Chapter 6 Chapter Three (2)
In any case, she was the one who pushed the cousin into life.In the afternoon, after the drawing class, she asked her cousin to take her to the streets to see the city.Fermina showed her cousin the route she used to walk every day with Aunt Escolástica; the bench in the little park where Ariza had sat while pretending to read and waited for her; The alleys that followed her; this was the nook where they hid their letters; this was the gloomy palace that had been the prison of the Inquisition, and was turned into a school for the Feast of the Virgin, she thought. I hated it.
They climbed the ridge of the cemetery for the poor, where Florentino Ariza used to play the violin, taking advantage of the wind so that she could hear it from her bed.Standing on the hill, you can have a panoramic view of the ancient city: broken roofs and riddled walls; ruins of fortresses among thorn bushes; continuous small islands in the bay; dilapidated wooden shacks by the lake; and the vast Caribbean Sea.
On Christmas Eve, they went to the cathedral to attend Mass.Fermina stood in the place where Ariza's secret music could be heard most clearly and pointed out to her cousin the place where she first saw Ariza's frightened eyes up close on the night of mass.After that, the two of them boldly went to the "Ghost Writer's Gate", bought some sweets, and played for a while in the color-changing paper store.Fermina pointed out to her cousin that it was at that place that she suddenly discovered that her love was nothing but a mirage.She didn't realize that every step from her home to school, every place in the city, every moment of her vivid past, existed because of Florentino Ariza.
Hildebranda pointed this out to her, but she didn't admit it because she had never acknowledged that, for better or worse, the only thing that had crossed her life was Florentino Ariza's reality.
On those days, a Belgian photographer came.He set up a photo studio on the "Ghost Writer's Doorway", and anyone who could afford it took this opportunity to take a picture of themselves.Fermina and Hildebranda were the first to be photographed.They rummaged through Fermina Sanchez's closet, taking out the brightest clothes, parasols.The shoes and hats worn by the guests were divided up, and they were dressed like a medieval lady.Placidis tied their corsets, taught them how to wiggle in the wire racks of panniers, how to put on gloves, how to button high-heeled boots.Hildebranda picked out a wide-brimmed hat with ostrich feathers trailing down the back.
Fermina wore a less antique hat decorated with colorful plaster fruits and homespun rosettes.They teased each other as they looked in the mirror at daguerreotypes of their daguerreotypes, then laughed and gleefully went to take their first photographs.From the balcony, Placidina watched them walk through the park under parasols, staggering to keep themselves on their high heels, pushing their full body on their walker-like panniers.She blessed them, and let God keep them well.
The front of the Belgian photo studio was packed.He was taking pictures of Centeno, who had just won a boxing title in Panama, wearing his boxing shorts, boxing gloves and crown.It was not easy to take pictures of him because he had to stay in an aggressive position for a minute, breathing as little as possible.As soon as the Keeper of Order rose to his feet, cheers erupted from his admirers, and to please them he performed his feat over and over again.When it was the turn of the cousins, the sky was overcast and rainy, they let others smear starch on their faces, and leaned generously on a snowflake five-paste pillar, keeping a motionless posture was more than necessary time.It was an immortal jade photo.When Hildebranda died at her estate in Flores de Maria at the age of almost a hundred, this print was found in a closet in her bedroom, similar to a Letters whose handwriting has been wiped off by the years and whose feelings have become fossils are put together, sandwiched between the seams of the fragrant bed sheets, and locked in a drawer.For many years, Fermina had been pasting this photo of her on the title page of the family photo album, and then somehow or when it disappeared, after a series of coincidences that no one could believe , this photo actually fell into the hands of Florentino Ariza, when both of them were over seventy years old.
When Fermina and Hildebranda come out of the Belgian's photo studio, "Ghostwriter Mister Doorway"
The square opposite was crowded with people, even the balconies were packed.They forgot that they had white starch on their faces, chocolate lipstick on their lips, and ancient clothes on their bodies.People on the street yelled at them, and they hid in a corner, trying to avoid the laughter of the crowd, when a four-wheeled cart driving jujube mules and horses separated the crowd and drove over.The laughter stopped, and the hostile crowd scattered like birds and beasts.For the rest of her life Hildebranda would never forget the first sight of the man she saw getting out of the car and standing on the door sill, with his satin top hat, his brocade waistcoat, and his With a wise demeanor, you can't forget the tenderness in his eyes, and you can't forget the majesty when he appeared.
Although she had never seen him before, she recognized him at a glance.Fermina had spoken to her about him, almost casually.It was one afternoon last month, and Fermina was reluctant to pass by the house of the Marquis of Casalduero because the carriage with mules and horses was parked at the gate.She tells her cousin who the owner of the carriage is, and tries to explain her dislike for him, but says nothing about his pursuit.Hildebranda had forgotten him a long time ago, and when she saw him appear at the door of the car as if falling from the sky, with one foot on the ground and the other on the pedal, she recognized him. She didn't understand why her cousin disgusted with him.
"Get in the car, please," said Dr. Urbino to them. "I'll take you home."
Fermina was still hesitating, but Hildebranda had readily accepted the invitation.Dr. Urbino stood on the ground and helped her into the car with his fingertips, barely touching her body.Fermina had no choice but to follow her cousin into the car, her face flushed.
It was only three blocks from home.The cousins did not know whether Dr. Malbino was in collusion with the coachman, but it must have been so. The carriage drove for half an hour. They sat in the chief seat, and he sat opposite them, with his back to The direction the carriage is heading.Fermina turned her face to the window, feeling completely bewildered.Hildebranda was happy, and Dr. Urbino was happier because of her happiness.As soon as the car started, Hildebranda felt the warm smell from the leather cushions. The furniture in the car was well-arranged, and she said that she felt very comfortable living in it.Soon, she and the doctor were laughing, joking with each other like old friends, playing a kind of shallow game of lingo while talking.The game is to add a common syllable between each syllable.They pretended to think that Fermina did not understand them, but in fact they knew not only that she understood but that she was listening to them with all their attention, which was why they played.After a while, after some joking and joking, Hildebranda confessed that she couldn't stand the pinching of her feet in the boots.
"It couldn't be easier," said Dr. Urbino. "We'll see who gets off first." "
With that, he began to unlace his boots, and Hildebranda accepted the challenge.She took it off with difficulty, as the fan ribs of the pannier prevented her from bending over, and Dr. Urbino delayed until she laughed triumphantly and pulled out the two boots from under her skirt, as if they had just been caught in a fish pond. Like a fish, he took off his boots.At this time, both of them took a look at Fermina, and under the glow of the red sunset, Fermina's yellow crane-like lines were more delicate than ever.Fermina was angry, firstly because of her awkward situation, secondly because of Hildebranda's insolence, and thirdly because she was convinced that the car was making pointless detours to delay the time to get home.But Hildebranda was already off guard.
"Now I understand," she said, "that it wasn't the shoes that tormented me, but this wire cage."
Dr. Urbino understood that she was referring to panniers, and he seized the opportunity with lightning speed.
"It couldn't be easier," he said." "Take it off. After finishing speaking, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket with the quick movement of a magician, and covered his eyes.
