‘No cuesta nada, nada’ just to S-M-I-L-E
Un tarde right after she had finished lavando los trastes after dinner, Grama Cuca came into the bedroom donde halló a Canutito sitting in front de la televisión con los ojos cerrados and with his fingers en los oídos. She stared at him trying to figurar por qué el muchachito estaba sentão with his eyes shut y con los dedos in his ears.
Uh, m’hijo,” she asked cautiously, “¿por qué tienes los ojos tightly shut con tus fingers en los oidos?”
“I was watching una real scary story en el Twilight Zone y me dio miedo. I was hoping que if I shut mis ojos real tight, entonces el monster en el Twilight Zone would be gone y luego I wouldn’t get scared.”
You haven’t changed much desde que eras un baby, m’hijo,” Grama Cuca said to him. “Cuando eras un baby and company would come over to visit, tú te parabas bien quietecito con los ojos cerrados thinking that if you stood real still with your eyes shut then nobody could see you.”
Do you mean que yo pensaba that if I couldn’t see them entonces they couldn’t verme a mí tampoco, grama?” Canutito grinned.
“Something like that, m’hijo,” grama replied. Y luego she added, “pero there are better things to do que cerrar los ojos whenever you are scared.”
“¿Que puedo hacer cuando tengo miedo, grama?” Canutito asked her.
“Usually when I am afraid,” grama said, “yo nomás hago smile or laugh. In fact, mi mamá me cantaba una canción about it.” “How did your mom’s song go, grama?” Canutito begged. “Iba así,” grama said: “No cuesta nada, nada, just to S-M-I-LE. It isn’t any trouble just to S-M-I-L-E. So smile when you’re in trouble; it will vanish like a bubble if you only take the trouble just to S-M-I-L-E. Now you sing it conmigo, m’hijo.”
Canutito joined her. Los dos cantaban: “No cuesta nada, nada, just to S-M-I-L-E. No cuesta nada, nada, just to S-M-I-LE. So smile si tienes miedo, se derrite como el hielo if you only snap your dedos when you S-M-I-L-E.”
“Do you mean que si hago smile cuando veo a un Coco monster entonces I don’t have to be scared?” Canutito asked her.
Nope!” Grama Cuca affirmed. “Los Cocos y las Coconas that live under the bed, are all afraid de las personas que hacen smile in the face of danger and they stay debajo de la cama. Y eso no es nada. Tienen más miedo if you do more than just smile. Try to laugh. La canción goes like this: It isn’t any trouble just to L-A-U-G-H. No cuesta nada, nada, just to L-AU-G-H, so laugh when you’re in trouble, se arrevienta como un bubble si nomás te das el trouble just to L-A-U-G-H.”
“I like esa canción even better, grama!” Canutito exclaimed. “Let’s sing it, los dos juntos, OK? Ready, let’s sing: It isn’t any trouble just to L-A-U-G-H. No cuesta nada, nada, just to L-AU-G-H, so laugh when you’re in trouble, se arrevienta como un bubble si nomás te das el trouble just to L-A-U-G-H.”
Los dos hicieron laugh. Luego Canutito asked her, “Grama, ¿cómo se dice ‘to laugh’ and ‘to smile’ en español?”
“Let me see, ‘to laugh’ es ‘reirse’ and to smile es ‘sonreirse’, m’hijo,” grama replied.
I like both to ‘reirme’ and ‘sonreirme’,” Canutito said happily. It is much better que being miedoso about todo all the time.”
As they were talking, Grampo Caralampio came into the bedroom. He was drinking una cereveza and he paused to burp. He started singing: “It isn’t any trouble just REGOLD-A-R. No cuesta nada, nada just to REGOL-D-A-R. So burp when you’re in trouble, se arrevienta como un bubble si nomás te das el trouble just to REGOL-D-A-R.”
Grama looked at Canutito and whispered, “To each his own.”