A car for Juan - Another part of a story

“It is life, rather than death, that has no limits.”

Gabriel García Márquez

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A car for Juan

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Caracas smiled at Juanchi, put on his best face, supported him and helped him get ahead. Over time, he was able to buy a ranch in a better place, near the "Los Leones" bridge, through an alley called "La Linea", an old railroad crossing. With much effort, he knocked him down and built a small house with two independent floors instead, always thinking about the business, despite having six children living with him and Vicenta, he preferred to build two small houses instead of a more comfortable one. Each floor contained three mini rooms, a living room and a kitchen with a bathroom included in the background. His idea was to rent the ground floor and live on the top floor because it allowed him to face the street above the house on the avenue and the one below had only a view of the wall of that house.

What Juanchi didn't count on was that his oldest son would return home from another city with a pregnant woman. Then and given that there was no way to fit upstairs, he lent his son the ground floor for a while, while he got his own place to move. But, the years passed and his son never went anywhere which caused quarrels between them. Living there, Joseph brought three children into the world: one male and two females. The firstborn died before his first birthday, but life continued, always in conflict with Juanchi, who kept reminding him: "He who marries, wants house".

Careful work and strict savings allowed Juanchi to buy a second-hand car, a Buick he called "brave," because he said he was faithful and handsome even in extreme circumstances. That car became the girl in his eyes, all he produced was for "Brave" and food; neither for clothes, nor for the study of their children, nor for various expenses; Vicenta had to deal with that, just, what produced her seam (which was not much, but she had to manage).

With "Brave" the family went for a walk to rivers and beaches, they traveled to their town on Christmas and holidays. Alcohol was no longer important for Juanchi, as his mind and energy were focused on saving to buy a newer car, after the sale of "Brave." And he achieve it! He could buy a brand new blue Ford Fairlane, which he worshiped, although he didn't name it, he simply called it "the fairlán".

With "el fairlán", the family enjoyed good times, since it was a car with minimal demands for spare parts, so it was enough to go far and travel to their city more frequently. But, one day when it was early in the morning, he went to get his car as usual, to the parking lot where he kept it and the car was not there, his Fairlane was stolen.

Juanchi filed the complaint and toured heaven and earth, looking for it. After three days, he recovered it, although only the shell, because he had nothing. Confused, he decided to sell it so as not to lose everything and began saving again, with an enviable force. After leaving the high school where he worked, he "killed tigers" with masonry work and on Saturdays and Sundays, the same. He did not rest, his will was married to the idea of ​​having a new car and, again, he succeeded!

Thus, he came to his life "Chepina", a ranch truck Fairlane that accompanied him on his return to the east of the country, to live in a city of the interior quieter than Caracas and close to his hometown, where he bought a good house with garden and garage. He set up a warehouse in a house wing and "Chepina" served him on his trips to the market.

All his children had already married when he moved and only lived in the house: he, Vicenta and "Chepina", who was like a spoiled granddaughter. With her, he went where he wanted and even transformed it into a taxi, when he wanted some extra money. Other years passed and still old, he drove. Then, he got sick and on his deathbed, he was watching her: - Take care of the "Chepina", don't sell it - he told the son that they had come to visit him. In those same days, lying in a rocking chair on the porch of his house, he looked at "Chepina" with sad eyes, looked sideways and closed them, but it seems that another car was waiting to take him to heaven, because he did and not return.

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By Zeleira Cordero @zeleiracordero.

17/08/2019

The images are from Pixabay CC0 Creative Commons
Car by ricardoadelaide
car by hansbenn

Cat
Simplemente Gracias

For your kind reading, simply THANK YOU.

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