Creative Nonfiction: I will never leave you. Original Content. EN/ESP.
Source: This photo is from the colleague @jlinarep, who gave me permission to use it in this post. You can follow his excellent photographic work at this link.
The story:
It was a very cloudy day in Leandra's papa's house, she was on her horse, standing on the main road, watching the animals that were behind the wire fence, she saw the bulls and the cows that were grazing, and it was very funny to see the herons approaching the bulls, while they were eating the grass. The one of Leandra, watching the scene of the animals, with the fog in the background and the humidity of the morning, seemed charming to me.
—I imagine you're waiting for me, Leandra? The thing is, I don't know how to handle a horse well, I prefer cars. — I told him when I got to the place where Leandra was watching the landscape.
Leandra smiled at me, and with sweet eyes in her expression she made me feel like her dearest and greatest friend, and said to me in a mocking tone: — It is not said to drive, you are actually riding a horse, which may be strange for you. And don't worry, I'll wait for you as long as it takes. Do you know that I would never leave you alone in the countryside, or anywhere? Besides, I think if I do that you'd get lost — and he started laughing.
—Well, stop making fun of me, and let's go to the pond that your dad made, to bring the water to the house and see if he really is a genius, your old man, as you say — I commented.
And from that moment, my horse, stood next to Leandra's, and we advanced for almost 20 minutes, and when we reached the highest part, I could see how Leandra's dad, had made a big pond where some of the river water fell, through a detour that the old man made, and I saw how he also made a pipe, which lowered the water by gravity, to the underground tanks that he had built, to give water to the house, and to do the irrigation of the land.
In addition, Leandra's dad had made a kind of smaller fountain or tank, which received the excess water from the main tank. When it was full, it returned the excess water to the river from there, which I thought was great. And although I had a very clear idea of how that water collection system worked, I came up with like a thousand questions to ask. Questions, for which Leandra had no answer, so she would have to ask old Lorenzo when she saw him.
The truth is that it was in that irrigation system, where Leandra, spoke to me with all the affection in the world and thanked me for having accompanied and protected her, in one of the strongest moments of her life.
Leandra and I have been friends since school, we spent a lot of time together since childhood, and in fact, today we have more than forty years of friendship. At this point in life, I am the godfather of her daughter, and I was the godfather of her marriage, since her father, when she got married, was no longer with us.
The strong situation presented itself to Leandra at a time that was not easy for her. At that time, a short time ago, she had separated from her boyfriend, she thought that Mario would be the love of her life, but she was wrong, and when she realized that, she separated from him. Being in that newly separated condition, and being half depressed, she was presented with a serious health problem, when she suffered an accident in the car, and was left with a leg with a serious fracture, a broken arm and injured ribs.
Her parents have lived in the interior of the country all their lives, because Leandra's father is a landowner, and is dedicated to livestock production and planting. He did both. When she suffered the accident, her father was already sick and her mother was dedicated to caring for and accompanying Mr. Lorenzo.
So practically, Leandra was alone in the capital. After Leandra's accident, I received a call from her, telling me that she was going to have surgery on her leg. When Leandra arrived at the clinic, she told me that she had already talked to her parents, and that she had told them about the accident, and told them that it was only a small fracture, so that they wouldn't worry, so that she would prevent her parents from moving to Caracas, and would also save her father that worry because he was not in good health at all.
Knowing the reality that Leandra was going through, I told her once and for all to count on me and that I would not leave her alone at any time. When the operation was over, Leandra ended up with two steel plates and 16 screws in her leg, she would have to go through rehabilitation to give her leg mobility again, and at first, she would not be able to support the leg, in addition, the operation wound would have to be cleaned to avoid infections, added to the whole process of care, food, clothes, helping her to go to the bathroom, bathing her in bed, giving her the medicines and everything that the life of a sick person entails.
When I saw that reality, I talked to Sandra, my girlfriend, who was also Leandra's friend and I told her that I was going to move in with Leandra, until she could fend for herself. At that time, Sandra and I had a business, so there was not much problem with work and income. And finally, both Sandra and I ended up moving in with Leandra to take care of her.
Sandra, she helped me to bathe Leandra, but in everything related to cleaning the wounds, doing the painful rehabilitation exercises, the food, the attention and everything else, ranging from the attention, to making and serving her the food, I did it.
Now, a long time later, being with Leandra at the hacienda, or as Leandra's relatives say at the Zulia, at the matera. Leandra, he was giving me a very private and intimate treat, in the grill, which has the living room, where the tank and the fountain that his father made are.
—You know, gordo, I made you a meal to share with you in this place. For me this place is very special, almost all the important decisions in my life were made here, the career I was going to study, the decision to buy my flat in Caracas, having found out about my dad's illness, everything has happened here, it is a very dear and very intimate place, and here I want to share with you. — said Leandra.
—Thank you very much, you know that for me, you are the little sister who did not give me life. As I have always told you, one has two families, the one is born with and the one one one chooses, and thanks to God and life, I chose you. — I told him with all the affection in the world.