"I don't read it," he said.
The blindfolded handkerchief accentuated the freshness of the lips between the round black beard and the pointed goatee, and she suddenly felt a flustered tremor.Hildebranda looked at Fermina's face, the latter's anger had turned into panic, for fear that her cousin would really take off her skirt.Hildebranda became serious and asked her cousin with gestures: "What shall we do?" Fermina replied in the same way that if she didn't go home, she would jump off the rolling carriage. .
"I'm waiting," said the doctor.
"It's ready to watch," Hildebranda said.
After removing the blindfolded handkerchief, Dr. Urbino saw that she had changed her face, and he knew that the game was over, and badly.After making a signal gesture, the coachman turned the carriage around and entered Gospel Park.At this time, the beacon keeper was lighting the street lamps.All the churches rang the bells for evening prayers.Hildebranda got out of the car in a panic, feeling uneasy that she had offended her cousin.She shook hands with the doctor informally.Fermina imitated her example, and when she tried to pull back her plain gloved hand, Dr. Urbino held her hand firmly with his middle finger.
"I am waiting for your answer," he said to her.
Fermina pumped harder, and the empty glove was left in the doctor's hand, but she didn't take it, and turned away.Fermina went to bed without supper.Hildebranda, as if nothing had happened, returned to her bedroom after dinner with Placidy in the kitchen, and then commented on the afternoon's events with her natural temper.
She made no secret of her great interest in Dr. Urbino, in his grace and sympathy.Fermina said nothing to her words, but the antipathy in his heart finally disappeared.After a while, Hildebranda told the truth: when Dr. Urbino was blindfolded and she saw the two rows of white and neat teeth in the red lips, she wanted to kiss him madly. irresistible desire.Fermina turned towards the wall and interrupted her without malice, possibly with a knowing smile.
"You're not shy!" she said.
She woke up repeatedly after falling asleep, saw Dr. Urbino everywhere, saw him laughing, singing, spraying sulfur sparks blindfolded, using an irregular method in another carriage on the way to the cemetery of the poor. Arrogant taunted her.
She woke up long before dawn, limp and with her eyes closed, lucidly imagining the countless years she would live.Later, when Hildebranda got up to take a shower, she wrote a letter quickly, folded it quickly, put it in an envelope quickly, and let Placidy know before Hildebranda came out of the bathroom. The dumb sent the letter to Dr. Urbino.It was a Fermina-like letter, not one word more, not one word less, it just said: Yes, doctor, go and talk to my father.
Ariza was devastated when she learned that Fermina was about to marry a European-educated doctor who enjoyed rare prestige among his peers and a wealthy descendant of nobles.Finding that his son didn't talk or eat, and stayed up all night, crying bitterly, Transito tried every means to comfort him and listed one daughter after another for him.For a whole week, he ate only once.Afterwards, she went to talk to Leon XII Loaisa—the only surviving of the three brothers—and didn't tell him why, but begged him to find a job for his nephew in the shipping company, doing everything. Yes, the only condition is: it must be in a port in the jungle of the Magdalena River Valley.There is neither a post office nor a telegraph office, and no news from this fallen city can be heard.The uncle didn't value the face of the deceased brother's widow, because the mere existence of this illegitimate son made him unbearable, but he finally found him a position as a telegraph operator in Via Reyva.Via Reyva is a beautiful city, more than 20 days away from here, and the altitude is almost 3,000 meters higher than Ventanas Street.
Ariza never realized it was a therapeutic trip.Like everything that happened in that period, he always remembered this trip through the lens of his own misfortune.When he received the telegram of the appointment, he didn't even think about accepting it, but Thugut convinced him with the German-style reason of his official career.
Teugut said to him: 'The telegraph operator is a promising profession. He gave him a pair of cotton gloves lined with rabbit fur, a prairie fur hat and a coat with a plush collar that had withstood the icy January in Bavaria. Uncle Leon XII gave him two woolen clothes and A few pairs of water-resistant boots—the ones the boss had left behind, and gave him a berth ticket on the next boat, and Transito changed his clothes to suit his son's stature—the son was not as big as his father, and he was bigger than the Germans. He was also much shorter, and bought him some woolen socks and a jumpsuit so that he would not feel lacking in the harsh climate of the cold plateau. Florentino Ariza was numb to the pain, like He helped his mother pack her luggage as if he forgot his own existence. He didn’t tell anyone the date of departure, didn’t say goodbye to anyone, and kept the secret as strictly as he kept his love in his heart. But on the eve of departure, he did In the middle of the night, he put on his Sunday clothes and ran alone under Fermina's balcony to pull the love song written for her. Waltz, this song is only the two of them are bosom friends, and it is also the song that has been with him day and night for three years and tortured him. He whispered the lyrics while playing, the violin was wet with tears, the infatuation, even the stubborn stone Nodding and sighing. From the first few verses, the dogs in the street began to sing, and then the dogs all over the city barked, but with the weeping music, the barking of the dogs gradually died down, and the waltz broke out in an eerie silence. The midday was over. The balcony windows were not open, and no one came out into the street, not even the night watchman who almost always came with a lamp to make a fortune from the serenading old and young. This scene made Florentino Ariza feel relieved. When he put the violin into the box and walked back along the deadly silent street without looking back, he already felt that he was not going to leave the next morning, but that he felt as if he had been away many years ago. He left with the determination to never look back.
The ship, one of three identical ships of the Caribbean Inland Shipping Company, had been renamed in honor of the company's founder: Pio Quinto Loaisa.It was a boat with a two-story wooden house on an iron hull. It was spacious and flat, with a maximum draft of five feet, which could cope with the ever-changing river bed.
The oldest boats were built in Sicinati, America, in the middle of the century, on the old model of the boats that run the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, with a turbine on each side powered by a wood-fired boiler.Like these ships, Caribbean riverboats have steam engines installed on the bottom deck, almost touching the water. The kitchen and those huge chicken coops are also arranged in this position. give up.The wheelhouse, the captain's and officers' cabins were on the top deck of the ship, and above that there was an entertainment room and a dining room where dignified passengers were invited at least to dinner and a game of cards.On the middle deck of the ship, there are six first-class cabins on both sides of the aisle used as a collective restaurant.On the bow, there is an open-air lounge with iron railings and handrails made of carved wood.At night, the steerage passengers hang their hammocks there.There was one difference between these ships and the oldest ships, though: instead of the turbine blades mounted on the sides of the ship, the huge parallel-bladed turbines were mounted aft, right under the stinking urinals on the passenger deck.Florentino Ariza did not look around almost subconsciously as soon as he boarded the boat, like a first-time traveler.He boarded the boat at seven o'clock in the morning on a Sunday in July, and in the evening, when the boat passed the village of Calamar, he went to the stern to urinate, and from the urinal saw the huge broad-bladed turbine working on his own. Foaming and steaming beneath his feet, turning with a loud volcanic eruption, he didn't realize he was traveling in a boat until then.
