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At forty-two, Isabella was still a beautiful woman. Thick black hair cascading across honey-brown shoulders; dark brown eyes, appearing black in all but the strongest sunshine. Over the years, many men had been intoxicated by her powerful beauty, but intimidated by her self-confidence. She was still unmarried. Once, she was courted by a handsome and successful doctor from the capital city, but he became impatient with her after she postponed their engagement for a conference on political corruption. In the end, the good doctor married a pretty young librarian with large breasts and a willingness to laugh at his bad jokes. Isabella's family thought she was too political and too involved with her art to ever be a suitable wife. They had given up on her. She, however, was far from disappointed with her reputation as an eternal spinster. Isabella Sandino Arias's passion in life was for painting in oils. Through her painting, she could express her feelings as an independent woman, feelings about her life in Nicaragua, and her anger with the crime and corruption that blighted many people's lives in the country she loved so much.
Isabella's family lived in the provincial town of Nangrina. Her family's restaurant and grocery store had been in operation for over sixty years, but recently, life in Nangrina was changing. High on the hill above the town was a beautiful new villa - a villa surrounded by a high security fence. In the large, well-watered grounds were men with sunglasses and walkie-talkies. Sitting by the swimming pool, drinking a glass of Sauvignon Blanc was Señor Raul Padilla Martinez. He was talking loudly into one of his cellular phones. Raul was a businessman. He was doing splendidly. With most of the local politicians in his pocket, life was very good indeed, and he enjoyed his wealth by collecting art and fine wines. He also had a fascination with guns and women. He used both freely and without remorse.
It was a busy weekend for Isabella. She was chairing a meeting of concerned local people in a hall in the grounds of the church. The focus of the meeting was the increasing crime in their municipality since Señor Padilla Martinez had moved from the city and taken up residence. The only people attending the meeting were Isabella and a handful of old people with no families. Anyone young, or with a family was too scared to go. But sat at the back was a young man in a flashy suit and sunglasses. He was saying nothing but listening intently and looking at faces. The old people, with nothing to lose, looked at him scornfully. Gangsters like him and his boss were the cause of all the recent problems in their town. After the meeting, Isabella rushed over to the small art gallery on Calle de la Cruz to prepare her paintings for the opening of her first solo exhibition that evening. There was to be a party with wine and tapas for her friends, family, and perhaps some art collectors. It was a small town, but her reputation was spreading, and Isabella desperately sought recognition. High on the hill above the town, a man in a flashy suit was reporting back to his boss. Raul was excited by this woman. She had fire inside her and he wanted to get closer to the flames. He decided that their lives were destined to collide and tonight would be the ideal opportunity.
'Isabella!' Isabella was
chatting to her cousin when she heard a voice calling from the door of
the gallery. It was her old school friend Maria. She hadn't seen her
for years, but she'd come for the exhibition. This was turning into a
really
great evening. No one had bought any of her paintings yet, but she was
surrounded by the people in her life who meant the most
to her. Isabella and Maria hugged and kissed. 'Come in, come! I'm so
happy to see you.'
Wine was flowing and the sounds of music, laughter, and animated
conversation filled the small gallery and spilled out
onto the street.
Later, Isabella was deep in conversation with a local newspaper
reporter about her art, but their conversation inevitably
moved onto the thorny
subject of the town's problems. 'I hope', she told him, 'that through
my art, I can express some of the anger and powerlessness that ordinary
people have here in Nangrina. My paintings represent the thoughts that
they dare not speak through fear of retribution
from the man on the hill.'
As she finished her words, she realised the gallery had gone quiet.
There were three men at the door. One was a handsome man dressed in an
expensive pale-blue linen suit. Raul's two bodyguards waited outside
while he entered the gallery. No one looked into his eyes. No one
except Isabella. People started to leave. 'Wait!' shouted Isabella,
'Please stay, don't leave.' Sadly, her friends didn't have her strength
of character. They valued their lives and the lives of their loved ones.
Raul approached Isabella. 'I am
so sorry for interrupting your party Señorita
Arias. It was not my intention.' He turned to address
the other visitors. 'Please everyone, I request that you all stay and
enjoy the party. I am here to view the exhibition, not to cause any
trouble.' People, feared Raul enough to remain in the room. After a
moment conversation continued but at lower volume. Raul also spoke more
quietly now, so that only Isabella could hear, 'My apologies, but I am
a great lover of art and I simply wished to see your work. News reached
me that you have real talent. Looking around, I can see that the
rumours are true. Unlike all the rumours about me. People always exaggerate
my actions. Perhaps I am guilty of allowing those rumours to spread.
But I hope you'll find me more amicable
in
the flesh.' Raul smiled,
revealing a set of perfect teeth, fixed at great expense in Miami.
'You are not welcome here. I want you to leave.' Isabella's eyes were
full of anger.
