Lies Have Short Legs
In Venezuela, Laureano lived in the Zulia with his wife Carmen, my in-laws. He also lived with his 12 children in that city. A few months after I married Efraín, one of his sons, my father-in-law was working as a laborer at PDVSA and was transferred by that company to work as a quarryman (a city located between Maturín and Tucupita). Laureano emigrated with his entire family and bought them a house in Anaco, on Aragua Street.
He had a very luxurious car. Every week, he traveled from Temblador to Anaco to spend the weekend with his family. For the first five years, he went frequently, but suddenly he stopped traveling on weekends, and went for up to a month without seeing his family. He transferred a large amount of money to his wife to cover her needs. He didn't even call them.
His wife didn't miss him because he was a very affectionate, tall, handsome, and very polite man, but he had one flaw: he was a womanizer. He had two children with other women, but he was very discreet. She found out about this when she was 55 and he was 57. She forgave him because she loved him too much.
One of his illegitimate children, Azael, met him at the age I mentioned. He was originally from Tucupita, but at the time he was temporarily living in the city of Cumaná, as he was studying at the Universidad de Oriente.
A year later, Laureano stopped by their house with gifts for his wife and children. His wife, Carmen, very annoyed, asked him: "Does that job take up so much of your time that you don't even have time to call us?" He replied mischievously:
"What happens is that I have too much work," his wife insists asking, he tries to hug her, but she avoids him, he answers: "You won't believe it, I have to supervise the drills near those in Temblador (Town between Maturín and Tucupita)", subtly she told him: "Keep lying, you're not going to get very far."
That weekend, Laureano took them to the park, to the movies, and for pizza. They then visited the home of two married daughters, and on Sunday at noon, he left for Temblador.
Each year, Laureano found himself further and further away from his family. Azael, who lived in Tucupita with his wife and children, frequently visited his father, who had a large house near his work.
One day, this young man arrived at his father's house and saw a woman with two children living in Laureano's house. His father, a little embarrassed, approached him and said:
"Let me introduce you to my partner. I'm going to build an extension on this house for a convenience store so she can serve you." Very discreetly he observed the woman of about 25 years old, tall, beautiful, with eyes and hair as black as jet, very kindly she approached him and said:
“Nice to meet you, my name is Olga, these are my two children”, very politely Azael replied: “Nice to meet you, she is my wife”.
Azael led his father to the garden and asked, "Does your family in Anaco know about this situation?" Very distressed, he replied, "No, this weekend, when I go to Anaco, I'll let them know." Azael said goodbye and left.
Indeed, that weekend, when Laureano arrived home, he gathered his wife and children and told them that he had a mistress and had established a common-law relationship with her. Carmen's heart beat faster than the second hands on a clock, her face paled like a magnolia flower, and she struggled to utter the words, but she finally managed:
"How is it possible that you are so scoundrel and cynical? I feel like slapping you?" He didn't dare raise his face and remained silent.
The next day he went to say goodbye to his wife. She was very upset and said:
“That woman is too young for you. When the years pass and you get older, she will kick you out. By then, you will have to face the consequences for my house. Don't come. I won't even console you with a cup of coffee.” Cynically believing he was right, she smiled and said goodbye.
As he left, she couldn't stop the tears from pouring from her green eyes, like raindrops in a torrential downpour.
Laureano always made the payment transfer to his wife to cover their basic needs. But his family no longer had the physical presence of the head of the household.
Ten years passed, and Laureano forgot about his family. During this passionate life with Olga, he fathered a daughter he named Morela, who now entered elementary school. Everything was rosy. The oil company liquidated him and gave him a large sum of money. With that money, he gave Olga a house in Maturín and bought a pickup truck for himself.
Five more years later, Laureano's memory began to fail and he no longer controlled his sphincters. Olga took him out of his room and put him to sleep in the hallway on a mattress over some empty plastic soda boxes.
Azael, who always visited him, saw the condition of his father and called his siblings and explained the situation.
They immediately mobilized to look for him and brought him back home that same day. Carmen objecte but her son Efraín told her, "Mom, you have to understand that he's our father and that he also has senile dementia.", she said:
"I told him before he left, and you know what? I'm not going to take care of him in any way, I'm not even going to give him a plate of food. Now he'll have to face the consequences."
Two of his sons bathed him, cared for him, fed him, and gave him his medication, because his wife didn't even look at him.
