The old machete wounds on the tree which overhung their stopping point on the Aguarico river indicated that Benecio was not the only one who knew this route to the Napo river. Walking at an Indian's normal gait the hike could be made in two days , but for the loaded down assault team it would be considerably longer. Finally it was agreed to hide one zodiac in the forest and to proceed with its motor as a backup and everyone except Benecio, carrying rebel army issue backpacks, as well as the 15 hp motors by the two strongest boys Emelio and Washington, and all of them using their free hand on the carrying handles of the rubber boat. Benecio led the way with a machete able to follow the faint trail and after they were underway for several hours he calculated that it would take them at least 5 days to travel the 8 miles to their cut off point on the panyayacu river and even then and although they would be in water, with fallen branches and partially submerged tree trunks and no other traffic to clear the way for them, there was little promise that this stretch would go any faster.
As they inched their way through the forest loosing grip of a gun here, a motor there,never quite finding a comfortable and efficient way to carry the boat and all of their gear, Benecio became tranquil not only resigned to their tedious journey but in tune with the discipline it would take to complete it. The jungle had taught him to be infinitely patient whether it be waiting for a rare bird to expose itself to him from behind some tree limbs where it was sunning for him to admire its beauty or in the hunt, sitting two or three nights behind a blind for a capybara or a tapir to come to a salt lick for a clean shot at his prey. The jungle had humbled him many times, enough to know that you had to accept it on its own terms and to struggle against it was a foolish waste of energy- no matter what was waiting for you at the other end of the trail. So he settled down into the herky-jerky rhythm the commandos had established, tripping and cursing as they sweated profusely under the weight of the deceptively heavy rubber boat and around four Benecio slipped Paco's Revolver fromits holster and before he had time to protest shot a white-tailed deer with a single round. The Deer, a fawn actually knew no fear of man so deep were they in the forest and had frozen on the trail right in front of them , eyeing them curiously when Benecio fired off the shot. The boy Emelio ,under his direction,venting his angry streak it seemed, stripped out the loins and hind legs of the creature and they built a fire and had a portion of the venison for dinner, cooked under Benicio's direction and the rest marinated and smoked with the troop taking turns stoking the fire and turning the spitted meat .
They erected a tent for Paco and Benecio and exhausted,the young men collapsed into the boat pulling a mosquito net up over them.Sleeping three at a time while one watched the meat , occasionally snorting a little coke. A petromax, the chinese made kerosene lamps, which took a bit of talent to get functioning properly hung over a tree limb at sufficient distance not to attract insects to their campsight lit the entire area with diffused light.
Inside the tent Paco Moreno and the extermely pained Benecio sipped Sinchicara from the bottle.
"A man is always surprised when old age sneaks up on him," said Moreno sadly.
Shit, said Benecio, "you are as old as you feel and I feel like I am forty.I know what promise awaits me what Miracles I will have at my fingertips."
"And I have nothing," said Moreno, slipping into the voice of the bipolar in his depressive state "I have worked my whole life for a cause, I have supported many people, even my wife no longer believes in me, she says I have wasted my life, thirty years I am fighting with El Mono...and I am only a colonel...I am a failed revolutionary.Just as the revolution will fail. I have devoted my life to failure."
"But now you are going to be rich ,"said Benecio, "It is the best revenge. Look if I cared what my wife or any one else thought of me do you think I would be the evil pendejo that I am."
"What are you trying to say,"said Moreno, lost in the fog of his misfiring brain.
"I mean in this life if you don't take it someone else will, so you better take all you can while you can because no one is going to give it to you. And even let's say you have a good idea like Gringo Chili, maybe you can make it work for twenty years but what's going to happem ? Some fulano across the street has stolen your idea only he calls it Americano Chili and maybe he puts in Karoke so there you find yourself everyday trying to think of what you can do to keep up with the new guy because everybody likes something new even if you are giving them something better and maybe he put in a karoke and a dance floor and you see you don't have room for a karoke and a dance floor. so you have your faithful clients and then even they go over and try out the new guy because he's serving Mexican Beer Corona for 1 dollar from 4 to 6 and how did you know the Gringos would give up their Budweiser for mexican beer they drink from the bottle after they stick a wedge of lime down the opening.. So you try to buy the Mexican beer and you say to the distributor that you will pay 1 dollar a beer after he tells you he doesn't have enough! One dollar a beer for the the coronas just to have them to compete and he says that the the the owner of the Americano Chili is his brother in law and he just can't sell you. So what do you do .? You try new things, but in the meantime the other place looks so brand new and you're spending all this money on new things when really you take a walk outside your place and you say caracho! I need a new roof. Americano Chili has such a better roof than my place and then you stop... and you send somebody over to get a bowl of Americano Chili and you know in your heart of hearts after you taste and your wife tastes it that it is not only not as good as Gringo Chili but it is not even average, ok, Chili and at that moment you learn the ordering rule of the world that you can put your heart and soul into something, care more about it, have the best recipe for anything in life but when people turn on you and they will always turn on you and it is not because of the quality of your chili it is because they want the thing they will never find. The new thing. The el dorado of chili. And by the time - if they ever realize it- that the new place does not have the el dorado of chili- it is too late because they have forgotten about your Gringo Chili. They don't give a shit because they have become accustomed to Americano Chili and have forgotten the glory of Gringo Chili and you realize that it was never about the chili that made them come to you or to the new place but a dream of chili and even though you were fufilling that dream...even though you had the motherfucking world prizewinning recipe for chili... the vision of the dream has changed .It will always change, because once they have found it it doies not exist any more.So they willl stay at Americano chili until I don't know, New York Chili opens with chinese beer and striptease dancers and they will say yes. This is it. Now we have truly found the El Dorado of Chili.
So I have learned to become the evil pendejo you see here. I have learned that giving from your heart is for fools and if you ever get the chance to take .Take.Listen Paco, all revolutions fail because it is all about the struggle and never about the success. And all searches for el dorado fail because even when the searchers find them, the moment they find themm they cease to exist. But foir the handful of people in this world who have found wealth that comes from the ground and that they can put it in their hands and say this is mine, those are the people who have found the real el dorado and Paco I am sharing it with you I have found it and I am sharing it with you!"Benecio had reached a fever pitch and he saw the vision of the world he had painted with his words reflected back to him in the glistening of Paco's eyes where he now shined a flash light.
Paco cyclyed out of his depressive state into mania as his bipolar condition with this external revving and perhaps the aide of sinchicara was want to do .In one of his classic mood swings of an instant, he let out the clutch so to speak of his mania and hugged hugged Benecicio with great affection who grimaced with pain.
"Yes! Yes! Yes! he shouted, " I see now. They will take it from you for no good reason. I served the revolution for thirty years and I command 100 men. Ha !
So they like the new younger brands of beer coming up so quickly now through the ranks, ha !. I could not get respect not matter what I did. Ha! No more giving from my heart for fools to steal my ideas. Benecio I see now. The only way is to take and to take all I can !
"TO take your share,"Benecio corrected him.
"Yes of course, "said Paco,"to take my share and never give anything to anyone again because in the end everybody is a taker and it has taken me this long with my trusted childhood friend to guide me to this point and by the way Benecio, I am no longer an old man."
