MONTOZA
by Lord Prosser.
Chapter 1.
La Ferma, Dolores, Mexico.
My name is Carlos Ramon; let me start by telling you about my childhood, I grew up at ‘La Ferma’ in Dolores, Mexico at the foot of the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains. From the age of three, I grew up with my grandparents; my parents were shot dead by a gang in 1961. There was my sister Marie aged six, and John aged four and me to look after. The mornings leave the longest lasting impression on me, with the sun rising through a range of mountains that surrounded our farm. It wasn’t particularly well kept but it was very scenic, the great barns looked like tombstones. We had a couple of gasoline pumps and filling up travellers’ tanks was what we did to survive. Every day, we would see loads of businessmen from Texas; they came down to do some deals with the local mining companies. The beaming sunlight caught moving dust in its path creating little sparks. The sound of chickens pecking and clucking could be heard in many places around the yard. There were a couple of pigs in a sty and beside the door was an old red rusted tractor. Papi my grandfather was a quiet and scruffy old man; he always wore denims and a dirty vest except for Christmas. Every morning, he would sit by the pumps, smoking his pipe. He always got up early to catch the sunrise and serve the first travellers of the day. At the beginning of the day something was always cooking, but it was usually hard to be sure if it was bacon or not, because of the other smells. As well as the stink of manure, there were sickening fumes of oil and fuel from the petrol pumps. We would often run around the yard barefoot for a good hour before it was time to eat.
Granito was very hunched over in appearance, at this time of the day she was to be seen in the kitchen, she would call us to the table as she put out our breakfast. Weloved her like a mother, she used to hug us and speak softly to us; she was very kind and gave us a lot of love. When we were at the table, Papi would still be making his way across the yard. Even if he was out of favour with Granito, his stomach always meant more than his pride. When I was four, I was old enough to go to school. To get there we had to walk for two miles along dusty roads seeing only cacti and sand. There were nineteen pupils in my class, we all shared the same books and, in the afternoons, we played outside. I enjoyed school and as time went by, I soon found myself at the top of the class in English and Spanish. My favourite lesson was music on Thursday morning: we had to create a two-minute song in a forty-minute lesson. I used to play the broken banjo and come up with most of the ideas. I remember one time, our group did a good little piece and we were asked to play it at the school’s summer party. lt was at this time that Granito bought an old guitar from the school and paid for me to have some lessons. My teacher’s name was Sonja, I used to go to her house by bus every week, she t aught me some scales and I learnt to play ‘Jailhouse Rock’. I grew up in a world of my own, hardly ever meeting anybody, except for the people who stopped for fuel. I didn’t like John very much, it was strange, and he preferred shooting or being with the animals. Marie was much older than me, so I spent a lot of my childhood alone, playing guitar and watching television. For my thirteenth birthday, childhood alone, playing guitar and watching television. For my thirteenth birthday, I received a new guitar and a colourful atlas which gave me an interest in travelling. Received a new guitar and a colourful atlas which gave me an interest in travelling.
One November afternoon when I was fourteen, Granito had a funny turn whilst she when I was fourteen, Granito had a funny turn whilst she was tidying up. We thought she’d just taken one of her falls but when tidying up. We thought she’d just taken one of her falls but when I I went to help her up went to help her up I I saw she was blue. The pressure of keeping going was too much for her. She was the saw she was blue. The pressure of keeping going was too much for her. She was the closest person in the world to me; to me; I didn’t understand that there could be a life without didn’t understand that there could be a life without her, even though Elvis meant a lot to me. I cried for a long time. Papi was totally her, even though Elvis meant a lot to me. I cried for a long time. Papi was totally different without her, the cool calm Papi of before became desperate. He drank a bottle every day until he had to be admitted to hospital a few months later. We visited l he had to be admitted to hospital a few months later. We visited him every day and after two weeks he was allowed home, the doctor told us to keep him every day and after two weeks he was allowed home, the doctor told us to keep an eye on him, ‘operating the pumps would be a strain for him’, they told us. We took it in eye on him, ‘operating the pumps would be a strain for him’, they told us. We took it in turns to have turns to have days off school and work the pumps which was a matter of getting the days off school and work the pumps which was a matter of getting the knack. knack. If the cars came from the north, we started working up the pressure long before the cars came from the north, we started working up the pressure long before they arrived. There would be the worn-out businessmen with five o’clock shadows on they arrived. There would be the worn-out businessmen with five o’clock shadows on their way back to their way back to their wives in Texas or beyond. Therefore, they needed a full tank to their wives in Texas or beyond. Therefore, they needed a full tank to see them on their way. On the other hand, those who were going south didn’t need see them on their way. On the other hand, those who were going south didn’t need more than a few gallons, so it didn’t take much effort. I got to know Papi at this time; more than a few gallons so it didn’t take much effort. I got to know Papi at this time; he’d done a lot of things I never knew before. I found out that he was born in Canada, worked in a bakery for six years and fought in France in The Battle of the Somme, he worked in a bakery for six years and fought in France in The Battle of the Somme, he lived on a boat just after the war, then came over to El Paso in 1921 and met my lived on a boat just after the war, then came over to El Paso in 1921 and met my Grandmother at a Grandmother at a dance. They fell in love and bought the farm in 1922. He said that once. He said that life without Granito was no longer a life for him. We had chats as we sat by the pumps, life without Granito was no longer a life for him. We had chats as we sat by the pumps, he slowly started to drink again, life seemed to be too much. He never smiled the same he slowly started to drink again; life seemed to be too much. He never smiled the same smile after Granito died, it was only then that to died, it was only then that I realised that he really loved her. He realised that he really loved her. He passed away a few weeks after coming back from hospital. He handed me an envelope passed away a few weeks after coming back from hospital. He handed me an envelope the day before and in a faint voice told me to wait a while before opening it.
The front read ‘Montoza’
Marie married her boyfriend Philip Ramon, they lived a few miles up the road, Philip had a farm and came from a rich family. had a farm and came from a rich family. John took charge of our farm, and the money John took charge of our farm, and the money made from the gasoline made from the gasoline pumps. We had a big argument and couldn’t agree on the pumps. We had a big argument and couldn’t agree on the running of the place. There was a legacy but through some loophole, we hadn’t the place. There was a legacy but through some loophole, we hadn’t got equal rights to making decisions. Looking back, I realise that he had more experience had more experience but then but then I I couldn’t see it that way. One day couldn’t see it that way. One day I decided to take off for the East Coast, decided to take off for the East Coast, I told John it would probably be a long time before we would meet again, he gave me time before we would meet again, he gave me his gold his gold chain and we embraced, he told me he loved me. As chain and we embraced, he told me he loved me. As I made off, made off, II got as far as got as far as the brow of the hill and the brow of the hill and I turned to wave but he’d turned to wave but he’d already gone back into the house, I already gone back into the house, I guess he must have thought I’d be back in a couple of days. back in a couple of days. I couldn’t say goodbye to couldn’t say goodbye to Marie because Marie because she was on her honeymoon, so she was on her honeymoon so I left her a letter telling her to forgive left her a letter telling her to forgive me.
