A MODEL AND A HORSE MADE LEGEND





------------ Today I thought that the best place that this book can occupy, is in your blessed hands, so that you can be infected with all the sweetness and all the tenderness that is in your soul, for that your eyes cover you with the infinite love that only knows how to leave them, so that you have the eternal pleasure of being with you even for a single moment, so that one day I can tell you how much I love you and that I will always love you.-----------------------------------

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A MODEL AND A HORSE MADE LEGEND

"Because I am tired of the falsity of materialism and petty interests, I will write about LOVE that is the only real thing that makes us immortal"

JORGE LEÓN SOTO BUILES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OFFERING


With all the love in the world, I offer this book to Don Fabio Ochoa Restrepo, to Don Benjamín León and to all the Colombian horsemen who, in one way or another, have had to do with the breeding, selection and development of these wonderful Creole horses. of chair, which are the pride of Colombia before the world.


Jorge León Soto

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER NUMBER ONE

It all began the day I met Julio Fierro, a drug trafficker who betrayed all his friends by taking part in a program offered in the United States of America, in which he gave immunity and protection to tell-tale witnesses. That man repented of his innumerable misdeeds, decided to tell all his organization convinced by the sweetness and good heart of his beautiful wife, who encouraged him to confess all his crimes before the American authorities, in exchange for many benefits and a new identity, and, as we all know that the mafia does not forgive, after a short time, when he returned to the country, his resentful partners took him and took his eyes, castrated him and left him in the middle of Medellin.
I had bought a farm in the mountains of Antioquia, because, as a writer, the economic situation was difficult and I had to become a cattle rancher in order to survive. Time had passed and it was not about what I liked or what I did not like in life, it was about securing my future and getting a few pesos to subsist and to be able to have a quiet old age. When I was younger I had taken an agricultural course, in which I realized that cattle were a good investment and that was what I decided to do at that time. I looked for a large land, but worth very few pesos, so that they could reach my savings.
I got a farm a little far away, but very interesting.

I negotiated and bought seventeen and a half hectares of land, which had a simple and dilapidated cabin with water and electricity, to take refuge in writing on it. It is a beautiful manger that remains in the canyon of the river "Buey", two hours inside the main road between La Ceja del Tambo and Abejorral, in one of the hills of the central mountain range of Colombia. Far from everything and from any kind of civilization, I went to that land to try to raise cattle and, at the same time, in search of the muse of inspiration that only inhabits the moors and in the pine forests of those beloved mountains. The place was almost completely inhospitable and the three or four houses that rose like ghosts in the area seemed uninhabited after the guerrillas and the paramilitaries passed killing the poor peasants.
One day I traveled to these lands and, after a long and exhausting journey, I accommodated the few utensils I had brought, improvised a humble bed and went out to see the icy landscape, while enduring the icy wind that blew strongly from the canyon of the river "Buey". My eyes contemplated with satisfaction those seventeen hectares of land with which I always dreamed. The grass grew fresh and abundant, dotted with a few weeds that the neglect and abandonment had allowed to grow. I was absorbed in the contemplation of the rustic and humble cabin when, behind my back, I felt the sound of fearful footsteps.
- Good afternoon, boss - said a little man who looked like something out of a fairy tale.
- Good evening, man, - I answered a little surprised - what brings you here? ...
-! What a shame with you, sir, that I got into your property without permission, but yesterday my dogs were chasing a "guagua" and they hid her in that mountain, explained the humble peasant, pointing out the thick jungle that remained in the forest. Top of the mountain range and that, as I understood, from what the salesman had explained to me, he also belonged to me.

 - Calm down, friend, that's not worth it - I said kindly to the stranger, so that the humble man came into confidence -. The subject smiled shyly and began to explain to me as if I had done a wrongdoing.
- I was scared when I saw you, I thought the paramilitaries had returned and, as I was carrying a shotgun, I returned shaking with fright and without you noticing me, I hid it in those bushes - said the peasant, completely familiar with the kindness of my face. He went to the designated bushes and extracted an old and rusty hunting rifle, which reflected the humility of the owner. He advanced slowly with the gun in his hand, while continuing to say. I spend all day marrying, because the blind horseman and me, we love the meat of the animals of the mountain.
My eyes remained looking at the humble peasant, with the curiosity and surprise of the one who feels completely alone, and, later, he realizes that he does not have a neighbor but two. The subject seems to have guessed my thoughts because he continued explaining:
- It is that I work with a man from Medellin, who was a drug trafficker and betrayed all his companions for paying attention to the woman -. The little man remained silent, thinking about what he had just said and, as he did not notice any reaction on my face, he continued:
- My employer is a very elegant boy, who is married to a very famous model of this country - argued the peasant visibly nervous -. Julio Fierro, that's what they called him in the mafia, was sorry for all the misdeeds he had committed in the underworld and one day, convinced by his wife, he betrayed the gringo authorities to all his friends and, as we all know that the mafia does not forgive, after a few days the resentful partners took it, took out his eyes, castrated him and left him in the middle of Medellin. The boss, completely wounded, made the people who helped him phone a friend, who was the one who brought him there, to a farm that is not seen from this point and that is where he and I live. - The humble peasant was silent after telling the most important, took a breath and continued saying: - Imagine that when they castrated him and his eyes were removed, he was not allowed to attend any medical center and came dripping blood with wishes to die here. The day after arriving, he had a terrible fever and since he had lost a lot of blood and his wounds became infected, he lost consciousness and I, desperate, had to apply penicillin, of those that we have in case the horses get sick. I also put an antiseptic in the empty eye sockets and down there and, eight days later, I was walking like new. The peasant finished saying, with the same satisfaction that a doctor must feel when he saves someone's life.
I came to squeeze my brain to try to pull a poem to the fog and loneliness, and look at the spectacular story that I was finding.
- Did you work with that man before the accident? - I asked full of curiosity.
- Yes sir. Don Julio Fierro bought that farm, which is half the world, because he had a lot of money when he worked and lived in Miami, and he hired me to take care of it and to plant it with thousands and thousands of wild pines that he would leave me. Sending. Then he brought seven fillies of Colombian fine step, so that I would take care of them. He came and released the beasts in the paddock, and since they took care of themselves and did not give any work, I dedicated myself to fencing the farm well and planting more pine trees.
- And how much do you pay? ... - I asked, feeling a little embarrassed to find out what I did not care about. I, who did not even know the name of the humble rancher, was already gossiping.
- Before they castrated him, he paid me the minimum of the government and gave me a million pesos of bonus in December, now, since he is sick, he gives me a hundred dollars a week so that I can market and buy the cigarettes for me - he finished to say the humble peasant, with a smile from ear to ear, which let me see the gums where there was not a single tooth left.
- And, you, what are you doing in this exile? ... - Asked the little man, as if to get rid of my excessive curiosity.
- My name is Jorge León, I am a writer who has written many beautiful novels and I have not published any, because, in Colombia, poets, novelists and all intellectuals in general, do not have any support from the government and in the end they die of hunger in the streets, sheltered with the manuscripts of interesting stories, that the barbarism of the rulers of the day does not allow the people to enjoy themselves. -I said with a lot of bitterness - In addition, I studied farming and as in the city with so much unemployment I had no future, I came to this mountain to raise cattle and write poems to the solitude.

 

- My name is José Antonio Tobón and I do not understand anything about the lyrics, because we have been very poor and nobody could go to school. My dad taught us the names of all the trees and then he put us to work agriculture. - Said the humble man, ignorant of his illiteracy in the twenty-first century - And when will bring the cattle, because in their fields I do not see a single re? - ended up asking the peasant who visualized a few pesos of tip, in a place where he could be the only assistant.
- In these days, when I repair the fences and when I know my lands well, because there are still places that I have not been able to travel. I hope that, you, collaborate with me, that I pay you the day ... How much do you charge for a wage in this land? ...
- Why I'm going to lay, boss - explained the peasant with enthusiasm - a wage is only worth ten thousand pesos, but I charge twelve thousand, because I have to get up too early, to be able to leave the food to my boss. Yes, you, want, we start working tomorrow, since the vast majority of your fences are on the ground, since the "gnome" left this farm.
- The gnome? ... - I asked without understanding what the man had said.
- That's how we called Don Hernando, the man who sold him this land, but come, let's leave for Don Julio's farm, so that he knows him and keeps us company for a while - he finally said.
I thought for a moment. I did not like the idea of ​​getting away from my humble cabin, but curiosity was more than reason and I only managed to ask:
- And the house is very far from here? ...
- Not close. About thirty minutes away.
I looked at my watch. It was four and fifteen minutes in the afternoon. Half an hour to go and half an hour to come, I had time to go meet the poor blind horseman and return, again, without obscuring.

- Come on, then - I said to the ragged peasant who had the clothes completely patched and dirty. I took a flashlight and put it in my pants pocket, in case it got dark on the way back. I closed the doors of my cabin carefully and went behind the peasant. He left talking to me and showing me his crops. He showed me a crop of corn, a bean crop and he also suggested that I buy seeds and fertilizers for him, to plant potatoes in my land. He was in love with the hunt and was looking at the immense trees, as if trying to find the pheasant, the turtle dove or the duck that would complete the dinner.
The road became too long. We had been walking for more than forty-five minutes, when a humble house appeared behind a gentle hill. We walk slowly, neither of us saying anything. In the corridor sat a man with long hair, very elegant, young and strong, who, surely, was not a native man of those lands.
- Good afternoon, friend - I said to the blind horseman. He raised his face, as if to contemplate me with the empty sockets of his elegant and perfectly shaved face.
- Good afternoon, sir - he answered with certainty, as if he had noticed my presence long before.
- José Antonio, invited me to say hello and take the opportunity to put myself at your disposal, now that we are neighbors in these lonely lands, and I hope to be able to help you in everything you need -. I finished saying, unable to take my eyes off the notebook in which the athletic boy was doing calligraphy exercises groping.
- Thank you, friend, for that we are in these beautiful mountains, to serve us. They have always called me Julio Fierro and after I finish this delicate mission of learning to write completely blind and having as sole guide the edge of the pages, I am at your service for what you need. - said the good man, lifting the notebook to that I would contemplate the repeated letters that I did with ease, while smiling with a visible sadness, that let me appreciate the perfection of very white teeth.
-! Thanks friend! - I exclaimed, unable to use a word like "sir", which in no way corresponded to that young man, who was certainly a few years younger than me.

- And what city are you from? ... - Julio asked, who seemed animated by my presence.
- I'm from La Ceja del Tambo. The town that is closest to this place.
- Yes? ... I know that beautiful paradise very much. I am a fan of Creole saddle horses and many times, I came to the equine exhibitions held every year at the fairgrounds or in "Cantarrana", a very nice club that is left at the exit for Rionegro. Do you know that place? ...
- Clear! Man! - I answered immediately, excited by the fact that that elegant stranger mentioned and recognized those places that had made me so happy in my childhood - I also went to many equine exhibitions and I could appreciate the beautiful women who always go to them.
- And did you meet Doctor Jimenez, the owner of "Cantarrana" and the owner of "La Recoleta"? ...
- Yes! Of course! Doctor Rodrigo Jimenez Pinillos, is an old man with white hair, who speaks very slowly and who also loves beasts - I explained, trying to imitate the unmistakable and rhythmic voice of the noble and audacious horseman.
- That gentleman, sold my godfather, a red horse chestnut called "Venusino" and that is very dear to us ... I do not know if I'm very lucky, or if God always sends me to the person I need at the right moment - Said the blind man, visibly animated - You, how is it called? ...
- Jorge León - I hurried to say, realizing that I had not shown up with the blind horseman.

- Well, Don Jorge, I think one of these days I'll need a favor from you ... Please, it's very important to me - said the man with the empty basins, placing aside the task of his crooked letters, like arranging to have a long conversation with me - some years ago, when I was younger, we were poorer than the rats and had not yet traveled to the United States of America, I fell in love with a beautiful blonde and a spectacular horse called "Prophet" of Besilu ", they were the sensation in all the equine fairs that they presented themselves in. At that time, I was a poor starving man who did not even have to buy a hamburger to the lady of the story. I never knew the owner of that beautiful stallion and I could only contemplate him from afar, one afternoon when I was with the beautiful blonde, in the gallery of the Medellin fairs coliseum, feeling like a poor devil before the opus and the waste of money of the vast majority of people who visited the fair, in silence, I swore for my life, that I would be the owner of a horse better than that, whatever it cost me ... "I will be the owner of the best horse of Colombian fine step, although I have to sell my soul to the devil "I mentally swore.
Then I went to work far away, and although I always sold my soul to the devil, I passed the time without realizing it and my dream of having the best horse in Colombia is still intact. Now I have a colt analyzed, which is the best descendant of that beautiful horse I told him, and I want you to help me buy. The colt is called "Platinum of Besilu" and is equally good to "Prophet", to "Fourth Spring", to "Capuchino del Eight" and to all the historical ones when it passes through the track. The last time I heard about him, he had a certain Guillermo Usuga, who is a black professional horse trader and he went ahead of me, and bought it on a farm that is across the street from the José Maria Córdoba International Airport in Medellin.

The three of us remained silent. That man was a true passionate about horses. He had known me very recently and had already entrusted me with the mission of helping him buy the horse of his dreams. I kept looking at the clock, worried that the afternoon was moving and my humble cabin was more than fifty minutes away, along a path almost completely unknown to me. José Antonio noticed my concern and said:
- Hey, Don Jorge ... Why do not you stay here? ... We can give you a hot roast plate and a simple bed, so that it happens even if it's a bad night. It is getting dark and it is better to stay listening to the stories of the boss, which are very interesting for you, who is a writer.
- Writer? ... - Julio Fierro asked, as if surprised by the news.
- Writer's apprentice, dear friend, which is not the same. I have always liked the letters, even if they are too rare in the gardens of this Colombia, which is sown with the flowers of injustice, misery, war and poverty. Writing is a passion that runs through my veins and that will accompany me until my bones rest in these damp and cloudy lands.
- That's very good - said the blind horseman, as if he were concluding something -. Yes, you are a writer, I imagine you like good stories, as I like good horses. We have only a few minutes of knowing each other, but in this short time I have been able to realize that you are a completely educated man and a man with very good energy. I hope that José Antonio and I have also liked him, so we can be good friends in these mountains of freedom and solitude ... I will try to give you a good story, so that you can write the book of your dreams, if your eyes healthy, help me to get that colt that I mentioned and that is the only desire that still encourages my heart, after having abandoned the two women of my soul, who, I know, do not deserve to be next to a mutilated man . From a poor living wimp like me.

Julio Fierro turned very pale and his lips turned purple and tense with the pain that welled up in his soul, as he pronounced the sad words that must have been inspired by a memory that briefly crossed his mind. I felt a deep sorrow, for that stranger who could not cry and wishing to cure the bitterness of the poor blind horseman, I said, without thinking much:
- Well, let it be a deal, I help you get "Platinum of Besilu", the horse that you like and you, on the other hand, tells me that story of desperate love that is hidden in your heart and that will be a very novel interesting, so that the romantics read that God left in the cold mountains of disconsolation and loneliness.
Julio Fierro accepted the proposal with an immense smile; he was most interested in buying the foal of his dreams, as soon as possible, so I realized later.
José Antonio spent four or five minutes inside the kitchen and arrived, again, with pieces of steaming roast, which completely covered the dishes. They were long and somewhat strange thighs, surrounded by boiled potatoes.
- Hey, Don Jorge ... Have you come to eat the famous "guagua" from Antioquia? ...
-Guagua? ... - I asked, looking at the fragrant prey that rested on my plate -. No. I've never tried it, but this one seems to be very good.
The next thirty minutes we are dedicated to eating meat from the bush, potatoes with salt and hot coffee. The night fell slowly, to cover the mountains with the cooing of the late-night cicadas, which raised their songs in love with the beautiful stars that filled the sky. Later, Julio Fierro, ordered his butler to uncover a bottle of whiskey. We had a few drinks with the coffee, which warmed us to the soul and that's when the poor blind horseman, began to tell us a wonderful story that came out of his heart and started like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER NUMBER TWO

I was a humble horse tamer, a job that my grandfather learned in Titiribí, but my father did not resign himself to our humble condition and on January 2, of a damned year that I do not want to remember, he sent me to study in Medellin. I do not tell you how much I suffered in that city during the first days, but later I adapted a bit. I entered the University of Antioquia and, with my head swollen from studying so much, when I least thought about it, time flew away and I finished my first semester of study.
It was already July.
What a pleasant sensation ran through my entire body, when I thought about the completion of the first semester of the year and the first semester of my professional career.
I was in one of the classrooms of the engineering faculty and, outside, the wind was stirring the branches of the trees, filling the atmosphere with life and movement. I was working on my things. The classes of that first semester had come to an end. Now there were only fifteen days left in the preparation and presentation of the final exams and then, on the street, to enjoy a well-deserved vacation. Everything had turned out very well for me. I had a high average in the grades, which allowed me to prepare the exams with confidence. In general, that semester had not been all good, I isolated myself a lot from people and I could not get friends ... Not that I was shy, but that I was going through a bad economic time and I had to be marginalized from social groups, for reasons of pride. All that, they were passing things of the daily life, that did not matter. He had passed the subjects with a lot of intelligence and without much effort. As for my physique, I was happy with him, because in those days he was a well-planted guy, his legs were very developed due to the lifting of weights and the soccer he practiced regularly. The strong rib cage and the flat abdomen were my pride before the ladies who started to look at me with interest. My copper skin had tanned without thinking, for the large number of hours that remained in the pool of the University City. I was not a very tall guy, but I felt good among my teammates, who respected the muscles that covered my armor. I would have liked to be more eared, but I could not do anything and, to compensate, God had put on an attractive face. He had very white and even teeth, a straight nose and ... - Julio Fierro was silent for a few seconds, as if overcome by a deep emotion, seconds in whom he seemed to be crying with his soul, but he continued saying - He had intelligent eyes, very bright and deep look. The hair had left me a little too long, to give me a touch of gypsy with the diamond sparkle of my earring. I did not look like a TV gallant and that allowed me to go unnoticed by the common girl. My closet was a bit depopulated, or rather, it was limited to four faded jeans, two pairs of tennis shoes, too old boots and a few woolen shirts that had accompanied me during the few months I had been in that city. In the sentimental field he was completely calm, because in Medellin live the most beautiful and sensual women in the country. My life, in college, had not been so fun, because there were such bad teachers, who were true psychopaths. Although I did well in all subjects, I had realized that the academy was not for me, because I felt locked up like a caged eagle. There was a teacher who was a real monster, whom everyone called "Banana", because of cheeky, freckled and ugly; He had a huge head and was fat as a pig. It made me nauseous when I saw it and I wanted to have it in my hands, to make it suffer a little, and, thus, to avenge what I did to my companions. He was a true passionate donkey of zeros.
In those days I was a romantic horseman, who went in search of the noble and beautiful woman, who would melt when he saw me. I loved the spontaneous and brilliant women, who liked wild horses and who had a degree of madness and two degrees of proud rebellion.

 

When I finished the semester, I stayed wandering the streets of that interesting city called Medellin, while thinking of a beautiful horse called "Prophet of Besilu" that seemed to slide in the air and had stolen all my dreams ... It had been a while since I did not visit my house in the province, because I despaired of the solitude of the streets and the passivity of the people in that place, I hated the parsimony that kills the people, where nothing ever happens, because I wanted a bit of action.
He had a very special friend, his name was Jaime, he was a descendant of muleteers, quiet and somewhat shy. He had a higher IQ. I met him in Envigado, when he was hardly a child. One day, I met him in a cafeteria at the university and he proposed that we set up a Colombian horse breeding farm, a business that I could never forget and that always remained in my mind. For many days that fellow was my best friend. We had talked a lot, about horses and women. I had impressed him with my love for the most beautiful animal that God made and he agreed that we had to be constant seekers of the perfection of the smoothest horse in the world. Trying to overcome, day by day, what they had already done and they were doing men like Don Fabio Ochoa Restrepo and many others who, over time, had been selecting and polishing a race of incomparable and unique horses in the universe. Between the two of us we began to investigate the origin of the most polished and most beautiful horse in America. Every day we analyzed our financial situation, to know at what point we were, to know what was best for us and what we could do to improve our next company of criollo horse breeders ... How can we organize ourselves so that time gives us more? ... What can we do to obtain a small capital? ... They were very common questions, which we used to do and that had led us to form a close friendship, although he was a little older than me. The few triumphs of one were celebrated as if they were both. We were a perfect team. Jaime, physically, was not very attractive. He was very fat, the high cheekbones and the abrupt shapes of his face, did not allow him to move freely in the sentimental field, in which he considered me an expert. My friend was a genius of finance, politics, marketing and business formation. Qualities that led him to succeed in the difficult field of business.

 

 

Every morning I spent my time working on the computer, taking advantage of the fact that the courses ended. Collecting all the information that could help us in our future company. One morning, after having my eyes exposed to the luminous screen, I felt a deep exhaustion and decided to take a little break. I left the computer room and searched, quickly, the bustle of the cafeteria where my great friend's main office worked. There he was sitting; he looked at me with his small eyes, as if guessing my tiredness. I, without saying a word, sat next to him. We remained silent for a long time.
- You finished the study? - Jaime asked me, breaking the silence that reigned. I remained silent and he continued - We are involved in a long-term project, which is going to be something incredible. Now we have to work hard, in this great company that, in the future, will fill our pockets with dollars. From now on we are going to interact with the whole world of horses, in the selection and breeding of the best horses in Colombia. To start, tomorrow, at three o'clock in the afternoon, we will meet here, so we will see a fashion show where Natalia will be, the most beautiful girl from Medellin and the whole department and, in all safety It's going to be your wife Because, if you keep working with me, very soon you will get that lady of your dreams and those horses that reveal so much to you.
My friend left and I kept thinking about what he had said about the beautiful woman and my humble life.
Natalia! ... Natalia! That name stayed floating inside my mind, it’s delicious sound enclosing the story of what I always dreamed for my life. A young, beautiful, modern woman, full of softness and eternally kind, was what I always dreamed. Better said, an angel. Natalia! ... Natalia! ... I never tired of saying the name that revived, within my chest, the landscapes of my land. It sounded like home heat on a gray afternoon, and it reminded me of the crystal-clear freshness of the water, beating against the rocks hidden in the middle of a mountain.

 

That delicious woman's name aroused, within me, all the subtlety that I practiced for many years, waiting for the woman of my dreams to arrive, so that I could worship her in all her splendor. I always wanted to contemplate a beautiful woman, as one can contemplate the largest and most beautiful diamond in the world. To be able to look for all the shines, reflections and precise tonalities, that it’s wonderful form can enclose.
There, in that name, was the embodiment of my dream. Even without knowing her or possessing her, my heart knew that she was the woman for me. I had always had the idea that every man is a God, who makes his life what he wants, and who puts love or pain to his liking, realizing all his dreams. I also thought that we had the incredible ease of choosing death in the moment, or in the way that provoked us. Life seemed to be the combination of cold laws, which were almost ridiculous ... Between love and pain, there was only a small difference, and between living and dying, the same thing happened. So, life could be a point, in the infinite sea of ​​points ... I believed myself a God and that Natalia, surely, life had created for me.

 

I spent all afternoon thinking about ridiculous things, as if trying to eliminate the anxiety that the desire to meet her caused me. That night I could hardly sleep, I tried to travel with my spirit through the space that separated us. I relaxed my body and channeled my inner strength, trying to travel as the angels and witches of Antioquia do. The fever that was shaking my body, from the first time I heard that name, prevented me from being calm and I spent the whole night awake. - reported the blind horseman, while taking time to take another drink of liquor. - The next day I left early to walk through the botanical garden of Medellin, trying to alleviate the great agitation of my accelerated heart. The fresh smell of the pines and giant eucalyptus trees dilated my bronchi to give me the pleasant sensation of having a wider chest, with which I breathed better. I felt like I was in love and very comfortable with my things. The green meadows, through which I was advancing, were covered by a bright yellow flower. It was a very small flower, but as intense as an illusion. The ground was covered with a beautiful spring, only comparable to the immensity of the love that was being born within me, by an unknown lady and an imaginary horse. Sitting under the trees, I let time escape, while my hands wove a beautiful crown, with those flowers that abounded there. Shortly before returning to my house, I made an oath before the flowered field:
- Dear Belsebú, I swear that the temples of that Natalia, will be girded by a crown like this, the day she will ride my horse, the best Colombian fine step horse in the world.

 

The day continued on its slow walk ... Between thoughts and thoughts, I realized that I did not have the appropriate clothes to attend a fashion show. This filled me with worry because, "at that time, where could I get a tuxedo? ... - I thought, completely anguished - Will I be able to resist the embarrassment of borrowing a dress? ... At that moment I felt tremendously in the end, I decided to calm down and resort to faded jeans, a red and black checkerboard shirt, Cuban cowboy boots and a horseman hat, which made me think about my economic situation for a long time. It gave a sinister touch, so I completed my dress for that day.
In my pockets there were only a few coins left and I felt again the sting of poverty in all its intensity. Things could have been easier, with my future in love, if I had introduced myself to meet the woman of my dreams, wearing an expensive coat and wearing on the wrist of my right arm, a golden handle with a salamander formed in emeralds and rubies. Well, in any case, with women being poor or being rich was and will continue to be the same, because they always end up falling in love with the man they like.
The parade time was here ...
I went to meet my beautiful lady, a little nervous. Jaime, as always, ahead of time for appointments, covered his eyes before my appearance.

- You think we're going to tame a filly, or what? - He asked sarcastically.
- Brother ... This clothes is the only one I have - I replied, softened by the situation.
- Quiet, that's how you're well - corrected, Jaime, seeing my sincere dejection -. One, at public meetings, goes as he pleases. Of course, if we were to mark cattle or tame beasts, you would look perfect. - He finished saying without being able to leave the sarcasm
we took a taxi and we went talking. I asked him two or three financial questions and he kept looking at me, he had noticed my sudden interest in business. Later I told him that I was very interested in this Natalia, and he advised me to take things slowly, because that woman was modern to the extreme, flirtatious, formal, simple and kind. Qualities that would bring me many joys or many disappointments. The thing was not going to be that easy. With all those virtues, falling in love with that girl would be like catching a winged horse.

- I go, only, for the commercial commitments and to relate with interesting people - explained my friend -. I have looked at Natalia carefully, and although I think she is beautiful, I have realized that I am not the man who can conquer her. Whenever I admired her, I thought about your luck, so approach it with all the security of the world. Take it as if it had always been yours, because you know that spoiled girls are shocked by the men who submit their ideas to consideration. Make him feel your masculinity and teach that filly wild, who is the boss from the beginning ... Many men have tried and all come with a different story, so go preparing something that is original. I've seen her send a man, at three in the morning, to look for an ice cream all over the city, and then make fun of him. Moral, she does not like helpful. Are you a successful horseman? ... Go on, prove it - said my friend, urging me to conquer. Those recommendations clearly reflected Jaime's interest in a struggle that, apparently, was also his struggle, because he considered me one of his brothers. Now, my future triumph would also be the triumph of my soul friend. My feigned disinterest had turned into a challenge that would not let me breathe, because of the excitement, when we stopped at the front door of the theater. We descended slowly from the car. Our presence caught the attention of all the people who were in the place. The curious eyes crossed us from head to toe, attracted by my simple clothes. I held the hat in my right hand and advanced with safe steps. We crossed the reception room, exquisitely decorated. Luxury put the note of good taste in everything. The comfort was extreme. The heart beat hard against my chest and, at that moment, I felt like a horseman full of positivism. The old jeans that were once my shame, now had become my pride, before the cute children, dressed in tuxedo like penguins, who watched pretending not to care about my appearance.

Natalia was there. I felt something break off in my chest and my heart began to gallop like a runaway horse. She was dressed in black; she was a pretty girl of about eighteen years of age. A platinum blonde that seemed to fall from the sky. I chatted happily with some friends, with a sweet voice of a spoiled girl and that had to be my wife. It was difficult that there was another like it. Upon seeing Jaime she walked towards us greeting us kindly.
- Hi, guys ... How have you been? ... Why did you take so long to come? - He asked as if he had really been waiting for us.
- We were very busy, but we have to thank God that we are here - said Jaime, with great confidence - Look, I present to you the horseman, of whom I have spoken so much.
- Thanks, I, anyway, I already knew him, because with all those exciting stories you've told me about him, I've wanted him to be my boyfriend for a long time - he said spontaneously. That left me perplexed. My great friend had paved the way, with I do not know what stories had interested the beautiful model.
- Do you do I the favor and accompany me, for a moment, to the dressing rooms? - He implored us, reflecting a great humility in his words. A gesture probably unaccustomed in her.
- Clear! Come on! - We both said, accepting the invitation. She came up to me and, taking my hand, told me secretly in my ear:
- I also love horses, with all my heart, and also horsemen.
I smiled full of joy. We walk down the hall holding hands. Jaime walked beside us, not surprised by what was happening. We arrived at the place where the clothes lay that, in a few minutes, she would have to model.

- Come I'm going to show you a beautiful collection - he said, looking me in the eyes. Jaime looked everywhere, as if trying to go unnoticed. The immense room was deserted and the toilets, with their large mirrors, were witnesses of what was going to happen there. Natalia reached the closet and opened it wide. He was going to show us the dresses he would wear on the catwalk that night. The first was an elegant evening dress, party red and embroidered in rhinestones and sequins. The second one she showed us was an informal dress, one of those used by girls in summer, made in lycra. The dress seemed too small to cover that spectacular body and, then, I said:
- That tiny dress cracks with you - she looked at me intensely, in the eyes, without saying anything. Jaime, in silence, did not even breathe. Yes, my love, all that flesh of yours does not fit in him. Do not you think it's too small for you? Would it be that they changed it by mistake? - I asked a little nervous, trying to get out of my indiscretion. She, still in silence, looked at me with a big smile that lit up her face with joy, while she let go of the dress on the hook that held her.
- I'm going to measure it, so that from today you start to distrust appearances. Would you lower the closing please? ... - Jaime looked at me with wide eyes, as if divining a terrible catastrophe. With trembling hand lower the zipper, while watching the golden skin of her delicate back, she turned and, looking at my face, made her elegant black dress slide to the floor, letting out the breasts that vibrated enjoying the immediate freedom. Poor Jaime and I almost fainted. We were able to appreciate those perfect breasts, which defied gravity. The dress went on its way, revealing a soft thorax crowned by the most beautiful navel that I had seen in my life. Natalia's eyes were nailed with perverse naturalness, on our astonished faces. Without thinking, we were there, with our mouths open, before such a spectacle. The dress was on the floor around her ankles. His agile hands slid down the veiled stockings, discovering a few little panties that stuck into his flesh, forming the most delicious picture that my human eyes could have seen. He picked up the stockings and the dress and, turning around, took them to the closet, while Jaime and I appreciated his firm and provocative hip. She was perfectly tanned and the soft skin of her buttocks caused an almost uncontrollable desire to bite them. She put the tiny dress tight to her skin, wrapping it in metallic gray, which made her look like a silver mermaid. As a good model, he walked to the end of the piece, so that his scarce audience could appreciate his refined style. With great satisfaction on his face and with marked pride, he asked:
- How do I look, cute children? ... Do you like them? ...
We, dumbfounded by that monument, we reel in compliments and exclamations of admiration. The other models began to arrive and she, grateful for our words, ended the exhibition and then, without letting us land from the blow, insinuated us, kindly, that if we could wait for her in the living room, while she was finishing organizing for the parade.
We walked, both of us, with our hearts about to come out of our mouths.

- You hit hard, like an Iron. With that peasant hat and those old jeans, you've done, in ten seconds, what many daddies’ kids have not done with all their money and their cars, in all their lives. This scare must be softened with a couple of whiskeys. Do not you think? ...

- interrogated my friend, as he directed his hasty steps to the bar. This was the first time, in life, when the liquor tasted delicious to me. That drink passed through my throat, like a ball of fire, clearing it of the taco that would not let me breathe.
- Do you think she has noticed me? - I said without being able to believe that all that was true. The impact had been so great that I still felt silly.
- Sure, man. Did not you see the pride with which he walked you, all over the room, holding hands? ... And remember that interlacing the fingers is like bringing hearts together. She was playing the princess and the rough horseman, who knows how to tame fillies. Everyone must have been surprised, because she had never done that with anyone. You, you cannot imagine that to take Natalia's hand, you need three or four months of attention, giving her gifts and witty talks. I do not know what happened to you. Not only that you walk holding hands, but it shows you all its charms before you could open your mouth. - I said, my dear friend, while my reason floated in slow motion. I felt a bit strange with the words of admiration that Jaime stammered, however, I recognized that everything was true.
- The only thing I tell you, dear friend, is that this woman has left me crazy. From today I cannot live without her! - I exclaimed without being able to hide my emotion. We started walking through the theater, without a fixed direction. The place was crowded. My senses flew in ecstasy. Everything had been decorated with great delicacy. On the walls rested, full of life, some works of Botero, Grau and other outstanding painters. Each corner was decorated with great care. The purple carpeting enhanced the combination of light and baroque colors on the walls. Everything was in order, everything was very nice.