He never went out.What he carries with him is a tin box, in which are clothes worn in the alpine regions, illustrated novels he bound and made book covers out of cardboard, and those love poetry collections that he has memorized fluently and almost all of them have been read.He left the violin at home, which was too closely associated with his grief to allow it to bring back painful memories.But his mother forced him to take the luggage bag, which was a very popular and practical bedroll: a pillow, a bed sheet, a white urinal and a knitted mosquito net, all of which were wrapped in a mat and used Two agave strings are tied up, and the strings can be used to control the hammock in a pinch.Florentino Ariza refused to take them at first, feeling that they would not be useful in a cabin with ready beds, but from the first night on he could not but thank his mother again for her foresight.At the last moment a richly attired traveler came up, who had arrived that morning on a ship from Europe, and was accompanied on board by the prefect himself.He intended to transfer ship immediately and start on his way with his wife, daughter, a manservant, and seven gold-rimmed chests, piled barely on the ladder.The captain, a tall man from Curacao, finally aroused the patriotic enthusiasm of the native white people, and settled these unexpected guests.In Spanish mixed with Curacao dialect, he explained to Ariza that the richly attired guest was the British Minister Plenipotentiary, who was on his way to the capital of the republic.He reminded Florentino Ariza that Britain had provided decisive help in our independence from Spain, and that no sacrifice was worthwhile in order for a family of such noble origin to feel at home in our country.Of course, Florentino Ariza gave up his cabin for this.
At first, he didn't regret it.At that time of year the water level in the river was so high that the steamships passed without hindrance during the first two nights.After dinner, that is, at five o'clock in the afternoon, the crew distributed the camp beds to the passengers, and everyone found a place to set up the beds, spread their luggage and hang knitted mosquito nets.Passengers with hammocks hung them in the lobby, and those who had nothing with them slept on tables in the dining room, pulling over themselves the tablecloths that were changed no more than twice during the entire voyage.After nightfall, Ariza tossed and turned almost all night, unable to sleep, he heard Fermina's voice from the cool breeze blowing from the river, and the memory of her comforted his loneliness.Over the panting of the steamer as it moved through the fog at the pace of a monster, he heard her singing, and the song echoed until the first rose-colored rays of light rose on the horizon.A new day unknowingly falls on the uninhabited fields overgrown with weeds and lakes surrounded by dense fog.He thought that this trip proved his mother's wisdom again, so he felt the courage to forget the past and continue to live.
After three days of walking in deep water, the horizontal sandy beach and the bright and dark rapids made the navigation more difficult.
The river is turbid and narrowing. On both sides of the river are towering trees intertwined with primeval forests. It takes a while to see a thatched hut next to the woodpile for the steamer's boiler.Squeaking parrots and invisible monkeys jumping up and down made the hot noon even more sweltering. At night, the boat had to be tied to the shore to sleep. In this way, just because it was still alive was unbearable.In addition to the sweltering heat and mosquitoes, there was also the rotten smell emanating from the liquid meat drying on the railing, which was also unbearable.Most of the passengers, especially the Europeans, left their stinking cabins and spent long nights pacing up and down the deck, using the same towel that wiped off the perspiration that poured out of them, and flicking away every possible mosquito bite .By daybreak, everyone was exhausted and bruised and swollen from mosquito bites.
That year, the on-again, off-again civil war between the Liberals and Conservatives flared up again, and the captain took unusually severe precautions to maintain order on board and ensure the safety of passengers.He outlawed what was then a favorite pastime on the road—shooting alligators basking on the beach—to avoid misunderstandings.Later, during a dispute in which some of the passengers were divided, he ordered the confiscation of all weapons, promising to return them at the end of the journey.Even with the British envoy, the captain was uncompromising, and this one changed into hunting clothes early in the morning on the second day of departure, and carried a high-precision carbine and a double-barrel shotgun for hunting tigers.After entering the upper reaches of the port of Tenerife, the restrictions were tightened.In the port of Tenerife, passing a ship with the yellow flag for plague, the captain was unable to get any information about the alarm signal, because the ship did not answer his signal.That same day, they encountered another cattle ship bound for Jamaica, which told them that the plague-marked ship had two cholera patients on board.And told them that cholera was sweeping through the stretch of water they were about to drive through.Therefore, not only are passengers prohibited from disembarking at the ports of the next few stops, but they are also not allowed to disembark in those deserted places where fuel is loaded. ——In this way, during the journey before arriving at the terminal—for six days, the passengers have developed a habit of being in prison.In these days, people pass on furtively to each other, admiring a set of erotic Dutch postcards from no one knows where.But any "old man" on the river knew that it was just a small sample of the captain's collection of pornographic postcards over the years.Even this pastime of looking at plum blossoms and quenching thirst still ends up adding to the boredom.
Florentino Ariza endured the ordeal of the journey with that mineral patience that worried his mother and annoyed his friends.He had no contact with anyone.Time passed easily, he sat leaning on the railing, sometimes watching the crocodile basking on the beach motionless, opening its big mouth with dense rows of sharp teeth to catch butterflies, sometimes watching the grass rushing up from the swamp, sometimes watching The manatee startled the ship's passengers by feeding its cubs with its enormous teats while making a woman's cry.On the same day, he saw three bulging, greenish corpses with several bald eagles floating past them.The corpses of two men floated past first, one of them was headless, and then the corpse of a young girl floated by, with gorgon-like hair floating up and down in the waves of the ship. of.He never found out, and no one ever knew, whether the bodies were victims of cholera or war.But the stench that made people vomit was mixed with his thoughts of Fermina.
Over time, in his hallucinations, every event, good or bad, had something to do with her.At night, when the ship docked and most of the passengers were walking around helplessly, he read the pictures and texts again almost like reciting by the oil lamp in the dining room-the only light that was lit until dawn. booklet.He has watched the plot countless times, and after he replaced the previously created protagonist with his acquaintance in real life, there was a unique twist.He always reserved the role of unmarried lover for himself and Fermina.During the other nights, he wrote her heartbroken letter after heartbroken letter, and then the torn letters were scattered in the middle and east of the rushing river.In this way, endured the difficult time.
Sometimes he fancied himself a timid prince or ambitious suitor in a love story, and sometimes a forgotten lover as in his real destiny, until the first morning winds blew his mind. Sit in the armchair by the railing and beat your lungs.
One night, he stopped reading earlier than usual and walked absently in the direction of the toilet.In the empty dining room, a door suddenly opened as he walked by, a hand grabbed his sleeve with the agility of a peregrine falcon, pulled him into a cabin and locked it.In the dimness, he vaguely felt the naked body of a young woman. She was sweating and panting heavily. She pushed him on his back on the mat, unbuckled his belt and buttons, and then rode on him with all four limbs. , possessed him with the ease and joy of someone who has experienced it.The two struggled and fell into a bottomless abyss like a swamp where wild shrimps breed.When it was over, she lay panting on top of him for a moment, then disappeared into the darkness.
"Go away and forget about it," she said. "It never happened."
The lightning speed and success of the raid could not be explained by sickening sudden madness, but the result of a deliberate plan, thought out down to the last detail.This sweet belief made Florentino Ariza hard to give up, and in the exhilaration of reaching the peak, he felt a hole opened in his heart.