"Good,' said Benecio and laid on his bedroll.
"Yes you sleep said Paco, "When I am in this state I do not sleep for days sometimes. But don't worry about me. I will do my part."
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
#28 The Aguarico
The two zodiacs had traveled for about three hours down the swift flowing Aguarico where rocks were the enemy rather than logjams. They had made good progress, perhaps forty miles. Benecio was in extreme pain from the bumpy ride which jostled his collarbone-the doctor had told him to wait another two weeks before removing the sling,but his gut instinct had told him that now was the time to move forward with the mission. They pulled into a bend in the river out of its flow and debarked, only to received a burst of mahinegun fire.
"Ah," said Paco Moreno," It is only Cocqueros. The pendejos think we are DEA."
He nodded to his troops which to Benecio looked younger everytime he took a good look at them and three of the four fired off their Machineguns while the fourth as if by training went to Paco's side who with Benecio had taken cover behind the buttress of a tree. They stopped firing.
"Listen to me , Cocqueros,"he shouted," I am with the revolutionary Army and I don't want to have to come over there and kick your asses. I have an army coming down this river behind me and they will smight you where you sit if I tell them to so just go back to whatever it is you were doing and maybe bring us a taste of your product because we are weary soldiers and have a long way to go."
There was silence, save screaming piha's and cicadas, but before long a shirtless and shoeless man wearing only tattered shorts, broke through the thick river edge growth , head bent, carrying a banana leaf with a mound of white powder on it. He presented it humbly to Paco.
"Very nice," said Paco receiving the cocaine and giving the man a loaf of sliced white bread in a plastic sack and two cans of sardines,"Now shoot any DEA hijo de puta that you want coming down this river but leave me and my men alone. Will I find and other gentleman with machine guns further down this river ?"
"I don't think so."His voice was as soft and humble as any subsistence farmer who earned his pay from the sweat of his brow.
"Very well," return to your work and never forget what we are fighting for.
After the man had left, Benecio Drank heavily from a bottle of Sinchicara which he hoped would relieve his pain and he handed one of the two bottles of Johnny Walker Blue he had brought for Paco to him as a surprise .
"Benecio ! Your name rhymes with vicio. And I want to introduce you to a vice that you may have tried in some other place in some adulterated way before but this is like our famous Colombian Juan Valdez, the Coffee Man on a Donkey that the yanqui's adore. This is the freshest cleanest coke you can get and I guarantee it will get rid of the pain of your clavicle and it will give us the energy to go on and on and you can explain for us one more time the route of our mission because we are all compadres and my boys have privately asked me some questions and I really have not been able to answer them properly. First we need a hundred dollar bill. Nevermind I have one."
Benecio watched Paco reach into his pocket and was sure it was one of the 100 dollar bills he had given Paco as part of his ten thousand dollar advance.
"And you roll it up like this,"he said , making a cylinder and then you-"
He snorted deeply into the pile of cocaine which benicio figure must be several ounces and not familiar with the street value of the drug calculated its value at several hundred dollars.
Benecio snorted next and around they went untill all the compadres had had enough and Benecio felt elated and painless and elaborated in the good company of his compadres the full details of his plan.
"The napo river is impassable because of the...the...the logjams but we must get to a lake very near there where we will find- and I have paid you gentleman enough to believe in me an El Dorado beyond your wildest fantasies. Now this river we are on runs paralell to the Napo and at a certain point that I know of, another 40 miles or so from here where we reach the closest point to a river called the panayacu which is only 8 miles overland we must carry the boats and don't you worry I will help with the carrying.
Once in the panyayacu if we follow it to its source we would arrive at the Napo but at a point below where we want to be and in the logjams and so that would not do us any good. But I know this country like the back of my hand and I know that if we take the panyayacu for two days and then carry the boats for one day maybe two we will arrive at a lake called Chaluacocha. Now in this area I have discovered the existence of an ancient civilization and this civilization was very sophisticated and they built canals rather than walk or use the Napo. So I know the canal system that will get us into Garzacocha,"
"And what will we find in Garzacocha , asked Emilio, 17 or 18 years old with a strong mestizo complexion and a severe case of acne, particularly on his chin.
Benecio passed around a handful of emeralds for the young men to look at and their lack of reaction, he was sure, must have been similar to his own assessment of the coke. They had no notion of their value.
"How much are they worth ?" asked Alfonso, the fairskinned member of the group.
Paco Moreno answered. "Emeralds are not like diamonds . There are no clear rules for telling their value. But if you get enough of them you can make a living right Benecio?" He took a swig of Johnny Walker Blue.
"You're right, Paco, Diamonds are generally better in terms of assigning value, but if you boys want I'll make you a deal that if we pull off this mission successfully I will guarantee you that you will double your money. No matter how much I make from it. What do you say?"
"And what stands between us and the emeralds ?" asked Washington. He was tall and slender and wore an angry streak.
"Yes ," said Enrique, "who appeared to have the most indian blood of the lot," who do we have to fight?"
"Three women and two men with two shotguns."
The boys started to laugh and Paco and Benecio joined in. The rest stop became a camp site as the boys snorted themselves senseless until the wee hours and Benecio and Paco ate and Drank the boys' rations of food and drank rum and passed out themselves around midnight.
It was 2pm of the following day before this band of mercenaries was ready to set off on the next leg of their journey.Paco vowed discipline from this day forth as he nursed his hangover with sips of Johnny Walker Blue and the whole band looked like refugees from some unspeakable attack as they seemed to moan their way down river.
"Ah," said Paco Moreno," It is only Cocqueros. The pendejos think we are DEA."
He nodded to his troops which to Benecio looked younger everytime he took a good look at them and three of the four fired off their Machineguns while the fourth as if by training went to Paco's side who with Benecio had taken cover behind the buttress of a tree. They stopped firing.
"Listen to me , Cocqueros,"he shouted," I am with the revolutionary Army and I don't want to have to come over there and kick your asses. I have an army coming down this river behind me and they will smight you where you sit if I tell them to so just go back to whatever it is you were doing and maybe bring us a taste of your product because we are weary soldiers and have a long way to go."
There was silence, save screaming piha's and cicadas, but before long a shirtless and shoeless man wearing only tattered shorts, broke through the thick river edge growth , head bent, carrying a banana leaf with a mound of white powder on it. He presented it humbly to Paco.
"Very nice," said Paco receiving the cocaine and giving the man a loaf of sliced white bread in a plastic sack and two cans of sardines,"Now shoot any DEA hijo de puta that you want coming down this river but leave me and my men alone. Will I find and other gentleman with machine guns further down this river ?"
"I don't think so."His voice was as soft and humble as any subsistence farmer who earned his pay from the sweat of his brow.
"Very well," return to your work and never forget what we are fighting for.
After the man had left, Benecio Drank heavily from a bottle of Sinchicara which he hoped would relieve his pain and he handed one of the two bottles of Johnny Walker Blue he had brought for Paco to him as a surprise .
