What happens? Havent you seen them? Thats why he makes that statement Don Carlos replied.
The whole class was very quiet, we were expectant.
Has anyone seen them? he asked suddenly.
No! was everyones answer.
Then why do they say they dont exist? They can only say that they havent seen them. Come on! I say, that it would be their correct answer.
We laughed, we thought he must be joking, but the very serious one kept saying:
Have any of you been to Egypt and seen the pyramids?
We all naturally answered no. What a question he was asking us.
Then they dont exist? he was asking us very seriously.
Of course them exist! most of us who were there told him . There are a lot of photographs of them in many books. How can they not exist? Is it that you have not seen them? we asked puzzled.
We did not fully understand what he wanted to tell us.
Yes, but even if there are those photos that you say, we have not seen them, because you have told me that you have not been there. That is true, right? he asked us again, but before we answered, he continued . Look! If I ask you if you have seen our beautiful Cathedral, you will all tell me of course! How can you not see it?
So, as you have seen that it exists, there is no doubt about it, but if I ask you if the Chinese have seen it, surely your answer is no, or at least most of them. Some of them may have been sightseeing and have seen it. Then, for those who have not come, our Cathedral does not exist, because they have not seen it, as it surely happens to you with your Great Wall, that it is possible that some have never even heard of it. Look! All this problem, as you say, I have released it, so that you understand that, although one does not know or have not seen a thing, it does not mean that it does not exist, of course our Cathedral, the Chinese Wall and the Pyramids exist.
What about UFOs? Do they exist too? a classmate asked from the back of the class, laughing.
Gentlemen, I have not seen them, so I do not know if they exist or not, but Charlemagne does say that they exist, because he tells us the story that he saw them.
His words shocked us, that could not be true! But the teacher continued to tell us that the existence of whatever that is, because it is not very clear, it has been trying to be demonstrated for a very long time and although there is evidence of their existence, it has never been admitted because there have been more detractors on the issue, and that when someone claims to have seen them, the opinions are more powerful than those who say that they do not exist.
We were all very quiet, and he, hearing the bell that indicated that the class had come to an end, said to us:
Gentlemen, this is the work that you will have to present me at the end of the course: is there life elsewhere apart from Earth?
Look, I have had different classes in all my student years, but it has never been any like that.
The professor left, and we all, we all stayed there debating the theme. It seems that it had captured our full attention because it was the most interesting course of the whole course of studies.
We made study teams, some in favor of the existence of these alien beings, and others to look for evidence of the contrary.
When we had free time, one of the small groups could be seen through the corridors or sitting on the campus lawn, debating something we had found, and it was also a topic that was spread through the university and many students from other courses joined us in that study, which every time we progressed, it became more exciting.
A few days before having the first holidays, we had so much accumulated material that we wanted to share it with the teacher and we asked him to give a class just to talk about it.
He did not want, he said, no, that it was an end-of-course project, and that we should continue with him. That initially left us a little disappointed. We wanted to know what the other groups had, and at the same time we needed to communicate what we had discovered, but Don Carlos was blunt:
No! Let´s not anticipate events, everything in due course.
And as much as we insisted, he did not give in and we had to put up with it, but of course, the teachers, you know, are the smartest, thats why they are teachers.
That refusal made us even more interested in the theme, and we no longer did it only as a class assignment, but rather that some of us were so interested that our involvement has lasted us all our lives.
<<<<<>>>>>
How many years? I heard behind my back.
What do you say? I turned and asked.
Yes he said again . How many years have we been in this?
Well, right now I dont know I replied.
It was true, I had no idea how long it had been since we started.
Exactly nine years ago he replied very seriously.
How? How do you know that? I asked curiously.
Very simple, because its my birthday, and although I tell myself every year that Im not going to have one more year, I still remember how I met you.
And that? I asked Enrique, everything seemed strange to me.
Look, I was in that bar, drinking a few beers, thats precisely because the next day was my birthday, and I wanted to celebrate it, and what better than lying down all day!
Lying? I interrupted, asking, puzzled by what I was hearing.
Of course! after a good drunkenness, what do you think it happens? Well, the best way for it to happen is to be sleeping, and thus not think about which the day it was. Well, at least that was my intention, that´s why I already had a few in my body when you stood there by my side.
What do I have to do with all that? I asked, since I didnt understand why he had mentioned that.
Look, the first thing I looked at was your vest, that was the truth, and I said to myself That would be a good birthday gift. I liked it from the first moment I saw it, the pocket was so big, I dont know! It was like a whim of a child, when you go to the park to play and there is another child with a ball over there and he stars crying and no one can stop him because they dont give the ball to him. If he wants it, he doesnt understand why he cant have it, because something similar happened to me. I wouldnt know how to explain it.
And thats why you asked me if I sold it to you? I said, remembering that moment that seemed so strange to me.
Of course! If not, why? Would it have been better if I had tried to take it from you by force? That was not my style, but the truth is that your answer made me laugh. Do you remember which one it was? I did, of course, but dont tell me that you also remember it.
I cant give it, friend, because hes like my second skin, without him I wouldnt know how to live I said . Of course I remember it very well.
How exaggerated! It seemed to me at that moment when I was listening to him, but he made me think of one thing. I had nothing in my life that could mean so much, that was so important, and thats why I wanted to talk to you. You seemed like a good boy to me, any other, maybe he would have been upset because I had spoken to him, but not you. You had answered me correctly, without leaving my side, despite the state I was in and how absurd my request must have seemed to you.
Well, whats all this about now? Tell me, are you feeling sad?