Tía Clema's assistant was the talk of the town. He spoke little and took to doing as he was told, but nonetheless managed to attract attention for the simple reason that he was handsome. Raúl Guacamayo could be described as a silent beauty, possessing a catlike stance and head of sleek, long hair shining vitreously under direct sunlight, as if spun from volcanic glass. Pelo indio it was called, the envy of girls and women alike. It was a common enough occurrence for people to stop by the Malvales' house in hopes of glimpsing at him through the window. Sometimes they'd be successful, and other times it would seem he wasn't even there, but a macaw would be there to greet them instead.
Raúl was a modern-day hyacinthus, to be precise, beloved so much by the sun it kissed his skin brown.
Where the hell he came from wasn't so much an issue as was his skill. Raúl hardly ever opened his mouth to talk, but more than made up for it with his dexterity and unparalleled cooking. A week after Tía Clema had been released from the hospital, the Sierras visited once again to be greeted not only by her, but Cristobal (her husband) and Siempreviva, too - the latter of whom raced as fast as she could on her old, shoddy legs to hug the twins. "I trust you've been good since we last met?" she asked.
Raúl would be at work in the background, stubbornly staying in the kitchen despite Tía Clema's insistence he take a break and say hi.
"He's always been like that," Siempreviva said. "Sitting there all quiet like cat's shit. Leave him be."
YOU ARE READING
To Give Papaya and Suck a Rooster
FantasyOn the island of Chisquitán, a part of the Islas Esmeraldas archipelago, there exists only a few towns and a swathe of untouched jungle. It isn't as popular an attraction as other places. The bustling city San Felipe, for example, is only a ferry or...
