Swift as Desire by Laura Esquivel Read Free Book Online Page A

addition to being a clear indication of their love for their daughter, was made so that their “treasure” could travel more comfortably as she accompanied her husband through “dirty little pueblos.” The car was worth approximately thirty-six hundred pesos. Now, without thinking twice, Júbilo said:
    “All right, I’ll bet the car!”
    Don Pedro smiled. He had been dying of envy since he first saw Júbilo arrive in his pueblo. Because of the car, yes, but also because of Júbilo’s beautiful wife. He eagerly desired both, and he felt Júbilo didn’t deserve either of them. And now the opportunity had presented itself to make them both his. He quickly began to shuffle the cards, but Júbilo interrupted him.
    “Except I don’t want to play poker anymore,” Júbilosaid. “I’ll bet you the car, plus all the money on the table, that Kid Azteca, who is fighting right now in the World Welterweight Championship in Mexico City, will win.”
    The offer was very tempting for don Pedro, but the trouble was that the bet was beyond his control. His tricks couldn’t affect the final result. He would be at the whim of chance. But since he was in the middle of a lucky streak and he had won that night more than ever before, he didn’t hesitate, and accepted the bet. The only problem lay in the fact that the fight wasn’t transmitted by radio, so there was no way to learn the outcome until the following morning, when the newspaper arrived. Since it was very late and there were only a few hours left before dawn, Júbilo suggested they count the money on the table, which turned out to be a veritable fortune, and that afterward they all go together to the train station to wait for the first train to arrive, which would bring the newspaper. As soon as they knew who had won, the winner would be given the money, and that would be the end of it.
    Everyone present, including don Pedro, quickly approved the suggestion and they all went to the train station. The little band was demonstrably excited about the unusual bet and there were all kinds of comments and conjectures. There was no one there who didn’t wish for Júbilo to win, since most of them hated don Pedro with a vengeance, and those who didn’t got pretty close. Júbilo preferred to remain silent. He had separated himself from the group to enjoy a cigarette. His gaze was fixed onthe horizon and his hands were in his pockets. His poker companions respected his right to solitude. They imagined the uncertainty must have been killing him. It never occurred to them that Júbilo was in that state because he was having a moral crisis.
    Chucho, his close friend since childhood and fellow telegraph operator, lived in Mexico City and was a boxing fan. Chucho had gone to the fight that evening, and had informed Júbilo of the result via telegraph before Júbilo had left for the cantina earlier that night to play cards. Before making his bet, Júbilo had already known who had won the boxing match. He had bet on a sure thing. And now the guilt was killing him. Not because don Pedro didn’t deserve a taste of his own medicine, but because he had broken the telegraph operator’s oath of confidentiality. The only thing that calmed him was knowing that Lupita and Jesús would have the money for their wedding and that Lucha, his beloved wife, would only be able to chastise him for his late return home, but not for the loss of their Packard.
    The feeling of depression weighing upon Júbilo prevented him from enjoying the exclamations of pleasure, the congratulations, the embraces of everyone gathered there. Their excitement was so great that the group suddenly lifted him up on their shoulders. The only one who wasn’t thrilled with his triumph was don Pedro. As soon as he had read the result in the newspaper, he turned and walked away, swearing to himself. He didn’t know how to lose. He had never learned how, and at fifty it was too latefor him to learn. He swore that some day he would