El General Peon
Part 4 of Story Yelling
El General Peon
Galicia, Spain 1846
The Spanish countryside gently rolled as Felix walked along the once familiar dirt road. The houses of former friends seemed to be in shambles. A lot has changed. Three years. Will my family even recognize me? When he had left, José had just been born, and little Catalina was only two. María, his bride, had now spent more of their marriage without him than with him. Every time he thought about what he had done, a tinge of doubt crept into his mind and made him feel nauseated. What is worse…being poor or being without a father? Your children were both for more than three years, and they will be both again soon. How you have failed! Anger welled up inside him as he thought about the landowners making a profit at the expense of his family, forcing him to go to sea.
After a couple of hours of walking, Felix still could not think of a better solution. As he reached the outskirts of his village, he heard a rumbling behind him. Felix turned around to see a gang of bandits, dressed in black. Unbeknownst to him, these angry men had been terrorizing his village for some time now. Felix turned his walking stick into a weapon, not knowing the meaning of fear.
Three men reached him before the rest of the crowd. Felix rapidly jabbed his stick into the abdomen of one of his oppressors. All the anger that he had felt just seconds earlier was now displaced onto these men. One man with a knife attempted to stab him in the stomach while another jumped on his back, but Felix, with what seemed like the strength of God on his side, kicked the knife from the attacker’s hand. Then he flipped the other man over his back. His head hit the ground with crack that reverberated through the earth. Blood poured from his skull as he cried out in pain. Men who had been running toward in now ran from him. But four more joined the fray, disregarding their companions who were now escaping.
Felix did not see the gash in his arm nor the blood dripping down his side. He considered his opponents ready to attack, but they began to surround him. As they encircled him, Felix thought that he might fail in this quest after all, but out of nowhere, a young man came up behind one of the assailants and ran a knife into his back. Felix regained his composure and jabbed one of the men in the face. The final two bandits, seeing that they had no hope of overcoming Felix and his young friend, fled from the scene.
Felix panted, hunching over with his hands on his knees. Felix eyed his accomplice suspiciously, but he saw a pride mixed with kindness in the boy’s face. The young man was well dressed. He wore shoes and had an air about him that made him seem intimidating and older than Felix suspected he was.
The young man broke the silence, “El General Peon1, you have saved my life.”
El General peon? Saved your life? What is this crazy chico talking about?
The man seemed to notice the confused look on Felix’s face, so he said, “Those men were not just laborers angry at the landowners who are cheating them out of pay, they are bandits that have been terrorizing the town of La Gándara and others like it for several months now.”
“What role did you play in all of this?” Felix inquired with suspicion.
“Sir, let us walk into town, and I will tell you my story.” The two men gathered themselves and began to walk towards town. “These men have been causing problems here for some time now, but I did not know of their acts until I arrived at the port of La Coruña yesterday. I am a Frenchman, but I am to marry a Spanish woman. When I arrived, my escort met me at the dock, and we went to a small inn to have lunch. As we were leaving, four men attacked us. They saw my clothes and shoes and assumed that I was the son of a landowner, so they stripped me and carried me through the streets allowing people to beat me.”
Before he continued, the young man stopped and lifted up his shirt to show Felix the bruises that had now turned a blue-green tint. “However, my escort beat a few of the men enough so that I could escape. I tried to help him, but he yelled at me to run. I ran back to the inn where the inn keeper helped me get cleaned up. I regret being such a coward though because when the inn keeper brought back my escort, he was barely holding on to life. Before he died, he told me that the men were headed in the direction of La Gándara. I vowed to avenge him, so I followed them. As I approached the mob, they heard my steps and once again captured me, binding my hands and feet. However, I was not long their prisoner because they saw you. The men quickly dropped me when they realized that you were planning to fight them. As they ran, I was able to undo their hastily tied knots. They did not know this, but before I left my escort, I stole the knife that he had hidden in his boot. Filled with anger, I ran toward them and stabbed the first man I could find. Now, here we are, walking to La Gándara.”
