One Out of Two by Daniel Sada

down like an inquisitor as if to say: “Okay, now let’s see what’s in this can of worms.” Because she, caught by surprise, wasn’t thinking of mentioning the problem. On the contrary, her master plan was to play her cards close until the whole thing blew up, but cruel destiny was saying to them “Here, take that!” and destiny is nothing but a trickster demon. There was, however, no hope, they were so much alike that they could not sequester even their deepest secrets, so she answered stiffly:
    “I’ve been thinking about that, too …”
    “So, what do you think we should do about it?”
    Gloria, hesitating, kept at her task, and after a gray moment of temperance, she answered quietly:
    “There are many solutions, but all of them are awful …”
    “We have to come up with one good one.”
    “Look, I can’t think of anything. What I will confess is that at this stage of the mess we’re in, being twins really bothers me. To tell the truth, I believe that we’re going to be done for, because we can’t keep tricking Oscar; we know full well that rumors spread quickly around here, and in the end, somebody’s going to tell him straight out what’s going on.”
    “But, do you think people know that he’s going out with both of us? Do you think anyone has noticed?”
    “I don’t imagine so. I want to think not.”
    “You’re sure optimistic.”
    “The issue is simple. If what you say were true, one of our customers would have already said something. As you know, the people of Ocampo aren’t famous for their discretion. Everybody, even the children, are big blabbermouths; there’s always somebody ready to spill the beans, even if it does harm. No, for sure neither Oscar nor anybody else knows about our trick; and what’s more: sometimes I think that God or the Devil has arranged everything so that it will stay between the two of us.”
    Listening in amazement to her sister’s fresh deductions: Constitución: still sitting: began to scold her rashly, spewing forth a harangue: “Ssh! Stop it! Get a grip on yourself!” just like a mother who sees her daughter about to pour honey on her beans or sprinkle red-hot chili peppers in her watermelon juice, and again, she shouted at her in a commanding voice:
    “Come over here! Sit down! Stop all this nonsense! We have to talk about what’s been bothering us and making us so dreary for the past three weeks, and we’ve got to figure out how to prevent things from happening that we don’t want to happen.”
    Gloria, bewildered, ceased her soaping and rinsing and strode valiantly back to the table. Then, defiantly, she unexpectedly dropped into a chair while bringing the palm of her right hand to her slightly greasy chin, in a show of interest. Disgusting mule! Constitución, however, ignoring this affront, continued:
    “The way I see it, our dear boyfriend already suspects that we’re up to something fishy, don’t think he’s so dumb that he doesn’t realize that his Constitución is sometimes swapped out for someone who looks just like her, but he plays the fool to avoid a confrontation or maybe just for the fun of it; to tell you the truth, I think he sees this whole thing as a game, and that’s why he’s never mentioned marriage.”
    “I’m not so convinced,” Gloria said coldly. “If he were a fortune hunter, he’d have suggested we have sexual relations long ago, and he’d have done so with his arms akimbo. Because I don’t think that a man of that ilk would accept the monotony of kissing and caressing. It would be way too boring for him. He’d be so horny, he’d always be demanding more.”
    “Do you really think that he takes us seriously, I mean, takes me seriously?”
    “There is something very refined and deep about him: his face glows with the nobility of a rancher but also with firm convictions. No, he’s not a playboy, and even if he’s never directly mentioned marriage, he insinuates it whenever he describes his plans for