"~ Is that everything?" "~ Yes, thanks." "It's $5.40." "$5.40..." "let's see...$5.40." "Thanks." "Here she comes." "Fire!" "Attack, guys, we have to defend María!" "What's this?" "What are they doing here?" "Come on, you bastards!" "What are you doing here?" "Get off of my truck!" "What are you doing up there?" "Let's go, you bastards, get down from there!" "Get down, fuck off!" "Get out of here!" "Get down from there!" "Beggars!" "Rascals!" "Get lost, perverts!" "Just look, you ground up all my tomatoes!" "Who started this mess?" "Who was it?" "Who was it?" "Who?" "It wasn't us, Sócrates." "Oh yeah?" "You already wasted my entire load of tomatoes." "Just look!" "Look, it wasn't us, it was that loser Piro and his gang." "Yeah, that's right, they started the war." "The cowards sought out María when she was on her own." "But we gave them their due." "~ And right well!" "~ Look at what shape they left her in!" "Look, look, she even looks like salsa catsup!" ""Salsa catsup", "salsa catsup", a catsup grumble is what your brother's going to give you when he sees you looking so untidy." "Look, just look!" "Wow, Raúl, I forgot about him!" "Oh, see you later!" "Wait, I'll take you home." "To explain things, so he doesn't give you a whacking for real." "Fine, but carry the basket for me." "~ Me?" "Why?" "~ Who's the man here?" "~ I am." "~ Right, then carry the load!" "Oh, my God!" "Oh, just look, such boys, such boys!" "Let's go home, let's go!" "¤ Why am I to blame for loving you, María,... ¤ for you being the love of my life?" "¤ Why am I to blame for loving you, María,... ¤ Why am I to blame for adoring you,... ¤ for my eyes having seen you, María,... ¤ for the fact that just for you my heart keeps beating,..." "¤ for you being the love of my life... ¤ for loving you like I love you?" "¤ María, María, if you don't love me it's not important, María." "¤ I am content with simply loving you." "¤ Even if you don't want me to love you, I'm meant to love you... ¤ because I was born to adore you and I do." "¤ For my eyes having seen you, María,... ¤ for the fact that just for you my heart keeps beating,... ¤ for you being the love of my life... ¤ for loving you like I love you?" "¤ María, María, if you don't love me it doesn't matter, María,... ¤ I am content with simply loving you." "¤ Even if you don't want me to love you, I'm meant to love you... ¤ because I was born to adore you and I do. ¤" "You guys, beat it!" "I'm already tired of you." "Everybody!" "Go on home!" "~ And you, why aren't you leaving?" "~ Because I'm angry." "~ Angry, why?" "~ Because I couldn't even hit a Mule with one of these tomatoes." "Look, forget the Mules and head on home." "Go on, beat it!" "Oh, what brats these boys are!" "They're driving me crazy!" "One day I'll be like Raúl." "What you should do is go to school." "I have to be fit for when I face the champion." "Look, a right hook to the liver, then a left,... a right cross, a right cross, a left... a left, a right cross, and he's on the canvas!" "No, not the canvas." "You, what you will do is help me cook." "Mangos!" "That's women's work." "Oh, you're a lazybones, Andrés!" "María!" "What do you want?" "And don't yell at me, I'm not deaf." "Where did you put my underwear?" "Why do you want to know?" "Did you check the laundry basket?" "You stuffed them in there?" "And where should I put them, since they were all...?" "~ Don't go on, don't say any more." "~ Pig!" "Then, agreed, see you later there." "Well, but hurry off, I've got lots to do." "That's fine." "~ Hard!" "~ Hard, Raúl!" "Beat him, Raúl!" "Hit him, Raúl, hit him!" "Beat him!" "Harder, you can do it, brother." "Raúl, like this, look!" "Left, right, hit him, hit him, you've got him, Raúl!" "You got him, Raúl, you got him, great, great!" "Straight to the jaw!" "Pound him, brother!" "Very good, Champ, great!" "You have to win, kid." "Hit him in the belly, and he'll fall down in this very this round." "Slug him, slug him, Raúl, slug him, slug him!" "What the fuck are you doing here?" "I told you I don't like you to mess into these things." "Cover the low, cover it!" "What is it, who's going to ring the bell here?" "3, 4..." "Pound him, brother, we have to square things for the trailer!" "Hit him, hit him, you got him, you got him!" "To the jaw!" "Hit him hard, you can do it, brother!" "You got him, Raúl, you got him!" "1, 2, 3, 4, 5... 