La tarde caía lenta, y el sol dejaba una estela de lánguida letanía, así transcurría un momento tardío pero seguro al cambio del día a la noche. Chechevo, como solían llamarlo familiares y amigos se encontraba sentado enfrente de mi casa, de pronto salió corriendo, y no sé de donde apareció con una rama seca de aproximadamente un metro de largo y sesenta centímetros de ancho.

Se ubicó nuevamente enfrente de mi casa, exactamente en una de las esquinas de la casa del otro lado de la mía, empezó a mirar hacia uno de los recovecos que estaban justamente entre el techo y la pared. El sol seguía cayendo, y una pequeña penumbra inundaba la calle, de repente lo veo que se cuadra con la rama en cuestión, cual bateador de grandes ligas, y abanica, como quien intenta dar un jonrón. No consigue hacer contacto con el objeto pretendido, lo sigo mirando, sin que él pueda darse por enterado, su pelo canoso se meneaba por una brisa suave que pasaba.

The afternoon was falling slowly, and the sun was leaving a trail of languid litany, a late but sure moment in the change from day to night. Chechevo, as family and friends used to call him, was sitting in front of my house. Suddenly he ran out, and I don't know where he appeared with a dry branch about one meter long and sixty centimeters wide.

He was again in front of my house, exactly in one of the corners of the house on the other side of mine, he began to look towards one of the nooks and crannies that were right between the roof and the wall. The sun continued to fall, and a small gloom flooded the street. Suddenly, I saw him square up to the branch in question, like a major league hitter, and he swung, as if he were trying to hit a home run. He fails to make contact with the intended object, I keep looking at him, without him noticing, his gray hair swaying in a gentle breeze passing by.

Fuente

Bajaba la rama y volvía a cuadrarse para intentar nuevamente otro bateo, nada de nada, atinar no era precisamente su resultado, de pronto veo que se quedó mirando hacia un hueco, y con una tranquilidad pasmosa, se pega a una de las esquinas, próximas al hueco. Me doy cuenta de que salen murciélagos del recoveco, como fantasmas veloces, vuelve a tomar la rama y abanica a toda velocidad, al mismo tiempo que ve salir al ovíparo. Pero vuelve a fracasar, y el desánimo lo invade. Yo me rio en silencio, pero sigo evitando que él note mi presencia, distraído y concentrado en su afán de acabar con aquellos animalitos voladores.

Fui hasta la cocina de mi casa y tomé de la bolsa de basura una concha de plátano, oxidada, negra, como suele ocurrir con este tipo de desperdicio, luego que usamos su contenido. Regrese al sitio con mi concha en la mano, abrí la puerta de mi casa, y allí seguía Chechevo, como caimán en boca de caño, con su rama levantada y procurando eliminar a los murciélagos que seguían saliendo del hueco, tal cual rayo de luz.

He lowered the branch and squared up again to try another bat, nothing at all, he was not exactly hitting the target, suddenly I see that he was looking at a hole, and with an astonishing tranquility, he sticks to one of the corners, close to the hole. I notice that bats are coming out of the nook, like swift ghosts, he takes the branch again and fans at full speed, at the same time that he sees the oviparous bird coming out. But he fails again, and discouragement overcomes him. I laugh silently, but I continue to avoid him noticing my presence, distracted and focused on his desire to kill those little flying animals.

I went to the kitchen of my house and took from the garbage bag a banana shell, rusty, black, as it usually happens with this type of waste, after we use its contents. I went back to the place with my shell in my hand, opened the door of my house, and there Chechevo was still there, like an alligator in the mouth of a pipe, with his branch raised and trying to eliminate the bats that kept coming out of the hole, like a ray of light.

Fuente

Fui hasta la cocina de mi casa y tomé de la bolsa de basura una concha de plátano, oxidada, negra, como suele ocurrir con este tipo de desperdicio, luego que usamos su contenido. Regrese al sitio con mi concha en la mano, abrí la puerta de mi casa, y allí seguía Chechevo, como caimán en boca de caño, con su rama levantada y procurando eliminar a los murciélagos que seguían saliendo del hueco, tal cual rayo de luz.

Yo, con la concha en la mano derecha, me acerco sigilosamente al amigo Chechevo y al mismo tiempo que abanica le lanzo la concha justamente a la rama, la puntería es perfecta y la emoción lo embarga, al ver que ha matado a un murciélago decide seguir dando ramazos al objeto que ha caído en el suelo. Mientras tanto, mis risas no la pude contener y él se percató de ello. Con la misma rama empujo al objeto. La concha de plátano negra fue la sorpresa. Me miro y exclamo: ¡Carajo chico, qué vainas las tuyas! Me contraje y seguí riendo.

I went to the kitchen of my house and took from the garbage bag a banana shell, rusty, black, as it usually happens with this type of waste, after we use its content. I returned to the place with my shell in my hand, opened the door of my house, and there Chechevo was still there, like an alligator in the mouth of a pipe, with his branch raised and trying to eliminate the bats that kept coming out of the hole, like a ray of light.

I, with the shell in my right hand, sneak up on my friend Chechevo and at the same time that he fans I throw the shell right at the branch, the aim is perfect and the emotion overwhelms him, seeing that he has killed a bat he decides to continue giving branches to the object that has fallen on the ground. Meanwhile, I could not contain my laughter and he noticed it. With the same branch he pushed the object. The black banana shell was the surprise. He looked at me and exclaimed: "Damn, boy, what a thing to do! I contracted and kept laughing.