ddition to Sanskrit he had learned English and French and a little Latin and Greek。 Since he went out every afternoon at that time and Amaranta ？rsula had set aside a weekly sum for him for his personal expenses； his room looked like a branch of the wise Catalonian’s bookstore。 He read avidly until late at night； although from the manner in which he referred to his reading； Gaston thought that he did not buy the books in order to learn but to verify the truth of his knowledge； and that none of them interested him more than the parchments； to which he dedicated most of his time in the morning。 Both Gaston and his wife would have liked to incorporate him into the family life； but Aureliano was a hermetic man with a cloud of mystery that time was making denser。 It was such an unfathomable condition that Gaston failed in his efforts to bee intimate with him and had to seek other pastimes for his idle hours。 It was around that time that he conceived the idea of establishing an airmail service。
It was not a new project。 Actually； he had it fairly well advanced when he met Amaranta ？rsula； except that it was not for Macondo； but for the Belgian Congo； where his family had investments in palm oil。 The marriage and the decision to spend a few months in Macondo to please his wife had obliged him to postpone it。 But when he saw that Amaranta ？rsula was determined to organize a mission for public improvement and even laughed at him when he hinted at the possibility of returning； he understood that things were going to take a long time and he reestablished contact with his forgotten partners in Brussels； thinking that it was just as well to be a pioneer in the Caribbean as in Africa。 While his steps were progressing he prepared a landing field in the old enchanted region which at that time looked like a plain of crushed flintstone； and he studied the wind direction； the geography of the coastal region； and the best routes for aerial navigation； without knowing that his diligence； so similar to that of Mr。 Herbert； was filling the town with the dangerous suspicion that his plan was not to set up routes but to plant banana trees。 Enthusiastic over the idea that； after all； might justify his permanent establishment in Macondo； he took several trips to the capital of the province； met with authorities； obtained licenses； and drew up contracts for exclusive rights。 In the meantime he maintained a correspondence with his partners in Brussels which resembled that of Fernanda with the invisible doctors； and he finally convinced them to ship the first airplane under the care of an expert mechanic； who would assemble it in the nearest port and fly it to Macondo。 One year after his first meditations and meteorological calculations； trusting in the repeated promises of his correspondents； he had acquired the habit of strolling through the streets； looking at the sky； hanging onto the sound of the breeze in hopes that the airplane would appear。
Although she had not noticed it； the return of Amaranta ？rsula had brought on a radical change in Aureliano’s life。 After the death of Jos？Arcadio he had bee a regular customer at the wise Catalonian’s bookstore。 Also； the freedom that he enjoyed then and the time at his disposal awoke in him a certain curiosity about the town； which he came to know without any surprise。 He went through the dusty and solitary streets； examining with scientific interest the inside of houses in ruin； the metal screens on the windows broken by rust and the dying birds； and the inhabitants bowed down by memories。 He tried to reconstruct in his imagination the annihilated splendor of the old banana…pany town； whose dry swimming pool was filled to the brim with rotting men’s and women’s shoes； and in the houses of which； destroyed by rye grass； he found the skeleton of a German shepherd dog still tied to a ring by a steel chain and a telephone that was ringing； ringing； ringing until he picked it up and an anguished and distant woman spoke in English； and he said yes； that the strike was over； that three thousand dead people had been thrown into the sea； that the banana pany had left； and that Macondo finally had peace after many years。 Those wanderings led him to the prostrate red…light district； where in other times bundles of banknotes had been burned to liven up the revels； and which at that time was a maze of streets more afflicted and miserable than the others； with a few red lights still burning and with deserted dance halls adorned with the remnants of wreaths； where the pale； fat widows of no one； the French great…grandmothers and the Babylonian matriarchs； were still waiting beside their photographs。 Aureliano could not find anyone who remembered his family； not even Colonel Aureliano Buendía； except for the oldest of the West Indian Negroes； an old man whose cottony hair gave him the look of a photographic negative and who was still singing the mournful sunset psalms in the door of his house。 Aureliano would talk to him in the tortured Papiamento that he had learned in a few weeks and sometimes he would share his chicken…head soup； prepared by the great…granddaughter； with him。 