THE MAN WHO LOOKED AT THE SKY

De ojos azules, pelo rubio, delgado, alto. Se llamaba Cristian. Estudiamos juntos en la secundaria. Era algo arrogante. Caminaba de puntillas, con su mirada altiva, como mirando al cielo. Me recordaba a esos animalitos llamados suricatas, me resultaba gracioso ver su singular desfile por los pasillos del colegio. Se llevaba bien conmigo, a pesar de que éramos muy diferentes. Sentía cierto grado de admiración por mí y me elogiaba por ciertas habilidades y destrezas que desarrollé siendo niño, como mis dibujos y mis letras góticas que hacía en mis ratos de ocio; por lo demás, fastidiaba a quien se le daba la gana.

Blue eyes, blond hair, slim, tall. His name was Cristian. We went to high school together. He was somewhat arrogant. He walked on tiptoe, with his haughty gaze, as if looking up at the sky. He reminded me of those little animals called meerkats; I found it funny watching their unusual parade through the school hallways. He got along well with me, even though we were very different. He felt a certain degree of admiration for me and praised me for certain skills and abilities I developed as a child, like my drawings and the Gothic letters I did in my spare time; otherwise, he annoyed anyone he wanted.

Fue hijo único. Su padre, un mercader exitoso, raras veces estaba en casa; es por ello que la mamá queriendo suplir las carencias del afecto paternal, duplicó las dotes de cariño y protección hacia su pequeño Cristian, le compraba de todo cuanto se le antojaba. engreído a más no poder, “el hijito de mamá”, como se dice en Perú. Pensaba que el mundo estaba a su alcance, que todo le era permitido. Difícilmente se le veía triste; era inquieto, sonreía sarcásticamente y le gastaba bromas pesadas a los tontuelos del salón; no se salvaban ni las maestras, sobre todo aquellas simpaticonas y bien dotadas.

He was an only child. His father, a successful merchant, was rarely home. Therefore, his mother, wanting to make up for the lack of paternal affection, doubled her affection and protection for her little Cristian, buying him whatever he fancied. He was spoiled to the core, «mama’s boy,» as they say in Peru. He thought the world was his oyster, that he was allowed anything. He rarely seemed sad; he was restless, smiled sarcastically, and played practical jokes on the idiots in the classroom. Not even the teachers were spared, especially the friendly and well-endowed ones.

Me gustaba analizar esa conducta tan peculiar. Solo una vez pude divisar cómo su mirada soberbia se perdía en el horizonte infinito y celeste de Pacasmayo, como soltando mentalmente al Todopoderoso, preguntas de las cuales no encontraba respuesta alguna.

I liked to analyze this peculiar behavior. Only once was I able to see how his haughty gaze was lost in the infinite blue horizon of Pacasmayo, as if mentally asking the Almighty questions to which he could find no answers.

Buscaba bronca a sus compañeros, quienes al no tolerar sus majaderías lo cuadraban en seco (lo ponían en su sitio); como un día de miércoles dónde al pequeño Black le dio un empellón que lo hizo caer de bruces; éste, quien al parecer no había tenido un buen día, se remangó la camisa y estaba dispuesto a dar pelea.

He would pick fights with his classmates, who, unable to tolerate his insolence, would immediately confront him (put him in his place); like one Wednesday when he gave little Black a shove, sending him sprawling on his face. Black, who apparently hadn’t had a good day, rolled up his sleeves and was ready to fight

―Espera, acá no, que sea a la salida ―dijo Cristian muy seguro de sí.

«Wait, not here, let it be at the exit,» Cristian said, very sure of himself.

Saliendo del colegio, ya todos nos habíamos anoticiado de la pelea entre el arrogante Cristian y el pequeño Black; pelea que por cierto no duró mucho tiempo, pues Black, siendo chato, era un muchacho del campo con los puños tan duros como las piedras; Cristian, al sentir el primer puñetazo, por más que era gigantón, sabía que no tenía oportunidad de ganar; entonces, extendió la mano al buen Black y le pidió que se postergue la pelea, alegando que tenía una fuerte jaqueca. Black, no tenía malicia en su corazón, tampoco era de buscar pelea por cualquier cosa, entonces aceptó muy amablemente. Todos sabíamos que Cristian se acobardó ante el chato y macizo Black.

