Far below, in the square, a busker has started playing alto sax, a
tone-deaf cover version of "Roxanne," loud enough for me to have to
close the doors of the balcony and switch on the hotel TV. Here’s
what’s on: a dubbed Brazilian soap opera starring a middle-aged actress
with a bad nose job; a press conference with the government’s
interior minister, Félix Maldonado; a Spanish version of the British
show Trisha, in which an audience of Franco-era madrileños are
staring open-mouthed at a quartet of transvestite strippers lined up on
stools along a bright orange stage; a rerun on Eurosport of Germany
winning the 1990 World Cup; Christina Aguilera saying that she
"really, really" respects one of her colleagues "as an artist" and is "just
waiting for the right script to come along"; a CNN reporter standing
on a balcony in Kuwait City being patronizing about "ordinary
Iraqis"; and BBC World, where the anchorman looks about twentyfive
and never fluffs a line. I stick with that, if only for a glimpse of the
old country, for low gray skies and the stiff upper lip. At the same time
I boot up the laptop and download some e-mails. There are seventeen
in all, spread over four accounts, but only two that are of interest.
From: julianchurch@bankendiom.es
To: alecm@bankendiom.es
Subject: Basque visit
Dear Alec
Re: our conversation the other day. If any situation encapsulates the
petty small-mindedness of the Basque problem, it’s the controversy
surrounding poor Ainhoa Cantalapiedra, the rather pretty pizza waitress
who has won Operación Triunfo. Have you been watching it?
Spain’s answer to Fame Academy. The wife and I were addicted.
As you may or may not know, Miss Cantalapiedra is a Basque, which
has led to accusations that the result was fixed. The (ex) leader of
Batasuna has accused Aznar’s lot of rigging the vote so that a Basque
would represent Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest. Have you ever
heard such nonsense? There’s a rather good piece about it in today’s
El Mundo.
Speaking of the Basque country, would you be available to go to San
Sebastián early next week to meet officials in various guises with a
view to firming up the current state of affairs? Endiom has a new client,
Spanish-based, looking into viability of a car operation, but rather cold
feet politically.
Will explain more when I get back this w/e.
All the very best
Julian
I click "Reply":
From: alecm@bankendiom.es
To: julianchurch@bankendiom.es
Subject: Re: Basque visit
Dear Julian
No problem. I’ll give you a call about this at the weekend. I’m off to the
cinema now and then to dinner with friends.
I didn’t watch Operación Triunfo. Would rather cook a five-course dinner
for Osama bin Laden—with wines. But your e-mail reminded me of
a similar story, equally ridiculous in terms of the stand-off between
Madrid and the separatists. Apparently there’s a former ETA commander
languishing in prison taking a degree in psychology to help
pass the time. His exam results—and those of several of his former
comrades—have been off the charts, prompting Aznar to suggest that
they’ve either been cheating or that the examiners are too scared to
give them anything less than 90%.
All the best
Alec
The second e-mail comes through on AOL.
From: sricken1789@hotmail.com
To: almmlalam@aol.com
Subject: Coming to Madrid
Hi—
As expected, Heloise has now kicked me out of the house. The house
that I paid for. Logic?
So I’m booked on the Friday easyJet. It lands at 5:15 in Madrid and I
might have to stick around for a bit. Hope that’s OK. I’ve taken three
weeks off work to clear my head. Could go to Cádiz as well to stay
with a mate down there.
A bold, mesmerizing novel about the woman known as "Typhoid Mary," the first known healthy carrier of typhoid fever in the burgeoning metropolis of early twentieth century New York.
Two Lives is a memoir written by international best-selling author, Vikram Seth. In this interesting and engaging book, Seth writes about his great...
read more
Z, the novel about the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is at points charming and; like another reviewer, I kept thinking of the movie, "Midnight...
read more
Although heavy on the scientific details, which slowed down the story for me (OK, I admit, I was one of those liberal arts majors who skipped out on...
read more
British Parliament asks Amazon to clarify why it pays $9 million in income tax on $23 billion of UK sales.(May 20 2013) Amazon will be called back to give further evidence to members of the British Parliament "to clarify how its activities in the U.K. justify its low corporate...
Full Story
