A Zero-Sum Game

by Eduardo Rabasa

  “My aunt was ultra-proud of me, more than for any good grade or school stuff. She didn’t say so, but she’d seen I’d finally understood her maxim. Imagine, she even did up the maid’s room on the roof so I could use it when I wanted, without bothering her. She knew she didn’t have either my age or looks any longer, so in some way she was toying with them too, but through me. I think I kind of healed her wounds too.”

  9

  A BETTER LIFE FOR THOSE WITH THE ABILITY TO ENJOY IT SHOULD BE REDUCED TO THE LEVEL OF THE INDIVIDUAL, THE ONLY ORGANIZATIONAL PRINCIPAL BASED ON EGOISM. IN VILLA MISERIAS WE WANT TO REPLACE THE CHAINS TYING US TO OTHERS, SO WE CAN BECOME A COMMUNITY COMPOSED OF LOOSE LINKS WITH NO MUTUAL OBLIGATIONS.

  THE BEST WAY TO KNOW A PERSON ISN’T BY ALL THAT ROT ABOUT THE SOUL, BUT BY HIS THINGS AND HIS APPEARANCE. HOUSES, CARS, TELEPHONES, CLOTHES, WATCHES, BALD PATCHES, PAUNCHES, MAKEUP, COSMETIC SURGERY, BOTOX INJECTIONS, DOMESTIC SERVANTS, AND OTHER ACCESSORIES, DON’T JUST GIVE US EASE AND COMFORT. PEOPLE WHO THINK THAT ARE WRONG. NOWADAYS, LUXURY IS THE GREAT STRATIFIER OF OUR TIMES. IT TELLS US MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT THE ASPIRATIONS OF OTHERS.

  POSSESSIONS ARE LIKE A PROSTHESIS THAT COMPLETES OUR BEING. THEY COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER TO UNITE THE PEOPLE WHO SHOULD BE TOGETHER. G.B.W. PONCE HAS SHOWN THAT MEMBERS OF SOCIAL CIRCLES TEND TO BE SIMILAR. AMONG THE DIFFERENT STRATA, THERE ARE ALMOST NO DIFFERENCES IN GOOD LOOKS, ACQUISITIVE POWER, POLITICAL IDEAS AND THE REJECTION OF COMPLEXITY. THE MASTERMIND’S EXPERIMENTS HAVE ACCURATELY PREDICTED FRIENDSHIPS AND ENGAGEMENTS IN PILOT GROUPS OF OVER TWO HUNDRED PEOPLE. BEING WHAT HE POSSESSES ALLOWS A PERSON TO MIX WITH PEOPLE LIKE HIM, SO HE DOESN’T HAVE TO DISILLUSION THEM WHEN THEY FIND OUT TOO LATE HE’S IN THE WRONG PLACE.

  THE RECONSTRUCTION WORK DONE BY T&R HAS MADE US STRATIFY FROM THE BOTTOM UP. THE INTENTION IS FOR OUR BUILDINGS TO REFLECT THE DISTRIBUTION OF ABILITIES IN THE COMMUNITY. G.B.W. PONCE HAS DEMONSTRATED THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LIVING SPACE AND MENTALITY. JUST BY KNOWING THAT IN THE LARGEST APARTMENTS THERE ARE, ON AVERAGE, TWO AND A HALF BATHROOMS, AND IN THE SMALLEST, ONLY ONE, CAN GIVE US AN IDEA OF THE ASPIRATIONS OF THE INHABITANTS. IF NOT, HOW CAN WE EXPLAIN THE FACT THAT WE LIVE TOGETHER WITHOUT FRICTION. THE PEOPLE AT THE BOTTOM RESPECTFULLY GREET THE “PALEFACES” UP AT THE TOP, AND OFTEN CARRY OUT THE TASKS THOSE PEOPLE DISLIKE FOR A SMALL GRATUITY. AND NOT JUST THAT: THEY DEFEND THEIR RICH NEIGHBORS AGAINST PEOPLE THEY HAVE MORE IN COMMON WITH. NOTHING GIVES A CLEARER DEMONSTRATION OF THEIR BELIEF IN QUIETISM IN MOTION. ON THE ONE HAND THEY ACCEPT WITHOUT COMPLAINT THE DESTINY THEY HAVE ASSIGNED THEMSELVES; ON THE OTHER, THEY ASPIRE TO ONE DAY BE LIKE THOSE WHO COULD CHOSE SOMETHING DIFFERENT. THEY ACCEPT THEIR PLACE AMONG THEIR PEERS, BUT DON’T RELINQUISH SEEING THEMSELVES REFLECTED IN THE SHINING POOL ABOVE.