She was a large black woman with solid bones； the hips of a mare； teats like live melons； and a round and perfect head armored with a hard surface of wiry hair which looked like a medieval warrior’s mail headdress。 Her name was Nigromanta。 In those days Aureliano lived off the sale of silverware； candlesticks； and other bric…a…brac from the house。 When he was penniless； which was most of the time； he got people in the back of the market to give him the chicken heads that they were going to throw away and he would take them to Nigromanta to make her soups； fortified with purslane and seasoned with mint。 When the great…grandfather died Aureliano stopped going by the house； but he would run into Nigromanta under the dark almond trees on the square； using her wild…animal whistles to lure the few night owls。 Many times he stayed with her； speaking in Papiamento about chicken…head soup and other dainties of misery； and he would have kept right on if she had not let him know that his presence frightened off customers。 Although he sometimes felt the temptation and although Nigromanta herself might have seemed to him as the natural culmination of a shared nostalgia； he did not go to bed with her。 So Aureliano was still a virgin when Amaranta ？rsula returned to Macondo and gave him a sisterly embrace that left him breathless。 Every time he saw her； and worse yet when she showed him the latest dances； he felt the same spongy release in his bones that had disturbed his great…great…grandfather when Pilar Ternera made her pretexts about the cards in the granary。 Trying to squelch the torment； he sank deeper into the parchments and eluded the innocent flattery of that aunt who was poisoning his nights with a flow of tribulation； but the more he avoided her the more the anxiety with which he waited for her stony laughter； her howls of a happy cat； and her songs of gratitude； agonizing in love at all hours and in the most unlikely parts of the house。 One night thirty feet from his bed； on the silver workbench； the couple with unhinged bellies broke the bottles and ended up making love in a pool of muriatic acid。 Aureliano not only could not sleep for a single second； but he spent the next day with a fever； sobbing with rage。 The first night that he waited for Nigromanta to e to the shadows of the almond trees it seemed like an eternity； pricked as he was by the needles of uncertainty and clutching in his fist the peso and fifty cents that he had asked Amaranta ？rsula for； not so much because he needed it as to involve her； debase her； prostitute her in his adventure in some way。 Nigromanta took him to her room； which was lighted with false candlesticks； to her folding cot with the bedding stained from bad loves； and to her body of a wild dog； hardened and without soul； which prepared itself to dismiss him as if he were a frightened child； and suddenly it found a man whose tremendous power demanded a movement of seismic readjustment from her insides。
They became lovers。 Aureliano would spend his mornings deciphering parchments and at siesta time he would go to the bedroom where Nigromanta was waiting for him； to teach him first how to do it like earthworms； then like snails； and finally like crabs； until she had to leave him and lie in wait for vagabond loves。 Several weeks passed before Aureliano discovered that around her waist she wore a small belt that seemed to be made out of a cello string； but which was hard as steel and had no end； as if it had been born and grown with her。 Almost always； between loves； they would eat naked in the bed； in the hallucinating heat and under the daytime stars that the rust had caused to shine on the zinc ceiling。 It was the first time that Nigromanta had had a steady man； a bone crusher from head to toe； as she herself said； dying with laughter； and she had even begun to get romantic illusions when Aureliano confided in her about his repressed passion for Amaranta ？rsula； which he had not been able to cure with the substitution but which was twisting him inside all the more as experience broadened the horizons of love。 After that Nigromanta continued to receive him with the same warmth as ever but she made him pay for her services so strictly that when Aureliano had no money she would make an addition to his bill； which was not figured in numbers but by marks that she made with her thumbnail behind the door。 At sundown； while she was drifting through the shadows in the square； Aureliano； was going along the porch like a stranger； scarcely greeting Amaranta ？rsula and Gaston； who usually dined at that time； and shutting herself up in his room again； unable to read or write or even think because of the anxiety brought on by the laughter； the whispering； the preliminary frolics； and then the explosions of agonizing happiness that capped the nights in the house。 That was his life two years before Gaston began to wait for the airplane； and it went on the same way on the afternoon that he went to the bookstore of the wise Catalonian and found four ranting boys in a heated argument about the methods used to kill cockroaches in the Mid