Saturday, May 7, 2011

Variations on an Old Theme / Regina Coyula

Variations on an Old Theme / Regina Coyula
Regina Coyula, Translator: Ariana

(With the complicity of Efraín)

Ten in the morning, an office of Metropolitan Bank on 42nd Street.
Cecilia de Villaverde in very short shorts, white shirt and ballet
flats, with a perfect toss of her glossy black hair, asks who is the
last in the queue. Ten and ten in the queue that has not moved and a
foreigner of buoyant appearance, with a face looking like he's seen an
apparition approaches a revived Cecilia. Ten and twenty, the queue has
not moved and ten minutes of conversation of the dazed foreigner with
Cecilia Apparition of the Morning, and the foreigner abandons the line
and takes our Cecilia to his leased Audi.

Ten the following morning, an agency of Metropolitan Bank on 42nd
Street. Our Cecilia of Yesterday, this time wearing a miniskirt and
sandals tied to the ankle passes by in front of the bank branch. She
returns just to ask who is last with a perfect toss of her glossy black
hair to a foreign newcomer in an SUV. The foreigner in shock, but a
little shy, so Cecilia-She-Of-The-Perfect-Teeth, smiles and comments
casually how hot it is. Fifteen minutes later, the foreigner in shock
and Cecilia agrees that it's better on the beach than in that unmoving line.

"There's no one like that girl to make a line!" comments the peanut
vendor to no one in particular.

Translated by Ariana

May 6 2011

http://translatingcuba.com/?p=9347

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