The Fountains of Silence(106)

“And your cousin? What was her name?”

Ana gives an awkward chuckle. “Puri. Yes, Purificación is well.”

She adjusts her posture and again takes his hands. A bird chirps from the tree above. “We’ve been apart for so long. Much has changed in Spain over the years. Since the 1940s each decade has been different. Now that Franco’s dead I don’t know if anyone outside of Spain could ever understand what it was like. It’s so complicated.”

She looks into his eyes. “Daniel, I was so foolish. I pushed you away. I said that you could never understand me, yet years have passed and I think you’re the only person I can truly feel myself with. You saw my life. You saw my fear. You do understand me. I’ve imagined and dreamed of being able to speak to you. To apologize and set things right.”

“Trust me,” he says, brushing a lock of hair from her eyes. “At this moment everything feels really right.”

She shakes her head. “Not exactly. There’s something you don’t know.”





Certainly, there is an argument to be made that, because of our close association with Franco, the kinds of economic and financial support that we’d given Spain, in return for the bases, we had prolonged the Franco period. It might have died a more natural death, in the minds of many people in Spain, if we’d not been there to support that structure. But you had the whole spectrum of views on the U.S. role.


—CURTIS C. CUTTER, U.S. political officer, Madrid (1970–1972) Oral History Interview Excerpt, February 1992

Foreign Affairs Oral History Collection

Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Arlington, VA www.adst.org





140



Ana shakes her hands out in front of her. “I’m so nervous.”

“Don’t be nervous. Just tell me.”

She takes a breath, gathering strength, and begins to whisper. “This was many years ago and I’m not sure you’ll even remember. But Rafa told me that you took photos at the cemetery.”

Daniel nods, remembering his pictures. The picture of the nun with the dead baby anchored his winning contest entry for the Magnum. He tried to share the story of the empty baby coffins with news outlets in the U.S. but no one seemed interested.

“Fuga convinced Rafa that children of Spanish Republicans were being stolen from maternity clinics around Spain. They suspected children were sold to fascist families.”

Ana looks over each shoulder, making certain no one is nearby. “But what they didn’t know is that it involved my sister, Julia.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Julia was pregnant,” begins Ana.

“What do you mean? I took pictures of her baby,” says Daniel.

“You took pictures of one of her babies,” whispers Ana, trying to bind her emotion. “Julia had twins. The birth was premature. Both infants were small, but one was stronger than the other. The doctors told Julia and Antonio that one of the babies had died. They both had deep suspicions but were too frightened to speak of it. The nuns and doctors were so adamant, and given that our parents were considered Reds, Julia was fearful to say anything.”

“Are you saying they stole Julia’s baby?”

Ana nods.

“Jeez,” breathes Daniel, pulling Ana into his arms. “And how is Julia’s daughter now?”

“Lali, she’s okay. When she was little, she had a terrible phobia of being separated from Julia. Growing up in Vallecas had its challenges. I have a recent photo of her . . . but I’m not sure I should show it to you.”

“I’d like to see it.”

Ana opens her mouth to speak but then shakes her head. She leans in to Daniel and kisses him. “I’ve missed you so much, you could never imagine how I’ve felt.”

“Believe me, I can.”

“I don’t want to ruin things.” A tear falls across her face. “But there can’t be any secrets between us.”

“Ana, why are you crying? You won’t ruin things.”

“Promise?”

“I promise,” he assures her.

She nods, choking back tears, and reaches in her purse. She hands a photograph to Daniel. “This is Lali.”

Daniel looks at the photo. It’s not Lali. It’s his sister, Cristina.





141



Daniel stares at the photo. “I don’t understand. This is my sister.”

“No, that’s Lali. Your sister is Lali’s twin.”

Daniel leans back against the bench, trying to absorb what Ana’s telling him. Cristina is a twin. Cristina is Julia’s daughter. His parents adopted Julia and Antonio’s daughter? He’s in love with his sister’s aunt?

“Daniel?”

“I’m sorry.” He pauses. “I’m completely thrown for a loop. Of course I knew she was adopted, and I figured one day she might wonder about her birth parents.”

“No, you can’t tell her. Please, not yet. This is complicated. I’ve known of Julia’s suspicions for years—that she thought Lali’s twin was alive—but Rafa doesn’t know.”

He stares at the photo.

“Daniel, please think carefully. No one knows how Spain will transition, if things will change or stay the same. Julia and Antonio have endured a lot over the past eighteen years. Cristina is their daughter. They’ve had two more children so Cristina is a twin but she also has two other siblings. Think of the difficulty in explaining to Lali and her siblings that there’s a twin sister in America. The whys, the hows. Please, promise me you won’t say anything. Not yet. Julia must take the lead here.”