百年孤独(英文版)-第69部分

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chauffeur　was　sick　they　assigned　him　to　take　them　and　Meme　was　finally　able　to　satisfy　her　desire　to　sit　next　to　the　driver　and　see　what　he　did。　Unlike　the　regular　chauffeur；　Mauricio　Babilonia　gave　her　a　practical　lesson。　That　was　during　the　time　that　Meme　was　beginning　to　frequent　Mr。　Brown’s　house　and　it　was　still　considered　improper　for　a　lady　to　drive　a　car。　So　she　was　satisfied　with　the　technical　information　and　she　did　not　see　Mauricio　Babilonia　again　for　several　months。　Later　on　she　would　remember　that　during　the　drive　her　attention　had　been　called　to　his　masculine　beauty；　except　for　the　coarseness　of　his　hands；　but　that　afterward　she　had　mentioned　to　Patricia　Brown　that　she　had　been　bothered　by　his　rather　proud　sense　of　security。　The　first　Saturday　that　she　went　to　the　movies　with　her　father　she　saw　Mauricio　Babilonia　again；　with　his　linen　suit；　sitting　a　few　seats　away　from　them；　and　she　noticed　that　he　was　not　paying　much　attention　to　the　film　in　order　to　turn　around　and　look　at　her。　Meme　was　bothered　by　the　vulgarity　of　that。　Afterward　Mauricio　Babilonia　came　over　to　say　hello　to　Aureliano　Segundo　and　only　then　did　Meme　find　out　that　they　knew　each　other　because　he　had　worked　in　Aureliano　Triste’s　early　power　plant　and　he　treated　her　father　with　the　air　of　an　employee。　That　fact　relieved　the　dislike　that　his　pride　had　caused　in　her。　They　had　never　been　alone　together　nor　had　they　spoken　except　in　way　of　greeting；　the　night　when　she　dreamed　that　he　was　saving　her　from　a　shipwreck　and　she　did　not　feel　gratitude　but　rage。　It　was　as　if　she　had　given　him　the　opportunity　he　was　waiting　for；　since　Meme　yearned　for　just　the　opposite；　not　only　with　Mauricio　Babilonia　but　with　any　other　man　who　was　interested　in　her。　Therefore　she　was　so　indignant　after　the　dream　that　instead　of　hating　him；　she　felt　an　irresistible　urge　to　see　him。　The　anxiety　became　more　intense　during　the　course　of　the　week　and　on　Saturday　it　was　so　pressing　that　she　had　to　make　a　great　effort　for　Mauricio　Babilonia　not　to　notice　that　when　he　greeted　her　in　the　movies　her　heart　was　in　her　mouth。　Dazed　by　a　confused　feeling　of　pleasure　and　rage；　she　gave　him　her　hand　for　the　first　time　and　only　then　did　Mauricio　Babilonia　let　himself　shake　hers。　Meme　managed　to　repent　her　impulse　in　a　fraction　of　a　second　but　the　repentance　changed　immediately　into　a　cruel　satisfaction　on　seeing　that　his　hand　too　was　sweaty　and　cold。　That　night　she　realized　that　she　would　not　have　a　moment　of　rest　until　she　showed　Mauricio　Babilonia　the　uselessness　of　his　aspiration　and　she　spent　the　week　turning　that　anxiety　about　in　her　mind。　She　resorted　to　all　kinds　of　useless　tricks　so　that　Patricia　Brown　would　go　get　the　car　with　her。　Finally　she　made　use　of　the　American　redhead　who　was　spending　his　vacation　in　Macondo　at　that　time　and　with　the　pretext　of　learning　about　new　models　of　cars　she　had　him　take　her　to　the　garage。　From　the　moment　she　saw　him　Meme　let　herself　be　deceived　by　herself　and　believed　that　what　was　really　going　on　was　that　she　could　not　bear　the　desire　to　be　alone　with　Mauricio　Babilonia；　and　she　was　made　indignant　by　the　certainty　that　he　understood　that　when　he　saw　her　arrive。
　　　“I　came　to　see　the　new　models；？Meme　said。　
　　　“That’s　a　fine　excuse；？he　said。
　　　Meme　realized　that　he　was　burning　in　the　heat　of　his　pride；　and　she　desperately　looked　for　a　way　to　humiliate　him。　But　he　would　not　give　her　any　time。　“Don’t　get　upset；？he　said　to　her　in　a　low　voice。　“It’s　not　the　first　time　that　a　woman　has　gone　crazy　over　a　man。？She　felt　so　defeated　that　she　left　the　garage　without　seeing　the　new　models　and　she　spent　the　night　turning　over　in　bed　and　weeping　with　indignation。　The　American　redhead；　who　was　really　beginning　to　interest　her；　looked　like　a　baby　in　diapers。　It　was　then　that　she　realized　that　the　yellow　butterflies　preceded　the　appearances　of　Mauricio　Babilonia。　She　had　seen　them　before；　especially　over　the　garage；　and　she　had　thought　that　they　were　drawn　by　the　smell　of　paint。　Once　she　had　seen　them　fluttering　about　her　head　before　she　went　into　the　movies。　