"This is Dr. Alina Osorio." "I'll be back on Monday 17th." "Leave your message after the tone." "Thank you." "Here are the keys." "Take good care of Amadeo." " Bye, Tita." " Bye, sir." "What's up?" "They're not fighting today!" " Hi." " Hi." "This is for you." "And this is for you." " Marta, this is Dr. Osorio." " Hello." "This is Diego." "Dr. Dufour, the chief surgeon." "I've mentioned him before." "How are you?" "Exhausted." "It was a marathon congress." "We never left the hotel." "Anyway..." "See you tomorrow." "How did it go?" "How do you feel?" "A bit tired." "How was the flight?" "It was smooth." "What did you do?" "Nothing..." "I studied." "On Sunday I went to see my folks." "We had a bbq." " Did you think of me?" " Of course I did." "Give me a kiss." " Are you okay?" " Yes." "You seem a bit strange..." " Shall I come up?" " Do you want to?" "No, not now." "Tomorrow." "I brought you a bottle of cashasa." "So why did you ask me to come up?" "You asked me." "See you tomorrow." " Do you need the car?" " No." "Frank." "What are you doing here?" "What will I do now?" " It's just not possible." " You take after me." "We're both good at ignoring what hurts." "You should have rung me before it happened." "She died suddenly." "When I got back from the well, it was all over." "You'd recognize what she died of." "Brain hemorrhage." "The Kunzs' doctor was there." "Miss Emilia died the same day." "But Miss Emilia was okay too." "As they were burying her, I was burying your mother." "Miss Emilia was okay the last time you saw her." "Ten years since you last went, Alina." "We all could have died in that time." "It's been difficult getting where I am, Frank." "That's why Mom used to come here." "Well, she's not here any more." "I rang but that machine answered." "There was nothing we could do." "They found her on the floor, by the table." "I never expected anything like this." "You hurt each other a lot, Alina." "Not speaking to each other for such a long time." "You don't seem to want to hear what I came to tell you." "So I won't go on." "I'll never see my mother again." "Do you know what that means?" "Do you know what burying a daughter means?" "Ali, are you there?" "It's Gabi." "I don't know if you're back." "When you do get back, call me." "I've something to tell you." " What are you looking for?" " Don't you drink mate?" "No." "You don't have a mate either?" "Don't leave this here." "I should have realized." "You used to drink it." "Anyway..." "Shall I make you some coffee?" "You were all she had." "You did wrong." "Did you only come to scold me?" "You know my being born was a disaster." "And unavoidable." "Otherwise I wouldn't exist." "Don't say that." "When you were born your mother wrote to me from Buenos Aires." "Only she could have told me the truth." "Why did she have me?" "I don't know who I am." "At least you knew who your father was." "And don't answer the phone." "Thank you." "How old were you when she died?" "I told you." "I was seven." "Like me, you didn't see her die either." "I'll never forget the teacher's face when she came for me." "Everybody looked at me." "You poor thing." "I'm supposed to be cheering you up." "No, tell me." "How did your father take it?" "The first year, he wanted to kill the man who ran her over." "The second he wanted to kill himself." "The third year he remarried." "And was he happy?" "Yes, he still is." "Time heals everything." "Everything?" "Some things last longer." " Longer than what?" " Alina." "Longer than what?" "Some things should last all your life." "Eat something." "So now you're going to meet Frank." "Will he like Chinese food?" "Let him try it." "Frank." "Frank, where are you?" "Ali." "What are you doing?" "This'll be fixed in a jiffy." "If they come head first, I help with the head." "Feet first, I help with the feet." "Really?" "I thought lambs were just born." "Sometimes they won't come out." "Because it's still not time or they're in the wrong position." "So they need some help." "You asked for it." "Now he'll tell you." "There's a method for helping, but with care, so as not to damage the mother." "You wash your hands, cut your nails, then you put you hand