  IF WE ACCEPT THAT MATERIAL STRUCTURES ARE A FAIR INDICATOR OF THE VALUE OF SOULS, WHY CAN’T WE RECOGNIZE THE SAME AT A POLITICAL LEVEL? IN THIS SENSE, AS A COMMUNITY, VILLA MISERIAS IS ALSO IN THE VANGUARD. WHILE OTHERS HYPOCRITICALLY DEFEND EQUAL PARTICIPATION, WE SIMPLY CLARIFY WHAT WOULD HAPPEN ANYWAY.

  THROUGH OUR ADVANCED ELECTORAL ENGINEERING, WHICH GIVES MORE POLITICAL WEIGHT TO THOSE WHO HAVE MORE REAL POWER, WE SHRUG OFF THE CONTRADICTIONS OF ELECTORAL SYSTEMS. ON THE ONE HAND, IT’S OFTEN SAID WE ARE FREE TO VOTE ACCORDING TO OUR CONSCIENCES: THEY SAY A RATIONAL VOTER CAN REWARD OR PUNISH PERFORMANCE WITH HIS VOTE. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, LIMITS ARE PLACED ON DONATIONS AND ELECTORAL PROPAGANDA IS REGULATED.

  SO, WHERE DO WE STAND? IF CONSCIENCES ARE SUPREME, WHY IMAGINE MONEY CAN BUY THEM? AN INFORMED VOTER WOULDN’T RUN THE RISK OF BEING INFLUENCED BY LIES THAT GO AGAINST HIS OWN GOOD JUDGEMENT. THE SATURATION OF MESSAGES SHOULDN’T AFFECT HIS RATIONALITY EITHER. AND THE SAME GOES FOR SLOGANS. IF VOTERS ARE SO INTELLIGENT, WHY ENDLESSLY REPEAT SLOGANS DESIGNED FOR IDIOTS?

  WELL NOW, IF INSTEAD WE ADMIT THAT VOTERS CAN BE MANIPULATED AND ARE UNINTERESTED AND LAZY, THERE’S NOTHING FOR IT BUT TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE COLLECTIVE DESTINY RESTS ON THE MASSES WHO MAKE THEIR DECISION BASED ON POPULARITY, PREJUDICE, AND BANAL SLOGANS.

  EVEN THE MOST FANATICAL DEFENDERS OF THE PRESENT SYSTEMS ACCEPT THAT THE PERSON WHO INVESTS TIME AND MONEY IN SUPPORTING A CAMPAIGN EXPECTS SOMETHING IN RETURN, AND THAT THE BARRAGE OF ADVERTISING SWAYS THE ELECTORATE. VILLA MISERIAS, NO LESS, HAS TAKEN THE LOGICAL LEAP FORWARD IMPLIED BY ALL THIS. WE NO LONGER NEED THE FARCE OF EACH CITIZEN HAVING EQUAL WORTH. GIVING MORE WEIGHT TO THE RICHEST BUILDINGS MEANS ACCEPTING WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW. IN THIS SENSE, THE FORMAL RECOGNITION THAT, IN PRACTICE, SOME PEOPLE ARE MORE IMORTANT THAN OTHERS MAKES US MORE DEMOCRATIC, NOT LESS.