"Benecio ! Your name rhymes with vicio. And I want to introduce you to a vice that you may have tried in some other place in some adulterated way before but this is like our famous Colombian Juan Valdez, the Coffee Man on a Donkey that the yanqui's adore. This is the freshest cleanest coke you can get and I guarantee it will get rid of the pain of your clavicle and it will give us the energy to go on and on and you can explain for us one more time the route of our mission because we are all compadres and my boys have privately asked me some questions and I really have not been able to answer them properly. First we need a hundred dollar bill. Nevermind I have one."
Benecio watched Paco reach into his pocket and was sure it was one of the 100 dollar bills he had given Paco as part of his ten thousand dollar advance.
"And you roll it up like this,"he said , making a cylinder and then you-"
He snorted deeply into the pile of cocaine which benicio figure must be several ounces and not familiar with the street value of the drug calculated its value at several hundred dollars.
Benecio snorted next and around they went untill all the compadres had had enough and Benecio felt elated and painless and elaborated in the good company of his compadres the full details of his plan.
"The napo river is impassable because of the...the...the logjams but we must get to a lake very near there where we will find- and I have paid you gentleman enough to believe in me an El Dorado beyond your wildest fantasies. Now this river we are on runs paralell to the Napo and at a certain point that I know of, another 40 miles or so from here where we reach the closest point to a river called the panayacu which is only 8 miles overland we must carry the boats and don't you worry I will help with the carrying.
Once in the panyayacu if we follow it to its source we would arrive at the Napo but at a point below where we want to be and in the logjams and so that would not do us any good. But I know this country like the back of my hand and I know that if we take the panyayacu for two days and then carry the boats for one day maybe two we will arrive at a lake called Chaluacocha. Now in this area I have discovered the existence of an ancient civilization and this civilization was very sophisticated and they built canals rather than walk or use the Napo. So I know the canal system that will get us into Garzacocha,"
"And what will we find in Garzacocha , asked Emilio, 17 or 18 years old with a strong mestizo complexion and a severe case of acne, particularly on his chin.
Benecio passed around a handful of emeralds for the young men to look at and their lack of reaction, he was sure, must have been similar to his own assessment of the coke. They had no notion of their value.
"How much are they worth ?" asked Alfonso, the fairskinned member of the group.
Paco Moreno answered. "Emeralds are not like diamonds . There are no clear rules for telling their value. But if you get enough of them you can make a living right Benecio?" He took a swig of Johnny Walker Blue.
"You're right, Paco, Diamonds are generally better in terms of assigning value, but if you boys want I'll make you a deal that if we pull off this mission successfully I will guarantee you that you will double your money. No matter how much I make from it. What do you say?"
"And what stands between us and the emeralds ?" asked Washington. He was tall and slender and wore an angry streak.
"Yes ," said Enrique, "who appeared to have the most indian blood of the lot," who do we have to fight?"
"Three women and two men with two shotguns."
The boys started to laugh and Paco and Benecio joined in. The rest stop became a camp site as the boys snorted themselves senseless until the wee hours and Benecio and Paco ate and Drank the boys' rations of food and drank rum and passed out themselves around midnight.
It was 2pm of the following day before this band of mercenaries was ready to set off on the next leg of their journey.Paco vowed discipline from this day forth as he nursed his hangover with sips of Johnny Walker Blue and the whole band looked like refugees from some unspeakable attack as they seemed to moan their way down river.
Friday, March 6, 2009
#27 The Telephone Call
Fernando sat in one of the phone booths of the petroleum company's telephone network which had just begun to work again. He dialed the number.
If Benecio answered then he would hang up, but it was Alexandra's questioning voice and Fernando asked to speak to Benecio.
"Who is this? she asked. The voice sounded familiar to her."This is Alexandra. Benecio is gone for a month."
"This is...this is....Fernando, Dona Alexandra. How are you, how are things going with you."
"Fernando, where is my daughter Dolores? You were with my husband when he was with the gringo. What has happened to my daughter?"
"She is safe Dona Alexandra down river. She can not get out yet because of the logjams and when everything...when everything is done I will bring her back to you myself. Do not worry about her."
"But my husband said-
"And where did your husband go ?"
"I think he is doing something with that Paco Moreno of the Colombian Rebels. I think he is maybe doing something with the coca. He got drunk last night and told me I would be proud of him because he would be coming home from his Conquest very very rich. Cocaine is the only thing it could be."
"And when did he leave?"
"Just today.I asked him who he was going with and he said Cortes and Pizzaro. Do you know any Cortes and Pizzaro and he said he was going to take the riches from the Sun God for himself. Then he passed out. I think he has gone mad. Maybe he is taking this cocaine."
"I don't know what to tell you Dona Alexandra...it sounds terrible. I guess I mean, I don't know. I mean, I mean...Hello?"
And with that Fernando hung up the phone cursing,railing at his lack of timing, missing yet again his chance to kill Benecio, and now making his life even more complex. Well his brother would have been proud of him because he had a backup plan. Maybe he, too could get the tatoo of a harpy eagle on his chest after all this was over.
He headed towards the boat yard which fronted the river a few hundred yards down from the dock where he was now prepared to begin the most complicated thought processes of his life: A negotiation had taken place for the three emeralds and then a plan to rescue his brother and the others who he presumed were still alive before Benecio arrived- or with the ammunition and extra rifle he had bought lay seige and at least get Benecio which might or might not be enough to prove he had done his all. He could not think past that point it gave him a headache.He had tried to think what his brother would do. He could think no more.
He stood quite close to the crane which lowered the heavy steel boat into the water and closely supervised the loading of his wooden boat inside the steel boat deciding that it fit best from bow to stern matching the steel boat although it did not fit perfectly inside the boat but hung over the edges-neither boat being quite symmetric and the wooden one ,in sum ,just a little too large to fit perfectly inside. It had seemed like it would when he had measured the two boats but he knew he had miscalculated something and now that his plan was unfolding he neither punished nor rewarded himself for small individual missteps but proceeded forward with only the goal fixating his brain.
He loaded in his weapons and fuel, the gringos motor, and tested the other two he had purchased as part of his package deal and the load of spare parts and propellors, and tools and one extra transmission, the bottom half of an outboard motor that would be most likely to break before the top half from repeated concussions. He had watched his brother change transmissions before.
Putting a40 hp Johnson motor on the back of the steel boat he gave it all the gas it would take but headed slowly for the confluence of the two rivers, the weight and draft of the steel boat keeping it from clipping down the river at the pace he was acustom to.He drove back and forth across the wave line and when he saw an opening he gunned the motor ,raised the shaft out of the water as the boat flew on the wave ,and he thudded onto the longjam for several moments completely out of the water. The steel boat was undamaged and he removed the motor. The boat settled in among the logs and he was heading down river at a slow but steady clip.
