CHAPTER ELEVEN
-BORN TOO LATE!-
“Greg!” Geeko screamed busting the office door wide open “You remember that little note we found yesterday!”
“Well, good morning and nice to see you too” he said laughing “The thank you note?”
“Sorry I am just too exited! Yes! The one we found in one of his journals, there is a group in Santa Fe New México with that name”
“Ok, I am not sure I am following” Greg said.
“It makes sense look …the note reads Thanks for the list, Have a new day! At first I thought it was just a good ole thank you note, but then talking with one of my buddies, he mention an underground shelter community in Santa Fe New Mexico, named New Day! …The scientist was freaking out because he was not in ‘the list!’ and he bought a space on an underground shelter, is only normal that he shared that information with others alike”
“How are we going to find this people?”
“That’s going to be a bitch, because their lips are sealed, my buddy wanted to join them and they rejected him”
“Why would they do that?”
“They didn’t thought he wanted to join for the right reasons, he is kind of a ladies man so he flirted with the wrong gal I guess”
“He met them here?”
“Yes he did, in one of those psychic, new age fairs”
Greg looked at his watch and quickly grabbed his wallet from the desk.
“What are you doing?” Geeko said puzzled.
“There is one going on as we speak on the convention center! I saw it on the news this morning, let’s go”
--O--------O--------O--
“Wake up mija, andale mira! You have to see this,” Timo said pointing outside the window “Whoa! This is my kind of place!” he said full of excitement. He stared at Hope for a second, frowned with a grin on his face, and turned his attention back to the window. “Man! Look at that, you can’t find a barren spot! There are Trees and water everywhere!” he said
Hope laughed at his efforts of warming up his Spanish engine and she opened the window cover to see why he was making such fuzz. When she looked out the window, her eyes could not believe such beauty. The green blue waters of the Pacific Ocean and the wide spread vegetation were nothing short of breath taking. Indeed, there was not a barren spot as far as her eyes could see.
“You look like a Siamese cat!” Timo said “One eye blue and the other one brown”
She laughed at his remark, took the blue lens on the left eye, and threw it away.
“I do not know why you wear those things in your eyes Hope… Look at your eyes they are so beautiful …now is just a matter of getting rid of those blond shocks in your hair!”
“I already have a vehicle waiting for us, is not a limo though!” Sven said coming out of the pilot’s cabin.
“Don’t worry about me man! I will be ok in a donkey,” Timo said. “I’ll feel sorry for the donkey though, but is aiight, we can take turns riding each other, I have his back!” every one kept on laughing and he kept on going “…ain’t going to let down ‘taquito’ that’s how I am going to call him you know! ta-qui-to!”
“It will be more comfortable than a donkey, I assure you” Sven said laughing and rubbing his stomach “Huatulco” he said “Is not completely developed yet, I invested with a Canadian firm some time a go, we are half way there! But a lot more still has to be done, I envision a destination much more luxurious that those European resorts, we have a few luxury hotels already and a nude beach, but we are far from being a ‘Cancun’ resort”
“A nude beach you said?” Timo said with interest.
“You know, in Arizona we go to the Gila River to swim butt naked!” he said.
“No we don’t!”
“Yes we do! Where do you think I met your mother, she saw the goods before buying them” he said.
“Zipolite, Is not like the European beaches… is better! …the blue of the ocean and the panorama is quite stunning. Mexicans are far from the stereotypes we have in America. Although I must say, we have had some vandals around there and a few guests have been robed. We are working hard in making it a much safer place to visit; I was thinking …since we have been in so much stress in the last couple of days, how about taking the rest of the day off?”
“I want to go Zipolite!” Timo said.
“Dad! Nobody wants to go there,” she said
“I do!” all the man said in a uniform chorus.
--O--------O--------O--
The Los Angeles convention center has to be one of the strangest looking buildings in its class. Is sort of like the baby of a Victorian gentleman’s hat and a UFO. So it was the perfect background for the psychic fair that was surprisingly at full house.
“Holly crap! Look at all this people!” Geeko said.
“I am as shocked as you are my friend, I did not know this was so popular”
They went inside and the amount of operating businesses was overwhelming.
“This is going to take all day,” Geeko said, fighting being carried away by the crowd.
“Just call me if you get lost alright”
“Yeah, hey that is an idea, you go that way and I go this way, if you find anything just give me a call and I meet you there” The fading voice said disappearing into the crowds.
The corridors; for as pack as they were, they were spacing enough to glide around and check up the amazing volume of paraphernalia, gadgets, books, incense, crystals and a few other thousand items looking for new owners. Greg was in heaven. He always had an affinity with crystals, animals and anything earthy, and this was a dream come true. Geeko in the other hand was lost in; what else, Books! “Euuugh!” he said loudly dropping the book he had in his hand “Who in the fuck reads about necrophilia’s alchemy?” he whispered disgusted.