His mistress, Olga, and his daughter, Mórela, forgot to ask: How was Laureano? Soon after, they moved to Maturín.
As the years passed, Morella married and currently resides with her husband and children in Puerto La Cruz, Anzoátegui State.
One day, I went to Anaco with my husband, Efraín, and my children to visit Carmen and Laureano. He didn't recognize me. My mother-in-law, Carmen, was very happy to see me, hugged me, and invited us to lunch. Afterward, we sat in the living room. I asked her, somewhat mischievously:
“How are you with your love Laureano?” With a smile on her face she answered: “There he is, paying the consequences for having abandoned me. He is not worthy of even a glance from my eyes, I detest him", with much nostalgia I said to her:
“How is it possible that after so much love you no longer love him?” ,with a hint of bitterness on her face she said to me:
“Don’t you know that after love comes hate?”, very sweetly I approached her and subtly ran my hand through her hair which was completely white with the snow of her years. She looked at me, then took my hands in hers and said:
“Daughter, you can’t imagine how much I love you. I hope my son doesn’t make you suffer like his father did to me.” I tried to encourage her so that the sadness would disappear from her face and I succeeded.
](https://images.ecency.com/DQmQWgrhfRZ97dAvcgPmiZYbZPMWX7UvpZwSSVNwqTaejcb/image.png)
Source from [pixabay](https://pixabay.com/es/photos/plataforma-petrolera-industria-viejo-3629119/)
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ESPAÑOL
La mentira tiene patas cortas
En Venezuela, Laureano residía con su esposa Carmen, quienes son mis suegros. Además, él vivía con sus 12 hijos en Cabimas, Estado Zulia. Unos meses después de haberme casado con Efraín, Para ese momento mi suegro trabajaba como obrero en PDVSA y fue cambiado por esa empresa para temblador. Laureano emigra con toda su familia, les compra una casa en Anaco en la calle Aragua
Tenía un auto muy lujoso. Todas las semanas viajaba de Temblador a Anaco para pasar el fin de semana con su familia. Durante los primeros cinco años, viajaba con frecuencia, pero de repente dejó de viajar los fines de semana y pasaba hasta un mes sin ver a su familia. Le transfería una gran cantidad de dinero a su esposa para cubrir sus necesidades. Ni siquiera los llamaba.
Su esposa no lo extrañaba porque era un hombre muy cariñoso, alto, guapo y muy educado, pero tenía un defecto: era mujeriego. Tenía dos hijos con otras mujeres, pero era muy discreto. Ella se enteró de esto cuando ella tenía 55 años y él 57. Lo perdonó porque lo amaba demasiado.
Uno de sus hijos ilegítimos, Azael, lo conoció a la edad que mencioné. Era originario de Tucupita, pero en ese entonces vivía temporalmente en la ciudad de Cumaná, ya que estudiaba en la Universidad de Oriente.
Un año después, Laureano pasó por su casa y llevó varias bolsas de alimentos y otras con regalos para su esposa e hijos. Su esposa, Carmen, muy molesta, le preguntó: "¿Ese trabajo te quita tanto tiempo que ni siquiera tienes tiempo para llamarnos?". Él respondió con picardía:
“Lo que pasa es que tengo demasiado trabajo”, insiste su esposa en preguntar, él intenta abrazarla, pero ella lo evita, él le responde: “No lo vas a creer, tengo que supervisar los taladros de los pozos petroleros que están cerca de los de Temblador (Pueblo entre Maturin y Tucupita)”, sutilmente le dijo: “Sigue mintiendo, no vas a llegar muy lejos”.
Ese fin de semana, Laureano los llevó al parque, al cine y a comer pizza. Luego visitaron la casa de dos hijas casadas, y el domingo al mediodía partió hacia Temblador.
Cada año, Laureano se encontraba cada vez más lejos de su familia. Azael, quien vivía en Tucupita con su esposa e hijos, visitaba con frecuencia a su padre, quien tenía una casa grande cerca de su trabajo.
Un día, este joven llegó a casa de su padre y vio a una mujer con dos hijos viviendo en la casa de Laureano. Su padre, un poco avergonzado, se le acercó y le dijo:
«Les presento a mi amante. Voy a construir una ampliación en esta casa para una tienda de conveniencia para que ella pueda atenderlos». Muy discretamente observó a la mujer de unos 25 años, alta, hermosa, con ojos y cabello negro como el azabache, muy amablemente se acercó a él y le dijo:
“Mucho gusto, me llamo Olga, estos son mis dos hijos”, muy educadamente Azael respondió: “Mucho gusto, ella es mi esposa”.