Leaving school, we had all heard about the fight between the arrogant Cristian and little Black. A fight that, by the way, didn’t last long, because Black, being short-snouted, was a country boy with fists as hard as rocks. Cristian, feeling the first punch, even though he was a giant, knew he had no chance of winning. So, he extended his hand to good old Black and asked him to postpone the fight, claiming he had a severe headache. Black had no malice in his heart, nor was he one to pick a fight over just anything, so he politely agreed. We all knew that Cristian was cowed by the short, massive Black.

De allí en adelante, Cristian tuvo que aprender a seleccionar con más cuidado a las víctimas de sus arrebatos.

From then on, Cristian had to learn to select the victims of his outbursts more carefully.

Yo no aprobaba ese comportamiento desdeñoso, pero el que no se metiera conmigo, me era más que suficiente.

I didn’t approve of this disdainful behavior, but the fact that he didn’t mess with me was more than enough for me.

Su conducta antipática, hacía perder los estribos a más de uno, quienes buscaban ajusticiarlo, pero este Cristian sabía inteligentemente salir airoso de los problemas.

His unpleasant behavior drove more than a few people crazy, and they sought to punish him, but this Cristian knew how to cleverly get out of trouble.

Habiendo terminado la secundaria, me enteré que viajo a la capital en busca de su porvenir. Estudió ingeniería civil, pues quería construir un mundo de colores al modo suyo, uno a la medida de sus ambiciones. Terminada su carrera profesional, conseguía sus eventuales trabajos; exigía mucho, trabajaba poco, reclamaba hasta por gusto, no toleraba las órdenes de sus jefes; por ello, le costaba conservar un empleo por tiempo prolongado.

Having finished high school, I learned he was traveling to the capital in search of his future. He studied civil engineering, wanting to build a colorful world in his own way, one tailored to his ambitions. After completing his professional studies, he took odd jobs; he demanded a lot, worked little, complained even for pleasure, and didn’t tolerate orders from his bosses; therefore, he found it difficult to hold down a job for long.

Montó su propia empresa constructora. Con mucha habilidad, había ganado contratos millonarios con el Estado, amasando una jugosa fortuna en corto tiempo.

He started his own construction company. With great skill, he had won multimillion-dollar contracts with the State, amassing a substantial fortune in a short time.

Siendo ya un magnate, decidió construir el castillo soñado, digno de un gran señor, de un rey, dueño del mundo. Columnas fortificadas, paredes con recubrimientos de acero, sistemas de alarmas inteligentes, puertas automáticas, sótanos, bóvedas secretas, etc.

Already a magnate, he decided to build the castle of his dreams, worthy of a great lord, a king, master of the world. Fortified columns, steel-clad walls, intelligent alarm systems, automatic doors, basements, secret vaults, and so on.

La inmensa fortuna de la que hacía alarde siendo tan joven, llamó la atención de las autoridades, quienes, con una ayudita de los enemigos acérrimos de Cristian, le abrieron un sinnúmero de procesos judiciales, acusándolo de enriquecimiento ilícito, peculado, tráfico de influencias y otros asuntos más. Cristian, fiel a su estilo, llegaba a las audiencias con la mirada altiva y salía de ellas con la mirada mucho más altiva, sabiendo que todas las fichas se movían a su favor. Estuvo detenido un par de meses; pero, como el poder económico es imperante en este país y se libra de la justicia el que tiene plata, fue declarado inocente de todos los cargos que se le imputaron.

The immense fortune he boasted about at such a young age caught the attention of the authorities, who, with a little help from Cristian’s bitter enemies, opened countless legal proceedings against him, accusing him of illicit enrichment, embezzlement, influence peddling, and other matters. Cristian, true to form, arrived at the hearings with a haughty expression and left them with an even haughtier expression, knowing that all the chips were stacked in his favor. He was detained for a couple of months; but, since economic power reigns supreme in this country and those with money escape justice, he was found innocent of all the charges against him.

―Nadie puede conmigo, ni siquiera esos miserables que me acusaron, me las van a pagar muy caro ―decía jactancioso, mirando el crepúsculo vespertino, dónde al parecer divisaba objetos voladores no identificados; es más; él, sentía que no era de este mundo, sino más bien que había llegado de otro planeta para dominar a la humanidad y que los OVNIS lo visitaban de cuando en cuando como muestra de reverencia y sumisión al más ilustre de sus representantes. 