6, 7, 8, 9, 10." "Out!" "Ahh, very good, Raúl!" "Congratulations." "I'll try to line up another opponent for you." "Thanks, Mr. Quintana." "You know I'll never let you down." "Very good, Champ." "Listen, let the money be sound on next fight, because lately it's very scarce, right?" "You know these fights are illegal and win small purses." "Very good, Raúl!" "There's no right, there's no right, there's no right!" "He hardly gave us anything, man!" "But we won, Sócrates." "And by knockout, like real champs win." "Congratulations, Raúl." "And now, what's with that drooping nose?" "You look like an elephant." "Well, if I were a bit older, I'd ask Mr. Quintana for a fight." "Ha!" "You want to be a boxer?" "Of course, and one of the best, like Raúl." "Listen, Sócrates, and all things considered, do you think he'll ever be a champion?" "Look, Andrés, Raúl's been fighting since he was 15,... but all his fights have been under the table." ""Under" what?" "What's that?" "Under the table, that means they're outside the law,... they're illegal, they're crooked, you get it?" "Oh, the dickheads!" "Then why doesn't he fight legally?" "Look, come here, I'll explain,..." "Raúl is an illegal alien who doesn't have a passport." "He entered the country illegally." "If Immigration finds him, he'll be deported." "And María?" "No, that's different, she was born here." "I'm going to explain:" "Raúl, what he should do is find another job to earn a living and leave boxing." "If he keeps boxing like he is they'll pound him down into a shape --- sigh!" " not suitable even to be a beggar." "And you, get the idea of boxing out of your head!" "Like Hell I will!" "I'm going to be like him, and even better!" "I'll be the world champ." "Look: in his eye, his eyebrow, his ear, his nose, his jaw, and hit the ground!" "He gets up again!" "To the liver, the heart, the mouth..." "Easy...be still!" "That way nobody can lay a hand on me." "One hand, no." "It'll be me who puts both hands on you." "Look just how messy!" "Look just how messy!" "We have to go have dinner." "Go on!" "Move it!" "Do we have enough?" "You're still $20 short of completing the payments on the trailer." "Don't worry, María, they won't be here to collect until Saturday." "~ You're thinking about another fight." "~ It's how I earn my living, María." "Why won't you do Sócrates suggests?" "What?" "Turn myself into a truck loader?" "No, all I know to do is throw my fists." "Besides, we haven't done all that badly." "Soon we'll own this trailer." "I'm going to tell Quintana to get me better fights." "You'll see." "It's just that the old guy gives me the chills." "He's been arranging the same level of fights for you for quite a while." "You're right." "And I think I'd better change my promoter." "I just don't like you getting hit." "Every day they hit you harder." "Just look, that eye's just like a parrot's!" "You're right, but I'm an illegal, and somehow I have to make a living." "And in the end, I like boxing." "Aren't you afraid they'll figure that out?" "Everyone thinks it's really a radio." "Even Andrés got taken in!" "Don Felipe, did you summon me?" "Yeah, sit down." "What can I do for you?" "I sent for you to let you know there are four payments overdue on the truck, and I'm going to take it back from you." "Well, thanks for reminding me, but look, I've been pretty short of money lately." "With the story of this truck, the "Colorino", you don't know the mess just built up around it." "Those guys from the rival gang --- can you imagine?" " ... they grabbed my tomatoes like they were grenades!" "And look, for God's sake, that if I hadn't get there in time,... they'd have gotten rid of the lemons, lettuce, garlic, and onions --- they'd get rid of everything!" "I won't stand for that again!" "Get them straightened out or I'll have the police round them up." "But Don Felipe, you understand