in like this." "Slowly, gently, like that." "So as not to hurt the ewe, you see?" "Until you can feel the lamb." "It feels wet, and you feel the lamb's heart beating." "Does the ewe cooperate or does it get upset?" "It's a relief for her." "That's when I massage its stomach and when the lamb comes out, there's no suffering." "It can't stand up." "It falls down, gets up again, till it finally manages to stand up." "They're born warm and dirty, and all slippery..." "Sometimes covered in blood." " Forget the details." " No, Ali." " Is it always like that?" " The French method." "Like I say, it's scientific." "Invented by an executioner." "An executioner?" "He worked the guillotine." "A long time ago." "His victims were hooded and he killed them." "In France." "During the revolution, first he had to kill the nobles." "Later the ones behind the revolution who fought among each other." "He killed about 300." "That's gruesome, Frank." "One day a woman took off her hood and all her clothes, and he had to kill her like that, naked." "And that turned his mind." "He went a bit..." "After a time he went to live and work in the country." "And he invented that lambing method, helping with the hands." "The executioner?" "And then one day he cut off his own head with the guillotine." "All for a woman who stripped naked?" "Because she looked him in the eye." "Or that's what they say." " Did he say how long he's staying?" " I wish he'd go now." " Don't talk like that, Ali." " Have you heard him?" ""Like I say... ", Who does he think he is?" "As a kid, I had to hear that stuff a million times." "He should go back to his wonderful lambs." " He never mentions my mother." " You're angry, that's all." "He probably needs to be with someone too." "He's all on his own since your mother died." "You know what she said the last time she was here?" "I said, "Mum, all I've heard for the last 28 years is that story about my dad dying before I was born." "All I want is the truth." "I'm a big girl now, a doctor." "I'm ready to hear the truth." "Just tell me." "Tell it the way you want, but I need to know who I am. "" ""You are my daughter," she said." ""That's all I know. "" ""He wasn't a local boy, it was a moment of madness. "" ""They told me he'd died." "I never knew his surname. "" "See what I mean?" "Why do you think it wasn't the truth?" "I never said it wasn't the truth." "Hello?" "Hi, Miguel." "No, not yet." "I was thinking..." "The old man?" "How should I know?" "Today he left Mum's jewelry box on my bed without a word." "Yes, he has always been like that." "Yes, I know." "No, I've no idea how long he's staying." "Thanks, really..." "See you at the hospital." "Anyway, my love, sleep well." "Say something nice." "Go on, don't be mean." "I do too." "Anyway..." "Love you." "Bye." "Why are you going to the Obelisk?" "Go for a walk around here, it's much nicer." "Do you have to go somewhere special?" " I have to go to a street..." " Let me see." "244 North Diagonal, 4th floor, Office 466." "A block away from the Obelisk." "I see." " Why is everybody running?" " They're jogging." "It's a form of exercise." "Well, I'll be damned!" "Stupid fools!" "To go to the Obelisk, take a taxi and tell the driver North Diagonal." "Don't pay more than 5 pesos." "Not a penny more." " Whose is this car?" " A friend's." " Your boyfriend?" " Did you hear me?" "Don't pay more than 5 pesos." "People are bad." "As soon as they realize you're not from here..." "This country's shit." "Alina." "Don't turn your country down." "I don't like it." " Is it much further?" " We're almost there, pops." "There it is, pops." "How much is it?" "Like the clock says, it's 6.50, pops." "Now you listen to me." "First of all, don't call me pops." "And second, I'll pay you 5 pesos and not a penny more." " I told you, it's 6.50." " And I said not a penny more." "Here." "Things are bad here." "Damn yokels!" "It's okay, it's his teeth." "He's cutting the bottom ones." "Okay, sweetie." "Give him a teething ring and be patient." "He'll cry a lot but it's nothing." " Have you got a teething ring?" " No." " Do we have one?" " Yes, doctor." "Alina, I need you for an emergency." "Tell his