- How did you find that ugly? ... Would you be able to invite her to a ride? - investigated, my dear friend, mocking the deep impression that Natalia had caused in my soul. We were both amazed. My tongue did not manage to move and Jaime asked questions endlessly - What did you think about the quiet coquettishness that was reflected on his face, while letting us appreciate all its charms? ... She is the perfect combination between extreme desire and neatness of a virgin. Natalia is an angel of an indefinable character.
The metal voice of the animator interrupted our conversation without me being able to answer the questions that were floating in the room. All the models began to parade around the stage, wrapped in the fantasy costumes that people came to see. The presence of our friend illuminated the place. Natalia walked on the platform in a special way, and although it was smaller than all the others, her feet flew on the platform with the ease and grace of a professional dancer or with the strength and rhythm with which a filly walks. Colombian fine step. With his gaze he looked for me everywhere and, although I was a little far away, she dedicated every one of her proud movements to me. His body was perfect. Each of its curves was an altar to life. We were involved in the magic of the event. Everything was colorful and beautiful.
After two wonderful hours of excited excitement, the parade ended and people started to leave. We remained seated and, in silence, we waited for the outcome of that exciting adventure. The voice of the animator thanked the attendance of those present. "Natalia is the most sublime of all my ambitions: neither" Spring fourth "nor" Earthquake of Manizales ", nor" Prophet of Besilu "nor my future breeding of Creole saddle horses, or anything, interests me as much as she" . I thought completely agitated.

The minutes passed. The bustle stopped. The spectators left for their houses. There were very few people in the theater. Finally, Natalia left the dressing room and approached us.
- Hello! You've been wonderful! - I said without being able to contain the emotion.
- Thank you. Can I sit next to you? - he asked, reflecting a bit of shyness in the depths of his personality.
-Of course, beautiful, the theater is all yours to rest in the chair you want. Of course if it is by my side, it is much better - I said as I passed my hand through the next chair, trying to clean the imperceptible dust that could dirty it. Her breathing was also agitated, she felt a little nervous.
- Is it true that you work with horses? ... - he asked, showing great interest.
- Yes - he answered, Jaime -. In Colombia we have developed a unique breed of horses in the world ...
- Hey, Julio Fierro - she told me, interrupting the story Jaime was going to tell -, her friend promised me a silver filly in her name.
- Of course, my queen, in all safety, you will have the most divine platinum mare in Colombia.
- And what is a horseman doing in the University of Antioquia? ... - said the beautiful model with her voice as a spoiled child - You are not supposed to be at the farm looking after my interests.

- What happens is that, after finishing high school in my town, I had to decide between training cheap horses for the rest of my days, or migrate to the city to learn new things? At last I decided to study in a city as beautiful as this, where one does not just marvel - I explained, looking at her coquettishly from head to toe. Although I am a chemistry student, I cannot erase the legacy of my grandparents, who have loved horses and the mountain for all eternity. Now I am the combination between the peasant who always loved horses, and the student who had to come to meet you.
- I think that is part of our destiny - he admitted calmly -, anyway it seems great to me that you have come because, since Jaime told me about you, I could not sleep longing to know my soul mate.
- That's nice, "said my friend, getting up from his chair. Now excuse me for a moment, because I have to look for a man who plans to invest in our business. With your permission. I'll be back in a few minutes.
My best friend and, at the same time, my guardian angel, went away and we, for the first time, were alone. We remained silent for a few seconds, then, in a voice choked with agitation, I began to say:
- Since I was a child, every day I dreamed of meeting a cheerful, modern, intelligent, beautiful woman with a lot of sweetness in her heart. Somewhere in the world there had to be a girl with bright blond hair, like a ray of sun, with princess manners and a strawberry-red mouth. His face of immaculate skin, would only be comparable to the softness of the lilies in the mountains ... Natalia, you are that girl with whom I always dreamed ... I never imagined that you were such a sweet, kind and special woman. Beautiful princess with strawberry mouth, I hope you never change your way of being, because I want to be your friend forever. To be able to enjoy those noble and wonderful feelings, that I know that are lodged in your heart and that sprout with each one of your words, to be able to contemplate the great model in which you are going to convert until death comes to me. Natalia, although I have only recently distinguished you, I trusted you, fully, and I know that your great intelligence will lead you to be a very happy woman ... Do you know what a pretty girl? ... I love your sweetness, I love your femininity, I love the delicacy that springs from your heart, I love your youthful madness that lets fall clothes, I love your sweet voice and I love your sincere feelings, because you are the most spectacular woman in the world. You are beautiful and I will never stop wanting you ... Inside you there is an immense woman, whom I want to, have by my side for all eternity. I like you always and if you give me an opportunity, someday, holding hands under the sound of a romantic country music, in the Plaza de Garibaldi in Mexico, I will explain what eternal love is. - I said with my heart about to pop out of my mouth.
- What's the last thing you said? - She asked intrigued by my way of speaking. I felt a bit self-conscious, before the hidden proposal of marriage and I gave a little detour to the subject to not go too fast.
- You are a very nice woman, you have a good profession and, in general, you have been very lucky ... What would you like to change about yourself? - I asked, thinking only of the physical.
- I would like to have a very large family of my own, because I feel very lonely. I would have liked to have many stepsisters and half brothers, because my father died when I was very small. - That answer took me by surprise, at no time I wanted to get into their sentimental and private things -. I, materially, do not need anything, because the only thing that is missing from my life is a home - he repeated, looking me in the eye. I was petrified, not knowing what to say. In my head was born an idea and although it seemed very daring at the end I let go:

- Natalia, if you want we got married. It would not be so difficult, you work and I would do the same. - The atmosphere was filled with music. A classic melody played through the loudspeakers. Great things God always frames them with a touch of elegance.
- You know what that melody is called? - he asked, paying special attention to the song. I remained silent. In those moments the only thing I thought about was, how would my life be by his side? ... If I do not have what to buy a dress, how am I going to buy a horse worth three million dollars and how am I going to marry this angel? ... I thought as she listened to the delicious song -. It's called moonlight. I listen to jazz and classical music every day; I like Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin and Johann Sebastian Bach. This classical music is very special, do not you think? ...
- Yes, it's very nice, especially in concerts, when the sound penetrates to your soul. How did you start to interest in her? - I investigated intrigued by that strange taste, in such a young lady.
- I believe that in one of my previous lives I was an artist, who also loved painting because, without going to any painters' workshop, I master all the techniques of an oil painting that is very practical ... eyes reveal things of life that I, from before, already understood. We live in one dimension and I know that, in another of the lived dimensions, I was a wealthy woman - he said trying to explain and explain himself.
I, in my short life, had chatted with many women, but Natalia was a real surprise. Who was going to imagine that behind that pretty girl, with a delicate voice, hid such strange tastes.
- So ... Do you think that inside you, there is a goddess that is more perfect every day? - I asked trying to measure his thinking.
- It can be - he said as hesitating a bit.

- I'm going to tell you one thing today, and I hope you never forget it. You are a goddess. You are the owner of destiny. Nothing will exist in life, if you do not make the effort to think about it and to dream it so that your mind believes it. The day you do not like the fashion shows, the day you do not love Colombian horses, the day you do not want to study, the day you do not want to be a bright star, the day you do not appreciate the difference between a Wooden ranch and a marble house, the day you do not want to marry a famous horseman, that day will be the beginning of your death - I explained, trying to make him understand how the castle of destiny is built -. The culprit of the color of your skin, of the beauty of your golden hair and of all that you reflect before the world, is your mind; because she is the one who created you there, at the very center of reason ... As in the movies, we are all going to play the role you want, so that you are immensely happy. - I kept silent waiting for your objection. She remained thoughtful and after meditating for several minutes, said:
- If so, I want you to be my king, I want your role to be to take care of me and protect me for all eternity. I always felt scared before the immensity of the universe. I lacked a bit of strength to live quietly and since I observed you, I felt all the energy that emanates from your body and that energy is precisely what I need ...
How! ... Now I was a link in the chain of his destiny. The game was won. Before his eyes everything was too spectacular. She just wanted the comforts that my arms could give her. I do not know to what extent I could achieve a spell, nor could I calculate the degree of kindness that enclosed his heart. What I can say is that I impressed her and conquered her.
Jaime came to our side and, not very willingly, began to say:
- Natalia, the organizer is waiting for you for the press conference and the farewell cocktail.

She remained motionless. He looked at me in silence for a few seconds, then bent down and kissed me on the mouth, without giving me time to react.
- Since I was a child I always dreamed of a man like you, riding a Moor horse softer than a "BMW" and do not think you're part of my destiny, I'm part of yours. I hope we meet again and I hope you take good care of my filly foal ... See you later and thank you. Be careful and remember that I also love with all my heart the horses of Colombian fine step. - After saying those words, he left in search of the group that was waiting for her. We keep silent. We sat there for a long time. We were drunk with happiness. That triumph was the triumph of two brothers, who enjoyed the challenges of a delicious life. Everyone disappeared from the scene. Jaime and I left the silent theater, convinced that our thoughts were an inexhaustible source of triumphs and beautiful things. Everything had come suddenly. It was the greatest achievement I had ever had, even without being prepared. My dear friend was happy for me. The morbid feeling, with which all the "Celestine’s" dream, exploded inside his heart, before the clear path that he had opened for me.
At the door of the theater we stopped enchanted by the magic of shared success.
- I hope you have taken advantage of the time - Jaime said very animated -. With the little experience that I have about women, I have noticed that in the first encounters, with the person that you like, you have to ask many things about your life to make it look like an interesting date.
- Honestly, I almost did not talk about anything - I confessed, embarrassed before my confidant friend -. I am supposed to be the king of spontaneity and firmness in the word; however, today everything has failed with me. When she was by my side, my heart raced in a fast race, my voice broke because of my nervousness and I was not able to speak anything interesting. I wanted to tell him so many things and at that moment I could not think of any.

 - Quiet. These things happen to all men, when they are before a special woman, "said my friend, trying to comfort me." And do not go thinking that this is the last time you will feel powerless before her. Natalia is not an ordinary woman. Inside it develops an explosive mixture that, for fans of tradition, can be dangerous. In its interior the fiery and desiring woman of caresses melts, with the sweet and good girl that her mother educated under the foresight eye of the sisters of Mary Help of Christians, in the school "San Jose de las Vegas", to marry and have beautiful children. This inner struggle leads to behave in a daring way. Do you think what did you do in the dressing room with us? ... She is a very young and very daring filly. Please, do not agitate yourself in that way and remember that men who let themselves be confused by their charms, only manage to breathe the charming perfume that their friendship offers.
- Do not worry - I said, trying to dissolve the idea that maybe crossed the head of my friend - you must be thinking that I'm dying for that beautiful model. No, either.
- It is not necessary, for an ordinary man, to spend his life studying the female gender, in order to discover the maximum point in the note of his charms. I'm also sure that she and the horses can give you a lot of love or a lot of pain. So, from this moment, we are going to try to calm down a bit - advised, my friend, pretending to tranquility that was very far from feeling -. Did you watch her flutter among her classmates and friends? ... Without a doubt, she is the center of attraction for all people. I have slithered around the room believing him to princess. I have chatted with the boys, approaching them too much and indulging in flirting that filled them with desires. Do not you think it's convenient to think things with a cold head?

 

 

- Jaime, we cannot be so schismatic either - I protested before the nonsense of my friend -. She is a modern girl and nothing more. It has a perfect figure, which suggests the Greek goddesses trapped in the immaculate marble of Michelangelo. The only difference he has with these sculptures is life and his golden hair, which falls like a waterfall, reflecting his brightest dreams. Did you look at it? - I asked still thoughtful - Each of his lines exuded so naturally and so much beauty that, more than a woman, that precious little girl looked like a filly of fine Colombian step.
I left the theater with a stir in my whole body. His image had got into my blood, making vibrate every molecule of my body. A violent passion burned my heart from the moment when, with all its audacity, let us appreciate every millimeter of his naked body. From that moment, life would not be the same for me. His soft and delicate skin made me think of the fevers of inspiration that inflamed the muses in the great masters of sculpture. Today I imagine the emotion that each blow must produce in the virgin marble, when an artist wants to tear to eternity a woman like the one I had before me, in flesh and blood. Passion only comparable with the emotion that the famous horse that was called "Don Danilo" should have produced, with each step he took in his great championships.
- It will have to be mine - I confessed to my friend, inflamed -. It does not matter that half of the world is broken ... It can be the spoiled child of the mother, it can have the most angelic voice in the world, it can be made of glass and be covered in gold, but these hands of a romantic horseman will explore its charms until the end of time, so I need to crystallize half of the Amazon and Guaviare.

We talked for a long time, then Jaime got into a taxi and left. I walked through the center of the city, enjoying the color of a mature night in neon lights. The taverns let out the sweet vapor of the beer, wrapped in the soft melodies that cheered my simple heart. All the way, between the theater and my room, I went singing. Pieces of old country music flew from my mouth, reliving the romanticism that I inherited from my father and uncles. They always sang when they were happy, because love is a spring that jumps joyfully, from rock to rock, splashing everything with effusiveness and happiness. All the way I went singing aloud:
- Today I am happy because love has returned to me ... ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. - Everything my being was disolvedd in laughter of uncontrollable happiness. - How could it have been? - I went screaming full of happiness -... God has rewarded me, putting me ahead of that beautiful creature. What would the cute children feel when she took my arm, confident of having all my manhood at her disposal? ... The freedom that gave me to be dressed in a simple way shredded the well-dressed brats that could not conquer it with his manly smiles rehearsed before the mirror. Natalia, you will be mine - I shouted again, when arriving at a park near my home, and then I muttered to myself:

- My love, you are the great dream that I have always been waiting for.
When I got to the piece of the tenancy where he lived. The owner of the house and Paloma, her teenage daughter, were awake and they were looking surprised by the joy that was reflected in my face. I greeted them with kindness, I entered my room, I stopped before the photographs of "Earthquake of Manizales", of "second consul", of "Maracanazo", of "Capuchino del ocho", of "Cortesano", of "Vitral", of "Contrapunto", of "Bochica" and I told those exemplary noblemen, that I had met the woman of my dreams. The contact of his moist lips in my mouth and the closeness of his beautiful neck filled my nose and my brain with his delicate fragrance, which continued inside me. It is in this way that great loves are born. I bless God for the comfort of my little home, full of humility and sweetness. I thought of my mother, of my country, of "Prophet of Besilu", of the old jeans and the little things that had kept me alive until this happy day. I raised a prayer of thanks to the most holy virgin and to God, for giving me so many good things. I lay down trembling with emotion, unable to control the feeling that woke up the landscape of his body. Half asleep I had the impression that I had been bewitched, with the stellar brightness of eyes that showed me what absolute depth is. The immensity of her hips awakened an immense desire to possess and have her. She was as natural as a wild orchid. Since that night I could never sleep peacefully, if she was not by my side.
- Oh, God! ... Why so much intensity in the experiences of my life? ... I should assimilate things more calmly, in the same way that other people do. Or will it be that they all feel the same as me, and do not dare to manifest it? ... - I said a little anguished.
In the midst of my emotion, I spoke aloud as if she were present and, without caring about anything, shouted:

- Natalia! ... Anyway, what I'm feeling since I met you is phenomenal! I cannot stop thinking about you, because you're amazing ...
And he kept saying:
- Dear ancestors, I know that the poor men of our family, always dreamed of having a really beautiful woman. I have achieved it and I tell them to sleep happily. She is divine. Her beautiful hair envelops her in the savagery of an enchanted goddess, while the purple and nacre of her attractive mouth promise the delights of a dreamed candy. The owner of all these charms is called Natalia, although it should not be called that, because Natalia is the name of a very fragile flower. His name could have been moon. A moon with the strength of two legs like yours, in the eternal challenge of your hips against gravity. A moon with sensual tightness like its waist, and with perfect hills pointing its vertices to the immensity. Yes, that should be his name, a name so luminous and as smooth as his skin and his walk.
Julio Fierro got tired, the bottle ran out and fatigue overtook us.
The story that left our friend blind was sure to continue the next day.
The horseman remained silent with the empty bottle in his hands, and his heart trembled with true love.
I looked at the clock and it was midnight. We three were very tired, after the exhausting day and the impressive story and, then, I proposed.
- Let's go to sleep, that tomorrow is another day for you to continue telling us the wonderful story of your life.
We went to bed in humble beds and, at night, I felt that a mouse ran over my humanity, but I was so tired that I ignored it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER NUMBER THREE

The next day I got up about nine in the morning. The peasants got up early and Jose Antonio was making noise in the kitchen, from five in the morning. I had a terrible thirst due to the whiskeys I swallowed without being used to it, and when I went to the kitchen in search of some liquid to hydrate my body ...
- Good morning, my friend, how did it dawn? ... - said the blind horseman, who was sitting on a humble stool next to the dirty stove.
- Very well thanks. I was fascinated by the beautiful story he told us last night.
- Did you like the beginning of the story of my life? ...
- Sure, man. How could I not like it? - I said visibly excited.
- Good. Serve a cup of hot coffee and grab a piece of bread, and some of that roasted meat that should be around, next to the stove, which, while breakfast, I am telling you what I did a few days, after the first date ... It had been about three or four days after the fashion show and had not heard from Natalia again ... The sky, with its deep blue, was cuter than ever. The majestic sculpture of the central pool of the University of Antioquia stood imposing with its nine meters of height ... A man and a woman braided in the effort to reach the stars, was the symbol of our beloved Alma Mater. All the students of that cloister, we could not stop admiring the beauty of its central park. The jets of water under pressure rose like projectiles, exploding against those bodies and turning into small colored crystals, which the wind dragged up to the faces of those who passed through there, filling them with the refreshing pleasure of the soft frost. I, sitting on the edge of the pool that was formed with the large amount of water that fell, looked wanting to absorb all the poetry of that rainbow so close. Suddenly, all that disappeared into the darkness, delicate hands covered my eyes, holding me from behind. The most delicious smile in the universe escaped from the perfumed woman who played me the joke. I, without saying a word, I began to feel the delicate hands that had isolated me from the light.

- Hello! - he said, freeing me and offering me the fantasy of his perfect face - Are you the one who invited me to listen to country music in the Garibaldi square and you are the one who is going to give me a platinum filly that is softer than a Ferrari?
- Sure, my love, I am - I replied amazed by the incredible beauty of my beloved.
- Are you waiting for someone? - Asked me distracted.
- No. On hot afternoons I come to this place. The wind brings the dew from the pool, filling me with freshness and that makes me feel good. What is that miracle of coming here? - I asked excited.
- I went to the library and I saw you so lonely that I thought it was very funny ... You know, I've found many interesting things about you, like, for example, the afternoon of the fashion show you went with Jaime, you were completely different from everyone I was surprised at the way you walked, you looked like a horseman from a western movie. You looked at me with the assurance of a gangster and that made me tremble to my soul. I like gangsters who take a risk and I really liked your "tail" with those tight jeans and the strength of your arms, which are the precise ones for you to love me like your filly. - He said quietly, then stood looking into my eyes, as if trying to guess the effect of his words.
- First time, in life, they tell me such beautiful things - I murmured with eyes shining with joy - What do you have to do in this rest of the day?
- Nothing. Why? - He asked, posing his beautiful eyes on my face. That short answer opened the panorama of what was going to be the happiest afternoon of my life. I jumped nimbly from the platform on which I was sitting and taking her by the hand I said:

- Come, I'll show you the most beautiful place in this university. - We crossed the patio in search of the corridors. The brightness of the open field was left behind, we crossed the desert corridors without uttering a word. We were enraptured feeling the warmth of our hands entwined. Our hearts galloped at the speed of a burning love. "Thank you, my God, for allowing this candy to notice me." I thought about it during the short journey. We advance the last eighty meters almost running. The splendor of the open-air theater opened before us. In a perfect combination, the gardens filled with capricious shadows the semicircle of gray scales where people sat at concerts. Now everything was deserted, framing our newborn love with grandiosity. She looked at me with her eyes open with admiration and, unable to bear it, we merged in a desperate hug. Our hearts let out the joy of belonging to us and, with our mouths; we seek each other with violence, to feel the sweet taste of a love as soft as the contact of its pearly teeth. That afternoon we embraced and kissed each other with the immense desire of a total surrender, which neither of us dared to mention, because of the respect we kept. Time stood before us and, for the first time, we were being immortal. We kissed all afternoon, absorbing the sweetness of our bodies. Everything was wonderful and intense. From the first moment I saw her, I felt a great emptiness in my chest. It was a strange feeling that forced me to be thinking about her at all times. I needed her presence and my arms held her close to heal the anxiety of my desperate love. We caress ourselves with the delight of a pure and ardent passion. Time flew and we, without perceiving the continuity of existence, let ourselves be submerged in the crystalline waters of a romantic evening. Lulled by the bustle of the singing cicadas, the sun went down and gave way to the magic dance of the shadows that brought us absolute peace. The waste of energy exhausted our strength a little, giving us the opportunity to reflect ourselves in a poetic contemplation of ourselves. That day I was able to reach the clear definition of our feeling: love is the perfect combination of admiration, desire and absolute respect.

The night, with the white and blue rays that the stars sent him coquettishly, wove a mantle over us, making us realize that in the world of the gods, we were still mortal. The responsibility with his family and with the order established by the healthy customs, forced us to separate.
I did not realize the grandeur of our love, until she got into the taxi and the dismay of having to wait one night and several hours to contemplate her again fell on me.
"Oh my God, what if I do not see her again?" I thought, feeling a detachment, terrible, something that tore inside my chest ... The vehicle was lost in the distance, but in my hand I rested a piece of paper that guaranteed the continuity of our friendship, in that paper his telephone number was written down, with an exaggerated dedication that made me feel like a God:

"For the cutest horseman in the world, with love, Natalia."
The only thing that calmed me was the conviction, hopeful, of my good luck ... With profound joy; I directed my steps to the humble hovel that protected me from adversity. Now, lately, I was looking cozy and beautiful. When I arrived, I sat down and wrote an original letter.

Natalia
Since I was a child
I was very curious
For the cute little mermaids
They sang in the sea
Your beautiful hair
And their sculpture bodies
They made my soul tremble
Wishing her beauty
I thought they were a dream
That someone invented
And my soul almost exploded
When one appeared
I had an angel face
And princess manners
She was beautiful and proud
He had class and nobility
Someone introduced it to me
And I was stunned
She only lacked
The fish tail
My hectic heart
I kept jumping
There was my dream
The one that I wanted to love
I went to my house
Without being able to forget it
Day by day, I was thinking

How am I going to fish?
I invented a network of colors
With lots of love
Special for illusions
That have a great value
For a special girl
A spectacular plan
Let it take until the end
A love that is immortal
I told him nice things
Then I gave him flowers
I composed a song
Telling my loves
I'm going to tell the world
The beautiful and wonderful
What is to love the great Natalia
Until the end and without rest
I will write a letter
With unique style
So that she finds out
How can you love her?
I will not tell you the end
From this golden strategy
That a god gave it to him
To be amazed
The only thing I can tell you is that, at the end of this story, a giant of cinnamon, purple and nacre will be waiting for you, who will love you until you are one hundred years old.
July.

I let four more days pass but, on the fifth day, I called her on the phone and made an appointment. All morning I was running from one place to another. I did everything and could not concentrate on anything. Ordering an apartment is a matter for women and titans, but I finally managed it before I left. Preparing a breakfast and lunch, takes more time than the preparation of an interplanetary trip. Now that I live alone and busy, I realize the magnificent and silent work of our mothers. Domestic work is the most ungrateful and boring profession that man has been able to invent.
I was in the center of Medellin and it was not long before my girlfriend arrived. In matters of love I felt a professional Cupid and it was terrifying the nervousness that invaded me at that time. I put my hand on my chest and felt my heart go crazy, as if it wanted to burst. It was incredible that love was born inside him.

. The scales of the "Coltejer" building are very crowded; thousands of people pass through there. It was in the whole heart of the city. That place is imposing and amazingly cute. The gray columns that support the building rise up like enormous parallels, resembling the ribs of a prehistoric animal. - The blind horseman explained to me as if I did not know the place. - I was sitting at a strategic point, in the middle of the scales. From there he dominated the landscape. He could watch her when she crossed the square and reached the foot of the escalator.
What a nice detail Jaime had with me ... In the morning he came to my house, to take me a pair of jeans and a white navy shirt and he said:
- I was watching "Salsa", a movie in which the protagonist is identical to you. That boy is a relaxed guy, who is now dedicated to the world of music and, he, goes to the most important interviews and concerts dressed in pants and a shirt similar to the ones I bought you. You did not think to go to today's appointment, with the same faded jeans, or do you? ...
I accepted the clothes that my friend offered me, with the condition of paying him as soon as possible the amount of money that cost him. Those clothes gave me a new look that filled me with energy. My economic situation was desperate. He had only thirty-eight thousand pesos in his pocket. Thirty thousand were to pay the rent of the room next month and with the other eight I had to eat, have fun and pay for tickets. But it did not matter. The only thing that interested was that Natalia must be there, in the next three minutes. If it was fulfilled. The clock was advancing. That place was a meeting point. People waited impatiently, strolled and then left. The lovers were there, they kissed and then they lost themselves in the uncertain future. I was waiting for the only woman who had interested me in life. I could not imagine what the meeting would be like. We had not seen each other for five days. I was going to take her in my arms and in a 180 degree turn, I would know what a kiss was in the air. I was a little away from her because of strategy. Girls like difficult things. I had been a difficult boy in those days, although I was dying to see her. It was time.

- It will be what forgot the appointment? ... - I asked nervous - No. It could not be that he had forgotten such an important commitment.
I, in the last seventeen hours, had not been able to think of anything other than that reunion.
- It will be what did not want to come? ... - I thought again.

Nooooo I had to be calm, because if I was calm, I had to appear at any moment.
It was her. It was beautiful. It was an angel ... He looked at me with intensity, he remained motionless waiting for me and I descended in a hurry, I stumbled and almost went on my face. I reached her side and immersed myself in the delight of her perfume.
- Excuse me for being late; there was a very large traffic -. He told me.
- Calm down, those things always happen - I answered reflexively. I was in front of her and I did not know what to say, I was stunned, the words did not flow. The embrace and the kiss of film covered them with the fear that began to invade me. I did not dare to anything, I remained silent.
- What have you done? - he asked calmly.
- Nothing - I replied with my brain completely blank. -. Let's go? - I proposed and started walking slowly.

She walked beside me. It was beautiful. All men observe it with admiration. I was radiant. It was a star. My heart was hitting me hard.
- What site do you want to go to? - I asked to give him the option to choose.
- The one you choose is fine - he replied, leaving everything to my liking.
- I'll invite you to a very dark and full of surprises - I said, putting a macabre accent to my words -. That place is called "The cave of the devil". It is delicious, but the people who enter there, afterwards will not be the same. It does not scare you?

- No, if I go with you I'm fine - argued disarming my joke.
- But how brave is my beautiful princess - exclaimed amazed at his confidence - Quiet. The site is spectacular. You cannot see anything, but the music is very romantic and the atmosphere is attractive - I explained trying to soften the unpleasant impression, which could cause the test of confidence that I put. In truth, if Mom had known where we were going, I would not have approved immediately, but we were young and the temptation was too great. Because of her dress, she had prepared everything for my funeral. He had a leather jacket full of branches like the dresses of the Indians. Under the jacket a green shirt was attached to his body, to show a perfect thorax like the dancers doing gymnastics. The miniskirt I was wearing was impressive; it was made in jeans and finished in a soft cotton fabric, which opened folds on her beautiful hip, to fill with rhythm the walk of my princess. On his right ankle he had a chain of gold horses, which shone on his golden skin as if to punish my taste. She finished her dress with some Apache shoes without stockings. Inside me, the clean and transparent desire that, until that day, had only awakened me, the Catalina Indian woman in Cartagena, exploded. I liked the sculptural Indian, Natalia drove me crazy. We arrived at the site. I took her by the hand and we went into the tavern. In truth, we could not see where we were going. I stood and a kind gentleman came to my aid, with a tiny flashlight, which looked like a cigarette. He accompanied us to one of the tables, for two, which was in the background.
- What would you like to drink? - I asked Natalia.

-  A rum with an ice cube. Thank you.
- Then you do me the favor and you bring me half a bottle of rum, a little soda and a few ice cubes. Thank you - I said, learning the manners of my adorable companion. The waiter moved away and we looked at each other in the darkness, which was not as intense as before. We embraced and, without expecting anything, we melted into a kiss without control. My arms encircled her waist and I could feel the delicious softness of her throbbing hips. We had just arrived and the attraction was total.
"We should not have come to this place" I thought, moving away a little and breathing deeply.
The waiter arrived, left the service at the table and said:
- If you want something more, press the bell that I'll be careful. - I looked everywhere and in front of my eyes, like a spider, suspended a small switch from the ceiling.
- Have you thought of me? - I asked curiously.
- Yes. Every day and at all hours I thought of you - Natalia answered, showing her hard character and stimulating my curiosity to know to what extent her courage arrived.
- That you thought? - I investigated, looking at it firmly.
- I always imagined, what would you be doing? ... In what place and with whom? ... Things like that - he said slowly.
- You thought of me, physically? - I asked trying to corner her.
- Yes, I thought about your kisses, your arms. Every morning I tried to remember the strength of your eyes, although I could not remember your eyes.
- Did you think about my kisses and my body at night? ... Did you feel emotion? - I said playing sincerity.
- Yes, it gave me emotion.

- How much?  Much emotion? - I dared to keep asking.
- If many. Enough, "she replied, letting me know what I wanted.
- Did you caress yourself thinking about me? - I asked playing with candle.
- Yes - he said with a smiling face.
- Until where? - I continued, showing my courage.
- Until the end - he answered, leaving me stunned.
- How often? - I investigated gathering all my strength.
- Many times - he confessed.
There was no more to talk about. I took a long drink of rum, wet my lips with the soda and I kept thinking. She was the most beautiful and spontaneous woman on earth. We kissed again. Our bodies hugged tightly and my hot tongue profaned her ears, making her shudder. She leaned back, closing her eyes in excitement and pleasure. My lips ran over his perfumed neck. I licked her delicate shoulders and without being able to avoid it I ran the thin blouse, leaving in freedom her throbbing breasts. Burning nipples rose up squeezed by the bloodstream, eager for deep caresses. My tongue jumped on them and Natalia grabbed my hair, submerging in a sea of ​​pleasure. Everything disappeared around me, my hands tracing the skin of her beautiful legs. Holding her right leg, I forcefully pulled her towards me and a sigh of joy came from her lips. I did not think about anything. I started to stroke his leg slowly. From the knee I advanced with determination and my fingers squeezed his wet crotch. Natalia hugged me passionately, and, unable to control herself, she spun around, arranging her right leg over me. With his hands he began to touch my chest and in a few seconds he descended, with his soft hands, exploring all the space left by the wide trousers. He left my manhood free and without saying anything he caressed it with emotion. We were on. I desecrated his groin, dipping my fingers into his deep wetness. She hugged my body, as if looking for a more comfortable position. I pushed her away a little and I sat her on my humanity. He felt the warmth of our love. We were separated by the fragility of a small underwear that was about to disappear. Our bodies were wanted. With my fingers I ran the panties and separated my hips a little, suddenly, the waiter entered the room. Natalia wrapped herself in her jacket and we stood still, the young man went to the end of the room and attended another couple that we could not see from where we were. He passed by us and looked as if surprised. His attitude seemed a little suspicious to me. I pushed Natalia to sit next to me. I took a deep breath and began to say:

- In life there are very nice things, but they are so beautiful that we must take all the time and space we need. I know that you have no experience, but I am going to show you that pleasures, when deferred, are more intense when you enjoy them. Let's calm down, breathe deeply that this is not the place to love us and tomorrow will be another day - I said with intonation, while I organized the clothes. Natalia remained silent. I was in a state of shock. I helped her to compose her shirt, I gave her a drink of rum and she took it without rejecting it. I kept talking. Natalia remained absorbed in her thoughts. After the storm an incomplete calm had arrived. We felt uncomfortable and decided to leave. I pressed the switch and a few seconds later the waiter appeared.
- How much do I owe, sir? - I found out with the wallet in my hand. The man lit up with the tiny flashlight, a white card on which he wrote down the accounts.
- Twelve thousand pesos, friend - he said hoarsely. I extended the tickets to the man and left the place.
We wandered happily through the center of the city, until it was time to leave. That night I went to my humble room and wrote him a very special note.