The sun beat ferociously. It was then that he realized he had forgotten to bring food or water. He scoured the sky for potential rain clouds, but none were visible. The hunger he could deal with for days if he had to and if no rain came he would drink the river water even though he knew it would give him bichos, bugs , in his stomach, but how many times had he had bugs in his stomach. When he got near land he would try to find some una de gato, the bark of which his family had used since he could remember when there was no rainwater to drink after a long dry spell and Gustavo had been too lazy to boil the water from the small stream which ran by their house, when their mother had gone to Francisco de Orellana to shop or visit amigas and play Cuarenta, that Ecuadorian card game played with such fervor throughout the country. They were children then and Gustavo was in charge of taking care of his younger brother.Fernando knew it was wrong to drink the water without boiling it, but he drank it anyway because Gustavo told him to. And their mother Rosita would get mad when she found out, but never hit Gustavo for the lazy or misguided things he did but would counsel him like an adult. Repeat explanations for repeated wrong behavior in the hope that in this way, with her husband Carlitos always off with Benecio building oil company encampments deep in the jungle and sometimes, without adequate explanation, coming home completely empty handed despite working for a month in that hard remote labor- with the hope that Gustavo would become- she saw the makings of it in his character at an early age- would become a man who would know how to do wrong when need be to get was rightly his when it was his due. Gustavo, she hoped would not be like her weak willed husband- though she loved him- and Fernando was one of God's creatures who if she trained Gustavo right- she hoped- would allow Fernando to ride along on his back. For Fernando she knew, what never make it, even in the simple world of river life without Gustavo's help.
She was pleased that it had worked out that way.That Gustavo went out into the world, such as it was in the backwaters of the Amazon and made a name for himself and by the time Fernando finished his six years of institutional schooling at the mission in Francisco de Orellana, Gustavo was there waiting to take him in as a partner. Together they would go through life. Even she hoped , when the time came, setting up homes near each other.
She had seen how Fernando had grown under Gustavo's guidance and Rosita who was now in the capital at the house of her sister across the street from the Church of the Basilica wondered how her two sons were doing now. Fernando had called her and in his simpleminded way tried to tell her that everything was all right. That he was taking care of Gustavo. She had asked him what that meant and he told her that Gustavo had been trapped down river by the logjams but he was sure he was all right and then he faltered and in his confusion he told her the only thing that he thought would give her peace of mind . He told her he was working with Benecio to get Gustavo and the Gringo out and Benecio would verify his story if she would just call him and she said she would and he hung up with her.
He knew she would not be able to talk to Benecio because he was gone down the Aguarico with Paco Moreno. But what would Alexandra the sad wife of Benecio say to her? And would she ever forgive him for lying?Maybe she would come to Francisco de Orellana with her husband to try to find him after her talk with Alexandra. He could not think about that now. He was in a steel boat in the middle of a logjam floating slowly downriver. The sun burned mercilessly and his recollections of recent events more than any physical or external heat caused him to work up a great thirst. He cupped his hand into the brine in which he floated and drank several gulps. The water had an oilish taste to it, and grit, and the flavor of a thousand dying forests too. It did note slate his thirst.
After three hours, he was still in a logjam in the center of the river, passing the land he had known all his wife. His parents homestead. He calculated that he was traveling at the speed of between one and two miles an hour.
If Benecio answered then he would hang up, but it was Alexandra's questioning voice and Fernando asked to speak to Benecio.
"Who is this? she asked. The voice sounded familiar to her."This is Alexandra. Benecio is gone for a month."
"This is...this is....Fernando, Dona Alexandra. How are you, how are things going with you."
"Fernando, where is my daughter Dolores? You were with my husband when he was with the gringo. What has happened to my daughter?"
"She is safe Dona Alexandra down river. She can not get out yet because of the logjams and when everything...when everything is done I will bring her back to you myself. Do not worry about her."
"But my husband said-
"And where did your husband go ?"
"I think he is doing something with that Paco Moreno of the Colombian Rebels. I think he is maybe doing something with the coca. He got drunk last night and told me I would be proud of him because he would be coming home from his Conquest very very rich. Cocaine is the only thing it could be."
"And when did he leave?"
"Just today.I asked him who he was going with and he said Cortes and Pizzaro. Do you know any Cortes and Pizzaro and he said he was going to take the riches from the Sun God for himself. Then he passed out. I think he has gone mad. Maybe he is taking this cocaine."
"I don't know what to tell you Dona Alexandra...it sounds terrible. I guess I mean, I don't know. I mean, I mean...Hello?"
And with that Fernando hung up the phone cursing,railing at his lack of timing, missing yet again his chance to kill Benecio, and now making his life even more complex. Well his brother would have been proud of him because he had a backup plan. Maybe he, too could get the tatoo of a harpy eagle on his chest after all this was over.
He headed towards the boat yard which fronted the river a few hundred yards down from the dock where he was now prepared to begin the most complicated thought processes of his life: A negotiation had taken place for the three emeralds and then a plan to rescue his brother and the others who he presumed were still alive before Benecio arrived- or with the ammunition and extra rifle he had bought lay seige and at least get Benecio which might or might not be enough to prove he had done his all. He could not think past that point it gave him a headache.He had tried to think what his brother would do. He could think no more.
He stood quite close to the crane which lowered the heavy steel boat into the water and closely supervised the loading of his wooden boat inside the steel boat deciding that it fit best from bow to stern matching the steel boat although it did not fit perfectly inside the boat but hung over the edges-neither boat being quite symmetric and the wooden one ,in sum ,just a little too large to fit perfectly inside. It had seemed like it would when he had measured the two boats but he knew he had miscalculated something and now that his plan was unfolding he neither punished nor rewarded himself for small individual missteps but proceeded forward with only the goal fixating his brain.
He loaded in his weapons and fuel, the gringos motor, and tested the other two he had purchased as part of his package deal and the load of spare parts and propellors, and tools and one extra transmission, the bottom half of an outboard motor that would be most likely to break before the top half from repeated concussions. He had watched his brother change transmissions before.
Putting a40 hp Johnson motor on the back of the steel boat he gave it all the gas it would take but headed slowly for the confluence of the two rivers, the weight and draft of the steel boat keeping it from clipping down the river at the pace he was acustom to.He drove back and forth across the wave line and when he saw an opening he gunned the motor ,raised the shaft out of the water as the boat flew on the wave ,and he thudded onto the longjam for several moments completely out of the water. The steel boat was undamaged and he removed the motor. The boat settled in among the logs and he was heading down river at a slow but steady clip.
The sun beat ferociously. It was then that he realized he had forgotten to bring food or water. He scoured the sky for potential rain clouds, but none were visible. The hunger he could deal with for days if he had to and if no rain came he would drink the river water even though he knew it would give him bichos, bugs , in his stomach, but how many times had he had bugs in his stomach. When he got near land he would try to find some una de gato, the bark of which his family had used since he could remember when there was no rainwater to drink after a long dry spell and Gustavo had been too lazy to boil the water from the small stream which ran by their house, when their mother had gone to Francisco de Orellana to shop or visit amigas and play Cuarenta, that Ecuadorian card game played with such fervor throughout the country. They were children then and Gustavo was in charge of taking care of his younger brother.Fernando knew it was wrong to drink the water without boiling it, but he drank it anyway because Gustavo told him to. And their mother Rosita would get mad when she found out, but never hit Gustavo for the lazy or misguided things he did but would counsel him like an adult. Repeat explanations for repeated wrong behavior in the hope that in this way, with her husband Carlitos always off with Benecio building oil company encampments deep in the jungle and sometimes, without adequate explanation, coming home completely empty handed despite working for a month in that hard remote labor- with the hope that Gustavo would become- she saw the makings of it in his character at an early age- would become a man who would know how to do wrong when need be to get was rightly his when it was his due. Gustavo, she hoped would not be like her weak willed husband- though she loved him- and Fernando was one of God's creatures who if she trained Gustavo right- she hoped- would allow Fernando to ride along on his back. For Fernando she knew, what never make it, even in the simple world of river life without Gustavo's help.
