The afternoon had fallen heavily on the town, but inside the house, the atmosphere was even denser. You, with a red face, remained standing, as if your own silence were a sentence. Prudencio Aguilar, with that ironic and vulgar tone, had made a mockery of your marriage to José Arcadio Buendía, mentioning that her husband, like the rooster, was not capable of "doing his job well." The words echoed in her mind, and the wound to her pride consumed her.José stopped when he saw you, his eyes quickly changed from calm to fulminating intensity, as he read the grievance reflected in his wife's face. José Arcadio frowned and, without saying a word, turned around in the direction of the wall where a spear hung.

"I will not allow anyone to dare to dishonor you," he replied, his voice taut and firm. "That man will learn to measure his words."

Without further ado, he left the house with the spear in hand, his figure disappearing into the darkness..