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There were about fifty of us packed into Dona Althea’s living room, just there to watch The Dona looked as she always looked: tiny, i white braid pinned around her head like a crown As a concession to the cameras she clutched an embroidered shawl around her shoulders

She refused to close the restaurant, though, and it was lunchti of pots Cecil, the sound man, had to run his equipment off the outlet in the kitchen, since it was the only part of the house that had been wired in the twentieth century "Ladies, we’re just going to have to be cozy in here," he said, turning sideways and scooting between two Althea sisters to reach the plug

"Son of a," he said, when one of the sisters tripped over his cord and unplugged it for the third or fourth time The Althea in question stopped in her tracks and looked for a ht deck him, but decided to serve her customers instead She was so burdened with plates it’s lucky Cecil didn’t get menudo in his amps

The director of the crew had the Dona sit in a carved chair that normally stood in her bedroom and held the TV Two ed vases of peacock feathers at her feet "Just cross your ankles," the director told her Nor fiercely She looked like a Frida Kahlo painting "Okay," he said, wiping sweat off his forehead He was a heavyshirt, though his mood was not reo"

There was a camera on the interviewer and two cahts everywhere A crew member dabbed the interviewer’s nose and forehead with a powder puff, eyed the Dona once, and backed off The interviewer introduced hi and wore an outfit that suggested designer-label big-ga or possibly Central American revolutions He probably meant well He carefully explained to Dona Althea that they would edit the tape later, using only the best parts If she wanted to go back and repeat anything, she could do that He suggested that she ignore the cameras and just speak naturally to him Norhts, fixed her scornful gaze on a point just above the kitchen door, and shouted all her answers in that direction Cecil took it personally and slinked around behind the stea have you lived in this canyon?"

"Desde antes que tu cagabas en tus panales!"

Norma Galvez shifted a little in her chair and said, "Ah, since before youryour diapers" The Dona scowled at Norhed from the kitchen

Mr Hunt smiled and looked concerned "When did your fa to the effect that her faos took over and started calling it Aold, and the Black Mountain company mined out the damn copper, and then they fired all the men and sent the in the river and poisoning the orchards

Mrs Galvez paused "A long tio," she said

Mr Hunt lost his couttural noise and looked at Mrs Galvez, who spread her hands

"You want an exact translation?"