father to help out." " Thank you." " Bye." "Patient with a gunshot wound to the head, through right parietal." "Get a CAT and the neurosurgeon." "Doctor, I need your name and license number." "I'll write it down for you." "The boy had no papers." "We've no information." "What happened?" "He robbed something from a newsstand." "The owner shouted and a security guard opened fire." "He wasn't carrying a gun." "The boy I mean." "Get him identified and contact a relative." "It's serious." "Doctor, I have to stay here." "A crime's been committed." "He won't run away with a bullet in his head." "There wasn't one "crime"." "There were two." "What did the neurosurgeon say?" "After a lifetime's work, he still can't see why human beings have brains." "I caught him at a bad time." " What's the picture?" " He could make it, but not easily." "I've got a copy of the Sao Paulo Journal." "With a photo of the two of us at the congress." "You look lovely." "Did you bring it?" "No." "And I look hopelessly in love." "I don't believe you didn't bring it." "Here." "You do look hopelessly in love." "Can I keep it?" "Yes, but put it away." "What's wrong?" "Afraid they'll see you're hopelessly in love?" "At 45, love sometimes starts looking hopeless." "You love playing the old man." "Why don't you put that away?" "Because it's mine now." "I can do what I want." "Does he have to be handcuffed?" " Who are you looking for?" " The notary." "She just left." "She'll be back at 4." " At 4." "Thank you." " That's okay, pops." "He came all this way so that you aren't be alone at a time like this, and all you do is grouch." "He came God knows how far because he wanted to help you." "Can't you see that?" "Whether you like it or not, he's the only family you have." "You used to say his name with pride." "I didn't come here to talk about my grandfather." "You blame him for her death, but he couldn't have saved her." "I don't blame him for anybody's death." "He dominated my mother for over 40 years." "Not only her, but my grandmother too." "No, not now, Diego." "Hello, Frank." "Yes, it's me." "Where have you been?" "What?" "Tell me later." "I'm at a girlfriend's." "No, not her." "Another one." "I left you some food to heat up." "Shut all the windows before you go to sleep." "Yes, you can open the wine." "Did you hear what I said?" "Shut them all." "It's going to rain." "What?" "Just do it." "Shut them all, please." "He says there's nothing I can teach him about rain." "Are you leaving?" " What does it look like?" " Wait." "Didn't you want to tell me something important?" "As you say, "Not now. "" "The last time we screwed you were blonde." "Remember?" "Don't be angry." "Don't go like that." "Frank?" "Frank, what are you doing?" "You've been drinking." "Looking at the sky." "Down?" "Let's go to sleep." "Who said the sky was up?" "I don't need it to be up." "You'll have to change your clothes." "Just because somebody said the sky was up, everybody says it's up." "Dear Dad," "Everybody says with how tubby I am, it's going to be a girl." "I hope so." "I want a girl, they're good company." "Like I was with you." "I was thinking that if it is a girl I'll call her Aline, like grandma." "What do you think?" "But they wouldn't let her." "Alina was the closest to it." "Here in Buenos Aires I finally saw violets." "I love them." "I buy a bunch whenever I can, as they say they only bloom for a few days." "You should see them, so small and pretty." "She loved violets." "For a baby that was wanted, this might not be so important, but for me these letters are a treasure." "Since I read them I can't stop crying... or thinking of Mum." "How could she die without seeing me first?" " How could she leave me?" " My love." "Didn't you know about the letters?" "She wrote because it was cheaper than phoning." "Actually she was a bit afraid of phones." "She didn't like it." "She said that not seeing the other person, she couldn't visualize them." "And she liked writing letters." "There are so many things I'd have liked to ask her." "I wanted to ask her about recipes." "She was a great cook." "She was as thin as a rake and didn't eat much herself, but she always gave