Argentina
09 Jan 2019Today’s prompt: “Write a short story that is set in Argentina in 1932, in which a teacup plays a crucial role.” [I’m going with minor role. The Argentina, 1932, teacup, 2nd person, death scene combo is restriction enough.]
“So when are things going to get better?” your friend Raúl asks.
“Let me just consult the tea leaves,” you say. You hold the teacup up to your ear. “What’s that? Not for a long while?” You set the teacup back down. “What do you expect? The military coup was only two years ago.”
“Yrigoyen had it coming,” Raúl protests. “He was completely blind to how people are suffering.”
“The whole world is suffering,” you say. “The Americans and their goddamned stock market. They’ve ruined the economy for everyone, including us. All my family in the country had to move to Buenos Aires to survive. I couldn’t take them all in. Some of them are in shantytowns.”
“Yrigoyen should have helped us,” Raúl says. “We used to call him ‘The Father of the Poor.’”
“We used to call him ‘The Hairy Armadillo,’ too,” you say, taking a sip of your tea. “No one man can fix everything. I know you supported Uriburu when he seized power, but he didn’t do shit for the economy.”
“Give the guy a break. I heard he has cancer.”
“You just like his moustache.”
“His moustache is glorious and I will not hear a word against it!”
“Anyway, now we’re stuck with Justo–”
“Shhh, not so loud, you never know who’s listening.”
“Now we’re stuck with Justo,” you continue more quietly. “Who screwed us with the treaty with the British and isn’t doing anything to help out the poor or fix the economy that I can see. You know he only got elected because of fraud.”
“I think you meant to say, ‘patriotic fraud,’” Raúl says.
“To patriotic fraud,” you say. You and Raúl clink your teacups.
“Anyhow, I miss the old armadillo,” you say.
“Yeah, you and the UCR revolutionaries gathering in the square,” Raúl says.
“What?” you say.
“You didn’t know? The revolt should be starting any minute now. How did you not hear about this?”
You frown. “I have to go through that way to get home.”
“It’ll probably be fine,” Raúl says. “Just consult the tea leaves.”
In December of 1932, the government of Argentina suppressed a rebellion by the Unión Cívica Radical and declared a state of seige. You didn’t make it home.