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IX.- The Prettiest Compañera. Play in several acts with footnotes. Monologue for many voices.

IX.- The Prettiest Compañera.

Play in several acts with footnotes.
Monologue for many voices.

To the maestro with love, hoping that

he recovers soon from his stomach ache.

(The curtain opens. But it turns out that not everything is ready, and they close it again. But not quite because the curtain cover gets stuck. It takes a while. Finally, the curtain opens and the play begins. A guy who didn’t really want to participate comes on stage, but he had no choice, what can he do, they told him he had to.)

The compa begins to speak:

– “Well, I’m going to tell you the part that concerns me. Because the problem wasn’t just that there were a ton of us who saw the play. Or rather, “the sign,” which is what we also call it here. The thing, or the subject, depending on the situation, is that watching and listening isn’t just a matter of sitting down. No. Because the audience moved around, and sometimes you saw from one side, then from the other, then from above, then from below. And sometimes you could see what the participants were looking at. For example, sometimes you saw what Marijose, or Verónica Palomitas, or the Monarch, or the Captain were looking at. In other words, you could watch and listen to all the parts of the whole, but from different places. Quite a hassle, then.” (Footnote One)

“Well, there were a lot of us because it was a secret. The Captain told Verónica Palomitas that they should put on a play, but not to tell anyone. And, well, Verónica has her way of doing it: if you tell her it’s a secret, she’ll quickly go and publicize it. And then Marijose asked Manuel for permission to put up a sign at the “TaCostilla” taco shop to advertise the play.”

“The thing, or the fact, is that word got around, and soon everyone knew about the play. And even more so because of the title, because the jóvenas Zapatistas organized themselves to attend and criticize: whether the prettiest compañera was fat or thin, or tall or short, if her eyes were crooked, if she walked with a hunchback, if her skirt was so short that you couldn’t believe it, and so on. I criticized them, saying it’s no good what they were doing, but they responded, yes, they were going to speak badly, but collectively and organized. The jóvenes, that is, the young macho men, even more so. Even the partidistas, because everyone wanted to know who the prettiest compañera was. Even the older compañeras came because, they said, “She’s probably walking around with her skirt so short you can see her throat if she bends down.” In short, I think there were more than two bunches of us.”

“And some had to sit on top of the stage, which they saw as if they were a drone. And others had to sit right below, so they could see the soles and everything from below, as if they were little bugs. The rest sat on the sides, around where the story was being presented. And wherever you sit, it moves all over the place.”

“Well, I’m telling you this so you understand that, although I’m going to tell you the story, I’m really only going to tell you part of it, the part I got to see. If you want to know the whole thing, you’re going to have to hold an assembly and share it with everyone who attended.”

-*-

Footnote One: The venue where the play is presented should be like a sphere. At its center or core will be the stage, and the audience benches will be all around the sphere, surrounding the stage. But the benches move all around the edges of the theatrical sphere. That is, as they say, no fourth wall, no first, second, third, above, below, or to the sides. Thus, the stage would not be at the center of a two-dimensional circle, but at the center of a multidimensional sphere, adding the dimension of time to the three dimensions.

In other words, the spectator base rotates in all dimensions. This way, the scenes can be appreciated from all sides, that is, from different and distinct points of view. From the sides, from above, from below, and from the simultaneous location of the actors. It would be like an atom, where the neutrons would be the scenery and the lights; the actors would be the protons; and the spectators would be like the electrons revolving around the nucleus or stage.

Okay, okay, okay. Yes, if this were possible, it would be very expensive, but the real problem is that, to obtain a view of the entire scene, a series of assembly sharings would be required, where each person shares what they saw and thus completes the others’ view. And even then, there would only be one part, and an infinite number of assemblies would be necessary to obtain the whole from the parts.

Footnote to Footnote One. – This stage plan would later be known as “The Captain’s Paradox.” No Schrödinger, DC, Marvel, animal torture, or anything like that. Resistance and Rebellion. Fuck Trump and Fuck Netanyahu. Oh, I know, but I couldn’t resist.

Footnote to footnote to footnote One. – As you can see, the author of this delirium doesn’t waste any time introducing, so to speak, politics. Thus ignoring the wise precept that art is art, not politics, and that one thing is one thing and don’t fuck with me is another. Amen.

-*-

Well, that’s where the Captain appears, sitting in his hut, scribbling in his notebook who knows what. Then we hear the Sub-Moy calling him on the radio. It’s not that he says «I’m the Sub-Moy,» but I recognize his voice. Then the Captain answers on the radio, saying, «Come in.» And the Sub-Moy says, «I’m going to send you a ‘colego’ who needs your support.» «Okay,» says the Captain.