The young man stopped talking as if all of Felix’s questions had been answered, but Felix still knew very little about this boy. He looked over at the satisfied boy and tried to read his mind, but the boy just grinned as if he had won a great battle. Felix knew that the boy was socially far above him, so he did not dare to ask him any more questions. Even though Felix was barefoot, and his arm had a gash that now had dried blood smeared down it, the boy took no notice strutting like a peacock as he entered the town – Felix curiously followed. The young man stopped in front of the first tavern and ushered Felix in saying, “I must reward you for your deeds.”
At the sight of the town, Felix’s thoughts turned toward his María and his children, but curiosity mixed with fear and reverence pushed him through the door. With great confidence, the boy walked up to the counter, ordered two drinks, and moved toward a table in the back. Felix did not understand why this child had such a power over him, but he blindly followed him to the back.
As they drank, the young man relived the fight, adding in some details that Felix had not quite remembered. Once Felix had finished his drink, he stood to go, saying, “I am glad that I could be of service to you this afternoon, and I am grateful for your help, but I must go to my family.”
As he turned to leave, the boy grabbed his arm and said, “You cannot leave yet. I have a gift for you.” Felix sat back down as the boy continued, “The family of the woman that I am about to marry gave me this coin.” As he spoke, he retrieved black box from his pocket. When he opened it, Felix saw a gold coin inside. “It is among the first Spanish doubloons ever made. After they were created, the first dozen coins were presented to the king and queen. A priest who was in the court as the coins were being presented to them said: ‘These coins will bring wealth, prosperity, protection, and happiness to all who honorably own it, but beware of those who use it for evil purposes.’”
Felix looked at the young man, trying to analyze the truthfulness in his words, but the man did not pay any attention to him as he continued.
“Ever since the priest blessed those coins her family has passed them down. They did not feel that it was right to spend them. My future bride’s father gave two to me as a sign of our engagement.”
Felix was slowly putting the pieces of the puzzle together. However, he dare not form the thoughts into words. Instead, he said, “Why would you give me such a gift?”
“I have another one, and I am never going to spend it. Besides, you saved my life, which is worth far more to me than this old coin.” With that, the young man placed the black box that contained the coin into Felix’s hand. Felix felt as though he were holding a holy relic. Power seemed to pour from its tiny golden presence.
“Gracias, my young friend. I cannot say that I did an act worthy of such a gift, but I thank you.” Once again, Felix rose to leave, but a thought occurred to him and he asked, “Do you have any place to stay tonight? I do not have much to offer, but I will give you a meal and a small bed. In the morning, I will try to help you get home.”
The young man’s face lit up. “Sir, you have done so much for me already; I would not want to impose.”
“Please, it would be a great honor to have you stay in my home.”
“No, general peon, it will be my honor.”
The two left the tavern and headed to the other end of town. As they continued to walk, the houses became smaller and more run down, but the young man did not seem to notice as he continued to chatter about the coin, his family, and his voyage from France to Spain. Finally, Felix saw the little home he had built for his bride six years earlier. He touched the wall around the door, his hands recognizing each stone that he had placed. Slowly, he moved his hand from the wall and tapped on the door. A woman opened the door a crack. Felix said with a sense of urgency, “¿María?”
The woman squinted as if trying to recognize the man standing before her. Suddenly, a smile spread across her face, lighting up the dark night. “¡Felix!” She said as she jumped into his embrace. The pair stood holding each other trying to make up for the lost years. Two children peaked out from behind their mother’s skirts. Felix swept the two of them up, hardly recognizing his beautiful babies who had grown into young children during his journey. After the exchanging of kisses, hugs, tears, and laughter, Felix remembered his young companion who had remained in the shadows.
“Mi familia, I would like you to meet…” Then Felix realized that he did not even know the name of his young companion.
