Mario Vargas Llosa - The Discreet Hero

“Yes, yes, forgive us, we went a little too fast,” Miki apologized. “You know we love you very much, uncle.”

“His ears are as big as mine,” thought Rigoberto. “But his flutter and mine don’t.”

“And forgive us above all for raising our voices to you,” Escobita added, waving his hands in the air for no reason, like a frantic monkey. “But things being the way they are, it’s just as well, you have to understand. This craziness of my doddering old papa has Miki and me running around in circles.”

“It’s very simple,” Miki explained. “We understand perfectly that while my papa was your boss at the company, you couldn’t refuse to sign that paper as a witness. Just like poor Narciso. The judge will take that into account, of course. As an extenuating circumstance. Nothing will happen to either of you. The lawyers guarantee it.”

“In his mouth, the word ‘lawyer’ is like a magic wand,” Rigoberto thought with amusement.

“You’re wrong, Narciso and I didn’t agree to be your papa’s witnesses because we were his employees,” he replied amiably. “I did it because Ismael, besides being my boss, is a lifelong friend. And Narciso did it because of the great affection he’s always had for your father.”

“Well, that wasn’t much of a favor you did for your dear friend.” Escobita was angry again; his face turned red, as if he’d suffered sudden sunstroke; his dark eyes were flashing. “The old man didn’t know what he was doing. He’s been senile for some time: For some time he hasn’t known where he is, or who he is, and least of all what he was doing when he let himself be bamboozled by that damn worthless chola who he wanted to get his rocks off with, if you’ll excuse the expression.”

“Get his rocks off with?” Don Rigoberto thought. “That must be the ugliest expression in the Spanish language. A thorny, reeking phrase.”

“Do you believe that, if he was in full possession of his faculties, my papa, who was always a gentleman, would marry a servant who, to make matters even worse, must be forty years younger than he is?” Miki backed up his brother, opening his mouth wide and displaying his large teeth.

“Do you believe that?” Now Escobita’s eyes were red and his voice was breaking. “It’s not possible, you’re intelligent and well educated, don’t kid yourself or try to kid us. Because not you and not anybody else can pull the wool over our eyes.”

“If I’d believed that Ismael was not in full possession of his faculties, I wouldn’t have agreed to be his witness, nephew. Please let me speak. I understand that you’re very concerned. It’s to be expected, of course. But you should try to accept the facts as they are. It’s not what you think. Ismael’s marriage surprised me a great deal too. As it surprised everyone, naturally. But Ismael knew very well what he was doing, of that I’m certain. He decided to get married with complete lucidity and absolute knowledge of what he was about to do, and of what the consequences would be.”

As he spoke he saw indignation and hatred intensify on the twins’ faces.

“I’m assuming you wouldn’t dare repeat the bullshit you’re saying now in front of a judge.”

Escobita got up from his seat, in a rage, and took a step toward him. Now he wasn’t red but ashen and trembling.

Don Rigoberto didn’t move from his chair. He expected to be shaken and perhaps hit, but Escobita controlled himself, turned, and sat down again. His round face was covered with perspiration. “The threats have come. Will punches be next?”

“If you wanted to scare me, you’ve succeeded, Escobita,” he acknowledged, as calmly as before. “You’ve both succeeded, I should say. Do you want to know the truth? I’m dying of fear, nephews. You’re both young, strong, impulsive, and with credentials that would strike terror in the heart of the cleverest man. I know them very well because, as you recall, I’ve often helped you out of the situations and difficulties you’ve gotten yourselves into since you were very young. Like the time you raped that girl in Pucusana, remember? I even recall her name: Floralisa Roca. That was her name. And naturally I haven’t forgotten either that I had to take fifty thousand dollars to her parents so you two wouldn’t go to prison because of the charming thing you’d done. I know very well that if you wanted to, you could make mincemeat out of me. That’s perfectly clear.”

Disconcerted, the twins looked at each other, grew serious, tried to smile, but without success, became exasperated.

“Don’t take it like that,” Miki said at last, taking his little finger out of his mouth and patting him on the arm. “We’re all gentlemen here, uncle.”

“We’d never lay a hand on you,” Escobita declared in alarm. “We love you, uncle, even though you don’t believe it. In spite of how badly you’ve behaved with us by signing that filthy paper.”

“Let me finish,” Rigoberto said, pacifying them, moving his hands. “In spite of my fear, if the judge asks me to testify, I’ll tell him the truth. That Ismael made the decision to marry knowing perfectly well what he was doing. That he isn’t doddering, or demented, and didn’t let himself be bamboozled by Armida or anyone else. Because your father is still more alert than the two of you put together. That’s the absolute truth, nephew.”

Another dense, thorny silence fell in the room. Outside, the clouds had turned black, and in the distance, on the ocean’s horizon, there were electric shafts that might have been a ship’s reflectors or the lightning bolts of a storm. Rigoberto felt the tumult in his chest. The twins were still ashen and looked at him in a way, he told himself, that meant they were making a great effort not to attack him and beat him to a pulp. “You did me no favor at all when you got me involved in this, Ismael,” he thought.

Escobita was the first to speak. He lowered his voice, as if he were going to tell Rigoberto a secret, and stared into his eyes with a look that flashed with contempt.

“Did my papa pay you for this? How much did he pay you, uncle, if you don’t mind my asking?”

The question took Rigoberto so much by surprise that he was left openmouthed.

“Don’t take the question the wrong way,” said Miki, trying to smooth things over, lowering his voice as well and gesturing to pacify him. “There’s no reason to be embarrassed, everybody has his needs. Escobita asked you this since, if it’s a question of money, we’re also prepared to reward you. Because, to tell the truth, we need you, uncle.”

“We need you to go before the judge and state that you signed as a witness under pressure and threats,” Escobita explained. “If you and Narciso testify to that, everything will move much faster and the marriage will be annulled one two three. Obviously we’re prepared to compensate you, uncle. And generously.”

“Services are paid for and we know very well what kind of world we live in,” Miki added. “With absolute discretion, of course.”

“Besides, you’ll be doing my papa a great favor, uncle. The poor man must be desperate now, not knowing how to escape the trap he fell into in a moment of weakness. We’ll get him out of the mess and in the end he’ll thank us, you’ll see.”

Rigoberto listened, not blinking or moving, petrified in his seat, as if lost in wise reflection. The twins waited anxiously for his answer. The silence lasted close to a minute. In the distance the knife grinder’s penny whistle sounded faintly from time to time.

“I’m going to ask the two of you to leave this house and never set foot in here again,” Don Rigoberto said at last, with the same serenity he had maintained throughout. “The truth is you’re worse than I thought, boys. And if there’s anyone who knows you well it’s me, ever since you were in short pants.”