everybody lots to eat." "To think she wrote this 28 years ago, when she came here to have me!" "You said you were 29." "I lied." "I lied too." "I was 46 on my last birthday." " Really." " My love." "Bye." "That's the doctor." "My mother was Welsh." "Her name was Aline Taylor." "My father was Basque, Osorio." "She wanted to call me Frank like her grandfather." "My father registered me as Jose, like him." "My grandmother said, "Register him as you like, but he's my Frank and will be for the rest of his life. "" "No-one knows my name's Jose." "They say Basques are stubborn!" "You've always lived in the south?" "70 years and I never left Piedra Negra, except for the odd trip to Ventisquero Gomez, for the vet or provisions." "And once to see a football match, when the River Plate team came." "You know them?" "Me and my old man, the Basque, stood behind the goal mouth, and the River Plate goalie did such a save that my dad went over and shook his hand." "He went onto the field?" "Do you know Ventisquero stadium?" " Finished with this?" " Yes." "Thank you." "How was your food?" "Did you like it?" "People don't eat properly here." "The food's healthier in the south." "Pies, fritters, capon..." " Do you want dessert?" " A couple of mates." " He stained your sleeve." " It's nothing." "Everybody's always in such a hurry." "I couldn't manage before." "Now I can look after myself." "When my wife died, I was left with my little daughter, and I had to learn." "Ema was very young, so I did everything." "Clean, cook, fix the electrics, the plumbing..." "Plumbing." "Yes, I heard." "Then the Kunzs offered her work, when she was a bit bigger..." "14 or 15 years old." "Excuse me." "Hello?" "Yes, he's fine." "Click on "save"" "to backup every 3 minutes." "Yes, then "Apply" and drag it all across." "That's okay." "Anything else, give me a ring." "Bye." "I work in IT." "I'm a programmer." "For the last 4 years." "I've had an offer to work abroad on a one-year contract." "I haven't told Alina yet." "Are you connected with the hospital?" " Are you working there?" " No, I never go there." "Except to pick Alina up sometimes." "Excuse me." " What's this?" " Let me see..." "Oh, yes." "They got it wrong." "Don't worry, I'll take it off." "So..." "That's 18.50." " Keep the change." " Thanks." "He tried to rip you off." "It's that yokel face of yours." "You have to be careful here." " Been to Buenos Aires before?" " No, I told you." "Never." "So this is the first time?" "How long are you staying?" "You want me to go too?" "I'll leave only when I've done everything I came to do here." "Only then." "Do you miss home?" "I miss Amadeo." "That's what I called my dog." "As a tribute to Amadeo Carrizo, the River Plate goalie." "When my father went to shake his hand, everybody thought Carrizo would send him away." "But you know what he did?" "He shook his hand and winked at him." "Nice gesture, huh?" "Alina is beautiful and breastfeeds like a little calf." "You should see her, Dad." "She's already put on 330 grams." "She has rosy cheeks and long, slender fingers." "I can't wait to take her for a walk by the river." "I know she'll love it." "She's different from all the babies I've seen." "She has the eyes of a good, clever person." "Good?" "I don't know about that." "So your mother came to Buenos Aires to have you?" "When it was obvious she was pregnant, he sent her to some relatives who lived in Villa Urquiza." "Country people are very narrow-minded." " Who sent her?" " Frank." "Who else?" "What happened after, when she came back with you?" "Frank had left for Los Cipreses by then." "He'd moved to the farmhouse where I grew up." "See how much your mother loved you?" "Two tickets, please." " Come on." " Forget it." "Give him that back." "Stop, please." "I'm suffocating." "Stop, please." "This is a cattle truck." "How can people travel like this?" "How can people travel like that?" "How much do I owe you?" " It's nothing, Frank." " Take it." "Take it or I'll feel humiliated." "Look, we'll take another, you pay and we'll be quits." " Another what?" " Another bus." "I'm not getting into another cage." "Let's walk." "But it's 30 blocks." "That's less than