they're boys, they're angels." "Some angels...they're mafia apprentices, that's what they are." "Just criminals!" "You wouldn't talk about them that way if one of the boys were your relative." "If one of those kids were my grandson I'd be the happiest man in the world." "My daughter, her husband, and my grandson suffered an accident eight years ago." "No...!" "They found the bodies of the grownups, but there was no sign of my grandson." "Since they I've been looking for him without success." "I'd almost rather he'd died." "Huh, it was worse than my Colorino, right?" "Colorina...!" "Go on, beat it!" "You made me think of such sad things." "How are you, Mr. Quintana?" "I've got another fight for you." "Where, this time?" "If the police don't find the shebeen, we'll continue to do our clandestine fights there." "How much will you pay me?" "300 dollars." "That's not a lot." "350, not a cent more." "You know there are others who'll fight for less." "Hey, a Coors!" "María!" "Right there, right there, don't be scared, María!" "Throw it, Figelo, he'll strike out!" "Strike him out, María!" "He can't hit!" "Go on, Piro!" "We're with you, María!" "~ Serve it up!" "~ Go on, Piro!" "Strike!" "That's one." "Just pitch, don't be afraid of those Mules!" "Throw it!" "Strike!" "Go on, don't be scared!" "You've got a good rhythm." "Or else I'll pitch." "No, I'm pitching." "Well, remember that you have the bases loaded, with a single run they'll tie it up." "And if they get two, they'll beat us." "Don't worry, I'm going to call for the spitball." "Well, wet your fingers well." "~ That's good, get ready for a triple play." "~ Go for it!" "Triple play, we win!" "Triple play!" "We win!" "Eagles, Eagles, rah, rah, rah!" "No way, Mules, you lost." "Tell Quique that the next time he blows a raspberry, we'll break his face." "I dare you!" "You've been warned." "Let's go." "~ Do you want them to break your face?" "~ No." "Oh, really?" "Let's go." "We won, we won, we won!" "Hi, Dad." "Henry called about you a few times." "I don't know why he insists." "I'm not interested." "He's a great boy." "He has a great future." "Are you asking me to marry him?" "He's the son of a friend of mine." "He has a great future and will soon receive his D.D.S." "It just so happens that I don't have impacted teeth." "I don't want you seeing Raúl Sánchez again!" "He's a poor boxer who has nothing to offer you." "If that's so, why did you hire him?" "Enough!" "I don't want you to see him again." "No, Dad, you can't ask me to stop seeing Raúl, since I'm of legal age." "Understand?" "Legal age!" "¤ My friend the tiger died... ¤ to save me he gave his life." "¤ My falcon is very sad... ¤ and my spoiled mare agrees." "¤ She raised him up from very young... ¤ in the cabin with me." "¤ He was the guardian of my dreams... ¤ and my pal in my adventures." "¤ He hunted duck, deer,... ¤ when he went hunting." "¤ With this tiger at my side... ¤ I walked the hills." "¤ At the foot of a leafy tree... ¤ after crossing a river... ¤ there was a coral snake... ¤ that was lurking to kill me." "¤ My trusty tiger, like lightning... ¤ defended me, very bravely,... ¤ but he set his teeth,... ¤ that ferocious animal." "¤ My friend the tiger died... ¤ and I couldn't prevent it." "¤ My mare and my falcon... ¤ we will remember you. ¤" "Look!" "Andrés, the Mules have arrived!" "Andrés, I've come to challenge you." "You and how many others?" "Just me, unless you're too scared." "I'm not scared of you." "We can fight by Queensberry Rules... so it will be clearly established who the champ really is." "Agreed." "When?" "Tomorrow in the shed." "And try to bring a spare nose." "Wait, you came to challenge, not to fight." "Let's go." "Well, isn't there a gentleman to escort me home?" "They said "gentleman"." "So now it turns out that Andrés is a gentleman!" "No way!" "I think he's just a tough guy." "Breakfast is ready." "I'm coming, just let me wash my face." "Are you going somewhere?" "You've got an date with Andrés?" "Hi, Andrés." "Don't you think it's a bit early to come calling?" "No, I wanted to practice." "Also you do so to stay in shape, am