"Well, Cartoto." "This horse's time is over." "It must be retired." "You have the option not to tell them." "And how long is it going to take them to notice that?" "In the first race it'll stumble." "And if you tell them that they have to wait for a while?" "Maybe somebody could operate the animal." "This horse already gave everything he had to." "They will not put anymore money on him." "I cannot lie to them, they pay me to give them my advice." "Ana, hey." "Ana, hey, hey." " She doesn't do anything." " And what do you want her to do?" "I don't know... she doesn't even get scared." "Don't worry, you are going to have your whole life to scare her." "Can I hold her?" "Yes, but be careful with the little head." "Excuse me." " How is the mother feeling?" " Well, really well." " So, have she already ate?" " As if she knew." "Well." "I'm going to pierce her now that I have some time." "I'll bring her right back." "Where are they taking her?" "They are going to pierce her." "And what do you know about her will?" "They make them to every girl." "But, what if she doesn't want afterwards?" "Paco, every woman wears earrings" "Okay, but imagine she didn't want afterwards." "And if she didn't want to, she will have to deal with her mother wanting to." "I'm going home." "Aren't you going to wait for your father?" "No, I'll meet him there." "I have some things to do." "Hey, thanks for coming." "Hi." "How are you?" "A little bit painful, but it's okay." "Paco?" "Good morning." "I made toasts." "Good..." "I have the right to have a shower, don't I?" "I'm going to call to the office, this looks like it's going to take long." "Can we start?" "You are my father, right?" "What do you mean, Paco?" "I don't know what he wants." "I'm not going to allow him to complicate my life now." " Paco is not like that." " Then, let him show that." " Dad, I didn't mean to..." " It's okay son, it's okay." "But this is not the moment." "Yes?" " Viviana, can I speak with you?" " Yes, yes come on in." "Sit down." "Do you see the tattoo?" "It's a mongoose, an animal from the Orient." "I didn't have it when I was born, I didn't have it when I turned one." "I had it when I turned three." "My mother did it to me before she left me." "This is the only thing she left me." "My father says he doesn't know what happened but I want to find it out." "Paco, I can understand that you are jealous." "It's reasonable." "But I don't understand why you're doing this to me." "These are the most important days for your father, for me and I would love it if they could be yours too." "And you want to go with your father." "I only asked him if he could help me to find out this." "But, why now?" "She can't wait, can she?" "No, when they are hungry, they are hungry." "Well, but if she doesn't eat now, she's not going to die." "No, she is not." "But when they need something, they cry." "And how can you explain to them that they have to wait?" "Look, Viviana." "I'm going to see this tattoo every day." "When I wake up, when I go to bed and when I bathe." "It can wait, but I don't know if I can stand it some more." "And yes, I'm jealous." "But I can deal with that." "Didn't I gave her that toy?" " Did you breast-feed her?" " Yes." "I think I heard something, I'm going to check." "No, don't wake her up, please." "Shouldn't you speak with Paco and program the trip for a near future?" "This is not the way he can't do whatever he wants to." " It's going to be useful for you too." "I'm done with this." "If he needs something, he has to do things right." "He keeps on putting pressure on me." "He didn't come to dinner tonight and now he doesn't come to sleep." "The only obligation I have is with him?" "!" "For him, now is now." "Well, now is longer, he has to deal with that." "The only thing I need was throw everything away and chase a dead woman's shadow." "Hello." "Who?" " Where?" " What happened?" "Is he okay?" " You were the one that called?" " Yes." "I saw it coming and I was able to run away in time." "They caught Paco when he was sleeping." "Are you crazy?" "You run away." "And with no ID." "If they want you, they get you." "Do your parents know you ran away?" "Tero has no parents, she is looking for them too." " Good morning." " Good morning, full tank, please." "What is going on?" "We are going to continue with our trip." "To where?" "Get in the car, please." "Stop messing around with me, Paco." "I'm going to the bathroom." "Can you come with me?" "Are you out of your mind?" " Paco." "Tell me what is going on." " Nothing is going on." "We have to go to do something and you don't want to." "Stop talking in plural." "Who is she?" "Tero, she is my girlfriend dad." " Tero." "She has the name of a bug." " She isn't a bug." "I didn't mean that." "For how long has she been your girlfriend?" " A month." " Weren't you thinking telling me about her?" " Why should I?" " Because I'm your father." "So?" "I'm your son and you never told me mom had cheated on you." "You only told me she died." "I'm sorry, Paco." "I swear I didn't meant to..." "Just wait for a little while." "Let's go home and organise