Chapter 35 Eros doesn't care

Sitting around the breakfast table of a Mexican hotel, three middle-aged women, their coats draped loosely over their shoulders, were part of the class of ladies in the upper-class suburbs of Philadelphia. "Give me some coffee, please," Miss Ellen Yarnell said to the waiter in Spanish.She has traveled abroad and knows how to deal with foreign waiters. "Well, the coffee needs to be half hot." It was Mrs. Vera Joulet, the oldest of the three, who was feeling the coldness of the Mexican breakfast. 1 The third lady, Miss Lucy, didn't say a word, but just looked at her watch. It was time for Mario to arrive.After a while, the waiter put a half-hot pot of coffee on their table.

"I think, Lucy," said Ellen, "it might be a good idea to have Mario come early. Then we can go out and have a hot one: a better breakfast." "Mario has done a lot for us," Lucy said.When the name of this young Mexican tour guide was mentioned, her face flushed slightly with excitement.She was agitated and blushing because her girlfriend had mentioned him and she was imagining his strong, even rough Mexican legs.She saw those legs yesterday as their Mexican guide rowed them to the Chimicco Water Gardens. In fifty-two years of quiet celibacy, Miss Lucie Brown probably never thought of a man's legs (certainly not at the breakfast table).It was a disconcerting change in the month since arriving in Mexico.Such a change may have occurred long ago, when her ailing father had just died and left her an unexpected inheritance.But Miss Lucy herself didn't realize the existence of this change until the day she met Mario here.

From the beginning of the day, she felt that it would be an eventful day.When waking up in a sun-filled hotel bedroom.Lucie felt a sense of freedom awakening.This feeling has always existed, faintly shaking her solemn soul.At breakfast it lingered in the yard where the dining table was set.There was also the chatter of her female companions (who actually paid for the trip on Lucie's behalf) floating on the table.But neither Vera's complaints about the cold morning air nor Ellen's snobbish comments about Tasik could interrupt the feeling. For Miss Lucie, there seemed to be only Philadelphia in life, and Tasik, with its faded pink roofs and attic feather-shaped churches, was an impossible dream: a rosy city, almost as old as time...  

That day, when she saw the ring, was perhaps the happiest moment of her journey. In a silverware shop in Leaf Square, when Vera and Ellen were bargaining with the owner for a silver jug, Lucy found the ring.In her eyes, it was not elegant, it could almost be said to be vulgar. The face of the Zhaoyao ring was a huge but worthless sapphire, and the ring setting was made of silver.But there seemed to be a mysterious light shining in the ring that attracted Lucy.She put the ring on her finger so it reflected the morning sun.She felt it eclipsed her mother's engagement ring, even though that engagement ring was worth fifty times more than the jeweled ring.Miss Lucie felt an inexplicable excitement.Glancing at Vera and Ellen's sullen backs, she began to take the rings off her fingers.

But the ring did not budge on the finger when Vera and Ellen turned, saw it, and exclaimed softly, "Lucie, it's so beautiful." "Like an engagement ring." Miss Lucie blushed again. "Don't be silly, I'm just trying, it's too young for me. Putting it on I look..." She continued trying to get it off.The Mexican shopkeeper whispered compliments nearby. "Come on," said Ellen, "buy it." "It's really annoying, but it seems that I can't get it off, I think I have to..." Miss Lucy bought it for far more than the value of the sapphire ring.Still, the money meant nothing to her, and Ellen was in charge of the financial aspects of the trip, for she was "good at it."Because the ring got stuck on Miss Lucie's finger, she wanted to haggle with the shopkeeper, but Miss Lucie said, "I'll get it off with soap and hot water when I get back to the hotel." But she has never been able to get the ring off. Get it off your fingers.

In Tasik City, Miss Lucy seemed particularly energetic.Vera and Ellen were resting in their room before dinner, trying to relieve the soreness in their feet, and she decided to go to Santa Prisca Church in the square again.When she visited this church for the first time, she always felt uncomfortable with her female companion. She wanted to experience its unique atmosphere alone in the deserted, dark and simple church.That atmosphere was different from that of the church in Lucie's hometown. Through the oak door, Miss Lucy stepped into the church hall, and the altar decorated with gold leaf flowers and angels loomed in front of her.An old peasant woman, dressed in black, holds a candle on the statue of the Virgin.A dog ran into the church, looked around, and ran out again.These little scenes gave Miss Lucy a strange feeling.

