In the town of Cedeño, in the state of Sucre, Venezuela, most of its inhabitants are dedicated to agriculture. The Acuña Salmerón family grows sugarcane on 15 hectares .After the harvest, they take the sugarcane to the mill, where they squeeze it, extracting a large amount of sugarcane juice. They then cook this juice in pots over a fire in a stove made of three stones heated by firewood.
This liquid is transformed into molasses (a thick liquid), then placed in wooden molds, transforming it into sweet papelones (paper cones). In the final finish, they wrapped them in dried tree leaves., then taken to local and national markets for sale.
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This farm was owned by David and his wife They procreated and raised with much love and respect their seven children: Gladys, Imeria, Orángel (popularly called tilín), Orlando, Ramón (affectionately called Moncho), Virginia and Zelandia.
Imería grew up very beautiful, with white skin, curly brown hair similar to the color of chestnut trees, and honey-colored eyes reminiscent of crystalline honey. She was very studious, precocious, and confident in her goals.
Given the lack of secondary education institutions in Cedeño, David and Eleuteria decided to send them to study in Cumaná at the Antonio José de Sucre High School. They housed them in a dorm very close to the school.
Another family, the López Betancourt, lived near this hacienda. They farmed the land, planting corn that they imported to various companies, such as La Harina Pan (a corn processing plant), to transform into refined flour for making arepas. The owners of these factories were the Mendozas, very wealthy industrialists.
Imeria and Paola were very good friends; they would visit each other.
One morning, Paola went to Imeria's house. Imeria told her:
"My parents took the initiative to enroll us at the Cumaná High School and have already found us a place to stay." With a smile on her face that she couldn't hide, Paola said:
"I'll suggest to my dad that he enroll me at that school and that I live with you." Very happy, Imeria added:
"That way, we'll study together and do the tasks you assign us." Later, they said goodbye.
Upon arriving home, young Paola told her parents that she wanted to continue her studies in Cumaná. Her father immediately said:
"Tomorrow, we'll go to Cumaná to enroll you at that high school, and I'll house you with the Acuña Salmerón brothers."
The next day they left for that city, and Paola achieved her goal.
In October, the school year began at Antonio José de Sucre High School. Imeria took the same class as Paola. Paola always sat at the desk next to Imeria.
When it was time to take a test in any practical subject, Paola craned her neck and copied Imeria's test; they almost always got the same score.
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If the exam included theoretical subjects, Paola loved to cheat using a cheat sheet (in Venezuela, a term used to refer to writings summarized on a small sheet of paper with all the relevant information for the assigned written exam).
By repeatedly cheating, Paola earned high grades in her subjects, similar to Imeria's average, who was an excellent student. Imeria watched closely when Paola cheated, both from her and from the cheat sheets, but she never reported her; she preferred to remain silent.
Four years passed, and the two passed all their subjects and were promoted to the fifth year of high school. As the months of that fifth year passed, June arrived, the month in which all students have their grade point averages compared to select those who will graduate with merit.
The second week of June, the homeroom teacher for Imeria and Paola's class began reading out the grade point averages of all the students in alphabetical order.
"Acuña Salmerón, Imeria, 19 points". When he reached the letter L, he paused and added:
"López Betancourt, Paola, 20 points".
Imeria felt her face take on a pallor similar to that of a magnolia flower, her crimson red lips changed to a snowy white, she jumped up from her desk and stood up straight, her hands trembling like a boat on the high seas shaken by a gale, she took a deep breath, and in seconds she said:
"¿How is it possible that Paola has a higher GPA than me" "She's a student who, in these five years of school, has only cheated on the exams I've taken this year!" Frightened, Paola retorted:
"You betrayed me!" Angry, ignoring her words, Imeria continued:
"She also cheats on all the written exams for the theoretical subjects, with summaries she prepares on a piece of paper."
The other students were stunned, and the teacher added:
"Paola, you don't deserve that GPA. You'll graduate with a bachelor's degree, without merit, because you don't deserve it."
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ESPAÑOL
De discreta a indiscreta
En el pueblo de Cedeño, en el estado Sucre, Venezuela, la mayoría de sus habitantes se dedican a la agricultura. La familia Acuña Salmerón cultiva caña de azúcar en 15 hectáreas. Tras la cosecha, llevan la caña al trapiche, donde la exprimen, extrayendo una gran cantidad de jugo. Luego, lo cuecen en ollas al fuego en una estufa de tres piedras calentada con leña.
Este líquido se transforma en melaza (un líquido espeso) y luego se coloca en moldes de madera, transformándolo en papelones dulces. Para el acabado final, los envuelven en hojas secas de árbol. luego los llevan al mercado local y nacional Para su venta.