the trip with time." "I can call your grandfather so you can ask him whatever you want to." "Look dad, let's do something more simple." "Why don't you think about it?" "I'll wait for you outside." "If you don't need to know." "If you are sure you don't need to know I just get on the car and we go back to Buenos Aires." "Otherwise, at least let me continue alone." "Put on your seatbelt." "I bought some chocolates." "Do you want?" "Can I?" "My dad used to play the accordion." "That's what they told me." "How old are you?" "Nineteen." "They say I was born on the day of the Malvinas' square." "I'm registered that day." "Were you at the Malvinas' square?" "The day everybody celebrated the loss." "No." "Yes you were." "Everybody says they weren't but they were." "Now it's embarrassing for them." "No, I didn't go." "Yes you did, otherwise you would have cursed or something." "It doesn't matter anyway." "I would also be embarrassed." "Say it again?" "I was asking where I could leave the car." "There, on the parking area, can't you see?" "There, half a meter away form the red wagon." "A little entrance there, you'll see it." "Thank you." "Did you see the keys?" "Do you have them?" "I'm going to park the car, I'll be right back." " You have to sign" " Yes, sure." " Here?" " Yes." "The key?" "The kids took the key." "Have you got a card from the hotel?" "Yes, hang on." "Tell me, can we have dinner here?" " Of course." " Excuse me." " Oh, the key." " Oh, sorry." "We can eat here." "Well, so we'll meet at the dining room then." " What?" " We'll meet at the dining room." "You took your time." "Chief!" "What can we eat?" "Whatever you want to." "I want a Milanesa Napolitana with French fries." "The same for me." "A beef with mix salad and water." "What are you going to drink?" "Beer?" "Is it possible?" "For the adventure." "Don't leave me out." "For the truth." "Isn't that the old man?" "Hey, I think he was." "How come he leaves the hotel alone?" "Chief!" "There are sects in the country-side." "Diabolic sects." "The entire town knows about it, but they have a kind of silence pact." "They are nationalists, like the Ku Klux Klan." "Some kill foreigners to take their blood then they purify it and with that they water I don't know which plant which is believed to be sacred." " Where did all that come from?" " She's messing with us, dad." "Oh, fine." " I'm going to get another." " Where?" "Teresa!" "Tero!" "We'll tell him later." "I can also see what is going on." "Maybe he had a heart attack." "Teresa?" "Teresa?" "Teresa?" "Teresa?" "Tero?" "Do you need anything else?" "The check please, we'll leave early tomorrow." "Dad... today at the station I didn't mean to say anything." "See you tomorrow." "Bye." "Paco is not alone." "Tero." "Yes, Tero." "Yes." "I'll tell you everything tomorrow." " Good morning." " Good morning." "Yes, it's Paco." "Do you want to speak with him?" "I love you." "Send a kiss to Ana." "I'll call you later." "Viviana." "Hi." "Fine." "Yes." "Fine, everything's okay." "And Anita?" "How is she?" "Yes, I promise." "Yes." "Well I send you a kiss." "Bye." "Can you tell me what do you like about her?" "Did you see the breasts she has?" " How are you?" " Fine." "Is there anything I should know?" "We were trying to figure out what to do... how to begin." "When your mother came here after a while, she started to go out with this guy they called him El Gaucho." " El Gaucho?" "Weird." " What is weird?" " A Gaucho, it's weird." "Anyway." "We can begin by that." "I think is great that you accompany Paco." "But this is our business." "Right?" "I would begin by going to your grandparents' house." "Shall we go?" "I don't know, I don't know them." "Neither do I." "I only saw them twice." "Once here and another in Buenos Aires." "They went when you were born." "They never called." "Your grandmother called a lot of times asking for you." "You never told me." "They tried to get close to you Paquito." "I don't know if it is useful in any way but it is not their fault." "Okay, let's go." "Hi." "No, I'll show you." "A picture of..." "Let me see if I can find it." "This is the picture of... the first communion." "Do you remember, Oscar, how beautiful she was?" "Let me see, son." "The same shine in the eyes, look." "Oscar, he has the same shine." "I have a picture." "The time we went to Caruhé, I remember." "Yes, the same, the same." "You are the same." "Let's see." "Where are you going?" "The same, the same." "You'll see." "Clara..." "Paco wanted to know about his mother." "He wanted to know about the time she was with thank you..." "Irene with El Gaucho." "He wants to meet him, to know about him." "I know nothing about that man." "And I don't even know if he's still here." "I think he left town." "I just want to tell you that your mother was good woman and a good daughter." "She made a mistake because she was sick." "I don't tell you this just because I'm her mother." "She wasn't mean." "Maybe, it wasn't a good idea to come, right?" "Hello." "And?" "Nothing, it seems like the guy doesn't live here anymore." "No?" "Look what I brought