This makes him unable to believe, and even refuses to admit, that is: Fermina's illusory love can be replaced by secular sex.Therefore, he tried every means to identify the woman who had been on the battlefield and was strong enough for him. Her leopard-like instinct might be able to make up for his misfortune of losing love. He failed to get what he wanted. further away.
The attack took place in the last cabin, which was connected to the penultimate cabin, separated only by an inner door, and the two cabins were effectively transformed into four-berth family bedrooms.Inhabited there were two young women, a woman of considerable age who was still pretty, and an infant of only a few months.They embarked at Barranco de Lova, since the city of Mompox was excluded from regular shipping due to the erratic waters of the river, all passengers and cargo in the city have been changed to embark from this port.Florentino Ariza looked at them attentively, simply because they carried away the sleeping child in a huge cage.
They were dressed as if they were traveling on a fashionable ocean-going ship, with silk skirts with panniers, lace trims at their ruffs, and muslin flowers in their hat-bands.The two young women change their clothes from head to toe several times a day. The other passengers are so hot that they can't breathe, but they seem to be alone in the spring.The movements of the three women holding umbrellas and shaking feather fans are very neat, and it seems that they all have mysterious and unpredictable purposes in social life at that time.
There was no doubt that they were a family, but Florentino Ariza could not even make out the relationship between them.He thought at first that the older one was the mother of the other two, but soon found that she was not old enough to be their mother, and that she was still in mourning, and that the other two did not wear mourning as she did.He couldn't understand how one of them would dare to do something like that while the other two were sleeping in bunks a few feet closer.The only reasonable assumption is that she took advantage of a chance opportunity, or a well-known one, when she was alone in the cabin.He testified that sometimes two people went to cool off and did not return until late, while the third stayed behind to look after the children.But on a hotter night, the three of them went out together, and the sleeping child was placed in a wicker cage under a muslin awning.
Despite the first signs of cholera, Florentino Ariza hastily ruled out the possibility of an attack by the older man, and then the youngest one.She is the prettiest and the boldest.He didn't do it for good reason, simply because the concentrated alertness of the three women had induced in him a desire deep within him that the mother of the child in the cage be his dewy lover.This assumption seduced him so much that he began to think about her more than he did about Fermina, making him ignore the obvious fact that the new mother obviously had only the child in her heart.She was no more than twenty-five years old, slender, fair-haired, Portuguese eyelids, and repulsive.A fraction of her tenderness for the child is enough to make any man fall.From breakfast to bedtime, she nursed the child in the dining room while the other two women played Chinese chess, and after putting him to sleep she hung the rattan birdcage on top of