The old woman dozed in the rocking chair, her head drooping slightly on her shoulder. Her breathing was irregular, shallow, as if expectant... Her eyes darted erratically beneath her half-open eyelids. A faint smile played on her lips, sometimes turning into a grimace of displeasure, and strangely, it illuminated her face, making her look like an angry child. A wave of heat enveloped her body.
The rocking chair swayed rhythmically...
...It was Saint John's Day. There were festivities in the village, and, as every year, the fairground workers had arrived with their raffle, their carousels, and their bumper cars. The bumper cars! What excitement they generated among the young and not-so-young people of the community...! For some, because it gave them the chance to drive; Yes, driving a car, even a toy one. For some, it was a chance to show off their extraordinary driving skills, especially when there were girls around. But most importantly, it gave most of them the opportunity to chase, ram, and humiliate the "tough guys."
There they were, one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the back of the car, sitting sideways, indolently watching the spectators crowding the sides of the arena. The car would spin around and around, waving its little flag, bumping into the others again and again. It was looking for a side or rear-end collision with those who had girls with them. The girls would then turn their heads, their faces beaming with surprise. A head-on collision, although prohibited, was preferred if the other drivers were macho men like him. The key was to pick up speed before crashing; then the collision was spectacular, and a murmur of surprise would rise among the spectators, much to the delight of the daring driver. Every now and then, the car would stop in front of a girl and ask, "Do you want to get in?" Then she'd rush in, sit next to him, and he'd still have his arm resting on the back of the seat, now closer to the other person sitting beside him.
Two girls were sitting on one of the bars along the sides of the enclosure. Their faces reflected curiosity and joy. Since it was the holidays and they were older—they were eight years old!—their parents had given them an allowance to spend as they pleased. Between the two of them, they had ten pesetas; since each token cost five, they could ride twice a day. There they were, nervously watching, trying to figure out how to do it... Finally, they decided to buy two tokens. They would use one now, while there weren't many people, and the other later in the afternoon.
The two girls got into a red car, number 2, which seemed to be going very fast. Maria sat behind the wheel and inserted the black token into the slot at the front of the car. Nothing happened; the car didn't move. What a shock! A boy shouted to them, "Girl, you have to press the pedal!" So she did, and lo and behold, it started moving.
The old woman, in the rocking chair, moved her arms while tapping her right foot on the floor. Her face was red and smiling...
A little boy ran into the room.
"Grandma Maria!"
The old woman woke up.