intorduced me to fountain pens.

Well, part Maya. Had the nose. Big difference, though - we liked each other. A lot. She was a city girl, literate, very fluent in Spanish. I missed a date with her because my family had to flee. There was a civil war going on, and if there is a rumor of trouble, you move fast. Didn't get back for several years, when I did people who knew us both told be she was married, and having a baby. I never saw her again.

Anna Carolina Forno Maza de..., damn - not even 30 years go by and I can't remember the rest of her name.

The other one, eShu, was my finace but never girlfriend.

One day, when I was 15, I was in a village in Guatemala, where my parents were filming a documentary. I was in a small room with one door facing a courtyard. Suddenly, the doorway, and a good bit of the courtyard, was full of young women. eShu, who spoke more Spanish than the rest, was leading the group. She informed me that I was marrying one of them. There weren't any other doors. The window also faced the courtyard. I declined. My declining was not accepted. I was outnumbered. I was cornered. Eventualy, I made a choice. eShu was beautiful and feisty and we could communicate - her Spanish was better than my Ixil. And I had the impression that she wanted me to pick one of the others. All in all, she was the best choice for me. She declined, and I did not accept her declining. It was her or none of them.

The wedding was set for a week later.

I met her parents - in passing, no formal visits. Her mom was a nice enough person. Dad wore mirror sunglasses and looked kind of like a preying mantis, and we didn't impress each other.

eShu starred in some production shots for the documentary. My parents took wedding pictures - but not with me in them. Some of them became part of the documentary. She was perhaps the prettiest young woman in town, and the pictures (I don't have copies - maybe I should ask for some) were very good. The pictures were used to illustrate a creation myth that I don't exactly remember. Something about a goddess reaching for a gourd that is the skull of a god and becoming pregnant.

The big morning, Mr. Brother (I don't remember his real name - we were told to call him that as a sign of respect) met me to go for a walk, he wanted to get some cheese. I should have realized something was up - he strapped on combat boots. He doesn't normally wear anything on his feet. We walked briskly into the mountain. Well, the cheese (which was superb) was in another village, about 25 miles away. Over mountain trails. No technical climbing, but a steep path through some of the most excellent scenery I've come across. Mr. Brother could hike at a very brisk pace with very few breaks.

When we got there, ironicaly, there was a mass wedding going on. This was the week that the priest's rounds took him there, and there was a line of couples on the church steps. Not a t-shirt or pair of jeans in sight. Bright new Maya attire on all of them.

We watched some weddings, bought cheese, and headed home. Got back rather late. That has, so far, been the best visual day of my life. Didn't take a camera, we weren't going on a trip, just stepping out for some cheese.

The bride's mother laughed when I met her in the market the next day. eShu had gone for a walk, too. Nobody was upset. I don't think I ever saw eShu again. I didn't look for her, nor she for me.