the rail on the coolest side.Then he shook the cage gently, humming a love song between his teeth, and his thoughts left the boring travel and flew away.Florentino Florentino Ariza was convinced that if she gave her even a glance, sooner or later she would smile.He stared at her intently, seeing whether her breathing was quickening or slowing—seeing in the rising and falling frequency of the treasure she chained over the fine linen underwear.He looked over the book he pretended to be reading, staring at her openly.He also deliberately changed his seat in the restaurant to attract attention and sat across from her.Yet he couldn't see even the slightest sign that she was indeed the one who kept his other half of the secret.The only thing she left him was that first name without a surname: Rosalva—because her young companion had called her that.
On the eighth day, the ship sailed laboriously in the narrow, fast-flowing channel between the cliffs. After lunch, it stopped at Port Nare.Continuing on to Antimochia - one of the provinces hardest hit by the new civil war - passengers in the interior had to disembark there.The port is just five or six thatched huts covered with palm leaves and a wooden warehouse with a zinc roof. Several patrols composed of soldiers with bare feet, no shoes, and simple weapons are defending it.Word came that the rioters were planning to rob the ship.Behind the thatched hut, there are mountains overgrown with wild grass that reach straight into the sky.Along the steep river bank, the mountain is cut into a horseshoe-shaped cornice and bucket arch.None of the people on board could sleep safely, but the whole night was safe and sound, and they were not attacked.After daylight, the port turned into a Sunday market, where Indians crowded among the caravans ready to set off for the six-day trek to the Centro Cordilleras, selling woodworm amulets and love nectar.
Ariza watched with interest the blacks unloading the boat on their shoulders. He saw the Chinese porcelain in bamboo baskets being carried down, and the grand piano sent to the single girls of Embigado.It was too late when he discovered that Rosalva and his party were among the passengers who disembarked.He saw them half-squatting on the backs of the Negroes, wearing Amazon boots, and holding parasols in the colors of the equator. At this moment, he took a step that he had not dared to take a few days ago: he waved to Rosalva. This gesture of farewell, the three women responded with the same gesture, and the kindness made him feel sorry for his twilight boldness.He watched them turn a corner behind the warehouse, followed by mules carrying suitcases, hat-boxes, and the birdcage for children. Crawling left and right on the cliffs.Then they disappeared from his life.At this time, he felt that he was alone in the world, and the memory of Fermina buried deep in his heart suddenly dealt him a fatal blow.
He knew that she was going to get married this Saturday, and the wedding was going to be very lively, and he, who loved her the most and would love her forever, didn't even have the right to die for her.The jealousy suppressed in crying now occupied his whole heart.He begged God to let the lightning of justice strike Fermina to death just as she was about to swear love and obedience to a man who only wanted to marry her as a social vase, while he was at the moment when his lover, his Lover or anyone's lover -- gloating in front of the eyes.她仰面朝天地倒卧在大教堂的瓷砖地上，死亡的露珠，化成雪白的柠檬花流淌在瓷砖地面上，那瀑布般的婚纱，被散在埋在主祭坛前面的十四位主教的大理石棺材上。这复仇的念头一结束，他又为自己的坏心肠而感到后悔，这时他又看见费尔米纳安详地呼出一口气，从地上爬了起来，她虽然变成了另一个人，却是活生生的，他不能想象，世界上没有她还能成其为世界。他再没有睡着过，有时候他坐起来随便嚼了点什么东西，那也是因为在他的幻觉中费尔米纳和他坐在同一张桌子上，或者与此相反，那是他拒绝因为她而绝食。
