Horacio Castellanos Moya - Tyrant Memory

“My poor mother must be worried to death. And Mila and the kids. ”

“Truth is, Clemen, I don’t understand why you got involved in the coup. You’re not in the military and you’re not even very interested in politics; you just like to be a radio announcer, work in the theater, drink, the ladies. Why did you get involved?”

“Because we have to get rid of that son of a bitch. ”

“A lot of people think that but they don’t take the risk and participate in a coup.”

“And you, why did you get involved?”

“For me, it was simple: I’m in the military, and I swore to defend the constitution that scoundrel is violating. But you?. Don’t start getting nervous again.”

“My father is in prison. Doesn’t that count? There’s no freedom anymore.”

“You’ll excuse me for saying so, Clemen, but you aren’t anything like my uncle. He’s a politician, a serious man who maintains a strong stand in opposition to the general. But there’s no way I can see you as a politician. Did you think this was some kind of adventure that would turn you into a hero?”

“Man, dressing up as a priest really did mess you up. Now you want to confess me. ”

“There’s no way to have a serious conversation with you.”

“The only thing I know is that I’ll never get involved with anything to do with the military again. You guys are a fiasco.”

“Don’t let’s start on this again.”

“Defend the constitution.? Don’t make me laugh, Jimmy. You think I’m going to believe you that a turd like Tito Calvo or that mama’s boy General Marroquín got involved in the coup to defend the constitution? Who knows how much money Don Agustín offered them, not knowing they wouldn’t have the balls to do it right. ”

“Stop defaming the dead.”

“I hope that strike works, the one Mono Harris told us about.”

“If we couldn’t bring him down by force, there’s no way it can be done with a strike.”

“So then what? The motherfucker will be in power for the rest of his life?”

“That’s why we should leave any way we can.”

“What about the gringos? Why don’t they get involved once and for all and finish off that Nazi?”

“I already told you what Captain Masey told me: ‘You put him in, you take him out.’”

“How convenient for them, as if they didn’t have anything to do with it. Look at those clouds, Jimmy: really weird. ”

“You’re right.”

“A storm. That’s all we need.”

“No. It’s fog, a fog bank’s coming this way.”

“Along the coast? That’s strange. That only happens in the mountains.”

“Well, here it is.”

“Now there’s a breeze. I really can’t see anything, Jimmy. It’s so dark. ”

“Shhh. Quiet. ”

“What’s going on?”

“Listen. ”

“What?”

“A noise. ”

“It’s the waves.”

“No, listen.”

“. ”

“I’m going to row us into the mangroves.”

“Go on, then.”

“Lower your voice. ”

“I don’t like this foggy air; it gives me goose bumps.”

“We’ll stay here behind the branches. Here we’ve got cover and we can see if anyone is coming up the canal.”

“Jimmy, I can’t see anything.”

“Keep your voice down. Don’t you understand?”

“This is like a nightmare. I’ve never been somewhere like this, it’s so creepy. ”

“It’s just fog. Try to control your fear. ”

“At any moment some vermin can attack us from these branches. They say the bats in the mangroves are savage.”

“Something’s approaching. ”

“Where?”

“Over there, at the entrance to the canal.”

“Fuck!”

“Shhh. Sounds like a canoe. You see the glow? They must have a lamp on the floor.”

“Maybe it’s the soldiers?”

“I told you, Clemen, we can’t trust. Let’s hide.”

“They might be fishermen. ”

“I don’t think so. They’re staying on the other side of the canal. If they were fishermen, they’d go down the middle.”

“Don’t shoot, Jimmy.”

“Shh. Here they come.”

“I can’t see anything.”

“I can only see one silhouette. That’s it.”

“The soldier with the gold tooth?!”

“If it were him, there’d be two of them. A soldier never goes alone, they’re always in pairs. ”

“I saw him, Jimmy!”

“Maybe the other one is hiding on the floor of the canoe. That’s it: we can’t see the other one, but he must have his rifle at the ready in the bow and we can only make out the one in the rear.”

“It’s not a soldier, it’s a woman. ”

“How could it be?”

“Look at that hair.”

“It’s a helmet.”

“No it’s not, it’s a woman’s hair.”

“You’re hallucinating, Clemen.”

“Did you hear?”

“I hope they leave. I hope they leave.”

“It was a laugh. ”

“Quiet. They’re going past us.”

“The woman is laughing.”

“Luckily, they’re going toward the other end of the canal. If they come back this way, I’ll take them by surprise.”

“Didn’t you hear the laughter, Jimmy?”

“What laughter? You’re nuts.”

“This makes my hair curl. ”

“That’s from the humidity. You’re letting fear get the better of you. They’re leaving.”

“I swear I heard a laugh.”

“I just hope they don’t come back. ”

Friday April 21

Doña Chayito came over very early this morning, just as I was sitting down to breakfast. I wasn’t expecting her. I asked her if there was an emergency. She said this was the best time of day to shake off the police who are tailing her, even the ones prowling around my house hadn’t come on duty yet. I invited her to have breakfast with me; she said she’d already eaten, but she would love a cup of coffee. She explained that the time had come to show our opposition to the general’s intransigence, that if we allow ourselves to be intimidated, who knows when we will see our imprisoned family members again, we must seize the opportunity, take advantage of this climate of deep unrest the students’ arrests have generated throughout the society. She then said that we must call all our supporters to join the protest march from the El Calvario Church to the Central Prison on Sunday after ten o’clock Mass, but we must be sure to spread the word as discreetly as possible, keep it a secret, so we can take the general by surprise. She said it would be best if those who attend the earlier Mass or go to a different church not change their plans, to avoid raising suspicions, and they should arrive at El Calvario at precisely eleven o’clock, the time the march will begin. She explained the plan with excitement and great precision, as if she’d gone over and over it in her head. She said we should all wear black, and the men should wear black ties; we should all carry a piece of folded white cardboard in our handbags as well as a thick marker to write our slogans demanding freedom for our family members during the last few minutes of Mass without running the risk of being stopped by the authorities and caught red-handed on the way from our houses to church, and that after the march we can leave the signs in front of the Central Prison. I asked her whom we will ask to join us; she said everyone who supports our cause, but it is important we invite each person individually, not en masse, that way each person will take it upon him or herself to come and the secret will be kept, and we should never talk about it over the phone.

In spite of her doubts, Rosita has agreed to join the march. We went together to talk to Dr. Moreno’s wife, Doña Juana, who not only seemed excited about it but also acted like a seasoned veteran and had very strong words against the general; then we went to see Dr. Salazar’s wife, Doña Cleo, who was exactly the opposite and rekindled Rosita’s doubts, afraid that her participation in the march would hamper her son’s release. I had to remind them of my experience with Pericles, and especially that of Doña Chayito and the other mothers who have suffered with their sons, who are also students, being in jail for weeks now already; I tried to help them understand that the situation of our loved ones has gone from bad to worse, and the general has turned a deaf ear. I warned all three not to speak on the telephone about our plans or mention anything to anybody else, as there are spies and informers everywhere.