Esta granja era propiedad de David y su esposa. Ellos procrearon y criaron con mucho amor y respeto a sus siete hijos: Gladys, Imeria, Orángel (llamado popularmente tilín), Orlando, Ramón (llamado cariñosamente Moncho), Virginia y Zelandia.
Imería creció muy hermosa, con piel blanca, cabello castaño rizado similar al color de los castaños y ojos color miel que recordaban a la miel cristalina. Era muy estudiosa, precoz y segura de sí misma.
Dada la falta de instituciones de educación secunda en Cedeño, David y Eleuteria decidieron enviarlos a Cumaná. Los alojaron en una residencia muy cerca del Liceo Antonio José de Sucre,.
Otra familia, los López Betancourt, vivía cerca de esta hacienda. Cultivaban la tierra, sembrando maíz que importaban a diversas empresas, como La Harina Pan (una planta procesadora de maíz), para transformarlo en harina refinada para la elaboración de arepas. Los dueños de estas fábricas eran los Mendoza, industriales muy adinerados.
Imeria y Paola eran muy buenas amigas; solían visitarse.
Una mañana, Paola fue a casa de Imeria. Imeria le dijo:
"Mis padres tomaron la iniciativa de matricularnos en el colegio de Cumaná y ya nos han encontrado alojamiento". Con una sonrisa que no pudo ocultar, Paola dijo:
"Le propondré a mi papá que me matricule en ese colegio y que viva contigo". Muy contenta, Imeria añadió:
Así estudiaremos juntos y haremos las tareas que nos asignes. Después se despidieron.
Paola les dijo a sus padres que quería continuar sus estudios en Cumaná. Su padre inmediatamente le dijo:
"Mañana iremos a Cumaná a matricularte en ese colegio y te alojaré con los hermanos Acuña Salmerón".
Al día siguiente partieron hacia esa ciudad, y Paola logró su objetivo.
En octubre, comenzó el año escolar en el colegio Antonio José de Sucre. Imeria tomó la misma clase que Paola. Paola siempre se sentaba en el pupitre de al lado.
Cuando llegaba el momento de hacer un examen de cualquier materia práctica, Paola estiraba el cuello y copiaba el examen de Imeria; casi siempre obtenían la misma calificación
Si el examen incluía materias teóricas, a Paola le encantaba copiar usando una chuleta (en Venezuela, término usado para referirse a los escritos resumidos en una pequeña hoja de papel con toda la información relevante para el examen escrito asignado).
Copiando repetidamente, Paola obtenía altas calificaciones en sus materias, similares al promedio de Imeria, quien era una excelente estudiante. Imeria observaba atentamente cuando Paola copiaba, tanto de ella como de las chuletas, pero nunca la denunciaba; prefería guardar silencio.
Pasaron cuatro años, y ambos aprobaron todas sus materias y pasaron a quinto de bachillerato. Conforme transcurrían los meses de ese quinto año, llegó junio, el mes en que todos los estudiantes comparan sus promedios de calificaciones para seleccionar a los que se graduarán con mérito.
En la segunda semana de junio, el tutor de la clase de Imeria y Paola comenzó a leer los promedios de calificaciones de todos los estudiantes en orden alfabético.
Acuña Salmerón, Imeria, 19 puntos. Al llegar a la letra L, hizo una pausa y añadió:
López Betancourt, Paola, 20 puntos.
Imeria sintió que su rostro tomaba una palidez similar a la de una flor de magnolia, sus labios rojo carmesí cambiaron a un blanco níveo, saltó de su escritorio y se irguió, sus manos temblaban como un barco en alta mar sacudido por un vendaval, respiró hondo, y en segundos dijo:
"¿Cómo es posible que Paola tenga un promedio más alto que yo?" "¡Es una estudiante que, en estos cinco años de escuela, solo ha copiado en los exámenes que he hecho este año!" Asustada, Paola replicó:
"¡Me traicionaste!" Enojada, ignorando sus palabras, Imeria continuó:
"También copia en todos los exámenes escritos de las asignaturas teóricas, con resúmenes que prepara en un papel".
Los demás estudiantes se quedaron atónitos, y la profesora añadió:
"Paola, no te mereces ese promedio. Te graduarás con una licenciatura, sin méritos, porque no te la mereces".
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Wow, this was such an engaging read. I really felt Imeria’s shock and frustration, that moment when silence finally breaks after years of watching someone get away with it. The ending was so satisfying yet sad; betrayal between friends always hits different as this is something I've also personally experienced. Beautiful storytelling, truly.
Thanks for your comment. Have a nice day.
A friendship that ended due to a betrayal, which was justified by Paola's tricks to pass the years and gain unjustified merits. A very interesting story to read.
Thanks for sharing your story with us.
Excellent day.
Thank you, I'm so glad you read and commented on my story. Have a great day.
This is a powerful story of truth and betrayal. I really felt for Imeria and her courage to speak up after years of silence was inspiring. Great writing!