Catholic and exotic, they seemed to beckon to her.An impulse she could not explain made her kneel, imitate the old peasant woman, and began to pray.Her sapphire ring shone as strangely in the gray candlelight as the cathedral. Miss Lucie knelt only for a moment, and when she stood up she felt a figure on her right.She turned her head and saw a Mexican boy.Dressed in spotless white, he knelt a few yards away, his thick black hair glinting slightly on his devout brow.Their eyes met as Miss Lucie stood up.It was only a brief glimpse, but his face made a vivid impression on her.Miss Lucie saw his brown skin, his peculiar eyes, and a kind of deep and gentle patience.In short, the brief encounter made her feel that she had seen some of the hearts of strange people in this strange city.The brief encounter made Miss Lucy remember the Mexican boy.Of course she wouldn't tell Vera and Ellen about that.

Miss Lucie left the church and walked towards the hotel in a cheerful mood.The evening sun was getting darker, and when she walked through the crowded market to the street leading to the hotel, it was already night.There were not many people on the street, and the sound of her footsteps echoed on the cobblestone road, making her sound extremely lonely, as the shadow of a man staggered towards her.At this time, there was no third pedestrian on the street except them, but Miss Lucy was not afraid, she just reminded herself that there was a drunk in front of her, and she had to stay away from him.The drunk man staggered closer and closer. Miss Lucy wanted to turn back to the market behind, but she quickly dismissed the idea. She was an American and would not be hurt.She walked on.

But the fear is still there.When she walked up to the man, he stared at her, waved at her, and asked for money.It was a bearded bum, reeking of alcohol, and speaking Spanish she didn't understand.Miss Lucie guessed from his gestures and expression that he was begging.But she has little sympathy for these street bums.She shook her head, ready to move on. A dirty hand tugged at her sleeve, and the unintelligible Spanish rang out again.She shook the hand away vigorously. There was an angry look in the man's eyes, and he raised his arms in exasperation. Obviously the bum didn't want to hurt her, but Miss Lucy instinctively stepped back, and the heel of her shoe caught in a crack in the flagstones of the pavement, and she fell.She lay there unable to get up, her ankle was sprained.

The homeless man stood next to her.Then Miss Lucie felt real terror.An involuntary, sudden terror overwhelmed her. Suddenly, in the shadows on the side of the street, another man's figure appeared, a neat man in white. Miss Lucie could not see his face, but she knew it was the lad in church.She saw him push the bum away and tell him to go.The tramp looked back and staggered away. Miss Lucy felt that a person's face was very close to her own, and then a strong hand supported her back and helped her up.She couldn't understand what the young man was saying, but his tone was gentle and caring.

