Ondjaki - Granma Nineteen and the Soviet's Secret

“Go ahead.”

“Only if nobody squeals.”

“Go ahead then.”

“We have to dexplode the dynamite.”

We heard the sound of the Comrade Doctor Rafael KnockKnock’s white Lada turning into the square. It stopped right in front of us.

“ Buenas , Comrades!”

“ Buenas ,” we answered in unison.

“Is your abuela here?”

“ Sí .”

“Come with me.”

I winked at the others to indicate that we would continue our plan later and they made a signal that they had understood.

“You must have courage, compañero .”

“Why?”

“Your abuela is not well.”

“What’s wrong with her?”

“A serious problema . We are going to talk with her.”

“More serious problems! Jeeze!”

When we reached the veranda, the living-room door was slightly ajar, but Comrade Rafael didn’t knock firmly. He closed the door in order to be able to knock gently.

“KnockKnock! It’s Rafael.” He laughed alone because I no longer felt like laughing.

Madalena opened the door and smiled with that idiotic expression she put on when she looked at older men.

“ ¡Buenas ! ¿ La abuela ?”

“She’s right here.”

“Let’s go, then. Come with me.” He took my hand, which was another thing I didn’t like.

“Good day, Doctor. Forgive me for not getting up.”

“Don’t worry.”

“Madalena, offer the doctor a drink.”

“That would—”

“A glass of water, good and cold,” Granma Nhé interrupted.

“That would be very nice.”

“But, as there’s no electricity, we only have water without ice. Anyway, ice water is bad for the throat.”

“I understand.” With a gentle laugh, Comrade Rafael began to take instruments out of his bag. “We are going to measure your tensión .”

“As you wish. Do you want the child to leave?”

“No, no. He is a brave compañero , no?”

“ Sí .”

“All right. A little silencio, por favor. ”

“Unplug the radio, Madalena.”

“I can’t, Granma.”

“Turn off the radio, you hear me?”

Rafael KnockKnock strained to hear the heartbeat as everybody kept talking.

“But, Granma, the ‘off’ button broke.”

“Then take out the batteries, you dimwit. Is your head just for hanging braids?”

The radio went off, but the parrots in the yard started to shout. “Citizens of Sucupira,” one of them screeched in the voice of old Odorico. “The bloodythirsty bandit Roque Santeiro, son of a snoring, snorting mare,” the other shouted in the voice of Sinhozinho Malta. Comrade Rafael almost had to close his eyes to try to hear. The rooster crowed, too, and Senhor Tuarles began to press down on the accelerator of the broken-down car in his yard. The car didn’t work any more, but Senhor Tuarles liked to rev it up.

“How’s it look, Doctor?”

“Everything está bien with la tensión, don’t worry, Abuela . I’ve come to talk to you about something else — something more serious.”

“What’s that?”

“He said he came to talk about something else, Granma.”

“ Gracias, muchacho. Tell your abuela that I spoke with Victoria, her daughter…”

“Aunty Tó fought her?”

“No, I spoke to your aunt, who asked me—” Here Comrade Rafael KnockKnock did what the Cubans, and also the Soviets, always did: he started to speak more slowly but also more loudly to see whether I understood.

“Son, tell the doctor that in our house we don’t like people to speak so loudly.”

“I am sorry, Señora Agnette. I spoke with your daughter Victoria, who asked me to come and explain to you the seriousness of your condición .”

“My what?”

“Aunty Tó told him to come here to give you news, Granma, because I guess Aunty Tó doesn’t have the courage to come here and tell you the news herself.”

“Don’t start inventing things,” Granma Nhé said.

“I didn’t invent anything, Granma. Let him tell you what’s going on.”

“ Bueno …It turns out la situación is more complicada than I had thought.”

“He’s saying the situation’s real complicated, Granma.”

“You have a wound that is… How do you say, gangrenaded.”

“Granma, he says your wound is like a grenade.”

“No, no, muchacho , ‘gangrenaded’ is a technical term.”

“But that grenade is just a technical term. He means it won’t dexplode.”

“No, look, muchacho , seriously, you have to tell her: the wound is very bad and it is very dangerous.”

“The wound has a lot of danger and is really bad.”

“Oh my God.” Granma Nhé looked worried, the poor thing.

“It’s too late, we can do nada and it is very dangerous for it to stay like this. She will have to go to the hospital mañana and have an operation.”

“Operation?” Granma asked.

“Yes, Granma. He says the wound’s dangerous and they have to operate tomorrow.”

“I’m not leaving this house until I speak to my daughter.”

“ Sí . I comprendo but I have already spoken to your daughter. She is in the military hospital preparing everything.”

“He said he’s already spoken with Aunty Tó, that she’s in the military hospital to prepare things, Granma.”

“Very good.” Granma Nhé took a deep breath. “Drink your glass of water slowly.”

“¿ Cómo ?”

“Drink your water slowly. Slowly. I’ve already had one person making my life miserable over a glass of water.”

Comrade Rafael KnockKnock looked at me in search of an explanation that I was unable to provide.

“Drink the water, Comrade. It’s from the filter and it contains lye. You can drink it without worry.”

“I understand.”

“Now you can go, Doctor.” Granma spoke slowly. “I need to be alone.”

“ Bueno, Abuela , as you wish. We will see each other mañana . Take care.”

“Thank you.”

Madalena picked up the glass of water and I went to accompany Comrade Rafael to his car.

“Look, tell your Aunt Victoria that she must prepare her better. Psychologically, I mean.”

“What do you mean? What do I say?”

“She must speak with her. You see, mañana we have to remove her toe. If we don’t do it, there’s a danger that she’ll lose her foot and her whole leg. You have to be strong, muchacho. Adiós .”

“ Adiós .”

Outside, Charlita and 3.14 were looking at me with fearful expressions.

“Did you understand what he said?”

“I guess so.”

“And you aren’t going to tell your granma?”

“I guess she already understood. We’ll talk later.”

When I entered the house Granma Nhé was on the telephone with tears in her eyes, talking to Aunty Tó, who was also a doctor, and who must have been explaining everything to her. I heard the sound of the windows being closed and I thought that it was about time for Granma Catarina to appear.

Granma hung up the phone, wiped her tears and pulled me close to her.

“I don’t like to see you cry, Granma.”

“I’m over it now, son. Your granma’s not going to cry anymore. Aunty Tó will come here at lunchtime. She says she’s bringing a special little feast and that after she’ll explain everything.”

Granma Catarina appeared in the living room with her shawl over her head.

“Catarina! You gave me a fright.”

“Everything’s going to go fine, Sis, don’t worry. What did Tó say to you?”