Natalia Linda:
Like a distant star
Nailed to infinity
You are an unattainable
Although for you I sigh
You are bright and beautiful
With your color on
You are so clear and precise
Like a sculpted diamond
On nights of intense cold
I dream of your warmth

And in tender thoughts
I enjoy your love
With my animal instinct
Very lonely wolf
Today I'm thinking of catching you
To have you by my side
You are the unreachable
That I want to own
You are a burning sun
In which I think burn
Sincerely, Julio Fierro.

The blind horseman recounted each one of those beautiful poems, with the incredible precision that only those who are deeply in love have. I had finished the delicious breakfast a long time ago and began to squeeze oranges into two clean glass glasses, which awaited the delicious juice that Julio and I needed, to quench the thirst for the hangover the whiskey had left us during the night. Previous, while the boss continued relating deeply in love.
- My economy was bankrupt - said the blind horseman, continued with the story -. For a few days I stayed away from my beautiful model, feigning a coldness I was far from feeling. Out of obligation I was putting into practice the guidelines that a desperate Bohemian once told me:

- Life is made of contrasts. To relax it is necessary to have tensed. It is enjoyed with intensity of a soda, when a great physical exercise has dehydrated us. Things are good when you dream a long time with them.

I hoped that my strategy forced, increase the interest that she had for me.
I spent my time figuring out how to get some pesos, which would allow me to invite her to ride horses and eat ice cream. I wrote a note to my mother, with the idea of ​​sending me some extra pesos, which would be my salvation. I knew that my family in the province was going through a difficult economic situation, but I wanted to inform them that the interruption of my studies was close. I wandered all over the city looking for a part-time job, but all the doors were closed for a student. A friend suggested that I sell apples in front of a supermarket, but I was embarrassed. "Definitely, there are such miserable things that pride does not resist them." I thought with anger.
I recounted all the valuable things I had. I looked everywhere and on the ramshackle television stood, proud, the bronzed winged horse that once melted the grandfather.

- In nature there is no animal equal to the horse. Her beautiful figure allows her to flirt with women, with the sun and the stars. He is a death defender of his territory and his family. The men of our caste have identified with him, and I hope that you, my favorite grandson, will keep the "Pegasus" as a symbol of our unparalleled pride. - Grandfather told me many years ago.

With my heart in my fist and a nervous tremor, I remembered the words of the old man who gave in my hands, the only inheritance left to his descendants. It was ridiculous that I should feel nervous about selling a piece of bronze, as well as representing what Grandpa would have liked.
- I need a little money to do very important things. I cannot feel bad for such a foolish thing - I said to myself out loud. - The world of those who attach themselves to material things is the world of cowards.

The heat of the afternoon was terrible. The loneliness of the streets, the poverty of the facades and the gaps in the road, formed a disgusting picture in the mission to sell that sacred symbol. In a few minutes I pushed all the thoughts out of my head and continued on my way in search of the person who was going to buy me the object. I did not have to walk much; the recycling business was a few blocks from my room. On the way, I thought about my economic situation and decided that I could not continue like this, for a long time. The business with Jaime is very long term, and it takes two to three years of constant work to begin to see the results ... I do not know what to do? ... This small detachment, in which I am on board, It is the beginning of a necessary change.
Frowning and a little nervous, I arrived at the front of a dilapidated house in the middle of the seventh block that walked. The purchase and sale of recycling materials, worked in an old ranch that only had a small door. From the entrance you could see the cardboard piles, the packages of bottles and the iron piled up on the lot. On one of the walls in the back there was a shelf full of antiques and, among all of them, there was a huge copper palette, old aluminum stirrups resting beside it. At the bottom of the shelf were several rows of coal, two or three gilded chocolate bars, and a rather odd lamp. I entered the interior of that humble refuge. In the middle of the room I waved and waited until the owner was present. He looked at me with marked distrust and remained silent, as if questioning me with his eyes. He was thin, very skinny, about thirty years old and one eye smaller than the other. In his blond and dull hair, there was a high degree of malnutrition. He had a shirt that they gave to the workers in the factories and the pants were also very humble.
- Good afternoon sir. Is it true that, you buy antiques? - I asked a little nervous.

- They offer me many things and I buy everything, depending on what is involved - clarified the man, without paying much attention to the package that I had under my arm.
- I have a bronze sculpture. I'll sell it to you if you're interested - I noted a little disconcerted by the guy's attitude.
- Sure, boy, I'm paying the kilo of bronze at three thousand pesos. We weigh it and I give you your money - he explained, the man, without showing interest in the business.
- No. It's that this "Pegasus" is very valuable and I do not intend to sell it as scrap metal. If you want to negotiate with me, we can reach an agreement - I proposed stunned by that unpleasant mission.
- Can be. Let me see it - said the man receiving the heavy package. He tore the paper in which it was wrapped and went to the door to look at it well in the light.
- It is a beautiful winged horse that goes through the air, is about two hundred years old and is very valuable - clarified, trying to impress the subject.
- This is the famous sculpture that you want to sell me? ... Who wants to have a donkey like that, in the house? - He asked derogatory before my sacred image.
- Let's do one thing, sir, you lend me fifty thousand pesos in it and then, when I go to retrieve it, I pay you eighty thousand - it was the only thing I managed to say before his furious exclamation.
- Who told you, what is a garment? ... If he wants to sell it, I give him twenty thousand pesos for it and it's over.
- Twenty thousand pesos? ... That's very little - I exclaimed alarmed.
- I'm offering, if you do not like, then it's long - he said pointing to the door. I took the sculpture and began to cover it, again, with the crumpled paper.
- I give him twenty-five thousand pesos and for the record it's my last offer - he proposed giving a little. I stopped and thought about it for a second.

- If you give me thirty thousand pesos, I'll sell it - I told the humble man.
- Ready, put it there. - exclaimed the man, showing kindness for the first time. He pulled out a thick wad of money and began counting the thirty thousand pesos in thousand-dollar bills. I accepted them, one by one, without saying a word. I looked at the scrap dealer and, without thinking much, I asked him a question:
- Sir, are you interested in an antique bed? ... It is large and with railings finely carved in oak. What happens is that I'm going on a trip and I want to sell all my belongings.
- The day I bring her, we look at her and I tell her if it's good for me - the man answered, assuming the selfless attitude he showed at the beginning.
- See you later - I said goodbye keeping the money - Do you always stay here?
- From eight in the morning to six in the afternoon, I am every day, except on Sundays. On Saturdays I work only until three in the afternoon, so you know.
I left that place deeply disgusted. All that seemed to me the lowest and disgusting thing I had ever done in my life. "How it possible is that he has sold, for that misery, the sacred symbol of our family?" ...
- Everything I'm thinking is stupid! - I said energetically, trying to push away the ideas that started to run through my mind. - How is it possible that, when my life is more full of projects, I want to send you to the abyss in the ridiculous risk of taking a shortcut for which I am not prepared? ... In life you have to make transcendental decisions and, I , I'm on the verge of taking a very important one.
The new and personal theories had to tear down a world of tradition.
I was going to change my lifestyle and that made me a little scared.
The next day I had some extra pesos in my pockets and, as always, I started thinking about Natalia my favorite model and I sent her a beautiful detail.

"What is life, some days are gray like yesterday and the others are colorful like today" - I went thinking excitedly -. "If today we curse the sadness, tomorrow we can bounce off the bubbles of joy ... Definitely, I am a lucky boy and, on second thought, in life what happens has to happen ... Nature moves on a perfect balance. I was very sad and today I am very happy, I just made a goal of life and now I know what the athletes feel when they succeed in the big competitions. "
The total euphoria exploded inside my chest, I walked through the streets, indifferent to the world.

It's wonderful when an angel tells you: I love you ...

That was my lucky day, I got up on my right foot. Early in the morning I went to the flower shop and sent a bouquet of red roses to my beloved. I went back to my house slowly, and, on the way, I went thinking about the face that Natalia's classmates would put on, at the model academy, when I saw the arrival of a bouquet of flowers at nine in the morning. I lay in ecstasy with my growing love and before I knew it I was asleep. Tucked under the blankets I felt the phone ring, I reached out in the darkness of my room took the headset and ...
- Hello, my angel - it was the sweet voice of my adoration -. Who told you that today is the day of my birthday? ... All the birthdays of my childhood were sad, because my father never remembered them and that's why I kept that date in a big secret. A secret that I do not know how you found out, to make me very happy on this day. Never, ever, I will forget this detail. The flowers that you have sent me are very beautiful, and that I am a prettier flower than all of them, it is a very big exaggeration for such a small card.

"Thank you, my God, for helping me in such an incredible way." - I thought full of joy. How is it that I send flowers, after so many days without seeing it, and I send them precisely on the day of his birthday? ... What a goal ... When two people love each other, it is because they live in the same frequency of vibrations. I was very excited and I said to myself:
- From today I will always call her, I will send her things with the seal of my presence, because I know that all this perseverance will lead me to enjoy the honey of a beautiful love.

I was completely in love. I could not stop thinking about her. The dependence was total. His way of being amazed me. Sweetness and tenderness flowed from his soul like a spring of fresh water. The soft temperament and the brilliance of his intelligence, perfectly matched the clarity of his eyes and the soft color of his skin.
The world was a symphony of beautiful things.
The beauty of the flowers was covered with dew in the mornings, filling the landscape with a subtle charm that danced at the same rhythm of our hearts turned into two birds of intense colors. The golden sunsets painted the eucalyptus of a coppery tone, which made me fall on my knees on the moss, to thank the creator, to be able to enjoy all this poetry that made my soul fly. How nice to be in love ... Something, like the singing of the angels, covered my senses, filling them with the indescribable emotion that Natalia had ignited inside my chest.

The telephone was our accomplice. We were fascinated. Talking and talking was a delicious exercise, which fed the power of our feeling. The chemistry had worked and we felt an absolute need, which forced us to belong. We could not live apart anymore. Almost all day we talked on the phone and the next two thousand years we had already planned. We both already knew that in the garden we would have sunflowers, roses, begonias, orchids and thoughts, among a thousand others. The dimensions of the fireplace that our future cabin in the mountain would have were special because she drew them with a brush of her imagination. A red camper, ten stables, a player of fine Colombian step as "Prophet of Besilu", a filly that shone like the moon and four or five daughters of "Earthquake of Manizales", were part of my contribution to our dreams, but there was one small problem and it was that I did not have a single weight.
The next day he called me almost at noon.
- Hi ... Imagine I'm still lying down - she told me proud of her madness.
- How? ... But if it's almost eleven o'clock in the morning - I protested, as if demanding the delicious abandonment.
- Last night I stayed watching television until very late and today I woke up like a nightmare - he explained, with the exciting joy of a naughty girl -. I called you because last night I dreamed about you. You were kissing me with my mouth full of chocolates. I lifted you without any effort and your body covered me all, filling me with happiness. When I woke up I felt a great need to listen to you.

- Thanks ... You know something? ... Talking to you is delicious. Your sensual voice is exciting - I said flattered by his words.
- Yes. And what gives you emotion? - He asked me immediately. I was silent, not knowing what to answer - Do you want me to tell you how I'm dressed? ... Yes? ... Listen carefully, I'm tucked under the blankets, I have a red pajamas that is integral. The panties are small and when I raise my arms they dig into my burning shell. I'm thinking of you and my body reacts and gets wet, I turn in bed and I do not want to get up. Julio Fierro, I love you. When I picked up the phone to call you, my whole body trembled ... My love, I need you, but as you never say anything ... Sorry for calling at this time. I did not want to interrupt your activities, but ...
- No matter, anyway I'll tell you that I'm dying because of you - I confessed without thinking twice. It is an indescribable feeling, the one that is growing inside my heart. It is like a ray of light that hits me in the soul, making it jump in a thousand glasses of happiness and joy. Since I met you, I need you every second of life. I would like to be always by your side, to absorb the tenderness and the kind of that great woman that is born in each one of your fine movements.
We talk like three hours in a row. Natalia was the smartest, most interesting and most beautiful woman in all of Colombia and this planet. With her you could talk without feeling the passage of time. After a long time the happiness was interrupted, because she had to be at two o'clock in the afternoon at the university.
Today I realized something else very important - I thought lying on my back on the carpet in my room -. In order to truly love, it is necessary to be free like a winter swallow. In life there is a set of variables in which the winners, at the end of time, are the losers. I said it because of the misfortune of not being able to work in the offices of the brilliant executives, who at that time were making a lot of money, while I spent my time in a delicious love.

- Despite not being a multimillionaire, I was tremendously happy - said the blind horseman with a voice choked with emotion.
The things that are achieved when one is interested in someone are incredible. The mental and physical stability, find a handle that, like a helmsman, allows us to slide through life, floating among the clouds of happiness.
There is a hidden law that the wise try to explain this way: when two beings like each other, all social, economic and form barriers disappear, because when two people are attracted, they attract each other, period. They have seen, through time, poor mestizos making love to the women of wealthy gallants, which the selectivity of the species exalted above their own egos, making them forget that love is a tremendously delicate creature. The impossibility of looking down, where the humble inject hormones with the blood of their beloved offspring, punishes them in their ideals, even if they do not realize it.
I do not remember where I had heard that nonsense, but what I was sure of, was that Natalia's love was unique and exclusive to me.
How important is the economy in a love ... - said the blind horseman immersed in his memories
I do not know why, in my thoughts, I could not take Natalia away from her group of moneyed cronies.
I had to relax because, after all, women end up giving themselves to the one who really likes it. It does not matter that before society, it's up to them to pretend smiles to the magnates who buy and hold them. I trusted Natalia, because she had gotten rid of all the canons of empty girls' behavior. She had paraded, with me, through all the places that her great social class frequented, feeling very proud of my presence and of my qualities as a man.

Most important of all, it was the correspondence of a love at first sight. We had not been able to stop feeling a total coupling, in which we seemed known for a long time.
- When we are married, I think I have a little daughter who has your same eyes - said Natalia for sure.
- Yes, it will be just as beautiful to the mother and it will be called Mariana strap Paris - I affirmed, trying to force the destiny, without hiding the great satisfaction that those words produced me. If we agreed on the tastes and the way of thinking, everything would be easier when we were living together.
- In our home it is important to have a well balanced diet, where fresh fruits and vegetables abound, because that will help us to keep the line and to have good health - he recommended, showing his inclination for good manners.
- What do you think of a fruit salad, accompanied by a well-roasted beef? - I asked, trying to make her realize that she had not mentioned the meats.
- Red meats do not like me very much, because they raise the level of cholesterol and concentrate a harmful acid. Annoyances that can be avoided by eating fish and white meats. Of course, if you want to grow old fast, I'll prepare you roast meat whenever you want - he joked, feigning tranquility in his words.
- That's the great advantage of having a model in the home - I wrote with pride.
- It's not a matter of models but of intelligence, heart - she explained, feeling proud of her knowledge.
- Do you know something? ... All my life I was looking for a woman to teach me how to live, a woman who likes jazz and classical music, a woman who would drag me through the world of feminine subtleties, a woman of exquisite taste that made me proud to walk and be by his side.
- Thanks - exclaimed flattered - I love you too my love.

Every time we talked, I fought for my love. In a few days I had his vanity in my favor, thanking the creator for the absolute precision with which he made it. I taught her to take care of herself and to love her body a lot, and even though she was a world champion in the matter, she always repeated it just in case. He was never indifferent to the things that happened to him. I liked to stimulate the incredible gifts of my beloved princess. I wanted his figure to awaken admiration throughout Colombia, because it was worthy to reflect on a goddess as transparent as glass. In this way they were born, one by one, the improvised poems that he dedicated to him.

Beautiful Natalia:


A very cute mermaid
In that you have become
With your angel face
And your eyes lit
When you are walking
The flesh trembles with love.
When I'm looking at you
my heart is shaking.
I have you, my queen,
Reserved a pedestal
Where, ever, nobody touches
My great crystal goddess.
You bring peace to my soul
with your chosen panache
like the sun in the morning
what makes think of Cupid.
Your presence covers everything, with a mantle of sweetness, forcing me to think about clean and pure things, which are like a reflection of your class and your culture.
Julio Fierro

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER NUMBER FOUR

José Antonio arrived from the field, with three huge rabbits for lunch. The faithful butler had gone hunting since early, while the boss and I were talking.
- I bring a bottle of whiskey to encourage the story? ... - asked the humble man, who always came as a horror?
- Let the writer say it, which is the bohemian of the group - exclaimed the boss, with a slight smile on his lips.
- Well, José Antonio, bring a bottle of good liquor, so that the boss's heart will come out of his mouth and so that, to me, there will be my understanding. You can cook your rabbits in the meantime.
We all let out a loud laugh.

For the first time we were happy, without remembering Julio's mutilations.
We took a drink of the fine liquor and the boss began to declaim like this:
Natalia beautiful:
Because you are the most beautiful
My passion is on.
You are a love cult
And a song to life.
In this ungrateful world
You became a way,
In salvation and guidance
That straightened my destiny.
With a source of happiness
All my life I dreamed,
And find you, Natalia beautiful
I never imagined.
Under a radiant sun
and for the breeze whipped
In this world of charms
We will live embraced.
For drinks of fresh life
I will go to your source
and for a cute queen
Very glad I will die.

My heart was inflamed with a desperate love, and in my soul a great feeling was generated, that will cover it with chances and wonderful instants.
- Time has the rare quality of becoming sticky and slow, when one more wants to advance - explained Julio Fierro, when he began to tell us another of his encounters with his beloved. - I looked at the clock every minute. Agitation grew inside my chest. I felt nervous and longed, impatiently, to arrive at the appointed time for the appointment. At seven thirty in the evening, I will arrive at Natalia's house to enjoy an evening full of sweet emotions ...
Oh! How beautiful is love! ...
A scientist once said that time does not exist.
Dear Einstein, I would like you to explain to me, how can you call this doughy mass that does not let me see my beloved? ... I will sail, the three hours until the appointment, in this relative glue that the smart ones they insist on denying. And, in the midst of despair, I took time to write notes to my beloved like this:
Fast as a snail
I've run out of time
But in the old seconds
You are my best memory.
The great softness of your soul
it fills me with love inside
and your incredible beauty
it forces me to daydream.
What happiness to live life
with you always by my side
in perfect placidity
from a dream paradise.
It is your incredible beauty
the cause of my martyrdom.
It's you, my pretty Natalia
The reason why I live.
An incredible feeling explodes inside me, I fell in love with madness and I tremble in front of my love. You are like a radiant sun that illuminates my being, questioning my strength and staggering my faith.

At last the time came. All the courage I had gathered escaped me. My breathing stopped and my heart started jumping uncontrollably. The street was lonely. I crossed the garden and the pines looked at me with mute strangeness. I was afraid I was not going to find her. I went to the door of his house and my heart was pounding like five hundred beats per minute, I took a deep breath and decided to knock on the door.
- July! - They said behind my back. It was her running through the garden of one of the houses in front.
- Hello how have you been? - I greeted, overcoming the nerves.
- All right. I thought you were not going to come, "he said anxiously.
- All day I was thinking about this appointment - I answered, while my eyes delighted with his stunning figure. The atmosphere was filled with the soft scent of its fine perfume. I had a dress woven in thread, which reminded me of the fashion of the sixties. His blond hair matched the cream color of his suit. Where do you want to go? ...
- Wherever you want, its fine - he replied, letting me make the decision.
- I'll invite you to a place that is incredibly beautiful. It is a rustic tavern, with a marked Dutch style. The pronounced inclination of the roofs makes a romantic game with the dark colored windows, where the pots of ferns rest which are the admiration of all the visitors. There we can have a few drinks and we will talk very calmly - I explained with my voice broken by emotion.
- What's wrong with you? ... Did you come trotting or what? - He joked when he realized that my breathing was not normal.
- No, what happens is that I'm a little scared. Observe what you can do, you, with me - I said as he took one of his hands and pressed it against my chest, showing my heart that was jumping like crazy because of its beauty.

- Oh! Is incredible! - exclaimed, withdrawing the hand immediately, scared by the impression.
- That's right, more or less, what you make me feel - I murmured, trying to infect him with the great love that flooded me inside.
- I also felt different - he confessed, looking away to hide the brightness of the emotion.
We had reached the corner of his house. The night was very cold and the icy wind lashed our faces, making waiting for a taxi a little uncomfortable. We waited a few more minutes and the car finally arrived. We got into the car and its warm atmosphere sheltered us, making us feel more comfortable. Having found a taxi and being ready to travel, increased in me the confidence and security of having the situation dominated.
- A "Frost" please - I said to the driver, with great joy born of my passion. The good man did not ask anything and he took off safely, towards the place I had pointed out to him.
Already in the tavern, Natalia could not leave the admiration. Everything was decorated with good taste. Lanterns hung on the wall, breaking the darkness filling the atmosphere with haunted shadows. The windows full of stained glass windows as beautiful as the "stained glass window" a very famous horse in Medellin, with its intense colors, completed the rustic decoration of the place. We sat at a table hidden behind a large fern, which hid it almost completely. The waiter, with resounding steps on the floor, approached us and kindly told us:
- Goodnight. What do you want to take? ...
- Good evening, sir - I answered the greeting and looking at Natalia I asked:
- What do you want to drink?
- A rum with ice and a soda. Thank you - he asked very confidently. I kept thinking a second and finally said:
- It brings us half a bottle of rum, two soft drinks and a little ice. Thank you. - The waiter left quickly and we started talking. Natalia told me many things.

Everything was wonderful. I thought that she had not seen me in my life and, now, she was remembering small encounters she had with me. In his memory, unsuspected details such as the crossing of two teenagers at the door of a theater were preserved very clearly. My beautiful friend was telling me, with great emotion, things that I never imagined had happened. Months ago, my dear Natalia walked through the halls of the library, trying to get the attention of a boy with long hair who, with his eyes fixed on the infinitesimal calculation, did not even know that she existed.
"What a life!" This is true luck, definitely, I have an angel in heaven "I thought full of joy For several months, that beautiful creature, was interested in me, while I was asleep on a root fifth raised to the nth degree, Natalia's revelations, discovered the simplicity of her heart, to be able to express the interest she had in me, since she had seen me, all those things filled my heart with tranquility and I could enjoy to the fullest of our romance, the words escaped from her mouth, giving me the image of a very intelligent woman, all her tastes coincided with mine, she could see the effort she was making to be very pleasant. I had a great desire for self-improvement and triumph, all of her personality exhaled the sweetness of an innocent lover, and I, without being able to avoid temptation, dedicated myself to contemplate her body, delight and the ecstasy that painters see the works of art of another time. Neither "Picasso", nor Rembrandt, nor Michelangelo, with their looks of artists, would have enjoyed so much, with the soft tones and the perfect combinations that only a wonderful God could create in my girlfriend. His fleshy, wet lips revealed, behind his fiery red, the whiteness and perfection of the small teeth that reflected his adolescence in bloom. The whole formed an attractive mouth, which was the temptation of the men who looked at her. Her hair, with that golden blond, surpassed in beauty the brightness of the sun in the overseas wheat fields.

Natalia related, before me, the delights of her enchanted childhood. Me, meanwhile, I dedicated myself to continue contemplating with delicacy, the wonders of its dazzling beauty. The firm breasts rose trembling under the weak pressure of the thread that, with its thousands of woven frames, framed the perfection of a delicious thorax. In her angelic face the passion of a woman was reflected, at the peak of her health and energy. His movements were very flirtatious. The softness of his gestures and the daring behavior ignited in me the spark of a passion that had long been red-hot. Natalia realized that my eyes were watching her. He remained silent, looked at me and, without saying anything, his back straightened, sticking sensually against the back of the chair. That movement was the total challenge. The position she had adopted showed her great charms as a woman. The delicate shoulders stood proud, while the firm breasts challenged the world, as if waiting for a caress or a comment that the good manners and my solid education, this time, did not allow to be born. I did not want to fall into the trap of obsessed pleasure, as it had happened before. The shyness that overcame my desires, was born in the involuntary contradiction of my beloved, because, on the one hand, his movements and daring confidence, were the simple and natural invitation to be loved, while, on the other hand, the words They enclosed the neatness and the principles of a girl educated in the light of St. Joseph of Las Vegas. We continued talking, we took each other's hands and that warm contact made us fly in the sky. She looked me deeply in the eyes. We approach and, without being able to resist, we merge in a desperate kiss. We kiss with passion, enjoying the soft taste of a pure and sweet love.

I never thought you could kiss a person, for several hours, without losing the interest of a mouth that I knew to glory - said the blind horseman, while he paused to take another drink of liquor, as if preparing for what we I was going to relate.
The place was completely alone. The shyness disappeared and we caressed openly. His hands started to come down from my chest, until his fingers crashed against my throbbing manhood. In a fit of madness he pressed it, with all the strength of desire, and my body was electrified with a ray of fever and passion. With closed eyes she threw her head back, allowing everything. My hands slid trembling under his soft shirt, and, delicately, I caressed the nipples of his fiery breasts. My warm mouth traveled slowly, enjoying that infinite joy. Our bodies were sought with overflowing passion and we melted into hugs without end. We were kissing and caressing until midnight, without giving importance to the place that was not the most appropriate. Time quickly escaped, proving how relative it is when we are happy. We were addicted to burning love. We left there, enchanted by life, drunk with love and madness. Seduced by the environment and by the youth, we had played with fire, being inflamed by the unsatisfied desire.
When a couple does not love each other until the end, the attraction becomes a torture that continues to irritate every fiber of our being. We walked hand in hand along the deserted avenue, enjoying the breeze that deliciously hit our faces. We look at each other, for a long time, in an open contemplation of our bodies, enjoying the love that had caught in our hearts.

Making her profession as a model, Natalia walked forward, letting me contemplate her voluptuous and vibrant buttocks, proud of the impact that her figure created on my aroused virility. We ran, we embraced and we immersed ourselves in sweet and prolonged kisses, letting ourselves be wrapped in the delicious mantle of an unsuspected passion. In a few minutes we reached her house, we approached stealthily and she knocked softly on the door. We waited a few seconds, the silence was total. Someone, from inside, ran the latch and left the door ajar. Behind the darkness of his house no one appeared. We embrace each other with force. Our bodies claimed with desperate kisses. Natalia moved away, sighed deeply and, apologizing because the next day she had to get up early to study, she said goodbye inviting me to come back there whenever she wished. He gave me free admission and that was great. Every day it seemed to me as if it were the first. I walked back to my home. Between his house and my room, there were about six blocks nothing more. I left singing all the way. I was happy. Natalia, once again, had shown me her love. The memory of his slender figure did not go away from my mind. I was a movie girl and the ideal model to help me promote the best horses in the world, which were going to be mine.

When I arrived at the tenancy, cold and messy, I still felt the smell of her perfume and the taste of her kisses in my mouth. I bless God for the opportunities he gave me. Definitely, I was a lucky boy, although there was nothing for dinner and I had already spent up to the last peso I kept for the lease of the room. I lay down thinking about my beloved and began to design, in my mind, the strategy with which I would make it mine forever. That princess was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, more beautiful than "fourth springs", more beautiful than "Don Danilo", more beautiful than "Earthquake of Manizales", more beautiful than "Prophet of Besilu", cuter that the sun, more beautiful than the moon, more beautiful than the stars and more beautiful than all the beings that had impressed me throughout my existence.
- I will never leave the love of destiny - I said to myself -, I will always do many things to conquer it. Tomorrow, first thing, I'll try anything and send you a bouquet of red roses, tied with white ribbons that come off a bun like a cascade of snow. Iran wrapped in bright cellophane and on the card I will write a sentence that sums up all my thoughts, like this: "Natalia beautiful, I cannot stop thinking about you".
I never suspected that love could manifest itself in this way within me. It was like an explosion of brightness, magic and happiness that touched everything, filling it with luminosity and beauty. Everything had been rethought, letting my soul see the friendly side of things and filling me with the confusion of not being able to distinguish between dreams and reality. That is love, a wonderful moment in which the magic of dreams is combined with the impressive reality of an angel that catches us.
On a sheet of paper I wrote:

Like the sunbeam, luminous and warm, that filtered on a gray afternoon, to brighten the cold pine forest of my beloved mountains, so, in that same way, you have penetrated my heart, taking advantage of the interstices left by the circumstances and the loneliness of my soul. The great illusion that has brought your presence, to my life, now allows me to enjoy the adversities, taking them as simple contrasts in the work of a happy painter, who has marveled at the range of colors that God put on the palette of his divine creation. Your frailty and your delicate tenderness have awakened in me a wild and strong passion that makes the blood run in my veins, like a furious waterfall that hits the rocks, trying to look for the longed for freedom. A freedom that only your arms and your kisses can offer me, framed in the sweetness of your mouth and softened in the ivory of your teeth. The peace that your caresses offer me, is a feeling only comparable with the sensation that the tranquility of the mountain produces us when the storm has abated. Now that I no longer look for meaning in life, now that I am a simple admirer of her, because you have given her the hint of happiness that she lacked, I am going to shout to the world how beautiful it is to be in love with a real woman like you, Natalia, because you have saved me from the circles and more circles that trace the lives of simple people, in the routine of the empty world. Everything is homogenous in social behavior: studying, working and living looking, gropingly, a horizon that they cannot even imagine. I have contemplated my neighbors for many years, feeling, with all my heart, the anguish that their bodies leave them when they wither, in the terrible world of loneliness. A loneliness that, unfortunately, breaks very seldom with the glow of eyes that is in love and radiant like ours. It is delicious to see people motivated by a great illusion that flew them, filling them with a great joy that echoes in their hearts ... How nice it is to live when you have a clear goal, on the golden path of love; it's like having a mooring point in the desperate turbulence of a crazy and meaningless world. It is privileged that an arrow of passion and desire guides us, behind the soul of a beautiful woman, like you, who shatters the relativity of time and space, turning us into swallows that we fly into the vibrant world of joy and happiness. Someday I can say with a broad smile drawn on my face. Thank you, my God! How beautiful all this has been! Thank you for letting me participate in the greatest symphony of color and magic, wrapped in the sweet honey of a beautiful life full of the most delicious

The blind horseman remained silent, as if thinking about his sad end, but after a few seconds he continued reciting like crazy:
Natalia dreamed:
In the freshness of the mountain
The interlaced pines
The secrets are told
Of two that are spellbound.
With a good earth smell
that is covered with moss
the world, to me, reminds me
that I am a man of taste.
I like all flowers
that they are free in the field
fiddling in the wind
with its colors of charm.
All nature
I'm confused with you,
You are yellow orchid
And also eucalyptus.
You have a squirrel tail
and brave saw curves
you run like a brook
singing a ballad.
José Antonio interrupted the emotional story of the boss, with a couple of steaming and delicious dishes with the fried rabbit and a few stewed potatoes.
The spell of the story disappeared for a moment and we realized that it was very long past lunch time. We ate quietly and the bottle of liquor remained abandoned in a corner.
After the delicious feast, Julio went to bed on the concrete floor, submerged in a deep nostalgia, and, from that position, continued with the story of his love.

- The relationship with Natalia was very good. We went out for a walk in eastern Antioquia and at ten o'clock in the morning on a beautiful and sunny Sunday, my best friend, Jaime from the project of the horse farm, lent me a "Renault twelve" model seventy-eight, one color intense orange, to go in search of Natalia the model, my idolized girlfriend. In my pocket were sixty thousand pesos that I had borrowed, after visiting the office of a moneylender who charged me ten percent of monthly interest, leaving him as a guarantee pledge the grade ring that my mother gave me when I finished high school .
The spectacular model was amazed, looking at the dilapidated car in which he had gone to pick it up, but then as he regained his breath and climbed into the vehicle without comment. That woman was too intelligent and was not affected by the ridiculous materialism, in which live women who have a piggy bank instead.
- Well, my beloved angel, we go to La Ceja de tambo, to contemplate the best specimens of the Colombian herd of horses, in its famous equine fair and so that, at the same time, those poor men contemplate the most beautiful two-legged filly that has given this earth -. I said completely happy, before savoring the intense red, the soft nacre and the brilliant ivory of the delicious and moist mouth of my adored girlfriend, who knew how to kiss very sweetly. We were happy for the modern and wide highway, which led us to the exclusive area of ​​"Las Palmas". The gigantic and suggestive fences, announced the most delicious products and I had the original idea of ​​parking the car, in a colorful greengrocer that offered the most interesting and varied products. We ordered two chopped fruit with vanilla ice cream and we dedicated ourselves to enjoy the sweetness of our youth, and to contemplate the beauty of the landscape that let us appreciate the city of Medellin in the background. We finished eating the refreshing ice cream and bought grapes, plums and mangoes to take away. Great idea, because my angelical model was almost vegetarian and she entertained herself eating fruits and I saved the money I had set aside to buy lunch. That was one of the advantages I had when dating that stylized woman, who took very little liquor and ate very little. We went listening to music by Alejandro and Vicente Fernandez, all the way, and I was pleasantly surprised, when I realized that my beautiful girlfriend knew almost all the songs by heart.