She was pleased that it had worked out that way.That Gustavo went out into the world, such as it was in the backwaters of the Amazon and made a name for himself and by the time Fernando finished his six years of institutional schooling at the mission in Francisco de Orellana, Gustavo was there waiting to take him in as a partner. Together they would go through life. Even she hoped , when the time came, setting up homes near each other.
She had seen how Fernando had grown under Gustavo's guidance and Rosita who was now in the capital at the house of her sister across the street from the Church of the Basilica wondered how her two sons were doing now. Fernando had called her and in his simpleminded way tried to tell her that everything was all right. That he was taking care of Gustavo. She had asked him what that meant and he told her that Gustavo had been trapped down river by the logjams but he was sure he was all right and then he faltered and in his confusion he told her the only thing that he thought would give her peace of mind . He told her he was working with Benecio to get Gustavo and the Gringo out and Benecio would verify his story if she would just call him and she said she would and he hung up with her.
He knew she would not be able to talk to Benecio because he was gone down the Aguarico with Paco Moreno. But what would Alexandra the sad wife of Benecio say to her? And would she ever forgive him for lying?Maybe she would come to Francisco de Orellana with her husband to try to find him after her talk with Alexandra. He could not think about that now. He was in a steel boat in the middle of a logjam floating slowly downriver. The sun burned mercilessly and his recollections of recent events more than any physical or external heat caused him to work up a great thirst. He cupped his hand into the brine in which he floated and drank several gulps. The water had an oilish taste to it, and grit, and the flavor of a thousand dying forests too. It did note slate his thirst.
After three hours, he was still in a logjam in the center of the river, passing the land he had known all his wife. His parents homestead. He calculated that he was traveling at the speed of between one and two miles an hour.
# 26 zodiacs
Benecio winced- and not from the sight of the roaring Aguarico from the recent rains and not from the pain in his collarbone the removal of the sling had caused and not from the youth of the paramilitary dressed mercenaries Paco had enlisted who now stood by the two rubber zodiacs with their ak-47's on their chests in the ready offensive position as if displaying the menacing for unseen movie cameras - but from the late ruling by Paco that they should each be paid Ten Thousand Dollars in advance, compadre, and with the rocky river raging the way it was. It would give everyone a chance to go home and leave the money with their families.
"It is the only fair thing, compadre, you think they know how valuable a green rock might be ? But give them ten thousand dollars and wait two days for the river to calm and they will come back ready to kill for you, like conquistadors !"
"It is the only fair thing, compadre, you think they know how valuable a green rock might be ? But give them ten thousand dollars and wait two days for the river to calm and they will come back ready to kill for you, like conquistadors !"
Thursday, March 5, 2009
#25 Signing
Gustavo had whittled a display case for The Garza Emerald out of chonta palm a black wood which when polished gave off a nice sheen, but did little to highlight the Emerald.In any case it became the official holder of the stone, custom fit and nailed to the wall and at least once a day Gustavo would remove the emerald find Nina and rub her stomach where their baby was growing in an obvious gesture of luck.
Gustavo and Nina, in fact all of them became thrilled about Nina's pregnancy. Their paradise, was once again in tact with all its majesty and lack of threat-as long as they stayed away from the river,. They could discern no changes to their forest and its inhabitants from the cataclysm outside.
The radio had begun to work again and they had just heard now of the dynamiting of the logjams several days previous. As a precaution they started sorting the stones and half filling 110 pound rice and potato bags with the deepest embedded beryls and leather pouches with the free stones that Nate measured with a special tool quickly and loosely measuring the approximate caratage and eyed them for inclusions, and color and signs of the trapiche, that perfect six spoked wheel of carbon depoists which made them so rare. Then he put them in leather pouches with a code on the outside written with a sharpy and finally tied off each pouch.The number references were like "AA-17" or "B-3" and he then put these numbers in a in a small notebook, one that could fit in the back pocket of his jeans.
Dory noticed that Nate, probably unaware of his actions, had recently started to to take a preference to signinging with Dolores over vocal conversation and he chose to spend more and more time communicating with her over the rest of the group.
So with Nate in the mine most of the day drilling with Gustavo, Nina and Dory who had already begun to study sign language with Dolores ,studied now in earnest.Dolores had learned quite a bit of English it turned out through Nate and so they learned to speak the very special brand of signing she and Nate spoke. Nate knew nothing of these lessons, but Dolores was pleased to be able, after a very short time ,to communicate with two new people and one night at dinner she inadvertantly signed to Dory.
Who did not acknowledge her and became visibly embarassed.
Nate caught the moment. "Whats that all about ?"
Dory put down her fork and looked deeply at nate then she signed confidently, speaking each word clearly: "I love you...Te amo... and I can now enter your mundo by todas las maneras I need to and nada will keep us apart."
Nate stared at her for a minute and no one could read what was in his face.Then he exploded:"Well isn't that dandy ,"he said angrily and got up from the table, "Now the freak show is complete. "
He threw his napkin down on the table and stomped out the door crashing heavily to a seat on the split canoe bench. Viva the macaw squacked her disapproval.
That night in bed he apologized tenderly to Dory."It's the curse of the conquistador come back to get me.They brought measles which they gave to the indians, the indians gave it to the mestizos, all these childhood diseases that in the states you get in childhood ....anyway its come full circle and the ghosts of Indians who breathed the contaminated air of Orellana have now blown that air back to me."
"OK. I see this as a complex question," she said softly."Do you believe you are a conquistador ?"
"Not exactly,but I am stealing the birthright of the Ecuadorian people."
"Like the oil, the trees, all that goes to the Ecuadorian people."
"No not a penny. it is all stolen by the people in power."
"So your emeralds would go to the people in power."
"I guess so.
" Now :Do you believe in ghosts?"
"Metaphorically."
"So why did they let you get so rich these spirits of the ancient indians who your Francisco de Orellana did so wrong?"
"I'm not rich yet. It's many big steps from here to the bank. And there are many wrong steps I could take."
"You are missing the point she said grabbing his face with her hands but I will be there if you want me because I love you with or without all of this."
"Maybe I don't want all of this... just you me and Dolores.Nah I want the dough -strike that last remark!" he said laughing.
" She has taught me so much about you and now that I can communicate with her. What a talented mind she has-"
She should write a book."
"Don't laugh we are teaching her how to write and yes, a book ,but not like this Helen Keller. She has such delightful fantasies and stories about the world... But what about us ?"
"What I can't hear you?"
She punched him.
"You hear me just fine. I notice when there are no other noises, no distractions you can hear almost everything."
