Mauro Cardenas - The Revolutionaries Try Again

Rolando wanted apocalypse in the dial — 666 AM — to cry out over the airwaves how long will we let this go on? — how long will we let them profit from our poverty? — let us descend on a city that’s repulsed by us — let us smash the gated communities that we’ve bricklaid for them — that we’ve barbed with wire for them — and for what end? I ask you — and for what purpose? — to protect them against us ladies and gentlemen — let us drag them to Mapasingue — to El Guasmo — to La Perimetral — to El Suburbio — to where according to León Martín Cordero only swindlers and rapists and prostitutes live — and yet unfortunately for Rolando his Ecuadorian apocalypse not only reminds him of the speeches he’s been rehearsing since he was a freshman at San Javier but of The Exorcist too — to Las Orquideas — to El Fortín — of being twelve years old and sneaking out to the video store with his cousin Eduardo to rent The Exorcist because Rolando’s father had forbidden it — the devil here? — no sir — to the video store by that steep hill where he and his cousin once skateboarded like acrobats — speed down Rolandazo no stopping — scraping the whole of his back on the asphalt after a pebble catapulted him down the hill — and at night before going to sleep he would pick the scabs on his back and think about nothing — absolutely not about The Exorcist — which frightened Rolando and his cousin so much they couldn’t even finish watching it — is the sin of watching it sin enough to be possessed? — oh please Mother it burns — Rolando and Eduardo alone in his uncle’s bedroom and although the curtains were drawn the room was awash in shadows and the bed looked like Regan’s bed — the sheets shaped like snakes look — stop that Rolando — it burns — and then his cousin folded the bedspread and switched on the desk lamp — which was shaped like the beard of our lord jesus christ — stop that Rolando — the devil here? — yes sir — for months Rolando’s dreams not dreams but reenactments of Regan’s slimed impieties — the impotence of the priests against evil — strike terror into the beast lord — the power of christ compels you — you faithless swine — let our voices terrify them — let our voices deafen them — and one Sunday afternoon Rolando’s sister arrived home early and refused to return to the Esteros’s house where she had been working as a domestic — and when his father pleaded with her she said nothing — and when her Aunt Celia pleaded with her she cried and said nothing — and after Doña Esteros showed up at their house flanked by three policemen who seemed to be protecting Doña Esteros from her surroundings — and after the three policemen informed his father that a gold pendant encrusted with diamonds had disappeared from Doña Esteros’s house — exactly at the same time your daughter disappeared from the Esteros’s residence isn’t that a coincidence? — and after the three policemen wrecked their house in search of Doña Esteros’s pendant — why did you take off missy? — we can’t find it these people must have sold it already — and after Doña Esteros shook her head at them in disgust and covered her nose with her handkerchief as if their room reeked of mold or bug repellent — a misunderstanding Doña Esteros my daughter would never steal from anyone — and after his father pleaded with his sister — please Almita — it’s not about the pendant it’s about the principle — god’s commandments — I hope you people go to church — after all I’ve done for your family Don Alban — and after the policemen said we’ll have to take her in for further interrogation — his sister screamed at the policemen — at Doña Esteros — at their father — but not at Rolando because he was hiding in his bedroom — I wasn’t hiding! — yes I was — I left that house because Doña Esteros’s son forced himself on me — what? — that lowlife is lying — please Doña Esteros — Rolando go back to your room — Doña Esteros reappearing at their house again a week later but this time with Father Ignacio and Doña Esteros said she had sought spiritual advice from Father Ignacio and they had concluded — after a night of vigil — a night of prayer — that the only explanation for your daughter to be lying like this — to be blaspheming like this — is because she’s been possessed by the devil — what? — Rolando go back to your room — and then Father Ignacio blessed a vial of water and Rolando’s father allowed Doña Esteros to sprinkle water on Alma — out Mephistolo — a misunderstanding Doña Esteros it will never happen again — No Rolando no one wants the apocalypse here no one wants cataclysms or uprisings leave the people alone — and so the dial on the flyers isn’t 666 AM but 535 AM and Rolando’s radio isn’t called Radio Rebelde but Radio Nuevo Día.