'I understand you have strong feelings against me, but I hope that in
time, you're opinion might change. I can be a generous and helpful man
to those who are wise enough to accept my largesse.'
'Never! I will never take money from you. In next month's election for
mayor, I am going to stand as an anti-corruption candidate, and as
mayor I will do all I can to remove you from this town, and heal the
cancer of crime that you have brought here.' As she spoke, Isabella was
aware of the reporter taking photos. She was glad there would be a
record of Raul's visit. It would keep her safe.
'I wish you luck in the election Señorita
Arias, but sadly you have no chance of changing things. I am the
present and I am the future. It is something you would do well to
accept.' Raul smiled once more, turned, and left the gallery.
Isabella's family crowded around her to ask what the gangster had said
to her.
Two weeks later, Isabella's exhibition closed. She was stunned to discover that all her paintings had been sold. Three were bought by friends, but the others had been acquired by a private collector whose name was unknown to the gallery owner. Isabella was immediately suspicious, but the gallery owner would not reveal the name of the buyer however many times she asked him. Although Isabella was not happy, the amount of money was substantial and Isabella needed it to fund her attempt to become town mayor. The money would pay for her election campaign, posters and banners. If she could become elected, then she could rid the town of Raul Padillo Martinez. The town could return once again to the sleepy backwater that it had previously been.
High on the hill above Nangrina, Raul was entertaining a small group of men. They were admiring the new art that was adorning the white walls of his villa. The town mayor, the chief of police and the owner of the newspaper were enyoying a particularly fine bottle of Chilian Chardonnay and the best Cuban cigars. Everything had gone to plan. When tomorrow's newspaper was published, Isabella Sandino Arias would be accused of accepting money from a known criminal. She would be arrested and after a short trial, would spend the next years of her life in jail. The men were laughing how easy it had been to fool her.
At fifty-two, Isabella was still a beautiful woman. Short grey hair framing a proud face; dark brown eyes, appearing black in all but the strongest sunshine. She had never married. Once, she had tried to change her world but she had failed. However, she was not at all disappointed with her life. Isabella Sandino Arias's passion in life was for painting in oils. Through her painting, she could express her feelings as a jailed woman, feelings about her life in Nicaragua, and her anger with the crime and corruption that blighted many people's lives in the country she loved so much.
Adjectives
provincial: connected with the
parts of a country that are not in the big cities.
well-watered: A garden that is
well-watered is green and growing well.
flashy: Expensive but looking too
bright, so that other people don't like it.
solo: Done alone.
animated: Here meaning 'with lots
of energy and interest'.
thorny: Complicated and difficult.
amicable: Friendly.
substantial: A large amount.
Adverbs
splendidly: Very well.
freely: Here meaning 'without
restriction'.
intently: In a concentrated and
determined way.
scornfully: In a way that shows you
haveno respect for something.
inevitably: Certain to happen.
Verbs
cascade:
To hang down, fall, or flow in a large quantity.
be
intoxicated by:
Here meaning 'to be excited, happy and unable to think clearly because
of someone'.
be
intimidated by:
Here meaning 'to be scared of someone and so worried and having little
confidence'.
be
courted by: When someone tries to develop a romantic
relatiobnship with another person.
give
up on:
To stop hoping someone will change, or do something you want.
be
far from: Here meaning 'to not be'.
blight:
To spoil or damage something so that it cannot grow or develop.
chair:
To be the leader of a meeting.
be
destined:
To be certain to happen because of destiny.
collide: When things collide, they
come from different directions and hit each other.
spill
out:
To be in such a large quantity that something moves into another place.
address: To speak to a group of
peoplein a formal way.
exaggerate: To make something seem
bigger or nore important than it actually is.
rid: Here meaning 'to take action
to remove something that you think is bad'.
adorn: To decorate something.
fool: to cheat someone by making
them think something is true.
Nouns
corruption: A situation in which
people with power use money and their position to do dishonest or
illegal things.
a
spinster: A woman who has never got married.
a
walkie-talkie:
A small radio used to speak to another person.
remorse: A strong feeling that you
are sorry for doing something wrong or bad.
a
municipality: A town, city, or other area that has its own
local government.
recognition: Here meaning
'realizing and accepting that something is important and of value'.
retribution: Strong punishment.
largesse: The generous act of
giving money or things to people who have less than you.
a
sleepy backwater: A quiet and boring place, not affected by
the rest of the world.
Expressions
in
sb's pocket: To owe someone favours because they pay you or
threaten you.
nothing
to lose: To be in a situation in which you can take a risk
because your situation cannot be made worse..
in
the flesh: If you see someone 'in the flesh' it means thst
you actually see them or meet them in person.
Spanish words
Señor:
= Mister.
calle
= street.
tapas:
= small plates with different types of food.