LA TAPATIA ENCANTADORA

Yo estaba esperando mi camión en la Avenida Hidalgo en Guadalajara.

No muy lejos de mí había una tienda de un fotógrafo, con muhcas
fotografías en el escaparate (show window). Me acerqué a él, y estaba
mirándolas cuando de pronto una de ellas me llamó la atención. Era el
retrato (portrait) de una chica hermosa. Huy, ¡qué hermosa era! ¡Qué
ojos tan grandes y negros! ¡Qué boca tan linda, con dientes como
perlas! ¡Qué cara tan encantadora!

Sólo en Guadalajara, romántica ciudad de tapatías encantadoras, es

possible encontrar chicas tan hermosas como ésta, dije para mí. Tengo
que conocer a esa linda tapatía.

Pero, ¿ qué hacer? Me faltaba tiempo, y ya se acercaba mi camión.

¿Qué me importan los camiones y el tiempo en este caso? -pensé.

Y sin esperar más, entre en la tienda.

Buenos días, me saludó el fotógrafo. ¿En qué puedo servirle?

Me puse tan rojo como un tomate, sinti¡ndome (feeling) muy tonto.

Pues, me gusta tanto aquella fotografía de una chica hermosa, que me
gustaría comprarla, aunque no conozco a la señorita.

El fotógrafo era muy simpático. Ah , ya entiendo, joven, me dijo,

sonriendo. ¡Qué lindo es el amor! Es suya la fotografía. Y le digo lo que
voy a hacer. Aunque en este momento no recuerdo el nombre de esa
chica, puedo buscarlo entre mis listas. Pero, hasta teniendo el nombre
y la dirección, ¿comó va usted a conocerla?

¡Quién sabe! -respondí. Me gustaría enviarle una carta elegante en

español. Pero,

¡ay, yo sé escribir solo ese high-school Spanish!

No tenga cuidado, joven, dijo el fotógrafo, entregándome la fotografía.

Vaya usted al correo, porque ceca de él hay muchos evangelistas. Uno
de ellos puede escribirle una carta excelente en español para enviar a
la chica. Mientras usted está esperándola, yo voy a buscar el nombre
de la señorita entre mis listas.

Mil gracias, respondí. Con su permiso. Me despedí de él y salí para el

correo.

El fotógrafo tenía razón. Allá (there) en la placita, sintiéndome (feeling)

más tonto que nunca, escogí a un evangelista. Me acerqué a él y le
expliqué lo que quería.

Siéntese usted, señor, me dijo sin sonreir. ¿Es ésta la primera carta?

Sí. Todavía no conozco a la chica.

Así esperé, y pronto el evangelista me entregó la carta, llena (full) de

frases románticas de amor.

¡Cuánto me gusta esta carta!- dije después de leerla. ¿Cuánto es?

Es un peso, señor. -respondió.

Le pagué, me despedí de él, y después volví a la tienda del fotógrafo.

¿Halló usted el nombre y la dirección? -pregunté al entrar. Sólo en

Guadalajara puede uno encontrar chicas tan hermosas como ella.
¡Vivan las tapatías.

El fotógrafo empezó a sonreír. Sí lo encontré, respondió.

Y ahora recuerdo bien a la señorita. Pero no es tapatía.

¡Imposible! Es típica (typical) de las tapatías más encantadoras. Pero

no me haga esperar más. ¿Cómo se llama, y dónde vive? Ya tengo
conmigo una magnífica carta de amor para ella, y quiero enviarla
pronto.

El fotógrafo sonrió. La señorita encantadora no es de Guadalajara, dijo.

Pues, ¡dígame, por Dios! ¿Quién es la chica de mis sueños?

Es Miss Sadie Slocum, turista norteamericana que vive en Cincinnati,

Ohio. Y ahora recuerdo que cuando ella estaba aquí, no sabía ni siquiera
una palabra de español...
 THE CHARMING LADY

I was waiting for my truck on Hidalgo Avenue in Guadalajara. Not far

from me there was a photographer's store, with many photographs in
the show window. I approached him, and was looking at them when
suddenly one of them caught my attention. It was a portrait of a
beautiful girl. Wow, how beautiful she was! What big, black eyes! What
a pretty mouth, with teeth like pearls! What a lovely face!

Only in Guadalajara, romantic city of charming tapatías, is it possible to

find girls as beautiful as this one, I said to myself. I have to meet this
pretty tapatia.

But what to do? I was running out of time, and my truck was
approaching.

What do I care about trucks and time in this case? -I thought.

And without waiting any longer, I entered the store.

Good morning, the photographer greeted me. What can I do for you?