I right?" "Let's see your guard." "Lively, eh?" "What happened?" "Don't open your guard." "Do what I do." "Watch." "By an inverted cock, you really know how to box!" "Do you think I'll get to be like you when I grow up?" "Sure, I started at your age." "I want to learn your style and everything you know." "With what I've taught you, you can defend yourself." "No, I want to be a boxer just as good as you." "No, Andrés, get that out of your mind." "There are other paths." "Besides, you're a kid and you can learn anything else better." "But what I want is to become a boxer, Raúl." "Not if I can help it." "It's better if you go fishing." "And forget about boxing, understand?" "Your admirer's talking up a storm." "~ We're going, Champ." "~ May God bless you." "Let's see, on your guard." "Oh!" "You almost put down my teeth!" "You see, we women also know how to wield their fists." "Ugh, such women!" "So helpless!" "They'll fight three rounds:... in this corner, at 100 pounds, The Great Piro,... and in the other, at nearly 70 pounds, "kid" Andrés." "Touch gloves." "You know the rules: no kicks or bites on the eyes." "Are you ready?" "Move, man!" "Ring the bell, clown!" "Move on, clock boy." "You can do it!" "You can do it, belt him!" "You can do it, hit him, hit him!" "Harder!" "Very good, Champ, very good!" "Fine, you were very good." "Remember, don't let your guard down, you hit up here." "Here." "Yeah, I've got his measure." "Listen, how am I doing?" "Very good, just hit him in the breadbasket and you'll see him fold up." "In the breadbasket?" "In the stomach, genius!" "OK, you can count on it." "~ I dedicate this to you." "~ Good." "Slug him, Piro!" "Hit him, hit him hard!" "Easy." "~ Count him out!" "~ Go to the corner." "Start counting!" "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,... 7, 8, 9, 10." "Piro, it's clear I beat you fair and square." "Goodbye, Mules!" "Tomorrow will be the fight." "And why don't you get me a more important one?" "It would be better if you went somewhere else." "You might do better." "I can't, everything I have is here in Brownsville." "And what could an illegal have here?" "~ What's happening, Buddy?" "~ What's up, guy, are you well?" "~ Couldn't be better." "~ Come on." "See you." "My little sister, and my trailer, which I've nearly paid off." "I can't imagine why you bought it." "If Immigration catches you, they'll deport you." "What do you mean?" "It's just some advice." "Advice... ~ Give me a beer." "~ Yes, sir." "What's going on?" "~ What's up?" "~ How's it going, Champ?" "Hi, Grandma." "It's not my situation or my sister's, what you care about is your daughter,... and it bothers you that she's noticed me." "You may be right, but I want something better for my daughter, not a reject like you." "As may be, Mr. Quintana, but it's not my fault that your daughter loves me." "And if you don't like that, I'm very sorry." "~ Hi, old timer." "~ What's up, Sonny?" "~ Hamburgers!" "~ Just what you like." "You won the lottery." "No, son, it's just that today was payday." "And Don Felipe didn't dock me for two boxes of tomatoes." "Look, there on the table's a gift I bought for you." "Go on, open it." "What?" "You're not going to thank me?" "Thanks, Sócrates." "There you go again with your schnoz dangling as if you were an elephant." "Nobody never gave me anything,... and I was thinking that if my dad were still be alive, he'd be like you." "Thanks, son." "Thanks." "I'd also thought that if I had a son, I wished he'd be you." "Andrés, we're both orphans." "We don't have anybody." "For this reason, we must be united forever, you and me as one." "You understand me?" "But now and then you told me you knew your parents." "Not me." "Fine, let's not talk of such sad matters!" "You know what?" "I don't know how the rich can't be happy with everything they have." "I am, and I've got squat." "You've got more than they do." "Look: you've got María, Raúl, your gang buddies." "You've even got that guy Piro you're always quarreling with." "Isn't that so?" "And I've got you, too." "Son of my soul!" "Thanks, son, thanks, thank you!" "It doesn't matter