a league." "Do you know how far do bullfight bulls walk to water?" "Make a guess." "A kilometer?" "Between 5 and 7 kilometers, every blessed day." "It strengthens their legs and burns excess fat." "I saw that on a TV program about animals." "The poor bulls." "All their lives walking and then they humiliate them by killing them with a sword." "Like I say, it's not fair." " It's beautiful." "And strange..." " It's Celtic." "I can't give it to you because it was great-grandmother Aline's." " Did you know her?" " Yes." "She was half-mad." " Did she speak in dialect?" " Welsh is a language, silly." "Hello?" "Miguel." "Hi." "No, I haven't forgotten." "I'm working on it." "I've finished the report but not the conclusions." "Don't worry, it's all pretty clear." "I'm going to finish it tonight." "Tomorrow." "All right, my love." "Kiss, kiss." "Say something nice." "Really?" "Okay." "Bye." " He's mad about you." " No, he isn't." "He is." "So what happened then?" "One day Alina said that when she grew up she'd drive a tractor and have three cats." "She was about 10 years old." "She said that because of a pretty Chilean girl who lived nearby." "Her name was Begonia." "She had three long-haired cats." "Alina was always talking to her, and Begonia sometimes took her out on her tractor." "One day, Begonia's husband, a Chilean who liked drinking, left the house and never came back." "At first people said it was for another woman in Canadon Seco." "You know Canadon Seco?" "A lovely place." "But anyway, time passed and it was as if the earth had swallowed him." "Begonia waited and waited..." "and cried a lot." "Then one day she turned up with her tractor and her three cats and gave them to Alina." "She said goodbye, shut herself in her house and set fire to it." "People can say what they like, but we decide our own fate." "When there's nothing left to live for..." "And the cats started dying, one after the other." "Nothing to be done..." "I think it was Amadeo." "Amadeo's my dog." "Did I tell you the story?" "A little present for you." "What is it?" " The mate here's too sweet." " You can buy it next time." "Very modern." "What OS do you use?" "You've been with Diego." "He took me to lunch." "He wanted to take a bus." "I like your boyfriend." "He's a good lad, well-educated..." "Studious, hard-working..." "Sure, he's great." "That damn plug!" "So she died the same day as Mum?" "Emilia, I mean." "Hers was a living death." "She was very ill." "You don't need to be ill to have a living death." "Think of Mom..." "Of her life." "A total void." " Your mother had you." " She never had a man's love." "I'll shut up if it bothers you." "She didn't even smile when I graduated." "The happiest day of her life." "She worked hard for every penny to pay for your education." "And you didn't let her down." "Go to sleep if you want." "I have to get on with this." "Everything we had will be yours." "I'm going to make a will." "You're the "residuary legatee"." "That's what the notary called it." "Frank, I'm off!" "Frank!" " Are you there?" " Here." "What are you doing?" "You'll get a shock." "Don't you worry." "All right." "But be careful." "The bullet made a seton." "They drained the haematoma, there's no edema." "Any fever?" "No." "If it doesn't get infected, he'll pull through." " Right." "Bye." " Thank you, doctor." " Don't forget Friday." " No." "No more visits, Miss." "Couldn't you make an exception?" "How did it go in Sao Pablo?" "It confirmed I was in love." "We never left the hotel." "I realized that I'd been wanting this to happen for a long time." "Too bad." "What can I say?" "Are you going to eat that?" "Only half, I'm on a diet." "I am sick and tired of apples." "I'm going to dump Diego." "I knew that was coming." " Even though I love him." " Less and less each day..." "I don't know if it's less." "Just differently." "For a fling you'd break off a 2-year relationship?" "Almost three." "And it's not a "fling" with Miguel." "Whatever." "Let's go home." "We'll have a drink, Frank can tell us one of his stupid stories, and we'll both cheer up." "I like Frank." "I like him a lot." "My grandfather?" "I don't believe it." "You're too much!" "You