This story by Mario Benedetti examines the concept of “ugliness” and the feelings of exclusion experienced by people with physical deformities when others turn away or pretend not to notice them. A man and woman, both with significant facial blemishes, meet at a movie and connect over coffee. (You’d like a face as smooth as that young girl’s on your right, even though you’re intelligent and she, judging by her laugh, is a hopeless idiot.) Their lovemaking later that night takes a curious turn, with both ending up in tears. Themes include isolation and loneliness, humanity, internal vs. external beauty.
The Night of the Ugly Ones Text / PDF (1,150 words)