IN THE DARKEST corner of her heart, Barcelona, mother of labyrinths, holds a mesh of narrow streets knotted together to form a reef of present and future ruins. Intrepid travellers and all manner of lost souls lie forever trapped in this district named the Raval, once the outskirts of the medieval city. When Alicia and Vargas stepped out of Casa Leopoldo, a network of alleyways greeted the couple in all its sinister splendour, populated by dives, brothels and a whole arsenal of bazaars peddling wares and services away from the eye of the law.
The lavish meal had left Vargas suffering from a light hiccup, which he tried to get rid of by taking deep breaths and tapping his chest with his knuckles.
“This happens because you’re a glutton,” Alicia decreed.
“You’ve got some nerve. First you stuff me, then you make fun of me.”
A young streetwalker displaying rotund charms observed them with strictly commercial interest. She was standing in a doorway behind which a transistor radio was blaring out a Catalan rumba in all its crossbred glory. “How about a little twosome siesta with your skinny-ribs and a real woman, my love?” the lady of the evening invited.
Vargas shook his head, vaguely embarrassed, and hurried on. Alicia smiled and followed him, exchanging glances with the strapping woman in the doorway, who, seeing her prey walk away, shrugged and gave her the once-over, as if wondering whether this was the latest look preferred by well-shod gentlemen.
“This area is a social calamity,” said Vargas.
“Would you like me to leave you alone for a while to see if you can solve it?” asked Alicia. “I think you’ve just made a friend who’ll get rid of your hiccup in a flash.”
“Don’t prick me. I’m about to burst.”
“Would you like some dessert?”
“A magnifying glass. If possible, a huge one.”
“I thought you had no faith in those numbers.”
“You believe what it’s possible to believe, not what you want to believe. Unless you’re an idiot, in which case it’s the other way around.”
“I didn’t know indigestion brought out the philosopher in you.”
“There are lots of things you don’t know, Alicia.”
“That’s why I learn something new every day.”
Alicia put her arm through his.
“Don’t get your hopes up,” Vargas warned.
“You’ve already told me that.”
“It’s the best bit of advice one can give anyone in this life.”
“What a sad thought, Vargas.”
The policeman looked at Alicia, and in his eyes she saw that he was speaking seriously. Her smile left her lips, and without thinking, she stood on tiptoe and gave him a kiss on the cheek. It was a chaste kiss, full of affection and friendship, a kiss that didn’t expect anything and asked for even less.
“Don’t do that,” said Vargas, setting off again.
The doorway hooker was still watching, Alicia noticed. They looked at each other briefly. The old hand mumbled under her breath, smiling bitterly.