I do speak good Spanish, but my accent betrays me. It is more than obvious that I am not a native Peruvian, but people are usually confused because I do not lisp my “z” or my “c” as the Spaniards, and since I lived for over five years in Colombia, a trace of the Colombian jargon is still there. So, most of the time I get the usual, “where are you from?” And when people hear that I am European, they usually continue with, “Are you here for business or love?” When I tell them that neither of those is my reason for being in Peru, they are confused, and when they learn that I am a Catholic (you must insist that you are Catholic) Religious you can almost read a sense of admiration on their face. And if the one who is interrogating you happens to be a taxi driver, then a stereotypical conversation-initiator ensues, “Let me ask you something between men . . .” and I think to myself here we go again. The topic usually revolves around the vow of celibacy and chastity. I must admit that the vow (like all the other three we MCs pronounce) is quite a challenge even for me. You see with “taxi drivers”, one must be careful not to scandalise them but at the same time make them understand that we are not angels. Catholic Religious are still held in quite high esteem here in Peru, there is something that “taxi drivers” see in us and as one of them once told me, “You seem to be a good man, you inspire trust.” After that he confessed that he could not stop visiting his “spare wheel” as he unashamedly called his lover. He admitted he had a beautiful wife, and two lovely children already in their teens but could not let his lover go, knowing that she was draining his pocket, to the extent of taking away from him money which he had intended to use for his children’s education. As he cried, he acknowledged that occasionally he would call her and meet her to tell her that their relationship was over, and then end up in bed with her again. He was incapable of stopping this destructive behaviour. She became his addiction. On arriving to my destination, he wiped off the tears from his face, charged me the fare and off he went . . . most probably to another amorous adventure. It’s as if he just needed to vent his painful trysts anonymously.
Brother Carmel Duca MC
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