Chapter 3: The Dinner

After preparing the table where everybody would eat, the guests started to come near

the table to finally start eating their dinner. Everybody has these different expressions on their

faces; some are eager and happy to taste the food that was prepared by Don Santiago. It was

evident in the face of Pari Sybila as he approached the table that he was happy. On the other

hand, Padre Damaso shows, contrary to what Pari Sybila was showing, that the way he acts

shows boredom and a sarcastic gesture towards the guests, where the lieutenant was swayed

by the elbow of Padre Damaso but showed no regrets for what he did.

Everybody was already in their seats, and it was ordered to serve the tinola for Ibarra

and other guests to try. They started with giving thanks to the Lord for the blessings they

have on the table, led by the Dominican priest. Afterwards, they started to feast on the dish.

Unfortunately, the leftover neck and hard wing parts of the chicken were left for Padre

Damaso, which made him annoyed, especially when he saw that the other guests got the

bigger parts of the chicken. It made him angrier when he saw what part of the chicken that

Ibarra gets. He just sips the soup of the tinola and annoyingly drop the cutlery and set aside

the plates as an indication of frustration.

The chat was now focused on Ibarra. He was asked by Laruja how many years he had

been outside the country. They continued to talk about the experiences of Ibarra and the

languages he learned from the countries he visited in Europe, especially Germany. Ibarra

shared with everyone his stay in England, where English is the language spoken by the

people. Everybody was amazed by Ibarra’s experiences and the way he spoke the foreign

languages he learned. Although Ibarra said he rarely speaks Spanish because only the

consulate knows how to speak it.

 Ibarra was asked again by Laruja what countries were exceptional and with which he

fell in love. He answered the question honestly; he told him that every country is admirable if

you do not consider your love for it. However, for every country he visited and learned about

their history, he only had one thing to say: a country's prosperity and poverty are associated

with its freedom and adversity.

When Padre Damaso heard what Ibarra said, he reacted mockingly. Everything he

heard was foolish for him. He belittled Ibarra in front of the guests for what he had learned

from the countries he had visited. He said it was a waste of time and money to stay in another

country. There was a slight tension between Ibarra and Padre Damaso that scared the guests.

Ibarra then turned his response into saying, "I apologize to everyone that Padre Damaso

thinks that I am still as young as before when he and my father used to share food at our poor

table."

It was evident in the shaking of his expresion, Padre Damaso, on what Ibarra said.

Right before he was going to say something, Ibarra started saying his goodbyes and gave his

thanks for the invitation. Don Santiago tried to stop Ibarra because Maria Clara was about to

arrive, but Ibarra was eager to go home and promised him that he would be back the next day.