you." "It's so cool." "It's the story of a boy that is looking for his father and they are all gauchos." "I brought it to you so you can give it to him." "With the rush I forgot to ask them to wrap it up." "What do we do now?" "Nothing, what are we going to do?" "Dad, Dad." "We're going out to eat something, are you coming?" "No." "Come on, why don't you come?" "We can forget about everything for a little while." "No, I have to drive tomorrow." "I want to do it early in the morning." " Have you got money?" " Yes, I'll invite tonight." "Bye, have a good time." "Oh, Tero, can I borrow the book to read it?" " Yes." " It's in the table near the bed." "Come on, at least we know something." "Yes, now we know this bloody town." "You know something else." "You spoke with your grandparents." "What were they going to say?" "She was their daughter." "She was good, we don't know why she did that." "But that is nothing for me." "Ok, maybe it is not all the truth but with the things you know you can make up a story." "I already imagined that day completely from the morning." "And?" "She woke up, did my milk." "Dad was gone to work." "I was in the room while she was preparing her bag." "She looked at me and she started to cry." "After that we went to a neighbourhood like Barracas." "And there was a small guy that made me the tattoo." "She said something to him, but I couldn't understand." "And so, then she took me home and when she left she didn't have the courage to give me a kiss." "And she left." "And then I fell asleep or I kept on playing with my toys, I don't know." "Until I woke up with my father's voice that resounded all around the house calling us both." "See?" "There you have loads of things that could be the truth." "There is a reason why you have those memories and not others." "Because they're better for me, that's why." "Because they're better for me." "But I don't have something that could connect me with her." "You don't?" "What about the tattoo?" " The tattoo is nothing." " It's a sign." "Why do you think she would do something like that to you?" "You were a baby... can you imagine how hard it must have been for her to do that to you?" "But somehow she knew she had to do it." "I remember once dad took me to the hospital because they had to vaccinate me, he suffered more than I did." "How come your dad?" "It couldn't have been your dad." "Well, fine." "It must have been my grandfather or my uncle, I don't know." "That's the memory I have." "It doesn't matter anyway, I don't think it's a good example." "Shall we go?" "This place is depressing." " Yes, please." " What are you doing?" "Calling the waiter." "We are not going to pay to these bastards." "The beer was warm, the music is horrible." "Fuck them." "Tero, stop it, they're going to kill us." "As soon as they notice we'll be back in Buenos Aires." "Come on." "Go." "I'll go to the bathroom and then I'll leave." "Come on." "We are not going to make such a scandal for only 10 pesos." "It is not for the money, it's from the crappy attitude they had." " I didn't bring money anyway." " You're stupid, dad offered us money." "Oh, dad offered us money." "When are you going to learn to live without your parents?" "Well, fine, come on, off you go." "You wait outside." "Oh, has it been a long time since you arrived?" "We'll be right there." " And Paco?" " He's still sleeping." " Is there something wrong?" " No." "Let me in." "But the guy touched my ass." "What did you want him to do?" "But the guy touched my ass." "What did you want him to do?" "Wait until they rape me?" "You should be proud of your son." "Afterwards they say that the young people have no rights and some other bullshit." " Good morning." " Good morning, sir." " Did you see the guy?" " The guy?" "They were like seven." "Yes, but the one who started everything." " Could you recognise him?" " Of course I could." "Well, as soon as we get out of here we're going to the police station." "No, I'm not going to go to the police." "Yes you are." "I'm not going to allow some animals to hit him that way and remain unpunished." "I'm not going to go to a place that is full of military." "What is more, do you think that they would do something?" "Everybody knows everyone here." "Hello?" "Yes." "Who?" "I'm coming." "Why do you want to know?" "It hurts to imagine things, but if you know..." "I didn't teach her to do everything she did." "She was my only child, maybe we spoiled her a little bit." "It seems like she enjoyed doing things that would frown us down." "Maybe she needed help." "If she needed help, she should have asked for it goddammit." "I didn't listen to her just once." "Only once." "And she never forgave me." "Somehow, I forgave her everything she did." "Why after that you never called me or came to visit me?" "She didn't want to." "She said you were going to be fine that Alvaro was going to take care of you." "She used to say that we should stay out of this because we're going to ruin everything." "That's what she used to say." " Dad..." " Come to my room right now." "I hope you are not part of all these robberies." "What