«No one can beat me, not even those wretches who accused me. They’re going to pay dearly for this,» he boasted, gazing into the evening twilight, where he apparently spotted unidentified flying objects. What’s more, He felt that he was not from this world, but rather that he had come from another planet to dominate humanity and that UFOs visited him from time to time as a sign of reverence and submission to the most illustrious of its representatives.

En su lujosa mansión, lo esperaba el personal de servicio consistente en: un regordete chofer, un joven jardinero, una anciana cocinera y la simpática asistente personal quien hacía labores diversas, incluso brindarle placer sexual cuando éste lo requería.

At his luxurious mansion, awaited him were his servants: a plump chauffeur, a young gardener, an elderly cook, and the charming personal assistant, who performed various tasks, including providing him with sexual pleasure when he required it.

―Estoy llegando con el patrón ―dijo por el celular el chofer Rigoberto a la cocinera, quien a la velocidad de un rayo, preparaba una suculenta cena; el libidinoso jardinero, dejando a medias su encuentro sexual con la asistenta de su patrón, con escoba y recogedor en mano, limpiaba con gran tesón todos los espacios por donde transitaría el gran señor; Deysi, por su parte se daba un baño de flores y se echaba los mejores perfumes para recibir a su amo y terminar su faena amatoria, después de todo, al patrón hay que recibirlo como se merece.

«I’m arriving with the boss,» said the chauffeur Rigoberto on his cell phone to the cook, who, with lightning speed, was preparing a succulent dinner. The lustful gardener, leaving his sexual encounter with his boss’s assistant unfinished, with broom and dustpan in hand, diligently cleaned all the spaces where the great lord would pass. Deysi, for her part, took a flower bath and sprayed on the finest perfumes to welcome her master and complete their amorous task; after all, the boss must be received as he deserves.

En ausencia del patrón, el personal de servicio se había relajado mucho, dejando de cumplir con sus obligaciones, es por eso que la casa se encontraba muy descuidada y de verla el jefe en esas condiciones, serían despedidos todos.

In the absence of the boss, the service staff had become very relaxed, failing to fulfill their obligations, which is why the house was in such a state of disrepair and if the boss saw it in that condition, they would all be fired.

Al bajar el magnate de su moderno auto, ingresó a su residencia con aires de dios, su mirada como de costumbre iba dirigida hacia arriba, como mirando al cielo, actitud que no perdería nunca.

As the magnate stepped out of his modern car, he entered his residence with the air of a god, his gaze, as usual, directed upward, as if looking at the heavens, an attitude he would never lose.

El chofer le ayudó con el saco, el jardinero le hacía honores de bienvenida, la cocinera le servía el delicioso potaje que había preparado, y el postre lo esperaba en su habitación ataviada con un baby doll de estreno y olor fragante. Qué más podía pedir.

The chauffeur helped him with his jacket, the gardener welcomed him, the cook served him the delicious stew she had prepared, and dessert awaited him in his room, dressed in a brand-new, fragrant-smelling baby doll. What more could he ask for?

Ya de noche, mientras todos dormían, quiso revisar sus bóvedas secretas para cerciorarse de que su fortuna se encontraba intacta. Caminó rumbo al sótano. Una pisada en falso sobre una madera mal puesta, lo hizo caer en un hoyo profundo, rompiéndose la cabeza y muriendo ipso facto. A la mañana siguiente, la servidumbre lo encontró envuelto en un charco de sangre, sin signos de vida.

Late at night, while everyone was asleep, he wanted to check his secret vaults to make sure his fortune was intact. He headed for the basement. One false step on a poorly laid plank of wood caused him to fall into a deep hole, cracking his head and dying instantly. The next morning, the servants found him wrapped in a pool of blood, with no signs of life.

Aquel hoyo profundo, era una más de sus extravagancias; ansiaba construir una habitación ultrasecreta con todas sus comodidades y alta tecnología, un lugar para ocultarse del mundo cuando fuera necesario, un lugar donde no lo encontraría ni la propia muerte, según decía; desde allí planearía el ataque a sus más acérrimos enemigos. Aquel pozo que debería haber constituido su salvación, su apego a la vida y su cuartel militar; terminó siendo su tumba.

That deep hole was just another of his extravaganzas; he longed to build a top-secret room with all the comforts and advanced technology, a place to hide from the world when necessary, a place where not even death would find him, he said; from there he would plan his attack on his most bitter enemies. That well, which should have been his salvation, his attachment to life, and his military headquarters, ended up being his grave.