wanted to explain to her.”

“I already told her all about it over the phone a long time ago.”