Lunatic in Sucre

I am sidling into the city here, not terribly motivated to tour churches, museums, and other highlighted attractions. As I walked through the central plaza this afternoon after dropping off laundry, a young boy attempting to sell me candy or gum from a cardboard box-top tray didn’t give up at my answer of no. He opted for a strategy I’m sure has worked for him in the past. In Spanish, he asked me where I was from. He asked, “Are you from Italy?” No. He asked if I was from France. No. He asked if I was from Germany. He asked about many countries, none of which was the United States. When he gave me an opening, I told him in Spanish, “I am from the moon.” He asked in English, enunciating a surprisingly large and unusual word for a Bolivian boy, “Extraterrestrial?” I pointed high into the sky and practically crooned, “Si, la luna.” With a moment for consideration, he nodded his head; briefly paused, cocking his eyes skyward, appearing to picture the ramifications of a moonman landing in Sucre; and, wandering off, disappeared into a bustling afternoon crowd in the middle of the sun-dappled plaza.

Steven Jay Weinberg

18 April 2008/ 4-5 June 2008

Sucre, Bolivia/Bainbridge, WA (USA)