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Gregorio (1982)
We are children of the rooster,
we are children of the Sun, of all... ...the mountains, of the earth, of all that surrounds us. We are of them. "I'm going to Lima", you say. You'll come back crying. On the streets you won't even find anything to eat. You'll end up shining shoes. You'll even have to ask your wife for money... ...your wife. You still don't know what it is to work for the boss. For years we've served the masters. Now at least we have a little farm. Here we can work. Yet they leave our land like crazy... ...Do you realize the amount of people going... ...who end up washing dishes in restaurants? Your children, your wife, how will they cope? While you're going to go walking around! Tomorrow or the day after, when I find a job... ...I'll send for my family. You know how our parents have suffered to have... ...these lands? Do you think that sacrifice was in vain? The sons of farmers have defended the land. So I'm going to follow that path. I won't inherit any of it. You know customs of the Quechua. My brother, the youngest, will inherit the lands of my father. No, Machico,... ...I have to go. There's no other possibility, Juana... So why should I stay here? I've decided to travel. I'm leaving tomorrow. When will you be back? I'll stay on my own. But in the future... ...we'll live better. And we, when will we travel? When I get a job... ...I'll send for you. Tell your mom not to get me angry. We can't help it, you'll have to endure her. Take care of my children. I'm going no matter what. Gregorio! My dad left, too. To Lima, he says. There is so much traffic, the houses are tall, There's a lot of work to do, and some factories, he says. So, your father went there to looking for a job. Yes. When you go to the city it's not the same, well, as here. And you, few know, yet, the big cities... when you get there, you'll see that it's different. Houses grow vertically there, right? It's not like here in our town, here in the mountains, here in our town, it's not the same. Here the houses are separated. We have a lot of land, a lot of farms. But in Lima, the houses have to grow vertically. Why? Because many people go there. There we can't, you aren't going to be able to talk even with your neighbors... because everybody is so busy. Well, here we will accommodate ourselves. Here I have a little Quaker Oats. We made them for the kids. Anything you need, just ask for the man Martnez. My brother is just... well, I'll be back. I'll be unloading the truck. But here you can't speak Quechua! Nobody will understand you! Be right back. Here in Lima nobody speaks Quechua. Medium, what color is this gentleman's white shirt? White! He never fails, this Medium, he never fails! Very good, Medium! Medium, now tell me who am I'm pointing at. - A couple in love. - Very good! What's the future of this couple? - They will marry very soon! - Very good, Medium! Tell me, the lady, why is she getting married? Out of love and happiness! - And the gentleman? - Out of idiocy! He never fails, the Medium never fails! Very good, Medium! Medium, now tell me who I'm pointing at. A gentleman. - Very good, Medium! Describe the gentleman's character! - Very easy! - And why? - Because he doesn't wear any underwear! He never fails, my Medium never fails! Here, the gentleman has just handed me something. What is it, Medium? A box of matches! He never fails, my Medium never fails! Now comes the most difficult one to answer. Now my Medium will tell if the match is on fire or not. - Fired up or not? Hurry up, I'm burning! - On! He never fails, my Medium never fails! Very good, Medium! - Medium, tell me what I have in my hand. - A head! - Very well. Whose head is this? - A donkey's! - A child, idiot! - Ah, an idiot child! The idiot is you! Medium, how many hairs does this head have? 1,999,000 hairs, a cane, a lice and a plus. He never fails! People who don't believe him can come count them! He never fails. Very good, Medium! - What does the gentleman have on his finger? - A ring! Very well. Now let's guess what metal the ring's made of! Focus, Medium. - Hurry, time is golden. - Gold! He never fails, my Medium never fails! Very good, Medium! Here the gentleman has just handed me a bill. You go to the store, buy 50... Man, why did you came here to polish shoes? You want to go polishing, and you don't have any shoes? Why have you come here? You can't polish shoes here, man. I'm polishing the shoes, here, now, that's all. You have to go to somewhere else. Go somewhere else, already. Hey, hey, leave him alone, numbnuts! - Get out, get out of here! - You're bullying the brat? That's four against one, that's bullying, against him on his own. Just because he's on his own, the brat? He should go elsewhere, then. Get out, get out of here fast! One day in the mountains, I was walking by the countryside. I ran cross a pigeon. She was hurt. Poor thing, you've taken your last breath. In