"El Chepe"
He was called "the hump." The nickname, popularly imposed by the neighbors because of its steep hump, it came in handy.
was short, no more than a meter would measure a foot, so my I looked like a dwarf. However, his face and his whole head was that of a normal man and it was not ugly. His features, correct, always neatly combed dark hair, hazel eyes had a slightly sad looking quite nice.
lived on the site at the corner in the square, on the top floor and there in the balcony, watching the street, I saw him many times when I headed to do an errand for my mom or when I was going or returning from school.
I never knew the reason for the attraction that people with a physical defect caused in my mind, just know that such people, wake up in my few strong feelings that led me to observe carefully, although the sly to avoid offending, along with a compelling desire to help in any way. It seemed a terrible injustice of life such discrimination and trying to understand why some are endowed by so much beauty and others were denied. This feature of my personality, was what prompted me to study the man nicknamed "the hump."
in the neighborhood was much discussed and criticized his marriage to a very beautiful woman in stature and power with which he had two children (boy and girl) also of normal height. Of course, although it was said, no one dared to proclaim in a loud voice because despite his hump, "the hump" was a respected and respectable.
In those postwar years, mediated by then the forties, the economic situation in Spain was very poor and each is managed in the best possible way to earn some money to help him survive. "The Hump" fixing radios.
One day, our radio broke down, stopped working no more and my father, who had a free moment as he sat next to him to not miss any news of the day, put the unit in a rubber bag and handed it to me to take him home to "the hump" and it fixed as quickly as possible.
My father was known in the neighborhood as "counsel" since I had this job and all of us, wife and children, together we were known by the nickname of "lawyers." For this and because my father, who was often required by the neighborhood to give advice on any legal matter, the local people will have some consideration and, whenever the opportunity arose to help, the neighborhood was turning around to support us .
And so I entered the house of the "hump" a Saturday morning with the radio in a black rubber bag. "Good
days. Says my father if I could you fix the radio because it has stopped working.
"The Hump" was in front of me in the doorway of his house open for having responded to my call, questions, requests for my presence at home. It was summer and wore trousers and a sleeveless shirt, which surprised me since I had never seen in this manner and the first thing I checked to make me go inside and follow him to a room that looked after his work was in its hump appearing naked in the neckline of her shirt.
That seemed an exception that should take and, while continuing their steps, I put all my attention to see that huge bulge that made him look like a midget camel. Sadness overwhelmed me as I was before this physical defect, I thought it was shared by him as very proud, and smiling, began gutted the radio and after looking at it, test with a special light bulbs and unknown to me wires sizzled and scared me a little, I said that, unfortunately, had to study what was happening and, when ready, as soon as possible, he added, because of who we were, we would take him home.
At the exit, accompanied me down the hall and then the wife I could see up close. She was beautiful, yes. Young, very white skin, I found it quite high and combed wavy dark hair, tied in a bun. When I left her at the door, looked into his eyes and saw in them a great sadness that I changed the heart until the end to raise in me a compassion far more intense than that caused by her husband "the hump" And first thing I asked was down the stairs, which would cause so much sadness.
I knew a few days after, or at least what I sensed.
had spent a week, was again a Saturday morning, the radio still managed had not been returned and the whole family over breakfast at the table, my father told me that, after the breakfast, was closer to home "the hump" to ask if the radio could be arranged or not. But events were precipitated and did not have time to do the errand.
Suddenly, we heard screams coming from outside, the sound of voices in the square and the whistle of a guard who placed order. We all ran to the balcony and saw what happened to peek. I slipped as I could, and went downstairs quickly. Upon arrival the group of people surrounding the scene, elbowing and crossed the frontline. The wife of "the hump" remained on the ground in a strange position. Legs bent at an impossible angle and his head bloodied, left brain-air mass. Eyes half open, no light, I thought that showed perplexity. Then I heard the sobs and the words "the hump"
- ... poor thing ... he was ashamed of my appearance and do not take it anymore ...!
The police spoke to the men of the ambulance arrived at the time:
ousted He has said.
I went home. My family was leaning on the balcony as in most other balconies of houses around the square.
My heart was broke, scared, in pain. And I wondered: Is there really a loving God and we who continually make mistakes in our decisions and so we pay our mistakes?
been many years since and have experienced many events, some sad, some happy, some strangers, some totally incomprehensible ... but I still can not answer the question I asked myself that sad day when the beautiful wife of " the hump "was thrown over the balcony to die on the street. All I can certify is that the life of each one of us is a mystery. MAGDA.
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