The Day the Rebels Came to Town Read Free Page B

Now, if I could ask you to stand...”
    He helped Carlos to his good foot, and measured the distance between the ground and Carlos’s armpits. He then left, but returned a few hours later. Smiling, he handed Carlos a pair of roughly made crutches.
    “Thank you,” Carlos said. “Thank you so much.”
    Ramon nodded, backed out the door, and was gone.
    As soon as Ramon left, Carlos stood and slipped his crutches under his arms. He gasped and fell back onto the bed, holding the spots where his crutches had touched his cracked ribs. For a moment, he just lay there, staring at the ceiling and feeling sorry for himself. When he tried the crutches again, he found a way to hold them so they didn’t rub against his sides. He walked around the room a few times, but soon both his ribs and his foot began to hurt. He had to return to bed.
    Every few hours, driven mostly by boredom, Carlos got up and used his crutches a little more. The next day, he figured out how to use themwithout hurting his ribs. It involved a lot of hopping and leaning to one side, but he didn’t mind. He opened the door of his room. For the first time, Carlos saw the front room of the old mayor’s house. As in most homes, a hammock was strung between two support posts. A table, two chairs, and a mirror took up one wall. The front door was painted blue. The shutters over the window facing the street were closed. It was as simple as the front room of his own little home in the South.
    Carlos moved toward the door and pushed it. It swung open with a creak. He took a step into the dusty street and looked from left to right. It was late afternoon, and the town was just coming alive after its midday rest. He could hear the voices of children and the barking of dogs. He was about to make his way toward the town square when Linda came running up. She looked flushed and upset.
    “Carlos!” she cried out. “You should be in...”
    “I’m okay,” he told her. “Being outside is helping.”
    She glanced at his wrapped foot.
    “Really, I am,” he added. “With these crutches, I’m just fine. In fact, I want to see some of this town of yours. Why don’t you show me a little of it?”
    “Me?”
    “Why not?”
    “I am only supposed to...”
    “Take care of me, yes? Well, right now I need a little fresh air. It wouldn’t help things if I got lost, would it?”
    She blinked. Her black eyes sparkled. During moments like these, her beauty leapt at him, as if coming from some place where wars were unknown.
    “Then it’s settled. You lead the way.”
    “All right,” she said.
    They began walking along the street in front of the mayor’s house. Linda moved slowly, allowing Carlos to keep up. As they walked, he noticed how the sunlight reflected off her hair, making it shine violet. After a minute or two, they reached the plaza. It was full of people, all talking. As Carlos looked on, he thought of his own little town down south. There, the streets filled in the late afternoon and stayed full until well after dinner.
    Just then, Carlos was spotted by the priest and the rich Spanish landowner. They both came over.
    “Carlos!” said Antonio. “What are you doing out of bed?”
    “It’s the crutches,” said Father Alvarez. “They’re working like a charm!”
    Antonio looked at Linda. “I think we can take him from here.”
    Linda nodded and turned. As she hurried away, Carlos looked over his shoulder and watched her for a moment.
    “Come, come,” they said. “Let us show you our little town. Really, it’s so good to see you out of bed.”
    They took a slow, halting walk around the small plaza. In the sunlight, the pale adobe buildings were the same colour as the earth from which they were made. First, the friends showed Carlos the town hall, where the mayor had his office. Then, they showed him the village church, built by the Spanish six hundred years earlier. “It’s still standing,” said Antonio. “Say what you will, but we Spanish people know