And then a little boy, about 4 or 5 years old, arrives, saying his name is «Chinche.» The boy explains that his name is «Chuy,» but since he’s always being mean, his mother tells him, «Pinche Chuy, you spilled the water,» «Pinche Chuy, you got the dry clothes wet,» and so on. But Chuy doesn’t speak well and doesn’t know how to say «pinche,» so he just says, «Chinche.» So that’s how it stuck.

And Chinche tells the Captain that he has to find out who the prettiest compañera is. Why does he want to know, the Captain asks. “Well, because I’m already looking for a my wife,” says Chinche. “But you’re a 4 or 5-year-old kid,” the Captain tells him. “It doesn’t matter, I want to start looking right away so I don’t have to struggle from one side to the other, and all the presents and songs and baths and hairstyling, and clothes to look really handsome, and everything at once, it’s hard to believe.” “But what are you going to do? What if she doesn’t love you?” the Captain tells him. “Well,” says Chinche, “I’ll see about it. I’ll use politics to convince her. But don’t be shy and carry out your order, you’re supposed to support me.” “Okay,” says the Captain, “I’ll let you know later what came out of the investigation.” Well, they keep on talking, but I’m telling you, what they call the summary. And Chinche leaves.

-*-

Well, from there, another part follows. I think they say «another scene,» but it’s in the same place, meaning in the Captain’s hut. He grabs his radio and says, «Hammer, hammer.» Then you hear the Monarch’s voice saying, «Forward, forward.» So, «Hammer» is the Monarch. Then the Captain tells him, «Find the Comando Palomitas and send them over.» «I can’t hear you, repeat, repeat,» says the Hammer. The Captain repeats to him to find Palomitas. But it seems Monarch’s radio can´t receive well. «I can’t hear you, repeat, repeat.» And the Captain sort of gets desperate and shouts, «Send El Palomitas!» Then the Hammer hears him and replies, «Copy, copy, I’ll take that.» And a little while later, the Monarch arrives carrying a sack full of popcorn. «What’s that?» asks the Captain. «Well, you asked for palomitas. Compa Faustino and Angelina just made them.» «I said ‘El Palomitas,’ meaning the Comando Palomitas,» the Captain seems angry. And the Hammer leaves again, while the Captain stuffs himself with popcorn. Well, the Monarch returns with Verónica Palomitas.

Verónica is looking around to see if there’s any chamoy candy. The Captain asks her why she came alone. Verónica says that Amado and Chinto are already old and they are already looking for one their wives. And Cintia and Chuy sometimes come, but they’re not here right now.

«So how old are they?» «Amado and Chinto are already 14 years old, which means they’re already rancid, they’re no good anymore.» Well, then the Captain tells her there’s a very important and very secret job going on, which he can’t tell anyone or make public.

Verónica, I’ve remembered, is called «Tiendera» in the play because she’s always at the store. Or «Tamale Crudo» because it makes your stomach hurt. Well, Verónica asks if there’s chamoy at work. «There is,» the Captain replies. Verónica says, «Well, I’ll see if it’s convenient for me and whether I comply or not.» The Captain scolds her because it’s the Sub-Commander’s order, but Verónica says she’s a girl and that’s why we fight, so that girls can do what they want and boys have to obey. The two of them start arguing, Verónica with the Captain. They’re taking a long time and they’re just foolishly insisting, so I skip that. Finally, the Captain tells her they have to find the prettiest compañera. Then you can see that’s where the problem lies, so to speak, because Verónica asks:

But where am I going to look? Well, among all the compañeras, the Captain replies. All the compañeras, all of them, or just some all of them? All of them. Even though they’re from another planet? What other planet? Well, we went to some very different places. It rains, it snows, and we girls have to wrap ourselves up like tamale because of the cold. All of them, I said. Okay, but what do I say or what do I do? Take a picture to see if you did your job and see which one is the prettiest.

I already know which one is the prettiest. Who? My mom. But who told you that? My dad. It’s not fair. Why isn’t it fair if my dad is a man and men always say those weird things about whether she’s very pretty or not? Well, because your dad has to say that because otherwise your mom gets angry and turns into a gordosoma, and that’s as far as your dad goes. She’s the prettiest. She’s not. She is. It takes time.