only call him "my grandfather"" "now that I say I like him." "Go after him if you want." "What?" "Are you crazy?" "I like him, but not that way." "Can I give you some advice?" "Think hard about Diego." "Take your time." "Gabi, I'm late." "What?" "Are you crazy?" "It must be the grief." " You take precautions?" " Of course, always." " Nearly always." " "Nearly always"?" "That's comforting." "So maybe you're only a little bit pregnant." "Until I take a test, I don't want to think about it." "And I don't want Miguel to know." "Or you asking questions." "And afterwards?" "If you really are?" "Not then either." "Metal was never any good for cooking with." "Like I say, earthenware's the best." " Like this?" " That's fine, yes." "Enough parsley for a week." "We'll use it all." "I have to do the brine next." "Here." "Taste this." " Is it good?" " Yes, Frank, it's good." "Do what you like." "No." "Remember, it was you who said no." "Hold on a minute." "No, don't say that." " Hi, Gabi." " Hello." "How are you?" " Fine." " Fine?" "Hi." "Happy birthday, Frank." "Thank you." "Wine." " Why didn't you tell me?" " Me tell you?" "I didn't know." "It doesn't matter, Alina." "I've had enough birthdays." " Open the wine." " Yes." " Samson." " What?" "The executioner." "His name was Samson or something." " Did I tell you about him?" " Yes." "Did I tell you that he committed suicide?" "Yes, you told her, Frank." "Like I say, things backfired on him." "And like I say, Gabi, grab the phone." "It might be for you." " Excuse me." " Of course." "I never liked the French." "Too presumptuous." "You have to watch out for them." " Frank, it's for you." " For me?" "There." "Excuse me." "It's a woman." " His girlfriend?" " Of course not!" "Are you jealous?" "Seventy-one." "Thank you." "Very kind of you." "Fine, here, at my granddaughter's place." "Yes, a lot of work." "Any new lambs?" "When do you think it'll be?" "Good." "What about Amadeo?" "How's Amadeo?" "Is he eating?" "Thanks again." "Say hello to everyone for me." "Yes." "Thank you." "Bye." "Is was Eva and Tita." "Such nice people." "So you're seventy-one?" "You look good for your age." " Can I kiss you?" " Sure." "I'm old, not dead." "But nobody tells you how fast time goes by." "Frank." "I'll put the tablecloth on, ok?" " Do you want it here or there?" " Here." "Happy birthday, Frank." "And thanks for the letters." "Frank, have you touched the computer?" " What?" " The computer..." "I just fixed the plug." " Are you sure?" " No, I'm not sure." "Not sure?" "I have to print out something I've been working on for three days and I can't find the document." "The truth." "Have you touched anything?" "I turned it on to see if it worked." "And I wanted to write you a note." "A note...?" "What are you doing here?" "You frightened me to death." "When I'm dead and gone I want you to go to the farm to look after the lambs." "You know the French method." "Make sure they use it." "They identified him?" " Who are they?" " From the neighborhood." "The fat one's the newsstand owner." " Nice guy." " He's the one who shot him." " Wasn't it a security guard?" " They all have guns." "Frank." "Frank, what are you doing here?" "Why did you come here?" "I came to see my granddaughter, Dr. Osorio." "Is that forbidden?" "Poor trees." "They're all sick." "The air's no good here." "Dr. Alina, look at you..." "I remember the day we saw you off." "You looked so scared." " Hello, doctor." " Hey, sweetie!" " Did those teeth come through?" " Yes, they did." "Bring him back next month." "Don't forget." " Thank you." " Bye." "I won't keep you any more." "You don't like this place." "You don't like sick kids." "Kids or animals either." " Want to see where I work?" " I've already been there." "I met your boss." "The man with the French name..." " Dufour." " That's the one." "I told him it was my fault about the computer." "He seems a good man." "A bit old." " You shouldn't have gone." " Don't worry." "I came to tell you how proud I am of you." "Read this later, when you're feeling calm." "Try and guess who wrote it." "Dear Mum," "I didn't want to worry you in my last letter, but I just can't get used to Buenos