“Not your cup of tea, I see!” The young woman said, behind a small desk on a corner.
“Sorry, I did not see you there”
“It’s ok, is not much space in here so we have to manage,” she said laughing.
“Are you looking for something in particular?”
“With me you never know!” He chuckled and continued browsing the titles “I ma actually looking for things about the 2012 and shit like that”
“And that is coming man!” she said convinced.
“You really think so?”
“Heck yeah, there is a lot of shit going on in the world … look” she said extending him an old book “Fr. Malachi Martin, He was a priest and in this book he spilled all the beans”
“The keys of this blood?” Geeko Said
“Yes! And it goes with the title …here!” She took the book from his hand and opened it randomly “The cultic acts of satanic pedophilia are considered by professionals to be the culmination of the fallen archangel’s rites, Page 632” She handle him back the book and whispered quietly “We are living the end of the world man! Satan is in the house of the lord!” she said.
--O--------O--------O--
Meanwhile in México, at their arrival to Huatulco they all were assigned and taken to their individual rooms by the smiling employees, which graciously suggested them to attend the activities planed for the evening by the resort’s management. The employee’s English was so properly spoken, Timo had to ask Hope a couple of times what he actually meant. She stayed in her room a bit longer and by the time she made it back to the restaurant, she found Sven alone in the table.
“Where is everybody?”
“They already left to Zipolite!” he said
“I thought you were going as well? Why did you change your mind?” she said.
“I feel a little tired, I rather stay here and take some rest …and I keep you some company along the way”
“Are you ok Sven?” she said as she took a good look at his already pale face that somehow seemed even whiter.
“I’ll be alright in a bit you will see, the pain can be really sharp sometimes and sometimes is so strong I can not even breath. But there is something magical about this land; it gets me well in no time …Look around hope! Isn’t this place a dream? …no wonder more than eighty five million natives lost their life during the European invasion; anyone would have done the same to claim ownership of this breath taking lands” he said
“I know,” she said looking at him coldly, “Twenty five million of those were my ancestors,” she said.
“You know” he said “During the first one hundred and fifty years of the invasion, an estimated of two hundred tons of gold and seventeen thousand tons of silver were looted out to Europe from this lands …that piss me off!” he said while Hope looked at him in surprise. “…I was born too fucking late!” he said.
Hope shook her head and put up a fake smile.
“I am going to take a walk on the beach,” she said
“Have fun! I’ll see you here tonight for diner then”
--O--------O--------O--
Back at the convention center, the guys were working hard in their quest for information. Their quest for The New Day Community was more difficult than expected. The building was excessively big and they only had a couple of hours left. Although they could always come back tomorrow, the fair was for the whole week and today was the first day. Unlike Geeko who seemed to be a magnet for creepy information, Greg was having a wonderful day meeting new people and making new friends. He was browsing some quartz and he noticed an old woman staring at him from a near by booth. She looked at him smiling, signaling him to go meet her.
“What are you looking for?” she said.
“I’ll tell you when I find it,” he said charming.
“I love the color of your aura! Is so shiny and iridescent is like 14k gold all around you, except for the crown” she said caressing the air above his head “that is the most beautiful violet shade, I have ever seen in a person” she said smiling.
“Can you see it too?” he said surprised “I have seen it a few times when I was shaving, but I thought I was just tired”
“No, no, is there, you are not crazy”
“Do they mean anything?” Greg said.
“You will find out soon, actually is quiet …cute, that you have it and don’t even know what it is! …really, really cute!” she said giggling.
“So you are not going to tell me?”
“I don’t want to ruin the surprise Greg!”
“How do you know my name?” he said surprised.
“Because is in your t-shirt!” She laughed, pointing at his t-shirt embroidery.
Greg did not notice he was wearing a t- shirt, his wife had hand stitched for him some years a go.
“I am not a psychic though, I can see the aura and read it, but I am not emphatic, I can’t download that kind of information”
They both were laughing when Geeko arrived producing a strange reaction to the woman.
“Oh my! Child” she said stepping back a few steps “Where have you been, you aura is so dirty!” she said grabbing a stick of herbs, and after lighting it up, she ran walked around him in circles to Geeko’s shock and Greg’s amusement.
--O--------O--------O--
The beach was surprisingly empty; she walked by the shore unrushed and at ease, feeling enormous pleasure at sensing the grainy sand underneath the soles of her flip-flop sandals. The fresh breeze hit her face and played with her hair at will, sending a few locks of hair right into her mouth.