to me that I'm an illegal." "What matters to me is to show your father that I'm not a second-rate boxer." "And that I can be worthy of you." "Fuck my father!" "1, 2,..." "Don't drop your guard." "He caught me by surprise, that's all." "Don't let him hit you by surprise." "Hit low to crack his resistance." "Do you understand?" "Fine, fine." "I'll give you an extra $200 if you get rid of him in this round." "I'm already counting the money, sir." "Sure thing, "Mittens"!" "Don't let him hit you, take care of yourself, my dear." "Don't let your guard down." "Why hasn't Andrés come?" "How should I know?" "He was supposed to be here to help me." "We'll see what excuse he comes up with." "He's strong as a bull." "He's spanked you hard, brother." "Wouldn't it be better to go down?" "No, never!" "I've just learned his weaknesses!" "I'll get revenge in this round." "Your strength is hitting low, and then with the left." "How do you feel?" "~ I'm fine." "~ Can he hold up?" "Yes, sir, he can keep going." "Don't let him hit you, be careful, Raúl." "Here, "Mittens"." "Move your hands, Gaby!" "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,..." "Out!" "Congratulations, Quintana." "Your boy's good, but I have one that will duff him up." "~ What's his name?" "~ "The Butcher from Houston."" "~ I know him." "They say he's a killer." "~ That's what they say." "~ I like the idea." "Set up the fight for me." "~ Done." "I've booked you a fight for $2,000." "Who's the opponent?" "The Butcher from Houston." "No, not with him, no way!" "I'll decide that, Sócrates." "All right, Mr. Quintana, I'll fight the Butcher." "Raúl, who's that?" "He's a boxer from Houston, but don't worry, I'll beat him." "I'm sorry, Sócrates, but if you don't bring me the money on Saturday, I'll be repossessing your truck." "But where do you want me to get that much money, Don Felipe?" "You should have thought of that when you borrowed it from me." "Sócrates." "Raúl." "Why are you wandering around sloshed?" "Come on, shut the fuck up, man." "I have a huge problem, bigger than the Cathedral of Mexico." "What's up?" "What's up with me?" "Don Felipe's going to repossess my truck if I don't pay what I owe him." "Well, pay him." "If you want I'll lend you $300." "~ How much?" "~ 300." "I'm short $2,000, man!" "For Heaven's sake, you've got a problem, man!" "Why don't you ask him for an extension?" "Well, I asked, but he's not interested." "He's bitter about his grandson." "This old fucker's devoid of feelings." "Fine, but what's the grandson got to do with it?" "How should I know?" "He said he lost him when the kid was little but he'd be 12 now." "So what are you going to do, brother?" "There's no way out of this for me, not even the Virgin of Solutions." "No, it's just difficult!" "No way, Raúl, I have to say goodbye to my truck." "Come in, but wipe your feet." "Come, sit down." "Would you like one?" "Ah, you don't take this stuff." "And you're right." "Just figure it out: they give you a spanking while sober, while drunk they'd break your nose." "And you, rather than getting drunk, you should think about what you're going to do about the Colorino." "Or else you're going to lose it, you have to do more than stand idly by." "~ One!" "~ Two!" "Three!" "~ Give it to them!" "~ Let's go, hard!" "~ Yank it!" "~ Yank it, hard!" "Yank it, hard!" "Yank it, hard!" "Yank it!" "No, robbing a bank won't solve anything." "Besides, if they catch us, they'll send us to the slammer." "Assaulting folks on the street, that would be mean." "Face it, Raúl, neither of us were born thieves." "We're decent people!" "Remember that: we're decent people!" "If I could just convince Don Felipe that Andrés is his grandson... maybe his heart would thaw and he'd forgive the debt,... and I wouldn't lose my truck, the Colorino." "That's it, what a great idea!" "Yeah, but forget it." "No, no..." "I love that boy a lot." "I couldn't do something bad like that to Andrés." "I love him too, we all do,... but this would solve so many things." "Solve?" "Many things?" "How?" "How?" "The debt with this old guy!" "And think about Andrés's future!" "The old