Thursday, January 12, 2006

Up, down & out in Buenos Aires



Word reached me at the cardboard box Olga and I have been "living" in that there would be a benefit milonga for us in Eugene. The news was like a ray of sunlight through the darkest of nights. After carefully folding the one dirty towel we have been using as a blanket and replacing it over Olga´s emaciated shoulders, I hobbled to the street corner and took out my wadded up hat more determined than ever to earn us the centavos we needed to go to the internet and thank all of you. So with renewed confidence I raised my red nose up, opened my jaw, and belted out all the old favorites with renewed vigor- "A media luz", "Porteno y bailarin", "Naranja en flor" never sounded so good ... I sang "Caminito" and taxis stopped to watch ... I sang louder. I sang "El Amanecer" and the birds stopped to listen. A crowd gathered speechless, small children with looks of disbelief came close! Then, as I finished my reprise of Piazzolla´s "Adios Nonino" Olga took her cue and shuffled out from behind the streetlamp. She was wearing her one good dress we made from an old tablecloth from a nearby Parilla with glued sequins and still with most of the tape intact. We did the old Zotto/Carolina routine complete with 5 different goncho figures, hand in pocket bit, three dramatic leg lifts, and the real crowd pleaser, the bum-slap-to-the-beat finish. We sweated so much and Olga fainted but boy did they eat it up! We made enough money for two empanadas and some soap.

- Rebecca

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