Harbinger: A Journal of Art & Literature | 2018-2019

HECTOR: Can I give you a little piece of advice?
JAMES: If you think it will help me figure out what to do, I’m all ears.
HECTOR: One of the most important things I’ve learned in my years is that the grass
is greener where you water it. Sure it might start out thick, lush, and beautiful, but even
the prettiest of pastures will dry up and die without the right care.
JAMES: You make a good point. I… I just don’t know where to water.
HECTOR: That’s a tough decision indeed. (Points to JAMES’s chest) It’s an extremely
personaldecision. One more piece of advice?
JAMES: Shoot.
HECTOR: In my experience, you only have enough water to keep one pasture green at
a time. If you try to water them both, neither will be very green.
JAMES: That’s another good point. I think I’m only here because I panicked. I thought
I needed to try something different before it was too late.
HECTOR: Are you older than you look?
JAMES: I just turned 21.
HECTOR: Do you age backwards like that guero in that movie where he was born an
old man?
JAMES: Oh, uh, Benjamin Button ? No.
HECTOR: Then don’t worry about it. You have time to figure it out. The fact that
you have doubts means you are human. We like to think we have our emotions all under
control, but it’s like you said, you have to take it as it comes.
JAMES: I did say that. But let me ask you this; How did you know that your wife was
the one for you? How did you know where to spend your water in a world full of pastures
to be watered?
HECTOR: It didn’t know at first. I was in a similar situation as you when I was a
younger man, except I did get on the bus, so to speak. But at that time, I wouldn’t have
taken a bus eight minutes to get to a girl, let alone eight hours. And on a bus no less!
(Pause) Long story short, it didn’t work out with either of them, but I learned that I
would rather give my all to one pasture and know for sure one way or the other than risk
it all on the empty promise of a greener side. You get what I’m trying to say?