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chauffeur was sick they assigned him to take them and Meme was finally able to satisfy her desire to sit next to the driver and see what he did。 Unlike the regular chauffeur； Mauricio Babilonia gave her a practical lesson。 That was during the time that Meme was beginning to frequent Mr。 Brown’s house and it was still considered improper for a lady to drive a car。 So she was satisfied with the technical information and she did not see Mauricio Babilonia again for several months。 Later on she would remember that during the drive her attention had been called to his masculine beauty； except for the coarseness of his hands； but that afterward she had mentioned to Patricia Brown that she had been bothered by his rather proud sense of security。 The first Saturday that she went to the movies with her father she saw Mauricio Babilonia again； with his linen suit； sitting a few seats away from them； and she noticed that he was not paying much attention to the film in order to turn around and look at her。 Meme was bothered by the vulgarity of that。 Afterward Mauricio Babilonia came over to say hello to Aureliano Segundo and only then did Meme find out that they knew each other because he had worked in Aureliano Triste’s early power plant and he treated her father with the air of an employee。 That fact relieved the dislike that his pride had caused in her。 They had never been alone together nor had they spoken except in way of greeting； the night when she dreamed that he was saving her from a shipwreck and she did not feel gratitude but rage。 It was as if she had given him the opportunity he was waiting for； since Meme yearned for just the opposite； not only with Mauricio Babilonia but with any other man who was interested in her。 Therefore she was so indignant after the dream that instead of hating him； she felt an irresistible urge to see him。 The anxiety became more intense during the course of the week and on Saturday it was so pressing that she had to make a great effort for Mauricio Babilonia not to notice that when he greeted her in the movies her heart was in her mouth。 Dazed by a confused feeling of pleasure and rage； she gave him her hand for the first time and only then did Mauricio Babilonia let himself shake hers。 Meme managed to repent her impulse in a fraction of a second but the repentance changed immediately into a cruel satisfaction on seeing that his hand too was sweaty and cold。 That night she realized that she would not have a moment of rest until she showed Mauricio Babilonia the uselessness of his aspiration and she spent the week turning that anxiety about in her mind。 She resorted to all kinds of useless tricks so that Patricia Brown would go get the car with her。 Finally she made use of the American redhead who was spending his vacation in Macondo at that time and with the pretext of learning about new models of cars she had him take her to the garage。 From the moment she saw him Meme let herself be deceived by herself and believed that what was really going on was that she could not bear the desire to be alone with Mauricio Babilonia； and she was made indignant by the certainty that he understood that when he saw her arrive。
“I came to see the new models；？Meme said。
“That’s a fine excuse；？he said。
Meme realized that he was burning in the heat of his pride； and she desperately looked for a way to humiliate him。 But he would not give her any time。 “Don’t get upset；？he said to her in a low voice。 “It’s not the first time that a woman has gone crazy over a man。？She felt so defeated that she left the garage without seeing the new models and she spent the night turning over in bed and weeping with indignation。 The American redhead； who was really beginning to interest her； looked like a baby in diapers。 It was then that she realized that the yellow butterflies preceded the appearances of Mauricio Babilonia。 She had seen them before； especially over the garage； and she had thought that they were drawn by the smell of paint。 Once she had seen them fluttering about her head before she went into the movies。 But when Mauricio Babilonia began to pursue her like a ghost that only she could identify in the crowd； she understood that the butterflies had something to do with him。 Mauricio Babilonia was always in the audience at the concerts； at the movies； at high mass； and she did not have to see him to know that he was there； because the butterflies were always there。 Once Aureliano Segundo became so impatient with the suffocating fluttering that she felt the impulse to confide her secret to him as she had promised； but instinct told her that he would laugh as usual and say： “What would your mother say if she found out？？One morning； while she was pruning the roses； Fernanda let out a cry of fright and had Meme taken away from the spot where she was； which was the same place in the garden where Remedios the Beauty had gone up to heaven。 She had thought for an instant that the miracle was going to be repeated with her daughter； because she had been bothered by a sudden flapping of wings。 It was the butterflies。 Meme saw them as if they had suddenly been born out of the light and her heart gave a turn。 At that moment Mauricio Babilonia came in with a package that according to what he said； was a present from Patricia Brown。 Meme swallowed her blush； absorbed her tribulation； and even managed a natural smile as she asked him the favor of leaving it on the railing because her hands were dirty from the garden。 The only thing that Fernanda noted in the man whom a few months later she was to expel from the house without remembering where she had seen him was the bilious texture of his skin。
“He’s a very strange man；？Fernanda said。 “You can see in his face that he’s going to die。？
Meme thought that her mother had been impressed by the butterflies When they finished pruning the row bushes she washed her hands and took the package to her bedroom to open it。 It was a kind of Chinese toy； made up of five concentric boxes； and in the last one there was a card laboriously inscribed by someone who could barely write： We’ll get together Saturday at the movies。 Meme felt with an aftershock that the box had been on the railing for a long time within reach of Fernanda’s curiosity； and although she was flattered by the audacity and ingenuity of Mauricio Babilonia； she was moved by his Innocence in expecting that she would keep the date。 Meme knew at that time that Aureliano Segundo had an appointment on Saturday night。 Nevertheless； the fire of anxiety burned her so much during the course of the week that on Saturday she convinced her father to leave her alone in the theater and e back for her after the show。 A nocturnal butterfly fluttered about her head while the lights were on。 And then it happened。 When the lights went out； Mauricio Babilonia sat down beside her。 Meme felt herself splashing in a bog of hesitation from which she could only be rescued； as had occurred in her dreams； by that man smelling of grease whom she could barely see in the shadows。
“If you hadn’t e；？he said； “You never would have seen me again。？
Meme felt the weight of his hand on her knee and she knew that they were both arriving at the other side of abandonment at that instant。
“What shocks me about you；？she said； smiling； “is that you always say exactly what you shouldn’t be saying。？
She lost her mind over him。 She could not sleep and she lost her appetite and sank so deeply into solitude that even her father became an annoyance。 She worked out an intricate web of false dates to throw Fernanda off the track； lost sight of her girl friends； leaped over conventions to be with Mauricio Babilonia at any time and at any place。 At first his crudeness bothered her。 The first time that they were alone on the deserted fields behind the garage he pulled her mercilessly into an animal state that left her exhausted。 It took her time to realize that it was also a form of tenderness and it was then that she lost her calm and lived only for him； upset by the desire to sink into his stupefying odor of grease washed off by lye。 A short time before the death of Amaranta she suddenly stumbled into in open space of lucidity within the mad