Macedonio Fernández - The Museum of Eterna's Novel

“She paces her room; she passed in front of the window a few times and looked out through the curtains.”

“What’s she like?”

“You haven’t seen her? I’m going to the patio; finish getting dressed and I’ll come back and tell you a story; if you want, meanwhile, you can see her from where I’m standing now, she’s tall and very beauteous in form. Better see for yourself, I won’t say anything more. Don’t forget to remind me to tell you this story, whose title is:

‘The lady at home

At home without her.’”

Notice that by proposing this narrative, the crafty and sensitive Maybegenius found a way to change the conversation from the topic

that would have made Sweetheart sad: the President’s incognito visitor.

“Go get your story ready. I already looked, but I couldn’t make out the person. I’m going to say good morning to the President, I’ll go to his room and come back.”

Maybegenius, to himself: “Pretexts, curiosity; she is mortified by the unexpected presence of this unknown lady”—then out loud:

“If it’s just to give me time for the story, don’t bother, stay. I already have it ready; I thought it up just now; I can tell it to you just as it was told to me.”

“Wait five minutes, my friend.”

“How it pleases me to do your bidding!”

“The President isn’t there.”

“So? Does that frustrate you? So often he’s gone, but I am here now. And now I’m going too.”

Sweetheart, to herself: “I know that you’re here, good Maybegenius, but there’s a reason for you to suffer these stupid allusions to the President.” And then continuing the conversation:

“What are you doing here, Maybegenius, when you’re walking through this chapter on your own errand?”

“I was looking for the part of the novel where I could have life of my own; I thought it was here at the window of ‘La Novela,’ where we could breathe, where life would come for us both.”

“Why, Maybegenius? You know the President isn’t interested in life.”

“Is it possible, now that you have told me that I have your love? We don’t know whether the President can love; he seems unhappy. Why live this unhappiness? But we ask for life for ourselves, we who have found this tenderness. For the President, who is down on his luck, to only ‘exist as a character’ seems a marvelous stroke of luck; he owes life to those of us who are happy in love.”

“I can tell you… I don’t know what to tell you, Maybegenius, you are making much of an instant of love that palpated in me for you; now what I feel is friendship; that instant was real, but fleeting.”

She was telling the truth; in the spirit of their communal action, in the first hours of knowing each other, Sweetheart had fallen in love with Maybegenius for a day; Maybegenius knew it, and perceived that this love had faded by the second day. The Lover consoled him, saying: “Take this day of Sweetheart’s love and make it your eternity.” Maybegenius accepted this as his consolation forever.

“I don’t like this conversation; I will ask you to start this dialogue over again. For example, I would come to your door and, opening it halfway, I would make my voice and my gait just as the President recommended:

“Sweetheart, are you awake? Because if you aren’t, I’ll shut this window that’s letting in the light.”

“Yes, Maybegenius, I’m asleep.”

“For how long?”

“Since seven.”

“It’s two.”

“Very well, I’ll get up. What will Maybegenius do? (this is what you should have said).”

Sweetheart: “I don’t understand you; and the poor reader!”

“I said that you said, ‘I’m getting up.’ You’re right: ‘without knowledge of my presence?’ It’s hard to think for somebody else. What’s more, notice: I am the one doing the whole dialogue, but when it happens that you have to get out of bed, like now, you’re the one who has to tell me what to do.”

“Well then, stay here, and look away.”

“Very well, I’ll retire. Tell me something: I must conquer Lady Petrona. Sweetheart, what should I do?”

“Clean yourself up and tell her stories from the movies; I can’t think of anything else. Do you need her help?”

“I’m afraid I do, she must not divulge the secrets of ‘La Novela.’ But I haven’t cleaned myself up, as you suggested I do.”

“Yes, but I agree. I steered you wrong. How will you do it? Your face looks nice.”

“Now would be the moment in the dialogue when you again tell me: ‘Today I love you, Maybegenius, character in The Novel of Eterna and Sweetheart :’ But you say nothing.”

“I keep silent so as not to tell you that great characters, characters worthy of Art, never say ‘I love you’ like any other character would; no one who truly loves would think of saying ‘I love you.’”

“Oh, how I wish those were other words. But you do not have them for me. . I’ll press on in my preparations for my mission. Tonight I’ll rehearse a little, and if this helps I’ll tell you what I rehearsed. What’s too bad is that reading Lombroso filled me with enthusiasm; it would appear that this man of genius is mentally ill. The President assures me otherwise, that Lombroso is very much a genius and not at all a lunatic.”

“But how silly, to talk about genius! So much so that there’s none to be found around here.”

“Nevertheless. I am very sane.”

“What luck! That’s the important thing. But what makes you say that now?”

“It’s just that I think a lot.”

“And you don’t get confused?”

“No, it’s not that. When I’m confused, it’s about something else.”

“I hadn’t thought.”

“And how am I to resolve all the problems we have with the President, who is himself disquieted, if I don’t think? If he weren’t so preoccupied, he’d have had Petrona silent and compliant, all it would have taken is one enchanting visit.”

“It’s better if you go; don’t tell him anything else about it. You’ll have a good time on this mission, it will give you something to tell us about at night.”

“If it comes out badly I won’t want to tell you anything. But I’ll do a lot of thinking.”

“It seems like you’re always thinking.”

“I believe so; it’s a facility I’ve got.”

“And does the President really work so hard? Make me a sweet mate (I haven’t had breakfast yet), and I’ll ask you a few things.”

“Fine. Where are the mate things?”

“There, you don’t see?”

“Ah yes, I’ll prepare it. Thinking it over, I realize that I, too, have time to take mate. I’ve already guessed what you want to ask me: the letter that he received, and the lady who arrived afterwards.”

“Ah, there was a letter?”

“Here the dialogue would change, and I would beg you to relive what happened during those two hours in the kitchen, the day you arrived.”

“It didn’t even occur to you to ask my name, or why I had come. I thought the first words I pronounced here would be: ‘My name is Maria Luisa.’ Why didn’t you let me say that, since I like to say my name and I had been practicing the whole way here? Though it’s true it wasn’t really my name, and I had forgotten to make up a last name.”

“Your name was clear as day; I knew it the moment I saw you; your name is Welcome.”

“You took my suitcase, and you said, ‘Come with me.’ But now

I’m going to get dressed, Maybegenius, there’s barely time to tidy his office.”

“It’s a lot of work with all those glasses he wants shining when they’re filled with water.”

“And the paintings?”

“What paintings?”