I turned as red as a tomato, feeling very silly. Well, I like that picture
of a beautiful girl so much that I would like to buy it, even though I don't
know the lady.

The photographer was very nice. Ah, I see, young man, he said to me,
smiling. How beautiful is love! The photograph is yours. And I tell you
what I'm going to do. Although at this moment I don't remember the
name of that girl, I can look it up among my lists. But, even if I have the
name and address, how are you going to meet her?

Who knows! -I answered. I would like to send her an elegant letter in

Spanish. But, oh, I know how to write only that high-school Spanish!

Don't be careful, young man," said the photographer, handing me the

photograph. Go to the post office, because there are many evangelists
near the post office.

One of them can write you an excellent letter in Spanish to send to the
girl. While you are waiting for her, I will look for the young lady's name
among my lists.

A thousand thanks, I replied. With your permission. I said goodbye to

him and left for the post office.

The photographer was right. There in the little square, feeling more
foolish than ever, I picked up an evangelist. I approached him and
explained what I wanted.

You sit down, sir," he said without smiling. Is this the first letter?

Yes. I don't know the girl yet.

So I waited, and soon the evangelist handed me the letter, full of

romantic phrases of love.

How much I like this letter," I said after reading it. How much is it?

It's a peso, sir. -he answered.

I paid him, said goodbye, and then went back to the photographer's
store.

Did you find the name and address? -I asked as I entered. Only in
Guadalajara can you find girls as beautiful as her. Long live the tapatías.

The photographer began to smile. Yes I found it, he answered.

And now I remember the lady well. But she's not from Guadalajara.

Impossible! She is typical of the most charming tapatías. But don't

make me wait any longer. What is her name, and where does she live?
I already have a magnificent love letter for her, and I want to send it
soon.

The photographer smiled. The charming lady is not from Guadalajara,

he said.

Well, tell me, for God's sake! Who is the girl of my dreams?

She is Miss Sadie Slocum, an American tourist living in Cincinnati, Ohio.

And now I remember that when she was here, she didn't even know a
word of Spanish...
PALABRAS PARA APRENDER
acercarse – to approach, to go up

el amor – love (amorous)

aunque – although

¡ay! – oh dear!, oh my!

la boca – mouth

la cara – face

conmigo – with me

la chica – girl

despedirse (de) – to say good-bye (to)

el diente – tooth (dentist)

la direcció – address

encantador (a) – charming (enchanting)

entregar – to hand

enviar – to send

esperar – to wait for

el evangelista – public letter writer (Mexican)

faltar – to be lacking

el fotógrafo – photographer
gustar – to be pleasing

hermoso, -a – beautiful

importar – to matter, be important

lindo, -a –pretty

mí – me (after preposition)

el ojo – eye

responder – to reply (respond)

sonreír – smile

tapatío, -a – (noun or adjective) person or thing from Guadalajara,

Mexico

la tapatía – girl (woman) from Guadalajara

el tiempo – time

tonto, -a – foolish, “dumb”

el tonto – fool

¡qué hacer! – what should (I) do!

Some other expressions you might want to use at the post office:

•por correo aéreo – by air mail

•por correo certificado – by registered mail

•por correo ordinario – by regular mail

•por entrega especial – by special delivery

•el paquete postal – parcel post

•el giro postal – money order

•la estampilla aérea – air-mail stamp

•echar en el buzón – to mail

SUMMARY

The person was being stuck at the moment. Was being mesmerized by the
beauty of the lady was being posted on the wall. Then he tries everything and
does do his best just to know the name of the girl. She is not an ordinary girl then
after the long wait, he already knows that girl is just a visitor and her name is
Miss Sadie Slocum, a tourist and living in America and no habla espanyol.

SETTING

The place is like a calm area of Mexico and it looks like an urbanized city and
concrete but it looks like old version and if you imagine that place looks like the
movie of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
CHARACTERS

Young man

Photographer

Tapatist

Charming Lady

God

Miss Sadie Slocum

OBSERVATION

According to our/my observations, La Tapatia Encantadora is a nice story with a

sad ending because the man is trying to figure out what the lady's real name is
and believes that she speaks Spanish. But, in the end, he discovers that she does
not speak Spanish and that she is not a Gaudalajara tapatias, so the moral of the
story is to get to know the person you want before you act, because instead of
impressing them, you will end up wasting your time and money. No matter how
hard you try, if you don't act properly, some things won't pay off. If he had known
the details before going out to pay someone for a love letter, it would have been
written in English rather than Spanish, and he would not have wasted so much
money and time. Have patience is always key to success.