But　when　Mauricio　Babilonia　began　to　pursue　her　like　a　ghost　that　only　she　could　identify　in　the　crowd；　she　understood　that　the　butterflies　had　something　to　do　with　him。　Mauricio　Babilonia　was　always　in　the　audience　at　the　concerts；　at　the　movies；　at　high　mass；　and　she　did　not　have　to　see　him　to　know　that　he　was　there；　because　the　butterflies　were　always　there。　Once　Aureliano　Segundo　became　so　impatient　with　the　suffocating　fluttering　that　she　felt　the　impulse　to　confide　her　secret　to　him　as　she　had　promised；　but　instinct　told　her　that　he　would　laugh　as　usual　and　say：　“What　would　your　mother　say　if　she　found　out？？One　morning；　while　she　was　pruning　the　roses；　Fernanda　let　out　a　cry　of　fright　and　had　Meme　taken　away　from　the　spot　where　she　was；　which　was　the　same　place　in　the　garden　where　Remedios　the　Beauty　had　gone　up　to　heaven。　She　had　thought　for　an　instant　that　the　miracle　was　going　to　be　repeated　with　her　daughter；　because　she　had　been　bothered　by　a　sudden　flapping　of　wings。　It　was　the　butterflies。　Meme　saw　them　as　if　they　had　suddenly　been　born　out　of　the　light　and　her　heart　gave　a　turn。　At　that　moment　Mauricio　Babilonia　came　in　with　a　package　that　according　to　what　he　said；　was　a　present　from　Patricia　Brown。　Meme　swallowed　her　blush；　absorbed　her　tribulation；　and　even　managed　a　natural　smile　as　she　asked　him　the　favor　of　leaving　it　on　the　railing　because　her　hands　were　dirty　from　the　garden。　The　only　thing　that　Fernanda　noted　in　the　man　whom　a　few　months　later　she　was　to　expel　from　the　house　without　remembering　where　she　had　seen　him　was　the　bilious　texture　of　his　skin。
　　　“He’s　a　very　strange　man；？Fernanda　said。　“You　can　see　in　his　face　that　he’s　going　to　die。？
　　　Meme　thought　that　her　mother　had　been　impressed　by　the　butterflies　When　they　finished　pruning　the　row　bushes　she　washed　her　hands　and　took　the　package　to　her　bedroom　to　open　it。　It　was　a　kind　of　Chinese　toy；　made　up　of　five　concentric　boxes；　and　in　the　last　one　there　was　a　card　laboriously　inscribed　by　someone　who　could　barely　write：　We’ll　get　together　Saturday　at　the　movies。　Meme　felt　with　an　aftershock　that　the　box　had　been　on　the　railing　for　a　long　time　within　reach　of　Fernanda’s　curiosity；　and　although　she　was　flattered　by　the　audacity　and　ingenuity　of　Mauricio　Babilonia；　she　was　moved　by　his　Innocence　in　expecting　that　she　would　keep　the　date。　Meme　knew　at　that　time　that　Aureliano　Segundo　had　an　appointment　on　Saturday　night。　Nevertheless；　the　fire　of　anxiety　burned　her　so　much　during　the　course　of　the　week　that　on　Saturday　she　convinced　her　father　to　leave　her　alone　in　the　theater　and　e　back　for　her　after　the　show。　A　nocturnal　butterfly　fluttered　about　her　head　while　the　lights　were　on。　And　then　it　happened。　When　the　lights　went　out；　Mauricio　Babilonia　sat　down　beside　her。　Meme　felt　herself　splashing　in　a　bog　of　hesitation　from　which　she　could　only　be　rescued；　as　had　occurred　in　her　dreams；　by　that　man　smelling　of　grease　whom　she　could　barely　see　in　the　shadows。
　　　“If　you　hadn’t　e；？he　said；　“You　never　would　have　seen　me　again。？
　　　Meme　felt　the　weight　of　his　hand　on　her　knee　and　she　knew　that　they　were　both　arriving　at　the　other　side　of　abandonment　at　that　instant。
　　　“What　shocks　me　about　you；？she　said；　smiling；　“is　that　you　always　say　exactly　what　you　shouldn’t　be　saying。？
　　　She　lost　her　mind　over　him。　She　could　not　sleep　and　she　lost　her　appetite　and　sank　so　deeply　into　solitude　that　even　her　father　became　an　annoyance。　She　worked　out　an　intricate　web　of　false　dates　to　throw　Fernanda　off　the　track；　lost　sight　of　her　girl　friends；　leaped　over　conventions　to　be　with　Mauricio　Babilonia　at　any　time　and　at　any　place。　At　first　his　crudeness　bothered　her。　The　first　time　that　they　were　alone　on　the　deserted　fields　behind　the　garage　he　pulled　her　mercilessly　into　an　animal　state　that　left　her　exhausted。　It　took　her　time　to　realize　that　it　was　also　a　form　of　tenderness　and　it　was　then　that　she　lost　her　calm　and　lived　only　for　him；　upset　by　the　desire　to　sink　into　his　stupefying　odor　of　grease　washed　off　by　lye。　A　short　time　before　the　death　of　Amaranta　she　suddenly　stumbled　into　in　open　space　of　lucidity　within　the　mad