They couldnt hold a candle to her... As meself and mama slow footed our way between train bridge and overpass, sleepy spanish village and other equally docile spanish village.....we were ragged and blistered. Every hour and mile etched on my face.
No was the answer, no matter the question and not even a jug of water offered as we passed through church squares where hardly a dog barked nor did a bleeding eyed madonna pass a glance at us.
must be in christian territory i whispered at mama. impassive and wise as a sphinx she held her tongue.
An array of exits and roundabouts had us in a pickle for a few hours....each road we walked seemed to lead back to the same starting point and the signposts were obviously set up to bewilder travellers. Possibly cajole them into wandering into one of the tiny hamlets for a croquette or two, a cafe con leche or a set of rosary beads .
well we of course found none of them this snoozy sunday as we dragged ourselves around this bermuda triangle of no escape while car after car passed us full of empty eyes and spare back seats.
we took a sweaty walk up a hill to find more death rattle children and bored mutts. and again not a positive word from the inhabitants until while dryly weeping at a shadowy table a young girl of maybe 13 came up and in perfect and elegant english offered to share her wifi with us so that we could at the very least look up a map and point ourselves out of this foreboding but lovely anti eden.
we made our plans and as i swung the backpack over my tightening shoulders, the young girl appeared again, a bowl of fresh water and a bag of food for mama, a bar of chocolate, some oranges and some sliced chorizo for me. And if that wasnt enough she had dragged her older brother over to take us down the hill in his shiny Fiat and drive us the couple of miles we needed to get out of that dreary labyrinthe.
Her name was and i am sure still is, Candela and she unburdened mama and meself from our heavy day with a kindness not one of her elders in three catholic villages could manage.