Aires." "Everything scares me..." "The dead bodies at the faculty... and I have strange dreams." "I don't think I'm suited to this." "I don't like the sight of blood." "The other day I almost fainted when I saw an accident victim." "I miss everything back home." "I miss you, granddad, the house and your food." "But most of all..." "and don't laugh..." "I miss the wind." "Hello?" "Yes." "What are you doing?" "Why?" "All right, I'll come." "Yes." "Diego, I said I'll come." "Bye." "Alina." "Looks like he wants to live." "Did you hear?" "No." "The boy's better." "They're thinking of taking him off the ventilator." " I want to talk to you later." " Me too." "You look lovely." " What was it?" " Later." "No." "Now." " Your granddad came." " Yes, I know." "He didn't seem to dislike me too much." "I'll check with the guy from the agency." "He has to be there." " Okay, I'll call you later." " Bye." " Remember the CV." " Yes, sure." "Won't you say hello?" "Tea, please." "Tell me and I'll order for you." "What's the matter?" "Nothing." "You had something important to say." "I'm double parked." " Was it such a big sacrifice?" " Depends on what you say." " Why didn't you introduce us?" " Who?" "Don't pretend..." "Forget it" " What did you want to tell me?" " Calm down." "I'm going away, Alina." "On a year's contract." " Where to?" " Venezuela." "With a company flat and car." "I wanted you to know." "On the phone you said you had something to tell me too." " What was it?" " Nothing." "I must go back." "I'm on duty." "Alina, have your tea." "I won't need your car any more." "It's me who won't need it." "Keep it till I leave." "I hate it when you're so nice!" "A packet of cookies, please." "I've closed." " Come on." " No, no, no." "Can I get some cakes?" "And while you're at it, some biscuits and water." " Thank you." " That's all right." "No, doctor." "I mean about my brother." "He recognized me." "Frank, what are you doing?" "Thinking." "Anything to wash?" "I know it's none of my business... but I'd have liked you to tell me about your boyfriend." "We are family, after all." "I'd have said he was a nice lad." "I like him." "He works, he studies..." "He's a nice person." "He lends you his car and takes buses." "His folks seem like nice people too." "His folks?" "You've met his parents?" "It'd be good to know that when I'm gone a good man like him will look after you." "If you get married, I have some savings." "Stop that, Frank." "I don't like it." "I don't like it either." "What don't you like?" "That doctor you're mixed up with." "Married men always tell the other woman they'll leave their wives, but that they're waiting for the best time so as not to hurt them, because of the kids and all that..." "And that time never comes." "Why did you come here, Frank?" "What do you want of me?" "You can go straight to the point." "I came to tell you what you always wanted to know." "Your father was the Kunzs' youngest son." "Emilia's son." "Adolfito Kunz." "And he took more than your mother's love." "Shall I go on?" "You probably heard of him." "He died years ago." "He was married with two children." "When he died, Ema was pregnant with you." "It's been so long." "When he died, Ema decided the suffering should stop." "There was no point letting it go on." "We didn't want to offend the wife and children." "All the Kunzs." "We swore never to tell you." "But she never stopped loving you." "She always wanted you." "Why tell me all this now?" "Your mother's gone now." "The only good thing is that, loving us as she did, she won't suffer by seeing either of us die." "She went before us." "Think of that." "It's some consolation." "Parents should die first." "That's life." "That's what you wanted." "To know about yourself..." "I can't believe it." "I often heard his name." "Adolfo Kunz." "So what do you think?" "It's all so strange." "Maybe my father was thinking of leaving his family for my mom." "Being married doesn't matter." "Ali..." "Now that I know..." "I'd ask her so many questions!" "I'll never love anyone as much as I loved her." "I need you to keep something for me." "What's this?" "What do you think?" "It's a gun." "Frank's." "What