Wedding Vows (story) / Votos de boda (relato)

Simon is a man of few words, extremely quiet. He has been like that all his life. He speaks only if he is asked something that interests him to answer, and does not waste his time in long fruitless talks with anyone or in giving unnecessary opinions. His mother says she does not know how he got a bride and how they are now preparing the wedding.

Simón es un hombre de pocas palabras, sumamente callado. Ha sido así toda su vida. Habla solo si le preguntan algo que le interesa responder, no pierde su tiempo en largas charlas infructuosas con nadie ni en dar opiniones innecesarias. Su madre dice que no sabe cómo consiguió novia y cómo ahora están en los preparativos de la boda.

Simon and Gemma are musicians, they sing and play different musical instruments: she the cello and he the guitar. Apart from their passion for classical music, which they cherish every day in their practices, both at the conservatory and at home, they love other different musical genres. She loves the music moved, like the rock, whereas to him the smooth one, the romantic one, with special delirium by the ballads; in spite of that they have got together very well and each one respects the taste of the other. Something that makes them laugh a lot is to imitate vallenato songs because they can't stand it.

Simón y Gemma son músicos, cantan y ejecutan instrumentos musicales diferentes: ella el cello y él la guitarra. Fuera de su pasión por la música clásica, que la acarician todos los días en sus prácticas, tanto en el conservatorio como en casa, adoran otros géneros musicales disímiles. A ella le encanta la música movida, como el rock, mientras que a él la suave, la romántica, con especial delirio por las baladas; a pesar de eso se han compenetrado muy bien y cada uno respeta el gusto del otro. Algo que los hace reír mucho es imitar canciones de vallenato porque no lo soportan.

Fuente                           Fuente

He has always known that his best way to communicate is through music. He never liked writing letters, or messages, or notes, anything like that. Many times he communicated through his guitar, singing or playing the right piece of music to convey his opinions or feelings, his anger, his pain or his joy. He didn't care much about being understood. Now he is in a great predicament: two weeks ago, Gemma reminded him to write his wedding vows and read them at the altar, in front of all those present.

Él siempre ha sabido que su mejor manera de comunicarse es a través de la música. Nunca le gustó escribir cartas, ni mensajes, ni notas, nada de eso. Muchas veces se comunicó a través de su guitarra, cantando o tocando la pieza musical adecuada para transmitir sus opiniones o sus sentimientos, su rabia, su dolor o su alegría. Poco le importó que lo entendieran. Ahora está en un gran aprieto: hace dos semanas, Gemma le recordó que debe escribir sus votos matrimoniales y leerlos en el altar, ante todos los asistentes.

From that moment on, his great headache began. There also came the anguish that did not let him sleep peacefully. He wondered, at all times, how he was going to do, how he was going to write and what he would say in those vows. He knew he had a lot to say to Gemma, the love of his life, the woman he always wants to be with and whom he doesn't want to disappoint if he doesn't write them, but the words just wouldn't come.

Desde ese momento comenzó su gran dolor de cabeza. También llegó la angustia que no lo dejaba dormir tranquilo. Se preguntaba, en todo momento, cómo iba a hacer, cómo iba a escribir y qué diría en esos votos. Sabía que tenía mucho por decirle a Gemma, el amor de su vida, la mujer con quien quiere estar siempre y a quien no quiere decepcionar si no los escribe, pero no le llegaban las palabras.

Simon was aware of his fear of public speaking and that was what was preventing him from writing the blessed vows. Singing in public is different: when he sings or plays, the world disappears for him and he and the immensity of the melody remain in tune. And the initial nerves disappear immediately.

Simón estaba consciente de su miedo de hablar en público y eso era lo que le estaba impidiendo escribir los benditos votos. Cantar en público es distinto: cuando canta o toca, el mundo se desaparece para él y quedan compenetrados él y la inmensidad de la melodía. Y los nervios iniciales desaparecen de inmediato.

Fuente

Two days before the wedding, he had written only her name, followed by a colon, on a piece of paper he carried in his pocket. He was sure he would write them down but he also knew that his best way to do so was through music. While the women were in the kitchen, preparing food for the big day, he locked himself in his parents' room trying to create an exclusive piece for his bride, but he didn't succeed: he was blocked. He was frustrated, he had no idea how he was going to write his vows, and neither did he compose a song for his girlfriend.

Faltaban dos días para la boda y no había escrito sino el nombre de ella, seguido de dos puntos, en un papel que cargaba en el bolsillo. Estaba seguro de que los escribirá pero también sabía que su mejor manera de hacerlo era a través de la música. Mientras las mujeres estaban en la cocina, preparando alimentos para el gran día, él se encerró en la habitación de sus padres intentando crear una pieza exclusiva para su novia, pero no lo logró: estaba bloqueado. Se sentía frustrado, no tenía idea de cómo iba a escribir sus votos, y tampoco componer una canción para su novia.

Due to his failed attempt, he put the guitar aside and started to check his parents' records, trying to clear his mind. And there, among the old records, he found a cd that he immediately recognized as his parents' favorite, put it in the music player and began to enjoy it. And, as if by magic, the song appeared that he would later play and sing for his beloved on her wedding day.her eyes shone because she knew that only by doing what he knows how to do, which is sing and play, using his fingers and his voice, would he tell Gemma what he could not write but which in that song was said completely.

Debido a su malogrado intento, dejó la guitarra a un lado y se puso a revisar los discos de sus padres, intentando despejar su mente. Y allí, entre los viejos discos, encontró un cd que reconoció de inmediato como favorito de sus padres, lo colocó en el reproductor de música y empezó a disfrutarlo. Y, como por arte de magia, apareció la canción que luego tocará y cantará para su amada el día de la boda.Le brillaron los ojos porque sabía que solo haciendo lo que él sabe hacer, que es cantar y tocar, utilizando sus dedos y su voz, le diría a Gemma lo que no pudo escribir pero que en esa canción estaba dicho completamente.

This is how Simon, in the ceremony held at the shore of a beach, when the time came to read his wedding vows, took the guitar that his best man put in his hands, sat down in front of Gemma and, to seal his love for her, began to sing this beautiful song, a ballad, by Gian Franco Pagliaro:

Así fue como Simón, en la ceremonia celebrada a la orilla de una playa, llegado el momento de leer sus votos matrimoniales, tomó la guitarra que le puso en sus manos su padrino de bodas, se sentó frente a Gemma y, para sellar su amor por ella, comenzó a cantar esta hermosísima canción, balada, de Gian Franco Pagliaro: