The Godmother

I´m learning to read and write and I like to do it on my own. All help is very welcome

     One cannot expect anything from anyone. Or one can expect all from anyone, my lady said with a shrug.

     I don´t understand some people. Today I eat you with kisses and tomorrow I do not want to know anything about you, she continued.

     Dear Fran, this way spoke my lady about her daughter´s godmother.

     She had the privilege of being the first person —after the matron— of holding the baby as a gift from my lady´s deceased husband. G —we will call her G— was even recommended for a job in a public examination by my lady´s husband. Something that eventually embarrassed him, although, fortunately she got all two tests wrong. Result which, over time, eased the conscience of the man.

     Yet when my lady suffered an outbreak of rheumatism she didn´t even ask after her health. This was the first sign.

     The Andalusian is a wonderful people, but this people have its idiosyncrasy as well. In Andalusia people open its heart —and its homes— very quickly and they, very quickly, fall out too. It does not happen in England. There, people are more reserved, you spend more time in knowing one another. Thus it is that the relationships are steadier.

     Before of being the godmother, G ran a nursery school and the elder son of my lady attended there for two years. The relationship goes a long way back.

     Eventually the girl arrived.

     The godmother bent over backwards to satisfy his goddaughter!     

     G was closely bound to the church. She collaborated helping the needy of the parish in different ways: collecting food, charitable tombolas, accompanying the elders or disabled people —G had bent over backwards on a young girl who needed permanently care— and the ornamentation and the cleaning of the church if necessary.

     Like when Beatrice did the cleaning of the church and neglected her work at the farm. Would she polish the pews of the church like I put the wax on the wood of the table of the dining room and the banisters?

     (The week that the vicar spent visiting Ralph, Edna and I worked extra hard. We did a spring cleaning in to the house and the church.)

     The godmother had been in all celebrations and parties of her goddaughter. She showered her with presents particularly at the Three Wise Men feast day. Her birthday and her name day they filled up with more gifts and it was not rare that my lady and her son received small gifts. Only the husband, when he was alive, does not receive presents, but that was something that it does not disappointed   him   because he was satisfied with the gifts received by his children and his wife.

     Yet all changed when the godmother´s niece was born. Quickly, in the twinkling of an eye almost, the great connection was broken off with her goddaughter and all her carefulness went from her baptized to the sister´s daughter. Thus it was how the fondness between them went dying away and thus it was how the roce —they say “roce” here— gradually drifted apart.

     Her goddaughter finished her state secondary school, started university and fell ill a couple of times and there´s been no sign of the godmother for more than five years. That´s it!

     My lady knows G is bosom pal with other persons now. How long?

     Y. a.

     Mary