Ciudad Juárez (Mexico) -- Fiction; El Paso (Tex.) -- Fiction; Prostitutes -- Fiction
"Yeah--we brought several pints along with us--there comes some more of
the girls," as she pointed along the road to about fifteen girls, all in
gay colors, coming along as if they were going to a picnic.
"This is one of them things I sure don't like to go through with it,"
said one of the girls.
"Me either," answered another.
"Well, it's near two o'clock--it won't be long now," remarked still
another.
"I think that's the hearse coming now," said Pearl, as she shaded her
eyes with her hand, looking down the road.
"We tried to get a taxi to bring us over, but not one of them would
come," said one of the newly arrived girls.
"Well, you know there has been some talk about a revolution going to
take place over here," said one of the other girls.
"So I'd heard," remarked the former, in a cutting voice.
"Yeah--that is the hearse all right--there is someone with the
driver--it must be the Padre," said Pearl, still watching.
The hearse drew up at the entrance, slowed down, then proceeded to a far
corner of the cemetery, where the freshly dug grave yawned as though
waiting for its toll, while the two Mexican grave-diggers lay sleeping
beside the fresh pile of earth.
The girls moved slowly over to where the hearse had stopped, as the
driver got out and kicked the grave-diggers awake, telling them in
Spanish to help earn their money by helping to get the Gringo's body to
the grave, which they did unwillingly. The driver, the Padre, and the
two grave-diggers brought the box with the coffin inside it, to the side
of the grave, sat it down, while the Padre began saying the service in
Spanish and in Latin.
Painted faces looked on, as tears began to streak their cheeks, each
thinking that this might have been her; some probably wishing it was
them, knowing that at least their earthly troubles would be over, no
matter what would be in store for them; other's minds went back to their
pasts, the others to their childhood. Soon there could be heard sounds
of soft weeping--the service was over, the four men slowly let the
coffin into the grave, jerking the straps from under the box.
The two grave-diggers began to shovel dirt into the hole.
"Can any of you sluts say a prayer?" asked Mickey.
"I ain't never prayed in my life," said one of the girls, "But I'll try
it," as they all bowed their heads, as hard lumps of dirt and rock fell
with a hollow sound on the box.
"Oh, Lord, I ain't never asked you a single favor in my life," began the
girl slowly, "But Irene is a good scout, and if she ever comes into your
place of business, don't turn her down--she always paid for her drinks,
poor kid--Amen."
"Come on, kids, let's get going from here," said Evelyn, as she wiped
her eyes.
They all walked slowly to the gates of the cemetery--those in front
waited for the rest to catch up.
"Let's all have a drink," suggested Evelyn, as she began to open the
quart she still had.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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