有时候，他以这个信念来安慰自己：在纸醉金迷的婚礼上，甚至在蜜月的如火如荼的夜晚，费尔米纳会在某个时刻感到痛心，至少在一个时刻，但无论如何会有一个时刻，在她的良心里，会浮现他这个被嘲弄了的，被侮辱了的，被唾弃了的情人的影子，而那就会使她失去幸福。
在抵达卡拉科利港——旅程的终点站——前夕，船长举行了传统的告别晚会，船员组成了一支吹奏乐队，驾驶室里放起了五颜六色的焰火。那位大不列颠公使，以堪称楷模的克制度过了难熬的旅程，他用照相机猎获那些不准他用猎枪宰杀的野兽，而且没有一个晚上不是衣装笔挺地到餐厅去的。在最后的晚会上，他换上了梦克塔维氏部族的苏格兰上装，乐颠颠地弹了一回键弦琴，教所有愿意学的人跳他的民族舞，天亮前，人们不得不把他半扶半拖地弄回舱房。被痛苦折磨得萎顿不堪的阿里萨，躲在甲板上最偏僻的角落里，躲在听不见欢闹声的地方，把特乌古特的大衣裹在身上，试图抵御发自骨子里头的寒冷。早上五点钟他就醒了，如同一个死囚在赴刑前的早晨醒来时一样。 礼拜六整整一天，除f一分钟一分钟他想象着费尔米纳的婚礼上的每个时刻之外，他没做过任何事情。后来，当他回到家里以后，他才发现他把时间搞错了，而且一切都跟他的想象是两码事，他甚至开心地为自己的胡思乱想而感到好笑。
然而，无论如何那是一个痛苦的礼拜六，当他觉得到了新婚夫妇正从一道假门逃走，去享受初夜欢娱的那个时刻的时候，他以高烧结束了那个礼拜六。一个看见他烧得胡言乱语的人报告了船长，船长担心是一起霍乱病例，就带着随船医生离开厂晚会，医生预防性地把他送进堆满溪化物的隔离船舱。可是第二天，当人们看到卡拉科利的礁石的时候，他的烧退了，而且精神焕发，因为退烧药使他筋疲力尽之时，他已快刀斩乱麻地作出了决定：让那个所谓电报员的辉煌前程见鬼去吧，还是乘坐这同一条船回他的卡列?德拉斯?文塔纳斯去。
以他曾把舱房让给维多利亚王国的代表为交换条件，要求把他送回原地是不费事的。船长试图说服他，理由也是电报是大有前途的科学。船长对他说，这是于真万确的，他本人也正在发明一种电报系统来安装在轮船上。但他拒绝了种种理由，末了船长只好同意带他回去，并不是因为欠了他让出舱房的情，而是因为船长知道他同加勒比内河航运公司之间的真实关系。
下水旅程只用了不到六天时间，轮船在凌晨驶入梅塞德斯湖。看见捕鱼独木舟的一线灯火在轮船激起的回头浪中摇曳，阿里萨意识到他又回到了自己的家园。轮船停靠在尼尼奥?佩迪多港湾的时候，天还黑着，在古老的西班牙海峡疏浚并使用之前，那里是内河轮船的终点站，离大海湾还有九西班牙里。乘客们必须等到早晨六点才能登上出租小艇，让小艇把他们送到目的地。阿里萨心急如焚，登上邮局的小艇提前走了，邮局职员们把他视为自己人。下轮船之前，他一时冲动，做了个意味深长的举动：把行李卷扔进水里，目送着它在看不清面目的渔民们的火把照射下漂浮，直到它漂出海湾，在茫茫大海中消失。他坚信在有生之年不会再需要它了，永远不会了，他永远不会再离开费尔米纳居住的这个城市了。
黎明，海湾风平浪静。越过浮在海面上的泡沫，阿里萨看见了被第一抹朝霞染成金色的大教堂的圆顶，看见了教堂平台上的鸽子群，随着鸽子的飞翔，他看见了卡萨尔杜埃罗侯爵府第的阳台。他想，那个使他陷入不幸的女人，大概还在那座宫殿里睡眼惺松地倚在她那心满意足的丈夫的肩膀上哩。这个推测使他感到一阵心肝俱裂的痛苦，但他没做任何压抑这种痛苦的尝试，恰恰相反，他为痛苦而高兴。邮局的小艇在停靠着的帆船组成的迷宫里穿行，太阳已经热乎乎的了，公共市场上的不胜枚举的各种气味儿和海底散发出来的腐臭混杂在一起，形成了一种恶臭。来自里约阿查的那艘轻便船刚刚到港，一群群码头工人。站在齐腰的水里迎接下船的旅客，把他们背到岸上。阿里萨第一个从邮局的小艇跳到岸上，从那时起，他就没再闻到海湾的熏人臭气，而是闻到了从城里传出来的费尔米纳的特有气味。一切都散发着她的气味。
他没再到电报局去。他唯一关心的，似乎就是那些爱情故事小册子和他母亲继续给他买的那些人民图书馆出的书籍，他躺在吊床上，一遍又一遍地阅读，直到背熟。他问都没问小提琴在什么地方。他恢复了同最密切的朋友们的联系，有时也去打弹子球，或者到大教堂广场的拱门下边的露天咖啡馆去聊天，但再没参加过礼拜六的舞会：没有她，他提不起跳舞的兴致未了。
就在他中止旅程返回家里的当天上午，他得知费尔米纳正在欧洲度蜜月，他的心告诉他，她将留在欧洲居住，如果不是住一辈子，也一定会住许多年。这个念头，使他燃起了忘却往事的第一线希望。他思念罗萨尔瓦，旁的思念越淡薄，对她的思念就越炽热。就在这个期间，他开始蓄起胡子来，修剪得尖尖的整整齐齐的，决意这一辈子都不再剃掉它。他的行为举止改变了模样，取代爱情的想法使他慌不择路。
渐渐地，费尔米纳的气味不是那么经常出现和浓郁了，最后仅仅留在白振子花里了。
他整天浑浑噩噩，不知道如何继续生活下去。在奥贝索将军发动叛乱包围城市期间，一个战火纷飞的晚上，远近闻名的纳萨雷特的遗编丧魂落魄地逃到他的家里，她的家被一发炮弹轰塌了。特兰西托当机立断抓住这个机会，把寡妇领进了儿子的卧室，其借口是她自己的卧室时没地方了，实际上她是希望用另一个爱情使儿子从那个痛不欲生的爱情中摆脱出来。被罗萨尔瓦在船舱里夺去重贞之后，阿里萨没有再做过爱，他觉得在出现紧急情况的夜里，让那位寡妇睡床，自己睡吊床是不足为怪的。但她已经决定为他奉献了，她坐在床边上——床上躺着的阿里萨不知所措——开始讲她为三年前死去的丈夫感到无法慰藉的痛苦，边讲边把身上的作为守丧标志的皱纱扯下来扔掉，最后连结婚戒指也摘下来了。她脱下绣着玻璃珠花的塔夫绸内衣，扔在屋子另一头的一个角落里的靠背椅上，她把乳罩从肩膀上往后一扔，甩在床的另一头。她褪下了齐脚面的长裙子，镶边衬裙，解开了缎子腰带，脱下了守丧穿的长统丝袜，满地乱扔，整个屋子都铺上了她守丧的各种穿戴。她眉飞色舞地做着这一切，动作之间的停歇恰到好处，似乎她的每个表情都有进攻部队的炮声祝贺，炮声震得整个城市的地基都在颤抖。阿里萨想帮她解开紧身腰带的扣子，但她动作烟熟地抢先解开了，在五年的甜蜜夫妻生活中，她学会了独立完成做爱的各个程序，包括前奏，不需要任何人的协助。最后，她以游泳运动员的快速动作让镶边内裤从大腿上滑了下去。
她已经二十八岁，并且生过三次孩子，脱掉衣服之后，她那勾魂夺魄的魅力丝毫不减做处女时的当年。阿里萨百思不得其解，几件悔罪者的衣服，怎么竟能掩饰住那匹山区小母马的情欲。她在欲火的焚烧下，替他脱掉了衣服，她对她丈夫都没有这样做过，那是怕丈夫把她看做是个堕落的女人。她试图一举满足在守丧期间绝对禁铜的情欲，还是在五年忠实的夫妻生活中的无所适从和无辜。在这天晚上之前，自从她母亲把她降生人间，她从来没有同已故丈夫以外的任何男人在同一张床上一起呆过。
她没有因良心的谴责而内疚，恰恰相反。从房顶上呼啸而过的一个个火球使她难以人睡，她继续叙述着丈夫的美德，直到天明，除了抛下她而死去之外，她没责备丈夫任何一点不忠。最后，她聊以自慰地说，丈夫从来没有象现在这样完完全全属于她，他已躺在一个用十二颗三英寸长的钉子钉好的棺材里，埋在离地面两公尺深的地方。
“我感到幸福。”她说。“因为只有现在我才于真万确地知道，他不在家里的时候呆在什么地方。”