We arrived at La Ceja and the fairs coliseum was completely crammed with people and beautiful cars. I felt a little embarrassed with the ramshackle thing that my friend had lent me and I went through the front door without stopping. I went slowly, trying to find a free place a little further away from the modern and beautiful cars. I turned left on the wide avenue and my eyes watched the line of trucks waiting to unload the horses, next to the stables that were left in the back door. I parked my car in a small street that belonged to the urbanization of the front. I descended from the hideous car, took my beloved Model by the hand and with all the security of the world, I entered the back door without anyone telling me anything. The policemen who were watching and the two or three uniformed porters, looked at my wife, as if amazed by her incredible beauty, without saying a single word. Surely they thought that, with our elegance, we should be the owners of some of the horses that were exhibited there. We visited all the stables that were left in that area and we observed horses of all sizes and colors. On the track the Colombian paso fino was being judged, which was my favorite gait and we busily searched for a couple of seats across the front of the resonance track. Natalia, as she was such a recognized model, aroused great admiration wherever she went. In those stands was cream and Natalia of the country's society. Beginning in the patriarch Don Fabio Ochoa Restrepo, who was sitting in a comfortable chair across the front of the immense bar, and ending at the mayor of the municipality, which was saying a too long and boring speech, as indicated by the whining and discontent of people who did not want demagoguery and politics in the middle of interesting competitions. Definitely, the beauty of my wife caused a stir among the men and I had to ignore the usual compliments. We found an empty space in the upper part of one of the grandstands and we moved slowly there. The high and pointed boots that Natalia used forced her to step very carefully and I had to take her by the arm all the time. We sit down and hold hands; we contemplate each of the competitions full of happiness.

- And when is it that you are going to give me a horse like that? ... - Natalia asked me, observing the beauty of Colombian breeding horses, over one hundred and twenty months of age. Category in which, at that precise moment, was competing "Prophet of Besilu" plains Moorish horse that took all the applause, when it passed ringing on the track of resonance.
- What do you think, if I promise that I'll give you a descendant of that silver horse you see there? ...
She stared at the very enchanted stallion.
- Well - He said with resignation -. I wanted, precisely, that horse, but it will be to settle with a descendant of him, because you are just beginning in the business.
That was the afternoon when I returned to promise my beloved girlfriend a horse and, that same afternoon, I swore, in silence, that I would have to change my destiny.
"Prophet of Besilu" won again and, after the fair, we went to the La Ceja Park and, without needing to beg her lot, Natalia had a few beers with the groups of vallenatos that sang to tourists. Everything was wonderful that day. The sixty thousand pesos reached me for everything. The old car did not break down and my model and I were very happy on that day of dreams.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER NUMBER FIVE

That beautiful lady was my perfect ally, we dreamed whole afternoons with our bright future. She felt on the cover of the best magazines on the continent and I imagined myself as one of the greatest horse traders and breeders in the country. Everything was going very well, but I began to worry too much about my economic situation. Every day, I woke up about six twenty minutes into the morning. After a steady and deep sleep, I was rested and at peace. I contemplated my room with pleasure. It was a piece ten paces long, about six paces wide. The walls were painted a light blue color, which resembled the color of the clouds in the sky. Although they were a bit peeling, the set was still fine. The furnishings were very few. A table where the stove of two posts rested, with some boards underneath, where the pots, cutlery and plates were placed, next to the scarce provisions. All that was covered with a curtain of white and blue squares. In the space left on the left, between the bathroom and the front wall, was my bed. An old oak bed, with large flowers carved on the railing of the headboard, very beautiful despite the fact that almost all the time remained without tender. Everything was a little messy. The absence of a feminine hand was noticeable although, for me, that was the normal thing. Stuck in my nest I felt very calm and not even the look of disapproval, of the adolescent daughter of the owner of the tenancy, worried me. I had not talked to anyone for several days, I never thought of the advantageous idea of ​​cultivating friendships. Paloma, the beautiful young and only daughter of the owner of the house, took advantage of my relaxed way of being and entered my room every time she wanted to, although her mother resented those trusts.
- Hello, Julio! Are you awake? - Said the girl, poking her head through the door ajar - It's almost eight o'clock in the morning ... Do you want coffee with milk? ... I did it for you - In silence I contemplated the splendor of the beautiful teenager, dressed in a fine and tempting pajamas.

- Who prepared that breakfast? ... The mom or the pretty girl? - I investigated, trying to analyze the situation, because I already had several days in the lease of the room.
- Where mom realizes that I'm here, surely the scolding of the century hits me. - The girl advanced to the edge of the bed. On the tray he brought a donut, a loaf of bread, an arepa with butter and a cup of coffee with milk, handed me the tray and sat down next to me. I talked to my mother, because I want to have dance lessons with you - she noted, showing a sudden interest in dance.
- When did you think of those things? - I asked surprised by the spontaneity of the girl.

- We know that, you, need a little money, and, since I liked so much to see you in the dance uniform, when you practiced in college, then I thought that every day you can give me a class and my mom will pay for it.
- How! ... She accepted that I was your teacher? - I said shaking my head in disbelief. - First I'll talk to her and then we'll see.
- We could train right here - said the girl, pointing out the spaciousness of the room -. There is enough space. I could come every morning with my recorder and we would work one or two hours.
- We're going to see that! - I wrote down a little thoughtful.
- Oh! ... I almost forgot that, yesterday, they brought a letter for you - the girl announced, getting up quickly. He left the room and went in search of the message.
"¿A letter? Who could it be?"  I thought a little anguished. A few seconds later Paloma returned, and, as if guessing my thoughts, said:
- I think it's from your mom, because she comes from the province.
- Give it to me please - I exclaimed impatiently.
- I'm leaving, so you can read it with more confidence - he said depositing the envelope in my hands. I tore the envelope with excitement; the letter was written in my mother's beautiful and big handwriting and said:

 

Dear son:

The present is to greet you, hoping that you are well. I had not written to you before, with the hope of being able to send you the seventy thousand pesos you need to buy the diskettes and the book for your study. Sorry, but it was not possible to get the money. You cannot imagine the great concern that your brother has, for your needs. You know how much we love you and you also know that you are the only hope our family has to move forward. Your older brother, very concerned about the shortage of money you were living (as I had told you before), asked for overtime at the factory, to work from six in the morning until nine at night. In a matter of a month and a half he was able to raise your money, with such bad luck that, the same day we were going to send it to you, your father fell on a horse, fracturing three ribs and his collarbone. The owner of the farm alleged that it was the fault of your dad's old man who, because of the years, no longer has the reflexes to work with these animals. Thus, the thief that, the payment of the drug was avoided and by right there it dismissed it definitively of the work. Your brother took him to the clinic, practically dead, and, so that they could attend him, he had to pay your seventy thousand pesos, which, thank God, we had saved. Julio, that poor boy works day and night to be able to bring the food, he is also paying for the studies of the child, that he himself did enter a good school, although it is going very expensive. When you sent us that note, asking for the money and analyzing the possibility of leaving the university, I read it out loud to the whole family and everyone became very sad. Julio, the best thing is that you get work, as soon as possible, because, from now on, things will not be the same. His brother said that he has friends who study and work at the same time, without any problem. So you will see if you are able to continue alone, because, with us, you cannot count for anything.

Your brother was offered double shifts in the company, to work up to sixteen hours a day, but he could not accept. He works at forty degrees centigrade on the plant and when he leaves at midnight, all heated; he gets a headache that drives him crazy. I make homemade drinks and they are made in a thermos, so that the amount of aspirin that is taken daily passes, although he says that it does not help him at all. Well, son, I had not told him about his father's accident, because I know him and you would have gone crazy over there, without money and without knowing what to do. Do not worry about our situation there, badly good, we are defending ourselves.
My son, I hope you are driving well, do not do many crazy things and pray a lot every night. Accelerate to Mary Help of Christians, which is very miraculous and also to the child Jesus of Atocha, who is the devotion of his uncles. Well, without saying more, the mother who loves you says goodbye to you.
Maria.
I began to read the letter with a smile of satisfaction and as the lines passed, the joy of knowing something of my family, became a sea of ​​anguish. I was thoughtful for a long time. That letter had left me petrified. My breathing became difficult and my head became a tangle of thoughts. It was clear; the family left in my hands the decisions that, from today, will take in my life. The letter sent to me by my mother produced a strange effect on me; on the one hand I felt the helplessness and the terrible loneliness, on the other the rest of the breaking of a commitment with mine. That letter left me free to leave my studies, alleging the bad economic situation, to be able to devote all my strength in the fight for my love. Yes. The central point was decided because, if nobody helped me, nobody would have the moral authority to claim for what I did from then on.
I had become an economic burden that my family was throwing overboard, to save the boat from the final collapse. Much to my regret and without my thought accepting it, this had to happen. Moreover, the solution to this problem was already planned in my mind for a while.

"I will travel to the jungles of Middle Magdalena, in search of the easy work that money has to provide me to form a home with Natalia, to buy the descendant of" Prophet of Besilu "for me and to buy a filly" platinum "and well Fine for my love. Things are simple and clear like water. "I thought, feeling the unpleasant sensation of a freedom that was not complete to me.

- Forgive me mom, forgive me dear brothers, you expected a lot from me and I will fail you. Excuse me for wanting to twist fate, which would lead me to unhappiness equal to that of everyone in the family. I will risk a life, which is not totally mine and that; possibly, we will all need in a few years to be able to eat. It's not fair that I do something like that, but I'm going to do it. Can you understand the sacrifices that love demands? ... Could it be that I am being very selfish? - I said, in a low voice, as if everyone were present.
What a great confusion was stirring inside my head! The thoughts crossed without giving me time to analyze the good and the bad of each one of them! I needed fresh air; I needed to calm my anguished heart! ...
I spent all afternoon like a madman.

"Is not it better to prefer that our life sink, so that our loved ones can be happy? ... Who told me, that I am going to die in the middle of the company? ... An I get the best money and I make them all rich and famous. “I thought emboldened. The analyzes continued. To the scale went the pros and cons. At the end of the day, the confusion I had was so great, that I seemed to be observing the ridiculous things I did myself, from the outside, as if it were a virtual reality game.

I walked desperate and went on foot to the university.
I sheltered my thoughts in the pleasant climate of the library and in that room I remained for a long time, then I went deeply thoughtful. The decision to abandon my studies was taken. The tangle of thoughts that got tangled in my head, forced me to behave in a weird way. I waved my hands as if trying to untangle the ball of my mind. I hurried forward in search of fresh air from the patio.
"! My God! ... Whatever you want! ... I want to realize how much I am able to get through it. The problem that we men have is that we analyze things too much ... I, simply, have made a decision and I will take it to the end,  cost what it costs me. The safest way would have been to finish my studies and then get work to set up the beast farm, but ... how long would it take me to do that? ... Will she be willing to wait for me for eight years? ... It's about my happiness and I'll take it without looking anywhere. I will play my life the way great men have played it through history. "I thought, emboldened.
The fresh wind hit my face, stoking the feeling of freedom I was feeling in my entire body. It was as if I had been freed from a terrible burden. I headed the steps in search of my piece, in the tenancy of mrs Tulia, again.

The gardens of the houses seemed especially beautiful. The freshness projected by the trees shaken by the wind, made me shudder with emotion, from the feet to the head. He walked on the narrow platform, free of all earthly worries. The rustic trunks and the colorful parasol of a store caught my attention. I wanted to sit down for a moment and freshen my throat. I took a seat at one of the front tables and ordered a soda; I drank it quickly, trying to quench all the thirst and restlessness that burned my body. I felt happy in that comfortable place. "Everything will be perfect," I thought, "It seems as if I have already lived or dreamed it, such are the dictates of life and I am fortunate with them."

At that time no one visited the store, only the shopkeeper sitting behind the counter. The silence was total. The showcases full of goodies and sweets, cleanliness and good taste of the place, made up the picture that people call "The American Dream". That place was a tribute to abundance. For those cute places was that I loved cities. "It's amazing how time goes by and how people spend their lives, following meaningless routines ... Could it be that they do not realize that body and mind are withering, while leafing through an old newspaper?" He thought, looking at the shopkeeper out of the corner of his eye. The man with his thin face, his sharp nose and small eyes, looked attentively at a newspaper, looking for a guide to his insignificant life.

- Everything is decided. I have to offer him an opportunity to my life - I told myself with confidence -. I have spent too much time studying and biological youth only exists once. I cannot spend my life carving a slow future, while my beloved opens like an exotic flower before the temptations of a complacent world. Everything in the world works with incredible simplicity. Life is a process, composed of smaller processes, which are subject to the same package of invariable laws, in which everything is the same. That is why I am going to fight with all my strength, to get out of the desperate whirlpool of everyday life, even if for that I have to get on the shoulders of other people. Of course that is unfair and I have to think deeply ... My God, I have never asked for anything, it was always enough my willpower and confidence in myself to get what I wanted. Today I am confused by what is going to be the total realization of my dreams and I need your great help. For the first time in life, help me please ... I've met a beautiful girl, who likes horses and good things, like me. With princess manners and a great style to live, she is the woman of my dreams. I fell in love with her, offering the best of me. Now, looking at everything in the mirror of convenience and analyzing it in front of the cold laws of nature, I crush it by turning it into a probabilities game, in which I have very few opportunities to succeed and to be happy with it. Is it possible that a woman full of class and comfort, strengthened by a great love, renounce all the opportunities that life offers her, to choose a narrow future next to me? ... I never thought that in love there were things more important, or almost as important as the body, thoughts and mutual liking ... What am I? ... A healthy body, a brilliant mind, a piece leased in the tenancy of an old bad class, four jeans and a package of dreams that will come true in ten years ... Is that enough? ... No. Meanwhile, what? ... Natalia is going to collaborate with me as I go afloat from the economic wreck of my family ? ... I am not a pessimist thinking that silverware, shopping in fine clothes stores and vacations to beautiful places could be needed? ... How is it possible, God almighty, that all the energy and the magic of this love that I feel, inside, do not have even a little bit of supernatural? Are not the pleas of the good people worthless? ... God, are your ears closed to the pleas of an unfortunate, who still retains the hope of your existence? ... All this I am not asking for me , because I have memorized the plan of what my future will be, I find it out for the humble people who pray daily when there is no food for their children. Are they, the helpless creatures, guilty of what? ... For some time I thought that dreams, feelings and love, were made of a material different from the other things, but now I realize that, regardless of what I think or want, the only thing that governs me are the cold laws of physical nature. The law of gravity will cause a huge rock to roll over a humble dwelling, regardless of whether the fourteen people who live in it, are hungry or are praying to their God. When a terrorist shoots a political leader, it does not matter that the injured have small children and want the welfare of the whole country. The only thing that happens is the real physical fact. The man raises a firearm that hammers a fulminant, the gunpowder propels a projectile directed to a biological head, crosses it with great lessons that produce the death to him, that is. Life is that simple, but I do not care. If there are no spiritual laws, they do not exist. Best. From today I will try to erase all my convictions, and, I will begin to enjoy all things as life offers them. If my beloved needs a car to be happy, she will have it, no matter how hard it takes me to make it. Once someone said: There is a law of perfect balance in which if you are good and do not do anything wrong, then you will receive peace and everything that happens to you will be good. If you are bad and you turn against your fellow men, then everything will turn into pain ... Pardons, with my life I will prove that everything is a farce, I swear by you, Natalia.

The next morning I sent a note to my dear princess. I tried to explain, as best as possible, my departure and, guessing his reaction, I invited her to meet us in the afternoon hours, to clarify my decision.
Time passed slowly and I was waiting with great nervousness, to confirm the unfortunate news of my trip. For more than fifty minutes I was trying to structure the dialogue with which I was going to apologize for my absence. I fixed my eyes on the horizon and stayed there for a long time.
Suddenly, she appeared. She was dressed in tight jeans, which matched her feminine jeans jacket. His eyes noticed my presence in the gloom of a corner. He walked slowly, letting his image of an American citizen punish my senses and my taste.
- Hello! - He said, stopping about two meters away.
- Hello how have you been? - I asked a little nervous.
- I want you to explain the note you sent me, because, honestly, I do not understand it very well - he said calmly. His tranquility encouraged me a little.
- If we sit on that wall, I'll explain what you want - I invited, pointing to the comfortable separator between the corridor and the garden. We walked to the rustic stone wall and sat down. What you do not understand?

 

- Well, really, I was impressed with that note, I do not know whether to bother with her or feel flattered. Anyway, for me, it was a surprise, because I never imagined that you could think about those ridiculous things. How dare you say, what are you going to leave the university in search of a better future? ... Do you think that, in the street, there is something better than being a professional? ... What a beautiful sacrifice and so beautiful! The martyr who does everything for his maid! ... That's the dumbest thing you've written in your whole life! - He said without rancor. His voice was full of bitterness - do you think it is a lot of love test to leave me alone, while you go to play the gunmen with your cronies? ...
- Calm down - I intervened -. You know that I love you with madness. What happens is that, in my family, we have suffered an economic setback and I have to take the opportunity that my sponsor gives me, to recover that little bit of money that we need. I am going to work five or six months, which are enough to help my sponsor in solving the problems he has with some horses on his farm. But do not be sad, I do not like women who cry. "Her eyes filled with tears. In my words I had guessed the decision, irrevocable, of a game.
- My love, money is not important to me. I am able to live by your side with humility. If we both work, we can have the nice home that I dreamed so much. Because, honestly, in life, that's the only thing I need, a home with a large family - he clarified, imagining a rose-colored romance that I, with my little experience, knew could not work. My heart filled with pride and I began to utter the most cowardly words of my life.
- That I do not do for you or for me, I do it for my family. - Lie, the only thing that mattered to me was his love. But rich girls can never understand the heart of things.
- Why do not you look for another solution to the problem and, thus, you do not interrupt the studies? - He insinuated, unable to contain his enormous sadness.

 

- See, my sunbeam, my dad had an accident recently and he broke three ribs, my brother works in a factory and they do not give him permission, my younger brother is a boy who is studying and the only one who can do something, it’s me. My family has investments with the sponsor and we have never asked for an account. Now I have to go to watch, how is it going? It is an obligation that I cannot avoid and, in addition, there I will get the money to build our ranch and to buy the breeding stock, for our horse breeding.
- Swear to me that never, never, whatever happens, you will forget me - he said, hugging me without being able to contain the crying.
- Quiet, my pretty gringo, that in the world there is no other woman like you. Do not think that, for me, it is very easy to get away from your side. What happens is that there are very large reasons in which our future is also linked - I explained softly, trying to alleviate a little his deep sadness.
- When you go?
- Tomorrow at four in the morning - I pointed with determination.
- I do not want you to leave without saying goodbye to me. Tomorrow I will be with you in the transport terminal, wishing you good luck before your departure - she exclaimed, convulsed by the crying.
- Natalia, please, does not make the situation more difficult. Do not think I'm going to let you get up at that hour, because of such a small trip like that. Try to calm down and take it as a vacation, in which you can analyze what suits you and what does not suit you - I insinuated, totally convinced of our love.
- Is there a telephone on your godfather farm? - He asked me, trying to find the saving formula.

- No, my love, that farm is in the middle of a helpless area, where there is no kind of communication - I replied, with the pain of dissolving their little hope - but quiet, that when I go to town, I'll Write many letters so that you know what is happening.
The rest of the day was covered by the tears of my beloved girlfriend. I had to promise him, that I would bring him a filly of fine Colombian step that would shine like the moon, or rather, we made all the promises of the world and we regret late into the night the sadness of my departure.
The poor blind horseman took, in one gulp, the little liquor that was left of the bottle, visibly affected by the sad story that was told, he told us and, at the same time, tried to tell his distant beloved. Then he let out some small verses of his soul.
In the struggle of life 

There is something impressive
It is the passion that increase
the fever of a game.
An absolute challenge
it envelops us and throws us
on the unsuspected plane
of triumph or defeat.
From these hidden forces
our feeling is formed
that fighting against everything
it is teaching us to live.
The day that in the chest
Streams soften
Prepare my friends
Death has come.

 

Time had flown between drinks and drinks, and between words and words. I looked at the clock and it was six o'clock in the afternoon of a new day next to my new friends.
- I think it's better to eat a little and then go to sleep, because tomorrow I have to do very important things. - I proposed to the horseman and his steward, who seemed to have neither sleep nor hunger.
- Dear writer, I have already begun to tell you the story of my life and, you, it is going to start with fatigue, with delayed hunger, with mysteries and with nonsense. Or rather, do you want to write that novel or do not want to write it? ... - shout Julio Fierro, visibly upset -. And when is it that you are going to buy the horse of my dreams, or do not you want to buy it? ...
-! Quiet! Man! ... When you finish with that beautiful story, I go and I buy you that wonderful steed that interests you so much. Do not worry because that is our top priority, and, in two or three days, I go for it, lest they sell it to someone else.
Really, despite my fatigue, I was still early, there was still a long time to go to sleep and those men were not sleepy, so I decided to take advantage of the time and, with a little embarrassment, I asked the furious horseman to continue telling the exciting story, while enjoying a fruit salad prepared by the butler, to eat with more fried rabbit prey.
José Antonio brought another bottle of whiskey and Julio, visibly drunk, after eating a bit, began to recount the dangerous journey that had him upset in that way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER NUMBER SIX

As in a painful game of chess, I sacrificed the lady and left for the "Magdalena Medium." An area of ​​humid tropical forest, located one hundred and fifty kilometers from Medellin, crossed by many rivers, is an immense amount of land that is lost In the infinity, settlers have lived there since before the civil war, their mountains remained intact before the impotence of the peasants, absorbed by hectares and hectares of land, populated with deadly snakes. The ax was insufficient in the face of the harsh climate and of the adversities, the ancients lived in those lands, knocking down with a machete the embrace of the jungle and harvesting the corn that ensured subsistence.
The people, who arrived lately, came from eastern Antioquia. They crossed the hills and the dangers of an indecipherable forest, where each step meant the risk of death with the mines bankrupt legs, which sowed the armed actors of this country. Each one of the men, who entered the area, was choosing the destiny that was going to correspond to him. They carried nothing of material value, the only thing that accompanied those men, was a backpack with clothes and about two kilos of food, which assured them of subsistence to one of the many coconut camps. All came in search of white gold. Mario Galeano, alias "the godfather", was the most important man in the sector. Head of the whole world, owner of the lands and harvests, which he had already bought in advance. I guess, doctor, singer and mobster. Tall as a German, had a blond hair and very deep eyes, which gave a touch of sinister aggressiveness. He looked like a foreman, tucked into his high boots with yellow trim and steel reinforcements. Mario was a full-time lover, very nice and formal. He had five women, all under twenty. Energetic and distrustful, he spent all his time giving orders. People did not do what they wanted, but what the "godfather" liked them to do. I was everywhere at the same time.

- I am not worth anything, rather, what I do not know or do not know "the godfather", in this region, does not do it or nobody knows. - He said proud, without caring about arrogance. - In other times I was very poor, I had to endure hunger to study. When I went to college I would get on the bus through the back door, because I did not have any money for the ticket. That is why, now, I send cocaine to the gringos, so they can be calm sending the dollars for our expenses.
Mario Galeano was kind and violent at the same time. He confided to Pablo, his cousin, the administration of the camp and spent all day thinking about strategies, to free the country from the hegemony of the ten traditional families, who had always governed Colombia. A long time before people left the beds, he could be anywhere, at a distance of twenty kilometers around, mounted on "Venusino" a horse chestnut roasted, son of "Capuchino del ocho". The bracelet, the stirrups and the collar of the beast had been made by a jeweler, his friend, in pure solid gold and adorned with precious stones. He loved gold, Creole saddle horses, country music, fighting cocks and beautiful women. Everywhere he was watching the coca leaves collection. The Indians greeted him humbly and everyone respected him. Everything worked by his push and every second, he tried to imagine a new strategy to send cocaine to the other side of the continent. He was not interested in the European market, because he detested the gringos. All the conclusions he drew were told to his prey dog, Pablo, alias "the doctor".

 

- I want to charge, with gringo suffering, the life of each of the children who have died of hunger in the underdeveloped countries, because of their imperialist policies that hold back the development of our peoples, while they get fed up with food and vices. .. It is an irony - he said - that the smartest men on the planet, according to them, are killed, put into factories working double shifts, processing the oil that they steal from us and then sell us for dollars, that we earn by taking care of leaves of five or six sticks of coca. How about that? ... We have them working hard, while we drink Cuban rum and dance vallenatos. - He added without explaining the meaning of that string of meaningless words. - All my life I have worried about the injustices of this world and, at the end of the years, I have realized that the universe works with absolute precision. What the poor need to live in peace, they spare the rich to die in peace. In this life, the only thing that saves us is love ... So, if the Anglo-Saxons love Latinos very much, then our feelings are identical with them. - He said with intonation, raising the index finger. Then he kept silent.
It had been eight hours; I was walking in the jungle, thinking of Natalia and the horses of my dreams. The roads full of mud covered me to the knees with their sticky moisture. The imposing vegetation stood on either side of the road, covering everything with its shadow of freshness. Through the interstices of that exotic tangle, you could see a blue sky, crowned by the brilliance of a radiant sun. The heat was unbearable, despite the humidity of the environment. As I stumbled along the road, the jungle erupted in a symphony of strange noises, which submerged me in the astonishment of not having suspected the existence of such noisy guardians. Those animals, more than insects, looked like electric saws because of the deafening scream they issued, warning the whole jungle that a stranger had arrived.

- In the middle of the jungle, one is at the mercy of everything - the blind horseman told us, as if trying to explain the risks -. It is exasperating the feeling of helplessness that produces the loneliness of ancient trees ... The fatigue began to undermine the forces of my body, in the search of a camp whose existence was almost indeterminate in the middle of the jungle. I was walking along the edge of a mountain range, which slithered like a snake between two canyons. The path was safe, but it had the disadvantage that, no matter how far it went, it was never going to find water. No wonder this place was always called "Morro dry". The river roared at the bottom of the canyon and a tormenting thirst slowly took hold of me. I was thinking about a glass of coca cola with a lot of ice. My body was completely parched inside. The floor and the environment were wet; however, I continued to dream of crystal clear water falling in torrents. I walked fast and the backpack, at my back, became heavier than ever. I thought about the soda with ice and that ridiculous thought was fixed in my mind, desperate even madness. I looked to all sides, looking for some of the water I did not bring, and, on the floor, the swampy water filled the gaps of the old footsteps. It was impossible to take that liquid that seemed to be cast in mud. I thought of a box full of sodas. The tiredness was terrible. I lowered the backpack and sat on it.
- What a relief!

I had thrown myself under the bushes, looking for the nice moisture of the fresh earth. My hot body clung desperately to the moisture of Mother Earth. There I stayed for a long time, not caring about the snakes and poisonous bugs that abounded there. After a while I got up a little more rested and continued my fight, to reach the "godfather" camp before nightfall. It was about four in the afternoon, what the behavior of the birds said. I should have brought a watch. The jungle was identical everywhere. Any man who was not an Indian always ran the risk of getting lost. To die lost in the jungle must have been very terrible. No, I could not think of those things.

 

- My God, you cannot let me spend a night in the jungle, without a machete to build a shelter! ... Help me, please; I do not want to sleep in a tree like a gorilla. - I prayed aloud to the Gods, while the terrifying thirst grew so much that it filled my mouth with the unpleasant taste of blood.
After I had been lying on the ground, I did not remember if I had continued on the road, or if I was retracing my steps. How terrible! Everything was the same! ... Every place seemed familiar and despair began to cover the reason! ... I walked like an automaton; I did not know which the right direction was. By a flash of luck, on the side of the road I observed the rusted roof of a ranch. I stopped; I looked good and ...
- Clear! There is a house there! - I shouted with emotion, advancing with great steps through the undergrowth, towards the orange tree that rose imposing behind the abandoned house. The cabin was destroyed and the floor completely ruined, because the boards sank under the weight of my boots. I watched with joy the tree loaded with beautiful oranges that, although they were green, they were going to provide me the saving juice. I picked five of the most beautiful. Fortunately they were at the height of my hand. I tried to split them but their shell seemed especially hard. I looked everywhere and decided to cut them with the edge of the oxidized zinc of the ranch. I took all the oranges I wanted, until my thirst disappeared and my mouth was burned by the strong juice of the peels. I sat for a while on the boards of what was previously the floor. It seemed to me that something or someone moved on the path. I left running with the backpack in my hand and I managed to observe the figure of a man, who stopped when he heard the noise of my rapid race.
- Good afternoon, sir ... - I greeted with joy -. Do you do I the favor and tell me if there is a long way to go to the estate of Mr. Mario Galeano? ...

- Hail Mary, for God's sake! - exclaimed the little man who, dressed in ragged clothes and with his head covered by a hat completely old and finished, looked like the gnome of a fairy tale. - To get to Don Mario's farm, you need eight hours on the road.
- I was told that the farm is in front of the mouth, the Tigrillo River in the Green River - I explained, hoping that the comment of that man was wrong. The fear of spending a night in the jungle had me worried.
- Quiet - said, guessing my concern -. There is no confusion. The only Mario Galeano that exists is the owner of all these lands. He is the owner of one hundred thousand hectares of thick forest, ranging from the rocky hill to the river Samaná. I believe that it is not enough to get there. If you want, you can stay at my ranch until tomorrow, because in this area it is not advisable to walk after six in the afternoon - recommended the good man, saving me from a desperate situation.
- I thank you, sir, just took a soul out of purgatory. My name is Julio Fierro and if it were not for you, the snakes would have easy prey for today - I said, thanking the hospitality offered me by that good man.
- The snakes are the least. I'm telling you, Ismael palaces, that I've lived in this territory for more than thirty-two years. "The man remained pensive for a few seconds, as if remembering dangerous encounters with death. In this land, to be able to live, one has to dedicate himself to growing yuccas without looking anywhere. Here you have to keep your mouth tightly closed - he warned, as he carried the heavy basket he supported on his back and fastened with a strap around his forehead. We turn off the road to the right and begin to go down in search of the ranch.

- Do you have to work hard for you? ... - I asked, observing the frayed shirt, completely soaked by the sweat of a whole day.
- Yes, one has to work from dawn, to find a mouthful of food - explained my new friend, with a hint of resignation.
The man was of few words and I did not know what to say.
We walked twenty minutes, approximately, in complete silence, then we arrived at a clearing that, before, was cultivated and, deep down, we could observe the home that animated the life of that man. The house was very humble and was reduced to two rooms made of rustic boards. The kitchen worked in an open-air ranch, where a primitive mud fire burned the wood that filled the atmosphere of light and heat. We approached silently to the patio. A beautiful blond woman, grinding the corn without lifting her face, as if she had not noticed our presence.
- Good afternoon, ma'am - I greeted, forcing her out of her shyness.
- Good evening, sir - said the girl, raising her face and letting appreciate her beautiful green eyes. He abandoned the grinding of the corn and went towards us, with two cups of water of brown sugar and lemon, which he had prepared on a ramshackle table. I sat on a stool and accepted the drink I had immediately, completely dehydrated. They had three little children who looked at me with a lot of curiosity. Surely I was the first stranger who visited them in a long time. Two of them were dark and with a thin face like that of their father, while the other was especially beautiful, because his eyes were very green, his hair was completely blond and long, halfway down his back. He looked like an angel next to his two brothers. The father took him in his arms, showing his pride and predilection for the divine child.

- How beautiful is your son, Don Ismael! - I had to say, with the pain of seeing the other two children displaced in the comment.
- Do you think? ... - the man asked, his eyes shining with pride - This is the one I love most of all - he said, without sensing the trauma he was creating in the other two children. He played with the little boy for a while, until the blonde woman brought us the food. The menu that night was beans with rice and a fried egg. We all began to eat with a lot of appetite, after which, with great skill, the lady had served the food for the three children. Those foods produced by a good man, had an incomparable flavor. We were all very hungry, because after a short time we had finished eating, being satisfied with life. We were resting in silence. Don Ismael stood up, went to the stove and removed a pot with a little rice left. We all looked at the father and the two little black children, started crying loudly.
- You know, that the bond is always for the child - shouted obfuscated, while putting the pot at the disposal of the proud blond boy who, despite the young age, adopted a vain position of haughtiness. The crying of the other two little ones was drowned in laments, which looked like two wounded cats. At that moment I felt very bad and I was thinking, for a long time, in the plate of food that I snatched from them, to those poor creatures, without wanting it. Then I thought about the times that my mother forced me to eat without having an appetite.
What a contradiction, - said the blind horseman completely excited - in the city children cry because they do not like soup and in the field they cry for a little rice ...

