The Enigma of the Bar of the Old and Five Cats Microstories
Some things can only happen at night. The night has a magic veil, a crown of stars and an army of shadows. And the stars are mysterious, and shadows dark.
Who draws the magic and mystery, has to like the night.
Who can deny the flavor of a neighborhood walk at two in the morning? There you can hear the silence of the moon, it senses the humidity of the old building, breathing is heard over the gardens. The barks are different at night, and the hum of a car engine isolated. Everything is unique, solitary and personal. Things are closer to things and one is closer to one.
turned the corner and walked down the sidewalk broken, wet with dew. Lying to the right of succession of retail, who slept with their blinds cast aside as tired eyelids. On the left, the pavement, with its swirls of black crushed leaves dancing around on the cobblestones, rocked by the current stroking Pampa came to be opened in a delta breeze to reach the city. At night, Buenos Aires again a village that disrupts the field, just a sore on the endless plains where dwell the drink from the river worms.
The black car crossed the intersection, two blocks up. All cars are black with two in the morning. Cars and cats. Perhaps odd, perhaps bored, I walked the two blocks and turn right following the itinerary of the vehicle. Leading to a dark alley with no name. The black car was parked in front, next to an old bar that just radiated light on the tiles and the street. A few cats prowling at the door. They came in, went out and jumped to the roofs of adjoining houses. There meowed, running, climbing, stalking, were, quarreled cut off the light and copulating hidden in the shadows.
I entered the bar. I positioned myself at a table near the window open. Out there was not much to look at, but between the walls and windows, you always choose the windows. It seemed surreal
a bar open morning, half of an alley, but certainly the place was quite crowded. It was an old building restored with more gusto than glory. Imposed the original floor mosaics in black and white alternating with a guard of two braided black stripes on white background that ran the local contour. The walls were adorned with a rustic plaster and exhibited a deliberate flaking bricks big time consumed by the battle, just primed with matt varnish. From the roof down invisible chains topped black hats screens open as Chinese, a translucent material that was floating above the tables, pushing the light down, leaving a dark whole space over two meters. There was more than twenty tables set with rectangular geometry, elements forming a wide and short around the bar. At the bottom, under an archway important was access to healthcare. Below the figures of the lady and gentleman, hung two twisted little signs that read: "Only for customers." Y-very funny-at every door, down, had a passer and forth to the free movement of pets, I quickly learned, were invariably cats.
I felt upon entering the rough touch from outside eyes that make one feel an outsider. At the next table, two elderly women were talking animatedly while taking an herbal tea with tart apples and pay lemmon.
I called the waiter and ordered an Italian Capuchin with amaretti and a glass of sherry. It was an older man, very ceremonious that immediately set the table and drew on objects with a slow and orderly routine. Individual placed a tablecloth, a centerpiece, two chocolates wrapped in foil and cellophane, a water jug \u200b\u200band a glass cone short and thick walls and vertical stripes. Then I serve
-order, "he said. And he left.
I leaned over the back to study people. Then a man came out of the toilet octogenarian laborious strides advancing hanging from a stick of polished wood. Behind me stood a middle-age, folded his newspaper and assisted quickly.
I do not know if it is good to come here, Don Ippolito, "he said as he held.
"It's wonderful," replied the old man. Tomorrow come again.
The wizard shook his head.
"This addiction will take you to the grave.
-Pepito I'm already dead. I come here to live my last moments.
came out slowly, got into a blue vehicle that awaited mid-block and disappeared around the corner.
As I thought about the riddle of that conversation I realized that almost all the bar patrons were elderly.
A black cat emerged from the little door swing of men's health. Came to the village, went to two or three cats that seemed to be waiting and together they disappeared into the darkness of the alley.
A tan cat approached me with determination and started to rub against my calf. Supported rubbing his mustache and wore all his side firmly to the tip of the tail, then made an eight between my legs and repeat the operation on my other calf. I stroked his head and narrowed his eyes with pleasure. After a while of repeating his routine mimosa, darted and disappeared behind the door of the ladies' toilet, leaving my woolen socks covered with yellow hairs.
The waiter brought me a cappuccino and took the Travel to charge the old cup of tea of \u200b\u200bherbs, they had some trouble to pay. Trouble immediately explained because immediately after they left the bathroom.
I sipped my coffee while watching the gathering of cats outside. The entire alley was full of cats. Looking at the ceilings could see them as shadows against the sky lunate, coming and going with a strange frenzy. Now and then fell to the sidewalk, gathered in twos or threes and marched in a group with definite course, going through the alley to get around the wall and fall into the backyards of an old chapel.