“Señor y señora, me llamo Antoine,2” he said as he bowed slightly. Then he continued, “Señora, your husband saved my life today, and I am forever indebted to him.”
“Really this young man saved my life, so I believe we are even,” Felix replied trying not to allow Antoine’s wild stories to consume his family. “I told him that we could give him a place to stay for the night...”
His voiced trailed off nervous about his wife’s reaction, but she replied, “¡Por supuesto!3” as she ushered him into the house. A small candle sat on the table, lighting the room. María sat him down on a stool that Felix had built long ago; it was the only seat. She moved quickly to provide a meal for their guest. Even though they did not have much food, somehow, a slice of bread, a bowl of cozido4, and a glass of watered down wine appeared on the table for Antoine and an equal share was provided for Felix. As he devoured the feast, Felix propped himself against the wall looking at his two beautiful children who were growing weary for the hour was late.
Felix knew the children who sat at his feet only knew him from the stories that their mother had told them. To them, the man standing before them must have been a mythic figure.
Felix did not know how to respond to the miniature lives sitting at his feet. Paternal instinct soon over-powered him, and he picked up his sleeping children and carried them to the sleeping area. As he walked, he realized he did not know where they slept. Anticipating his dilemma, María quickly showed him the corn cob mattress and corner blankets for the children. Felix lay his children down, kissed them both on the cheek, and said, “In the morning, I will have tales of my adventures for you.”
Once the children were settled, María carried the other blankets outside and shook them clean. As she reentered the house, she said, “Antoine, I am sorry that we do not have a proper bed for you, but I hope this will do.”
“Anything you offer will do, señora,” said Antoine as he finished the last of his cozido.
María showed him to the back of the room where pile of hay sat. She placed the blankets back on top of it. Antoine thanked her again and settled in.
Just before María blew out the candle for the night, Antoine called out, “Buenos noches, El General Peon5.”
“Buenos noches,” Felix replied. He and María settled on the dirt floor next to their children. They talked long into the night, trying to relive the past three years, until they drifted into the sea of sleep.
~*~
When the beams of morning light entered the room through a small upper window, Felix awoke to find that he was alone. Undoubtedly, María and the children have been for several hours taking care of the animals. An inadequacy washed over him as he realized that they worked while he slept. Yes, I am Gallego, but does my family have to toil and suffer from this curse too? He quickly dressed and went to the kitchen area. There was no other sign of their guest or of anyone else for that matter, but he saw a small plate of food sitting at the table for him. I could not bear to eat while others are working. He left the food and went outside. His wife and children were busily completing farm chores. Little Catalina and José were feeding the pigs while their mother was hard at work cleaning the pen. Seeing his family going about their daily business, Felix felt like an intruder, but he moved to his children and helped them with the bucket of mush for the pigs. At first, they did not seem to remember who he was or why he would do such a thing, but soon the three were working on the daily chores with efficiency and speed.
After the chores were done, Felix did not know what to say or how to act. He looked nervously at María who shyly smiled back at him, telling him that she felt the same way. Upon remembering their visitor, he asked, “Where is Antoine?”
“After breakfast, he said he was going into town to find a way home. I told him to stay in the house and wait for you to take him. He is not there?”
Felix’s stomach knotted and his face paled as he considered the consequences of losing Antoine. Before he was able to respond to his wife, a large band of people came charging towards his house. “Get in the house,” he yelled with an anger and fear that he had never felt before. Quickly, he gathered up both of the children and ran inside barring the door behind him. The family stood still scarcely able to breathe, listening to the shouts of the mob. After a few still moments, the muffled shouts turned into an audible chorus of “El General Peon! El General Peon! El General Peon!” His family looked at him with questioning eyes, but Felix could not offer an answer.
Knock. Knock. Knock. “El General Peon, there are some people out here who would like to express their appreciation for you.”
