She blinks and
she is sitting around a table of 11 people, eating "asdao" the finest saltiest bbq she has ever tasted laughing equally at jokes she cannot understand and ones that she does through means of singular words in Span-glish and mime.
She has found her feet, again, in a little funny family of three Argentinian hosts, three Paraguayan travellers, one Cordoban tradesman, mi amiga Australiana y a middle aged South American couple who hold hands and kiss every 5 minutes.
They eat big chunks of barbequed beef with the thick fat on it, chorizo sausage and potato and egg salad, lettuce, tomato and dinner rolls. They drink glasses of coca cola from a tall bottle, beer and red wine. Jackie the dog moves in between Their legs, contented for the moment with the smell of tasty treats. Willy piles the plates high with meat they struggle to finish, She only prevents more by miming "if I put more down, it will only come up". They think she is funny. She thinks they are funny.
There is a silence as the curly haired man of the kissing couple speaks, punctuated with nods and hand-grasps from his beloved. A collective sigh, shared glistening eyes as I perk my head and say "¿Que?! ¿Que?! What?
They explain their story to me with the help of about 5 others (it takes 5 minutes in achingly small steps)
They were married 24 days ago. (Ahh! honeymoon? muy bueno!)
But they met 24 years ago (oh, how romantic, explains the kissing)
They were in love, but they could not get a visa. (Visa? oh no Visa? Oh Entiendo! I understand)
So she was sent back to her country.
But they found each other on the internet last year, and now they are married. (Internet? Ahh! Muy Bueno!)
Oh! a lovely story, I say.
Do you understand? Si, Si. Yes, Yes.
She got married and divorced to someone else. Oh.
She had a child. A boy. Oh, a son.
23 years ago...
...
It is his son...
(His son? pointing to the watery eyes of the curly haired man)
He met him last year.
He looks exactly like his father. All fingers point to the chest of the curly haired man. "Tu? Tu es el padre?" si si!
They got married 24 days ago.
And now they can stay together forever. He says this last word in English, just for me.
Everyone watches my face for my sudden understanding. At the end they clap as though I have just won a marathon. I have.
The lazy traveller puts a hand over her heart, and try to keep her eyes from watering as she thinks to herself "Two points for love".
Entiendo.