"So you are on to me."
"Of course I am on to you."
"About us...I am in love with you. And I can't imagine a world without you but I am afraid that our struggle has not even begun yet and I wonder not if our relationship will survive that struggle but if I will survive that struggle because I will not let you be in harm's way."
"I already am."
"That was a mistake."
"I already am."
"All right already.We'll go down together if we go down."
"I will keep you up."
"Who ARE you ?"
"Believe in me."
The next day Gustavo and Nate paddled out across the lake and followed their same path to look at the river and while there was 5 feet of oily water in the river now there were as many logs as some metropolis bumper to bumper nightmare traffic jam.
Gustavo and Nina, in fact all of them became thrilled about Nina's pregnancy. Their paradise, was once again in tact with all its majesty and lack of threat-as long as they stayed away from the river,. They could discern no changes to their forest and its inhabitants from the cataclysm outside.
The radio had begun to work again and they had just heard now of the dynamiting of the logjams several days previous. As a precaution they started sorting the stones and half filling 110 pound rice and potato bags with the deepest embedded beryls and leather pouches with the free stones that Nate measured with a special tool quickly and loosely measuring the approximate caratage and eyed them for inclusions, and color and signs of the trapiche, that perfect six spoked wheel of carbon depoists which made them so rare. Then he put them in leather pouches with a code on the outside written with a sharpy and finally tied off each pouch.The number references were like "AA-17" or "B-3" and he then put these numbers in a in a small notebook, one that could fit in the back pocket of his jeans.
Dory noticed that Nate, probably unaware of his actions, had recently started to to take a preference to signinging with Dolores over vocal conversation and he chose to spend more and more time communicating with her over the rest of the group.
So with Nate in the mine most of the day drilling with Gustavo, Nina and Dory who had already begun to study sign language with Dolores ,studied now in earnest.Dolores had learned quite a bit of English it turned out through Nate and so they learned to speak the very special brand of signing she and Nate spoke. Nate knew nothing of these lessons, but Dolores was pleased to be able, after a very short time ,to communicate with two new people and one night at dinner she inadvertantly signed to Dory.
Who did not acknowledge her and became visibly embarassed.
Nate caught the moment. "Whats that all about ?"
Dory put down her fork and looked deeply at nate then she signed confidently, speaking each word clearly: "I love you...Te amo... and I can now enter your mundo by todas las maneras I need to and nada will keep us apart."
Nate stared at her for a minute and no one could read what was in his face.Then he exploded:"Well isn't that dandy ,"he said angrily and got up from the table, "Now the freak show is complete. "
He threw his napkin down on the table and stomped out the door crashing heavily to a seat on the split canoe bench. Viva the macaw squacked her disapproval.
That night in bed he apologized tenderly to Dory."It's the curse of the conquistador come back to get me.They brought measles which they gave to the indians, the indians gave it to the mestizos, all these childhood diseases that in the states you get in childhood ....anyway its come full circle and the ghosts of Indians who breathed the contaminated air of Orellana have now blown that air back to me."
"OK. I see this as a complex question," she said softly."Do you believe you are a conquistador ?"
"Not exactly,but I am stealing the birthright of the Ecuadorian people."
"Like the oil, the trees, all that goes to the Ecuadorian people."
"No not a penny. it is all stolen by the people in power."
"So your emeralds would go to the people in power."
"I guess so.
" Now :Do you believe in ghosts?"
"Metaphorically."
"So why did they let you get so rich these spirits of the ancient indians who your Francisco de Orellana did so wrong?"
"I'm not rich yet. It's many big steps from here to the bank. And there are many wrong steps I could take."
"You are missing the point she said grabbing his face with her hands but I will be there if you want me because I love you with or without all of this."
"Maybe I don't want all of this... just you me and Dolores.Nah I want the dough -strike that last remark!" he said laughing.
" She has taught me so much about you and now that I can communicate with her. What a talented mind she has-"
She should write a book."
"Don't laugh we are teaching her how to write and yes, a book ,but not like this Helen Keller. She has such delightful fantasies and stories about the world... But what about us ?"
"What I can't hear you?"
She punched him.
"You hear me just fine. I notice when there are no other noises, no distractions you can hear almost everything."
"So you are on to me."
"Of course I am on to you."
"About us...I am in love with you. And I can't imagine a world without you but I am afraid that our struggle has not even begun yet and I wonder not if our relationship will survive that struggle but if I will survive that struggle because I will not let you be in harm's way."
"I already am."
"That was a mistake."
"I already am."
"All right already.We'll go down together if we go down."
"I will keep you up."
"Who ARE you ?"
"Believe in me."
The next day Gustavo and Nate paddled out across the lake and followed their same path to look at the river and while there was 5 feet of oily water in the river now there were as many logs as some metropolis bumper to bumper nightmare traffic jam.
#23 Fernando
Fernado hid in the forest behind his parents home behind a hunter's blind at a salt lick where animal's used to come for their ration of salt and minerals- and then be shot by Fernando's father. It was deep in the forest.
He sat at his camp site rolling around in his hand three beautiful Cabochon emeralds that Gustavo had stolen when no one was looking and had given Fernando strict orders not to show them to anybody. Gustavo took the emeralds, petty thievery considering the bounty at stake,to avenge his father's name, to somehow recuperate the pound of flesh Benecio had cut from his easy going padre over the years with his razor sharp machete of abuse. His intention had been to give the stones as a gift to his father after they were finished mining and he knew he could trust Fernando more than himself not to flash them to a pretty woman or wager them in a card game.
From these stones Fernando suddenly knew he had to somehow create a plan that would trump what he had heard at Gringo Chili,but what that plan could be was beyond the comprehension of his already hard-pressed mind. He could not alone, trail behind Benecio and what sounded like a small army and yet, he could not wait too long in fear that Benecio would arrive first.Could he go back to Lago Agrio and just kill Benecio or had Benecio laid a trap for him already. Perhaps come to Francisco de Orellana. The only cheering news he had heard was on HCJV radio that authorities were thinking about blowing up the massive logjams on the Quijos and Coca rivers which would free the water to go down the Napo River but he knew even without the news report that it might be many weeks or months before the Napo was navigable because of submerged logs which would would break propellors,transmissions, and especially bash in the bows of wood boats like his.
Still seated, he clutched the stones tighly and began to rock forward and backward in anguish.Feeling the full weight of his responsibility made him cry out.What would Gustavo do ?
He sat at his camp site rolling around in his hand three beautiful Cabochon emeralds that Gustavo had stolen when no one was looking and had given Fernando strict orders not to show them to anybody. Gustavo took the emeralds, petty thievery considering the bounty at stake,to avenge his father's name, to somehow recuperate the pound of flesh Benecio had cut from his easy going padre over the years with his razor sharp machete of abuse. His intention had been to give the stones as a gift to his father after they were finished mining and he knew he could trust Fernando more than himself not to flash them to a pretty woman or wager them in a card game.
