THE LILAC TREE
María Teresa Andruetto
One
He sat down in the shade of a tree full of blossoming lilacs.
A rich man went by and asked him:
What are you doing here, young man, sitting under this tree, instead of working and making money?
And the man answered:
I’m waiting.
A beautiful woman went by and asked him:
What are you doing under this tree instead of courting me?
And the man answered:
I’m waiting.
A boy went by and asked him:
What are you doing, sir, sitting under that tree, instead of playing?
And the man answered:
I’m waiting.
His mother went by and asked him:
What are you doing, my son, sitting under this tree instead of being happy?
And the man answered:
I’m waiting.
Two
She came out of her house.
She crossed the street and the park and went past the tree full of blossoming lilacs.
She gave a quick look at the man.
At the tree.
But she did not stop.
She was looking for something, and was in a hurry.
He saw her go past, walk away, become small and disappear.
And he stayed there staring at the ground that was completely covered with snow-looking lilacs.
She went searching around the world.
Around the whole world.
In the North there was a man with a cracked voice.
She asked him:
Are you the one I'm looking for?
No, that's not me, said the man with the cracked voice.
And he went away.
In the South there was a man with watery eyes.
She asked him:
Are you the one I’m looking for?
I don’t think so, I’m leaving, said the man with the watery eyes.
And he went away.
In the East there was a man with silky hands.
She asked him:
Are you the man I’m looking for?
I’m afraid I'm not, said the man with the silky hands.
And he went away.
In the West there was a man with winged feet.
She asked him:
Are you the one I’m looking for?
I was waiting for you for a long time, but now I’m not, said the man with the winged feet.
And he went away.
Three
She went on searching across the world, across the whole world.
One afternoon, walking up a slope, she found a gipsy.
The gipsy looked at her and said:
The one you’re looking for is waiting in a park under a tree.
She remembered the man with watery eyes, the one with silky hands, the one with winged feet and the one with the cracked voice.
And then she remembered the park, a tree full of lilacs, and the man that was sitting under its shade.
Then she walked her way back down the slope and across the world.
The whole world.
She arrived at her town, crossed the park, walked up to the tree and asked the man that was sitting in the shade:
What are you doing, sitting under this tree?
And the man said with a cracked voice:
I’m waiting for you.
Then he raised his head and she saw that he had watery eyes; he caressed her and she felt that he had silky hands; he took her flying and she realized that he also had winged feet.