"Ma'am," he said, looking in the direction the tramp had left, "he's gone." The young Mexican's teeth gleamed white in the moonlight.He went on: "My name is Mario, and I come from the church. Let me take you back to the hotel, okay? " Miss Lucy's ankle hurt so much that Mario took her all the way to the hotel and back to her room.Her situation caused a flurry of confusion between Vera and Ellen.Seeing Mario still standing by with concern, Ellen picked up her bag and asked, "How much should we give him, Lucy?" But Miss Lucy didn't want to do that, and said, "No, the money is the right thing for this." Young people would be an insult." Mario seemed to understand what she said, and he also said a few words, but Miss Lucy couldn't quite understand her.Finally Mario took her hand with the sapphire ring, kissed it, bowed, and left the room. That's how Mario got into the lives of these three ladies, and it's clear he doesn't want to leave them anytime soon.The next morning, he came to the hotel and found Miss Lucy. This time Miss Lucy saw his face for the first time.He is not very handsome, his eyelashes are very long, but the eyes are too close together.There is a mustache on the thick lips, but the beard is sparse and not very good-looking.Only his fingers are strong and slender.Overall, there is something warm and believable about this lad. He explained that he was a college student and wanted to earn some money during the holidays, so he hoped to be a tour guide for the ladies.Since Miss Lucy's ankle was sprained, he proposed to hire a car for them, and he would also be the driver.And he asked for surprisingly little, and insisted that he didn't need to pay more. The next day he rented a car, and the cheap rent satisfied even the budget-minded Miss Ellen.So Mario began to take them to play between various scenic spots enthusiastically and earnestly. Lady Lucy was delighted by the company of the neatly dressed Mario, and indeed all three ladies were delighted.He made a lot of excursion plans for them.One day, he took them to climb Mount Popkabet, and for several hours, they were thrilled in front of the most beautiful and mysterious mountain in the world.Sometimes when Mario and Miss Lucy were alone together, Mario always held Miss Lucy's hand in his palm and stroked it gently. It was Mario's way of telling her, bypassing the language barrier, how happy he was to share this wonderful trip to Mexico with her.Caught by his strong hand, the ring on Miss Lucy's finger tightened again, but she didn't feel any pain, what she felt was another feeling completely different from pain. After the visit to Pope Kabet, Miss Lucy decided that it was time to leave Tasik and go to Mexico City. She sent Ellen to tell Mario that his mission was over, and she sent Ellen to bring an extra few hundred pesos.Ellen told Mario, but Mario did not accept the money, but found Miss Lucy.He told her that many people in Mexico City were not friendly. He stretched out his strong arms and said that he wanted to continue to take care of them and introduce them to the scenery of Mexico City.His strong arms waved as if embracing the sky, the sun, and the mountains of Mexico.His black eyes and long eyelashes hugged Miss Lucy. Miss Lucy felt that there seemed to be an instinct prompting her to agree to Mario's request.Mario came to Mexico City with them.In the second week after arriving in Mexico City, they decided to visit the Mexican pyramids. As usual, Miss Lucy and Mario sat in the front row.He is an excellent driver. Miss Lucy likes to see his profile when he is concentrating on driving, and also likes to hear him muttering to himself from time to time, but she doesn't like his eyes fixed on her face, and then slid down to her chest. His gaze made her uncomfortable, and she said to him in English, "Mario, you're the American kind of playboy. You must know a lot of girls." At first he didn't seem to understand.After a moment of silence, he said, "Girl, playboy, are you talking about me? No." He reached into his pocket and took out a photo, "Ma'am, this is my girl..." Miss Lucy took the photo , and found that it was a woman older than herself.Her hair was gray, her eyes were large and sad, and years and disease had left fine lines on her face. "It's your mother!" said Miss Lucy. "Tell me about her, will you?" Mario tried to tell her his mother's story in words she could understand.Her mother was very poor, and lived in a small village called Gudros all her life, raising a group of fatherless children with difficulty, like a saint in the world.Miss Lucie heard from his words an almost adoring love for her mother. After hearing Mario's words, Miss Lucy decided that before her trip ended, she would ask Mario for his mother's address, and then send her a sum of money so that she could help Mario finish college.Maybe her son will be hard to convince because of his excessive self-esteem, but as a mother, she will accept it. "Is that a pyramid?" Ellen's voice interrupted Miss Lucy's thoughts. "Well, they're no match for the pyramids in Egypt," continued Ellen. But Miss Lucy was moved by the two pyramids of the sun and the moon.Gazing at the dark, ancient pyramids, she felt a strange sense of excitement.She also encountered this feeling in the church in Tasik City. "I can't climb these stone steps," said Ellen discouraged. "I'm too old and too hot." Even though Vera didn't feel the heat, she was old too.Standing at the bottom of the pyramid, with her clothes draped over her shoulders and a cigarette she never left, she said, "Go, Lucy, you are still young and active." So Lucy and Mario started to climb up. With Mario's help, she climbed to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun.Although the steep stone steps made her breathless, the feeling of climbing to the top of the tower was really good. There are only two of them on the top of the tower, and they sit together.One is a rich lady from Philadelphia, and the other is a young man from a remote village, sitting next to each other.They looked at the vast plain, where ancient villages and their temples were scattered, and looking down they could see the road called the Way of Death leading from the temple to the Pyramid of the Moon.Mario began to