Los del quinto
I just had a little glass of brandy from Jerez and put on my favorite earrings. I always do that before stepping out into the courtyard. Hanging from the clotheslines on the fifth floor are her four kids, fresh out of the shower. What good kids they are. They don’t cause any trouble at all. Right now her husband is probably showering, and later he’ll hang the laundry. He hangs onto the clotheslines with just his bare hands. But, unlike the kids, he doesn’t stop complaining: “At least bring me some underwear,” or “Put a plastic sheet on—it’s going to rain.” Poor woman, she doesn’t stop all day. Then it’ll be her turn to bathe, and there won’t be any room left on the clothesline. She’ll have to make do and dry off again with her only dish towel. That woman is a saint.
Miguel Ángel Escudero Eble
