Today I saw my sister''s rapist. His name is Alejandro Moreno. Some call him godfather or teacher, but I have to call him uncle. He is married to my aunt Azucena, who at 16 was a single mother. People say that he did her a favor by accepting her with a daughter who was not his; maybe that''s why she forgives him when he arrives drunk.
"There's nothing wrong with you, daughter, Alejandro is a nice drunk, one of those who tease you and grab your body with affection, he's not dangerous."
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"El maestro Alejandro" is called this way because he can do jobs for all trades, repair pipes, electrical faults, or paint houses. His hands are always dirty, and his clothes are stained. Since working in a handicraft market, he has been soldering brass and glass to make glass cases. Alejandro has a permanent smell of metal and sulfur for more than forty years. That smell accompanies him while he drinks, staggers, and asks to dance to grope any woman he accepts.
"He just dances and chatters, doesn't throw tantrums when he drinks, mija," my grandmother justifies it.
The godfather, a figure of "respect"
In religions, the godfather and godmother''s role is to take care of the goddaughter if the parents are not there, which is why they become figures of respect. It is a symbolic pact, that means: if I miss a day, I trust you will take care of my daughter. It is a decision that many are afraid of being wrong because if they are, they will fail as parents. Alejandro is the christening godfather of my sister Alondra, the girl he raped on a rooftop when she was nine years old. She has to call him like this: godfather. You owe him respect because that is the meaning of the pact. "Your sister is exaggerating. The "teacher" only hugs her and kisses her because she is his goddaughter, and she must love him; Alondra is bitter and stupid," says my mother, to ignore the situation.
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Traducción: Valentina K. Yanes