coot would give him an education and then he'd drop the idea of being a boxer." "You think?" "Andrés, give me a rematch!" "Not today, some other time, I've got to go." "Let's go, María, I'll walk you to your place." "No way, you lost, Mules!" "No way, we lost." "Yes, but that dwarf's going to pay me the next time." "~ Let's go." "~ I got wet from head to toe!" "Trust me: it's the only solution, Sócrates." "Later on, Andrés will thank us." "No, Raúl, no." "I'd be a major crook." "Stop thinking about yourself." "The boy is what matters." "At first it'll take some adjustments, but then he'll be happy." "Listen, Andrés, let's see if my brother is at your place, OK?" "~ Sure, come on." "~ Goodbye, Mules!" "Goodbye, Dwarf!" "On second thought, even if Andrés doesn't want to..." "I'm going to send him to live with Don Felipe." "So they won't take my truck." "It'll be like a sale." "But either way, in fact he's no relative of mine." "I picked him up off the streets." "God forgive me!" "Then all the blame lies with those parents who abandoned him." "There's no other way, I'll sell Andrés to Don Felipe." "I know the kid won't like it, but it'll work out, and I won't lose my truck." "It's not selling him, Sócrates." "The only thing you're doing is returning his grandson to Don Felipe." "That old guy will be grateful for the rest of his life." "You're right." "I'll take him first thing tomorrow." "My son!" "I never thought Sócrates was so evil." "He's not!" "He's got a good reason." "Maybe he's tired of me." "Just figure it, he's selling you like an animal!" "Maybe he needs money, the poor guy." "Poor guy?" "You still pity him?" "I'm going to tell my brother to give him a beating to pound the Judas out of him." "Don't do it." "Don't say anything to Raúl." "But..." "Promise me you won't say anything or I'll get pissed off at you." "Fine, but don't ask me to talk to him anymore." "Let's go, María." "Andrés." "Andrés." "What, you've quarreled Piro again?" "~ Did he give you a spanking?" "~ No." "Is the clothing I gave you the other day still clean?" "Yeah." "I want you to wear it tomorrow because I'm taking you to meet a good man." "A good man." "You're not going to tell me why?" "~ Tell you what?" "~ Why you haven't tried your dinner." "I'm not hungry." "And that's $2,000!" "$2,000 I have to pay Filipe on Saturday... so I don't lose the Colorino, my truck!" "You understand?" "Do you understand me, son?" "You don't understand me." "You don't understand me." "Fuck the truck!" "You're worth more than all the trucks in the world, my son!" "~ Let's get out of here, let's go!" "~ Yes, my son!" "Let's go, let's go!" "Don't cry, son, don't cry." "Let's go." "Swap you for a truck..." "I must have been crazy!" "I can't, Raúl, I can't." "I can't leave him." "I love this boy too much." "Then you can wave your truck goodbye." "Truck..." "Why should I care about a truck?" ""Naked I came into the world, naked I'll leave it."" "He repented, María." "I told you Sócrates was all right." "Look, when I grow up and become world champion, I'll buy a whole fleet of trucks." "The fleet stays." "Fine, but you understood me, right?" "What?" "You're not going to work tomorrow, either?" "Work with what?" "Don Felipe took my truck away." "I don't have a thing, how am I going to work?" "To work..." "let the donkeys work." "I don't care." ""If you want to find your grandson, go to the school Halloween party and listen to the singing." "Sócrates."" "¤ My father loves me so much!" "¤ I love that he always loves me,... ¤ because if I laugh, he laughs,... ¤ and if I cry he consoles me." "¤ He's always tender with me,... ¤ always gives me his love,... ¤ and when I tell him to play, he always plays with me." "¤ I ask my God Who's in heaven... ¤ I ask Him every day... ¤ to take good care of my Dad,... ¤ so he'll live many years with me." "¤ I love my Dad... ¤ because he's a good man, and everyone knows it,... ¤ but I love him even more, I love him even more... ¤ because he loved my mother so much." "¤ I ask my God Who's in heaven... ¤ I ask Him every day... ¤ to take good care of my Dad,... ¤ so he'll live many years