Manuel Javier Ortega moved down the dark passage deep in the mine, humming a soft tune under his breath. He was working that section by himself, as it had been assigned to him by his boss, James Bryant.
Manny and his boss were on good terms. He was a good employee, did his work without complaining, happy that he could use his body for physical labor when he knew many who could not support themselves or their families. He was conscientious and had not had any accidents on the job since he started with the mining company a few years ago.
Since Jimmy had assigned him to that specific section, he’d decided to hang his own personal lamps around the area so that he could see. Whenever he had to load the rocks on the cart, he would have to venture into the darkness beyond that area. The more light he had in his section, the more would reflect out to where the cart was sitting on the tracks.
He could see his section in the distance because his best friend, who always arrived before him, took the time to light all his lanterns before he got there. When Manny thanked him for it, he said, “You’re welcome, but you don’t have to thank me. It helps all of us in this part of the mine because it’s so bright.”
Manny was almost to his section when he saw Tito reaching up to the last lantern on the wall, lighting it. His back was turned to Manny, but his red and brown jacket was unmistakable. No one else wore a jacket like that.
Plus, Manny knew the back story behind it and that it was priceless to Tito. His mother had made it for him before he came to America. He remembered Tito telling him the story and how his friend had tears in his eyes when he spoke of his mother’s struggle to save the fifty cents in tax levied on each person coming into America from Mexico.
That was just nine years ago. Manny and Tito had come over the border at the same time but didn’t know each other until they both applied for the job at the Orwell Mines. Manny recognized him from the immigration office where they’d paid their tax, and the two became fast friends.
Manny came around the corner, extending his hand to his friend. “Tito Gonzales, I must thank you. Thank you, my friend.”
Tito spun around as if he hadn’t expected Manny to come up behind him. It was an old joke. Tito acted like he was surprised, but Manny knew he was just waiting for his footsteps.
“My friend, it is good to see you!” Tito said enthusiastically, taking Manny’s hand, and the two met together in a chest-to-chest hug, slapping each other on the back with their free hand. “You are looking well today. Ready to dig out some rocks?”
“I am!” Manny replied with equal energy, surveying the area around him. “I’ve got some work to finish on the eastern wall there, and then I’m starting on the north as instructed. You doing good this morning?”
“I am, thank you for asking. I asked Jimmy if I could work in here with you today. I hope you don’t mind.”
Manny was surprised and raised his eyebrows, a bit taken aback. This was a rare occasion. He blinked at Tito. “You know I have no objection to you working in here with me, amigo, but why would you want to? You have your own section.”
Tito shrugged, lifting the strap of his long canvas bag from his shoulder and dropping his tools to the ground slowly.
“Solitario,” he mumbled, his head down.
“Perdóneme?” Manny tilted his head to the side and gazed at his friend, moving his eyes down to the bag as Tito dug through it to get his pickaxe.
Tito glanced up at him. “I am lonely, as you might say, that is all. Lonely. I wish to be with a friend today.”
Manny grinned wide. “That is fine. I am happy to have you with me today. I enjoy talking to you.” Manny moved to go past him, and as he did, he slapped Tito on the shoulder. “You remind me of our native country.”
“And there is nothing wrong with that, no?”
“Sí.”
Manny and Tito set about their work, slamming the pickaxes in the rocks repetitively, removing the rocks and carrying them to the cart on the tracks behind them. For the first half-hour, they worked in silence, each to their own thoughts.
Someday, Manny planned to have his own land. He wanted a plot outside of town, a specific piece of land at the base of Montgomery Mountain, but it wasn’t currently for sale. He didn’t know who owned it, but he would surely like to speak to them.
There was a cave in that mountain, right there where he wanted to buy, and it was the biggest reason he wanted that area of land. He wanted to dig for gold and use the money to turn the land into a cattle ranch.
Like all the men he knew, Manny longed for a wife of his own, children, his own house. He also wanted to supply a place for his parents, who were still working hard and didn’t own their own home.
They’d been struggling since the US Government allowed them access but wouldn’t allow them much of the same rights as naturalized citizens of the country. He could have paid twice the tax for his immigration, but it wouldn’t have made a difference. He was still not allowed to become a citizen.
But if he were to marry a citizen, be given or purchase land of his own, he would consider it a little part of taking back what once belonged to his ancestors.
Without his own home, there was little chance he would ever be truly happy. He was getting up there in years, already about to turn thirty.
Manny stopped pounding the wall with his ax for a moment, resting it against his legs while he took off his hat and wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his shirt. Soon, he would shed any clothes on the upper part of his body, and when he left for the day, his pants would be soaked through, along with his socks and shoes. The only thing he could remove was his shirt. So he wasn’t going to wear it.
He leaned to the side and picked up his canteen. There was fresh spring water in it, kept cool because of the canteen’s material. He tilted his head back and took several swallows. When he lowered it, he sighed contentedly.
As he screwed the top back on, he turned halfway to see what Tito was into.
The man was tapping on the wall, tilting his head to the side.
A bit of adrenaline raced through Manny, and he took a step toward Tito. “What did you find?” he asked.
Without answering verbally, Tito lifted his hand and gestured with all his fingers for Manny to approach.
“I think I see something shining in there. Diamonds or a gold stream? You look, see what you think.”
Manny hurried to the wall. Once there, he took the candle Tito offered him and lifted it so he could look in the crack Tito had made there. There was definitely something shining.
“Let’s get this out of here and see what it is,” he said breathlessly.
“So you do see it? I am not crazy?”
“You are not crazy.” Manny laughed. “Come, help me.”
The two men dug around the area until they could reach into the hole they’d made.
It took several tries of Manny adjusting the candle to see without a reflection or putting the glittering light into the darkness.
Finally, he saw a way through and reached in to either dip his fingers in a gold stream or touch the hard side of a diamond.
Adrenaline raced through his body as his fingers met something hard. He turned his eyes to Tito, who looked like he was about to jump up and down and let it all out.
“Diamond,” he said conclusively.
He laughed when Tito looked like he was going to faint dead away.