—Do you remember what you told me, at the clinic before the operation? — He commented to me with affection.
I told you “Don't be afraid, no matter what happens, I will never leave you alone, and I will never abandon you, I will always be with you.”
At that moment, Leandra hugged me very tight, gave me a kiss on the cheek, and lowered my head with her hands, and placed my forehead, next to hers, and at that moment she said to me: “I know that I will always be able to count on you and that you will always be by my side, dear brother”.
That was one of the most intimate, beautiful and emotional moments I've ever had in my life, and it was with my best friend. However, seeing that the tears were about to come out of our eyes, I came out with one of my own saying, “You know, I thought this was a friendship it would be, but actually, it's stronger than a condemnation. In fact, I'm already going to have almost thirty years of friendship with you, that is, I'm about to serve the maximum sentence that is given in Venezuelan laws.” And I started laughing.
After he said "Stupid” to me with a huge smile on his lips, we sat down to eat, roast pork, side, bread, olive oil, Caesar salad and wine. It was a very nice and special moment, where we both knew, that each one had in front, a person who would help us and accompany us, to overcome any difficulty.
Thanks for reading me.
Para leer en Español
Source: This photo is from the colleague @jlinarep, who gave me permission to use it in this post. You can follow his excellent photographic work at this link.
Creative Nonfiction: Nunca te abandonare. Contenido original.
La historia:
Era un día, muy nublado en la matera del papa de Leandra, ella está en su caballo, parada en el camino principal, observando a los animales que estaban detrás de la cerca de alambre, veía a los toros y las vacas que estaban, pastando, y le causaba mucha gracia ver a las garzas acercarse a los toros, mientras ellos comían la yerba. La de Leandra, viendo la escena de los animales, con la niebla de fondo y la humedad de la mañana, me parecía encantadora.
—¿Me imagino que me estás esperando, Leandra? Lo que pasa es que no sé manejar bien un caballo, prefiero los autos. — le dije al llegar al lugar donde Leandra estaba viendo el paisaje.
Leandra me sonrió, y con unos dulces ojos en su expresión me hizo sentir como su más querido y grande amigo, y me dijo en tono burlesco: —No se dice manejar, en realidad estás montando un caballo, lo que puede ser extraño para ti. Y no te preocupes, esperaré por ti el tiempo que sea necesario. ¿Sabes que jamás te dejaría solo en el campo, ni en ningún lado? Además, creo que si lo hago te perderías — y comenzó a reír.
—Bueno, ya deja de burlarte de mí, y vamos al estanque que tu papá hizo, para llevar el agua a la casa y ver si de verdad es un genio, tu viejo, como dices — comenté.
Y a partir de ese momento, mi caballo, se puso al lado del de Leandra, y avanzamos por casi 20 minutos, y cuando llegamos a la parte más alta, pude ver como el papa de Leandra, había hecho un gran estanque donde caía parte del agua del río, a través de un desvío que el viejo hizo, y vi cómo él también hizo una tubería, que bajaba el agua pro gravedad, a los tanques subterráneos que él había construido, para dar agua a la casa, y para hacer los riegos del terreno.
Además, el papá de Leandra, había hecho una especie de fuente o tanque más pequeño, que recibía el exceso de agua del tanque principal. Cuando este se llenaba, devolvía desde ahí el exceso del agua al río, lo que me pareció genial. Y aunque tenía una idea muy clara de cómo funcionaba ese sistema de recolección de agua, se me ocurrieron como mil preguntas para hacer. Preguntas, para las cuales Leandra no tenía respuesta, así que tendría que hacérselas al viejo Lorenzo cuando lo viera.
Lo cierto es que fue en ese sistema de riegos, donde Leandra, me habló con todo el cariño del mundo y me dio las gracias por haberla acompañado y protegido, en uno de los momentos más fuertes de su vida.
Leandra y yo, somos amigos desde la escuela, pasamos mucho tiempo juntos desde niños, y de hecho, hoy en día tenemos más de cuarenta años de amistad. A estas alturas de la vida, soy el padrino de su hija, y fui el padrino de su matrimonio, ya que su padre, cuando ella se casó, ya no estaba con nosotros.
La situación fuerte se le presentó a Leandra en un momento nada fácil para ella. En esa época, hacía poco tiempo, que se había separado de su novio, ella pensaba que Mario, sería el amor de vida, pero se equivocó, y cuando se dio cuenta de eso, se separó de él. Estando en esa condición de recién separada, y estando medio deprimida, se le presentó un problema grave de salud, cuando sufrió un accidente en el auto, y quedó con una pierna con una fractura grave, un brazo roto y unas costillas lesionadas.
Sus padres, toda la vida, han vivido en el interior del país, debido a que el papá de Leandra, es un hacendado, y se dedica a la producción de ganado y a la siembra. Él hacía ambas cosas. Cuando ella sufrió el accidente, su papá ya estaba enfermo y su mamá, se dedicaba a atender y acompañar al señor Lorenzo.