Lima, you work hard. My dad, he spends all day loading. If not moving someone, then in the market, loading and unloading packages. And at night, he's a security guard at a construction site, lacking proper rest just to keep people from stealing. When there was festival in my town, I used to attend. My mom didn't like that, but she sent me to watch out, because my dad's a notorious drunk. It was day of the bullfights. Trucks were circled, the courtyard very pretty. Behind they had a corral where they kept the bulls. You would enter via an alley. And I saw my dad was coming in, totally drunk, that way, he hardly saw me. I ran to tell my mom. When we arrived the bull had already ran over him. Another guy had his guts torn out. My mom came in, and with head shots and kicks, she chased him off the courtyard:... "Idiot, drunkard! Why do you come in, not knowing how to fight a bull?" She yanked him out, but he still wanted to return, my dad. Blow after blow, she dragged him out! She was taking her revenge, my mom, taking advantage of his drunkenness. The next day I made him remember. But he couldn't remember a thing, he just said: "My head hurts!" Now he's sick. Sick, really sick. He can't even eat. Sometimes he doesn't go to work. But you have to make more money. - This Saturday everyone'll be paid off. - This Saturday? There's no more work here. My friend, you told me that the work wasn't going to dry up here, that there was plenty of work. - I said... But I'm not the boss! - Well, I wouldn't have come in that case. I'm hired hand the same as you. I'll be left high and dry, just like you. Me, what I want now is to get a room, that's all. A room? Where are you going to get a room, as expensive as they are? A small room, the smallest, would cost you more than you make in a month. I heard it on the radio that the government's making social housing. We can take advantage of that. And are you going to believe the government, friend? These houses are not for the poor! You're talking seriously! The day after tomorrow, by Villa El Salvador... ...there's goint to be a land invasion. - An invasion? - An invasion, yes. Villa Salvador is far away. So you'd be better off going back, damn it. Go back? Go back where, Jacinto? Where? To the farm. Where do you think that's going to be? The farm doesn't yield enough for the lot of us to eat, just for your parents. - We're going back, why? - Because here's worse. It's all pure sand! No electricity, no water...! No trees grow or anything! I'm not going back. Do you want your children to die to never get the chance to study, to be like you, wandering from one job to another? Just like that? But at the farm, at least we can have a bit of something. Here, no tree grows. Here... there's no water. Around here it's not like our homeland. You have to listen to your friend, Jacinto! The lands, without electricity, without water... is just land! Some say that sometimes the police break in, beat the people, throw grenades, trample over the mats, burn them... Just then I got scared. The wind used to blow away the mats. The night was cold. Then my father began to feel worse. He coughed, and his fever rose. All night he was thirsty. In the morning a truck full of policemen showed up, and also patrolmen in their cars. My dad was in a very poor shape, panting like he was tired. The police wouldn't come in. They just stayed nearby. But others said here on the desert, there were no owners, no one owns the sand. We spent a week like that, suffering hunger, cold, and with little water, until the cops left. But my dad couldn't get up anymore. No more, no. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jess. Well. Uncle "cuchara", when will you come back? Uncle "cuchara"! When are you coming back? When it's windy, it brings sand into the house, and into the bed, too. Even into the food. We have to get up real early, first to look for water from far off, then go to Cnepa Park. It's a 2-hour bus trip to go there and back. If you come back later it's very dangerous. There are thieves. Not even the priests can hide. I've been threatened 2 times with a knife and got my money taken. They don't respect kids or old people. Neighbor, good afternoon! - Neighbor, good afternoon. - Good afternoon. You remember we talked about that job at the assembly? Right. Well, I came to offer you a job. It's to do laundry in the house of some gentlefolk. Hey, lazybones! Why are you here? Have you lost your site? What do you care? "What do you care?". Bully! Pay careful attention to what we're telling you, numbnuts. What, can't I be here? No, what an idea! What do you want, spoiled kid, to chase all the money away? Go home, wash your clothes, you filthy! You've come here just to mess with me! - Find a pace there, filthy! - Buy shoes to those yankees! Fix yourself out there, Gregorio. Medium, now you're to guess whose bill this is. Is it the lady's? No! Hey, Medium, don't be mean, poor gentleman! No! Give