Sidewalls Page #2

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As painful as it was for her,

she called me collect to say

she wasn't coming back.

It was her new home and she'd

realised she was very American.

Ingenious! She felt very American

when Argentina was devalued.

The truth is, there wasn't much

to keep her here: me and her dog.

She left her with the best

of intentions too.

She claimed the change in language

would be too difficult for her.

You know planes make me nervous.

Please take the rock I travel with.

- You've only travelled once.

- Well, it worked.

It's my kabbalah. Do it for me.

Alright.

AH at once,

I lost the woman I loved

and my ability to fly.

Hello, this is Mariana.

Leave a message after the beep.

Hello, hello. Are you there?

Alright. I just wanted

to tell you that tonight

a great film will be on TV

with Bill Murray

and the groundhog.

And because you took the TV,

I thought we could watch it together.

Pick up. I know you're there.

Are you with a guy?

You screwed me!

How can you be close

to someone so different?

That's the stupid conclusion

after a four-year relationship.

Four years are 48 months.

1460 days.

35,040 hours

with the wrong person.

I watched him one night

and realised everything:

For the first time, he was distant,

as if he were completely unfamiliar.

I suddenly feared

being alone with a stranger.

And here I am:

In the same apartment

that I abandoned to live with him.

In front of the same mirror.

Four years later.

A LONG WINTER:

Thanks.

The Internet brings me closer to

the world, but further from life.

I do banking and read magazines

on the Internet,

download music and listen to

the radio on the Internet,

order food on the Internet,

watch films on the Internet,

chat on the Internet,

study on the Internet,

play on the Internet, have sex

on the Internet and search for...

DOG SITTER:

Come here, Sus.

Come here, Sus. Come.

- This is Sus.

- Alright.

She's not used to

being with other animals.

- Then you'd better come with us.

- Alright, I'll take her.

- Can you get me a fag from my pocket?

- Here?

- Got a light?

- No.

- Get it from my pocket.

- Here?

- How long?

- Are you gay?

- Because of the dog

- Oh, right.

It's not mine. It belongs to a friend

who went to the USA.

She asked me to take care of it.

She had a problem

and couldn't come back,

sol kept it.

And since she left,

it's... it's more depressed,

it doesn't bark, it's insecure

and doesn't want to leave the house.

So I thought it'd be good

for it to meet other dogs and people.

I think she's adapting.

What do you think?

I thought you were gay.

I can't concentrate.

Maybe another time

Alright.

- Alright, bye.

- And what do we do? Should I call you?

- I'll be back tomorrow.

- Alright. Everything okay?

More or less. Bye.

Want to eat dinner?

Or should I wait until spring?

- Now?

- Do you have time?

I wanted to start swimming.

I'm tense.

- It's not time to start swimming.

- No, it's never time to swim.

Then let's eat.

Here it is.

Have you been here?

I've seen the building

but didn't know it has a restaurant.

I thought they were offices.

I thought it might be interesting

for an architect.

Shall we go up?

I'll take the stairs.

It's on the 20th floor.

Well...

You'll probably think I'm crazy,

but...

I have a phobia of them.

I don't use lifts.

Especially when

they're hermetically sealed.

I get claustrophobia.

Do you live on the ground floor?

- On the eighth.

- Seriously?

I think twice before leaving

the flat.

I go up at least three times a day.

Want to try it with me?

What?

No, I mean take the lift.

I know a good

ground floor restaurant

I'm curious to see the city

from so high up.

I'll Walk.

- I'll join you.

- That's not necessary. Really

You wouldn't make it anyway.

- Of course I will.

- But...

Now that you've finally said "yes'"

When did you last use a lift?

- Two or three years ago.

- Did something bad happen?

Don't speak.

You'll be out of breath.

Administer it.

- Have you tried closing your eyes?

- If that would only work.

The last time I climbed so many steps

was at Teotihuacan's Pyramid

of the Sun. 40 degrees

and not one miserable cloud

in the middle of the desert.

And 260 awkward steps.

They say the top of the pyramid

is a point

of cosmic energy

that fulfils your wishes.

My wish was not to fall

on my way back down.

Some people go back down on

their arses so they don't fall.

That's typical of religions:

They promise the improbable

so you don't regret

the sacrifices they demand.

I hope I won't regret

climbing these stairs.

Everything alright?

Don't you want to take the lift?

- Yes. That'd be better.

- See you at the top.

Smoking is killing me.

- Should I order a water for you?

- Go ahead.

- Sparkling or still?

- Still!

My relationship with Pablo

corresponded with the digital age.

At the beginning,

I bought a camera

that documented those four years.

380 photographs the first year.

176 in the second.

And four in the last year.

In a simple, irreversible act,

I'm doing away

with 38.9 megabytes of history.

If only my head worked as well

as my Mac

and I could forget everything

with a click.

Is there anything more discouraging

in the 21st century as an empty in-box?

Luckily, a friend wrote to me

from Oman.

He happens to be visiting Yemen

and needs my help withdrawing

from a local bank.

He hasn't written for a while.

It's an imprudent,

one-sided friendship.

Please give us some space.

Before I had my lift phobia,

I gave tours

in the Kavanagh building.

I had no problem taking

the 15 lifts

through 31 floors of

the city's most beautiful skyscraper:

The world's largest concrete

construction at the end of the 1930s.

A building as striking

as the history that it conceals.

Corina Kavanagh

was a beautiful woman

from a wealthy,

but plebeian family

who fell in love

with a young man of nobility.

The Anchorenas opposed

the relationship and broke it up.

Their most important possession

was the Basilica

Santisimo Sacramento,

a temple they built

which later became the family tomb.

The Anchorenas' palace

was on the other side of the park

and they wanted a new one

next to the basilica.

Corina Kavanagh sold three farms

and had a skyscraper built

for one reason:

To hide the basilica's facade

and prevent the Anchorenas

from seeing it.

It's only visible

from "Corina Kavanagh" alley.

When I have a daughter,

I'll name her Corina.

HOW WAS YOUR DAY?

Great, thanks. Here!

WHERE ARE YOU?

I'M AT THE CINEMA

- Can I put some music on?

- Of course.

WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME.

WHAT MOVIE?

You have thousands.

How am I supposed to choose?

- I don't like them.

- Let me choose one.

I WANT TO SEE YOU.

WILL MEET YOU AT THE EXIT.

IT'S TERRIBLY LONG.

I'M TURNING MY MOBILE OFF.

SENDING TO MARIELA

- You hardly ate anything.

- I don't eat much in the evening.

Did I tell you I'm writing a play?

You've hardly said anything all night.

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