What if we start at the end?? Where do stories really begin?? It ends precisely when that man who was driving back from work, He was distracted for a moment thinking about how much the mask that was stuck to his mouth bothered him and why he was wearing it if he was in his car., without bothering anyone, and how annoying people were getting with these things. Then, something, a stain, a lump crossed the side of his field of vision, quickly getting in front of the vehicle. Surprised, swerved slightly to the right, but he couldn't prevent the lump from ending up under the wheels of the car. He heard some kind of explosion. ¡PAM! Highly strung, looked in the rearview mirror, but he didn't see anything, except that little spot, similar to a plastic bag, that now fell pirouettes in the middle of the road. That's where the journey of the blue balloon ended, and there his story ended. Fin.
Before falling on the road, on the sidewalk, a dove dodged the balloon, still swollen with air, just when I was going to pass over him. After a brief wander through the skies, The balloon had ended up falling a couple of meters from the pigeon, which stared at it very intently., as if wondering what that was. Emitting that guttural sound so characteristic of this species (¡grrruuuu!), The dove approached that strange object to analyze it with curiosity. Precautious, slowly approached the balloon, which now remained completely still. But just when he was close enough to see his image reflected in its smooth blue surface, a gust of air pushed him against the pigeon, who was startled, immediately opening its wings to fly off the ground, letting the balloon pass that would end up on the road with such unfortunate consequences.
If objects had memory and, therefore, awareness of its existence, we can be sure that, among the few images that would have illustrated his life before ending up under the wheels of the car, He would have remembered that group of teenagers who tried to hunt him just before he finished his flight in front of the pigeon.. The boys had gathered, like every afternoon, at the entrance of the portal of a nearby building. Although now they could leave their homes at certain hours, nothing had really changed. The novelty of the first days is over, forgotten the long days locked up at home with their parents (what a pain!), erased from his memory the dead afternoons or mornings in front of the television, or chatting with your mobile, to not say anything, with his friends, or trying to avoid the activities that their high school teachers had sent them via online (total, if everyone was going to pass the course, why waste time, They said), they were already getting bored again. Waist-length hair, T-shirts and tight pants, showing ankles, type sneakers sneaker, they, short hair with bangs or a thick, slicked-back pompadour that defied gravity, baseball caps, in some case, branded sports shoes and equally tight pants outlining her stylized figure, they, although they didn't stop talking, They really didn't have much to say to each other anymore.. Under these circumstances, the appearance of the balloon was like a balm for them, a revelation. ¡Mira!, shouted the first one who saw him approaching. At first, As the balloon approached the portal where they met each afternoon, they felt a little self-conscious, but the jokes and appeals they made to each other, They soon encouraged the tallest one to try to catch it. But the balloon was still flying high enough that it was out of reach and the boy, after taking a jump, He almost fell face first into the sidewalk when he collided with another boy in the group., causing everyone else to laugh. If the balloon had had eyes, I would have seen later how, after falling to the ground, The boys got up quickly trying to hide, blaming each other for the accident in order to regain the dignity they had left behind, a second before, on the street.
what idiots, the woman thought, when contemplating, fun, the scene from the window of his house. She said it in a tone that even she found more aggressive than the situation deserved.. A tone that, in the background, He did not hide a certain animosity towards those kids whom he, deep inside, I didn't blame them so much for the scandal they caused almost every afternoon (and they won't have another place to stay?, it was said), like the fact of seeing how they wasted on nonsense that life that they now had to spare and that was already slipping out of her hands without knowing exactly if she had taken advantage of it or what she could have done better. I was thinking about that, when the balloon crossed in front of his window, majestic, like the incarnation of a kind of pagan angel who descended from heights that she, who was not particularly religious, He wouldn't have known how to locate it if someone had asked him to do so.. When she saw him appear on the other side of the glass, He stopped what he was doing and opened the living room window., half body showing, crossing, to support, arms in the frame and be able to see it without obstacles. And who could fly like that, it was said. Free of rules, of commitments, of obligations, libre, above all, of expectations. ¡Ay, If I had known about the sad end of the balloon under the wheels of that car! If I had seen it, Maybe he wouldn't have been so envious of either the balloon or the kids who were making a fuss almost every afternoon under his window.. look at them, it was said, as if social distancing didn't concern them. that then, if there was a resurgence of the virus, It would be necessary to demand from their parents the price corresponding to the inconvenience caused if they forced them to lock themselves in their homes for another couple of months in the event that the number of affected people rose again..