me a little more of that dust. - Is it the gentleman's, Medium? - No! - Medium, don't be mean, so Medium: is it the gentleman's? - No! - Who does it belong to? - Whoever has it in his hand! You've never been so late. So late? The trip dragged, then I also went to see the snowcone lady. What did they ask you, to sell snowcones? She says her sister in law is unemployed, too. Look what I did this morning. I just spent 200 soles to pay off for this photo. Do you like it? It looks just like you! - Let me show you a miracle. - Come on, show me. Look, for three months I have been married. You've been married for three months? And my wife has given me a cute and beautiful baby. - So what do you call that? - A miracle. One moment, you say you have been married for three months. Three months of marriage. Your wife has given birth to a cute and lovely baby. A cute and beautiful baby. - A miracle... That's not a miracle. - And then what is it? That someone else got in there before you did! These ones, they only say dirty things. How tasty the food is! When you're finished come straight home, Gregorio. Yes, Mom, I'll hurry home. Now, ladies and gentlemen, here you come, come, come! Come see the greatest clowns ever seen in Miraflores! Come, gentlemen, come! Look, you'll see the greatest clowns ever seen, they're: Tin-tacky, Marijuana,... Fourth-dwarf, and Drummy-bones! Having them here, gentlemen, look at me! Here are all of them! Check them out! Hey, have you seen chavo and my brother? I haven't seen anyone, leave it. - Hey, what's wrong? - Don't bother me. - I was saying... - I've been thinking... Oh, Gregorio! Why are you so late? No bus came. No bus came until so late? Mrs. Nelly had to stay because of you. She had errands to do. It came, but it was full. "It came, but it was full"! So little money? Where have you been? There were no customers. - Sit. You're about to eat. - I'm not hungry. Where did you eat? What crap have you eaten? Go to bed! I went to Cnepa Park but I didn't find Gregorio, Nelly. I brought him lunch there the other day but couldn't see him. His shoe-polisher box is right there, where he always keeps it, at that lady's place. What can he be going through? These nights he's been coming late. He even didn't want to eat. He even answers me back. - Who could he be getting with now? - Did he find out? Could it be that he got jealous? I've seen you with Don Lucho. Do you think that Gregorio hasn't seen you? But I'm doing nothing wrong. Ah! But who says you're doing anything wrong? On the contrary. You just have to explain it to him. You have to talk to him. For sure he won't like it at first, but he'll gradually come around. But if that's it, I won't lose my son. But it's not about losing your son, Juana, you're just being silly! This Don Lucho is a good person. He's a working man. He's even handsome. What more do you want? Fuck, that's cool! What a nice movie this is! Come on, cum, cum! Be quiet! Gregorio! Where have you been? You're late again. Won't you speak, then, Gregorio? And, why was that man with you? We'll talk later. Go to bed. Fuck it! What else was there? Two loaves per head. Two, four, six, seven... one's missing. One's missing. The lady gave them to me like that, man. You asshole, you, we're missing one! Shitty numbnuts, there's one missing, one missing, quick, quick! I guess I dropped one on the way, then. Maybe you're blind and crippled, but how could you drop one? Get the fuck out of here, shitty numbnuts! The numbnuts always does the same thing, hey, I'm just shit for you! I must have dropped it. "I must have dropped it"! Worse for you, your lose, now you get only one bread, alright! No, I was lying, I was joking, give me some! By your mother's cunt! You're always doing the same thing, right? You always drop one and you never realize it, right? - I realize it, of course. - Yes, what a coincidence! Right? - You steal from us and you don't even realize it? - Fuck off, pig! Don't make this long! Don't make this long, shithead! Big tongue, shits! He eats here every day and... he steals for fun, not out of necessity, the asshole. He doesn't even know how to steal, he's an idiot! You're stealing from us and you don't even realize it, right? If you want, you can stay, but if you don't, fuck off. Always with the same shit, that shithead! That shit of a brat! Same old crap every day, right? The numbnuts makes a habit of it. Shoot! The first shot misses! Have you placed your bet, then? - He's playing with all three! - With all four! Now, with the four, with four! Out. Oh! Loses, loses. - You're fucked, you're fucked. - You're out, man! - You win! Look, look. Hey, guys, you can look but no beating off! - Yummy! - The slut, the slut! Look, here's another one, especially for Nacholo, who's just morbid. Check this out. Everybody's morbid here, don't pretend. Look, here's a transvestite. Ah, he's cute! Man, your bed is full of fleas. Put Baygon on it. Fuck off! Who tells you to lay down on