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little I started to catch my breath, but still continued to have palpitations for an entire fifteen minutes. Her arm moved two or three times, but it didn’t seem to want to move away completely from my own. It would go away and then return again. Sometimes the feel of her arm was limited to a slight sensation of proximity to the tips of the hairs on my arm. I surveyed the street several times and, in the process, discreetly looked her over. She had an angular face, thin lips, long hair, wore little makeup and had big hands; not very expressive. All of a sudden she dropped her brochure and I bent down to pick it up. Naturally, I glanced at her legs. They
weren’t bad-looking, with a small Band-Aid on one of her ankles. She didn’t thank me and prepared to get off as the bus approached Sierra Street. She put the brochure away, adjusted her hair, closed her handbag, and excused herself to move past me. ‘I’m getting off too,’ I said, acting on a whim. She started to walk quickly along Pablo de María, but I managed to catch up to her in four long strides. We walked along next to each other for a block and a half. I was still thinking about what I should say to break the ice when she suddenly turned her head towards me and said: ‘Make up your mind if you’re going to talk to me or not.’
Sunday 24 March
    After giving it some serious thought, Friday was quite a strange experience. We didn’t mention our names, exchange phone numbers, or discuss anything personal. But still, I could swear that sex is unimportant to this woman. Instead, she seemed exasperated about something, as if her surrender to me was some strange form of revenge she was taking against I don’t know what. I must confess that this was the first time I have ever seduced a woman with just my elbow, and also the first time that, once in the motel room, I’ve ever seen a woman undress so quickly, and in broad daylight. What did the aggressive nonchalance with which she lay down on the bed prove? She was trying so hard to show that she was completely naked that I was starting to believe that it was the first time she had ever been naked in front of a man. But no, she wasn’t new at this. And with her serious face, her mouth without lipstick, her expressionless hands, she still managed to enjoy herself. Later, at what she felt was the opportune moment, she begged me to talk dirty to her. It’s not my specialty, but I think I satisfied her.
Monday 25 March
    A government job for Esteban. It’s the result of his work in the political club. I don’t know if I should be happy about his appointment as a boss. After all, he’s an outsider who now has jumped ahead of those who are now his subordinates. I imagine they will make his life impossible. And understandably so.
Wednesday 27 March
    Today I stayed at the office until eleven p.m. A big favour from the manager, sure. He called me at six-fifteen to tell me he needed that worthless material first thing in the morning. It was a job for three people, so Avellaneda, poor woman, offered to stay and help. But I felt sorry for her.
    Three fellows in the Shipping Department also stayed late. Actually, they were the only ones who really needed to stay, but then, of course, the manager certainly wasn’t going to force Miss Valverde’s lover to stay late without embellishing the punishment by giving some innocent person extra work to do. This time I was the innocent person. Patience. I’m hoping that Valverde will get bored with that gigolo.
    Working late depresses me terribly. The entire office is quiet, deserted, with filthy desks covered with file folders and filing trays. There is a general appearance of untidiness, of neglect And in the middle of that silence and darkness, there are three fellows here and three fellows there, working unwillingly, dragging along the tiredness of their previous eight hours.
    Robledo and Santini dictated the