A flirtatious old and very stained walked past my table paused a moment, I whispered very quietly and continued his march toward the street. Nice
-half, "he said, especially soft.
At the same time, another old woman came to the place, walking very slowly, leaning slightly forward. Advanced support as a table or chair could. He sat near me, I looked for a moment and looked down when I watched. Could not be less than ninety years.
Two cats left the ladies room running around happily, the first waited a moment to the second and both party marched to the cats that seemed to run on the alley.
An elderly man who was just got up and sat at the table next to the old nonagenarian who had just entered. They talked, discussed, he insisted on referring a previous meeting.
"Come on, Have not had a good time? If you spent barbarian, I going to tell me.
She refused again and again and swear that at one point I looked for help.
When the grandfather became burdensome and began to pull you hand to the poor old lady shaking forward and back, I thought I should intervene. Sorry
-grandfather, but I think the lady prefers to be alone.
The old man turned to face me, with a spectacular twist that kept the neck fixed and rotating from the waist, spied me looking up, he hesitated a moment, then raised both hands, palms forward.
"Okay," he said. Stood up and went to the toilet with misaligned quickly and misplaced humor. Nearly fell off the trip with a cat that came from below, by the little door swinging, but the animal eluded him with skill and continued.
"Thank you young," said the old woman patted my hand and looked at me tenderly. I smiled and went back to my table to check that the scene had not gone unnoticed and that all eyes watching me. Hostile how old, eternal in the old.
"I do not know what makes a man so young in this place, I heard someone say. I was
a while, and intrigued by the movement of that site. As badly injured for life puppets, these characters pay your account and crawled into a crack of bone and cartilage to the overcrowded health, which came and went through that little gate cats below. I noticed that the elderly's cup of tea after half an hour had not yet come. Found that, in general, none of which had entered, was out. Out other, yes, and cats, who came and went, but not in any manner, males traveled the men's room and the girls the ladies, and none ever wrong door. Finally the old lady
nonagenarian paid his bill and moved to the bathroom screaming through the eyes of many aches of old age.
I called the waiter and asked for the account. In the meantime, a gray and black cat pulled me over and scratched my face. I instinctively jumped back as the beast quickly retreated to the door. I paid the waiter commenting on the attack.
"I'm sorry sir, but understand that we can not take the cats," she said, and winked.
No. I did not understand. What is already cleared with plenty of light there was something strange happening with the old and cats, and all questions led me to the toilet where each other came and went without logic or reason.
A white cat went through the little door and I came to the table. I crouched waiting for another scratch, but the white cat climbed into my lap and wrapped in a posture of rest. Stroked it and felt a little closer, sweet, I'd say excitedly. Jumped to the floor, looked at me with gray eyes that wanted to tell me something. He went to the bathroom door, turned to my table and went to the bathroom. From the doorway looking at me, gave me a turn and turned to look. Finally headed for the exit door and went into the street.
I got settled and went to the bathroom "customers only" to pulverize the riddles.
To the right of a central aisle, against a mirror that filled the entire wall, there were four old-style toilets clean. On the left, three little doors that gave two separate cubicles. A cat came under one of those doors and left the bathroom. I looked in there to spy on the site soon. I entered and closed the door. There was a toilet, a roll of toilet paper and a plastic basket with lid. In the wall on the left a sign proclaiming a recommendation absurd: "Remember that it is appropriate to extend the cat-state for more than two hours." Before digesting the phrase began to feel dizzy. The walls were extended upwards and suddenly became gigantic toilet. I lost consciousness and regained it at the time. I left the cubicle totally disoriented. Transit corridor stumbled huge and distorted, I left the room and involuntary instinct drew me into the street.
Out there they all were, revealing the mystery. Abandoned to vice eternal youth, enjoying the agility without pain, drinking the elixir of the pirouette and jump to the ceiling, forming groups, speaking of the ancient dances of the neighborhood clubs, Boca reciting the formation of 47, exuding health and whistling of tangos and Goyeneche, Hugo del Carril. Reprinted with fierce meow handsome old quarrels. Falling in love with the cute girl on the block waiting eagerly guilty in teen sex, hidden in the shadows, among water tanks from the roofs. Living overwhelmingly minute to finish the adventure clock sitting at the old chapel.
Guided by an exuberant excitement, I jumped to an eave. I landed with the instinct to balance the weight on the tail. I looked at the geography of the tiles by spreading grayish moon, like a mysterious jungle that I called the movement, and I sank that night in search of the white cat, to make it into my lap and have her there for two hours, or even more, if anything she would rather die for love rather than return to old age.