tell her the story of the sacrifice ceremony.In the past, this ceremony was held once a year. Miss Lucy half-closed her eyes, and while listening to his words, she imagined the situation at that time: the crowd flocked to the plain under their feet; Mario, of course. Mario is a sacrifice offered by the villagers, and he will be offered to the gods.She felt pity for him, and she stretched out her hand—the left hand with the ring that couldn't be taken off. Her hand found his, and was gently held by his warm and strong fingers...Lucie Little did the lady know when Mario embraced her, his head hanging on her breast.It wasn't until she smelled the sweet scent of his skin and shampoo in his hair that she woke up suddenly.She jumped up suddenly, seeming to come back to her eyes from the time of several centuries, remembering that there were still two female companions waiting at the bottom of the tower, and remembering that there were still many stone steps to go down. On the way back to Mexico City, Mademoiselle Lucie decided to take the seat in the back with Vera herself and moved Ellen to the front with Mario. When we got back to the hotel, Miss Lucy said: "Tomorrow is Sunday, Mario, you'd better have a rest and don't come to accompany us." He began to object to the suggestion.When Lucy repeated: "No, not tomorrow, Mario." The expression on his face was that of a disappointed child.But soon his expression changed, and his eyes met hers defiantly. Back in the room, Miss Lucy felt her heart beating violently.What that look represented was something she had never dared to dream about before.She understood that it was a longing look. For some reason, which she could not understand, and which had never been dreamed in her heart, Mario was after her. He is passionately pursuing her.Before going to bed that night, Miss Lucie did a few things she had never done before. She stood in front of the long mirror in the bedroom for a long time in her pajamas, and she really felt that she was a woman. She didn't see anything new and amazing about herself.But it's just that her appearance doesn't reflect the amazing changes that are going to happen and have happened in her heart. She is not beautiful, not even when she was young, and now she is middle-aged.Her hair, which was nearly gray, fell loosely over her forehead.Her eyes were still clear and full of joy, but around them were the shadows and wrinkles that the years had left her with. Under the pajamas, her breasts were still firm, but her figure was no longer in shape.In fact, there was nothing attractive about her face or figure.And she was pursued.She knew that a handsome young man from Mexico felt something attractive about her. Miss Lucie was not ignorant of many things, and she knew of many young men who courted older women and in fact hoped to end up inheriting their fortunes.But Mario didn't even know that Miss Lucy was the richest of the three, except that she refused any extra payment.Only a lawyer in Philadelphia and some members of her family know how much she really owns.No, if Mario was doing it for money, he should have set his sights on Ellen.Ellen held their purse strings, and at no time would anyone know that the money in her hands actually belonged to Lucie. There was nothing rich about the plain, drably dressed Miss Lucie.Her mother's engagement ring contained a valuable diamond, but only a professional jeweler could spot it.And that sapphire ring wasn't worth anyone's effort and time.If she could get it off her finger, she would be more than happy to give him the ring as a thank you. No, there are thousands of women in Mexico City who appear to be richer than her, and there are many more women who are young and beautiful, worthy of Mario's admiration, and...Suddenly, Miss Lucy felt a little fear at the illogicality of this matter . Perhaps it was the instinct of an unmarried woman that touched her nerves and alerted her to an inexplicable danger. Miss Lucy was determined that she had to finish the matter, she lay quietly on the bed, and made Miss Lucy and Vera wait at the long-distance station.They all hugged their coats tightly, seeming very cold.Vera did catch a little cold, as she always did.Today, although the spring sun was shining, Miss Lucy also felt the chill.Her eyes and nose were red. It was Ellen they were waiting for, she was left behind to pay Mario, and the car to Patzkoro left in twenty minutes.Here comes Ellen, also with a red nose. "You can't do that, Lucie," she complained, "that's too cruel." She handed Lucie two hundred-peso bills. "I thought he was going to hit someone when I gave this to him," she explained, "and he cried like a child when he read your letter. " Miss Lucy was silent.She had hardly said a word the whole way to Patzkoro. On the corridor of an inn by the quiet lake of Patskoro, three women sat around a table and began to eat dinner.Ellen, who never wanted to be quiet, was discussing plans for the next day.Miss Lucy was obviously absent-minded.She turned her gaze to the dark green lake, studying the strings of small islands on the lake and the vultures flitting across the lake. They made rough calls and greedily searched for the dead animals.After a while, she stood up and said, "It's a bit cold, I'm going back to my room, good night." Miss Lucy's room had a small balcony, and she could see the lake from another angle. Below the balcony is the darkened lake, and the late fishermen exchanged their day's harvest in vague voices, and occasionally sang a local folk song. Miss Lucy sat quietly, watching them, thinking of Mario.She had missed Mario ever since she left Mexico City, and now she regretted recklessly driving Mario away.She should have told him herself. She wondered sadly what his suspicions would be... These thoughts hurt her deeply, she hurt him... Her wild thoughts were interrupted when she saw a tall, white figure among the fishermen below.Lucy stared at him intently, her heart began to beat wildly.Holding on to the railing, she leaned forward as hard as she could, looking into the darkness.Indeed, Lucy saw a familiar shadow flashing swiftly and gracefully there. But that wouldn't be Mario, he'd been left hundreds of miles away in Mexico City, and Luke had specifically