The Captain sort of gives up and doesn’t have much money to send the script for the play to the website, and says: «Well, then you’re going to look for the second prettiest.» «Okay,» says Verónica. «Then I’ll lend you my cell phone and you take a picture and bring it back so we can see,» the Captain says. Verónica Palomitas leaves.

-*-

In the next scene, Marijose enters, greeting the audience, as if she were landing in Vigo, Galicia. Then she says, «I brought your cell phone here, Captain.» What? I gave it to Verónica so she could take pictures. Well, Verónica arrived at the taco stand with her popcorn gang and ordered five orders of tacos, assorted. Did she actually devour 25 tacos? No, she shared them with her gang. And then? Well, when it’s time to pay, well, she doesn’t have any money. Then she gives me the cell phone and tells me to keep it as an IOU, and that once she has the money, she’ll come pay her debt and I’ll give her her phone back. Damn Verónica. So I checked it and made sure it’s your cell phone, so I brought it to you because I think it’s going to take a while for Verónica to get the money. Well, whatever, but tell Manuel not to forget my tacos, I’ll pay him later. Yeah, says Marijose, so she knows there’s no way the Captain is going to pay, as she walks away waving and blowing kisses to the audience.

The Captain reviews the photos Veronica took of the second-most beautiful girl, and they’re all selfies of Veronica making faces and gestures. The Captain reflects and realizes that, in Veronica’s mind, she’s the second-most beautiful girl because she’s the daughter of the first-most beautiful girl.

Just then, Verónica arrives to collect the interest on her salary as a Commission of Inquiry. The Captain claims she didn’t do her job. Verónica argues that who says she didn’t do her job if she did the work? You didn’t do it. I did. No. Yes. Look, there’s a photo of the prettiest compañera. She hands over a small stone. But this is a stone. «No, there’s a photo of all the compañeras from all the planets there. Because all the compañeras are the prettiest because they’re compañeras, and they’re compañeras because they’re the prettiest. There’s no one more or less, but just right.» But you can´t see them. It’s because you don’t know how to look properly; you have to look inside the stone. So should I break the stone? With a hammer? No, you have to look inside, but respect the stone because the stone is not a crime. But there are no photos. There are. How do you know there aren’t any if you haven’t looked? And how am I supposed to look? You grab the little rock and put it near your ear, and you’re going to look at it there. Am I going to look at it with my ear? Well, you just don’t understand. That’s how pinches men are, they don’t know how to look. Oh, and I’m letting you know you owe money at the taco shop, with Manuel and Marijose, because in the middle of work, I have to eat, and the engine needs gas. But they were tacos, not gas. There are different types of engines. Then they’ll give you the bill. Verónica Palomitas leaves.

The Captain is left thinking. «Well, then we have to change strategy,» he says, «we have to find the third prettiest compañera.»

-*-

The Chinche arrives to see if there’s any news for his request. The Captain tells him to sit down and hands him a chamoy candy. The Captain is holding the small stone Verónica gave him. He looks at it and turns it over. He places it near his ear. He continues turning it over. The Chinche has already finished the candy and coughs to bring the Captain back to reality.

The Captain sighs and says:

«Okay, buddy, the first thing you have to do is get a hammer.»

Curtain… Curtain… I said «Curtain» …?

Well, there’s no curtain. It was the Captain’s blanket, and he took it with him. And since the curtain never falls, then, as they say, everything is visible. And that’s how we know that, in the Registry of the upcoming Meeting of Resistances and Rebellions, there are already 768 attendees and participants, from 37 geographical locations (Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Cyprus, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Slovenia, El Salvador, Spain, United States, Finland, France, Wales, Galicia, Ghana, Great Britain, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Kurdistan, the Balkans, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, Basque Country, Panama, Peru, Romania, Switzerland, Uruguay). And some 252 registered participants.

That, and a short message for Frayba:

All the aggression, harassment, persecution, and attacks by bad governments against those whose vocation and destiny is the defense of human rights are merely confirmation that you are fulfilling the work you embraced; and that the victims of power have, in you, a hope for truth and justice.

-*-

Is that the curtain now? Have you found something to replace it? … Don’t fuck with me, that’s SubMoy’s blanket! Run for your lives!

From the mountains of the Mexican Southeast.

The Captain.
Mexico, May-June-July, 2025.

Images of preparations for the «Meeting of Resistances and Rebellions: Some Parts of the Whole» in August 2025, Terci@s Compas Zapatistas.
Audio: Voice and words of Eduardo Galeano, “Reuniones Cumbre” y “Experto Internacional”.

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