Sunday
Feb. 24 1963
"Habla usted espanol?"
I asked her. Yeah, i think i wanted to make an impression. Getting her attention, she looked up at me,i sensed her confusion though and that was when i realized i actually spoke to her in Spanish.
"Do you speak Spanish?". I finally got myself to ask her again in English.
" Oh, sorry i don't...But i would love to learn". She answered smiling,by then the little crowd had left us,so it was just me and her in front of the church building.
"Oooo,i thought i heard you speak Spanish a while ago".
" No,that was French,i learnt it from the former seminarian that was here a year ago".
" Ohhh...That's cool,how about i teach you Spanish then you teach me French? I'd love to learn that too".
" Works with me"
" Sorry,my manners....My name is Rowland Brown..."
" Cual es su nombre?" I asked her.
" Huh?".
" What's your name?"
"Thelma Albert"
"A nice name...You are the catechist daughter?".
" Yes,his one and only" She said with joy.
" I see...Nice meeting you Thelma, hope I'm invited to your house later?".
" Of course, you are most welcome...What time should we be expecting you?"
" Hmmm....Que hore es?
"Es la una menos veinte?"
I was amazed " What the hell....I thought you don't understand Spanish?"
" Awuch,my big mouth. I finally gave myself away...Well not very much,the last seminarian didn't only spare time to teach us French during catechism classes but he also taught us Spanish, though it was more of French because he loved it more"
" So i know when asked the time and also the answer to that". She said.
" Then you should know when i asked you your name,i mean that's a common Spanish language".
" I knew when you asked that and i understood it too, but i was just surprised that you seems to be the only one in this church who doesn't know the name of the catechist only child". She smiled at me.
" My bad... sorry"
"It's okay...So when should we expect your humble visitation?".
I smiled at her,when I sensed the humor in her sentence.
"A las ocho"... I replied.
"Ahhh,bien!... Till then."
"Adios Thelma"
" Adios Rowland".
Overwhelmed with the enthusiasm of seeing her again by eight,i left the church premises to my quarters to prepare for my daily visitations.