happened to you has to do with these acts." "You fucked me." "I'm the stupid one here." "I pay your food, the trip." "I pay for you to have sex." "And you pay me back this way." "I never felt such humiliation." "Fucking assholes." "Yes, go, go." "Get your bags ready, we're leaving." "Dad." "Forgive me, the fault is all mine." "I didn't know Tero was doing so many stupid things." "But I love her." "But I was too scared to be so much time alone in the car with you." "Scared?" "But why?" "I barely knew mom." "Sometimes I wonder if she left you, if she left me or if she left both of us." "If she left me, okay." "But if she left you maybe I'm making you know it." "Look, Paquito." "Your mom went away." "I guess she knew she was sick." "Maybe she didn't leave us." "Maybe she thought that if she'd have stayed it would have been worse." "Anyway, we're never going to know." "But if it is useful for you in anyway." "Your mom's happiest day was the day you were born." "I can assure you that because I was there." "Carrizo." "They call him El Gaucho Carrizo." "He is a belt-maker." "Here is the address, grandfather gave it to me." "Do you want me to go with you?" "No." "Okay, we'll wait for you here." "No dad, it's okay." " Well, bye." " Bye." "Good afternoon." "Mr. Martins, I thought you were gone." "We had a little problem and we'll stay one more night." "Just after you left, your wife called I told her that you where on your way back..." "And, didn't she leave any message?" "No, as you weren't here, she didn't mention anything." "Well, I'm going to give you a number and then transfer the call to my room." "No, it's okay." "Well, try again in one hour and then call me." "Thank you." "Come on in." "Excuse me." "I'm leaving tonight." "There's a bus leaving to Buenos Aires." "I brought you a gift." "I lied to you." "I have a father, a mother and two brothers." "I stole the book, I stole to the old man of the hotel and they hit Paco because we left without paying." "I bought the chocolates with my money, and the gift too." "I'm in love with Paco." "You may think that I'm a dumb girl that doesn't know anything." "But I love Paco." "And I think it is good that he wants to find out what happened with his mother." "You don't deserve anything I did." "I'm sorry." "Gaucho?" "Gaucho!" " Coming!" "Hello." "Who?" "I'm coming." "From all the bloody stuff you had to make up." "Did you have to say you were daughter of missing people?" " Did you have to make up that shit?" " Calm down please!" "Go to the car now." "Go to the car I said, goddammit." "Mr. Reinoso, Mr. Reinoso." "Forgive me." "Forgive me, I was leaving without saying goodbye." "Excuse me and thanks for everything." "Come." "I think you shouldn't drive in that condition." "Excuse me?" "I say that you must be really tired and really nervous." "You travelled a lot of kilometres." "These are not the right conditions to communicate with your daughter." "I'm fine, thanks." "Don't worry." " Come." " I think you didn't hear me." "Don't you think you already did enough by taking a minor without her parents' authorization?" "I didn't know she was an underage." "Oh." "Now you know." "Come." "Well, if you know, you shouldn't take advantage of her then." "Listen to me." "Teresa is my daughter." "Teresa is my only daughter." "She's been missing from home for five days." "And I don't need anybody to come and tell me how I should treat her." "Now, if you are worried about me getting involved with an underage, maybe I could get involved with you." "Teresa may be your daughter, but she is my son's girlfriend." "So calm down." "Teresa get in the car now." "This is the last time I say it." "Get on the car." "I'm not going dad." "You know this doesn't end here." "We'll meet again." "Don't you want to know?" " Know what?" " The truth." "What do you think happened to your wife?" "I don't know." "You would look at Irene and you would have never imagined that behind that appearance she could hide something so dark." "The truth is... the time we spent together was good and now it's over." "That is to be conformist." "For me, the truth is something that if you don't know it... it will be there itching all the time." "Something you can't see... but it's there." "Paco?" "Paco?" "Paco?" "What happened?" " Dad..." " Paco!" "Paco." "Paquito." "Oh, Paco." "Good morning." " Good morning." " Good morning." "We brought you some gifts." "We bought that one when you turned three." "Then, we didn't have the strength to send it." "And I used to say to Clara, let's change the gift, but..." "That one when you turned seven." " Do you like it?" " Yes, they're nice but..." "I'm a fan of River." "Oh, no." "Forgive me, I thought that as your dad was fan of Boca..." "Oh, forgive me, I'll change them." "No, it's fine." "I'll keep them." "This is your mom's stuff." " Are you going to be okay?" " Yes, I'll be okay." " Aren't you going to feel cold afterwards?" " No." " You're going alone, right?" " Yes." "Did you call her?" "Yes I did." "But it seems that they don't tell her about my messages." "The messages always arrive." "Yes, I'll