Page 5 - Fiction Rough draft--The Great Elopement_La Gran Fuga, setting rural PR, early 1940’s_Float

tio Cundo mentioned abuelo Cleofe, his didn’t think it should be sold. But the men

father and Petronas previous husband, she sure seemed to like it after a hard day's

raised her voice. “ You know, that man is work. Not Don Manuel. Some thought he

now on his third wife. He is a terrible was a little bit ​“orgulloso” or haughty. Too

example to you all!” good for the rest of us​, is what he heard

Petrona say once.

Edmundo thought to himself, if I was

Petronas husband , I would leave too​. But

he tried to shake the thought away. He had Suddenly the pretty lady woke up, and

to be grateful. And mama would call for him looked straight at Cheito. She asked him, ​“

soon to go up to New York. He just had to Is my father here?” She ran to the window

wait and be patient. He decided to listen. and looked outside. Cheito was speechless
. He didn’t know exactly what to say or do.

Apparently the young lady across the room He decided to at least introduce himself, he

was Tio Cundo’s sweetheart. He knew that was the polite thing. “ ​My name is

remembered seeing her and Tio going for Jose Luis . But people call me Cheito. What

long walks . She wasn’t the family’s first is yours?”

choice for Tio Cundo, who would inherit the

family store. That girl is ​“una vaga” ​, -” Me llamo Delma. La novia de Cundo. Me

Petrona would say. Una vaga-a lazy voy a casar con el.”

one-​which meant she would be of little help

to their family if she wasn’t willing to work Cundo’s soon to be bride. Why is she here ,

hard. in this house, now?, he thought. . And why

is she not out in thekitchen with him, but in

this room, talking to him?
Again loud noises from the kitchen: ​“The

priest is not due in town for 2 months! She

can’t stay here that long. Besides, Don

Manuel will hear of this soon. This was poor

thinking on your part, Cundo!”

Don Manuel was a farmer next door. He

worked in the sugarcane fields.He did not

own the farm. He was a jornalero, a hired

hand, a worker of the large sugar cane

farm . Whenever Cheito saw Don Manuel

in his family’s store, the man seemed tired

, hungry , quiet, and didn’t stay for very

long. He rarely sat and drank Pitorro

(moonshine) to socialize with the neighbors. Cheito started to realize the shouting and

That moonshine made his family store quite debating in the kitchen were more serious

famous in the town. It was made in the than he thought. It was only made a little

back and sold only at night. The authorities better by the thought that he didn’t mind