From these stones Fernando suddenly knew he had to somehow create a plan that would trump what he had heard at Gringo Chili,but what that plan could be was beyond the comprehension of his already hard-pressed mind. He could not alone, trail behind Benecio and what sounded like a small army and yet, he could not wait too long in fear that Benecio would arrive first.Could he go back to Lago Agrio and just kill Benecio or had Benecio laid a trap for him already. Perhaps come to Francisco de Orellana. The only cheering news he had heard was on HCJV radio that authorities were thinking about blowing up the massive logjams on the Quijos and Coca rivers which would free the water to go down the Napo River but he knew even without the news report that it might be many weeks or months before the Napo was navigable because of submerged logs which would would break propellors,transmissions, and especially bash in the bows of wood boats like his.
Still seated, he clutched the stones tighly and began to rock forward and backward in anguish.Feeling the full weight of his responsibility made him cry out.What would Gustavo do ?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
#22 Paco
Business at Gringo Chili had never been better with so many hungry gringos in town working on the Trans Ecuadorian pipeline that had crumpled and broken, like so many aluminum beer cans strung end to end, from the force of the earthquake and the landslide that went with it.Benecio was amassing a war chest, like the Conquistadors of old to fund his voyage, by the back route to his El Dorado.
And while he had absconded with a small fortune in emeralds already, he did not want to make known their presence yet, drawing every kind of mongrel dog this border town was heir to, sniffing his butt.Except for one cabochon which he had wrapped in newspaper and then wrapped in a Gringo Chili T-Shirt and had sent through a known sympathizer of the Colombian rebel forces to Colonel Paco Moreno.
Days passed.
Then one afternoon around three as Benecio was reading the newspaper he saw a man walking through the central plaza in full camouflage regalia with a strapped pistol at his side.Horns honked and Paco Moreno waved and laughed.
It was strictly forbidden in Ecuador for anyone not in the Ecuadorian armed forces to wear a uniform of any kind but this man seemed not to care.
Benecio knew he was headed his way and looked up and down the wide avenue making sure no one would see him come in to Gringo Chili. It was hopeless. Siesta time had ended and people and cars seemed to all be heading in his direction.
Benecio grunted a curse.
Paco walked in.
"Compadre!" Benecio,shouted.
"Compadre!" replied Paco, taking off his camouflage uniform hat to reveal a completely bald head. The two men hugged gingerly for Benecio still wore his sling and grimaced, unseen by Paco, at the embrace.
Paco sat at the bar and Bencio pulled out a Budweiser for him.
"Don't give me that Gringo Piss !'
"I have just the thing for you, Paco, compadre."
He reached up high on his bar and pulled out a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Lable which he sold to the gringos at $15 a shot. It cost him over $100 a bottle and while there wasn't an overwhelming demand for it, he'd sell a bottle's worth every ten days and what was more important Paco knew what he was getting.
"Rocas? Agua?" he asked him.
Benecio brought down two drinking water glasses .Filled them with ice and then filled them with Johnny Walker Blue Label. He left the bottle near the two glasses. They drank a toast. And another.
"So how goes the thing,"Benecio asked him
"In the words of Ernesto Che Guevara,Benecio, You don't wait for the apple to be ripe to shake it from the tree. We will win...But we are floating in money from marching powder, half our time is spent with the dealings of coca. Sure it gives us money to fight...But it is changing the character of our people...our revolution.
Benecio filled up Pacos glass and smiled like a Cheshire cat as the alcohol seemed to make his compadre sentimental.
"So how many men do you have under your command Paco?'
"Benecio, you know that is a military secret."
"Sorry, I was just trying to make conversation Paco you seem so...tired."
"I don't care if they shoot me as long as there is someone to pick up my gun."
"Drink some more Paco."
"When are you going to give me the good stuff ?"
"Ay, compadre!"
"So where is the girl?"
"Dolores ? She is where the emeralds are."
"She is in Colombia?"
"Maybe."
"All emeralds come from Colombia."
"Not true. There are Emeralds from Africa, Brazil, even from the United States."
"You have sent her to the Yanquis?" With their patrullas who are helping the government pigs wipe out our coca ? He fell silent.Took a long drink. Benecio freshened his ice."You know all are kids are sniffing this white powder now. All our soldiers... I am sick of it. A whole generation will be lost not to bad government but to this poison!"He filled his glass.Paco took a long pull. "How much do you think it is worth ?"
Benecio smiled. He had him. "I know how much it is worth."
"How much?"
"About two thousand dollars.And you can keep it. That is the price I am willing to pay to have you come away from your very important business to talk to me about some other very important business.
"And what can you tell me about this important business of yours."
"Better than tell you, I can show you,said Benecio with great confidance now and he reached into the cooler, behind the bottles and pulled out a fist sized leather pouch. He placed on the bar between, still fastened tight by its cord looked up and down the street both for witnesses and for dramatic effect. Satisfied that no one was lurking, he opened the pouch and made the one hundred or so emeralds splash a little on the bar and throw off what light there was. They were all bigger than the one he had given Paco and although still rough their clarity and color would impress even the most casual and amateur viewer of gems.
Benecio spoke in evenly measured words spelling out as much of his proposition as he dared to at this point:"Besides yourself , Paco,do you have 4 strong men of confidence Paco, like the Conquistadors, who could call each other compadre and who would be willing to do a little freelance work- two weeks- to earn enough money for the rest of their lives ? I assure you, there is very little risk in this proposition only faith and trust and the belief that some great things are still left to be done in this world."
The men continued to drink and the efffects of the alcohol were beginning to set in.
"take a break from your revolution or if you feel you must give the profits which will be great to your great Jefe Morales as a token of your faith in his work."
At this moment Benecio noticed that Fernando, the quiet one, had somehow entered the bar without his notice and was listening in a dark corner to his conversation.He had no idea how long he had been there.
He sloppily tried to cover up the emeralds-
Paco raised his head from the bartop-
Benecio with dificulty pulled a sawed off shotgun with his untrained left hand from behind the bar-
Fernando Ran,
Benecio fired and shattered the glass of his restaurant door-
Fernando Kept running-
Paco turned his head in the opposite direction to the action.
"Kill him," cried Benecio.
"Kill who?"Asked Paco
Didn't you see it, "That fulano tried to kill me!"
"I was resting!' yelled Paco, "He tried to kill me ?"
"Yes ,"said Benecio, 'He was a government assasin, and I fired back at him and I saved your life."He looked nervously in the direction in which Fernando had fled.
"You saved my Life, compadre? Then I am in your debt."
"Then you will do what we discussed and not forget," said Benecio firmly.
"We will get the esmeraldas,"said Paco, Just tell me when."
"Right now I will drive you in my truck- it is parked by the back door -to your people and I will contact you again when I am ready by the same method. Do you have people in Dureno right now?"
"That's a military secret."
"Well where do you want me to drop you ?"
"Near Dureno."
"Okay Compadre"
"Compadre"
"March," said Benecio.
And with those words the Rebel Colonel seemed to instantly sober up and made his way through the back door to the truck as Alexandra carefully peaked around a corner of the bar window summoning up the courage to come down from their upstairs apartment and look in. She heard Benecios truck ignite and saw it speed through the dust towards the road. She recognized Paco Moreno and presumed he had shot out the window, the son of a whore !