told Ellen not to tell him where they were going. A figure in white floated from afar towards the shore of the lake where her window was.A patch of light from the shore of the lake shone on him so that he could be seen clearly.That's Mario. She leaned forward, her heart beating like a bewildered bird.He was just below her, only fifteen feet between them. "Miss Lucy, I finally found you," he said in Spanish, "I know, I will find you." "But, Mario, what are you doing...?" "The long-distance bus company told me that you came here, and I also bought a ticket and came." She saw him smiling happily, his white teeth flickering. "Miss Lucie, why did you leave without saying a word? Not even saying goodbye." She didn't answer. "But I'm here now, and I'm still at your service. Tomorrow you and I will go to the lake, won't you? Just you and me before the other two ladies wake up. There's a moon on the lake, and we can still see the sun rise. ""Ok……" "I'll pick you up at five tomorrow morning, and I'll get a boat. I'll be here waiting for you before the birds wake up." "Well..." "Good night, my lady." Miss Lucie went back to the room, and when she changed her clothes and lay down on the bed, she felt her hands trembling. She hadn't calmed down until the early hours of the morning, and she felt herself still trembling when a low whistle from under the window told her that Mario had arrived. She quickly dressed, combed her hair, put on a dress, and ran downstairs.It was quiet in the hotel, and no one saw her walk down the corridor, or come down the ramp to "Mario's boat. He lifted her hand, brought it to his lips, and gently helped her aboard. She didn't object at all, just like the priest led her to the holy place that everyone has to go through. Mario was right, there was a moon in the sky, a full lemon-colored moon.Wisps of moonlight reflected on the opaque lake. Miss Lu Chief sat in the boat, although it was cold, she didn't seem to notice it at all.She watched Mario, who was standing in the stern, rowing the boat deeper into the lake.He rolled up his trousers "up to his knees. His legs were strong and rough in the moonlight. And he sang. Miss Lucy had never imagined that he had such a beautiful voice before.The singing sounds very sweet, but also carries a kind of indescribable sadness.Mario watched her, moving his gaze down her face to her hands in her lap. The cheap sapphire ring on her finger reflected the moonlight faintly in the night. The boat rowed to the depths of the lake with many islands, and Miss Lucy had forgotten everything else, including when and where she was.She has turned a blind eye to the twinkling stars and the full moon.All she felt was a deep stillness, an almost imperceptible feeling that seemed to last until the end of time. She heard Mario's voice: "Listen, it's the birds chirping." She heard the crowing of the group of islands, but all she could see was vultures circling silently in the sky. Mario stopped and brought out their breakfast.There was beef, bread, butter, and cheese, and he brought a bottle of red wine. He spread butter on the bread with a jackknife and handed it to Miss Lucie.Only then did she feel really hungry.She ate bread and drank wine.The alcohol got into her blood, making her feel a burst of girlish happiness.She laughed no matter what Mario said, and Mario laughed too, and his eyes stayed on her. They ate breakfast like a honeymoon couple.The sun gradually replaced the position of the moon, and sprinkled golden-red light on the lake.For miles, all she could see were bald eagles and distant singing. When the last piece of bread was eaten and the wine drunk, Mario took up his oars again and rowed further into the center of the lake.He rowed on and on without saying a word. As soon as she saw the island, Miss Lucy knew it was the one chosen by Mario. It looked inaccessible and far away from other islands, and the grass on the shore grew tall and dense, like the fringe of the island. He pulled the boat up and the grass immediately surrounded them as if entering another, much smaller world, their own.He held her hand, and gently said two words: "Come on." She followed him like an obedient child.He found a dry spot, spread out a dress for her, and sat her down.Then he sat down next to her and held her in his arms.She could see his face, very close to her, and his black eyes, which seemed closer, and feel his warm, boozy breath. She closed her eyes, knowing that the moment that was destined to come since the day she met Mario was coming.Almost everything from the day they met in the churches suggests that this moment will come.She could feel his hand gently stroking her hair, her face, and felt his hand holding her hand, holding the sapphire ring. She felt him finger the ring, the admiration in his fingers.The whole process looks complicated, but it's not so strange. His hand started to move up, his fingers moved to her throat, and stopped gently, she didn't scream, let alone feel scared. His hands began to tighten, his lips pressed against hers, and they kissed deeply, for the first and only time. Mario threw away the bloody jackknife.He hated seeing blood, and it made him even more sick that he had to chop off a finger to get that ring. As for her mother's engagement ring, he didn't even look at it.That plain, cheap sapphire ring had blinded him to everything else for weeks. He covered Miss Lucy's body with his clothes.At first he wanted to put her under the surface of the grassy water, but he thought she would float out and be found by the fisherman. No one would come to this island for a few years, and when someone did come—he looked up at the vultures that seemed to be circling forever. Without looking back again, Mario made his way to the boat, paddling towards land.Once on shore, he turned the boat over and let it float away.In this way, it will float all the way to the center of the lake. An American woman and an inexperienced boatman sailed into a lake.They fell into the water on the way and were all drowned.The police will not be searching for their bodies in this huge lake. Mario boarded a delivery van heading back.Tomorrow, if he could catch another car, he might be in Gudros.He thought his mother would love the ring.