1 Day 1
He is always thinking of the last words he said to herand#8212;thank you, see you at dinner, rarely a simple I love youand#8212;as if they were status reports to a colleague, a quick memo to see where they stand. Andres always speaks last; Marabela has never cared for last words because her power lies in silences. When he calls to say heand#8217;ll be home late from work, he waits several seconds for her to respond. In that time, he tries to guess what sheand#8217;ll say next, his thoughts teetering from hope to dread, and when she finally speaks, her words land flatly in the middle.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;You promised youand#8217;d be home for dinner. We havenand#8217;t sat down together in weeks. Canand#8217;t work wait?and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;He tries explaining why it canand#8217;t. Andres is already on his way to meet with the president of one of the largest canned food manufacturers in the country, hoping to convince him to switch the printing of his labels to his company. The meeting is about more than business; itand#8217;s about setting a good example for his son. and#8220;Even if I could reschedule, Iand#8217;ve already picked up Ignacio from school. You know how much it means to me that he come along.and#8221; He wonders if Marabela still remembers (if she even still cares about) the stories Andres used to tell her of how he started shadowing his father when he was only nine. Ignacio is already sixteen, and today will be the first time he sees his father in action. Itand#8217;s time he learned about business, responsibility, and confidenceand#8212;things he wonand#8217;t absorb sitting in a classroom.
and#160;and#160;and#160;Marabela sighs in that half-resigned way she always does when she knows thereand#8217;s no arguing with him. and#8220;Fine, but why does it have to take so long? Just finish early and come home.and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;I left a few reports on my desk. Iand#8217;ll need to go back for them after the meeting.and#8221; His companyand#8217;s projected earnings for the next several months will need to be adjusted if he lands this new client, and itand#8217;ll be a nice way to demonstrate to his son that hard work adds up. and#8220;It shouldnand#8217;t take more than half an hour.and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;Itand#8217;s just that I donand#8217;t like asking the girls to work late. They have their novela at eight. Itand#8217;s the least I can do.and#8221; Marabela sounds hesitant.
and#160;and#160;and#160;Andres scoffs. Itand#8217;s ridiculous that his household schedule is dictated by a soap opera. Is La Perricholi really more important than his and his familyand#8217;s time together? and#8220;You ask more of me than you do our own help,and#8221; he says.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;Por favor, Andres.and#8221; She sounds tired, always so tired, of arguing with him. and#8220;Donand#8217;t make me seem like the unreasonable one when Iand#8217;m just trying to be fair. They shouldnand#8217;t have to work late just because you do.and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;He can sense the conversation going nowhereand#8212;just more hurtful words and no solutions. As usual, heand#8217;s overcome by an urge to take it all back and start over. and#8220;What if you pick up the papers for me? Could you do that for me?and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;Right now? I wasnand#8217;t even planning on going downtown. I was just on my way out to the pharmacy to get Carlaand#8217;s medication, but your office is completely out of my way.and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;Picking up medication for the maid is going completely out of the way, too, he thinks. and#8220;But Iand#8217;d be home for dinner. Isnand#8217;t that what you want?and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;The line goes silent as she considers.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;Only if you promise youand#8217;ll be home for dinner on time.and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;Iand#8217;ll do everything I can.and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;She doesnand#8217;t agree or disagree. She simply hangs up.
and#160;and#160;and#160;For months now, theyand#8217;ve moved past good-byes, but the conversation leaves him feeling unsettled. He thinks about calling her back and saying forget about the papers, but perhaps heand#8217;s making a big deal out of nothing. Marabela often runs errands downtown. Why should a man have to be so careful with his wife that he canand#8217;t ask for a simple favor? Would she really leave him over a stack of forgotten papers, over a tie that needs straightening? Lately he has tried not to be needy, but the truth is, a husband has needs. Every marriage does, especially theirs, yet theyand#8217;ve gone months, maybe years, ignoring this simple fact.
and#160;and#160;and#160;The driver turns a sharp left and Ignacio gets pushed against his father in the backseat. They can already see the factory up ahead, its perimeter enclosed by a thick sky-blue wall. The security guard at the entrance asks to see their national identification cards, jotting down their names and license plate number before letting them in. As the gate rattles open and they pass under the factory sign, Andres points to the long, stocky building up ahead.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;Manuel Orozco started out canning just olluco, precut in strips and chunks,and#8221; Andres tells his son. He remembers what the packaging looked like years ago, with its red and white stripes and several of the root vegetables in the center, as if someone just wrapped the Peruvian flag around a can and slapped a picture of its contents on the front. The design hasnand#8217;t changed much, and the printing quality is atrocious. and#8220;They do all sorts of fruits and vegetables now. Peaches and peas and choclo. But the olluco is what theyand#8217;re known for, and they really need a label thatand#8217;ll bring out its bright yellow color to catch peopleand#8217;s eyes.and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;Is that what they called you for?and#8221; Ignacio asks.
and#160;and#160;and#160;He adjusts his tie and grins. and#8220;Well, itand#8217;s what I called them for.and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;Theyand#8217;re greeted by Manuel and his wife at the front steps of the factory, then led through its heart, full of rows and rows of workers in hairnets and aprons filling an endless line of naked cans with food. A small conference room upstairs overlooks the machines and assembly lines, and once inside Andres can see his son is mesmerized by their perpetual motion. He hands him his suitcase, hoping to redirect his attention to the client.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;Never too young to start learning to be more like his father, right?and#8221; Manuel says.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;Hopefully not too much. I suspect heand#8217;s gotten most of his best qualities from his mother.and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;Manueland#8217;s wife laughs and asks how Marabela is doing. The women know each other from a mutual acquaintance, and when the couples last ran into each other at a dinner party, Andres seized the opportunity. From the way Lara spoke about the company, he could tell Manueland#8217;s wife was the one heand#8217;d need to convince at this meeting, despite her lack of an official job title. Heand#8217;d hoped Marabela would come with him to the meeting to help make a good impression.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;Sheand#8217;s so sorry she couldnand#8217;t make it. She was really looking forward to seeing you again,and#8221; he says.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;Tell her I said hello and that I hope she feels better,and#8221; Lara says.
and#160;and#160;and#160;The meeting goes better than expected. Manuel tells them all about the history of his company and what theyand#8217;re planning on doing next. He asks if Andresand#8217;s company has ever handled this quantity of canned food products, and Andres jokes that lucky for Manuel, theyand#8217;ve had plenty of practice on smaller competitors. He has Ignacio hand out printing samples from his suitcase, and the vibrant colors and glossy finish seem to impress them. Lara runs her fingers over the paper, which pleases Andres immensely. Itand#8217;s meant to be touched to be fully appreciated; his ink never runs.
and#160;and#160;and#160;On their way back to the car Andres bets his son that Manuel will call soon, possibly in the next week or two, but Ignacio seems more interested in Lara.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;Why did she think Mom doesnand#8217;t feel well?and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;Itand#8217;s nothing. It was just easier to tell them that than say your mother wasnand#8217;t interested in coming.and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;Why would she come?and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;He sighs, unsure how to explain the less concrete aspects of business. and#8220;Sometimes those kinds of things help the situation along. A man like Manuel wants to know the person heand#8217;s about to do business with shares his values. That heand#8217;s a good husband, a family guy. That he can be trusted.and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;Marabela tired of this early on in his career, saying it made her feel like she was showing off their marriage for profit. Andres hopes his son wonand#8217;t ask for further explanation, but he only nods and says, and#8220;Canand#8217;t really blame her for not being interested.and#8221;