  SOME PEOPLE HAVE ASKED US WHY WE DON’T JUST FORGET THE HERD. WOULDN’T IT BE MORE HONEST TO LIMIT THE VOTE TO THOSE WHO REALLY MAKE THE DECISIONS? BUT THAT VISION DOESN’T TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE ROLE OF THE MASSES IN KEEPING A WATCH ON EXCESS. IN THE PRESENT DAY, THEY ARE ESSENTIAL FOR EXPRESSING RAGE AT THE PERIODICAL POLITICAL SCANDALS. THE SHORT MEMORY OF THE RABBLE MAKES IT A BULL READY TO CHARGE AS OFTEN AS NEEDED. IN THE SAME WAY, ALTHOUGH IT’S KNOWN THAT A MINORITY DECIDES, IT’S IMPORTANT THAT THE REST FEEL THEY PARTICIPATE IN SOMETHING HIGHER. EVEN IF THEY ARE COVERED IN DIFFERENT SKINS, THE FLOCK KEEPS ALIVE THE ILLUSION OF PARTICIPATING IN THE SELECTION OF THEIR SHEPHERD.

  10

  “You see, people always think just because I have a chaotic love life, it means I’m irresponsible, but it’s nothing like that. If I learned anything on that frigging farm, it’s that you have to earn your living day after day. Do you remember I told you I’ve known I was different from a very young age? Well, it’s a bit like that. Since I was small, I’ve had it very clear I wasn’t going to rely on any man to keep me.

  “And thanks to aunt Orquídea helping me to catch up, I became a very good student. I wasn’t the kind that needs to be watched to make sure they do their homework or revise for exams. What happened was that, as I was growing up, I managed to separate my private life from my duties. People say it’s impossible, but in my case, open sexuality sits easily with my pretty methodical discipline.

  “When I went back to school, I used to help my aunt with things for her newspaper. My favorite part was when she let me go with her to do interviews. Do you know who impressed me most? Well, Selon Perdumes. Like everyone else here, I’d heard so much about him from so many different sources, I didn’t know what to expect. His smile bounced and echoed around the whole room. When he spoke, the words came out somehow really resolute, but also really slow and deliberate. Every time he said something, I had the feeling the words had been on the tip of my tongue an instant before. I remember it was not long after that day that I decided to study journalism. Amazing, huh?

  “The thing is, I’ve made a really big effort with my studies, but, in the end, doors keep opening for me because of my looks. Though I try to act dumb and pretend that’s not the way it is, at heart even I know it’s true. My classmates, teachers, sources for getting interviews, even the interviewees, all change their tone when they see me. You know, one time I even interviewed a female shaman—can you imagine?—for a university newspaper. She had a white streak in her black hair. Anyway, they’d told me she was frigging pompous, but as she was so nice to me, afterwards I told her that her reputation seemed to me very unfair.

  “You’ll never guess what she replied. She began saying it was true what they said about her, but the difference with me was because she was obsessed with physical beauty. And while she was trotting that out like it was a biological law, she was stroking my hair. I was so nervous I couldn’t even smile. But things didn’t end there. She grabbed my face between her two hands and moved hers very close to my lips. I’d resigned myself to the worst, when she said, ‘Don’t worry, child. I’m too old to have illusions. Just let me look at you for a while longer. You make an impact on either sex.’ See, I’d done all the research and stuff for the interview, and the woman comes out with that. You can’t imagine how I felt, I was on the point of changing professions.

  “I suppose you think I’m exaggerating, but, like, it’s a bore to be alw
ays struggling against labels. Because don’t go thinking everything’s a bed of roses. Lots of times, the ease they welcome me with turns to hostility when they see I’m trying to behave professionally. I swear, it’s the same thing, again and again. They tell me I’m wasting my life doing this job, that chicks like me shouldn’t have anything to do with real life stuff, that I should find myself someone to set me up in a house and keep me…Nowadays, I think a good part of my vocation has to do with showing them they’re wrong. I don’t know, but maybe if I learn to write well about what’s behind appearances, they might stop seeing me as pure appearance.