After a while, fatigue defeated the kids and the lady took them to sleep. Ismael and I, started talking about my trip, for the other day, finalizing details of what would be my journey along the complicated road.
- Tomorrow we get up early, and I'll take you to the path you came by today. Afterwards, you just have to continue along the edge of the blade, without deviating, so that you have no loss - Don Ismael advised me. - That path will take you to the river, cross it and continue along the wide path, which the mules have left on the other side. Continue along the main road, which will take you to Don Mario's farm ... When you are sleepy you can settle into the barn, which Esmeralda, my wife, has already arranged the bed - kindly offered, the peasant, realizing that my eyes were closed by the fatigue of the double day.
- It will be better to go to sleep, at once. - I said without thinking much. I took the backpack and retired to the small room. There were tools and baskets everywhere. In one corner was the newly harvested corn, next to some yuccas that reached the edge of the bed, poorly arranged? I sat on the humble rustic wooden bed and stared. A sheet covered the hard boards and a small blanket lay on the headboard next to a dirty pillow. I went to bed without undressing; I covered myself with the small blanket and tried to sleep, on the hard surface. All night the mice were scampering over the corn. They went up to the ceiling and came down with a great crash. Fatigue overcame me completely and I disappeared into the emptiness of non-existence.
The next day we got up very early, we hope that Mrs. Esmeralda finished preparing breakfast and we began to enjoy a fried egg covered with hot coffee. We finished breakfast, we said goodbye to the beautiful woman and we started the hard day in search of the edge that would lead me to a meeting with destiny. Last night I thought that my legs would be very resentful of the harsh road, but it was not like that, I walked behind Don Ismael without any difficulty. We got to the point where we had met the day before; I thanked him and everyone left by his side.

In the next six hours the road was the same, the landscape seemed familiar to me. I crossed the river with the joy of a refreshing bath. I quenched my thirst on that highway with crystal clear water. All my clothes were wet and continue the path with the swamp up to the knees. I thought about Natalia and her image encouraged me, as if it were a prize at the end of the long chain of suffering I was facing. The pilgrimage continued, with more immense trees, more screeching insects, more difficult hills, more mud and more hours of fatigue.
My legs were hard and the mountain was behind, at the will of my effort. A farmhouse appeared before my eyes before I realized it. It consisted of seven or eight thatched huts, a large room and a hut in which the zinc roof protruded, painted red. That place was identical to all settlements that existed in the area. The only thing that made it different was the huge hall, where the laboratory probably worked.
On that sunny afternoon, everyone worked without sensing the arrival of a stranger. The administrator, immersed in a sea of ​​papers, turned his attention to the voices that were heard in the alley and looked, through the slits left by the bad boards of his ranch, to where I was; a little higher than the common thing, with the long hair and the open shirt letting see my developed muscles. His expressionless eyes fixed hard on mine.
- Are you, the camp administrator? ... - I asked, my voice broken by a palpable nervousness, which I could not hide.
- You want? The man growled his voice not exactly kind.
- My name is Julio Fierro and I am the godson of Mario Galeano, I came to visit him and see if there is the possibility of working with you.

- Yes. And who told you, that we need workers? - replied the somewhat distrustful subject - Those of the DEA and those of the government, who have tried to infiltrate our organization, always end up in the river, traveling upside down. Will not you be one of them? - He asked and without waiting for the answer he added - How did you meet the boss?
- When I was a child, he lived in my house and was like an older brother to us. Mario has always been a friend of the family and, as I have already told you, I am his godson. Now I have come to look for him because I need your help - I said with certainty.
- Well, and what do you know about this business? He asked coldly, ignoring the relationship I had revealed.
- Crystallize, I mean, I know all about alkaloids - I responded with marked pride. The man remained pensive for a few seconds.
- Go to the red roof hut, so you can greet the boss, then you come to the big room - he said, pointing to the ordinary rectangular construction -, to show you the place where, surely, you will work with us.
- Thank you very much, sir - I said kindly, while directing my steps towards the indicated cabin.
Mario Galeano was sitting in a rocking chair, surrounded by five beautiful women. He stared into my eyes and greeted me with uncomfortable coldness.
- What brings you to these lands, godson? ... I thought you were going to be the first professional in the family.
- Nothing, godfather. We have had many economic difficulties and I had to come and ask for collaboration.

- I'm sorry, my son, but I will never sacrifice your future. I want you to return to your home and continue with your studies, which are the only important thing in life.
That was the first reaction the godfather had with me. We discussed a good time and, in the end, I explained that there was nothing to do. The cancellation of the enrollment in the university, I left automatically six months on the outside. Enough time to save some pesos and return.
- I'll help you, but I want you to promise me something, and try to do it as the gentleman who, I believe, is inside you. It is about your future and that of your family, because you must be aware that within a very few years, they will need you. Do you promise me that all the money you earn in this time, plus the money that I am going to give you, will be dedicated to your studies and to the well-being of all of you?
- Yes, sir, I promise - I replied, sure of my decision.
- Are you going to drug yourself and you are going to squander the money with scoundrels that your godfather does not like? - He asked solemnly, without breaking down the serious aspect that always characterized him.
- No, sir, I will use everything in the sacred search for my well-being and that of my family. - From that moment I would be in the camp, with the patronage of the absolute owner of everything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER NUMBER SEVEN

"Everything is rustic." I thought, as I was going to the place where I would work a good part of my life. "Chemistry has descended from immaculate tables and crystalline containers, to put themselves at the service of the containers and the improvised industrial handling".
I had no difficulty finding the office section. The administrator was not around. At the door of one of the rooms he said with handwritten letters:
General administration of supplies
Engineer: William Cardona.
Head of technical processes.
The man who sat behind the desk did not look more than forty years old. He was short and very thin. His hair was black and on his broad face, the cheekbones protruded, giving him a smiling expression at all times. Torn eyes put the touch of intelligence in that singular face.
- The engineer William? - I asked firmly. The other smiled and nodded and said:
- It's me - he got up and gave me a handshake, in welcome.
- I am Julio Fierro, godson of the owner and a humble collaborator in what can be useful.

- Pleased to meet you, friend ... Pablo, "the doctor", the man who received him and sent him to where the boss came to talk to me about his presence. He entrusted me with the mission of explaining, more or less, the operation of the company and although we were not expecting it, I know that you will be of great help to us - determined William, speaking to me with a lot of kindness - Are you an engineer too?
- I was studying Chemistry for some time - I explained a little self-consciously -. Actually, I was a student at the University of Antioquia until a few days ago.
- I would bet that you were stung by the worm of ambition ... - William said, accompanying the words of a gesture of complicity -. All young people are killed by the desire for a luxury car and the comforts of a good life. Having a bulky bank account is the dream of all of us.
- Will I have to work by his side? - I asked curiously.
- No - the man smiled - we need you in the production of pasta, which is the primary treatment given to coca leaves. You will accompany Carlos "the hermit", a very formal and hardworking man. He will love your company, because I know that you two will understand each other very well.
- Does the whole process work in these facilities? - I investigated with disbelief. William affirmed and noted:
- They are not the most beautiful, but we have great production capacity. I would like him to try to get along with the general manager and head of security, because he is very fast and very crazy. It seems that when he was young, he was traumatized in the army and everywhere he thinks he sees enemies.

- Could I have autonomy in the process? - I asked with audacity.
- That's what it is about. You will have all the collaboration of the boys, so you can make the changes you want - he said looking through the window. - Wow! ... It's already getting dark - he said surprised - That's the good thing about working under an intense smell of ether, which keeps one half asleep, without letting him think about anything while time passes.
"That smell will be good for you, you want to escape from reality, - I thought a little anguished - But for me, I know the damage so great that ethers cause, will be the anteroom of hell."
- Well, I think the best thing is for you to go to the bedrooms and get settled at once - recommended William -. There you will find Carlos, who is going to explain the operation of the plant. The bedrooms stay from here up, in the second hut on the right.
Night was beginning to fall on the camp. I advanced about fifty meters and reached the most sheltered ranch of all. On the door, written with coal, the word "Bedrooms" could be read. I rapped several times with my knuckles and waited a few seconds. Nobody came to me called. I pushed the rickety door and entered. There was no furniture in that room. On the floor, arranged symmetrically, six mattresses rested and, next to several of them, you could see folded clothes, talc, lotions, razors, slippers and, above all, the towel next to the blanket and the pillow. At first glance, one realized that there were very carefree men living there. Several of the mattresses were empty and on one of them I unloaded my backpack. Surely that was going to be my bed for several months. "What would Natalia say, if she saw all this disorder?" I thought completely in love. I threw myself back on my mattress and I kept thinking about her. I dissolved into the sweetness of her charms. It was good to remember her.

A man of average height, deep blue eyes, thick beard and elegant manners, interrupted my thoughts without knocking on the door.
- Excuse me, I did not know you were here - he said, reflecting on his face a great kindness, which made him look like a nice person - Are you Julio Fierro, the new partner? - he asked, without breaking down the pleasant personality that it reflected.
- Yes, it's me. You are Carlos, I imagine.
- Yes, welcome to the meditation barge.
- Thank you - I said, sitting down to look at him from another angle more comfortable -. I have always been very curious about the production process of the Colombian drug. Now I am here and I hope you will help me - I wrote, showing great interest in the matter.
- The white gold is the most beautiful and tasty that we have been able to invent - argued Carlos -. Cocaine is a mild alkaloid, with which the cute children of North America brighten up their incredible parties. The ecstasy and the sensation of absolute freedom, produced by this harmless dust, is the only psychological dependence that will always hold them faithful to him. Definitely, who has not tried the coca has not lived.
- I do not really agree with that, because I have no experience in the matter and I live very happy - I said trying to save my integrity.
- Calm down that you're still very young and still do not know about disappointments. Look, Julio, there are two kinds of sensations that are natural and artificial. You are in the stage of the rosy life and when that fever of romanticism passes you, we will already speak of the second one - he wrote down how prophesying a future evil -. But let's not waste time, see that I'm going to show you something.

We left the bedroom and walked back to the great hall of the laboratory. We entered the section where small offices worked. There I checked the rudimentary and improvised way in which they worked. The small office was furnished with a desk, two swivel chairs and a leather chair. In the background there was an experimental table that was full of test tubes and beakers. All in great disorder and unwashed.
"This man, what he knows about chemistry is very little, surely." I thought without saying anything.
- What is the function that I will perform in this laboratory? - I asked with interest.
- It's something very simple - said Carlos -. Here we all do everything.
- When there are technical problems, which solve them?
- Never have problems, because we have everything memorized - he responded with freshness.
- How many hours do you work every day? - I asked, trying to find something stable in that mess. Carlos made a gesture of disinterest, as if time did not matter.
- Regularly you should work eight hours a day, but at the end of the story the only thing that matters is the production. The schedule can be arranged between us.
- Is there an incentive for those who want to work at night? - I investigated, showing the interest that forced me to try to gather money in a hurry.
- We have never worked at night - said Carlos -. But if you want it, and you are in a hurry, you will be recognized a percentage of the average production. Quiet, that slowly you are taking the thread to the thing.
- Well, sir. - I said with respect. Carlos stop up as ir terminating the technical talk.

- We have many things to talk about. It seems that you like to feed yourself well, and I am a specialist in vegetarian food and delicious things - he explained, squinting his eyes behind a gastronomic desire -. Vegetables, fruits and rich things are the source of good health. In this place the flours of the vegetables that I dehydrate in a solar oven are consumed. I was living seven years, with some monks who were excellent cooks and from them I learned the treatment of good cooking. Tomorrow we will have breakfast with vegetable bread and soy cheese, so you can see how well you live in this place - Carlos said, expressing the great interest he felt for the culinary -. I would like you to talk to Pablo today, so that he can explain to you, once and for all, all the trash that is handled with the safety story. Theme that, according to them, is very important.
Those last words left me a little uneasy, but I did not say anything. Carlos said goodbye with a handshake and went away in search of his ranch. Later I learned that they also called him "the baker" because of his exaggerated love for the culinary. That same night, I could understand what Carlos was referring to as junk, in matters of security. After nine o'clock at night, I went to the small canteen where the boys had fun drinking beer and playing pool. The Indian who attended the bar looked at me with kindness.
- Welcome, young ... Do you want to drink something?
- A beer, please - I said, while looking in my pockets for the ticket to pay the amount.
- Quiet, that everything you consume is written down and, at the end of the month, you are deducted from the salary - I was perplexed. There everything worked like a big family. Almost all the boys were there, and they looked at me curiously. Pablo was playing cards bits Carlos and an Indian.

- Hello, Julio! - Paul greeted, with the property of the boss -. When you arrived, I did not have the opportunity to speak well with you. There are things that I have to explain to you, before these wolves finish you. Wait a few minutes, for this Indian thief to win this game and we talk. The Aboriginal massif smiled, feeling proud of its luck and, at that precise moment launched its full game to win once more.
- With this Indian, definitely, you cannot play - argued Pablo, abandoning the cards. He stood up and, reaching me, took my arm and started walking towards the back of the store. There nobody could listen to us -. Did you explain, Carlos, how is it that things work here?
- No, sir - I answered respectfully.
- What man, man? ... Tell me, Pablo, as the whole world calls me! - Exclaimed a little annoyed -. Well, the point is that here, we are surrounded by ambitious types and thieves. Wherever you see it, with the face of saints, any of them would kill you without any remorse, to steal your thing. So, always, you'll have to go armed so that they respect your life - he finished saying, while pulling out of a briefcase, a machine gun and a nine-millimeter pistol -. You have to choose one of these two. It will be your endowment weapon and you will have to answer for it, until the day you leave. - I stared at them, I was a little surprised at those two beautiful weapons.
- Do you know how to drive? - Interrogated Pablo, with mocking look before my confusion.
- No, I've never had one of those in my hands - I replied with a bit of embarrassment.
- Well, if the thing is like that, then I recommend that you keep the gun, which is a very easy to handle and very effective weapon - he raised the gun and explained to me the way he was introduced and the supplier was removed, then mounted a shot in the bedroom and said:

- Shoot her, so you feel all the power - I fired it once and that was terrible, my ears were left buzzing. I never imagined that those devices were so heavy and sounded so hard. The men on the other side of the building did not even flinch at the sound of the shot. Since that night, that nickel-plated gun was my companion. We returned to the small canteen and we played and played until late at night. At that meeting I realized that I was part of an original family.
In that ungrateful exile, I felt more abandoned than ever. I thought of Jaime, my college colleague, whom I had not frequented for several months, and, for my mental health, I had to start writing heartfelt letters to my best and only friend, from San Francisco, a small town that was only forty-five minutes, on horseback, from our unique village, and that would have been the shortest and safest way to get to the godfather's place, without having to go through the jungle of screeching insects.
San Francisco, Septiembre 2

Mr.:

Jaime Aristizábal
Dear Friend: What a great distance separates us! At what point, in the destiny of my life, will it take me the decision I have made to come to this jungle? ... To leave the study, family, friends and even my own love, have tried me, the great capacity of effort that can enclose a man's heart, when he pursues an illusion. Can you imagine what, when presenting me that beautiful little girl, my life was going to change completely? ... The only thing I can tell you, is that I am going to thank you for all eternity. I do not even want to think about the reaction that my mother must have had, knowing that I, her great hope, had flown to a distant jungle to look for something that was not lost to me.

I tell you, my dear friend, that after I came, I felt something indescribable. An immense emptiness in my chest, it became an unpleasant feeling, because of the irresponsibility of having evaded the care of my mother and my little brother. That sensation became something physical and almost palpable that oppressed my whole body. It was like an anguish that caught me, forcing me to look back, with regret that I had not communicated such a decision. It was filthy to condemn my mother to the despair of my absence, or perhaps of my death. I made the decision to play with my life and, in these moments, I realize that it is not even mine. There are bonds of gratitude and responsibilities that, one, should never break.
I hope you come by the house, to say hello to the old woman. You tell him I'm fine, to see if that's any consolation. Bring an apology from me, for not having communicated my plans. Try to relieve a little of your anguish, because you know that I am not able to talk to her, not a single word of this.
In this immense jungle, one feels helpless. Loneliness and silence are stuck inside the chest, becoming pain. The trees are immense; they rise many meters from the earth, to form a thick forest, which submerges the entire environment in darkness, filling it with moisture. I, every day, harden my heart, trying not to feel the fear of an unsuspected danger. I am convinced that we are immortal, in this adverse way, but I am also convinced that I am doing badly and that one day I will pay for it.

Remember, Jaime, I tell you that physically I am very well, although the camp is small and without any comfort. There is a medium room where the technicians sleep. There is the chief's house and four or five other ranches. If you get a woman, you can become independent in one of them. As we are only men, we like to live together. We are three boys from Medellin and me. William is the smartest of all, he is an engineer in mining and oil and, these days, he is going to bring his wife and his little daughter. Pablo, alias "the doctor", is a boy who was paying an army and was harmed there, after killing so many innocent peasants. Carlos is an inveterate junkie who likes meditation and vegetarian food. It seems to me that both the boss and the other boys are crazy and are looking for death.
I hope you have continued working on the equine project, because that is going to be the future of our finances. Jaime, every time you have the opportunity, talk to Natalia and bring her regards from me. If you have money, send him flowers in my name, which I will later pay you. Dear friend, take good care of yourself and count on everything with me, because even though you are far away, you will always be my soul friend.
Julio Fierro
"The first days are always difficult." I thought sitting in the bar, contemplating the beauty of a completely starry sky. The field was covered with the bluish splendor of night magic, a magic similar to what Natalia and I were living when we kissed in the moonlight.
- Good evening, Julio - said William, the engineer, approaching with his pleasant figure -, what's wrong with you, that you have that sad face? ... Undo that front, man that you're going to get old before your time.
- They are the secrets of the soul that are stirred inside - I answered, accepting the hand that I offered in an effusive greeting.

- Do not worry, in life there is always a solution, although things are very serious - William advised, breaking down the smile that characterized his face -. Each person keeps deep secrets in the soul that no matter how strong they are, they can never destroy us.
- That's true - I murmured with feigned indifference, wanting to change the subject.
- The intensity of your sorrows, is the punishment you have to pay for your bad deeds - concluded the engineer, trying to enter into a chat.
- Yes because? - I asked coldly, trying to break his security.
- At the end of time, all the misdeeds that one does, they are charged with pain. But let's not talk about that, we better have a few drinks and listen to music of spite, because I'm also anxious. This weekend my wife and my little daughter come. Today, love is as excited - he said, guessing my thoughts.
We ordered a bottle of aguardiente, two glasses, two glasses of water and some orange helmets. The place was nice, the darkness enveloped everything and the music came to us, filling the atmosphere with magic and feeling. The night advanced and we, in that hot land, filled ourselves with melancholy.
- How will death be? - I asked without knowing why he was doing it.

- Quiet that that is very far from you - said William, as if trying to soften my grief -. Men are Gods in the process of maturation, locked in a dimension from which it is impossible to leave, without first touching the point of intersection, which is that of death. There all the experiences and learning that have been achieved in life converge. The joys and the sufferings, the dreams and the disappointments, are those that, at the last minute, determine the exact point, to move to another level in your sacred evolution. When we lose the biological material state, we get rid of time and space, to move to a dimension in which we will be in all places at the same time. A dimension where there will be no thought, because everything is a unit of wisdom and a unit of energy and happy eternity. In the third dimension, which is where we live - explained, encouraged by my attention - each person has a mission that fits, perfectly, with everything else. If today we are judges, tomorrow we will be judged by our exaggerations. If we generate pain, there is a person with enough strength to stop us, applying the same amount of what we are generating. That is why, throughout history, there have been men who believe they are the chosen ones of the Gods, to distribute justice with a hellish strength. Men like Jesus Christ, Hitler, Gandhi and Pablo Escobar, were necessary each in his time. Who would have stopped the Romans, in the amount of crimes they were committing against the helpless inhabitants of Nazareth, if there was not a speaker who explained them with humility, the treatment of Christians they deserved? ... Who should run over the helpless Jews, if a madman had not been born with the courage to slaughter them all, while dragging with him the ideas of the superior man and the macabre projects that were drawn by the Japanese? ... Although nobody believes it, Hitler was incredibly necessary in the new world order, where there is freedom of races and opinion. Gandhi, with his handling of people and with his overwhelming humility, could explain to the English the meaning of the word freedom. What would be of the South American people, if the cocaine that the gringos like so much did not exist, to be able to obtain those few dollars that assures them the subsistence in the middle of the state abandonment? ... What would be of the hungry people of Colombia, if would not Pablo Escobar have been born, to intimidate the servile people from the north who, for many years, handed over the natural resources and all the riches of the country, without thinking about the future of our poor people? ... Every person, however insignificant , has a mission in the development of man towards infinity. Or what do you think?...

 

- Yes, it may be true - I replied, thinking a little about the law of balance that my friend exposed -. By coincidence I have seen, in life, that when a person feels uncomfortable and all roads are closed to suffocate her, a ridiculous accident takes her out of the way, as if a divine hand were distributing the peace that each one needs.
- Although people do not perceive it - explained William -, we are subject to a moral and divine law, as precise as a clock and that, despite the fact that almost everyone knows it, necessity and ignorance, force us to contradict it all days.
- The bad thing is that, to want to follow her, we would have to be like monks - I said sarcastically, imagining myself with a habit and praying without ceasing -. Or rather, friend, let's not put much mystery to the thing and let the world go as it wants.
- That is not so simple, Julio - analyzed, William, very thoughtful -, when one has committed unforgivable errors, cannot let the world turn with freedom. Moreover, I am a drug addict and I am here, because of the exaggerated protection that my parents gave me and that I could not understand. When I was almost a child, I began to feel the hormonal influence and I made so many mistakes that, afterwards, I had to take refuge in the vice of drugs, to forget the bad actions of when I was a teenager ... When I was a boy, I was an unusual guy, "William was saying, encouraged by the liquor. I kept studying locked in my room. He had no friends and spoke very little. Everyone noticed my abnormal behavior and they started calling me "Jupiter". They compared me to the psychopath in a novel, who lived in a garret and went out to kill people at night. I have always felt different. I like extravagant things. After I finished primary school, I started living life with violence, my temper was strong and I behaved like a madman. Almost every day he fought with a different partner.

- That's not strange, because almost all teenagers measure their strength to know which is the strongest - I said, trying to remind my friend that, in the middle of the liquor effect, he was talking about a rather uncomfortable subject for him and me I gave him time to reconsider, but he continued talking.
- I loved the engines. I wanted to have a car and a motorcycle, immediately. I got into a combo of thugs and we started killing people - he confessed, without measuring the words - You know what, brother? ... I have more than one dead person in my conscience. Pablo thinks he is very cold-blooded, but nobody here knows who I am. Imagine that when I was fourteen I killed an old woman.
- How are you, William? - I exclaimed scared - No, do not tell me those things please.
- Calm down, that's nothing. That old woman lived about two blocks from my house - she continued telling -. Every day he went to the church, to liquidate the scapulars he sold to his father. He collaborated a lot in the church and even helped in the cleanliness of the temple. One day, when we were playing football in the corner of my block, they committed a foul and I, in a rage, was going to charge a free shot, but a black child of a prostitute, stopped me about two meters away and did not he let me charge. I picked up the impulse to hit him hard. I kicked the ball and the black took off. In those the old woman came by the platform and I hit her with the ball all over her face. The lady fell like a bundle of potatoes and that head sounded against the cement, like a coconut. We all remained petrified. We went to pick her up and her eyes were white, as if she were looking up. Someone said to take her to the hospital in a taxi. We collected it among all. I raised it from my head, my hand was all bloody, I got some huge nerves and I ran to the house. I do not know who took her to the medical center. There they took care of her and in the afternoon she died. The next day they buried her and I, I was locked in my house for two weeks. Every day I expected that the police would arrive for me, but the time passed and nobody told me anything. The first few nights I dreamed about the old woman and could hardly sleep, but in the end I got used to it and realized that killing someone was not so difficult.

 

William told me all those things with a lot of pride, without caring about the image that was reflecting before me. He, apparently, was a very intelligent and educated guy, but that facet of his life left me stunned. I never thought that such a smart and serious guy could keep that kind of secrets. We kept talking about those issues and he told me how he had killed a boy who wounded a cousin of his.
- We were in Copacabana, at a cousin's graduation party. We were drinking some spirits when Ricardo arrived, who is the child of the house and is very crazy, with a stab in his hand. They had invited him to a party and the bad guy in the neighborhood had kicked him, for no reason. Everyone despaired and I, who had the revolver on top and was emboldened, I said:
- Come on, cousin, show me which is the terrifying one that did that to you.
We walked about ten blocks and arrived at the party where they had hurt him. My cousin, being very young, got scared and was backing down.
- Calm down, show it to me, I challenge it and you wait for me in the corner. - I proposed. We were lucky ... At the door of the house there were about ten people and among them was the bravo that the cousin pointed out to me. He had a brown jacket and his head was shaved like a policeman. I approached him slowly and without saying anything I shot him in the ear. The man did not even scream, he fell to the ground and began to tremble. There on the floor, I hit him another shot that broke all his teeth. I left nothing, so that he learns to respect in the afterlife. The people ran terrified and I left, quiet, walking to the corner. I kept the gun and went home to dance, as if nothing had happened. - William said, happily remembering his adventures. Those confessions had left me impressed and I did not know what to say. My friend, in the middle of his drunkenness, continued with the stories.

 

- With the herd that taught me to be bad, I tried the cannabis, the bazooka and "the parakeet", that is cocaine - he explained, suspecting that I was inexperienced -. As my family is fine, I did not need to retire from school. Even though I was deeply involved in the vice, my academic performance, although it was not the same as before, allowed me to win the years. Who imagines that drugs and study are compatible? ... - he asked, proud of his feat. - To almost all my childhood friends, they were killed, one by one, in the most ridiculous ways. The gang ran out and I went to the university to continue studying. We lived in a more elegant environment and, to my surprise, almost everyone used cocaine, although I took advantage ... When I was like in the fourth semester, I got a girlfriend who is now my wife. The parties increased and my problems also increased. On weekends we went to the farms and, there, I realized the terrible damage the drug was doing to me. I had a beautiful girlfriend, whom everyone admired, I slept with her and things did not work well. At first I said tiredness and then I told her it was her fault, for pushing me so hard. That situation depressed me a lot and I took refuge completely in drugs. As she loved me, she understood my situation and we continue dating. When I had two semesters to graduate, he told me that the thing did not work so badly, because it was on tape and I was happy. That was the proof, before the world, that, despite my weaknesses, I was not, neither impotent nor sterile.
William was silent, how to think other things.
The story ended and the spirits followed each other, one after the other, and then we kept silent, because we both had too many memories that hurt our souls.
Julio Fierro, the blind horseman, also kept silent, visibly tired by the long story. We were all a little drunk, it was too late and we had better go to sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER NUMBER EIGHT

We slept like dormice and the next day, José Antonio, from five in the morning began to move pots in the kitchen. I went around the bed a lot and was beginning to fall asleep, again, when a Mexican song began to sound about a black and treacherous pigeon. The boss had woken up in love and was listening to music at full volume; I got up surprised and found Julio drinking whiskey in his room.
- What's going on, boss? ... - I asked surprised by the attitude of Julio, who started drinking liquor from so early. I sat down on the side of his bed and gently rejected the bottle that he was giving me.
- I could not sleep all night - argued the boss, visibly spoiled -. I started thinking about that woman and I could not know if she is a good or a bad girl. She was the owner of my heart and, despite that, she has not moved a single finger, to rescue me from this terrible disappearance.
I remained silent at the words of the chief, because, according to what I understood, his retirement in this distance was voluntary. The man was already visibly drunk and I wanted to take advantage of the situation, so he could continue telling me his interesting story.
- Julio Fierro, and in the end, what happened to Don William? ...
Nothing happened, we all continued to work normally and finally my first week of work ended. Who would have imagined that I would end up in that exile? ... The work was very hard, but I made the effort thinking about Natalia, "Prophet of Besilu" and a platinum filly, that would shine like the moon, For my beloved, we were living in the land of exaggerations, they said that in the Rio Verde, the gold was so abundant, that the nuggets were visible to the naked eye on the sand and that the miners, accompanied by the coconut trees, came to the Small town of San Francisco to waste money with hands full. A few days I had the opportunity to prove it. In this world of waste, life was exuberant, although we were always surrounded by the shadow of death.

I remained locked in the laboratory working and thinking about my beloved constantly. All the people were dedicated with resignation to their activities, because we were in the middle of a jungle, whose only distraction was work.
Medellin was the most beautiful city in the world, and, although there are not many riches, at least it was exciting. How lazy the cities where nothing ever happened! ... I missed the activity, stuck in that jungle! ... - Julio Fierro wrote, as if to explain the comments about the city. - For some time I had no news of Natalia. Being stuck in the middle of a humid tropical forest was total isolation. With the exception of the sixty or seventy cities that were in the country, Colombia was a totally depopulated jungle and I was enslaved in half of it. In our territory the only thing that was needed was enough people, to help us to work. Anyway, I could not stop thinking about my princess and, that night, I swore that the next day I would find a way to communicate with her, before the madness was total.
It was about three in the afternoon and I could not find anything to do. The anxiety was terrible. In my chest grew the anguish of a repressed love. All the boys lived the moment, with the tranquility and the resignation of the no future. I, on the other hand, despaired at the slowness of a life that was advancing against the current of time, in search of the great love that was revealed in my blood and in my senses. The work was finished about four in the afternoon and I went down the path, looking for the bedroom, with a very big fatigue in the whole body. The sun was in the highest part of the sky, increasing the dehydration of all of us who worked in high temperatures. In the middle of the road I met the boss, who was not exhausted by the large amount of work he had. He had two machetes hanging from his belt and an R-15 rifle through his chest. Mario was a real war machine.
- What was there, son, how did you like the work?

 

 

- It is very interesting, although many mistakes are made - I said, trying to put their intelligence, in favor of better conditions for all - Can I have your authority to make some changes? - Mario was watching me, how surprised I was at my question, and he was encouraged to ratify his unconditional support.
- Sure, son, pretend that all this is yours, but be very careful that the farm is not going to explode into a thousand pieces - he warned with malice. Then he walked a little, looking for the shadow of one of the ranches -. If you want to get a woman, calm, you have all my authorization. There you have two or three free ranches, by the time you want independence from the group. This area abounds with Indian hips, which are excellent in the kitchen. I tell you because the engineer, William, brings his wife from today to tomorrow, and I do not want you to think that I have preferences with him - he explained feeling self-conscious with my coldness.
- Of women I'm up to my neck - I said -. That is one of the reasons why I am here.
- Calm down, son, what the women did was to pre-medicate them. Or if not how are we going to replace so many 'fags' that are out there, that do not eat or let eat? ... In this world we are mobbed with fools, children of prostitutes, who let themselves be sent by women, without giving realize that they are being liberated for everything.

 

 

- Quiet, boss - I argued, trying to follow the current on the misunderstanding -, it is better that they work and get the food, while we inject the others.
- That itself is well thought out, son - he exclaimed animated, by my macho words -, because the only woman who does not betray us, is our own mother.
The boss spoke, reflecting the resentment of those who have never triumphed in love. "If you knew a woman with princess manners, goddess body and heart of gold, you would not think so bad of them." The biggest frustration that you suffer, the billionaires, is that they will never notice if women go to bed, you or your dirty money. " I thought, trying to avenge the offense for the comment, which included my beautiful Natalia.

- I always dreamed that I would have a successor - he noted, taking advantage of my silence -. Although I thought and thought, I could never know who it was. Now you arrive, as if fallen from the sky, showing all the characteristics that the creator pushes to hell. Nature chooses the best men, to handle hard business. Ordinary men, work in simple things, where blood is not seen by tons. And I tell you all this, so that you will not think that Latin American drugs are an accident, because if the universal order had not wanted a revenge against the abusive gringos, they would have grown coca and poppy bushes on top of the statue of the freedom. Because they are so lucky, those gringos’ children of a prostitute, that even in the gardens of the white house, good marijuana would have been born to them.
- To me also, every time, things happen to me, as if I were part of a film filmed in advance - I said without measuring the consequences of my words.