The radio equipment has been set up in the living room of Doña Luz — an acquaintance of Eva’s grandmother who has been proselytizing for her comrades at the Movimiento Popular Democratico since the times of Assad Bucaram — Check — Check — Is this thing on? — Welcome to Radio Nuevo Día — The station of the people — What would you like to hear? — Call now! — Good morning in the news today the interim president — Or whatever you want to call him — What would you like to call him? — Call now! — Whoever comes up with the best presidential appellative wins — Appella what? — Tive — Chanfle — What do you win? — Another package of economic packages — Ha ha ha — That’s not funny folks — What’s economical about these packages anyway? — All they do is skyrocket our fares to cork their bungles — We should call these emergency packages the — What would you like to call them? — Call now! — Oh but what’s this? — Two of our neighbors are dropping in at the station folks — Radio Nuevo Día / la radio de tu tía — Guessing Doña Luz isn’t home — She isn’t but — Are you her grandson? — No but you’re on the air — I’m always on the air — Good one — Neither good nor bad señor it just is — There’s a song by Mecano about aire / soñé por un momento que era / aire — I don’t think Aurora here is saying she’s dreaming of air — That’s right don’t patronize us we’re always on the air but no one listens — Oh no Auroris don’t melodramatize us just because you’re on the radio this isn’t the Betrayal of Lola Montero — Don’t pile on poor Lola she already has enough with knowing she’s going to betray someone someday — What makes you think Lola knows? — It’s in the title of her soap opera bobita — Don’t change the subject I listen to you been listening to you since — Since? — Since before the plane for your president crashed against the Huayrapungo — He was just so young — Everyone’s still saying that the Americans blew him up because of his hydro gas laws — He was so handsome too — What with those giant eyeglasses like snow globes? — Remember how on election day the voting lines for the women were so much longer than the men’s? — Nothing to do with Jaime Roldós Aguilera being handsome the women just happened to dislike the dictadura more than the men — Remember that woman in line who told us about her sewing a replica vest for her husband like the ones Roldós wore and her husband complaining about it looking like a corset? — Don’t change the subject I listened to you after Pancho disappeared on you — Don’t bring up that botarate — I’m sorry — Apology refused — I’m sorry I was sorry — I thought you came over to listen to me because you were lonely — What? — Sometimes an inrush would come over me like a teakettle and I would close my eyes and see you all alone in that house and I would talk to you in my head ay Leonorcita I would say if you’re feeling lonely come knock on my door — Aurora Castellanos / psychic or loca? — And Doña Leonor would knock on your door? — Yes she always did — What else do you see when you close your eyes? — I see a squalid radio commentator asking me what else do I see — Ay Aurorarora sometimes you’re such a — No cursing on the air please — What? why not? — I thought La Luz de America said this was our radio — You know Luz hates it when you call her La Luz de America — You’re censoring us on our own radio? — Absolutely no censorship here ladies but children might be listening — Ah that’s true okay ay Aurorarora sometimes you’re such a — Teakettle? — That’s it — I boil all wrong mamacita — Come here viejita — No you come here — and Aurora and Leonor are embracing and Rolando’s handing Aurora the microphone that he’s been holding up to them and Aurora’s singing to Leonor la gallina turuleca / está loca de verdad — Remember that song? — Aurora la turuleca — Ha ha ha — Leonora la desodora — Aurora la encantadora — Ladies that’s the perfect segue to our contest about what would you like to call the interim president? — Puppet of the oligarchy — Very nice Doña Aurora — Pompous pajorreal — We’re warming up folks — Bestia con terno — Keep them coming comadres — Radio Nuevo Día / la radio al día — Up next how to cook a seco de chivo without the chivo — Baah — Speaking of chivos — El Loco is said to be returning from his exile in Panamá — Who’s voting for that thief? — If you tell me you’re voting for that Loco I’ll go loco — Has anyone seen the mansion of this leader of the poor? — Call now! — Speaking of crazy goats — Here’s a family friendly version of La Cabra — la cabra / la cabra / la loca de la cabra / la madre que la cuidó — Want to feature your goat on our show? — Call now!