"He sat in the bookstore"?pen in hand, thought about goats"?don't ask me why, goats Mr. Soderman that is what he was doing, and he was looking at some magazines, and talking about building a goat ranch. "He signed the paperwork for the purchase of 4000-acres in Alabama; he's also going to build a fence around it, its all on paper though, at the bookstore, on napkins first he wrote it out, then he pulled out some official papers from his briefcase, yup, that is exactly what he did, Mr. Soderman,"? said Mark Costello. "He never seen the land I do believe, picked it out of a magazine, the one I think that was by his side, it had a few pictures of it, of the land in Alabama that is, he underlined the the words 'land,' called on his cell phone, talked to someone, ordered a fence to be built around it. As if everything would take care of itself thereafter. He lives here in Minnesota, and the land is in Alabama, unbelievable. "His drawings on the napkins kind of helped him know what kind of fence he wanted I suppose, because it is what he ordered, described to the person over the phone. I noticed the table was green, and very clean, not sure why I noticed that, and I noticed he was eating a piece of coffeecake, with a strong looking latt, funny I wasn't hungry, I just kind of looked; anyhow there I was at his green table, and here I am talking to you, and there he was looking at all this stuff, sight unseen, and I asked him: 'How can you do this"?buy a goat ranch, sight unseen; how do you know things will be ok, work out as you are planning them? I mean, perchance, this is land the devil himself doesn't' want, did you ever think of that?' "That is what I told him Mr. Soderman, loud and clear, and he just, just looked at me as if I was not even there, not a worry in his face, not a moved eyebrow, or twitches of his nose, or deep sigh. A flat look, and here again I say, pen in hand, and he started writing out checks. Yes indeed, checks for the land, and the goats, and the fence. 'Here,' he says to me. Combining all the checks together, and handing them to me."?' "What did you do?"? asked Mr. Soderman. "Do, what did I do, what could I do, I was his lawyer, I took the checks; do you think I'd get out of bed at 2:00 AM, run down to this caf and not"?I mean...?"? "Changing the subject Mr. Lawyer, why are you telling me all this?"? "?Mark sat back, facing the window at Mr. Soderman's back, his obvious humorous back. "Is that all you have to say Mr. Costello?"? said Soderman. "Sure,"? he spit out, adding, "he had them goats in his mind and he knew they were...actually, he lived this before he said, yes that is what he said, it was a repeat, now I remember, that is what he said, a repeat, his life, that is what he said, a repeat! He had to live it over and over until he got it right"?so he said. "What then does that make you and me if he is living a repeated life, over and over until he gets it right?"? "Dead,"? said Mr. Soderman"? Mark looked at him, fading: pale, a fainted look, fogy like, he became, right in front of him, then said, "He must have gotten it right this time"?; Mark still looking out the window, everything around him fading now, melting into nothingness, even himself. Written at the bookstore, while having coffee and coffeecake, 1-11-06, Roseville, Minnesota. In Spanish Translated by: Nancy Penaloza El hombre de las cabras de Alabama "el sentado en la librera-lapicero en mano, pensando acerca de cabras- no me pregunto porqu Cabras El seor Soderman eso es lo que el estaba haciendo, y el estaba mirando algunas revistas, y hablando acerca de construir un rancho para cabras. El firmo el papeleo para la compra de 4000 acres en Alabama; el tambin iba a construir un cerco alrededor de esto, esta todo sobre el papel pienso, en la librera, sobre servilletas primero, luego el extrajo algn papel oficial de su portafolios, Si, eso es exactamente lo que hizo el Sr. Soderman"?, dijo Mark costello. El jams vio la tierra yo creo, lo eligi desde la revista, la que estaba a su lado pienso, haba pocas fotografas de esto, de la tierra en Alabama, el subrayo la tierra, llam a su telfono celular, hablo con alguien, tambin orden un cerco alrededor. Como si todo podra tomar cuidado por el mismo. El esta aqu en Minnesota, y la tierra esta en Alabama, increblemente. "El esta dibujando sobre las servilletas, una forma de ayudarse a saber que clase de cerco quera, porque esto es lo que el orden, describi a la persona en el telfono. Yo not que la mesa era verde, y muy limpia, no estoy seguro porque note esto, yo note, que el estaba comiendo un trozo de pastel de caf, con un late de apariencia fuerte, gracioso yo no estaba con hambre, yo solo miraba en cierto modo; de toda maneras all yo estaba en su mesa verde, y aqu yo estoy hablando contigo, y all l estaba mirando toda su mercadera, visin a ciegas, y le pregunt: "Como puedes hacer esto-comprar un rancho de cabras, a ciegas; Cmo sabes que las cosas estaban bien? Salir bien como tu estas planeando? Es decir, posiblemente, esta es la tierra del diablo, que el mismo no quiere, alguna vez pensaste en eso?"?. "Eso es lo que yo le dije al Sr. Soderman, en voz alta y claro, y el solo, solamente me mir como si yo no estuviera aun all, sin una preocupacin en su cara, ni un movimiento de sus ceja, o movimiento nervioso de nariz, o mirada profunda. Una mirada vaga, y all nuevamente digo, lapicero en mano, y el empez a extender cheques. Si de verdad, cheques para la tierra, y las cabras, y la cerca. "aqu tienes"?, el me dijo. Agrupando todos los cheques juntos, y entregndome a mi. "que hiciste tu"? pregunto el Sr. Soderman. "hacer, que hice yo, que podra hacer, yo era su abogado, tome los cheques; tu crees que yo saldra de la cama a las 2.00 AM, correr hacia el caf y no- as, dije?. "cambiando de tema Sr. Abogado,Porqu me estas diciendo todo esto?"? -Mark se volvi a sentar de cara a la ventana a la espalda del Sr. Soderman, su evidente gracia regres. "esto es todo lo que Ud. Tiene que decir Sr. Costello?"? dijo Soderman. "Seguro"?, el escupi, agregando, "el tenia esas cabras en su mente y el sabia que ellas estaban... actualmente, el vivi, esto antes dijo l, si, eso es lo que l dijo, esto fue una repeticin, ahora recuerdo, eso es lo que l dijo, una repeticin, de su vida, eso es lo que l dijo, una repeticin el tenia que vivir esto una u otra vez hasta que el consiga hacerlo correctamente- as el dijo. "Que es lo que hacemos entonces Ud. Y yo si l esta viviendo una vida de repeticin, Una y otra vez hasta que el consiga corregirlo?"?. "la muerte"?, dijo el Sr. Soderman. Mark lo miro, descolorido: plido, una apariencia fantasmal, como nublada, el se volvi, directo frente a el, luego dijo. "El debi haber conseguido corregir este tiempo"?. Mark aun mirando fuera de la ventana, todo alrededor de el nublndose ahora, mezclndose dentro de la nada, aun l mismo. Escrito en la librera, mientras tomaba caf y pastel de caf, 1-11-06, Roseville Minnesota. |
