فصل سوم

CHAPTER THREE

Paul loved his work on the newspaper. He worked hard, but he did not forget Maria.

One day, a reporter came into the office.

‘Listen everybody,’ he said. ‘Here’s a story for the paper. Do you remember that beautiful girl, Maria, and her rich husband? There was a photograph of the wedding in our paper. She ran away from her husband last week!’

Everybody in the office stopped talking. This was news! Paul sat still. He felt cold.

‘Maria left her husband,’ he thought. ‘Why? They were married only a few months ago. ‘

The reporter was still talking.

“The girl’s mother died last week,’ he said. ‘She heard the news and the shock killed her.’

‘That ugly old woman,’ thought Paul.

‘The mother was rich, wasn’t she,’ somebody asked.

‘Oh yes, she was very rich,’ said the reporter. ‘Maria will have all her money, of course. And her husband gave her a lot of money, clothes, jewels, and a car. Maria is a very, very rich woman.’

‘I don’t like rich women,’ said another reporter.

‘Maria is rich,’ said Paul. ‘But she is also gentle and kind and- he stopped.

‘Do you know Maria,’ the reporter asked.

‘Yes,’ said Paul quietly. ‘I know Maria.’

‘Well,’ said the reporter, ‘somebody must go to her mother’s funeral. We need a report about it for the paper. Why don’t you go, Paul?’

Paul went to the funeral the next day. It was a long way to the church, but he walked. He wanted to think.

‘Maria loved me,’ he thought. ‘But she married another man. Why? Because she was afraid of her mother. But now, her mother is dead! ‘

Paul was happy and he was sad. He was at the church now. Crowds of people were there. It was a big funeral.

There were many big, black cars outside the church. In the first one was the coffin. There were a lot of flowers on the coffin and on the roof of the car.

Paul stood at the back of the crowd. He took out his pencil and paper. He wrote about the cars and the people.

Then he saw Maria. She was wearing a black dress. She looked sad, but very beautiful. She was standing alone. Nobody spoke to her. Nobody went near her.

The man next to Paul spoke.

‘That’s the daughter,’ he said. ‘She’s a bad woman. She left her husband and it killed her mother. Look at her! Nobody wants to speak to her.’

Paul said nothing.

‘Poor Maria,’ he thought.

Everybody went inside the church. The funeral began.

After the funeral, Paul went home. His mother was smiling.

‘Good news, Paul,’ she said. ‘Do you remember your cousin, Elsa? She is coming to stay with us. She is seventeen now, and very pretty. You will like her.’

‘Yes, I remember Elsa,’ said Paul. He did not look pleased.

His mother was disappointed.

‘He is still thinking about Maria,’ she thought. ‘Elsa will help him to forget. ‘

But Paul did not want to see Elsa.

I must see Maria, he said to himself. I must talk to her.