Azael llevó a su padre al jardín y le preguntó: "¿Sabe tu familia en Anaco de esta situación?". Muy angustiado, respondió: "No, este fin de semana, cuando vaya a Anaco, les avisaré". Azael se despidió y se fue.
En efecto ese fin de semana al Laureano llegar a su casa reunió a su esposa e hijos y le comunicó que tenía una amante y que había establecido una relación de concubinato con ella. El corazón de Carmen latió aceleradamente como los segunderos del reloj, su rostro palideció como la flor de magnolia, le costaba mucho esfuerzo pronunciar palabras, al fin lo logró:
”¿Cómo es posible que seas tan canalla y cínico, me provoca darte una bofetada”, él no se atrevía a levantar su rostro y se quedó en silencio.
Al día siguiente se fue a despedir de su esposa, está muy molesta le dijo:
“Esa mujer es muy joven para ti, cuando pasen los años y te pongas más viejo ella te echar a la calle, para ese momento tendrás que enfrentar las consecuencias para mi casa no vengas, no te consolaré ni con una taza de café”, cínicamente creyendo tener él la razón, sonrió y se despidió.
Al irse, no pudo evitar que las lágrimas brotaran a raudales de sus ojos verdes, como gotas de lluvia en un aguacero torrencial.
Laureano siempre le hacía la transferencia a su esposa para cubrir sus necesidades básicas. Pero su familia ya no contaba con la presencia física del jefe de familia.
Pasaron diez años y Laureano se olvidó de su familia. Durante esta apasionada vida con Olga, tuvo una hija a la que llamó Morela, quien ya estaba en la primaria. Todo era color de rosa. La petrolera lo liquidó y le dio una gran suma de dinero. Con ese dinero, le dio a Olga una casa en Maturín y se compró una camioneta.
Cinco años después, la memoria de Laureano comenzó a fallar y ya no controlaba sus esfínteres. Olga lo sacó de su habitación y lo puso a dormir en el pasillo sobre un colchón sobre unas cajas de refresco vacías.
Azael, quien siempre lo visitaba, vio el estado de su padre y llamó a sus hermanos para explicarles la situación.
Inmediatamente se movilizaron a buscarlo y lo trajeron de vuelta a casa ese mismo día. Carmen se opuso, pero su hijo Efraín le dijo: «Mamá, tienes que entender que es nuestro padre y que también tiene demencia senil». Enfadado, dijo:
«Se lo dije antes de que se fuera, ¿y sabes qué? No voy a cuidarlo de ninguna manera, ni siquiera le voy a dar un plato de comida. Ahora tendrá que afrontar las consecuencias».
Dos de sus hijos lo bañaron, lo cuidaron, lo alimentaron y le dieron sus medicamentos, porque su esposa ni siquiera lo miró.
Su amante, Olga, y su hija, Mórela, olvidaron preguntarle: ¿Cómo estaba Laureano? Poco después, se mudaron a Maturín.
Con el paso de los años, Morella se casó y actualmente reside con su esposo e hijos en Puerto La Cruz, estado Anzoátegui.
Un día, fui a Anaco con mi esposo, Efraín, y mis hijos a visitar a Carmen y Laureano. Él no me reconoció. Mi suegra, Carmen, se alegró mucho al verme, me abrazó y luego nos invitó a almorzar. Al terminar, nos sentamos en la sala. Le pregunté, con cierta picardía:
“¿Cómo estás con tu amor Laureano?” Con una sonrisa en su rostro respondió: “Ahí está, pagando las consecuencias de haberme abandonado. No es digno ni de una mirada de mis ojos, lo detesto”, con mucha nostalgia le dije:
“¿Cómo es posible que después de tanto amor ya no lo ames?”, con un dejo de amargura en su rostro me dijo:
¿No sabes que después del amor viene el odio?” Muy dulcemente me acerqué a ella y sutilmente pasé mi mano por su cabello que estaba completamente blanco por la nieve de sus años. Me miró, luego tomó mis manos entre las suyas y dijo:
“Hija, no puedes imaginar cuánto te amo. Espero que mi hijo no te haga sufrir como su padre me hizo a mí”. Intenté animarla para que la tristeza desapareciera de su rostro y lo logré.