Chapter 3

Reprinted from Faust. Trans. Bayard Taylor. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1898.

For this chapter, a close English translation in parenthesis follows the conversations in Spanish.

Four hours later Bo and Phil pulled back into the stop-n-rob at the hwy 385 intersection. They were dusty, sweaty and extremely thirsty. The smell of crude oil hung heavy on both of them. In other words they matched about a hundred other young men in the area just before noon on a week day. Bo wanted to top off the tank on the Cuda and empty the tank in his colon because his morning necessary nature call had been postponed by Harvey's poorly timed entrance. Betty Sue had been replaced behind the counter by an old Hispanic man. His face carried so many lines and wrinkles he looked like a brown paper lunch sack that had been used all week.

"Howdy," Bo greeted the old man with a nod of his head.

"Buenos días." (Good morning.)

"¿Tieneusted alguna cerveza fría?" asked Bo. (Do you have any cold beer?)

"No, sólo los refrescos en el hielo ponen en una caja atrás allí," he replied as he pointed to the end of the counter. (No, just soft drinks in the ice box back there.)

"¿Y algún alimento caliente para comida?" (How about any hot food for dinner?)

"No, no me cocino. Pero mi hermana tiene una pequeña cafe no demasiado lejos de aquí. Ella es un cocinero excelente si usted puede tolerar su actitud ácida." (No, I do not cook. But my sister has a little cafe not too far from here. She is an excellent cook if you can tolerate her sour attitude.)

Bo motioned to Phil and they went to the back and grabbed a couple of bottles. A Dr. Pepper for Bo and Phil found a grape soda.

"What were ya and the old guy yapp'n 'bout?" inquired Phil since he did not share Bo's ability with Spanish not growing up so close to the border.

"I foun out whar we're eat'n lunch. Ya hungry?"

"Lead the way. I could eat the ass-hole out of a dead dog I'm so damn hungry. I swear son, ya could find a virgin in a whore house." Phil chuckled because Marathon is just a wide spot in the road and the stop-n-rob and the post office are the heavy industries in town if you don't count the pump jacks (electric driven machines that look like big birds going up and down and pump crude oil out of the ground) scattered around the countryside.

Bo grinned back at his pal, "I sure hope that's not what's on thar menu." He settled up for the fuel and the pops as well as getting directions to the café. He sure needed the directions because nobody was going to accidentally trip over the place. The café was a converted two bedroom frame house on a back street off of the highway. The café was painted a bright blue with a front yard of hard pack caliche. The guys walked in and found about ten mismatched tables and chairs that looked like the place had been furnished from many, many garage sales and the biggest, ugliest woman either one had ever seen. She was not quite five foot tall and weighed ever bit of 300 lbs if she was an ounce. When she spoke all they saw was three teeth; two lower and one upper. She eyed the two gringos suspiciously.

Bo gave her his best smile because the smells emanating from the kitchen had both guys stomach's growling, "Howdy."

She just nodded briefly at the men.

"El hombre en la tienda nos envió para la comida. Él dice que usted es el mejor cocinero en todo Texas." Bo continued to give her his best smile. (The man at the store sent us for dinner. He says you are the best cook in all of Texas.)

With that comment, her face brightened considerably. "Debe ser mi hermanito. Él siempre disfrutaba de mis comidas. Tuve que alimentarlo porque aquella vaca con la que él se casó no podía hervir el echar agua sin quemarlo." (That must be my baby brother. He has always enjoyed my meals. I had to feed him because that cow he married could not boil water without burning it.)

"Usted es una señora muy encantadora. Todos los hombres solos deben querer casarse con usted. (You are a very lovely woman. All the single men must want to marry you.) Bo was laying on the bull shit extra thick.

"Soy demasiado viejo para hombres jóvenes fuertes como usted dos más. Tengo a cinco nietas aquellos maridos de necesidad. Todos ellos tiene que encontrar hombres ricos que los guardarán en la cama y harán muchos bebés bonitos." (I am too old for strong young men like you two anymore. I have five granddaughters that need husbands. They all need to find rich men that will keep them in bed and make many pretty babies.)

"Tenemos mucha hambre hoy. ¿Qué está bien hoy para un par de hombres que pasan hambre? Un par de cervezas frías estarían bien también. (We are very hungry today. What is good today for a couple of starving men? A couple of cold beers would be good too.) Bo hoped that by sweet talking he might get her to give them some cold beer even though they were in a "dry" county and beer and liquor sales were illegal here.

"Tengo enchiladas y tamales fresco hoy. Ninguna cerveza permitió aquí, siento." (I have enchiladas and fresh tamales today. No beer allowed here, I am sorry.)

"Espero que el alimento sea sazonado como usted. Estoy cansado del alimento suave que los gringos comen." (I hope the food is spicy like you. I am weary of the bland food the Yankees eat.)

"Mi cocina le hará gritar y sudar. Pienso que sé lo que usted dos hombres bonitos quieren comer y en mujeres también." The old woman laughed and her whole body shook. (My kitchen will make you scream and sweat. I think that I know what you two nice men want to eat and in women also.)

"Tráiganos el alimento para dos, la abuela. Té con hielo y echar agua con hielo también. Un tazón grande de salsa, muy caliente por favor. Gracias." Bo laughed with the old woman while Phil just stood there looking dumb and lost but had faith his buddy would make sure they got treated right. (Bring us food for two, grandmother. Iced tea and iced water. A big bowl of very hot salsa. Thank you.)

"Encuentre una mesa y le alimentaré tanto como usted puede manejarse. Si usted se marcha aquí hambriento, tengo la culpa." She waved towards the tables and went to get their drinks. (Find a table and I will feed you as much as you can handle. If you leave here hungry, I am not at fault.)

Bo tilted his head at Phil and lead him to a table near the swamp cooler (evaporative air conditioner used in arid climates) but not right in the air blast. The look in Phil's' eyes queried Bo. The look he got back told him not to worry and he immediately relaxed. As was so often the case with men that had fought together in combat, these two could carry out a complete conversation with just their expressions and never utter a word.