Sangre De Toro (Old Draft - Now Published!)

Chapter 11 - Raquel's Revelations

Someone was making a dreadful racket outside. Weren't the students in the place opposite meant to have gone home, Cristina thought. She looked at the time - 01:05. There had been much more noise recently. The other day, she had heard a heavy thumping from downstairs. There was also a faint smell of manure; who knew where that was from? And that guy living opposite her with his parties and suspicious substances. He rarely greeted her either. Young people had no manners.

She looked out the window and saw that policewoman standing in the communal garden with some guy, they were holding a rope. What was she up to this late? She hadn't seen her much recently. The police were all useless anyway. In her day people hadn't needed to lock or even shut their doors when they went out.

The policewoman was saying something she couldn't hear. She was facing indoors and holding something in her hand. Cristina watched incredulously as the lights in the garden illuminated the scene and she saw a pair of horns emerge.

'Oh, he's very timid, aren't you, toro,' the policewoman said. Cristina stood stunned. What on earth was she doing, keeping a bull in the middle of a residential street? Couldn't he break her wall down with his horns? He'd cause some serious damage.

'It's OK, come on.' The bull walked out very slowly from directly underneath her window. They'd tied him to something in the house. Cristina noticed a large bandage on his back.

Oh.

Everyone had been talking about it in the pharmacy today, as it had happened so close by. Cristina didn't care for corridas and the way the matadors strutted round in pink tights and a silly costume. People who liked it said it wasn't a sport, but in Cristina's opinion it was, and she had never understood sports in general. When Spain had won the World Cup that time, she had just gone to bed irritated at all the noise.

But this? What did these two think they were doing? And her a policewoman as well.

She shut the blinds quickly, too stunned to speak.

She had seen something on TV about a 2 million Euro reward for the bull. Cristina couldn't imagine that amount of money. She couldn't think what she would spend it on.

Maybe a nice posh house in the countryside with better neighbours. These days she didn't go out except to do her shopping, there were too many dodgy types on the streets, and she was starting to have trouble getting up and down the stairs. Or go on a cruise round the world, she had always wanted to do that. Maybe if she had that amount of money her grandchildren would visit her more often. This place had gone downhill since she had moved in, it wasn't what it used to be. Maybe that was why they didn't want to come round.

The helpline wouldn't be open until the morning, she guessed. She had a quick peek out the window again, unable to resist confirming what she had seen.

'Come on. That's right,' the policewoman was saying as the bull disappeared indoors.

****

‘I can’t wait to see you again.’ Rita grinned to herself as she read Alfonso’s message the next day. Words couldn’t describe how she felt. Without Pepelito around, she sensed it could have gone much further than kissing.

After that kiss, they’d gone into the living room and tied one end of the rope tightly round an arm of Rita’s heavy sofa. Rita had given Pepelito a carrot while Alfonso put on the halter, then opened the back door. Overjoyed to be outside, Pepelito had tried to give himself a scratch on a tree, partially dislodging his bandage. In obvious discomfort, he hadn’t needed much encouragement to go back inside, where Alfonso had checked him over and replaced the dressing. He’d said his goodbyes after that, and kissed her again on the doorstep.