Subject: Chapter 3.2: A Change of Fortune
Author: Robin N (157.198.3.51)
Date: 10-05-1999 11:02
Chapter 2
Juan’s playing cards in a tavern/gambling house, but Noel wants him
to leave. He’s won everybody’s money and is looking for someone else
to play with. Who takes up the challenge? Renato, of course. Juan
reassures the croupier that Renato has plenty of money, even if he
does look out of place in the environs of the gambling den. Noel
tries to prevent this, “Por favor, basta de tonterias!” Renato tells
him that after all that’s happened, Noel shouldn’t even talk to him.
The cards are dealt, Juan’s serene, calm; Renato trembles with rage;
and Noel lowers his head in resignation.
Renato gets the king of spades and feels that he’s won the hand and
defeated Juan. Juan reminds him that he’s only won some money. He
puts down his purse with more money, 90 ounces of gold from all
countries, and he offers it against Renato brought. The next hand is
dealt. Juan’s hand wins but Renato offers up more money and play
continues.
At the house Ana is speaking with Aimee. She’s afraid to be
returning to Campo Real, but Aimee is consumed with anger. “Soy una
malvada… vivo para el engaño, no oiste? Mi propia madre lo piensa
asi.” It chews her up that her mother thinks of her that way and of
Monica as the saintly one. “The D’Autremont bought me, they bought
me with their illustrious name. I’m their property.”
Ana can only think of the terrors of CR. She reminds Aimee that it’s
not a great place to be, especially now that Bautista is back in
charge and Sofia holds the reins. Aimee muses that soon Sofia won’t
be in charge, she’s going to save them. Ana whines that she’s going
to be sent to Bautista and Aimee tells her that she’ll keep her by
her side. She then asks her about her days before working for Sofia.
Didn’t she live in the highlands of the hacienda in the coffee
plantations? Ana confirms this and speaks of the hardship of that
life, picking the beans one by one, living in shacks like dogs…
Aimee tells her that they don’t always live like that, there are
dances and parties on occasion. And above the coffeepickers, isn’t
there a woman who all respect? Ana tells her that’s Chola the witch,
some call her Charabosse. They always call for her when someone’s
dying or giving birth. She sells unguents and amulets and voodoo
dolls. Aimee picks up on the “childbirth” part. Ana reconfirms this
and tells her that she’s helped many newborn children and cured
people of bad things, but Ana’s afraid of her. Aimee tells her that
they’re going to see her, but don’t say anything to anyone.
Renato returns home to a worried Sofia. He tries to avoid her, but
can’t. She wants to know where he spent the night. He doesn’t
directly answer. She tells him that she’s returning to CR and taking
Aimee with her… wasn’t that what he wanted? He tells her that that
he asked her to do that days ago.
“Ahora no quieres ya que nos vayamos? No te importa? Te da igual?
Estas muy disgustado, ya lo veo… Y yo me siento enferma… Si entraras
mi alcoba…” Sofia plays the ‘sick’ game but she does read the
anguish in Renato’s eyes accurately. He follows her to the room. She
asks him to sit, he looks unwell too. He’ll hear what she wants and
then he’ll leave.
“Despues, dejarte en paz, ya lo se. Dejarte esta en mi mano y voy a
hacerlo. Si Dios quisiera que de verdad fuese en paz... Si la paz de
tu alma pudiera conseguirse a cualquier precio… Si volvieramos a
entendernos, hijo mio, a estar de acuerdo.. si me permitieras vela
un poco por tu dicho…”
Renato tells her bitterly that no one is fortunate. She agrees but
goes on to tell him that there are ways to live without feeling so
miserable, if he makes an effort. He tells her that he can’t go and
abandon Monica, nor can he go while his rival is still out there on
his feet, mocking him. He tells her he played with him that night
and lost much to him, and even if they can afford it, it stings. “Si
vieras como se reisa hundiendo las manos entre esas monedas!”
Sofia is furious that he played and lost to Juan, then she thinks of
the blow this must have been to Renato. She wants to know if he
searched for Juan. He hadn’t, he had just gone out to escape because
he hadn’t wanted to quarrel with Aimee. He still thinks she has
something to do with Monica’s choice. Sofia agrees that Aimee has
some right to feel jealous of Renato’s obsession, but Renato tells
her it doesn’t matter. He only wants to be close to Monica.
“Por no dejarme llevar de esa locura, sali de esta casa, vague por
las calles hasta cerca del amanecer, escuche las campanas del
convento y me acerque a la iglesia… Queria ver a Monica, aunque
fuese de lejos… No la vi, no asomo… Yo segui mi camino y, como
sonambulo, llegue hasta los muelles… El aire cargade de salitre me
azoto el rostro como si me abofeteara… y otra vez me cegaron el odio
y los celos… alli estaba el Luzbel, “unica propiedad de Juan sin
apellido”… Me parecio oir otra vez las palabras del juez, me parecio
ver su maldito rostro insolente y la mirada de Monica fija en el..
Acaso le ama? Es a el a quien ama ahora?”
Renato is clearly a troubled man. He goes on to describe how he had
a fierce desire to confront him and how he found him at play. In his
obsession, each time he heard the words “queen of diamonds” it was
as if he could only hear Monica’s name, that Juan was winning her
again and again. That’s why he had to challenge him at play. He
tells her how the play went and how after Juan won the last he said,
“Gracias, Renato. Es parte de mi herencia.” This is too much for
Sofia and she faints. Renato’s cries of “Mama” alert Yanina who
comes in to help. While she’s recovering, Yanina takes this
opportunity to imply that Sofia’s current state can be directly
attributed to Aimee. Renato is even more agitated. He mutters, “Tu
herencia, Juan… Si… Tendras toda tu herencia!”