Felix recognized the voice, so he slowly opened the door and timidly peered out. Smiles and cheers greeted him as he allowed the door to swing open the rest of the way. Felix was pulled out of his house and onto the shoulders of men whom he used to know. The world spun around him as they paraded him through the village. Men gave him ale, and women gave him bread and vegetables. Felix tried not to accept these generous gifts. These people could scarcely afford to feed their own families let alone a stranger, but the more he protested, the more they forced the gifts into his hands. After the crowd died down and Felix had sufficiently thanked each individual for the gifts, Felix and his family and Antoine returned to their home, which the townspeople had furnished as a palace. Their once bare kitchen had four miss matching chairs surrounding a proper table.
Overwhelmed by the events of the day, Felix pulled out one of the chairs and sat down, put his face in his hand, and wept from gratitude. Once he regained his composure, he was able to ask, “Why?”
“El General Peon, do you not know?” Antoine paused as if he expected Felix to answer, but when he did not receive a response, he continued, “Yesterday, when you rescued me, you rescued the whole town from those bandits.” Felix shook his head in disbelief. Antoine continued his explanation. “This morning when I went into town to ask about arranging for travel to Madrid, the whole town was talking about how the bandits had declared that they would not return to La Gándara because it was protected by God. I, of course, set the record straight and told them that God had sent a man named Felix, El General Peon, to protect their village. Then I continued by telling them who I was and that you –”
“Antoine, I am sorry to interrupt, but who are you?”
“Have you not figured it out?” Antoine asked, but Felix continued to look at him with questioning eyes. “I am Antoine Marie Philippe Louis the youngest son of King Louis Philippe of France.”
Felix stood staring at the young man. Antoine did not seem notice Felix’s uneasiness; he merely continued by saying, “I am about to wed Infanta Luisa Fernanda of Spain, the daughter of King Ferdinand of Spain.”
With each statement, Felix’s wonder grew. They sat in silence for a few moments. Remembering the events of the day, Felix asked, “Why would the whole town treat me with such kindness?”
“You have given them hope.”
“No señor, you gave them hope. Thank you for all you have done for my family, my town, and me. I know a man who will be able escort you to Madrid, and I will make the arrangements for you in the morning.”
“I would be honored if your friend would escort me, but I would much rather you do it.”
Felix looked down at the new table. How can I leave my family again? But how can I not accept this invitation? “We can work out the details in the morning, but after such an exciting day, we should get some sleep.”
Antoine turned to leave the room, but he turned and said, “El General Peon, never underestimate the power that you possess.” With that, he went into the back of the room where he had slept the night before.
“Gracias.” Felix called after him. Then he looked down at the coin because he knew this was the power to which Antoine had alluded.
The next morning Felix explained the situation to María, and she agreed that he should go with Antoine. Felix wished his family good-bye promising to return within a few weeks. He hugged his confused children tightly telling them that his stories of his years at sea would have to wait. After he gave his wife a kiss, Antoine and Felix were off to Madrid.
Felix became known throughout La Gándara as El General Peon. He did not have to return to sea because of the generosity of the grateful town’s people. Throughout his lifetime, men would buy him drinks at bars and women would make blankets or meals for his family. They never knew the poverty that he thought they would, and Felix always attributed it to this coin.
However, just as the Pharaohs forgot the work of Joseph and his people, the world soon forgot Felix’s deed. Naturally, the town’s people would still tell the stories of their hero, but hard times ended their generosity towards his family. There was a famine, and many people starved. The Vazquez family did have times of hunger, but they never starved, and they never spent the coin because it is a sacred gift blessed by God and given to Felix by Antoine.
Click the following links to read parts you missed: part 1, part 2, and part 3.
The Peasant General. In Spanish, the “G” is pronounced with an “H” sound.
Sir and madam, my name is Antoine.
Of course!
A Spanish stew made of Chorizos (Spanish sausages), ham, cabbage, pimentos, and various vegetables.
Goodnight, peasant general.