call her later." "Bye." "Gaucho?" "Gaucho?" "It's me, Paco, Irene's son." "Did she ever speak to you about me or my dad?" "Yes, she used to speak about you, yes, and I guess that she used to speak also about your father because she always used to say that you were going to be fine and that you were going to be protected." "And did she ever told you why she left us?" "You?" "She left me." "I was married with Irene... she left me and went away with your father." "We were married." "We married when she was young." "She always used to travel to Buenos Aires to sell the merchandise that we used to do at the leather shop we use to sell it to some handicraftsmen." "In one of those trips she met your dad." "Then, two or three trips more." "Well, then she never came back." "I didn't know anything, so did my father." "Irene was my female cousin." "You know how the relations between cousins are." "They are always kind of fighting, they never see each other." "We went once to make a barbecue to my father's field now it's all flooded." "My uncle Oscar, your grandfather, was making the barbecue." "He had the radio on." "He was listening to the TC races." "We were playing with the ball, and then I looked and I saw her." "Irene was like three hundred meters away from the grill between the straws playing alone." "That was the first time I realised she was beautiful after that I never paid attention to her." "She was ten years old more or less." "After a while uncle Ocar was looking desperately everywhere I went quietly to the straws where I last saw her for the last time, and there she was with her little eyes open, like imploring." "I reached to see the snake that was running away in between the straws, it had already bitten her." "She had been calling her dad... but he didn't hear her." "He was with the radio." "And you know how kids are, right?" "She never forgave him." "From that moment on she was always with me, at home." "She would never go away." "I wouldn't pay attention to her." "When she turned fifteen I was almost twenty she was at home and I came with some friends that wouldn't stop staring at her." "That was the second time I realised that your mother was really beautiful." "I never felt as jealous as I felt that day." "After that, well, we started going out." "I used to play the role of her bodyguard at the disco but..." "I was head over heels for her." "When we finally decided to start dating everything came down to my and her parents." "So we got married secretly." "We went to live together." "I started to find a way out with the leather business." "We've been like this for two years until she left." "When she found out that she was sick, she came back." "She used to say she was poisoned... that everything was born from that bite." "I think she came back hoping me to save her again." "But how could I?" "Those are shifty diseases." "Is the bar yours?" "No, no." "From a friend." "I'm just at night." "I do extra hours." "Working with the leather is nice, but the leather isn't food." "And is there any work?" "More or less." "On Fridays and Saturdays it's better." "If it wasn't because of the ones that leave without paying it would be a good business." "And did you find out what you came to look for?" "Maybe I didn't know what I was looking for." "There are some difficult things to understand." "Your mother was beautiful... really beautiful." "Sometimes she would look at you and you would think that if she continued you would explode." "She wasn't fine, she wasn't fine from here." "Now, you want to know if she loved you?" "When she came back, I saw how she looked at your picture." "She would spend hours and hours looking at you." "That was when she was more beautiful than ever." "I can tell you that because I was there." "Thank you." "Why is she buried in Bahia Blanca?" "I did that." "I read that the snakes don't like the cold weather." "I thought about sending her there." "I have family there and I thought she was going to be at peace over there." " Are you okay?" " Yes." " Shall we go?" " Let's go." "And that?" "Mom's book..." "grandmother gave it to me." " And?" " It's good." ""...they say that when a mongoose fights against a snake..." ""...and it is bitten by her, it runs away to eat a herb that cures her." ""That is not true." ""Victory is only a matter of quick glances..." ""...and in the movements..." ""...at every snake's hit, a jump of the mongoose." ""And as no eye can follow the movement of the head of a snake..." ""...when she attacks, things happen in the most wonderful way..." ""...better than if any magical herb would intervene." ""Rikki-tikki knew she was still young and that made her..." ""...feel much happier when she thought..." ""...that she had been able to avoid..." ""...the strike that had been intended for her."" "How's going, Cartoto?" "Let's see if we can dismiss this stopper... it's over..." "Why bother with a horse destined to the slaughterhouse?" "I got it from a friend at a bargain price." "Tomorrow, a colleague will come." "She's an oculist..." "Please, do me a favour and treat her well."