那天晚上她就除了丧，干净利落，用不着再经过那个穿灰色小花内衣的百无聊赖的过渡阶段。情歌和色彩斑斓、撩人心弦的衣服充满了她的生活，她开始把肉体奉献给一切愿意向她索求的人。城市被包围七十三天之后，奥贝索将军的队伍被击溃了。她修复了被炮弹撤掉房顶的家，并在礁石上修了一座漂亮的临海阳台，在刮大风的时候，可以从阳台上领略到巨浪的威力。这里是她的爱情之巢，她并非自嘲地这么自许。在那里，她只接待她所喜爱的人，在她愿意的时候以她愿意的方式接待，不向任何人收取分毫，因为在她看来，那是男人们在施小惠于她。有很少那么几次，她接受过小礼物，但这些礼物都不是黄金做的。她待人接物极有分寸，谁也无法挑剔出她行为不端的铁定事实。只有一回，她差点儿当众出丑，传闻红衣主教但丁?德?鲁纳不是误吃蘑菇致死，而是有意服毒自杀，因为她曾威胁他说，如果他继续死皮赖脸地纠缠她，她将用刀抹脖子。谁也没追问过她，那件事是否属实，她也一直闭口不提，她的生活也没有丝毫改变。她捧腹大笑地说，她是全省唯一的自由女人。
就是在最忙的时候，纳萨雷特的遣编也没对阿里萨的偶然之约爽约，而且是一向不抱着爱上他或者被他爱上的想法去的，虽然她始终希望找到某种既是爱情又不受爱情牵累的生活方式。有几次，是他到她家里去，在这种场合，他俩喜欢呆在海边的阳台上，浑身让充满硝味儿的海水泡沫淋个透湿，观赏曙光从地平线上升起，照亮整个世界。相当长一段时间，阿里萨都蒙在鼓里，以为他是她私通的唯一的男人，而她也乐得他这么认为，直到有一次她不巧说了梦话为止。听着她逐渐睡熟，他一点一滴地把她梦中的航海日志碎片拼凑起来，进入了她的秘密生活中的许许多多岛屿。于是，他心里明白了，她并不想委身于他，但又觉得同他的生活联系在一起了，因为她无限感激他，是他使她开始堕落的。有许多次，她这么对他说过：“我崇拜你，因为是你把我变成了娼妇。”
换个方式说，她这样说是不无道理的。阿里萨毁掉了她的正常夫妇的贞洁，这比毁掉童贞和编居守志更有过之而无不及。他教唆她说，如果对维持永恒的爱情有益，床上无论做什么都算不上不道德。自从那时起，某种东西就非成为其生活的信条不可了：他让她深信不疑，一个人降生尘世，带来的“灰尘”是有数的，由于任何一个原因——自己的也好，他人的也好，自愿的也好，被迫的也好——而不加使用，就算永远失去了。她的功劳是，把这一切都毫发不爽地吸收了。然而，阿里萨却弄不明白，因为他想比任何人都更了解她，为什么一个本领十分有限的，而且在床上会谋碟不休地谈她因丈夫去世而感到痛苦的女人，竟会受到那么多人追求。他想起来的唯一的原因是——谁也无法否认这一点——纳萨雷特的遗嫣功夫不足，但温柔有余。随着她逐渐扩大控制范围，同时也是随着他探讨自己的控制范围，试图在另一些人的心中寻求减轻自己往昔的痛苦，他们见面逐渐少了，最后终于没有痛苦地相互忘却了。
那里阿里萨的第一次枕席之欢，但他并没有象母亲梦想的那样同那个编妇稳定地结合，两个人都借此投入了生活。阿里萨发明了一些对他这么个人来说似乎是不可思议的方法，他寡言少语，表现腼腆，打扮得象个老古董。不过，他具备两点优势。其一，是慧眼无误，他一眼就能看出有那种愿望的女人来，哪怕是在一大群人里也一样，尽管如此，他还是小心翼翼地追求她，他觉得没有什么比遭到拒绝给人以更大的羞耻和侮辱了。另一点优势是，她们能一眼看出他是个需要爱情的光棍，一个流浪街头的穷光蛋，跟挨了捷的狗一样谦恭。他会无条件地听她们摆布，什么都不要，除了心安理得地跟他做爱之外，她们对他也无所企求。这两点优势是他的唯一武器，凭着这两个武器，他展开了历史性的然而又是绝对陷蔽的战斗，这些战斗都以公证人般的一丝不苟记录在一个暗语本里，其标题为。they.第一次记录，他记的是纳萨雷特的遗漏。五十年之后，当费尔米纳解脱圣礼判决获得自由的时候，他已经积攒了二十五个本子，记录在册的连贯性爱情达六百二十二次之多，此外还有无数建场作戏的风流韵事，他连发善心似的记录都不屑一作。
肆无忌惮地和纳萨雷特的遣编恩恩爱爱六个月后，阿里萨本人也确信他已经战胜了费尔米纳对他的打击。他不仅自己这么认为，而且在费尔米纳那差不多持续了两年之久的结婚旅行期间，他还向母亲特兰西托谈过好几次，他一直这么自信，直到一个倒霉的礼拜日，他心里无任何预感地突然看见了她。她望完大弥撒出来，挎着丈夫的胳膊，新环境的围观和奉承使她一筹莫展。那些原先曾对她嗤之以鼻并嘲笑她是个没有名气的暴发户的贵妇人，热切地向她问长问短，她们觉得她已经是她们中的一员，而她呢，也以自己的迷人风姿和她们打成一片。她那么自然而然地变成一个俗里俗气的妇道人家，阿里萨脑子里转了好几个圈儿才认出她来。她已今非昔比了：一身成年人的打扮，高筒靴子，轻罗纱帽子上插着一支东方的鸟毛，她身上的一切都变了，而且是轻而易举地变了，仿佛她天生就是这样的。他发现她显得空前的美丽和年轻，但可望而不可及，跟过去一样。没看见那宽绸衣下面隆起的肚子时，他还不明白是怎么回事儿：她已经有六个月身孕了。不过，他印象最深的是，她和她的丈夫是令人赞叹的一对，待人接物都应对如流，仿佛超然于现实中的暗礁之外。阿里萨既不觉得妒忌，也没觉得愤怒，而是深深地自崭形秽。他觉得自己贫穷、丑陋，低人一等，不仅不配得到她，而且也不配得到尘世间的任何女人。
她回来了，对生活中的巨变没有任何后悔地回来了。不仅不后悔，而且越来越不后悔，尤其是经受了头几年的挫折之后，到新婚之夜她还守身如玉，这对她来说就更加难能可贵。她到表姐伊尔德布兰达那个省去旅行的时候，就开始清窦初开，懂得男女间的事了。在瓦列杜帕尔镇，她终于明白了公鸡干吗围着母鸡咯咯乱叫，她看见了驴子交配的粗暴场面，看见了生小驴犊的场面，还听见表姐妹们那些不知羞耻的议论。
她的婚礼是上世纪末叶最热闹的婚礼之一，她是怀着大祸临头的忐忑不安举行婚礼的。对蜜月的焦虑，比她嫁给一个当时是独一无二的贵族所引起的飞长流短给她的打击还要厉害。自从在大教堂的大弥撒上散发结婚公告，费尔米纳又开始收到匿名恐吓信，有几封信威胁说要杀死她。但她对这些恐吓信只是源一眼而已，因为她能感受到的全部恐惧，都集中在她行将被奸污这一点上了。虽然她不是有意加以蔑视，却成为她对付那些藏头露尾的人的正确方式，那个阶级对历史性的嘲讽已经习以为常，在既成事实面前低头就是。就这样，随着大家得知婚礼日益不可阻挡，一切作对的人都慢慢站到了她的一边。她从那些被关节炎和伤感在去青春的脸色苍白的女人逐步升级的奉承话里发现了这一点。她们终究有一天明白了，自己的阴谋诡计是无济于事的，于是便不约而至地到福音公园造访，仿佛出入于自己的家门，并带给她烹调手册和一些表示吉祥的小礼品。
特兰西托对这些情况是熟悉的，但只有这一次才感受到切肤之痛。她知道她的顾客们在有重大庆典的前夕才重新露面，求她把那些埋在地下的罐子刨出来，把典当的首饰借给她们暂用二十四小时，付给她一分附加利息。很久没有出现过这种情况了，罐子被掏得一空，用长串字母作姓名的太太们穿是珠光宝气，一扫平素的寒酸劲儿，戴着早已抵押出去的首饰去参加婚礼。
如此盛大的婚礼，在本世纪是空前绝后的。最后的高潮是，由努涅斯博士为他们主婚，根据当时从最新词典上可以查阅得到的资料，他曾三度出任共和国总统，是哲学家、诗人和国歌歌词的作者。费尔米纳挽着父亲的手臂走上大教堂的主祭坛，名贵的衣装在一天之中赋予父亲一种值得尊重的假象。三圣节那天，即礼拜五上午十一点，在一个由三位主教共同主持的弥撒仪式上，她站在主祭坛前面，义无反顾地结婚了，连怜悯一下阿里萨的念头都没有闪过。这时候，阿里萨正躺在那艘不该载他的被忘却的轮船的甲板上，发高烧，说胡话，愿意为她而死。在仪式上，在婚礼结束之后，她脸上始终挂着宛如用白铅粉固定了的微笑，有些人认为这种表情是因胜利而自我解嘲的微笑，然而实际上是她用以掩饰新婚处女的恐惧的微薄的资本。
幸而，出乎意料的情况和丈夫的谅解使她头三夜没有经受痛苦。神灵暗依。远洋总公司那艘船，因加勒比海气候不好而改变了时刻表，仅仅三天前才通知要提前二十四小时启航，这样一来，就不能像六个月以前确定的那样在婚礼翌日才驶到里约阿查去，而是当夜就走。没有一个人相信，这个变化不是婚礼上的许许多多的高雅恶作剧之一。在灯火辉煌的船上，婚礼于午夜之后结束，一个维也纳乐团——它曾为约翰?斯特劳斯最新的圆舞曲举行过首演式——为婚礼伴奏。几位被香槟酒灌得醉醺醺的伴郎，正在询问船上的招待员，有没有空舱房把婚礼一直进行到巴黎时，被他们的急得象热锅上的蚂蚁似的太太拖到了岸上。最后下船的几位，看见洛伦桑?达萨正坐在港口酒店门前的街道上，那身华贵的衣服已经扯了个稀巴烂。他大声嚎哭， 跟阿拉伯人为死去的亲人号丧一样的号陶不止c他坐在一条臭水沟上，那汪臭水，简直可以说是眼泪汇成的水洼。