with me." "¤ I love my Dad... ¤ because he's a good man, and everyone knows it,... ¤ but I love him even more, I love him even more... ¤ because he loved my mother so much. ¤" "What's your name, son?" "Andrés." "My God, it can't be!" "That's my grandson's name." "What's your last name?" "I don't know." "Do you remember your parents?" "No, I've always been on my own, sir." "Why?" "I'm not completely sure that you are my grandson, but my heart says yes." "You have to be my grandson." "Oh, my God!" "Would you like to come live with me?" "Will you give the truck back to Sócrates?" "Yeah, yeah, sure I will." "Sócrates, thank you, thank you." "I received the note." "At this moment, I'm the happiest man on Earth." "Forget the debt." "You hit the nail on the head." "My heart tells me that this child's my grandson... and I'll take him to Houston to live with me." "Don Felipe, I..." "I..." "Don't say anything." "You can't imagine how much joy you've given me." "OK, Andrés, you tell me the truth." "Did you send the note?" "Yes." "Why did you do it, why?" "I'll tell Don Felipe that you aren't his grandson." "No, Sócrates, no." "It's my choice." "I'll learn to accept him as my grandfather." "Goodbye, Sócrates!" "May God bless you, my son, may God bless you!" "I won't miss any of your fights." "One day I'll be like you." "Goodbye, Raúl." "Not goodbye, Andrés, but see you soon, my champ." "Goodbye, Pamela." "I'll come see you often." "You swear?" "I swear on this that I'll come see you often, María." "Don't forget me, Andrés!" "I'm ready, sir." "Don't forget me!" "Andrés, Andrés!" "Don't forget me, Andrés!" "You'll like Houston, son, it's an important city." "I'll throw a party so my friends can get to know you." "This'll be your room." "You can move stuff around and put whatever you want in it." "You must be hungry, right?" "I'll wait for you downstairs to eat." "¤ As the stroke of oars stirred the waves, light the boat... ¤ and noise of the water deepens my sorrow, my soul weeps... ¤ so many troubles, my anguished love calls you crying... ¤ You are very far away, very alone, very alone is my soul." "¤ Tired is the traveler who returns to port from distant lands... ¤ What strange pilot sailed your boat without sails and without anchors?" "¤ What region do you come from, so as to tear to rags your white sails?" "¤ You left singing and now you return carrying death in your soul." "¤ I'm the glad traveler who left Guaymas one morning... ¤ carrying in my boat like a gliding bird my sweet hope." "¤ Wandering unexplored seas, the storm covered my holy desires... ¤ that's why the sails are broken and I carry death in my soul. ¤" "~ María." "~ What's up?" "Start packing because tomorrow we're going to Houston." "Tomorrow, to Houston?" "Can I see Andrés?" "Of course!" "Why not!" "?" "~ Here it is." "~ What are you looking for?" "His most recent letter --- it has his address." "Everything's ready for the fight." "~ What time is it on?" "~ At five in the afternoon." "Let's see if you're so good." "~ When are we going to Brownsville?" "~ Very soon, Andrés." "You've been telling me that ever since we came to live in Houston." "Aren't you happy here?" "Sure, but I want to see my friends." "Soon you'll have so many friends you'll forget those from Brownsville." "Besides, you've made me the happiest grandfather in the world." "You're not my...!" "You want some coffee, young Andrés?" "No thanks." "What were you going to say?" "I'm sorry, grandfather, but I'm not hungry." "Andrés, I know it's very hard for you to get used to your new life,... but you're my grandson, and everything I do, I do it because I love you and need you." "I know, you're very good to me, but I want to see María and my friends." "Classes start soon and I have already enrolled in a very nice school." "Yeah, but you told me we'd see them often and you've let me down." "After the party this afternoon, we're going to Brownsville." "Thanks, sir." "Is it so hard to call me grandfather?" "Grandfather!" "Son!" "Grandfather!" "First you feint him, then three lefts, then a right... ~ Come on, Tramps!" "~ OK." "María, greet Andrés