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I turn the large stubborn knob yet again. A loud click sounds again and the pilot light flares on, a lonely blue flame seen through the grill. I hold the knob in for a minute and then turn the other knob to light the gas heater. It finally takes and I hear the metal creaking and crackling as the wall unit heats up. The smaller one in the hallway should be easier to light. Isa has been shivering dramatically the last few days and I couldn´t delay lighting it anymore. It warms up to over 10 Celsius during the day but nights are getting quite cold. May day came and went last week ( an anarchist group placed a small bomb in front of a Citibank branch in Buenos Aires. Or was it HSBC? ) along with Diego´s birthday. I squat down and make sure the pilot light is still going even though I can easily feel the heat coming out the grill now. Behind it more flames, some yellowish. Each one is wrapped in that in which he burns. They say by that line ( 48, XXVI ) that Dante is referring to the burning need of advisors to capture the minds of those they counsel falsely. Taken to puritanical extreems, all creation not strictly inspired by some official divinity is fradulent counsel. A burning need to put down words so someone can read them. No poetry thanks, all I need is the Good Book. Or a bonfire. May 10, 1933 for example. Was The Divine Comedy among the thousands of books burned? I pull my face away from the heat and stand up. Diego´s got an electric heater. He managed to put together a small wind turbine on the roof of his home and hook up a water heater and a wall unit. Let´s see how he survives the winter.

We´re down to less than two thousand dollars and Cagnazzo hasn´t called for two weeks now. A few emails from a German lit prof in Stuggart and a phone call from someone in Dallas is all the interest so far. I´m not sure who called from Dallas. Oriana took the call and was vague about the details. The smaller unit lights up easily and we now have both units going. Isa stares sadly from the bed. She has on a nightshirt and a scarf and seems skeptical that we´ll ever have enough heat. It was that way last fall as well. It´s not an easy apartment to keep warm with the sliding doors leading out to the balcony letting in a lot of draft. But with gas heaters that´s not such a bad thing. You need a flow of fresh air coming in. I take Isa´s tray from the bed and return it to the kitchen. She´s been eating constantly and has yet to really suffer morning sickness. She says she feels incredibly fat but I barely notice the slight bulge in her belly and trust me, I´m always staring at her belly wondering what the hell will happen next. In general Isa enjoys the attention but last night she was irritable and I knew I had to light the heaters today. The cordless phone rings. I leave the dishes in the sink and hurry over to answer.

Hola.
... Hello?? ... is this Mar del Plata?

The accent is full on Texan. The guy from Dallas maybe? I switch to English.

Hello! Yes it is! You calling about the condos?
Oh good. Yeah ... I called Sunday.
Ah yes. Sorry I couldn´t get back to you ... you left a number?
Yeah ...

He sounds skeptical. Better just keep talking.

Well you´ve seen the website clearly. What we have is a one bedroom and a bachelor for sale. 75 square metres and 65.
Oh. How much is that in feet??

I try my best to convert quickly and hope I get it right. His name turns out to be Pranav and he sounds fairly young. I have to explain that we´re southern hemishpere ( ¨like Australia Pranav¨ ) and not tropical but when I lay it on thick about Mar del Plata being Argentina´s playground and mention the casino he suddenly gets very interested.

Oh! A casino??
They had a Pokerstars tourney a year or so ago Pranav, part of the South American tour; right at the casino.
Does it run all year?
Yes it does. Built in the twenties ( was it actually the forties? damn! ). Old fashioned, elegant style. Gotta check it out Pranav.
How do I get there?

He means Mar del Plata so I give him the details and he tells me he´ll be flying down in a ¨week or two¨. He´s young and he has money I´d say.

I hang up and turn and see Isa staring at me. She still has her scarf on but at least the apartment is starting to warm up. I grin at her and say,

Tenemos un tipo de Dallas. Creo que va comprar el de dos ambientes.
Ah, seria bueno ...

She sounds skeptical but maybe there´s a commision for us after all. It´s a little late but now we can have our lunch. I head back into the kitchen and poke around in the cabinets and the fridge. There´s no meat but maybe a pasta with an instant sauce. It´ll do for now.