  “And it’s true, my aunt has been an angel. A few months back, she offered me a job on The Daily Miserias, so I’m working formally for the paper now. She needs help reporting the campaigns for the presidency of the residents’ association. I don’t know why, but she says it’s historic, very important, that every angle has to be covered. Right now, she’s involved in negotiating the advertising and headlines, so, the thing is, she wants me to write most of the articles. Panic stations, right? It’s my first big break. I want to prove to myself I’m not just a satellite orbiting around the man of the moment. Who knows, maybe someone will be really interested in taking a look at what’s behind the eyes that frighten them so much.”

  11

  SO, THERE’S NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT. VILLA MISERIAS HAS THE CHANCE TO MAKE HISTORY. AND MORE THAN THAT, WE HAVE THE CHANCE TO DO AWAY WITH HISTORY. WE CAN REACH THE PEAK OF OUR DEVELOPMENT, NO LONGER JUST HERE, FOREVER MOVING IN THE SAME DIRECTION. TO MAKE OURSELVES UNDERSTOOD, WE TELL IT LIKE IT IS. SINCE POLITICS IS APPARENTLY NO LONGER RELIGIOUS, THE CONTEST HAS BEEN DIVIDED INTO TWO LARGE CAMPS. THERE ARE DIFFERENT NAMES FOR THEM IN DIFFERENT PLACES, BUT HERE WE’LL CALL THEM THE DREAMERS AND THE VILLAINS.

  THE DREAMERS ENJOY THE GOOD LIFE WHILE WHINING ABOUT INJUSTICE, AND THEY WANT TO SHOW SOLIDARITY WITH THOSE WHO HAVE NOTHING. THEY BLAME THE SITUATION ON THE VILLAINS, BECAUSE THEY STAND BY THE PRIVILEGES THAT, IN FACT, BOTH GROUPS ENJOY. THE DREAMERS WANT MORE PUBLIC SPENDING, BUT IT’S LIKE THEY’RE TRYING TO STAUNCH A HEMORRHAGE WITH A BAND-AID. AS IF THEY DIDN’T KNOW THAT, BY DEFINITION, YOU CAN’T LIVE ON MORE THAN YOU HAVE FOREVER. THEN DISASTER STRIKES, AND THERE’S A CYCLICAL CRISIS. THAT’S WHEN THE ELECTORATE VOTES FOR THE VILLAINS WHO TALK ABOUT TIGHTENING BELTS.

  THE VILLAINS EXPLAIN THAT POVERTY IS THE RESULT OF THE DREAMERS’ IRRESPONSIBILITY. THE VILLAINS LIVE THE HIGH LIFE WHILE MAKING ADJUSTMENTS AND CUTS THAT ALWAYS HAVE MOST EFFECT ON THE SAME PEOPLE. THEY DON’T WORRY ABOUT LETTING THE WATER RISE UP TO THE NECKS OF THE MAJORITY. THEY KNOW PEOPLE PUT UP WITH IT, GET USED TO THE RAPID WORSENING OF THE SITUATION. WHEN THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GO UP IN SMOKE, A CHARISMATIC DREAMER APPEARS AND TALKS ABOUT SAVING SOCIETY FROM THE VILLAINS. THEN THERE’S A CHANGEOVER, AND THE WHOLE GAME STARTS AGAIN, WITH ALMOST THE SAME PEOPLE WINNING AND LOSING.

  THIS PIECE OF THEATER COVERS UP THE LIE UNITING THE DREAMERS AND VILLAINS. ALTHOUGH IN PUBLIC THEY SAY THEY HATE EACH OTHER, THEY IN FACT NEED ONE ANOTHER TO CONTINUE AS THE TWO FACES OF A PRIVILEGED CASTE. ALTHOUGH THEY GIVE POMPOUS SPEECHES, AT HEART THEY ARE THE SAME AS THE REST OF US: SIMPLE LITTLE MEN, DRIVEN BY THE SAME EGOISTIC CONCERNS. YOU THINK THE DREAMERS AREN’T SO GIVEN TO ACCUMULATING PROPERTY, YOUNG LOVERS, AND HONORARY DOCTORATES? BUT IT’S THE SAME WITH THE VILLAINS. DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD THROW LOVED ONES ONTO THE STREET OR LEAVE THEM WITHOUT A HOSPITAL? FOR ALL THEY ACT AS IF IT WEREN’T SO, THEIR FLESH IS AS WEAK AND HUMAN AS ANYONE ELSE’S.