on our behalf!" "~ OK." "~ OK." "Oh, and tell him we'll see him when Raúl ends the fight." "None of that, Sócrates, I'll take him by the ears to see the fight." "Take a taxi so you don't get lost." "How could we get lost?" "Don't worry, María is well protected by us." "The last one is a Mule!" "~ I'm going!" "~ Not me!" "~ Me neither!" "Why are you staring at me, proudies?" "What, do I have monkeys on my face or what?" "Son, the kids want to hear you sing." "No, grandfather, no, no, no." "Why not?" "I don't know, grandfather, I don't feel like it." "These people..." "~ For Heaven's sake, there's a party!" "~ Nice, how clever!" "I don't see Andrés." "Sure, there's lots of people." "~ Shall we go in?" "~ Why wait?" "Let's look for Andrés." "Here comes the Mule waiter." "Kids, kids, what are you doing here?" "What do you want?" "This is no place to beg." "We're not here to beg, we came to look for a friend of ours." "What guy, or eight quarters?" "This is no place for you." "Beat it, go on!" "We're not going without seeing our friend." "~ Yeah, that's right." "~ No, forget it, you're leaving at once." "Quiet!" "Damn it, keep your party for yourself!" "Don't shout at us, we're not street kids." "Rich Mule!" "María!" "María!" "María!" "How have you been, Andrés?" "Good." "Dwarf!" "Tacos." "Smiles." "How's it going, Smartass?" "Hi, María." "How nice to see you, Andrés!" "How elegant you are, brother!" "You look rich!" "Of course he's rich, genius!" "What a big house you got, kid!" "Andrés, why don't you ask your buddies to come back tomorrow?" "Oh, no, grandfather." "If they leave, I'm going, too." "I..." "No, they stay at the party." "I want to give them cake, fruit, and everything there is here." "I want to see them treated like kings." "Well, we'll do everything you want." "And now, Grandfather, I'll sing like never before." "Very well." "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm dedicating this song to my friends." "I mean, to my brothers." "Because that's what we are: soul brothers, brothers in poverty." "¤ My parents got rich overnight... ¤ but here among moneybags I can't get used to anything." "¤ There with the poor guys, how fine I used to be." "¤ I'd just started to live but I already saw its betrayals:... ¤ some guys have plenty to eat and homes with flowers... ¤ while others are lost birds with no nest and no hopes." "¤ Life has little things money can't buy." "¤ Among the nicest is the sincere affection,... ¤ of the little tramp girl from where I first lived. ¤" "~ How pretty!" "~ Do you like it?" "Yes, it's lovely." "¤ There was playing marbles, or with tops or kites,... ¤ and here among moneybags I can't bear the-nose-in-the-air guys." "¤ I miss the little tramp girl with pretty mud stained cheeks." "¤ Life has little things money can't buy." "¤ Among the nicest is the sincere affection,... ¤ of the little tramp girl from where I first lived. ¤" "Lower, to the liver, to the liver!" "To the liver, Butcher, you have him!" "A hook, a hook, a hook!" "Raúl!" "Sócrates, make them stop the fight!" "~ I can't stop that fight!" "~ He'll kill him, Sócrates!" "Pamela, it's better if you go to the hotel, Pamela." "~ But, Father!" "~ This is none of your concern." "Beat it!" "Raúl, Raúl!" "Raúl, protect your hip!" "Raúl!" "Don't worry, María, we'll get there right away." "Yes, but he must have started fighting." "We're only a few blocks away." "1, 2,... 3, 4, 5, 6, 7... 8, 9,..." "Are you all right?" "Raúl!" "Look out, look out!" "Look out for the low blow!" "Raúl, don't go on, Raúl!" "~ 1, 2, 3, 4,..." "~ Don't get up, let him win!" "~ 5, 6, 7, 8, 9." "~ I don't want him to kill you, please, Raúl!" "~ Can you go on, Raúl?" "~ Please, Raúl!" "What a fight, such guys!" "He almost managed to kill him!" "~ My brother?" "It can't be!" "~ It can't be!" "Raúl, Raúl, Raúl!" "~ Great, Champ, great!" "~ Great, well done!" "Raúl, Raúl, I thought...!" "No, María, we struggled, but I won." "~ Viva Raúl!" "~ Viva the Champ!" "That was the best fight I've seen in my life, you beat the Butcher from Houston!" "Andrés, Andrés, come here!" "~ Sócrates, Sócrates!" "~ My son!"