El chico de adentro
El presidente de la junta de condominio le había informado de las numerosas quejas, pero Callahan se había excusado diciendo que ese era su amigo Mack que aparecía cada tanto a practicar a su casa:
_Es todo un genio de la guitarra. El mejor guitarrista de todos - había dicho Callahan con aquel tono de opera trágica.
_Será de la habitación, porque bueno no es - expresó el presidente y dejó a Callahan en mitad del pasillo con los ojos hundidos y abiertos como platos.
_Hacemos amigos secretos y cena navideña. Generalmente alguien trae un instrumento musical y cantamos. De repente puedas venir.
_Tengo un amigo que toca muy bien la guitarra. A veces aparece en el apartamento a practicar - expresó Callahan con timidez.
_Ah, sí, es difícil no haberlo escuchado - dijo Mary con cara rara. Luego expresó como si fuera una gran idea- También puedes invitarlo. Tal vez podamos hacer un grupo y animar la fiesta. No te creas: yo también tengo mis habilidades.
_¿Para esto nos hicieron venir? Esa chica está loca.
Solo Callahan aplaudió a Mary cuando esta terminó su pieza.
_¿Te gustó? - preguntó y puso cara de tonta.
_¡Tienes un poder de entristecer a la gente! - dijo Callahan como un cumplido.
_Esa es mi habilidad secreta. ¿Y tú amigo no vino? - dijo y miró a todos lados.
_Sí.
_Dónde está que no lo veo.
_Está dentro de mí. Solo sale para tocar la guitarra - expresó como si fuera un robot y enseñó su guitarra. Mary sonrió como si hubiese recibido una sorpresa. En ese instante, Callahan comenzó a tocar el instrumento con un frenesí desbordado. La gente lo miró espantado, sin poder creerlo, y todos preguntaron quién era ese chico:
_Es el nuevo. Se llama Callahan - dijo el presidente del condominio.
_No. Es Mack. - aseguró Mary con una seriedad traslúcida.
_¿Mack? ¿Quien es Mack?
_El hombre que vive dentro de él - respondió Mary y vio al hombre que charrasqueaba la guitarra como si tuviera rallando queso con una mirada de enamoramiento. Y de la nada suspiró y dijo:
_Ojalá Mack sea mi amigo secreto.
La imagen principal es de libre uso y editada en Canva, y el texto fue traducido con Deepl Translate
HASTA UNA PRÓXIMA OPORTUNIDAD, AMIGOS
![Click here to englis]
The boy inside
Everyone had said that the new tenant, Callahan, was a strange guy. Those who had seen him commented on his gray, yellow, vampire-like appearance, as well as his unkempt and dark appearance. He would come and go from the building at night, and rarely were any noises heard from his apartment, except for the sound of a musical instrument, as if a child were practicing for the first time, as if they were killing a guitar.
The president of the condominium board had informed him of the numerous complaints, but Callahan had excused himself by saying that it was his friend Mack who came over from time to time to practice at his house:
“He's a guitar genius. The best guitarist of all,” Callahan had said in that tragic opera tone.
“It must be the room, because it's not good,” said the president, leaving Callahan in the middle of the hallway with his eyes wide open and sunken.
It was on the eve of December 24 when Mary, a neighbor of Callahan's, ran into him and invited him to join them the next day:
“We make secret friends and have a Christmas dinner. Usually someone brings a musical instrument and we sing. You're welcome to come.”
“I have a friend who plays the guitar very well. He sometimes comes to the apartment to practice,” Callahan said shyly.
“Oh, yes, it's hard not to have heard him,” Mary said with a strange look on her face. Then she said, as if it were a great idea, >“You can invite him too. Maybe we can form a group and liven up the party. Don't think I don't have my own talents.”
On the night of the 24th, Callahan showed up at the party. He was carrying a bag of bread and a guitar. He put them on the table and approached the group of neighbors. He didn't know anyone and was about to ask for Mary when she appeared from behind a curtain and sat down at an organ in the corner. She began to play a funeral march, the kind you hear in horror movies. People looked at each other in disbelief and began to murmur sadly:
“Is this why they made us come? That girl is crazy.”
Only Callahan applauded Mary when she finished her piece.
“Did you like it?” she asked, putting on a silly face.
“You have the power to make people sad!” Callahan said, as if it were a compliment.
“That's my secret ability. Didn't your friend come?” she said, looking around.
“Yes.”
“Where is he? I don't see him.”
“He's inside me.” He only comes out to play the guitar," he said like a robot and showed her his guitar. Mary smiled as if she had received a surprise. At that moment, Callahan began to play the instrument with unbridled frenzy. People looked at him in shock, unable to believe it, and everyone asked who that boy was.
“He's the new guy. His name is Callahan,” said the president of the condominium.
“No. It's Mack,” Mary assured them with translucent seriousness.
“Mack? Who's Mack?”
“The man who lives inside him,” Mary replied, looking at the man strumming the guitar as if he were grating cheese with a look of love. And out of nowhere, she sighed and said:
I hope Mack is my secret friend.