Love at first sight

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Chapter 6… Manuela and eternal love, from the book In the land of volcanoes, by edudelcorral

     It turns out that her mother had asked Grandpa to please go with her to Honduras, to a city near the border called Choluteca. She wanted to leave early morning at dawn, the next day after the festival. If they left early, they could drive over and arrive by lunch time. She had a particular interest in obtaining the recipe for a soup made by doña Eloísa and renowned all over Central America. Throughout the past four generations, doña Eloísa’s family had been preparing this exquisite dish, made from cow’s stomach, and regionally celebrated.

     The Eloísa Girl – La Niña Eloísa – as she was fondly called by everyone that knew her, had a fourteen-year-old daughter named Manuela. She was her mother’s little helper and would assist in the kitchen chores. An extraordinarily beautiful young woman, her Hispanic heritage and Honduran origins were clearly stated by that dark skin and its rich, deep cinnamon hues. Her eyes, liquid and as dark, as deeply roasted coffee, were graciously set below light, diaphanous eyebrows, that seemed just barely inscribed by an artist’s paper-thin black felt pen. They were then just so elegantly crowned, by her long eyelashes that gently curved, when she closed her eyes. Manuela’s unsurpassed charm and beauty, her graceful motions as she walked the streets, were the pride of the city. She was well-loved for more than just her mere physical beauty. Beyond that, it was her gentle disposition and her attitude towards life that charmed everyone that surrounded her. Always kind to all, forever with a smile to share with the world, nobody remembers one single instance in her life, when she displayed a bad temper or was mean towards someone else.

     So they arrived to Choluteca; while the women were talking shop and recipes, Grandfather, who was a bit hungry, walked into the kitchen looking for something to eat. To his great surprise, he ran into Manuela, and he was totally stunned by her beauty. For a few moments he stood still, smitten, dumbfounded, and speechless. It takes quite a bit of an effort, to imagine Grandfather, who had never lacked for words, hopelessly struck dumb by ove at first sight. Silently he heard how she offered him a dish of the delicious Mondongo. He accepted gracefully and proceeded to happily devour that soup, as he felt Manuela’s sweet gaze envelope him. Discreetly, Manuela laughed as she watched him blush, while she gently asked him about himself and Nicaragua. When he had finished eating, he smiled as he asked her name. Having said no more, he smiled once again and got up from the table. He then apologized for having to leave, but promised to come back shortly with a great surprise.

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