- Thank my Lord! - exclaimed the boss, maddened by emotion - I, every night, cried out for the brilliant mind that will lead to a happy ending, a work that we started a long time ago and that will have to continue, until our children do not sleep in the sewers , while the presidents smile on television, with the idiocy of their own jokes.
"How? ... This one is already looking for trades of eternity, without knowing that, within my soul, there is a more eternal love than light." I thought, without daring to contradict the godfather's designs.
- Do not think that the chosen beings have a life of their own. No, son, we are black birds, which are closed all normal roads, becoming warriors who fight against the abuses of the soulless. We are Gods in miniature that, with swords of fire or cocaine, we will break the bodies of injustice into a thousand pieces. If other plans crossed your mind, abandon them that you can never be fulfilled. You are a chosen one of God and in the forehead you keep the sign of the sacred haughtiness.
We talked for a long time, it was late and the godfather let us see the weariness and the madness that had accumulated in his mind, through his disordered life. I went to the dormitories and I was thinking, for a long time, about the irremediable decline of all men.

The next day, on my day off, I went to the unsuspected town, which when I was in Medellin I never imagined myself, in search of the tranquility that was absent from me, since my commitments increased.
Sundays were special, everyone was happy with the market and the party. The San Francisco Park was flooded with the smell of pineapple, mango and other fresh fruits. The humble peasants were selling their crops, to buy provisions that would ensure their subsistence. The landscape was colorful and the music resounded, bringing many memories that fill the soul with sorrow. Getting to that town, it was a delicious experience. The park impressed me with its party bustle. The afternoon was coming to an end and I went to the tavern, in search of a beer, and found William, the chief engineer of the technical process, sitting in the middle of the place that was packed with people.
- Julio, see that I am going to present you two very special women - he exclaimed, overflowing with joy. You could see the pride.
- Hello! - I approached waving to those who must be his wife and his little daughter - How are you, ma'am? - I asked with kindness, while I offered a hand shake in welcome sign.
- Hello, Julio Fierro! - The lady answered - I am very happy in this place, but I never imagined that it was so hot.
- Calm down with slowly becoming accustomed to the weather - advised with decency. The lady had a very fine profile; her delicate features reflected the health of a very comfortable life. She had the face of a wealthy girl. Her straight, artistically arranged hair was going to die on polished shoulders. My friend's wife hugged her little daughter with sweetness. The whole set up a nice family. She looked like a doll of fine porcelain, which was repeated in the freshness of her daughter. Unable to avoid it, my interested gaze was fixed on the immaculate face of my friend's wife.

- William told me about you, he had said that you were very nice, that you had long hair and that your shoulders were very strong but, honestly, he fell short in the description - his eyes flew over my humanity, watching me from head to toe . I felt a little uncomfortable, because that look perplexed me.
- Welcome to San Francisco and welcome you too, beautiful - I said caressing a cheek to the girl, who was identical to William -. What is your name? - I asked the girl.
- Mery first mom and Mery second my daughter - answered William, feeling proud of that pair of women.
- Well, I congratulate you, you have a wonderful wife and a beautiful daughter - I said with all my heart -. When I look at you three, it gives me a little envy because, in reality, I am very lonely and should not waste so much time - I added thinking about Natalia.
- You have to put the batteries. Get a woman to make love to you, because it would be a pity if your strength was wasted, "advised Mrs. Mery, manifesting an unusual confidence with me. He had met me a few minutes ago and was already speaking to me as if we were old friends. Come with me to the restaurant - said the beautiful woman, standing up and taking my hand.
Within my chest arose the contradiction, between enjoying the contact of that warm hand, or breaking the innocent audacity that, suddenly, offended the quiet husband who looked at us complacently.
- Go Julio, accompany her to the restaurant, so she can buy something to eat, that I'm carrying the girl.
I started walking behind the beautiful lady, and I advanced twenty or thirty meters enchanted by its spectacular aroma.

- How did you like the people of this place? - I asked, releasing myself gently from his hand, when we reached the entrance to the restaurant.
- Formal. They are very kind people. Completely different from those in the city ... Have you already had dinner, or do you want me to ask you for some food? - He asked me, in a good gesture of friendship.
- No, quiet. I do not usually dine - I explained, appreciating his kindness.
Mrs. Mery ordered two trout with garlic and a couple of strawberry milkshakes. He grabbed me again by the hand and stared at my face ...
- You can go back to the disco that, when the meals are ready, I send them to call. - The restaurant lady told us.
In small towns, to strangers, everyone knows them and quickly they know who they are.
- I am here, because I had to accompany my husband, but I plan to stay very little - confessed the beautiful woman, when we crossed the street to return to the table of the tavern.
I was not used to talking to other women and the mere fact of walking by his side made me a little nervous. I kept silent, marched forward and, without any reason, ended the conversation. William was waiting for us calmly, while he played with his little daughter. The peace that reflected his face cleared my doubts. I ran the chairs and sat down to talk quietly.
- Julio Fierro, - explained, William, his wife - lately he has been my confidant; I spent a whole night talking to him. Tell him what you think about death - he told me, while looking with his eyes open at his wife, as if wondering beforehand with the answer.

- The only one who can wait with tranquility is you that you have such a beautiful wife - I answered, dodging the question and praising them for the luck they had. He looked at me maliciously and said:
- When you want, I'll lend it to you, and for the record, I'm not drunk and I'm not jealous - that frontal offer, it made loud laughs from our throats.
- What do you think? - I questioned, looking at William's wife deeply.
- It could be ... Maybe - she answered maliciously, leaving a quantity of unknowns in the air. The restaurant waiter arrived and announced that dinner was served. We got up and crossed the street, I accompanied them to the restaurant for dinner, and, while they enjoyed their delicious trout, I devoted myself to a few beers with plenty of ice.
- I think that, as soon as they finish eating, we should leave for the camp. It's already too late and a trip, over forty-five minutes, on a mule, with such a small girl, is a bit difficult on a night as closed as this one - I suggested trying to help the young couple.
- If it is a good idea. Also, in the cabin, we can have a few drinks and dance a little. There I have enough rum and enough liquor - said William, considering my proposal very successful. They finished eating. We canceled the tavern and restaurant accounts and set out to travel. Fortunately, the mules have the great quality of knowing the way of memory, although the night is completely dark. William carried the child, who after a few minutes was completely asleep, not caring about the noise of the hooves against the stones.

 

We advanced in the middle of a night that threatened with rain and, luckily of all, we arrived at the cabin without incident. William got off the beast and went quickly to the ranch, looking for a comfortable place for the girl. Mery remained static on the mule, showing that she was unaccustomed to riding. I descended from the old male I came in, I stretched out my arms, I took her by the waist and helped her down. She leaned on my shoulders and with an agile leap she was on the floor in front of me. Our bodies were almost united and the warmth of the approach made us contemplate with desire. I, leaving the scene, said quickly:
- With your permission, ma'am, I'm going to take the mules to the stable - I left in a hurry, thinking about that perfect waist. Since I walked away from my beautiful model, it was the first time that a woman seemed attractive to me. Of course that could not be. Starting because, she was the wife of my friend and ending in that I could not betray the trust that my beloved queen gave me. I breathed deeply and put away all the bad thoughts in my head, while I removed the tools from the beasts and gave them some honey water. The night was young and I decided to take some rum with William, before going to sleep. I went to the house and went through the gate, which was wide open. William, lying in an armchair, had poured himself a drink and watched television with interest.
- Do you want rum with ice? - He asked, before realizing the idiocy - What question? ... Will I have to pray a lot for you to take it, or what?
- The one who listens to you will think that I am an alcoholic - I said continuing with the joke -. And your wife, where did she go?
- He's in the back room, putting the girl to bed and making herself more comfortable - William noted, completely relaxed, as if tiredness had overcome him. We watched television a few minutes and remained silent. I felt that Mery was calling me from the back room and it seemed very strange, I pretended that I had not listened and I remained static, watching television, not daring to breathe, then William told me:

- Julio, Mery is calling you, surely he wants to tell you something - I was petrified, I did not know what to do, what to say -. Quiet, with confidence, go and look to see what Mery needs, because if not, the devil will take it by bothering.

I walked down the boardwalk and reached the door of the wide back room.
- Come in please - she was before me, dressed in the most insinuating pajamas that could exist. Behind those transparent tulles, you could see the excitement of perfect breasts. The flushed color of her cheeks and the hurry to show me the rustic bed, which she had arranged with a beautiful lay, they broke her breath, making her voice tremble with emotion. I crossed the room following his agile steps. I thought about the husband who should be watching television quietly, which was the only thing that, apparently, he cared about. Before my eyes appeared a female in heat, framed in the simplicity of the matrimonial room. Everything was humbly organized and put in place. In one corner a small mirror lurked, reproducing the perfumes, creams, enamels and lipsticks that the beautiful woman had brought from Medellin. The whole room reflected the good taste of that woman, who looked at me with her face lit by pride. Mery was a voluptuous nymph. He walked, sensually, with his bare feet, as if enjoying the softness of the wooden floor. He threw himself on his back on the bed and my eyes were nailed involuntarily in his crotch, which absorbed the little panties, making them disappear in his pink flesh. With closed eyes he made a movement, how trying to avoid the sensation that his underwear produced penetrating his body and making it explode in wet desires. Sighs gasped from his lips, while his body stirred to the rhythm of an imaginary melody. The confusion took over my whole being; I only managed to look towards the room, where William watched television quietly. The nervousness did not allow me to continue contemplating that pretty woman in heat. I went to the room with hurried steps; I arrived and sat next to my friend, to take refuge in his tranquility. He looked at me with smiling eyes, as if he had guessed everything. He handed me a tray of tuna pies, offering them with kindness.

- Do not you think that beauty is so amazing, in the middle of this disgusting jungle? - He asked proudly, before the surprise that still was not erased from my face.
- Yes, it's really beautiful - it was the only thing I managed to answer, in the middle of my confusion. Mery came and sat in a chair in front of ours, served three shots of rum, taking our tastes for granted.
- In my life there are two great pleasures - said the lady, sitting sensually. He crossed his legs and stared at us in silence. The phrase remained suspended in the air, as if nobody had listened to it, until William asked surprised.
- Two pleasures? ... I knew that the only thing that catches your attention, in life, is dancing, because you do not even like me to make love to you - and addressing me in a confidential tone, he joked -. It's been over a year since she let me make love to her ... Let's see if you can warm this ice floe - then, addressing her wife, she asked - What is the other pleasure? ... She looked at him and hesitated a bit, but finally decided and said:
- To me, too, I love to kiss - the answer fell like a flock of cold water, on his trusting husband who, immediately, said in a kind of complaint:
- Then, I do not know how to kiss, or what? - I felt uncomfortable about the conflict, which was being generated, and, to save the situation a bit, I said:
- Why do not you put some music, dance, kiss, and then I give a concept about the skills shown?

- No. What a pity with you, engineer, the evening has been very pleasant, but we should all go to sleep. Tomorrow is a busy day and we all have to rest - I said, getting away from Dona Mery quickly, and looking for the exit door.
- Quiet, friend, you are very young and still resist the exaggerations. Stay with my wife, she needs some fun. Do not worry that now, later, he leaves. You can also stay sleeping here, if you wish - proposed William in a big gesture of kindness.
- Thank you very much, really, it's late and I feel a little tired. See you later - I replied, leaving the commitment -. I did not say anything else and I started walking with my heart altered. There had been too many things, for me, that night.
I almost made the terrible mistake, of not being able to resist the temptation of the flesh ... How could I have thought about things that were dirty and what, in reality, did not happen except inside my mind? ... At no time could I offend William's wife, moreover, would have been unforgivable a betrayal of fidelity with my beloved Natalia.
With immense willpower, I erased all the bad thoughts, relaxed with the cold of the night and, with courage, put away all the ideas that began to engender my loneliness.
- My God, from today I promise that I will avoid the company of that lady, at all costs! -. I told myself.
That same night, I wrote a letter to my beloved and with desperation I told him:

 

San Francisco, Septiembre 18.

Natalia:
Hello, beautiful, it's two in the morning, I've spent the whole night thinking about you and I could not resist the temptation to write you a letter. We are in the middle of a jungle in which we look like little ants, abandoned in the center of hell. We are three Antioquenos and an Indian; we are working with the "godfather". The living room we share is spacious and with sanitary facilities in the background, which are the only comfort we have, if that can be called comfort. You can already imagine the deeds I had to do to write this letter. I did a thousand pirouettes so as not to wake up the other boys, because they will never be able to understand, what it is to be in love with a princess like you.
I am fortunate to have such a beautiful girlfriend, who makes me feel the vibration of a happy life.
In the middle of this filth and this helplessness, I realize how beautiful you are. You can consider yourself the most special creature the creator made, because you are only comparable to immaculate swans, seagulls, and the fragility of frightened servants, although they are all far from the perfection of an angel like you. I will never tire of contemplating you. If I close my eyes, your image is there, inside me, as perfect as if you were yourself. I think of you, at all times, and many times I dream that you are already my wife.
Some people usually say that time and distance are insurmountable obstacles, when it comes to wanting to, but I think that all this is a lie. Many days have passed since our separation and today, more than ever, your image appears alive inside my mind. You have become a constant for my life. All the big difficulties, I overcome them thinking about the only prize that is to achieve your company. Asleep and awake, I dream of you, and I do not see the time when I can leave to be always by your side.

I hope you have spent a lot of time practicing in the gym, because if you want to succeed on the big catwalks, the desire to model you have to become a passion, so that your movements reflect all the strength and love that exists within your heart. Practice constantly, so that you achieve a good technique. I would love you to be here, with me, to make you very happy. My love, there are landscapes that, when I see them, I immediately think of your clear eyes. The trees are gigantic and majestic, they rise as if wanting to touch the sky and become a refuge for colorful animals. It is common to see hundreds of guacamayas climbed in the guayabos and orchestrated by the monkeys that jump from guamo to guamo. Here, nature sings to life, but the only problem that prevents your coming, is that there are many dangers for a woman as fragile as you. Imagine that every afternoon, through a clearing near the riverbank, a tigress with her little puppy. The first time I saw it was amazing, I thought that big tigers were there in the wild Africa. Everything here is creepy and, better, I do not even mention the snakes that the Indians kill from time to time. They are Mapaná X, four noses, and even the name is terrifying. Do not you think? ...
Forgive me for writing you so much about animals, but they have me dazzled. All my life I boasted of having a hard heart and being very brave and, now that I see all these things, I realize that we are pens in the wind of destiny. Natalia, you are fifty percent of my life, I need the security of your soul and the charm of your smile. Take care of yourself a lot and keep trusting me, because never, I will never betray you with another, however cute and very daring she is. Be assured that, within a very short time, I will succeed, hoping you will be by my side, so that we will be trampled by happiness until we are one hundred years old.

What a pity that these leaves are so small and cannot stand all that I want to tell you. I hope these short lines are the reflection of what my love wants to convey to you. I would like to turn this role into a mirror of my feelings, to be able to infect you with this violent passion that was born in my whole body and that I know is shared by you. Natalia, my love, remember that the one who loves me the most, the most, loves me!
Julio Fierro
José Antonio brought us hot chocolate, arepas with butter, scrambled eggs and two huge pieces of cheese. We went to breakfast and I thought it was very interesting for the boss to eat, even though he was drinking liquor. That was very good, because the whiskeys did less damage to him.
- Let's take some sun - proposed the boss, while groping, looking for the exit of that wet and smelly room, which, more than a room looked like a distillery for the amount of empty bottles and for the smell that floated in the environment.
The sun warmed our bones and Julio Fierro, visibly animated, continued with the story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER NUMBER NINE

The days were flying. The work was intense. That place was exasperating. The more things were done, the more there was left to do. We worked since the sun came out, until it was hidden. The time did not reach at all. The disorder was total. There were no methods that would speed up production. I dedicated myself to organizing the work system and, although it was a bit difficult, I convinced them that we were part of the same team. The nomadic Indians harvested the leaves and crushed them. I had to add lime and sodium carbonate, I let them react and the next day I treated them with gasoline and sulfuric acid. Carlos had to do the process of separation, and then deliver the coca paste to William, who dissolved it in ether, before beginning the crystallization process. Between William and Carlos, they were in charge of the drying and packing process. Mario Galeano handled the finances, the transport and the delivery of the merchandise, which was done about two kilometers away from the camp. Up there came a twin-engine plane, with a gringo pilot, who paid the alkaloid in cash. Mario dreamed of slaying the gringo, but he did not do it because he did not damage the business. Every time we had a few drinks, the chief would cut banana bushes with his machete, thinking of the American's neck. "The godfather" gave a lot of money to the boys and they were lost all weekend, and come Monday with eyes irritated and without a peso.
- How do you want me to pay for your work? - The boss asked me, any day - You do not have vices and own large amounts of dollars, next to these vermin, it is quite dangerous.
- Quiet, boss - I said with confidence -, you keep me the part and when I go to go, he sells me to "Venusino" his beautiful horse of fine Colombian step.

- No son, that if you cannot, because I love that horse more than my life and I would not like another man to make me suffer. I'm going to pay you many dollars and you buy the horse you want, except mine. Well, anyway, everything that I have is going to be for you and, in "Rio claro", I have a beautiful cabin in the caves of "La Danta", that I am going to give it to you so that you can take your little women there, and so that you do not hold a grudge against me for not letting you touch my horse. If you know where the caves are? ...
- Sure, Godfather, if that's where you took us to fish when we were younger.
Those details were the ones that made my stay in that farm a bit pleasant, in which everybody took drugs, from the smallest Indian to the boss, who went mad at times. In the middle of those men, I looked like a weirdo. I did not smoke, I did not use drugs and they did not call my attention, the prostitutes of San Francisco. Everyone realized that I was different from them and they started treating me with more respect than the same boss.
I stayed away from William and his family for several weeks. Many times I met his wife and she invited me to her house and, although I was tempted, I always dodged the invitations. My excuse, not to go home, was work. Honestly, I was dedicated to the production of cocaine and the sacred memory of my beloved and her platan filly.

With all the boys I was doing very well. With each one of them I was talking and I had been forming the image of what they represented before me. William was a calm and intelligent person, although deep inside he kept something that had me restless. Carlos was a mystic who took refuge in vice and was distracted cooking vegetables. Pablo was the crazy one of the group, because, within him, uncontrollable turbulences were shaken. That crazy man was always talking to me about women, because even rustic Indians were analyzed by his lustful eyes. Almost every day I received advice from Pablo, although I did not pay much attention to them. The straight, shiny hair of an Indian, a fleshy mouth and healthy teeth, accompanied by strong legs, were enough reasons, before his eyes, for any woman to be my girlfriend. Every so often he introduced me humble peasants, who were not even able to look me in the eyes, so that, if I wanted to, they were my lovers for a few pesos. He had not been able to feel the emptiness and the unpleasant sensation, which is inside the soul, when love is made or it is about conquering a person who does not really interest us. For Pablo, copulate and live in a constant carnal friction, were reasons for great happiness ... That beloved companion, within nature, wanted to play the role of a goat, in which all sexual contact was welcome, without thinking in the possible consequences.
- The role that men have in nature - he said with enthusiasm - is to satisfy the constant passion of women. Do you think that we are hurting them? ... No, on the contrary, at that moment we are the beings that satisfy their physical needs. Moreover, when in life there are such calm types as you, who do not have frequent sexual intercourse, because their rational mind commands the impulse of their hormones, nature itself is responsible for atrophying its inactive members, separating them from their natural functions of reproducers. Yes, that is the sad reality - explained before my face of surprise -. If you leave a motionless arm or leg, that limb begins to lose its muscle mass, until it atrophies, paralyzing itself completely. Likewise, the genital organs that are more delicate, reduce their capacity because of your inactivity.

- Look, Pablo - I replied offended -, it happens that for me, sex is a complement of love. The most beautiful thing in the world is to share the enjoyment of a pure relationship with the couple you love and want. The physical contact, pleasure for pleasure, is traumatizing and dirty - I determined, trying to explain my feelings - Do you want me to tell you something? ... I look at the women in this area and do not inspire anything.
- Julio Fierro, are you gay or what? - he asked looking at me coldly. His accusing expression forced me to give him an explanation.
- What happens is that, before coming to this earth, I met a creature that is an angel and that has me completely crazy. For me there is no other woman, all of them are indifferent to me and whether you understand it or do not understand it, she is everything to me, in this life. - I kept silent and I kept looking at the sky, infected with the magnitude of my Natalia.
- Oops ... I did not know that! - Pablo exclaimed, surprised by my story - Count ... Tell me how is she?

 

TRADUCIR MÁS

- She is an incredible woman - I said encouraged by the interest shown by my friend -. I will describe it to you physically, although I know that the words that exist will be short before the splendor of my beloved. His broad hips rise in an incredible way, over the top of his legs, extending into fluffy velvet cushions, which will die to his flat belly. His perfect naval forces me to think of the pleasant labyrinths of a golden beach. Many times my thoughts have been illuminated in the bright and wild gold, of her wild hair. Everything in it is brilliant. The golden reflections of her hair are thrown like a cascade of gold on the firm hills of her breasts, becoming a picture of carnal desires. From her sensual mouth the words of an oppressive Christian moral jump, that the beating of her blood at the temples and the warm humidity of her greedy shell, betray. His fiery body converts his mother's chatter into a tickle of excitement that agitates his whole being, until they become erotic movements that reveal his wild cat desires ... - I was telling my story, in the particular language that liked him. Pablo, ecstatic, listened to my story in silence. Every day, she denies unhealthy appearances, which must be kept before a society delayed in religious fanaticism, which will be the punishment of that same society. In any case, the murmur of the old decrepit women who criticized her, will never be able to silence the cry of admiration that comes from the rocking of her buttocks as she walks. To look at it is to swell with an overflowing passion that clouds reason and that could give meaning to the life of the existentialists, who commit suicide by ridiculous foolishness. The true meaning of life is in his upturned nose and in the intense pink of his sweet mouth like a fruit. The existential emptiness that produced, in me, the distant meaning of life, I have filled it with the happiness that its clean eyes project, that have shown me that I am eternal. That girl with the body of a goddess is the magic key that helped me discover that I carry a piece of God inside, in the delicious way of this preparation that will take us to the absolute eternity of love without relative. In that place we will be eternally happy.

- I respect your feelings - Pablo noted, moved by my love -. Apparently, because of the effusiveness with which you describe your girlfriend, it is a love like that of the movies. What I say is that one thing does not exclude the other, if you are in love enjoy it, but do not waste your time and youth, wasting women as beautiful as there are in this area. I cannot explain why you do not look at fifteen-year-old Indians, who keep all the freshness and innocence of a blooming adolescence, "he said, trying to explain to me a joy I could not understand.
- I know that the natural thing is to assume the same position that you have, before life - I clarified trying to apologize -, but what happens is that, I, I found a great love that is divine and eternal. I hope that someday you will find a love that makes you fly, over the paradise of a land full of flowers and beautiful things, where the presence of the creator appears to you every second, filling everything with the aroma of a beautiful creature like the bride mine.
I talked a long time with Pablo and, in the end; I arrived at a terrible and painful conclusion. There are people beaten by life, who will never be able to feel true love, because they are too spoiled ... What sadness!
It had been many days without communicating with Natalia. The monologue of thinking of my adored love, without knowing anything about her, was driving me crazy. The telephone communication, in the whole area, was totally decomposed for a long time, because the guerrillas destroyed the towers and the lines, but after a peasant told me that they had restored communication, the anxiety became unbearable and one day, I could not resist more. I saddled a horse and flew to San Francisco, in search of a telephone that could infect me with the angelic voice of my beloved. I arrived at the small village, crossed the park in search of the telephone exchange, arrived at the corner where they were finishing a new building, for the future municipal administration, I turned around, I advanced about twenty more steps and entered the small communications office " Telecom. " In the living room there were three people waiting with a bored face. Behind the glass that formed the office booth, a pretty employee, absorbed in her work, did not take her eyes off the control console. I took a deep breath, ducked my head and stared at her through the hole that allowed customer attention. She continued her work without noticing my presence.

 

- Miss, is to make a call to Medellin - I said, calling attention.
- Yes. With pleasure - he answered, pushing away a package of blue receipts that kept her distracted - What's the phone?
I dictated the phone number and sat down to wait for the communication. The excitement grew inside my chest and my heart skipped ceaselessly. A few seconds later, the clerk asked me to go to booth number two. I hurried forward and my hands picked up the receiver.
- Hello! ... Natalia please - I said in a voice choked with emotion.
- !July! - Natalia shouted to the other side of the line, excited to hear me again - How are you, my love? ... What have you done? ... Why did you take so long to call me?
- Getting a phone call from this land is very difficult. I could call you today because, in these last days, they fixed the communication tower that the guerrilla had flown, for several months - I explained, trying to minimize the forced abandonment - And what? ... How have you been?
- I am fine, although a little sad for your absence - he answered with a voice impregnated with melancholy -. Julio, why do not you think well about what you are doing? ... Look that in life there is only one opportunity and you are giving too much time to bad luck, so that it comes and destroys our love.
- My love, what happens is that I need a few more days, to make my matters clear. I, afterwards, tell you what is the precise moment, in which we are going to meet to be eternally happy - I promised, trying to calm his anguish a little -. I'm working and saving a lot, to buy you a red jacket and the filly of your dreams. That money will ensure a life full of comforts.

- My love, I accept you as it is. I need you to come fast, because you do not know what's happening. Maybe, in these days when you are not talking to me, things happen that change the story - he said as if trying to press my return.
- But what's wrong, Natalia mine, maybe you do not love me anymore? - I asked trying to guess his feelings.
- Yes, I love you and I need you, but I want us to be together as quickly as possible - he explained -. You do not know what this long wait means to me. Imagine that my mom is already scared with me. Every time the phone rings, I run to answer with the hope that it is your call. This is terrible. Everywhere I think I see you. I walk through the center of the city when, suddenly, I see that you cross the highway in a hurry, I start to chase you and, when I reach you, I get a terrible disappointment, being in front of a stranger. Julio, please, comes back soon. I accept you poor or whatever, but by my side. If you have any problem, tell me, I'll help you solve it.
- No, quiet, nothing's wrong. I'm not hiding any event, just, I'm a little busy and it's not the time to go back - I said, trying to clear all their doubts -. Natalia, I want you to tell me again, what do you feel for me?
- Julio, I love you with all my heart and I never tire of repeating it. Please do not leave me alone so long, that your silence is killing me. If you want me to be yours, come back as quickly as possible, because you do not know what is happening to me - he babbled, leaving me with great uneasiness with his words.
- Calm down, my pretty blonde, that God and life have written that your destiny is me and, at the beginning of December, I will be in Medellin, so that we have time to choose the rings, the dress and so that we prepare everything concerning to marriage, which is going to be the most romantic and the most beautiful in the history of the city. Natalia, I want your dress to be in a mermaid style and with a big tail, or rather, something impressive. I tell you all those things, so you can take advantage of the time preparing everything, while I'm back. You think?

 

- Yes, my love - she answered, infected of the magnitude of my dreams -. Even - he continued saying -, we could decorate the church with gigantic oysters, so that they give a soft marine touch to the place, where I am going to be the only queen of the sea.
- Natalia, I have to go. Is that because of the hurry I brought little money and, suddenly, they leave me as part of payment in the account.
- Do not tell me your tired so fast. Julio, you do not want to talk to me, right? - she asked feeling abandoned.
- No, my love, what happens is that I do not have enough money and I have to hang up, but calm that I call you later.
- Yes, when? ... Tomorrow? - investigated with anxiety.
- No. Tomorrow no - I said trying to think when I could hit another break, to be able to call -. I'll call you later, when I can. Well, by then, my love. Bye.
- See you later and take care of yourself - he said on the other side of the line, before the communication was cut off. I left that immensely happy place. My pretty blonde still loved me and everything went smoothly. I went back to the farm and I went to bed happy.
Every day, religiously, we got up early to work. The morning was spent measuring and preparing the substances that, later, we would use in the crystallization process. This day was the same as all the others. The boss came to the room and talked with the engineer. I, stuck in the room of the inputs, unintentionally, I heard what they were talking about.
- Hey, Don Mario, your godson is very intelligent - commented William, making me blush even though they did not imagine that I was in the front room.
Wow! - exclaimed the boss - Do not tell me you're already getting your hand on the matter.
- You can not say that he is changing everything, but he has given us advice that has been very useful - explained my friend with honesty -. It can be said that Julio is a true expert on the subject of alkaloids.

- I have noticed that the boy works with a lot of interest - recognized the boss -. That's good for all of you, get that optimism.
- He is dreaming of great things, that's why he puts so much enthusiasm to the thing - commented William, with great satisfaction - Is it that he wants to keep all this? ... What do you think, boss?
- It would be good if the business stays in the hands of a relative. If he had suffered a little more, in life, he would be at the perfect point to be my successor - Mario murmured, disarming my friend's ill-intentioned comment. Then he remained reflecting, as if he were stuck in a distant future.
- Julio was questioning the amount of ether we squandered and the great price we paid for that product. He thinks it would be much cheaper if we produced it ourselves. According to what he was explaining to me, the thing is simple. They take a quantity of ethyl alcohol, another of sulfuric acid; they are allowed to react and then distilled in a tower of dishes that he himself is capable of designing and assembling. How do you like the master recipe? - William asked without being able to hide the joy that overwhelmed him - Better said, if people trusted our professionals, we would have defeated the gringos.
- Clear! - Mario Galeano exclaimed - How I had not thought about that project beauty? ... Producing our raw material, costs and risks are minimized.
- That boy is a genius - said William -. We are all happy with his way of being. Imagine that even my wife liked him.
- William, tell Julio, do the technical and economic study of that idea - ordered the boss -. When everything is ready, we all sit down to analyze it thoroughly. Now I have to go to the plantations, to pay for some leaves that are heavy since yesterday. No ... I better not tell the boy anything, that now, later, I come back and I tell him personally, because I have to entrust him with another matter. Yes, I think that's the best. Bye.

- See you later, Don Mario - said, William, saying goodbye to the boss, who walked away leaving everything in silence. At the bottom of my being, I was beginning to feel the pride of a work that had just begun. "I am getting involved in a company in which everything I do goes against my moral and social principles, I cannot stop thinking about it, although I have a nice reason that clarifies my contradictions, justifying them before my eyes. I cannot help but feel bad, but it does not matter, the love I feel for that beautiful little girl is so cute and so great that I would take the devil out of hell to help me conquer her. Was born in the time of sensations? ... Since she was a girl, society has bombarded her with the idea that the one who consumes the most is the best and the happiest. " I thought with melancholy. "Life, for young women, is crazy, the magic of the videos has enveloped them and they all think that the world is full of blue princes, with whom all dreams are golden. , watching beautiful ponies, going to the restaurants to eat delicious things and at night heading out in dreamy discos, they are the immediate plans of all of them. The rest of the week, if they are intelligent women, they dedicate it to interesting things, like reading Love poems, do a lot of sports and eat well The life that Natalia deserves is something like that, because, honestly, I do not conceive love in misery The only problem is that, men like me, we have to sell our strength of I work to be able to live in. There's the small difference between pretty dreams and cruel reality. "
We were working all afternoon. The plastic cans, arranged one next to the other, looked like links of a large blue chain. The floor was humid and the penetrating smell of ether, let our conscience dormant, allowing us to be concentrated in our work.

- Good afternoon - greeted the boss behind us -. How are the gentlemen? - he asked with virility. We all look at his imposing figure. He looked like a warrior from hell. His whole body emanated authority and violence.
- Good afternoon Boss. - I answered, holding with difficulty a filter paper loaded with coca.
- There they told me that you have good ideas and, I would like to sponsor you - noted the boss demonstrating interest in the matter.
- I'm enjoying this - I argued calmly. Although we are working with the nails, I am convinced that we will get ahead.
- Look, young man - exclaimed Mario Galeano irritated -, do not go to think that things, because they are simple, are not functional. No work with the nails, we have achieved what is needed and nothing more. Of course, if you need material, I have eighty thousand million pesos to invest in the business.
- I'm going to experiment a little - I said trying to soften the previous comment -. You know that there is a gulf between theory and practice. Anyway, we are going to be attentive, trying to develop a process that works with quality.
- The only thing I tell you, Julio, is that I do not like men who have ideas and do nothing but ramble. If you have the knowledge to produce the ether, I hope that you dedicate yourself to thinking about the assembly, because I am a man of action and I like men of action. Do you understand? ... - commented the boss, reflecting great interest in the matter.
- Yes, I understand you - I answered affirming with vehemence -. I will study these formulas as calmly as possible, to see if in a while we can produce our raw materials.

