Like most South American countries, Argentina's population is a mixture of indigenous persons and European immigrants. However, as Olga was explaining to me yesterday, Argentina is singular in the fact that the two groups have mixed less than in other neighboring countries. She proceeded to tell me the lovely tale of her immigrant ancestors, which I would now like to share with you:
Olga's paternal grandfather was from Barcelona, Spain. Olga's great-grandmother died when Olga's grandfather was very young, nothing more than 7. Soon after her death, her husband, so afflicted with pain and torture, married a woman from France and ran off to the north to live with her. Olga's grandfather and his four siblings fell under the care of a loving aunt. This aunt and uncle raised him as if he were their own son. However, when he was 15 years old, his uncle had to go to Argentina on business. He was a blacksmith and was commissioned to work on some iron gates leading to the university here in Cordoba. Hoping to give the young man a global perspective, he took him along. They stayed in Argentina nearly two years--during which the young man met a beautiful girl, a criolla--meaning of European and indigenous mixed decent. The two fell in love and passed every day together. His uncle was furious with this pairing and returned to Spain as soon as he found out they were in a relationship. He insisted that Olga's grandfather return with him. As Olga explained to me, this was a time when children obeyed their elders without question and without fight, so her grandfather returned to Spain, with the promise that he would come back to Argentina and marry his beloved. When he stepped off the boat in Spain, his uncle turned out his pockets to remove but every dime from his pockets, jeering, "Let's see you return to Argentina now." He knew he would have to work very hard to save the money he would need to return and marry in Argentina.
He started working and saving but less than a month later, he was called to military service. He knew that if he entered this bloody war, he would die. Therefore, he pretended to be a deaf-mute during the examination. The poor fellow was put through the ringer with their tests. They shoved instruments down his throat to try to get him to scream out... and dropped money/ books behind him to see if he would react to the sound. He was patient and put up with all their tests--and passed.
Meanwhile, his beloved waited. And waited. And waited. At some point, she befriended a different young man, studying in the seminary. Although he was about to take an oath to dedicate his life to God, he still fell a little more in love with this beauty everyday. Eventually, he gave her an ultimatum. He came to her house, dressed in regular clothes and asked for her hand in marriage. He had given up his robes and his place in the seminary for the possibility of her love in return. Absolutely disraught, she asked for but a day to make her decision and chose between these two wonderful men.
That night, at the strike of midnight, there was a knock on her door. It was Olga's grandfather, returned from Spain. He had secured passage by working on a ship during the trip. Of course, she chose him. She is Olga's grandmother, and the heroine of a fantastic love story.
That's a great story. Hope she's written it in her family history.
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