Así que prácticamente, Leandra estaba sola en la capital. Después del accidente de Leandra, recibí una llamada de ella, donde me comunicaba que le iban a operar la pierna. Al llegar a la clínica, Leandra, me comento, que ya había hablado con sus padres, y que les había dicho lo del accidente, y les dijo que solo era una pequeña fractura, para que no se preocuparan, así evitaría que sus padres se trasladaran a Caracas, y también le ahorraría esa preocupación a su padre que nos estaba nada bien de salud.
Conociendo la realidad por la que estaba pasando Leandra, le dije de una vez que contara conmigo y que no la dejaría sola en ningún momento. Cuando terminó la operación, Leandra terminó con dos placas de acero y 16 tornillos en la pierna, tendría que pasar por rehabilitación para darle de nuevo movilidad a la pierna, y en un principio, no podría apoyar la pierna, además, habría que hacerles limpieza de la herida de la operación para evitar las infecciones, sumado a todo el proceso de atención, comida, ropa, ayudarla a ir al baño, bañarla en la cama, darle los medicamentos y todo lo que conlleva la vida de un enfermo.
Al ver esa realidad, hablé con Sandra, mi novia, que también era amiga de Leandra y le dije que me iba a mudar con Leandra, hasta que ella pudiese valerse por si misma. En esa época, Sandra y yo teníamos un comercio, así que no había mucho problema con el trabajo y los ingresos. Y finalmente, tanto Sandra como yo terminamos mudándonos con Leandra para atenderla.
Sandra, me ayudaba a bañar a Leandra, pero en todo lo referente a limpiar las heridas, hacerle los dolorosos ejercicios de rehabilitación, la comida, la atención y todo lo demás, que iba desde la atención, hasta el hacerle y servirle la comida, lo hacía yo.
Ahora, mucho tiempo después, estando con Leandra en la hacienda, o como dicen los familiares de Leandra en el Zulia, en la matera. Leandra, me estaba haciendo un agasajo muy privado e íntimo, en la parrillera, que tiene el estar, donde están el tanque y la fuente que realizó su padre.
—Sabes, gordo, te hice una comida para compartir contigo en este lugar. Para mí este sitio es muy especial, casi todas las decisiones importantes en mi vida las hice aquí, la carrera que iba a estudiar, la decisión de comprar mi apartamento en Caracas, el haberme enterado de la enfermedad de mi papá, todo ha pasado aquí, es un lugar muy querido y muy íntimo, y aquí quiero compartir contigo. —dijo Leandra.
—Muchas gracias, sabes que para mí eres la hermanita que no me dio la vida. Como te he dicho siempre, uno tiene dos familias, aquella con la que uno nace y la que uno escoge, y gracias a Dios y a la vida, yo te escogí a ti. — Le comenté con todo el cariño del mundo.
—¿Te recuerdas lo que me dijiste, en la clínica antes de la operación? — Me comentó con cariño.
Te dije: “No tengas miedo, pase lo que pase, jamás te dejaré sola y jamás te abandonaré, siempre estaré contigo” .
En ese momento, Leandra me abrazó muy fuerte, me dio un beso en el cachete, y bajó mi cabeza con sus manos, y colocó mi frente, junto a la de ella, y en ese momento me dijo: “Sé que siempre podré contar contigo y que siempre estarás a mi lado, hermano querido”.
Ese fue uno de los momentos, más íntimos, bonitos y emotivos que he tenido en mi vida, y fue con mi mejor amiga. Sin embargo, al ver que las lágrimas estaban a punto de salir de nuestros ojos, le salí con una de las mías diciendo: “Sabes, pensé que esto era una amistad sería, pero en realidad, es más fuerte que una condena. De hecho, ya voy a tener casi treinta años de amistad contigo, es decir, estoy a punto de cumplir la pena máxima que se da en las leyes venezolanas”. Y comencé a reír.
Después de que me dijo “Estúpido” con una sonrisa enorme en los labios, nos sentamos a comer, carne de cochino asada, acompañada, pan, aceite de oliva, ensalada César y vino. Fue un momento muy lindo y especial, donde ambos sabíamos, que cada uno tenía al frente, una persona que nos ayudaría y nos acompañaría, para superar cualquier dificultad.
Gracias por leerme.
Hello @theinkwell, thank you very much for the support.
Sending you an Ecency curation vote
Hello @melinda010100, thank you very much for the support.
That's how friendship was supposed to be but not the other way round. It was a good time they had together
Hi @abigail04, yes we had a good time that day, but in reality, every time we are together, we have a great time. Thanks for commenting.
I felt so emotional while reading your story, you're really a friend indeed, Leandra is lucky to have you as a friend.
Hi, @omolayo, thank you very much for the comment.
Yes, thank God, I have her and other good friends, in fact we are few in our group of friends, but they are very long-lived friendships, today more than 30 years.
It is very good to have true and unconditional friends, and also to be one of them.
Thank you very much for your support.
You were a good friend