First Sentence

"and so corpulent that while walking along narrow sidewalks of Habana on his way to the music conservatory or to the Teatro Albisu he would have to stand aside, his back pressed flatly against a wall, or duck into a doorway, to allow the ladies with their parasoles and beaded purses to pass. So great was his girth and imposing physicality that with his trademark mustache he reminded his friends of the silent-film comedian Oliver Hardy, "El Gordo" (of "El Gordon y El Flaco," "The Fat One and the Skinny One"), which had become one of his affectionately intended nicknames, and appellation that he, in his good nature and with his grand reputation frequenting the bars and restaurants and concert halls of the city, had always taken in stride."