在风急浪高的第一天夜里，在以后的风平浪静的夜里，以至在他们漫长的夫妻生活中的任何时候，都没有发生过费尔米纳原先担心的粗暴。第一夜，虽然轮船是艘巨舰，舱房也富丽堂皇，但完全是里约阿查轻便船上的可怖情况的再现。她的丈夫是位殷勤细心的医生，为了安慰她，衣不解带，没合过一会儿眼皮，那是一位高明过分的医生所知道的用以对付晕船的唯一招数。不过，到第三天，过了瓜依拉港口之后，风暴停息了，他们呆在一起也已很久，进行过长时间的交谈，彼此已是老朋友了。第四夜，两人都恢复了正常习惯，乌尔比诺医生吃惊地发现，他那年轻的妻子在睡觉前不做祈祷。她对他实言相告：修女们的两面派行径，使她对宗教礼仪产生了对抗情绪，但她的信仰没有受到损伤，学会了默默地保持信仰。她说：“我情愿直接同上帝交心。”他对她的理由表示理解，从那时起，两人就按照各自的方式信奉同一种宗教。他们有过一段短暂的恋爱时期，但就当时而言，是相当非正式的，乌尔比诺医生到她家去看她，没有人在旁边监视，每天傍晚都去。在主教祝福之前，她连指头都不允许他碗一下，而他呢，也没试图碰过。那是风平浪静的第一夜，他们都已躺在床上，仍然穿着白天的衣服，他开始进行爱抚，做得极有分寸，当他建议应该换上睡衣时，她觉得是顺理成章的。她到厕所去换衣服，在此之前，她把舱房里的灯关了，换上睡衣出来时，她用抹布把门缝塞住，在伸手不见掌的黑暗中回到床上。她一边这么做，一边开心地说：“你想怎么样，大夫。这是我第一次跟陌生人睡觉。”
乌尔比诺医生感觉到她象只惊慌失措的小动物滑到了他身边，竭力离他远一点。
在那张床上，两个人躺在一起又不互相接触是难以做到的。他抓住她的手，觉得冰凉，因害怕而瑟瑟发抖。他把自己的手指和她的手指交织在一起，几乎是耳语般地对她讲起了过去的渡海旅行。她又变得紧张起来，因为她回到床上的时候，发现他已乘她就厕之机把身上的衣服脱光了，这使她又一次产生了对下一步行动的恐怖。
但下步行动拖延了好几个小时，乌尔比诺医生继续十分缓慢地说着，一毫米一毫米地获得她的信任。他对她谈巴黎，谈巴黎的爱情，谈巴黎的情人们在大街上、在公共汽车里、在炎炎夏日回荡着手风琴的忧郁曲调的咖啡馆里的百花盛开的阳台上亲吻，在塞纳港的码头上做爱，谁也不去惊扰他们。黑暗中，他一边说一边用手指抚摸她的脖颈，抚摸她胳膊上柔软如丝的茸毛，抚摸她躲躲闪闪的肚腹，当他觉得她已消除了紧张的时候，做了掀开她的睡袍的第一次尝试，她以其性格的特有冲动制止了他。她说：“我自己知道怎么做。”说到做到，她真的把睡衣脱了，然后一动不动地躺着，要不是她的洞体在黑暗中微微闪光，乌尔比诺医生还以为她已经不在那里了。
又过了一会儿，他又抓住她的手，觉得她的手暖乎乎的，放松了，还沁着细细的香汗，潮乎乎的。他们又一言不发，一动不动地呆了一会儿，他在窥测看进行下步行动的机会，她呢，不知从何处开始地等着，船房里越来越暗了，她的呼吸越来越急促。他突然放开她的手，跳了起来，用舌头舔湿中指，轻轻地碰了一下她那毫无思想准备的乳头，她觉得被电致命地去了一下，仿佛他碰着了她的一根活神经。
她庆幸是在黑暗中，没让他看见自己那滚烫的、使全身痉挛直透脑髓的羞红。“别害怕。”他对她说，声音十分平静。“别忘了我是曾经见识过它们的。”他听到她妹妹笑着，她的声音在黑暗中显得甜蜜而新鲜。
“我记得清清楚楚。”她说，“而且我的气儿还没消呢。”
这时，他明白他们已经使美好的希望俯首就范了，便又抓住她那又小又柔软的手，把热切的亲吻印了上去，先是吻在粗糙的手背上、鲜润的长长的手指头上、透明的指甲上，后来又吻在布满她的命运的线纹的汗津津的手掌上，她不知道自己的手怎么伸到了他的胸膛上，碰到了一片她没能捉摸出来的东西。他对她说：“这是块避邪披肩。”她抚摸他胸口上的汗毛，然后用五根指头抓住那整个一片，要把它连根拔出。“再大点劲儿。”他说。她试着加了加劲儿，加到她知道不致揪痛他为止，然后用自己的手去寻找他那只消失在黑暗里的手。但他没让她的手指和自己的手指交织在一起，而是一把抓住她的手腕，以一种无形的然而是恰到好处的力量把她的手扯到自己身上的各个部位。跟她的想象相反，甚至她跟她可能的想象相反，她没有把手缩回来。
她开心地笑了，笑得极其自然，他抓住这一机会拥抱了她，并在她的嘴上印下了第一个吻。她回吻他，他继续很轻很轻地吻她的双颊、鼻子、眼皮。她没有推开他的手，但自己的手却处于戒备状态，准备制止他再迈出下一步。她想起来的掩饰羞赧的唯一动作是吊在丈夫的脖子上，深深地非常用力地吻他。
他心里明白，他并不爱她。他娶她是因为他喜欢她那股傲劲儿，喜欢她的沉着，喜欢她的力量，同时也是因为他的一点虚荣心。然而，当她第一次吻他的时候，他确信，要建立深厚的爱情是毫无问题的。新婚之夜他们海阔天空地一直谈到天亮，但没有谈及这一点，而且任何时候也用不着谈这个。从长远看，两人谁也没选错对方。
天亮的时候，他们睡着了，她仍然是个处子，但做处子的时间不会很长了。果然，第二天夜里，在加勒比海的湛蓝的天空下，他教她跳过维也纳华尔兹舞之后，等他上完厕所回到舱房一看，她已经脱了衣服在床上等他了。是她采取了主动，毫不胆怯，毫无痛苦地怀着在深海里做爱的喜悦把自己交给了他。
他们在欧洲住了十六个月，以巴黎为基地，不时到邻国去作短暂旅行。在这期间，他们每天都做鱼水之欢，在冬季的礼拜日里，一天还不止一次，躺在床上调笑嬉戏直到开午饭。他是个精力充沛的男人，而且训练有素，她呢，生来就是个不甘落后的女人，于是他们不得不赞同两人在床上的本事是半斤八两不分轻重。经过三个月热火朝天的夫妻生活之后，他明白了，两个人有一个是没有生育能力的，两人都到他当过住院医生的萨尔佩特列雷医院去做过认真的检查。那是件艰苦然而又是劳而无功的事情。可是，在他们没想到的时候，在没有采取任何科学措施的情况下，奇迹发生了。第二年年底，他们回到家里的时候，费尔米纳已经怀有六个月身孕，她认为自己是普天之下最幸福的女人。两人朝思暮想的儿子，在一个黄道吉日顺利地降生了，为了纪念死于霍乱的祖父，给他取了个和祖父相同的名字。
无从知道，究竟是欧洲之行还是爱情使他们起了变化，因为两件事情是同时发生的。正如阿里萨在那个倒霉的礼拜日，在他们回家两周之后看见他们望完弥撒出来的时候发觉的情况一样，两人都变了，深刻地变了，不仅他们自己相互之间的关系变了，而且同整个外界的关系都变了。他们带着对生活的新观念、带着世界上的新鲜事物回来了，而且准备向他人灌输。他带着文学。音乐尤其是科学方面的新知识回来了。为了不跟现实脱节、他订了一份《费加罗报》；为了不跟诗歌脱节，还订了一份辆个世界杂志》。此外，他还同他在巴黎的书商达成了一项协议，让书商给他寄畅销书作家们的新作，比如阿纳托尔?法郎土和皮尔?洛蒂的，给他寄他最喜爱的作家如雷美?德?古尔盖和保罗?蒲尔杰的新作，但无论如何不要爱弥尔?左拉的书，他认为左拉的书难以卒读，虽然左拉对达率的观念有勇敢的突破。那个书商还答应给他邮寄里科迪样本中最精彩的新作，特别是关于室内音乐的，以便维持他父亲当之无愧地取得该市首屈一指的音乐会发起人的称号。
费尔米纳始终同时髦背道而弛，她带回了六箱过时的衣服，名牌服装并没有使她动心。隆冬季节，她到巴黎故宫去参加无可争议的高级服装之王沃斯的服装展销会，唯一收获是患了气管炎，卧床五天。她认为拉菲雷里不是那么野心勃勃和贪婪，她的明智决策是把旧货店里她所喜爱的衣服抢购一空，虽然丈夫谈虎色变地发誓说那些是死人的衣服。同时，她带回了许多没有商标的意大利鞋，她认为这比菲雷那些闻名退还的光怪陆离的鞋更好。她还带回了一把杜布伊伞，伞的颜色眼地狱之火一样红，使我们那些惊愕不已的新闻记者们产生了许多灵感。她只买了一顶雷包克斯夫人牌帽子，但却买了满满一箱假樱桃枝、她所看到的毡毛做的各种花束、一把一把的鸵鸟羽毛、孔雀毛帽子、亚洲公鸡的尾巴毛、整只的野鸡、蜂鸟，还有无数的稀奇古怪的晒干了的鸟，有的正在展翅飞翔，有的正在张嘴高唱，有的正在垂死挣扎，这些鸟在她晚年的二十个春秋里，使她那