Juan is gloating a bit over his winnings to Noel. It’s a lot of
money. Noel agrees that it was a run of crazy luck. It has to be
100,000 francs, a fortune. With this he can start a business and
build the house that he dreamed of on Devil’s Cape. If Noel were
Juan, he’d bathe, shave, put on fine clothes and beat a path to the
convent. Juan asks him why and Noel tells him not to take that tone.
To tell her that Juan didn’t want her to have to follow him to a
tavern and now he can offer her a decent home. Now at age 26 you can
begin anew for her, because she’s your spouse and you love her.
Juan resists this idea. He accuses Noel of trying to make him
something he isn’t and will never be. He doesn’t believe that the
money will change things. Noel tells him that it’s not about the
money, it’s that he needs to change his attitude, besides, who has
proven to you that Monica doesn’t love you? Juan tells him that he
knows she loves Renato. He’s sure of it.
“Pues si estas tan seguro,” rebate Noel con cierta ira, “porque no
la dejas en libertad y te vas bien lejos?”
“No soy yo quien la ata ni quen la esclaviza. Sin una palabra la
deje en el convento, y ella, desde alli, solicita la anulacion de
nuestro matrimonio…”
Noel doesn’t believe this but Juan says that he’s sure, somebody
told him. Noel suspects that someone is Aimee and tells him that
she’s not to be trusted. How can he believe a word that comes out of
her mouth! Juan tells him that he’s not that foolish, he knows she’s
a liar, but in this she wasn’t lying. Besides he knows his wife,
that to have had her dreams is virtually a sin that she has to atone
for, that’s why he knows this is true. He doesn’t want her if she’s
going to be dreaming of him and the past her whole life. “No… En el
son mas que sueños… El esta ya en el despeñadero de todas las
pasiones y no se detendra ante nada. El es un D’Autremont de pies a
cabeza.” “And aren’t you as well?” asks Noel.
Juan replies that perhaps he is, but he never wished to be. He
wanted to be, in truth, nobody’s son. He could breath freer without
that tie; he wouldn’t have had to suffer Bertolozi. He wonders about
his mother and asks Noel if he knew her. Noel wonders why he’s
thinking about her. He tells her that she was beautiful but
unfortunate, she sinned for love and she paid for her sins with
blood and tears. He saw her some times but he couldn’t tell Juan of
her smile, he never saw it, but her tears ran freely. This makes
Juan say he hates Francisco D’Autremont even more, to have treated
her like this. Noel reminds him that Francisco loved her, deeply and
sincerely. That’s why he couldn’t reject Juan. His main sin was
pride. Juan tells him that if a man doesn’t have pride he’s a worm
and he’d prefer to be a poisonous snake so that people don’t keep on
kicking him.
“Gusano naciste, pero ya no lo eres. Porque se que puedes volar, te
muestro el camino del cielo. Porque no levantarte, haciendo dignidad
fecunda de lo que solo es orgullo esteril? Quieres que sea yo quien
vaya al convento, quien le diga a tu esposa…?”
“No, Noel… Mi esposa! A sarcasmo me suena esa palabra. No le diga
nada. Yo sere quien vaya verla, quien le hable, aunque creio que
nada va a cambiar con eso… Hablare yo, pero no le dire lo que usted
pretende… Aun tengo algo que preguntarle a Monica de Molnar, mi vida
sera lo que resulte de esa repuesta…”
At the convent Monica is responding to the bell for prayer when she
sees Colibri. He’s been waiting for her and she asks him why he’s
returned: she told him not to. He’s not doing anything bad, he only
wanted to see her, doesn’t she love him? Yes, she says, but she must
renounce her worldly loves, please don’t be sad. Wasn’t he happy
before he met her? He asks her what happiness is, is it contentment?
She asks him if he wasn’t content and the master too. He tells her
he can’t be sure of Juan, but that he laughed when they were in port
and at the party, and that women used to seek him out on the docks.
He tells her that Juan used to buy those women gifts and kiss them…
She tells him to be quiet – she’s jealous. She tells him to go back
to the boat, to Juan, and to go to all of those parties, surely he’s
there having fun.
Colibri tells her that’s not true. Juan spends much of his time now
with Noel. Segundo told him he won a lot of money gambling and
things were going to be different now. Juan’s going to be a
gentleman with his own fishing business. Segundo also told him that
Juan’s going to come see her and that she’ll come with them again,
not to the boat, but to the house that Juan’s going to build. Isn’t
that true? Monica tells him sadly that it’s not, that she’ll never
leave the convent, he doesn’t really want her to.
Just then a nun comes to tell Monica that she has a guest. Monica
cries out Juan’s name, but it’s not him, it’s Renato. It’s as if
each letter in his name is like an arrow piercing her heart because
it’s Renato’s name and not Juan’s. Colibri’s words had given her
some hope, but now it’s as if a door is closing on her. The mother
abbess tells her that Renato had asked her to intercede on his
behalf that Monica not reject him. Monica looks about her, at the
nun, to where Colibri disappeared… “sin duda, esta escondido muy
cerca, o acaso ha aprovechado el momento para huir, llevandose con
el aquella bocanada de aire alobre, aquel desesperado anhelo que el
solo nombre de Juan enciende en ella.” The mother abbess’ voice
calls her back from her thoughts of Juan. She reminds her that the
D’Autremont’s are her relatives too and don’t wish her ill. Come now
and see him.