it? This is cool, shit! Feels like I'm on Jupiter. Damn, if you're on Jupiter, I'm on Earth, but cool! You motherfucker! Buddy, your music's boring. It's not, and it's not a miracle! I said that it is a real miracle, don't bother. Right? It's not a miracle! And then what is this thing, then, what, dude? That's another guy who fucked before you! He finally got smart, he turned smart! My sister... I found out that my sister was beaten up... and... what was her name? and I found out, and I asked her "Who did it?" she told me "Him", and I, without speaking or anything, went over him... I landed a slap on him and he also hit me and we started having at it, and I had no choice, and so, I grabbed a stick and broke his head. I saw that blood was coming out of his head and I stepped aside... and his brother grabbed me when I was distracted and hit me, and I brought my brother, he hit him, and then... his whole neighborhood came in in a flash, then my neighborhood came in as well, and everyone began to fight, stones, sticks,... windows, everything, they destroyed the headmaster's office, the chairs, the doors, the windows, they destroyed absolutely everything, and then... and then... the next day I went back and they wouldn't let me in and I said: "Miss, what just happened, hey?" "Don't play dumb. " "And yesterday, what happened?" "No, miss, I don't know, that guy and my brother did it to get some attention. " "That's it, Miss. If you want to throw me out, just throw me out. " And the teacher says, "No, I don't want that, but just to know why you behaved badly. " I had no choice so I said: "Miss, fuck off", and so the lady expelled me. And so... so, I... it was for the best. I miss my mom but I can't go back home. My dad, when he's sober, is a good guy. But when he's drunk he goes crazy. No one can stop him. When I was a kid, he beat my mother, beat us, used to beat my younger siblings, and until one day I was fed up, I grabbed an iron and threw it in his face, I just couldn't take it anymore. I smashed his face with the iron and ran out of the house. But I miss my mom. I can't leave her! I can't go back home! Already? Still. Already? Still. And if he get caught, what happens? Don't be afraid, don't be a pussy. Me? A pussy? The thing I don't like is stealing. Hey! What's wrong? Take your hands off the car. Miss, I'm not doing any wrong to you, I'm playing my salsa. Hey, do you know how much the painting of this car? Take your hands out of there. Miss, but I'm just playing my salsa! No! Hey, get your hands off of there, I'm telling you! - Miss, I'm not doing anything! - Take your hands off of there! Miss, your car is fab! Now, it's fine, I'll leave your car alone. Yes, but this guy was shitting his pants out of fear. Fear? This pal can't handle that, man. Leave him alone, it's the first time. Just wait, then. And you two fools, I don't know what you looked like. "Already?". "Still. ". "Already?". "Still. " "Already, already, already, already". A moron, you looked like! And what kind of oaf were you? This guy isn't smart yet. Yeah, yeah, just eat that anticucho, alright. We go back to hitting the cars? You're no better than a baby hitting the cars. Shitty boy, fuck off! - Madam, this is my place, ma'am. - Go back in line. My wallet! - Ouch, sir, sir! - I haven't done anything! I was just going home, sir. Why are you arresting me, what did I do? - The wallet. - What wallet? I didn't do anything! - Why are you running? - And you, why are you following me? - Come on, don't pretend, man! - I haven't grabbed anything. Wouldn't you be thief, right? No dirty money in this house! - And where's the money? - What money? Man, where's the loot from the wallet? - I spent it, but there were only 2,000 soles. - 2,000 soles! You're full of shit! - The wallet was full! - "There was only 2,000 soles"! Fucking numbnuts, fucking asshole! You think you're smart, numbnuts? Do we steal so you can spend it, and we even get arrested? Now, let him fuck himself, let him fuck off, this numbnuts! What do you claim? It wasn't their money, they stole it. There you go, numbnuts, there have it! If you want money have your mom work as a prostitute, idiot. You want money? Here! Worthless sack of shit! You're not good for this, so take off already. There were more than 20,000 soles. And who was I supposed to give it back to? This wasn't theirs. I spent them. "Dirty money", said my mother. I spent them straight off out of rage. And I was bitter about everything. And from my dad dying. If you work hard, you have to eat. But first I ate Lomo Saltado... with a fried egg. Here in Lima everybody cheats. Never being honest, always wanting to cheat. Why do they grip with us? I was bitter. It was because they beat me, then. I bought a humongous strawberry ice cream. And so, after two days, I returned home. Now my mom enrolled me in school, but I rarely go. Now I just work. Sometimes I want to... |
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