059. The Three Pieces of Advice (Los Tres Consejos)
Once upon a time there were two young people who got married [to one another]. Her name was Julia and his was Gonzalo, and they were both very poor. The groom slept only one night with his wife, for the day after the wedding he left the village without saying where he was heading to and without saying goodbye to anyone. He walked a long way and, at last, stopped in a village where a man offered him a job taking care of the cows in the mountain. And as work was what he was searching for, he [chose to] remain there.
Many years passed by and one day when he was in the mountains, as he normally would be, he saw a man walking by with a cross on his back. He became afraid [on seeing this] and in the evening he went to see his master (e.g. employer) and told him what he had seen.
The master listened and then said to him:
If he again passes by you are tomorrow, ask him why he is carrying the cross.
The next day, Gonzalo was in the same place and he saw the [same] man with the cross on his back passing by, at the same time as on the previous day. And although he again became afraid of him, he gathered up his courage and went to ask him why he was carrying such a heavy cross. Then the man answered him:
There are others that are more bearable, yet they are not taken.
When evening came, Gonzalo went back with the cows to his master’s house and he, who was impatiently waiting for him, immediately asked:
So? Did the man with the cross pass by?
Yes, sir -responded Gonzalo.
Did you ask him what I asked of you?
Yes, sir.
And, what did he tell you?
He said there are other crosses that are more bearable, yet they are not taken up.
Well then -said the master -you are married.
No, sir -replied Gonzalo fearfully.
Don’t lie -said the master-, for you are married!
Then Gonzalo confessed the truth. And the master told him:
Tomorrow you will go see your wife. And now, tell me, what do you want for your pay? A salary for the years that you have served me, or three pieces of advice that you will need?
Gonzalo was hesitating for a good while and, in the end, he went with the three advises. And the master said to him:
The three advises are these: the first, that you never go by way of shortcuts; the second, that you don’t sleep in an inn where a young innkeeper wife is married to an old husband; the third, that you don’t make use of this shotgun that I’m giving you without thinking over it twice. Moreover -he added- I also give you this bread roll, but you are not to eat it until you get home. And now, Godspeed!
The next morning Gonzalo set out for home, and on the way back he met a traveler who was going in the same direction, so they both [decided] to continue on their journey together. While they were traveling, they came to a shortcut and the other traveler proposed to take it to save some time, but Gonzalo remembered the master’s first advice and declined to take it, that he would prefer to continue on the main road, and there they said their goodbyes. The traveler went on using the shortcut and Gonzalo continued along the main road. When Gonzalo arrived at a tavern where the shortcut also ended at, he found out that his companion had been robbed and killed by thieves (highwaymen).
“Hmm,” he said to himself, “look how my master’s first advice has helped saved my life!”
He continued on his way, being glad of his lot and sorry for that of his companion and, when night fell upon him, he stopped at an inn to spend the night. And once inside the inn he saw that the innkeeper was very young and her husband so very old that he could barely take care of himself. So he ate his supper, went to bed and was very worried thinking about the master’s second advice. As he could not sleep, he decided to get out of bed and go out on the street. He was outside when he heard muffled voices close by, he went over to listen and saw the young innkeeper and a man dressed in a grey-brown habit. The two of them were sitting in a cart and the innkeeper said to the man:
Tonight we have the [appropriate] occasion to kill my husband, for there is only one guest in the inn and we can lay the blame on him [afterward].
On hearing this, Gonzalo stealthily crept under the cart and, with the utmost care, removed a piece of the innkeeper’s dress and a piece of the man’s habit.
Then those two entered the house, killed the husband innkeeper and immediately began to shout for help.
Law enforcers came and put Gonzalo in prison. But when he gave his statement before the judge, he asked if he could present as proof of his innocence a piece of a dress and another of a grey-brown habit. The judge consented, whereby Gonzalo showed the [two] pieces and told what he had seen and heard that night. With that, he proved his innocence and was set free. And Gonzalo said to himself: “Hmm, look how I have saved my life once more thanks to the master’s advice!”
So he continued on his way and finally arrived at his house. And when he was close to it, he saw his wife stroking a priest through the window. Gonzalo was furious and, without thinking about it, he took aim with the shotgun. But he remembered the master’s third advice and decided to find out who was that priest who was with his wife. He entered a tavern in the village, where no one recognized him, and he asked the tavern keeper:
Who is that priest who is in the house of Julia of Gonzalo?
Julia of Gonzalo married twenty five years ago, and the [very] next day her husband abandoned her and left her pregnant. The priest who was in her house is her son, who is going to lead his first mass tomorrow.
Gonzalo went away all confused and returned to his house, where he called out and humbly asked if they would give him lodging [for the night]; his wife came out and wished him godspeed, and that it was not the day to provide lodging; but the son, who was listening [to the conversation], approached his mother and said:
Give this man lodging, mother, for who knows if at this moment my father is also seeking to lodge somewhere and people do not want to provide it to him.
The man entered and sat down in a corner of the kitchen. When it was time for supper, the priest said to him:
Please come to the table and sit with us.
They began to have supper and Gonzalo took out the bread roll that his master had gifted him, put it on the table and opened it; and on opening it, the three of them saw that it was full of gold coins. The priest then asked him what this meant, and Gonzalo said:
These coins are the pay of my twenty five years of service with a good master, and I now give them to you both, for I am your father.
Then Julia recognized her husband and with great joy the three of them embraced one another, whereupon Julia and Gonzalo were never separated again.
—– VOCABULARY —–
Acariciar – (to touch softly) to pet an animal, to caress a person
A cuestas – on one’s back, on one’s shoulders
Apagado – muffled, muted
Apenado – sorry, sad
Armarse – to arm oneself
Atajo – shortcut
Bollo – bun, roll, bread roll
Confundido – (bewildered) confused; (wrong) mistaken
Consejo – advice
De hacer falter – necessary; to be needed
Desembocar – to flow into, to run into, to lead into; to end in, to result in
Dudar – to doubt
Encinta – pregnant
Escopeta – shotgun
Hábito – religious garment, habit
Hábito pardo – grey-brown habit
Huésped – guest, lodger
Humildemente – (meekly) humbly
Informarse – (to inquire) to get information, to find out
Justicia – (punishment) justice; (legal) law; (just treatment) justice, fairness
Llevadero – bearable, tolerable
Mentir – to lie
Mesón – inn, bar, tavern
Preso – prisoner; imprisoned; seized by, gripped by – use with ‘de’
Prestar – to give, to provide; to loan, to lend
Probar – to demonstrate, to prove
Reponer – to reply
Rumbo a casa – heading for home
Sigilosamente – stealthily
Sueldo – salary, wage
Taberna – tavern, bar
Valerse – (to take care of oneself) to manage
Vosotros os – you