Inside the bar she called Antonio the glass man who said he had too much work to do already. She doubled his asking price and he said he would come right over.
On the counter she found a beautiful emerald, and knowing how meticulous and selfish her husband was with things of monetary value she vowed to never admit having seen it when he asked and to have it cut and made into a fine piece of jewelry for Dolores who she was sure she would see again one day soon. The Gringo Nate was such a nice man. He would never run off with Dolores. He would bring her home and married or not she would have this beautiful jewel waiting for her. The stone was too big for a ring but it would make a very beautiful pendant .
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And while he had absconded with a small fortune in emeralds already, he did not want to make known their presence yet, drawing every kind of mongrel dog this border town was heir to, sniffing his butt.Except for one cabochon which he had wrapped in newspaper and then wrapped in a Gringo Chili T-Shirt and had sent through a known sympathizer of the Colombian rebel forces to Colonel Paco Moreno.
Days passed.
Then one afternoon around three as Benecio was reading the newspaper he saw a man walking through the central plaza in full camouflage regalia with a strapped pistol at his side.Horns honked and Paco Moreno waved and laughed.
It was strictly forbidden in Ecuador for anyone not in the Ecuadorian armed forces to wear a uniform of any kind but this man seemed not to care.
Benecio knew he was headed his way and looked up and down the wide avenue making sure no one would see him come in to Gringo Chili. It was hopeless. Siesta time had ended and people and cars seemed to all be heading in his direction.
Benecio grunted a curse.
Paco walked in.
"Compadre!" Benecio,shouted.
"Compadre!" replied Paco, taking off his camouflage uniform hat to reveal a completely bald head. The two men hugged gingerly for Benecio still wore his sling and grimaced, unseen by Paco, at the embrace.
Paco sat at the bar and Bencio pulled out a Budweiser for him.
"Don't give me that Gringo Piss !'
"I have just the thing for you, Paco, compadre."
He reached up high on his bar and pulled out a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Lable which he sold to the gringos at $15 a shot. It cost him over $100 a bottle and while there wasn't an overwhelming demand for it, he'd sell a bottle's worth every ten days and what was more important Paco knew what he was getting.
"Rocas? Agua?" he asked him.
Benecio brought down two drinking water glasses .Filled them with ice and then filled them with Johnny Walker Blue Label. He left the bottle near the two glasses. They drank a toast. And another.
"So how goes the thing,"Benecio asked him
"In the words of Ernesto Che Guevara,Benecio, You don't wait for the apple to be ripe to shake it from the tree. We will win...But we are floating in money from marching powder, half our time is spent with the dealings of coca. Sure it gives us money to fight...But it is changing the character of our people...our revolution.
Benecio filled up Pacos glass and smiled like a Cheshire cat as the alcohol seemed to make his compadre sentimental.
"So how many men do you have under your command Paco?'
"Benecio, you know that is a military secret."
"Sorry, I was just trying to make conversation Paco you seem so...tired."
"I don't care if they shoot me as long as there is someone to pick up my gun."
"Drink some more Paco."
"When are you going to give me the good stuff ?"
"Ay, compadre!"
"So where is the girl?"
"Dolores ? She is where the emeralds are."
"She is in Colombia?"
"Maybe."
"All emeralds come from Colombia."
"Not true. There are Emeralds from Africa, Brazil, even from the United States."
"You have sent her to the Yanquis?" With their patrullas who are helping the government pigs wipe out our coca ? He fell silent.Took a long drink. Benecio freshened his ice."You know all are kids are sniffing this white powder now. All our soldiers... I am sick of it. A whole generation will be lost not to bad government but to this poison!"He filled his glass.Paco took a long pull. "How much do you think it is worth ?"
Benecio smiled. He had him. "I know how much it is worth."
"How much?"
"About two thousand dollars.And you can keep it. That is the price I am willing to pay to have you come away from your very important business to talk to me about some other very important business.
"And what can you tell me about this important business of yours."
"Better than tell you, I can show you,said Benecio with great confidance now and he reached into the cooler, behind the bottles and pulled out a fist sized leather pouch. He placed on the bar between, still fastened tight by its cord looked up and down the street both for witnesses and for dramatic effect. Satisfied that no one was lurking, he opened the pouch and made the one hundred or so emeralds splash a little on the bar and throw off what light there was. They were all bigger than the one he had given Paco and although still rough their clarity and color would impress even the most casual and amateur viewer of gems.
Benecio spoke in evenly measured words spelling out as much of his proposition as he dared to at this point:"Besides yourself , Paco,do you have 4 strong men of confidence Paco, like the Conquistadors, who could call each other compadre and who would be willing to do a little freelance work- two weeks- to earn enough money for the rest of their lives ? I assure you, there is very little risk in this proposition only faith and trust and the belief that some great things are still left to be done in this world."
The men continued to drink and the efffects of the alcohol were beginning to set in.
"take a break from your revolution or if you feel you must give the profits which will be great to your great Jefe Morales as a token of your faith in his work."
At this moment Benecio noticed that Fernando, the quiet one, had somehow entered the bar without his notice and was listening in a dark corner to his conversation.He had no idea how long he had been there.
He sloppily tried to cover up the emeralds-
Paco raised his head from the bartop-
Benecio with dificulty pulled a sawed off shotgun with his untrained left hand from behind the bar-
Fernando Ran,
Benecio fired and shattered the glass of his restaurant door-
Fernando Kept running-
Paco turned his head in the opposite direction to the action.
"Kill him," cried Benecio.
"Kill who?"Asked Paco
Didn't you see it, "That fulano tried to kill me!"
"I was resting!' yelled Paco, "He tried to kill me ?"
"Yes ,"said Benecio, 'He was a government assasin, and I fired back at him and I saved your life."He looked nervously in the direction in which Fernando had fled.
"You saved my Life, compadre? Then I am in your debt."
"Then you will do what we discussed and not forget," said Benecio firmly.
"We will get the esmeraldas,"said Paco, Just tell me when."
"Right now I will drive you in my truck- it is parked by the back door -to your people and I will contact you again when I am ready by the same method. Do you have people in Dureno right now?"
"That's a military secret."
"Well where do you want me to drop you ?"
"Near Dureno."
"Okay Compadre"
"Compadre"
"March," said Benecio.
And with those words the Rebel Colonel seemed to instantly sober up and made his way through the back door to the truck as Alexandra carefully peaked around a corner of the bar window summoning up the courage to come down from their upstairs apartment and look in. She heard Benecios truck ignite and saw it speed through the dust towards the road. She recognized Paco Moreno and presumed he had shot out the window, the son of a whore !
Inside the bar she called Antonio the glass man who said he had too much work to do already. She doubled his asking price and he said he would come right over.
On the counter she found a beautiful emerald, and knowing how meticulous and selfish her husband was with things of monetary value she vowed to never admit having seen it when he asked and to have it cut and made into a fine piece of jewelry for Dolores who she was sure she would see again one day soon. The Gringo Nate was such a nice man. He would never run off with Dolores. He would bring her home and married or not she would have this beautiful jewel waiting for her. The stone was too big for a ring but it would make a very beautiful pendant .
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