“All this water and here I am with a dry mouth oh well!” She laughed, “What is that?” She noticed a beer glass bottle floating over the water; a strong wave had brought the bottle almost right at her feet I hate when people throw trash in the ocean! She thought annoyed. She took the bottle out of the water, with the intention to throw it away in a trash can back at the resort, but there was a piece of paper inside of it. She frowned and looked again; maybe someone had put some trash inside the bottle. The curiosity got the best of her and she could not help it to open the bottle and get the piece of paper out. It was a message.
“You got to be kidding me” She smiled “This is…weird” She thought as she read the brownish piece of paper.
“I know One day my life will flash before my eyes and I am going to make sure is a comedy! You are old enough to get it! Those that ‘understand’ often can't explain themselves and those who don’t understand shit, never shut up! I will never be happy until I know you accept me as I am, I am angry at you! And I am tired of reaching for your hand, what else do you want from me? I never hid anything from you and I have always been there for you time after time! I have tried everything I know to please you and nothing works! What do you want? Do you want me to kill myself to prove you how sorry I am? I know you don’t understand and I know you hate that about me, But I can’t help it! I know you think I am a girly man at times, you said it yourself many times. I know I cry easily and I wear my heart on my sleeve, because I am a real man! I don’t know if you would even read this note after what happened last night! I left because I could not deal with your screaming and insults anymore. You abuse me because you know damned well that regardless of what you do to me, I will always love you, even though you don’t Stephen”
Hope felt goose bumps all over her body, she did not know men were capable of talking like that, so openly and so unguarded! Alicia’s voice thunder on her mind Raise your voice!
“What a bitch!” she said cursing the girl that had hurt such lovely man. “You don’t call a man girly! What an Idiot! She is an Idiot,” she said. “You can do better than that Stephen!”
Why did she got so involved with this note was a mystery even to her, as a matter in fact she did not even noticed at all. For a minute she forgot that she did not knew either one of those people, but strangely for her, she took his side without knowing anything about them. Normally she would have thrown the paper away. However, she thought the message had made a difference in her life and she wanted to pass along that chance to someone else in the future. So in a moment of inspiration, she threw the bottle back to the sea as hard as she could.
“Ouch!”
The loud scream vanished her sudden moment of inspiration. A man came up from the water rubbing his head in pain.
“You know! …You should be ashamed of yourself madam! You almost broke my head for god sakes!” he said very angry “Throwing trash in the ocean is not a nice thing to do” he said.
“I am so sorry!” she said embarrassed.
“Ah! Shut up!” he said angry.
The man walked out of the water humiliated, she felt her face melt with embarrassment when the man reunited with his group of friends and they all turned to look at her shaking their heads in disapproval. She looks back into the ocean and the bottle was out of sight. She let the group walk ahead of her and had to look away a few times when she knew they were looking at her, she rushed to her room and when she closed the door, a laugh attack took a hold of her.
--O--------O--------O--
“Dude!” he said surprised looking at her “I actually feel much better! Thanks, what is that?”
“Is sacred sage” Greg said. “My mother used it all the time, she was Native American”
“Get out of here! I thought you were white! I never seen a native with baby blue eyes”
“My dad was French that is why I am so pale,” he said rubbing his arms.
“Oy vey! You think you know someone!” Geeko said.
“Isn’t that a Jewish expression?” she said.
“Yeah! I am Jewish”
“Get out of here, you are Jewish?” Greg said, laughing.
“Yeah, I am a Sephardic Jew, there are a lot of us in Guatemala where I was born, but I grew up in Peru”
“Well you will have a wonderful life!” she said, “I can see some silver already shining on your crown, so you just need to learn to forget the past so you can discover it”
The comment left them both speechless.
“How do you know I want to be a historian?”
“Wait! You can see that but you can not see a name?”
“That is because humans do not have a name,” she said giggling, “We name each other because it makes it easier to identify ourselves, but we are highly evolved spiritual entities and we aren’t born with a name. Do you really think is an accident, that each of us is born with a different set of fingerprints in our hands and our feet? That is how we connect with the creator and our great mother heart, think of it as the IP address of your computer when you navigate the internet.”
She left them both speechless with that, Greg was really enjoying the company of this woman and Geeko; easily gained by flattery, was enjoying her as much.
“What do you know about the 2012?”
“Ah hah! Is going to be glorious!” she said excited.
“Do you care for a cup of coffee?” Greg said.
“I would love to, but not today. Is the first day of the fair and I have to organize a lot of things but how about tomorrow morning, My sister will be taking care of the booth then we can get together for lunch maybe?”
“Deal!” Greg said shaking her hand.