Daily Prompt | Lovers

The lovers looked at each other furtively, trying to hide their gazes heavy with desire. There were three of them at the table: the husband, as old as her own parents; the wife, who tried to carry herself with an air of respectability; and the lover, who came to the house posing as a friend.

When she got married, she was 17, and he was 30 years older. As a baby, she used to sit on his lap, as if he were an uncle, since he was her father's best friend.

As she grew up, the "uncle" stopped looking at her like a child, and although her parents suspected something, there was never an official courtship.

One day, he simply took her away on the back of his horse, as if she were an object. She felt flattered, and it was a way to escape her own home, where she was more of a nanny and servant than a daughter.

The happiness didn't last long. Although they later married, he never treated her like a wife. She was the woman who cooked and served him. Out in the street, he had his lovers — always impeccable, perfumed, and willing.

She swallowed her pride, because she didn't want to go back to her parents' house. The humiliation was known throughout the whole town.

That's why, when the husband began to lose his strength, when old age turned him into a burden, she began taking lovers of her own. It was her way of getting revenge.

Now it was his turn to swallow his pride, because time forgives no one — and neither did his wife.

Los amantes se miraron furtivamente, tratando de disimular sus miradas cargadas de deseo. Eran 3 a la mesa. El marido, tan viejo como los padres de ella, la esposa que trataba de aparentar un aire de señora, y el amante, que llegaba a la casa como un amigo.

Cuando ella se casó, tenía 17 años, y él 30 más. Se había sentado de bebé en su regazo, como si fuera un tío, al ser el mejor amigo de su padre.

Al crecer, el "tío" dejó de mirarla como a una niña, y aunque los padres sospechaban algo, nunca hubo noviazgo oficial.

Un día, simplemente se la llevó en la grupal de su caballo. Cómo si fuera una cosa. Ella se sentía halagada, y fue una forma de escapar de su casa, en la que era la niñera y empleada más que una hija.

La felicidad duró poco. Aunque se casaron después, él nunca la trató como a una esposa. Era la mujer que le cocinaba y le servía. En la calle tenía sus amantes, siempre impecables, perfumadas y dispuestas.

Ella se tragaba el orgullo, porque no quería volver a casa de sus padres. La humillación era conocida por todo el pueblo.

Por eso cuando el marido empezó a perder fuerzas, cuando la vejez lo transformaba en una carga, ella empezó a tener amantes. Era su forma de vengarse.

Ahora quién tenía que tragarse su orgullo era él, porque el tiempo no perdona, y su mujer tampoco.

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Texto original en español. Traducido al inglés por Claude (Anthropic).
Ilustración realizada por Ideogram AI

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