  FOR THESE REASONS, WE IN VILLA MISERIAS ARE PREPARED FOR THE FINAL SYNTHESIS. FORGET THE EUPHEMISMS. NO MORE LIES. WE WANT A DISCOURSE THAT EXPRESSES WHAT WE ALL KNOW, BUT NEVER SAY. FOR YEARS WE’VE BEEN TEACHING THAT EACH PERSON HAS TO TAKE CHARGE OF HIS OWN FUTURE. THE RESIDENTS ACCEPT THIS IN PRACTICE. IF NOT, HOW CAN THEIR PASSIVITY BE EXPLAINED? YES, THE BLACK PAUNCHES ARE BETTER EQUIPPED NOW, AND IT’S TRUE THAT MANY NOW HAVE THEIR OWN PRIVATE SECURITY, BUT WE KNOW THAT THERE ISN’T AN ARMY IN EXISTENCE THAT CAN OPPRESS A WHOLE POPULATION, BECAUSE THEY DON’T EVEN NEED VIOLENCE TO SET LAW AND ORDER ON ITS HEAD. LET’S IMAGINE THAT PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY STOPPED PAYING THE SERVICE CHARGE. OR THAT NO ONE VOTED IN AN ELECTION. THAT PEOPLE LEFT THE TAPS RUNNING ALL DAY. WENT OUT INTO THE STREET NAKED. THERE ARE AS MANY WAYS TO PARALYZE A SOCIETY AS THERE ARE PEOPLE IN IT. A GENERAL ADHERENCE TO CUSTOM IS A SILENT VOTE IN FAVOR OF KEEPING THINGS AS THEY ARE. THE KEY IS THAT EACH PERSON THINKS THAT, WITH A LITTLE EFFORT AND LUCK, WHO KNOWS, HE MIGHT BE THE ONE TO LOOK DOWN FROM THE SUMMIT.

  DEEP DOWN, THE LIBERALS WHO WANT THINGS TO BE DIFFERENT AND THE CONSERVATIVES WHO DON’T WANT CHANGE ARE FIGHTING FOR THE SAME THING. THEY BOTH WANT TO IMPOSE THEIR TRADITIONAL VISION OF HOW TO ORGANIZE THE ESSENTIAL HIERARCHIES OF OUR SPECIES. ONE SIDE GOBBLES RED MEAT AND GUZZLES FINE WINES, THINKING HOW TO MANAGE IT SO THAT NO ONE IS EXCLUDED FROM THE TABLE, BUT AT HEART THEY KNOW THERE ISN’T ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE TO LIVE THE WAY THEY DO. THE OTHER GOBBLES RED MEAT AND GUZZLES FINE WINES, CONVINCED THAT IF THE IDLERS WANTED, THEY COULD HAVE THE SAME AS THEM.

  THAT IS WHY WE NEED A CANDIDATE WITH THE COURAGE TO STATE THE OBVIOUS: WE ARE NOT EQUAL; WE DON’T WANT TO BE EQUAL; WE PREFER TO ATTEND TO OUR SMALL PLEASURES THAN FILL SOMEONE ELSE’S BELLY. G.B.W. PONCE HAS CALCULATED THAT A SMALL EXTRA CONTRIBUTION WOULD REMOVE THE NEED FOR THE WORKERS TO EAT LEFTOVERS. A SURVEY HAS REVEALED THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF RESIDENTS APPROVES THIS MEASURE, BUT WHEN THE ADDITIONAL CHARGE WAS PROPOSED, ALMOST ALL THE RESIDENTS’ ASSEMBLIES VOTED AGAINST IT.

