Well my chin is improving, in case anyone was wondering. The wound has become smaller, and the scab has tightened and curled inward at the edges and has hardened and turned more leathery on top. The thickest part is where my chin worked the most to bring the rest of my body to a full stop.
It is also uglier and that makes my viewers a little more wary when they approach me as if they are afraid I have been in contact with some deadly disease and, what is worse, that I could bring them in contact with some deadly disease as well. A few days ago they would ask, “What did you fall or something?” Now they suggest I have a doctor take a look at it and maybe get some tests. Then I tell them the truth and they laugh with relief and say I am too old to play soccer. They may have a point, but that’s not exactly the issue. I feel my skin is just too soft to be rubbed against asphalt.
In any event, as is customary in this city in the fall, I have decided to take the girls out to the Sierra de Guadarrama (Madrid’s mountain range) to get away from urban life for a few hours. We are planning a picnic. The temperatures have dropped in accordance with the season, and in accordane with my luck these days, but it should be nice enough around midday. If not, the car is cozy too. I think my scab will appreciate the mountain air too.
We will also being picking up a friend of my daughter’s at a town called Guadalix de la Sierra which is known, among other things, for being the place where they filmed most of Berlanga’s classic film ¡Bienvenido Mr. Marshall! (Welcome Mr. Marshall!) a comical but stinging social criticism about a village that awaits the arrival of American economic assitance in war-torn rural Spain in the 1950s. It is one of the most emblematic films of that period with a universal message that is still alive and well today.
I am planning on visiting the main square where the mayor made his famous speech from the town hall balcony. It’ll only take five minutes. I haven’t told my daughters we are going to do this yet. From the comfort of their living room couch, they wouldn’t understand it. Then it’s off to the hills! Here comes Mr. Murdock and his clan!
