Donkeys

“That’s not true, I’ve never heard of that.” Said Juan with a languid laugh. He was fifteen, a little smaller, a little darker and a little quieter than the rest of his friends. But that didn’t mean anything.

“So you didn’t do it.” Insisted Eric, the tallest of the group, turning the astonishing revelation into a joke. And there is no joke without a corpse. “No! It only happens in the north, near the coast.” Juan’s face turned redder. “I thought you’d never heard of that!” Said Daniel, pointing a finger at him and looking around like a lawyer seeking the sympathy of the courtroom.

“And where are you from again?” Asked Joe, lifting an inquisitive eyebrow. “I’m from the capital, in the centre of the country.” Juan answered as fast as he could, looking into the eyes of each of his friends, one at the time. But this meant nothing to them. “So, you guys have no donkeys in the capital?” asked Mark with the obvious intention of continuing the farce. “Yes, I guess… but we don’t do that!” Juan’s voice was thinner. “What do you people do, then? Cows? Chickens?” Everyone laughed, except Juan. “No! None of that. We… we don’t!” They all saw him dropping his head on his chest as if these last words had drained the last of his energy out of him.

“I’ve heard of something like that before. I think it happens in France or in Spain, but they do it with sheep.” Eric looked around to see the effect this new piece of information had on the group. It wasn’t at all what he was expecting. “Ha! So that’s it: sheep. That’s got to feel nice and soft with all the wool and all.” Said Daniel. They all laughed again. Juan didn’t look up. He finished his juice and put the bottle on the table near where he sat. “Think whatever you want,” he said, “I know what I’ve done and what I haven’t.” His face had regained its natural taint though his hands were still shaking. “All right,” added Joe, “if you say so.” Nobody was laughing anymore, although almost everyone’s faces still had the traces of a smile. But this meant nothing.

“So, are we going or what?” Asked Eric. “Yes, let’s go!” said Joe. “Unless you want to stay home and watch Animal planet the rest of the afternoon.” They all laughed, even Juan. Eric passed an arm over his shoulders and closed it around his neck. “Let’s go, champ,” he said. They all headed to the door and spontaneously began to sing: “You and me baby ain’t nothing but mammals, so lets do it like they do it on the Discovery Channel.” Their chanting and laughing could be heard as they went down the stairs and long after they walked into the street.