- Well, anyway, I hope you put enough force, because we are all interested - then he said softly in my ear: -. If you produce a few explosives that I need, even a hundred very powerful bombs, in case they invade us and then you manage to set up the distillation plant, I'll give you a million dollars, which is enough for you to return to your home and continue studying. I hope you enjoy that money, doing everything that I could not do when I was your age.
That proposal fell like a bucket of cold water. I felt something press on my chest and I did not know what to say. I was visualizing the dream that brought me to this place. "Natalia, the chance to be happy is closer than you imagine!" I thought seized by emotion. That amount of money was enough to buy the descendant of "Prophet of Besilu", the platinum filly and the red cap.
- And why do we need explosives? ... - I asked wanting to understand the intentions of the boss.
- I want you to produce a few mines bankrupt legs, so that we surround our lands and nobody can attack us by surprise. I want them very powerful and have a mechanism for them to explode in series. Better said, you have to connect them to a rope that surrounds the farm and leave us alone inside the corral. How do you like the idea, son? ...
- It is good and very easy to apply, because we have sulfur, nitro, black aluminum, potassium chlorate and everything we need. Count on those mines, boss, that I make eighty or a hundred for tomorrow, with the remaining cookie jars in the kitchen and keep them in the tool room, so everyone knows that we must be very careful with that material.
- Well, boys, enough conferences and everyone to work - said the boss in goodbye tone. He walked away and inside my chest I felt a great relief. Everything had just started and a great responsibility was already weighing on my shoulders. "I am involved in a macabre game, in which there is no way out, I will have to carry my whole life with the bitterness of having participated in a company that generates thousands of deaths, what will be the punishment that nature and God will send me have used my knowledge in a job, which will disgrace thousands and thousands of families? ... God? ... God? ... What does that word mean when the gods abandon the people, in misery , without mercy? ... From today I will not think more about nonsense and I will dedicate myself to work, no matter what happens. "

Julio Fierro took a long drink of whiskey, feeling in his eyes and in the testicles, the punishment that the gods had imposed on him for his misdeeds. He took a deep breath, to catch his breath and continued telling:
In that rest of afternoon the heat was unbearable. The smell of chemicals hurt my lungs. Sweat ran all over my body and the atmosphere became unbearable. Conflict continued in my brain. "I have to decide right now, will I live in peace with God and with myself, or will I continue to fight for the money that will make Natalia and my future daughter very happy?"

The afternoon became slow and my thoughts returned, again and again, on the same subject. "My God, how terrible is all this! ... How is it possible that I am in the dust factory of death?" I thought, while my hands trembled from the agitation. "I could use my knowledge in other things, if I had gone to work in a food factory, today I would be next to Natalia, at peace with the creator and with life ... I cannot understand how I was able to such a terrible idea occurs ... It is disgusting to rise up in life, while many people die because of our guilt, I always dreamed of working in a place like this, without thinking how low it is, this is like selling your soul to Devil: One, in existence, makes many mistakes and is very unfair, I remember the times I silently cursed my father, for not having the money to buy fashionable clothes, even though he was already old and the money was barely enough To buy the food, is it the story that repeats itself and my children curse the cowardice that is filling me inside? ... Damn it, if someone has to condemn me.
And I condemned myself, because, unfortunately, no one escapes from divine justice - said the poor blind horseman, repentant of his mistakes.
I was desperate and only found a little peace writing letters to my beloved.
San Francisco, Octubre 20
Natalia mine:

That pond in the river had become the crystalline stage where the young women developed a spellbinding dance of smiles, color, beauty and soft curves. By strange coincidence, all adult men and women no longer enjoyed contact with water. There was only the select bouquet of girls, who looked like mermaids in a fairy tale. Among all of them, the maturity of your eighteen years was, behind your flesh, all eyes. Your body came out of the water with the slenderness of an enchanted goddess, and the sun beat on your skin with glistening golden honey. Your majesty was impressive and painful, before the decrepitude of the spectators who continued on their field day, pretending they had not seen you. In my chest all the energy of a carnal desire accumulated, that only your firm breasts and the embrace of your legs against my belly could calm down. Your hips stood firm and defiant, forming a curve with your spine. Your flesh stirred delicious, to the rhythm of slow steps that brought you to me. The heart rebelled and began to hit me, strongly, inside the chest, altering my breathing. You had come to me. Your gaze contemplated me calmly, for brief seconds and, we knew that words were not necessary, when two people love each other and vibrate with the same intensity. Your hand entwined my fingers, leaving me feeling a strange heat, after you stayed several hours in the water. I looked into your eyes and a spark flew from them that filled me with happiness. We walked away holding hands, while behind the indifferent crowd remained before another of my beautiful dreams. Nataliaaaaa, in our dreams, I have also been a spectator and, sometimes, when I'm half asleep, I do not know if I'm dreaming, or if I'm really living it. One day I told Pablo, the administrator, this phenomenon of having very real dreams with you and he told me:
- When the psyche begins to move, confusing reality with dreams and dreams with imagination, the situation becomes dangerous, because that is the right path to madness. Pablo is a simple and ordinary guy, and I do not pay attention to his reasoning, but this time he left me thoughtful. Can you imagine my beloved? ... I'm crazy about you ... Do not you think it's a delight? ... Despite the pessimistic prognosis, almost every night I dream of you with little endless stories. They are the fables that my mind weaves, to give a little joy to my heart and my senses. Every moment that passes, I am devising a new strategy to fill your life with happiness. I will build a magical path that will separate you from things.

It is all a labyrinth the path I have taken in life. I abandoned myself on a single hope, in which I played all my chips, although I have a lot of chances to lose, but it does not matter, I always had a player's heart and, in the big bet of my life, I'm going to play everything against everything, because living without you, it would be like not living. Why do I want life, without being able to narrow your beautiful figure, without being able to feel the aroma of your golden hair, which flutters in the wind like a promise of love? ... You are like a beautiful butterfly that I am going to capture, even though I am entangled in a network of bitter feelings, because I always wanted everything and never had anything. Do not even think that my life has been a package of misery, no, within it there have been sunny days and bright, accompanied by rosebushes in bloom, which challenged an intense red as the blood, against the olive green of the field and the infinite blue of the sky, but the best thing that has happened to me is you. In life there are things as crystal clear and beautiful as water, there are millions and millions of stars that shine like diamonds, but none of these wonders can be compared to our love that magnifies them ... Beloved mine, it is so nice to feel the need to be by your side, to infect me of all the beautiful things that you keep in your soul, to contemplate without rest and to die of happiness at your feet. You are too smart and warm, and, therefore, I feel the emptiness of your absence so much. Your body exerts an overwhelming attraction on me. When I was by your side, from all my pores sprung the happiness of being alive. I have started a long journey in search of success, which is so elusive and that, little by little, I am achieving to be by your side forever. I hope not to be mistaken in inconsequential things, so that in the end a love as beautiful as ours prevails. The only thing I need is for you to collaborate, even a little bit, so that everything goes better. I know that you will not understand this letter very well. I write it to recognize, before my own eyes, the disorder and the lack of planning with which, in recent times, I have handled things.

Through the days I have been burning, one by one, all the ships I had at my disposal to abandon this difficult project, and I have launched myself to sail the wild seas of life, strengthened by pride and ambition. When within my plans you began to occupy the first place, in the objectives and priorities of my life, everything has developed like a movie in which my temperament, of stubbornness, has deviated me from all my principles. I have always believed that nature is perfect, although a little painful, and I also know that at the end of the road, whatever happens, our lives will be united, because we deserve it and because we have always acted in good faith.
I do not apologize for coming to this place, simply, I tell you it was necessary, if in the future we thought we were together. I wanted to write a very nice letter, but I was not able. I just want to add, after the coldness of all these words, that they do not convey the intensity of my feelings, that if God has given us a difficult life, he will never be able to take away the love that holds us to eternity. Natalia, I love you with all my heart! Take good care of yourself, have a little patience and remember that the one who loves me the most, the most, loves me!
July.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER NUMBER TEN

My existence was debated in conflicts. I was not a saint, but neither was I violent without scruples. Everything that was happening affected me. I had taken the only path that gave me the possibility of forming a decent home in this country, and I was going to finance it with the money of the poor idiots, who could not resist the anguish of existential emptiness ... "Let the gringos drug themselves, If they want, I do not mind a cucumber that is destroyed, because I'm learning the clear example that they give us, in their developed countries, enjoying their ice cream and their parties, without caring for children who are starving in Africa and in Latin America, if the Yankees do not care about the lives of the innocent, we do not care about their lives either, because, after all, when the ship sinks, we will all sink. " I thought with anger.
I had bad nights, in which depression almost forced me to give up that macabre project.
I am a very vulnerable man and very sensitive, although I always thought that I was solid as a rock.
When I went to the mattress, at the end of each day, the humanist inside me analyzed each of the steps I was taking. "What is good for the children of the United States? ... What is bad for them? ... What justifies my ambition? ..." In the end, in order to sleep, I made the idea that It was good to be a little selfish in the way of happiness. The next morning I would get up peacefully, because the warm dawns embellished the jungle and the soul. Despite the bad nights, I did not feel tired. With a little mental therapy, I was getting rid of the punishment I was imposing on myself. Every time I needed a little air, I would walk around, trying to release the fatigue that the work caused me.
In a day of so many, I worked all morning without rest. Lunch was turtle sancocho and Carlos, the vegetarian, ate up to the head of the turtle. "The hermit" was a vegetarian when it suited him. That afternoon, without explaining why, I went to visit Don Mario Galeano in his cabin and, to my surprise, I arrived at the precise moment. There was the right person for the future process of our company. The chief was talking to Hannibal, an Indian of those who know everything in one area. He was about fifty years old and he showed the character of a great man. I reached the corridor and, without them noticing my presence, I waited until my agitated breathing normalized. It was about three in the afternoon.

 

- Get the mules that I pay the rent - said the boss, as if trying to convince him -. If you bring those tubes, you get a good ticket.
- Is that to put the mules to that so heavy, yes it gives me a little nerves - murmured the Indian as indecisive.
- Do not worry, Hannibal, if something happens to the animals, I will send them to pray - promised Mario Galeano, trying to close the business. I advanced through the patio greeting cordially.
- Good afternoon, my lords. How are those businesses going? ...
- Hello, son, we were talking about, you, precisely - commented Don Mario and addressing the Indian, he made the presentation -. Look, Hannibal, this is the godson who, to me, is like the son I never had.
- Good evening, my friend - greeted the Indian, giving me a handshake with kindness. His fibrous body and strong arms betrayed a hard-working man.
- Nice to meet you, sir, my name is Julio Fierro - I said encouraged by the presentation - And what were you talking about me, if you can know?
- Hannibal is going to get us some metal tubes, those of pipeline, which are wide and very thin, to see if you think we can use them. Because I think those are the effective ones to build the tower - said the boss without waiting for my answer.
- Yes, I think it's a good idea, and, since you know the market a lot, look to see if you can get us a boiler - I said to the Indian and then, looking at the boss, I explained -. If we can get things done, it's better. Arming improvised devices takes a lot of time and most of the time they are not functional.
- I get a very good boiler, but that costs them a lot - warned the Indian.
- For money do not worry, friend - assured the boss -, bring things as fast as you can, that here we put your tickets.
- Do I have the ten tubes that I have, or how many do you want me to get? - Hannibal asked decisively.

 

 

 

- I think that with ten is enough, and notice that the boiler works well - I warned with malice -. We are also going to need an electric welding equipment. If you do us the favor of getting it, we will be very grateful - that Indian was a merchant, he could be ordered from a golden pen, to an airplane. Of course, the origin of things was not well known but, after all, we were at war and war was war. The Indian left and I, after saying goodbye, went back to work. That same afternoon, I chose the place where the tower was to be installed, camouflaged between two leafy Mexican avocados, it would look like a missile, pointing to the future of the Yankees. All night I was thinking about the technical assembly of that show. The bubbling dishes I decided to replace them with very thin quinces that grew in the area. Since porous marble was very abundant in that region, with a few sheets interspersed among the quinces, it would be more than enough. If the thing worked well, the future with my Natalia was assured, and the money will even go to buy the horses of my dreams, which by the way were very expensive.
I kept writing letters to my beloved illusion.
Natalia:
Here in the middle of the mountain
I do not feel your heat
I'm sad and confused
Delirious for your love.
It is the most horrible test
Live alone in exile
With a sensitive heart
That explodes inside me.
The cries of an owl
They have made me very nervous
And although I do not have omens
It was a painful moan.
I'm not doubting anything,
I trust you blindly
But that tune
He was calling death.
I do not know what is happening to me
That I doubt and I still doubt,
Of a love that is immortal.

 

And that there is waiting for me.
With a buried thorn
In the center of my chest
I'm still fighting for you
That you are my only consolation.
July.
The mules began to arrive until the patio of the camping. They came loaded with thick steel tubes. The tubes were three meters long and about fifty centimeters in diameter, approximately. They were incredibly heavy and the animals, dragging two of them, reached the point of fainting. The mules symbolized the thrust of our race and were very famous among the old Antioquenos, but what I did not imagine, were that the fight against the virgin forest, still continued, in the push of the males and the muleteers. In the abdomen of two of the animals of the gang, you could see small bombs, as if the guts were going to come out there. I was watching them for a long time and I could not resist, before the confusion that those huge hernias produced. I went to where the muleteer was unlocking the cargo and ...
- Don Aníbal, what is it that these mules have in their bellies? - I asked without hiding my concern.
- When they do a bad force, it gives them a hernia in that way, but do not worry that that is not dangerous. They work normally, until one has time to pray them - the Indian noted, as if trying to dispel the anguish that was reflected on my face.
- How is that injury going to be cured with a simple prayer, Don Anibal, for God's sake? - I protested at the tranquility of the veteran.
- Easy, boy. That is released two or three months, they are made to pray of a shaman and soon they are as good as new - said Don Anibal, convinced of his strategy. I could not add anything, I thought how backward we were in this country and I looked at the athletic man who unloaded the heavy tubes.

 

The mules came and went without ceasing. In the evening hours ten tubes were piled up, a boiler J.C.T. Made in Medellin, Colombia, and a welding team. What a great efficiency. This subject, in a very short time, could bring the devil of the very hells. I do not know where he got things from, but they were there and very good indeed.
My inner peace was gone and I continued to write letters like this:
San Francisco, October 27
My dear Jaime:

Today I am on one of those days when everything is doubted. Nor do I understand my reasoning. If I think that fate is not pre-established and that each person is forming it with the decisions he makes in life, then, why, I take so much time away from my beloved, giving him the opportunity to take a different path from mine, in the one who may never find it. The only thing I have been able to realize, my friend, is that many things come into play in love, which are not as sublime as the brightness of beautiful eyes and the tenderness of sweet words. They are earthly things that we are used to and that the strength of a beautiful love cannot replace them. The damn money has become a barrier that I built myself. I am stupid that I want to give my beloved a social status that I do not even know what she is like. Today, thinking about these things, I have realized that I, in Natalia's life, am hardly a stranger that she does not even dare to communicate her fears. Damn it, I'm wrong on my way ... I can give up everything in life for her, I can drag myself into the mud of the future and I do not know her yet, nor does she know me well. Anyway, I will fight to be able to embrace her, with all the intensity of my love, and to be able to feel the whispers of her tender soul. The day that Natalia is mine, neither God, nor the devil, nor time, will be able to survive this event. From that day there will be, for me, but a parameter in the roulette of life, and that parameter is happiness. I will immerse myself in the crystalline and effervescent well of an immense happiness, until intoxicating the sad reason, of the ephemeral ones, that have not been able to be anointed of the balsam that makes us eternal, the love.

 

While I shout heresies to the four winds and renounce everything in life, for this passion, I think that I have never dared to ask, to what is she willing, to enjoy these same follies. ... Forgive me, friend Mine, I look like a crazed child behind an unattainable candy.
I am very nervous and too restless. These days, all the facts that have brought pain to my life are returning to my memory. It seems that I am predestined to pain and ingratitude. Every night I have had horrible dreams, I am living a life without rest. But do not criticize me, my friend that this is the path I have chosen, although every day I ask myself one question: Do I have enough strength to produce the drugs that will poison people and children in the streets? Many drugged people kill, even their own children. Will I be able to raise my family with money stained by the blood of other destroyed homes? ... Definitely, I am not prepared to do painful things, how could I get to this place? ... From the first moment, I understood that I can not use my knowledge to destroy the lives of innocent people. How is it possible to live the hell of the billionaires, who became rich in the pain of many miserable? ... What I do not explain, my friend, is why he continued in this place! Why do not I go to Medellin, to continue with the breeding farm of Colombian Paso Paso? ... Could it be that Natalia can love a simple man with little money? ... Yes, my beloved, accept a life humble and in family, I swear to God, that I would abandon all this ...
My friend; I hope you are never ashamed of me. Please remember me with love, because I know that I can always count on you. He says goodbye to you, the one who admires and respects you the most. Julio Fierro

 

 

 

CHAPTER ELEVEN NUMBER

San Francisco, November 3
Natalia:
I have not been able to resist the temptation to write to you. You look like the most spectacular woman in the world. Almost every night I think of you and your vibrant body. I still cannot explain what is happening to you, it gives me the impression that you are everywhere and everywhere. The forest has been filled with your presence and your sweetness. The beautiful orchids that are shelled in a cascade of color and freshness, keep the aroma of your sensual body. The majesty of the red oaks, the softness of the blue sky, the joy of the ravines in this winter time, the romanticism of the furious storms, the power of the violent hurricanes and the crash of the thunder, that want to split the jungle in pieces, they have impregnated you. The brightness and strength of your eyes have infected the eyes of the tigress, who comes every afternoon to the riverbank. The boys were organizing a hunt and I opposed furiously. I cannot explain how they are able to think about the death of the beautiful female and her puppy. When I am in the middle of the jungle, I feel a sensation, almost real, that you are by my side. I can feel and inhale the scent of your delicate body beside me. The trees are seduced by the wind and that entire dance is the same as your hair and your flesh unfold when you are agitated and smiling. I have not told these things to anyone, because they would not know how to understand it. I am keeping it as our great secret.
Natalia, I'm loving you desperately, I do not see the time to be by your side, to give you everything you deserve. I am working hard, to achieve the realization of our dreams. If the chemistry of love continues to work among us, and Cupid hits with his arrows in our hearts, you will always have me as a companion, who will idolize you, inflaming you with your inner fire. The bread of each morning will always have a new flavor by your side, and, if you love me, this love will be eternal. I promise you.
How beautiful things look
Contemplating your memory,
Imagining adventures
For when we are old.

 

Eating fruits in peace and looking far away, without having to think about what is, or is not, eternal. When I am by your side, we will live very happily, savoring the nectar of the things of life. Do you realize, my love? ... If you realize? ... I am delirious about you. Never, I will never get away from the flare of your love, which is the purest and most divine thing that exists in the universe.
July.
We started to build the distillation tower, the scaffolding was built stick by stick. I was there, most of the day, watching over the progress of the project. He was taking an active part in the material life of the village, so that everything would be well done. With the help of the Indian, I got all the tools and the material. I hired another Indian to pay, to help me in the task. In a few days, the scaffolding rose like a monster, in the middle of the avocados. We welded the tubes and put the hoses, which would lead the steam to the porous plates. Everything was very simple. We placed the boiler on a wooden floor, so that the base would not rust, we also built a ranch to protect it from the rains and we painted the green roof, trying to camouflage it. The Colombian army does not care about straw huts, but when they see metal frames, they get a little nervous. Everything progressed without obstacles. The hoses softened a bit, with the heat of the steam, but that was not a problem, because there were no leaks. I was happy, everything worked perfectly and the money was earned.
The next morning, the boss and I were testing the performance and quality of the distillate, when, a noise behind us, made us turn around at the same time. The security of the company had failed and there, at our side, was a younger than usual, with a plaid shirt, faded jeans and tennis very tired. The stranger was there planted and looked at us in silence.
- Don Mario Galeano - said the newcomer, in a soft voice, but surely -, I come to propose a good business.

- Yes, and who are you? ... - said the somewhat distrustful boss - Do not you know that all those who enter without permission, on my property, are willing to be shot?
- Yes sir. What happens is that I know all the people in this area, so I have no problem with the boys, "the boy explained with great confidence. My name is Walter Molina, aka "the bird" ... I am the son of Pascual, the veterinarian and brother of Alejandro, my partner.
- What do you want? - the boss asked, recognizing in the adolescent, the small boy who until a few months ago came to the farm, to ask for bananas and yuccas.
- I come to offer you some things that we stole, my brother and I, in the church of the Sanctuary - the boy answered, without being ashamed of the subject. The boss and I were surprised and the boy stared at us with his green eyes, tucked into the softness of his youthful face. In his hand appeared a gleaming gold coin and the boss, bewitched by the glow of the metal, advanced with agility to where the young man was, took the coin and reviewed it with all the calm of the case.
- What else was stolen? - Don Mario asked, unable to hide the great interest he felt for the precious metal.
- We have the crowns of the Virgin of Carmen and the baby Jesus, which are a true work of art. We also brought a custody of solid gold, which weighs about six pounds and is adorned with emeralds ... We were so lucky - continued the story, proud of his feat - that in a drawer of the sacristy, the father had twenty equal coins to that, and two cups of gold fourteen carats.
- I do tell you one thing, boy, who steals in a church, is cursed for all eternity. So, if I were in your skin, I would get rid of all that junk, as soon as possible - advised the boss trying to soften the young man.
- Yes? - interrogated the boy, remaining hard and invariable before the speech of the boss.

- And how much do you intend to get for those sacrilegious trinkets?
- Ten million pesos - the thief replied with great confidence.
- Look, young man, I'm not taught to buy stolen things, it's more, I still cannot explain why you came here. Anyway - the boss continued, saying - if they want to get rid of that scrap, I offer them four and a half million pesos for it.
We all fell silent. "The bird" did not move from where it was, his face remained unchanged and his eyes irritated, they looked at us with penetrating security. The chief tried to guess the effect of his words. The silence went on and, Don Mario, unable to resist, he asked again.
- Say then, how much will things sells me?
- For ten million pesos, in cash - answered "the bird" with great security. He said it slowly, as if it were something fixed and irrevocable.
- And where are the merchandise stored? - Asked the boss, with an air of innocence - Is that buying things that one has not seen, is a bit difficult. Do not you think? ... In addition, the sum you're asking is so great; you cannot even imagine it. One to get ten million pesos, he has to work this life and the other - Mario stayed as waiting for the answer, a question that was not very clear -. Good. Where are the things, to see if they are gold or copper? - The boss insisted.
- Look, Don Mario, let's talk frankly, you are a very powerful man and you are surrounded by assassins, who would kill us when you ordered it. We have the jewels buried in the forest and as soon as you give us the money, we give you the things, assuring you that they are worth more than fifty million pesos. We decided to sell them to you, because, since we were children, your family has collaborated with us and has calmed us many hungers - argued the boy, with eyes almost flooded with feeling.

- I do not care much; those relics - noted Don Mario Galeano -. If I wanted to buy gold, I would buy gold that was not cursed. So if you want ... Because those things are yours and your brother's, right? ...
- Yes, sir - the boy answered quickly.
- I am going to offer you six million pesos and that is my definitive offer - concluded the boss -. So you will see if they take it or leave it. - summarized Mario, handing the coin to the boy.
The boy remained silent for several minutes, as if he had not understood the proposal
- What do you say? - asked the boss, again, the young man who did not move from there, standing like a statue.
- Worth ten million pesos, if you want - repeated Walter, showing his few skills for the business.
- I already offered you six million - shouted Don Mario, exasperated -, if you do not want them, go back over your dirty steps and clear the farm. - The boy turned around and walked away, without saying anything.
The rest of the day we remained silent and did not speak, not another word, about the matter. Night came and I, lying on the mattress, thought in the middle of the darkness. "How have I risked dying, to be able to live happily one day? ... Now I am only a month away from deprivation, and then enjoy my life fully." This week will be the final test, when the ether production plant I will be able to fly in search of my great love, all of this was a challenge, with me, and, now, there is very little time left for its completion ... How nice it was to be here. But now it seems beautiful to me and I have learned to look at it: the immense trees, the cheerful song of the birds, the malicious squeal of the monkeys, the violent sunset of the tireless cicadas, the sunny dawns and the memory of a distant princess, I was getting used to this unsuspected landscape that, at first, I took as a dungeon in exile ... Could it be that inmates end up loving the thick bars of their prison? It was not my isolation that seduced me, it was the silence and loneliness that allowed me to ruminate, about my thoughts, to find the true meaning of things. Each of the problems, each of the risks overcome and each of the superhuman efforts, I have overcome with the memory of your blessed image! ... Natalia, you have always been and will be, the engine that drives all my movements , in search of that glorious and happy life that I will have by your side, so that, later, lying on the grass of the garden, you can say to me with tenderness: How great is all this! ... In these days of loneliness and martyrdom, I discovered that the source of my inner strength, is to be in love with my dreams, renouncing the monotony of a normal life, because my beloved is a special woman and I cannot stay behind like an effeminate. "
The works marched in a hurry. In recent days, trucks with more than twenty-four thousand liters of sulfuric acid had reached San Francisco. The mules had had a lot of work and the containers abounded everywhere. Under the trees of the bush, was the camouflage was perfect. The place was filled with multicolored walls, on which the precious acid rested. The work intensified, because I also had to take care of the production of alcohol, which could not be achieved on the black market. Better said, yes it was achieved, but at exaggerated prices and, then, we decided to produce it. I ordered two thousand kilos of purge honey and prepared the must, in the plastic cans that were left over from the cocaine process. We had the hope of producing alcohol at ninety percent purity. The laboratory had a smell of everything, except good. On the one hand the pungent smell of ether, on the other, the smell of gasoline and sulfuric acid and, now, we had added the smell of fermentations. That pollution irritated our eyes painfully. We spent the whole day measuring the substances and crystallizing the alkaloid. The orders increased. Those gringos like they do not get tired of getting high ...! What a horrible thing! ... There were some problems, which we had to solve on the fly, using all the expertise, not to irritate the boss who was very nervous.

Everything had ended in the tests of the tower. The boiler was located at a strategic point, in which, without having to move it an inch, it provided water vapor anywhere in the laboratory. Mario Galeano and I, we were contemplating the gigantic complex, which rose above the ranches, forming a metallic monster that nobody imagined would exist. We were absorbed by the complicated system that had left us exhausted, by the large amount of work we had in recent weeks. In our bodies reposed the fatigue of long and exhausting days, invested in the termination of the main source of our future inputs, in which even the boss worked as a worker either.
- I am surprised with the amount of knowledge you have revealed, in this assembly - the boss told me, in a tone of thanks -. The number of ducts and temperature controls that we have placed on this tower is impressive. It does not look like a distillation tower, but a rocket that would not have made it so beautiful in NASA. I think this deserves a celebration, or what do you think?
- We can take a few rums with ice, if you wish - I argued, forgetting the fatigue of the hard days.
- Let's get dressed for the occasion ... Julio, tell any of the Indians, to saddle two horses. Me, meanwhile, I'm going to hit a bath and in fifteen minutes we're going to San Francisco - Don Mario concluded, moving away in search of his ranch.
Later, remembering all the events, I was impressed by the way our destiny was predetermined. I did not understand why, finding us so tired, instead of having a few drinks in the canteen of the camp, we went to celebrate San Francisco - explained the blind horseman, remembering the sad story he was telling us -. The walk, although short, was unnecessary and deadly. Many times we had gone down to the town, but, that time, we had a very important meeting. Our spirits were agitated and sensitive, the greatness of our intelligence and pride, were inflamed with the grandeur of the experiment we had mounted. At the precise moment, we heard a conversation that would mark our lives.

The first shadows of the night fell on the village, making it very romantic and cozy. We arrived at a bar, special for lovers and heartbroken. On the back wall and behind the old oak counter, a folkloric name, "La tusa", gave strength to the place. We ordered two cold beers and, in silence, we recovered the calm that the fast cavalcade made us lose. At the tables, the peasants, tucked into their hats, ruminated the sorrows submerged in the effects of the liquor. When Don Mario went out to celebrate, he liked those places, where they listened to music that speaks of pain and wounds in the heart. In that place the melodies resounded in the beers, the aguardiente and the rum, that were waiting to be consumed. Behind the counter, with his face very tired, the administrator moved, making a great effort to listen to the chatter that was released by a man with small eyes and a face stung by acne. The subject was called Juan "el prendero", a usurer by profession and a businessman of everything that was offered to him. Mario Galeano knew this man deeply, and he had already negotiated with him. He was a guy of about thirty, small, talkative, aggressive and a full-time rogue. With a package of merchandise under his arm, he struggled to explain a business to the bartender. When Don Mario observed him, his face twisted into a sneer, although he did not say a word.
- I cannot get all that money - said the bartender, trying to diminish the enthusiasm that Juan put "the pin" to the matter -, come now, at night, when my brothers are here, but I guarantee nothing.
- Today at night? ... Are you crazy or what? - He said with despair, trying to force the decision - We have to buy that custody today, at six in the afternoon, when "birds" pass after work.
- Stop being so accelerated, that buying stolen jewelry is not as good business as you think - advised the bartender, showing experience in the matter -. Those jewels that were offered to you, those guys, like they have you half crazy.

- Imagine that that custody has about thirty-two legitimate emeralds. I had them in my hands and I guarantee that each of them can be worth more than two million pesos. Other than that is gold or rather, he explained with bright eyes of ambition that is a round business, in which we can have more than fifty million pesos?
- Okay, I will try to get the tickets, but do not tell anyone; because they can overtake us - the bartender warned lowering his voice -. Send word to "the birds", that we wait for you here, in the business, at about six and ten minutes in the afternoon, when they finish the work day.
- That's fine. As they come from the chaparral farm, we do not send them to say anything, so that we do not notice much interest - noted Juan "el prendero", showing his sagacity in business -. As they have to pass, in their dilapidated car, through the park, I intercept them and invite them to drink some spirits here. You are in charge of serving a lot of liquor that I, in the meantime, entangle.
Mario Galeano did not want to hear anything else, threw a bill on the counter and left with a rather agitated breathing. The indifference with which he began to listen to the conversation had turned into a great feeling of anger at being betrayed. By chance, he had learned that those ignorant boys were looking for sale to the jewels without considering him, that he had practically raised them.
The chief was pale with death, as if lightning had struck him. We ride on the horses and without uttering a single word; we start at full gallop in an unknown direction. His body was agitated and, by his behavior, the decision was made. Those jewels would have to be his at all costs. The destination was written. All his life he had been in love with gold and precious stones and, now, they were offering him a treasure he could not miss. Without asking anything and without the slightest interest, we had learned of the movements of Alejandro and Walter, "the birds", who were going to sell the jewels. All the information was in our hands and the boss could use it in his favor, if he considered it reasonable. I did not quite like the subject, but I went to his side with resignation.

We went talking about the subject. Juan "el prendero" was a businessman who bought and exchanged any kind of objects, regardless of the origin. He had a player's heart and a reputation for being a full-time scoundrel. In conclusion, the man was a well-dressed and very formal vividor. Don Mario referred to "the birds" with fury. I knew them more or less well and he told me that Walter, the younger brother, was about twenty years old and since he was a child he was an inveterate thief, because the clothes and shoes of the neighbors disappeared without a trace. Everyone knew it was him, but they never caught him with the clothes in his hands. Alejandro was a very serious guy and had always controlled the follies of his younger brother. He traded with agricultural products and his easy smile and cheerful spirit, allowed him to be very successful in his work. Lately, I was getting more money than usual and it seemed like I was into illegal business.
- If you recognize that they have the spirit of criminals, you must warn them against them - I advised a little distrustful.
- It's not that bad either ... Walter has got into trouble, but do not think he's a monster. Apparently, he's a good boy.
- Do not tell me, boss, that you like that boy - I said distrustfully, trying not to be persuaded by the fragile and polished figure of the boy.
- Do not think that I will win a pretty face, because I tell you that, to that pair of bastards, I tear them up with my own hands, if they fail me - the boss said a little more calmly. Now he was laughing at the subject and I was shaking with nerves.
- What great madness, is all this! ... Patron, analyze one thing, those guys have a treasure that nobody has seen - I continued to pose without being upset - and they have a reputation for thieves ... Have not you thought, for a moment, what can they cheat? ...