should I do with it?" "Look after it." "Do me that favor." "What are you doing here?" " I called you on your mobile but..." " The battery ran out." " Are you okay?" " Yes." "Why?" "I came about your grandfather." "Sure." "That's not why you came." "You came for something else." "And you don't know where to start." "So you came about Frank?" "You know what he says?" "Married men seduce women and say they'll leave their wives but that they're waiting for the right time to tell them." "I never told you that." "No, you never told me that, it's true." "But some things you take for granted." " Alina..." " I've got something to tell you..." "I'm in love with you." "It's a problem, but it's true." "That's not why I came but I want you to know that." "A "problem"?" "I'm a "problem"?" "I feel... strange." "I act strange." "I'm in love with you." "I'm an emotional wreck." "I don't know how to say it." "I'm shaking..." "What did you have to tell me?" "Frank!" "I'm back." "Have you eaten?" "Where's my gun?" "I don't know what you mean." "I don't like you having guns, Frank." "You don't know how precious a gift you gave me." "I finally know who my dad was." "Maybe he really loved my mum." "Maybe they really loved each other." "They were so unlucky." "Frank?" "Frank..." "Frank." " You wanted to see me?" " Yes, sir." "Jose Osorio." "Pleased to meet you." "It's time to tell the truth." "What happened at Los Cipreses was inevitable." "It was nobody's fault and everybody's fault." "He was a womanizer." "He couldn't help going after my daughter Ema." "And that's the truth." "My wife had died and my little girl was..." "all I had left." "Adolfo started bothering her, running after her, and didn't stop until she'd fallen for him." "Nothing new about that." "And I sent her into the lion's den." "Finally Adolfo got her pregnant and I went down to the river after him, to tell him." "So that he'd talk to her, reassure her." "It was no good." "He wouldn't admit to anything." "He let me speak and when I'd finished he said:" ""The fact that Ema's pregnant doesn't mean a thing." "How do I know it's mine?"" "I shot him and he fell into the water." "And before I knew it, he'd been swept away." "His body was washed up a few days later." "People talked of a hold-up, that it had been some Chileans." "Old man Kunz moved heaven and earth, but the family and the police believed it was the Chileans." "And no-one was ever caught." "People talked about it in Los Cipreses," "but I kept quiet... and never said a word." "I brought the murder weapon with me." "The gun." "My granddaughter has it now." "Where did you say this happened?" "In Piedra Negra, 97 kilometers from Ventisquero Gomez." "On Provincial Route 43." " In the province of..." " When did it happen?" "28 years ago." "Twenty-eight years?" "Yes, sir." "One July day in 1975." "Exactly 28 years, 3 months ago." "Tell me..." "What was the name again?" "The victim was Adolfo Kunz." "Not his." "Yours." " Mine?" " Yes, yours." "Jose Osorio." "You know what happens with crimes committed many years ago?" "You know what "prescribed" means?" "I know I killed a man and was never found out." "I have to pay for it some time." "If not then it's not right." "Why come and confess now?" "I promised Ema I wouldn't say anything." "So that my granddaughter could grow up in peace." "But my daughter's gone now and my granddaughter's a woman." "I've kept all this inside me for so long now." "Until I pay for it..." "I'll have no peace." "The only thing a man can do is look out for his family." "Look, let's do something..." "I'll get in touch with the court." "You go home, back to the countryside." "Stay there until you get a court order." "Don't leave your home until you're summoned." " Understand?" " Yes, sir." "There have been frosts this year, so I had to sell the animals at a ridiculous price." "I'd have liked to ask you first." "There were only a few lambs left." "Like I say, since suffering can't be avoided, let's suffer for the truth." "I'd like you to stay for a few days." "I can't go anywhere." "The summons could come anytime." " Do you understand it?" " Yes." "Frank." "Cover your mouth." "It's turning cold."