Jimmy clears his throat, feigning ignorance, as if he hadn’t read anything.
Clemen’s idiotic expression has twisted into one of fear; now he looks like a total moron, or madman.
“Who did they execute?” he mutters, his mouth parched, trying to muster his courage.
“The leaders of the coup,” she says, lowering the paper.
She’s about to hand it to Clemen, but first she turns to Jimmy and asks him shyly, “Would you like to read it, Father?”
“Let’s see, my child. Let’s see what was going on while we were celebrating Easter Sunday.”
“No, Father,” she corrects him. “The executions occurred this morning. The newspaper had just arrived hot off the press when I was about to board the train.”
Jimmy reads carefully, trying to control any hint of eagerness; Clemen anxiously tries to read over his shoulder.
“Mr. Tino, that is quite rude,” Jimmy scolds him, folding up the paper and returning it to the woman. “It’s not polite to read over another person’s shoulder.”
Clemen practically grabs the newspaper out of her hands.
“Can I see?” he says.
Jimmy shoots him a disapproving glare, then turns to her with a gesture of resignation.
“They never really learn. ”
Clemen, pale and shaking, has glued his eyes on the list of the condemned; Jimmy turns to look out the window and pretends to be nodding off.
The car is swaying, but Clemen seems too much in shock to be aware of anything.
“I would be happy to leave you the newspaper, Mr. Tino, but my parents will want to read the news,” she says, in a quiet voice so as not to disturb Jimmy.
“They-shot-ten-of-them. ” Clemen says, enunciating each word carefully, as if he could barely read.
“Brother! Put that down, it will only upset you!” Jimmy orders him categorically. “Take your Bible out of your knapsack and practice calming yourself. ”
But Clemen continues in a stupefied state and begins to mumble the names of those who were executed.
“Ge-ner-al-Al-fon-so-Ma-rro-quín, Colo-nel-Ti-to-To-más-Cal-vo, Ma-jor-Fau-sti-no-So-sa. ”
Jimmy is about to grab the newspaper out of his hand, but he catches himself; the woman has lowered her eyes, clearly embarrassed by the situation.
“Let us pray for the souls of those poor sinners,” Jimmy says, now fully composed; he joins his hands at his chest, then takes his rosary out of the pocket of his cassock and, with the Bible on his lap, he intones, “Domini homini, domini nostro. For the word of our Lord is our guide and our salvation. ”
“Amen,” says the woman contritely.
Clemen turns to look at Jimmy, as if he didn’t understand, then quickly shakes his head and repeats, “Amen.”
He hands her the newspaper, opens his knapsack, and takes out a Bible.
“Our Father who art in Heaven. ” Jimmy begins.
“. hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.,” the woman and Clemen repeat in unison.
At that very moment, a pair of National Guard soldiers enter the car; they stop next to them to get their balance, and watch the scene with surprise. They greet them with a reverential nod of the head, careful not to interrupt their prayers. They are wearing boots with gaiters, green uniforms, helmets, and are both carrying rifles.
“. and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. ”
The soldiers walk over to the passengers in the next row and ask to see their documents.
“Hail Mary, full of grace.,” Jimmy continues in deep concentration after shooting a scathing glance at the soldiers.
The passengers in that row, obviously frightened, have quickly pulled out their documents; the soldiers have a list they check the names against. Clemen, extremely pale and still with the idiotic expression on his face, doesn’t lift his eyes from his Bible.
“Our Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. ”
The soldiers continue on to the next rows; they order one passenger to stand up and step into the aisle; one of the soldiers immediately pats him down.
“Our Father who art in heaven. ” Jimmy repeats.
The man has turned white; because of the swaying of the car he can barely keep his balance while he holds his arms out and the soldier searches him.
“. hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done. ”
The soldier ties his thumbs together behind him and shoves him forward.
“But I haven’t done anything,” the man cries out, terrified, on the verge of tears, and barely able to walk.
The guard gives him another shove.
“Father, help me,” he begs as he almost falls on top of the woman.
“Careful, Doña Ana María,” Clemen exclaims, rising to protect her.
“May you go with God,” Jimmy says to the man with kindness, his right hand tracing the sign of the cross in the air. “And confess your sins. ”
The man almost falls on his face with the next shove.
“Saint Michael the Archangel.,” Jimmy prays.
“Protect us,” Ana María and Clemen respond in unison.
The soldiers follow the man out of the car.
“Saint Raphael the Archangel.,” Jimmy prays
“Accompany us always, O Lord, protect us from all dangers of body and soul,” they respond.
“Amen,” all three say. They cross themselves.
The whistle blows.
“What might that poor man have done?” she wonders, still upset.
Jimmy lifts his eyebrows and turns his gaze out the window.
“He’s probably a pickpocket who managed to escape, because they immediately recognized him,” Clemen says in his normal voice, forgetting his role for a moment.
“Brother, do not judge others, our Lord is the only judge,” Jimmy warns him sharply, without even turning to look at him.
Clemen quickly makes himself look like an idiot again.
The woman watches him with curiosity; he looks back at her and grins foolishly.
“We are approaching your city, Doña Ana María,” Jimmy says. “I can already see the first houses.”
She turns to look out the window.
“You’re right, Father,” she says.
Clemen has opened his Bible; he’s mumbling as if he were reading, but he has placed the book on his lap in such a way that he can see the woman’s knees without her realizing it.
“Excuse me, Father,” she says timidly, “what is your name?”
“Justo, my child,” Jimmy answers, and looks at her with benevolent eyes; she lowers hers.
“I’m so lucky to have met you, Father Justo,” she says. “After the fright I had in the capital because of the coup, I don’t know how I would have felt if you hadn’t been here when they took that man away.”
“We must have faith and trust absolutely in our Lord Jesus Christ,” Jimmy says solemnly.
She nods and crosses herself. Then she picks up one of the suitcases from the seat next to her and tries to move it into the aisle, but Clemen quickly stands up and takes it from her.
“I’ll help you,” he says solicitously.
He picks up both suitcases and carries them into the aisle.
“You dropped your Bible,” she says, and bends over to pick it up; she places it on Clemen’s seat.
The train is slowing down.
“I’ll go with you to the platform,” Clemen says, still grinning like an idiot.
Jimmy watches him carefully, then turns to her and says, “Please, my child, make sure this young man gets back on the train. He is very absent-minded, and I wouldn’t want to lose him.”
“Don’t worry, Father,” she responds, smiling and getting ready to stand up, “I won’t budge from the platform until Don Tino has boarded the train again. Right, Don Tino?”