But, where would that balloon come from?, she said, curious. But by the time he went to the window to cross his arms on the frame to lean on, it was impossible to establish his route. for that, I should have seen that other guy who went out to the balcony of his house to check, in turn, Where did that loud music come from?. But the man's balcony was four blocks from the woman's home., which certainly placed it far from their sight. Searching with my ears for the origin of that noise, after going out to the balcony and ignoring the subsequent journey that the balloon would make to the window of that woman who would later regret how those teenagers wasted their youth with nonsense, looked to the right, about two balconies away, looking for that other guy who took out the speakers every afternoon to bother him (to him and the rest of the neighborhood) with its unbearable music. Yes, what, at first, it had its grace, but now I was getting a little tired, every day the same. And if I had liked, but not. Not at all. Today my balcony was in a cisco, all decorated with colored balloons and that sign painted on a sheet that said: HAPPY PAULA! Well now, Wasn't the uncle celebrating a birthday?? What was missing. I just hoped it wouldn't make the party too long., that he could already see himself calling the police to see if they would stop him. I had thought about it other times, but until now he had not dared to do it. Calling the police should always be a last resort., it was said. But, man! Lower the volume a little, don't be such a bastard, thought. But, what is that girl doing?, it was said, then. Suddenly, one of the balloons flew from the neighbor's balcony directly towards him. When, after dodging him with a swipe, He looked back at the other's balcony., willing, now yes, to complain, the girl had already disappeared. How to continue with the noise for five more minutes, this time I swear I will report him, that's fine now, that this is not normal, man, that a while is worth, but for a while every afternoon it was already getting very tiresome.
things are as they are. deep down, she didn't want to let go of the balloon. I just wanted to catch it. Blue was his favorite color. And if he wanted to take it it was because he was bored. So as not to puncture it, He wanted to break the tape that joined the blue balloon to the cluster of balloons of other colors that was tied to the balcony railing., But then he got into a mess and the balloon slipped out of his hand.. For a few seconds he stared at that blue sphere that was now floating away., pushed by the wind, skyward. As I was small, He didn't think about it exactly that way., but if he had been older he would have said what a way to end the afternoon. Instead, He just gave a little cry of surprise and then, disappointed to lose the balloon, he went inside his house. And the fact is that her father had already warned her when she asked him, “Can I get a balloon?”?”And his father said yes, but be very careful and not get too close to the railing. He warned her so much that, when he tried to pick it up, He was so cautious that he felt very clumsy and that's how the balloon ended up flying down the street..
It is also true that, as his father told him, “Look, go look at the balloon with all the gifts I had received that day.”. But the gifts didn't drive her crazy either.. Ella, in the background, She would have preferred her friends and cousins to come and celebrate her birthday with her.. It's also bad luck that it happened precisely this month., with the happy coronavirus making life miserable for everyone. And although I had spoken with them on Skype, and with the grandparents, well it was good, but it wasn't the same as last year when they went to that pizzeria and had a great time being silly with their school friends., and then, on sunday, racing his cousins around the house. But this year it couldn't be, his mother had told him, and he doesn't worry because in summer, when this happy virus would have passed, They would celebrate it again any day on the beach. But summer was now really far away for her.. I mean, yes. That she was happy with the gifts because they had brought her everything she had asked for., but what, somehow, She sensed that this was not a real party and if, finally, I hadn't protested too much, it was because, in your way, He had understood the effort his mother had made to buy the cake (that wasn't the one I wanted, but it was also very good), and that her father had spent the entire day decorating the house and blowing up the balloons that he would later tie to the balcony railing around those banners that she had also helped decorate by painting her name and the colorful flowers that she had drawn around the word "congratulations" written in capital letters., in big, bold letters, and in black so that all the neighbors could see it.
And this is where this story really begins., in the end. It is known that the life of balloons is very short. They are born the moment they are taken out of the bag (because before they cannot be considered balloons; you can call them balloons, but they are not swollen) and someone puts them in their mouth and, taking air, blow hard through the plastic nozzle and they start to grow. How short is the life of a balloon! But, It's so intense! That's called taking advantage of the time they give us.. GERARDO LEON