  WE WANT TO GIVE THE PAUPER BACK HIS DIGNITY. WE NO LONGER NEED TO PROMISE HIM WE ARE WORKING TO ASSURE THAT, ONE DAY, HE CAN GIVE UP BEGGING. THINGS ARE THE WAY THEY ARE, NOT THE WAY WE SAY WE WOULD LIKE THEM TO BE. THE TIME IS RIGHT. WE ARE READY TO LEAVE BEHIND THE MENTAL AGE OF THE MINOR. VILLA MISERIAS IS CAPABLE OF BECOMING THE MOST TRULY HUMAN COMMUNITY EVER. WE MUSTN’T MISS OUR APPOINTMENT WITH HISTORY. WE ARE LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT CANDIDATE TO TAKE US WHERE WE HAVE WANTED TO BE FOR A LONG TIME.

  12

  Max finished reading the document through for the first time. He had the sensation that his body was extending a few inches beyond his skin; minute, sharply pointed darts were piercing it by the million. A last memory from before the lava of darkness filed through his head:

  “Are you dating anyone?” That was the first thing that occurred to him to break through the density of Nelly’s narrative.

  “Oh, well, I mean, more or less. Yes, I’ve been like with the same guy for over a year. But the truth is, he’s really boring, and I’m fed up with him,” replied Nelly, now on her feet, impatient to end that stage of the conversation.

  “Look, Nelly, don’t be so hard on yourself. You haven’t had it easy, but the important thing is you don’t have to repeat the same old mistakes.”

  “Oh no, hey…Max. You haven’t understood the first thing! See? I explained it all so carefully, and you come out with this. Well, no way, come on, let’s go to bed. I’m ready for the night to begin.”

  13

  Sao and Pascual filled the gap Max was leaving in the triumvirate by fully occupying themselves with other things. For Bramsos, in addition to the time spent in his studio, his group, Eidola, was hired to provide the entertainment for such celebrations as Mauricio Maso’s forthcoming birthday. On one of the days when Beni Mascorro appeared to give him his weekly free packets, he also handed him a list of what seemed to be song titles. Bramsos didn’t know a single one.

  “Wait a minute. Don’t go yet. What’s this?”

  “They’re the numbers the boss wants you to play at his party next week.”

  Sao, who had finished her undergraduate dissertation, was still doing a few shifts at the laundry, which was where Pascual sought her out to ask for help in creating a visual spectacle to accompany the set. He had neither the time nor the inclination to learn the party requests: although Eidola used plenty of creative license in their cover versions, this was too weird. As he didn’t have an accordion—an essential element of his patron’s preferred music—Bramsos was think
ing of using the event to inaugurate an instrument he’d mainly designed to play a version of his own favorite piece.

  At first sight, Bramsos’ instrument looked like a normal electric guitar, with a crack along its full length. The innovation was in the materials: it was a polystyrene guitar with plastic strings. Bramsos had worked away tenaciously until he found the right mold: the polystyrene beads gathered up the vibration generated by the ambient white noise in the strings. Each note silenced some of the innumerable particles of discreet shrillness that formed it. The music was composed of varying tones of silence, harmoniously snatched from the imperceptible din his guitar channeled.

  He had yet to play the guitar in public. The song he intended to interpret had caused its original creator enormous problems. The audience had stormed out of the auditorium, feeling its collective leg was being pulled. That’s what made Bramsos think of a more tangible complement to calm the stir.

  14

  It was the night of the celebration on the terrace of Maso’s penthouse. A pig, hanging head down, bleeding to death, and a lamb skewered over the burning coals were waiting to fête the aristocracy of Villa Miserias. Maso had decided to give the party an Eskimo theme. The guests had to knock back a Siberian Husky before being allowed to enter. The bar was crammed with glasses, ashtrays, lighters, and ice cubes, all shaped like igloos, plus igloo-shaped containers full to the brim with other substances. Beni Mascorro had been put in charge of handpicking a selection of escorts from a high-class agency. They were distinguished by their short, figure-hugging dresses, made from artificial sealskin, finished off at the neckline with a strip of daring pale fluff, the origin of which no one was interested in checking. Maso had arranged for them to mix with the crowd to raise the tone of his party, and offer his male guests the possibility of something more later on.