brother also wanted to?â and she looked at JoaquÃn, who turned shy and hid his head behind his sisterâs shoulder.
âNo, he didnât want to, but later he will.â
âHow come youâre so sure?â
âBecause I know.â
âDid your parents beat you much?â
âNo, they never beat us.â
âThen, whatâs the problem?â
âSometimes . . . they yelled.â
âWas that all?â
âYes.â
The woman laughed loudly, exposing shriveled, pale pink gums.
âStupid brat.â
Another loud laugh. She shivered as if she had a fever. Some withered flowers fell off her head like off a tree being shaken.
âSo youâre going to support this little boy?â
âYes, Iâm going to look for a job.â
âHow old are you?â
Cristinaâs cheeks reddened.
âTen . . . but Iâm going on eleven,â she said, looking down.
âIf I were ten and had parents like yours, do you know what Iwould do?â and she came closer again, holding her head on one side, as if she saw only with one eye. âIâd lie in my bed with a cat, eating chocolates. Do you like cats?â
JoaquÃnâs eyes lighted up when he heard the word cat .
âMy brother adores them,â Cristina explained. âHe lost his.â
âI love cats,â the woman said, holding out a bony hand toward JoaquÃn. âI take all the cats I find to my house. Wouldnât you like to sleep with a cat, child?â
JoaquÃn nodded his head, opening his eyes even wider.
Cristina was afraid, but let herself be guided through the vacant streets. Anyway, any place was better than a bench in the park. The night was clear and blue with a moon like a streetlight that made tall shadows: a woman bent over her broomstick and Cristina and JoaquÃn hand in hand.
9
The woman stopped at some piles of garbage to look for food.
âYou can always find something here,â she said.
Next to the metal door of what appeared to be a taco stand, she drove off a dog with her stick and found some bits of meat among greasy papers and empty beer bottles. Cristina felt nausea when she saw her chew on a bone until it was clean.
âDo you want some?â she asked, holding it up and smiling at them.
Cristina shook her head and moved her brother a little farther away.
âHave you already had supper?â
Cristina explained they had bought some ears of corn and almost a whole one was left over for JoaquÃnâs breakfast. The woman left the garbage and wanted to see it. Cristina took it out of her purse and held it up without removing the handkerchief, but the woman grabbed it, threw the handkerchief on the ground, and began to eat it avidly.
âHey, thatâs my brotherâs.â
âBah, weâll get something else tomorrow.â
Cristina resigned herself. There was nothing else to do. Sheadded the cost of the corn to the lost pesos and decided not to say anything to the woman about the money she was carrying. She kept on walking.
âWhat kind of job do you have?â
âI donât need one,â the woman said. âFrom time to time some money falls into this little pouch,â as she pointed to the bulky pocket of her dress. âBut in this lousy neighborhood everybody knows me, and they donât want to give me anything. Also, theyâre poor. So I go to the rich neighborhoods. I spend a while in one and when they get tired of me, I look for another. Although some days I donât get enough for the bus and have to walk back.â
JoaquÃn was falling asleep and held up his arms to ask his sister to carry him. But with only a hard look from her, he resigned himself and even walked faster, very serious. Cristina was astonished.
âIs it much farther, Señora?â
âNo, weâre almost there. And donât call me Señora . . . I hate Señoras. Call me