- Quiet that I thought about it - he replied mocking my fear -. Now tell me something ... Would you dare, two poor boys, to deceive the bravest and most powerful man in the region? ... Do you think that they are going to expose their mother, their father and their younger sister, to a sure death? ... Do you think that Juan "el prendero" and his friend are going to expose me to fight them alive, to try to follow a farce with that pair of thieves? ... Because yes, “el prendero "said that these emeralds were legitimate and with his life he will have to prove it. Do not you think so?
- What you do not know, is to what extent they respect you - I clarified trying to warn you.
- The one who does not know how many guys I killed, in this area, are you, or do you think that the power I have is born from my pretty face? ... Convince yourself of one thing, Julio Fierro, that in order for people to I respect you, you have to show them that you are willing to break the skull to whatever. In nature, the strongest males mark the territory and this territory is mine. Do not believe that someone gave it to me. In order for these savages to respect my own, I had to kill even the devil himself. What's more, I'm going to give them those ten million pesos, so they can prove their loyalty and respect. If you fail me, I'm going to bury your whole damned race, in the company of the worms.
Don Mario was very agitated. Problems of those had had by thousands in his life, although, in other ways and applied to other things, but essentially dealing with the same issue. I was walking on the dangerous edge of ambition, from which many satisfactions could arise or also much bitterness tinged with death. Why had we heard that conversation, at the precise moment when we were forgetting the business? ... It was an amazing coincidence that, in that seedy bar, they were talking about a subject that would impress the boss so much. We arrived at a crossroads on the road, on the right we would take the course towards the camp and on the left, we would go in search of adventure and danger. Mario Galeano stopped in the middle of the crossing and continued locked in his silence. After much meditating he said:

- "If God and nature want me to be the exterminating angel of that crap, so is it!" - And we ripped the beasts at full gallop, in search of the sacred treasure. Within minutes, the animals moved smoothly through the field. It had to travel five kilometers. The road was straight and completely flat, and the distance could be covered in about fifteen minutes. It was half an hour before it was six in the afternoon and it was impossible that "the birds" had passed by, without us not having noticed. We walked the path in twelve minutes and slowed the pace for the horses to catch their breath. We advance with a slow trot. We reached a long straight and there was still no sign of the car.
We get close to the side of the road and take refuge in the branches of a tree. We were practically hidden although, the one that passed by our side, could easily see us. People might think we were crazy, but that did not matter. Now that we had a little time, we could rest from the busyness of the day.
The chief observed the car in the distance and immediately threw his horse forward. "Venusino", the horse of the patron, was known throughout the region for its brio and for being a fine polished Colombian step. None of the taxi noticed that we were waiting for them. We were on the straight and we were about a hundred meters away. With his right hand the boss told me to stop the horse and we were quiet, waiting until "The bird" stopped his rickety car.
- How are you, Don Mario? What is that miracle? ... - they asked, as they peered curiously out the window.
- Good afternoon, boys - Don Mario greeted, kindly.
- Where do they go at this time? - Walter investigated with interest - Are they going to escape from San Francisco or what? - the boss was thinking a few seconds and then said:

- I'm going to drink some spirits with my godson and, right there, we're going to find a provincial who owes me. Because yes, to me, who owes me he pays me - warned the boss, with brave face -. If they want to come, with me, I'm going to buy aguardiente for everyone.
Ah well! - Alexander exclaimed - Are you going to take care of us, so ragged and poor?
- That's not uncommon - said Don Mario, minimizing the comment.
- It is, you, too smart to dance with us - Alexander said again "the bird" - It will not be what you need us for something?
It can be - the boss replied, in a calm voice -. I had always thought myself very intelligent, but now I am becoming gross. Come with us and relax that, tomorrow, they will arrive before breakfast time, I guarantee that.
- Go dance with them that I cannot and, over there right, if you do not do big business, you sell them one of the coins, because I need a little cash - Alexander ordered Walter -. The godson will take you to the haunch ... Is not it? - asked the chubby and smiling Alejandro. I affirmed with a nod and in a flash, "The bird" was on the ground walking towards us. He had the same jeans and the same striped shirt with which he always walked. He jumped up on my horse, sat down and said goodbye to his brother. The car started and we, without hiding the intentions, we turned around and whipped the horses, launching them at a gallop. Walter, behind me, was holding on tight. We all went in silence. We travel like seven minutes without saying a word.

- The treasure of the Holy See in Rome - said Don Mario without addressing anyone. How much will they charge the "lender" for the jewels? - Walter thought for a moment and sucked his teeth hard, not knowing what to answer.
- He is very interested, but we want a good price.
- But he already offered or not? - Asked the boss - How much are they going to charge?
- Ten million pesos for everything - Walter answered, for sure - Do you think that that irresponsible person has all that money? ... Do not be such a fool, man. - Roared the boss very upset. Walter did not answer anything. You could have said many things, but everything was useless. The business was running again.
- Lets not detour the thing anymore. How much are you going to sell me, those jewels? - Don Mario asked, softening the words - Remember that I, practically, am like a father to you.
- They are ten million pesos nothing more - Walter said in a cold voice, regardless of the request.
- It is about the crowns of the Virgin of Carmen and the baby Jesus, the most holy and two more drinks, so you will not think, that I will buy the whole church. - The employer explained, without receiving an answer.
We finished the big straight. The horses increased the pace. San Francisco was nearby and "the bird" was still silent.
- Break it to that a little bit and we reached an agreement - proposed the boss. Walter continued in silence. In short, how much are these relics worth, so that we end up with this?
Don Mario slowed the pace of the horse, because the road slowly brought us closer to the hamlet. Walter, showing reluctantly, said:
- Those ten million pesos do not have a discount.
The music and the bustle announced the life of a flourishing farmhouse. Don Mario Galeano looked thoughtful and then said:

 

- Well, boy, I'm done, I want that gold to be mine and we three are going to celebrate it!
That same night, shortly after finishing the second bottle of liquor, the boss issued a check for ten million pesos and also obtained the promise to receive the objects as soon as the check was cleared. The liquor ran with abundance and between laughter and songs, the new dawn arrived. Walter left completely drunk and the boss, as usual, continued very dance. At ten o'clock in the morning we left for the farm. We pretended to be happy. Don Mario had a proud smile, the same one he used to wear when people admired his horse's collar. He was very stressed and the muscles of his face were sprouting, when he clenched his jaw. Every minute he slapped his horse in the neck, as if he were arguing with himself.
- What a good business! - the boss concluded aloud -. If it is true that I bring these relics to the house, I will have a good amount of gold and very precious stones. I wish it so!
Definitely, that boy was a genius. It is that selling such a large amount of gold, without anyone having seen it, has its merits. Don Mario marched in silence; we were both thinking the same thing. The horses galloped restlessly, as if sensing a deception. Walter told the boss, who had the jewelry, but never said the size, nor guaranteed the carats. The boss began to turn pale and his eyes flashed. Without saying a word, we turned the horses and came back at full gallop. We went down the straight line very fast and arrived at the park, like the angels avenging a terrible offense. We went to the canteen where we were drinking and left the horses tied to the front. The people watched us. The boss breathed hard and looked with murderous eyes. I was totally decomposed.

- Come on, son, let's have a drink - he invited with determination. We entered the canteen, ordered two runs with ice and we stayed at the bar. The bartender placed the disk that Don Mario liked and joked naturally, as he always did. The subject that interested us was not around; we had that drink and went out in search of the horses. The people passed and greeted us kindly. We ride the horses and move away from there, without having a fixed course. The boss was desperate, his face was white and his voice was shaking with agitation, he pulled some bills out of his pocket and said:
- Go to the tobacconist and buy me a bottle of rum - he felt cheated and that filled him with rage. He had a way out and he did not want to think about it. We took a drink and getting calm, a little, we started the trip back.
- Why do not we go to the bank, to stop that check? - I dared to insinuate to the boss.
- Quiet - Don Mario told me - that if those bastards deceive us, in eight days they will be more than dead, so hide in the very inferno.
We were talking about that, when Walter appeared with irritated eyes and a broken face. He whistled to get our attention and came running to our side.
- Do me a favor, Don Mario - he asked "The bird" with a respectful voice -, buy me this coin. I'm without cash and I'm afraid to change this big check.
"The bird" elongated the gold coin, which had an impressive beauty. The boss looked at me calmly; he had regained faith in the business.

- How much do you what for her? - He asked calmly.
- Worth twenty-five thousand pesos, guaranteeing that it is eighteen carats - Walter added, showing his ability in the business.
- I give you ten thousand pesos for her, take them or leave them - the boss said.
- If you give me fifteen thousand pesos, it's yours. Since we did the big business - argued Walter -. If not, it will be my turn to change the check, so I insert myself with all that money.
Don Mario accepted gladly and told him the bills, with the coin in his hand. Walter took the money and disappeared. We started on the way back. The ghost of distrust had disappeared.
- Yes he saw, son - the boss said to me reaffirming himself -, that they respect me? ... Because the one that deceives me, dies with all his family. They must know that, do not they? ...
I did not know what to say anymore. Walter's attitude distracted me, although from the first moment I could swear it was a hoax. My sponsor knew the kind of subjects that were "The Birds", however, he was still betting ten million pesos and many annoyances, against his pride.
The story of Julio Fierro was very interesting, but I was very hungry. I looked at the clock and it was two thirty in the afternoon. The blind horseman, despite the liquor he had been swallowing, swallowed at the smell of the meat that Jose Antonio was frying.
- Patron, I think it is better to interrupt the story a few minutes, to feed a little, because since breakfast they have eaten nothing - said the faithful butler, who appeared with huge thighs that came completely off the plates. I was silent observing the strange flesh, but I calmed down when José Antonio asked me:

- Dear writer, you have come to enjoy a good savanna deer.

No man, those animals I've only seen on television - I answered with a broad smile, while receiving the plate.
- For your information, I tell you Don Jorge, that in their pine trees abound these beautiful animals, which only come out to graze in the evenings when the sun is falling.
I was surprised by the words of the humble man, because I imagined that at this point in life, those beautiful specimens had already become extinct. Lunch did not give wait. We ate fried venison with roasted bananas and black coffee.
After the succulent lunch, we rested a good while, until the blind horseman asked me:
- How did you like the story? ...
- Very interesting and very beautiful, I hope that my literary quality is at the height of the second best novel, of love, that is going to be written in Colombia, because the best and most wonderful is and will always be the immortal "Maria" of Jorge Isaac, who was a genius. But calm, good man, that your story I will write with all the love of the world, with that same love with which you delivered part of your body and your life, for her.
-! Thank you! - was the only thing that the poor blind man could exclaim that he could not cry of emotion, because he had no eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER TWELVE NUMBER

My love was still intact - the horseman continued -. I continued working in that hell and to distract me I wrote, my beloved, letters like this:
San Francisco, November 23
Beautiful princess with strawberry mouth:

Time is an implacable enemy and advances with firm step to the beat of the hours and days that are shelled, incessantly, in the calendar sheets. In the same way, the flowers melt in my hands when I'm thinking of you. I feel exhausted, my love. I am holding, sacredly, to your image engraved in my mind. You have become a passion that travels in my blood, as the only reason to keep going, in this hard way to live. I do not know what you are doing at this moment. I do not know if someone else will have the opportunity to be by your side. My crazy heart rebels filling the mind and body with meaningless fears. Although I should be scared, I'm not afraid that someone will say nice things in your ear, because I'm sure no one will vibrate, by your side, with the same intensity that my heart and my soul have.
I tell you that in the middle of the forest, you feel the total loneliness of abandonment and despair. Feelings that I have learned to handle, thanks to my grandparents who always lost everything. I descend from men who changed the future at a gaming table. My grandparents took hundreds of years, holding their breath to temper the soul, before the possibility of losing everything in a second. Playing life, for a good reason, has been traditional in our family, so that you go knowing.
Now I have in sight the path of my destiny, a path that I will have to draw without errors, because the tears to regret the mistakes have already been spent by the old. I have decided to continue walking along the path of my dreams, freeing the obstacles that in each abyss, death can lead me. I chose the shortest path. A path against time and processes, a path marked by your innocent words, which inflamed my chest, causing the gladiator that my grandparents kept inside. One day, without knowing that I was going to listen to them, on a newscast, some words came out of your mouth that hit my brain and will continue to hit you until you are mine.

- If any man marries me, he will not be a fool. I want a brave man, who triumphs whatever.

That's what you told an unsuspecting journalist and that, for me, was like a personal challenge. Now, those words, have become the flag of a struggle, which will reward the warm warmth of your arms.
Natalia, I'm going to show you the kind of man inside me, and I hope you understand that, in every second of life, you will be filled with the intensity of a lover who is able to offer his life for you, whenever you want. Because it is one thing to say to a woman I love you, and, quite another, is that she feels a heart that wants to burst because of her. Today I am revealing to you things that, for prudence, I did not want to analyze at the time. Now I let you see before your eyes, so that you know that far away, there is a man who is dying for your love. These confessions, today, have produced a special depression, because I have started thinking about sad things, although I am convinced that our love will emerge as a radiant sun after a stormy night, to fill everything with energy, love and magic. , Natalia remember that I love you!
Julio Fierro
The activities on the farm marched halfway through the machine. The boss was thoughtful and did not want to work. Three days ago they had cashed the check and the jewels could not be seen. The godfather was broken, he felt very bad and not even the brandy liked him. Everyone was aware that, for the first time in their lives, the boss had been swindled. He did not hide it. By a strange mania, everyone told him the story, how trying to expand what he could no longer bear.
- What do you think son? ... Could it be that I'm getting old? - Questioned my sponsor, more than asking him, asking him himself - How is it possible that, those two boys, dare to steal me? ... Could it be that they cannot imagine what can happen to them for such a serious lack? ... Five days ago I handed them the check, with the commitment that as soon as they charged it, they were going to bring all this junk to me. Of course I like it that way, because they're thinking that I'm a fool and I'm going to massacre them with pleasure. What's more, if in three days they have not brought me those junk, I'm going to kill their mom, dad, uncles, cousins, dog and even fleas - said Don Mario, with frenzy. I did not dare to speak at such a delicate moment. The boss was furious, because he never imagined that he would be duped in that way.

- They try to cheat someone who was a good person, is justifiable, but to me, since he was a child was involved in all the thieves, rapists and murderers of the bravest people in Medellin, that's ridiculous. That pair of 'ladybirds', do not know what it is to have lived in a commune, carrying water from afar and holding needs by lots ... I see, son, when I was eleven years old, I was walking through the center of Medellin looking to see who gave me the opportunity to steal a chain, some earrings or a good watch. I was more a thief than a devil and now this pair of "gonorrhea" arrives and they rob me ten million pesos, in front. That I do not believe it or myself. How is it possible that they risk the life of the whole family, for that misery? ... No, it's just that I do not explain myself, how do they do one of those things to me? ... See, son, is that the dead that I have in my conscience are countless. Better said, next to me, Hitler was a brother of charity. Yes, definitely, those two sluts were wrong with me.
The chess of life
It is something very unique
All fighting hard
For the pleasure of winning.
Suffer the king defeat
From his untouchable empire
And order all your chips
An unstoppable revenge.
Came bishops, horses
In violent hunts
The other ladies fall
Filling us with joy
It is an undeniable pleasure
Let them throw a challenge
To prove strength
Of our brave pride.
Taught to die
the early illusions
Life no longer hurts
for worldly bitterness.
We are the survivors
in this world of war
and we play our lives
Even if it is won or lost.
Through my mind these verses crossed in silence, while the chief lamented like a wounded animal. The boss was nowhere to be found. He walked, cursed and sat down. They had deeply offended him, although he was also guilty for feeling untouchable.
- Fierro, I'm going to tell you one thing - he said, Don Mario -, the day I find those two boys, I'm going to dismember them, so they learn to respect real men. How is it, knowing the kind of man that I am, dare to offend me in this way? ... See, son that is why death is so frequent in this country. The drug traffickers need to respect us and pay us the bills in a timely manner, that's why you have to kill people with enough scandal, so that everyone will know that we are tremendously bad. All the multinationals spend millions on advertising to be able to sell, instead, we have to put bombs and kill important politicians, so that everybody, do not forget, that you have a pending account with the mafia. They have deceived me and everything is my fault. The mobster who does not kill two or three louses every month, in the end, all leaves it confusing with the mother Sister Teresa of Calcutta. That's what happened with me, for having made so many mistakes. First, I do not invest a peso in security and, of course, I had to put that brat. Then, if I do not kill a fly, then people end up thinking I'm not capable. That is so that I will learn how this business is handled ... As the accounts of the illegal cannot be charged using the authority, then, you have to invent the collection mechanisms and I will charge you that family with a flurry of bullets.

Definitely, I was not the solid man that all the people believed to see in me - said the blind horseman, visibly decayed -. I always sensed the trap they were throwing to the boss and I was not able to give him honest advice. To comment on the decisions, which adult people make or fail to take, always seemed difficult to me. Unfortunately, in the last few days, several people had told me their problems, looking for an opinion that I could not give them, because life is not a game in which quick decisions are made, without thinking about them calmly. If things were difficult for them, that they were living and leading their lives, how they would be for me, that I had a love stuck in my soul and that distance, time and many other things separated me. William had looked for me a lot in the last few weeks, to tell me about his wife. That he was very bored with her, that he wanted to divorce, that he wanted to live a life with another style, that being married was very hard, that his partner did not attract him physically or morally. He had told me many details, like looking for an opinion that I could not give, without knowing the heart of the matter, because I had the impression that, behind all these dissatisfactions, there was a fundamental problem. What irony, I dodging his wife, who after Natalia was the woman who had most caught my attention, and he looking for me, anxious, to tell me the details of a marriage that was going to sink. The only thing that he lacked was that he asked me, head on, to free him from his wife. I avoided the analysis of the matter, because the flesh is weak and I had to be faithful to my beloved. Although I do not deny that this prolonged loneliness was getting difficult.
The farm was a very beautiful land.

It was worth moving to that place, to see the sunrise, on a beautiful morning after a winter night. I do not know if he was fixing me in that place, but everything seemed like paradise. Every morning I sat down to take the prodigious sun and watched, with great enthusiasm, the birds that flutter in the orange trees and the guayabos. I never imagined that the macaws and colored parakeets were so loving to the aroma and flavor of the guava. Every day they set up a festival of shrieks, impressed by the large amount of fruit. Carlos got up very early and at about nine o'clock in the morning, when I had been having a good time admiring God, he called us to breakfast with bread fresh from the oven. I never missed the stewed meat, the eggs, the thick chocolate and the two arepas with cow butter, which were my favorite. That morning, William went through the front of the kitchen with a box in his hand, looked like a sleepwalker who has spent the night, dreaming that he is a merchant. When I came back I said jokingly, about the cardboard box ...
- I see, you bring a good gift to your wife.
- It's the only way I can get rid of that bitch - he answered without bitterness.
- How? ... Do not tell me you're going to let her go.- I said incredulously.
- Yes, brother, is that last night took me to the limit, You did not hear the scandal? ... How do you think I'm going to the bar with Pablo, to drink some spirits with the boss, who was very depressed - he said William distressed - and we were making plans to set a trap to the pair of rogues who cheated him. You know that, one, with friends, drinking aguardiente and listening to country music, he forgets the woman and everything else. When I was almost drunk, I said goodbye to the boys and went to sleep. I came to the ranch; I knocked on the door and nothing they wanted to open. I played harder and the girl started crying. "See what problem," I thought, this woman already got the devil. "I need, brother, the witch did not want to open me and I was very intoxicated." I picked up the door kicking, until I opened that beast. Without saying anything and I packed all the clothes.

- It's a miracle that you did not beat him up - I said, knowing the background of my friend.
- I did not hit him because, when he opened me, he had a knife in one hand and a stick in the other.
- Hail Mary for God, from which you saved man! - I exclaimed without being able to contain the comment.
- I packed all your clothes - continued, William, telling. I took a blanket and went to sleep in the living room. Already at midnight, he went to my side to ask for forgiveness, but I did not pay attention. Today I got up braver than ever and told him to vacate the ranch. She said she was leaving if she let him take the television. That's what this box is for. I'm going to pack this device, see if it goes fast.
- What about the girl? - I asked worried.
- What's up, brother, to stay with her, that I do a dozen whenever I want. They will not extort me with their children. In addition, children are very good with mom, because dad is anyone.
- So, are you determined to leave? - I asked incredulously.
- Yes brother. Why do not you come with me? We took them to the town and we stayed with Pablo and the boss, who left to go from this morning.
- How? ... Did they let Don Mario go, for the town, well drunk? - I protested with anguish.
- Ay, brother - William explained -, you do not know him. When the boss gets something in his head, nobody gets it.
It was true. I understood the reason and I did not protest anymore.
- The bad thing is that there is a lot of work on the farm and I cannot neglect it - I explained correctly. Go, you, and convince Mario Galeano, to come to sleep for a while. Can you imagine that man, over there, very drunk and with the amount of enemies he has?

- That is a danger, do not look for him, but calm, that after I dispatch that fool of my wife, I bring it to me the good or the bad.
- But be careful, if you leave it there, that pair of "Birds" kills him - I noticed, feeling a bad feeling.
- Quiet that I will be with them, as soon as possible, - said William, moving away in search of his ranch. I, despite my concern, had to go to work.
Everything was a mess. Since the leader was not there, nothing worked. The Indians had not emptied the leaves of the baskets and production was paralyzed. The Indians only interrupted their worship of laziness, when one was watching them. I arrived and everyone lined up to be weighed by what was collected.
The main plague that existed in the world was routine, because I had been attending the scale for three hours and the anxiety and despair, because I did not know anything about my friends, had my nerves on edge. He argued over everything and, for the first time, he had lost his temper. I tried to control myself and took a deep breath ... "Learn to breathe, that breathing is the main biological function! ... I am supplying oxygen and cosmic energy to my organism, so that peace and tranquility reach me!" I thought, trying to forget all the problems. He could not use harsh words with these people. I had to treat my friends well, so that exile would not turn me into hell. God could not leave me or my friends. "Everything works very well, the eagles move in the sky under the divine will, the crickets and the bees are assured of sustenance and freedom because ..." I was trying to convince myself that nothing was going to happen to him. my friends.
Crushing the leaves, adding lime, sulfuric acid, sodium carbonate and gasoline, so that afterwards they went through the separation process, it was the task that Carlos and I had to do, in the next four hours, before I could go to the town, to look for my companions. I would have liked to leave all that thrown away, but it was irresponsible that I could not commit.

William was separating from his kind wife and promised to help me. Pablo was a specialist in looking for a fight and dragged with the boss, who got drunk and lost control completely. Definitely, the only serious people that stayed in that camp, were Carlos and me. For nothing in the world, I was going to let production stop. I could not leave for the town until after five. Despite the desire and confusion, I had to take a few minutes to write a letter to my girlfriend and, thus, take advantage of the trip. How strange! ... Even though my heart was full of restlessness and fear, thinking about the risk that "The Godfather" was running, and yet, love still triumphed over death.
San Francisco, December 10
Beautiful Natalia:

I have not seen you for a long time and the date of my return is still uncertain. Locked in this jungle, life has turned me into hell. We are in the first days of the month of December and I hope to be very soon by your side. My body is agitated and immersed in despair. I am not working, I leave, I walk and then I return, immersed in the same anguish that eats me inside.
Youth in my veins
Press towards my return,
Wishing to shake your waist
And thinking about your whole body.

I miss your soft flesh
and you walk easy
being able to travel through your curves
it is a beautiful dream for me.
Power to lick the corners
From your delicious body,
Enjoying the passions
Of your fervent desires.
Looking for dream angles
that give different reflections
from your beautiful tanned skin
of young female in heat.
I feel desperate
Jealousy is killing me
the profane vibrations
what others are feeling.
Your vocation to pleasure
allows you those flights
your mind so liberated
He always has me suffering.
I'm bursting my soul
to live all that
What is love, is it a desire
that eats me inside.
The two great enemies
they are distance and time
I never respected them
And they have been growing.
Increasing the anguish
Reason for my efforts
delaying the game
to reach your meeting.
Natalia, I love you with all my heart and I hope you understand, because if things fail, my life will be lost without remedy.

Forgive me for nonsense, sometimes I write letters in which I do not know if I'm talking to you, or if I'm talking to myself. Everything, this, is the despair of a forced separation, which destroys our love, submerging it in the frozen waters of distance and time. My love, I want you to think about me every day, so that your body and your soul love me with the strength I need.
Natalia, I trust you are making plans for my return. Dream of beautiful things, that take us to heaven. They are your class and your finesse, sources of beautiful reflections, which transmit the atmosphere of grace and beautiful moments.
Beautiful Natalia, today I love you more than ever, even if I am in the middle of hell. I wish you were very well, in the company of your most holy mother and your stepbrother. I will try to be by your side, in the minimum of time, so that we contemplate the path of the eternal. My beloved, remember that for you, I am dying in the anguish of my poor sorrow.
Today I have a lot of work and I am desperate, but in spite of all that, my love for you has not changed, because I love you yesterday, today and always.
Julio Fierro
P.S. Do you want me to tell you something? ... All men here are crazy and they are looking for death.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER NUMBER THIRTEEN

I got to the stable and hooked two mules in the car, I was thinking about the drunks who were not going to hold on to the horses. "You will probably like to make the return trip lying on the carriage boards." I thought anguished. I entered the bedroom for the last time, loaded the gun and put it in my pants; I covered myself with a leather jacket and started.
I did not think about the other boys, I only cared about the boss, who was the leader of the pack. I made the mule shot out of the corral and took them in a halter to the main road. I started in a hurry, as if the devil were taking me. It only slowed down on the downs. In the plan and in the ascents, I whipped the mules until I arrived in San Francisco. The afternoon was gray, we were in the second week of December. I went to the park and slowed down. I went to "Telecom" and placed the letter for my beloved princess, then I looked in all the canteens and finally I found William, who was drinking in the "Tusa". I parked the beasts in front of the canteen and entered.
- Hi! ... Have not you met Don Mario? - I asked completely distressed.
- Stop taking care of that fagot. Do you think that bastard is a newborn child or what? - he replied brusquely. Dead drunk. - Come take some spirits with me, I let my wife go and I'm already beginning to regret it.
I had always sensed it, William had a problem in the background. It simulated fatigue and carelessness, but in his sentimental life there was something more than that. The spirits followed one after the other. The purpose of my trip was dissolving and then I decided to intervene.
- William, do me the favor and tell me, where did Mario Galeano and Pablo get? ...
- See, brother, I was drinking with them, but Mario got it that you had to go to fucking shit, looking for "The birds". I, for that macabre persecution, did not lend myself, because I am sure of one thing, dear godson, that Mario and Pablo do not return alive to San Francisco. I guarantee that - he finished saying totally carefree. I felt very bad with that assumption, which would possibly be a great truth. In that hamlet there were only four or five canteens and the boss was not in any of them. Going out to look for it, without knowing where it was would be a mortal risk and, then, rather, I decided to take another brandy and trust in the divine will. We were in that canteen until we lost the notion of things.

 

 

William got so drunk that I barely managed to drag him to the cart. I sat him next to me and I went holding him by the arm, so he would not go away. On the way he went telling me a story with his wife, to whom, once, he knocked two teeth out of her and, then, she sent him fourteen times to jail. William screamed in an anguished voice, expressing a deep pain at the departure of his two women. The night was full of clouds that threatened with rain. With much effort, during the whole journey, I managed to keep my friend on the cart and, luckily, we arrived safely at our refuge.
We arrived at the farm.
I unhooked, I kept the mules and we went in search of a cold, but decent bedroom. It was about three in the morning and Patricia, one of Mario's mysterious women, was waiting for us sitting in the bedroom door. His eyes were irritated by the crying and, with marked despair, he handed me a piece of paper and said:
- They called by radio phone, Mario had an accident and, you, you have to call this number to explain what happened - said the woman with a voice choked with crying. I looked at William who was completely intoxicated and I realized that something terrible had happened. The problems were underway.
- But what happened? ... They must have said something. - I questioned desperately.
- Galeano was getting drunk in a hamlet called Aquitania and it seems that he killed three and left another wounded, and the police grabbed him.
- How! - I exclaimed scared - What a big problem we have gotten ourselves into! ... And who are the dead?

 

- They were some guys who said "Los birds", something like that, which I could not understand well - tried to explain Patricia, very confused.
- What did they say? What Mario is fine, or is he wounded or what? Because those policemen are capable of letting him bleed.
- They did not tell me anything about their condition - said Patricia, before bursting into an inconsolable crying. I ran in search of the radiotelephone and started dialing the central. The communication did not enter ... What will happen? ... A terrible anxiety invaded my entire body. The minutes flew, William got a little drunk and, beside me, watched in silence, with the idiocy of alcoholism reflected in his face.
- What happened to the boss? ... Maybe he's hurt and in these moments they'll even be letting him die. What he did not explain to me is why he left for "Aquitania" with all the enemies he has. Patricia and where is Carlos that I do not see him anywhere? - I asked completely obfuscated.
- I woke him up, I gave him the news and he did not even flinch. When I asked him what we should do, he told me:

- quiet, what bad grass does not die.

Then he went to bed again, not caring about it.
Definitely, the world was full of overlapping cowards. The hypocrite of the Carlos, with his education to all tests and his formality to lip-flower, in the bottom, was the worse rat of this world. How is it that he did not collaborate with the boss, precisely, when we were in disgrace? ...
I continued to insist on that damn radiotelephone and when my finger was hurting from so much dialing, the communication entered. I picked up the receiver and spoke with all my strength.
- Here "red horse" calling the base. We need information. What happened to the boss? ... Change - I waited a few seconds and, on the other side of the line, a very annoying noise was heard. Finally, someone answered.

- Attention, "red horse", I recorded the communication, but I did not understand the question correctly. Please talk harder and with longer sentences, for base.

Change.
- Do we need to know what happened to Don Mario Galeano and in what state of health is he? Change - the charge of the base was silent, as if dazed by my screams. He let a few seconds pass and then answered:
- Restricted information. Tell me your secret code please. Change.
- What's the matter, idiot? ... You're talking to Julio Fierro. Did I change my voice or what? - I screamed full of fury. "The idiot eating from we and he did not recognize my voice anymore. I thought totally obfuscated.
- Excuse me, boss, is that you did not listen well and as we are at war, nobody knows ... - the operator apologized when he recognized me. I remained silent and he continued. Mario and Pablo, by chance, met the two "birds" and another boy with a black ravine, who turned out to be a guerrilla, who was taking care of their backs. It was his life or theirs. Counting on the luck that, in the first shots, the two "birds" mortally wounded fell to the ground. The other man unloaded a flurry of lead, poor Pablo, all over his head and left him stiff. Mario tried to flee in the middle of his desperation, and, as he did not know the village, he ran precisely to the police command. There they were going to arrest him and he was confronted with bullets with the agents of order. After a few minutes he ran out of bullets and had to turn himself in so they would not kill him. It was an afternoon of bad luck. The boss imprisoned with two dead in his charge and Pablo was lying on the floor, with all his brains out. The health status of the boss is good. He is incommunicado and the guard is very numerous, but it does not matter, because we have friends there. So we are waiting for your orders. Because I imagine that, now, you, who are the godson, are going to direct the operations, or not? ... Change.

 

 

I hesitated a few seconds ... I thought of my beloved Natalia, I thought of the beautiful horses of Colombian fine step and I also thought of the great damage we were doing to humanity. All responsibility had fallen on me and I was not prepared for that.
- Yeah right! - I exclaimed with strength - Now I give orders. Tell all the people that Julio Fierro "the godson" is preparing the boss's escape. Be prepared, but do nothing until I order them. If you know anything, you call me at any time. Better said, stay in communication twenty-four hours a day. Right now you go to Luis Fernando Ramirez, the lawyer, and tell him to watch the boss and for money do not worry. It is understood?
- Yes, sir, understood, change and out.
The operator cut the signal and I was as petrified. At the time I most wanted to be next to my beloved, I was inheriting a death company, very compromising. I hung up the receiver and looked at William who, despite the drunkenness, had understood everything. We were in a drug war and we had already lost the king. The problem was more serious than we had thought. Surely, "The birds" were not alone in the business and now reprisals would come.
- After this failure, we have only one alternative - I said to William -. We will organize a meeting with the guerrillas. They may lend us their military apparatus, even if they keep a good slice of our money. William stayed as he thought and said, showing the necessary mental clarity.
- Do you think that's the best? ...
- Clear! - Exclaimed angrily - We are not prepared to defend a business in which millions of dollars enter. The accident of Don Mario is not an isolated event, everything is systematic and we will continue to weaken, to take away our work and international clients. We have a hidden enemy, which is not exactly one of "The birds" dead. The next step is to try to massacre and finish what is left of our organization. William stared at me in silence and, with his eyes dilated by fear, hugged me and took me aside where no one would listen to me, he said:

 

 

- Let's get out of here. The boss will be in jail for over thirty years and I know where the money is hidden. Also, the boss's women need protection. What do you say?...
I got the sharp cold
From the shining knife,
It is the painful betrayal
From a friend that is split.
When we were at parties
Telling stories and exploits
everyone was getting infected
with his rare adventures.
Today fallen in disgrace
against the wall of death
we see that everything is a lie
and that friendship is helpless.
Where are the warriors
what, the boss, always cared for?
Let's give it back
the friendship that he gave us.
What are the words?
If the heart does not exist
what good are friends?
If you are not in pain.
The blind horseman recited, completely moved.
My chest swelled with fury and I could not answer. How dare he, William, to propose to me an escape? ... I looked at him with cold eyes and I waited for him to correct what was said. He opened his mouth again, to seal his betrayal.

 

- Mario was very crazy and in jail is going to take a long time. For the corpse of Pablo the devil does not go because, there, they are waiting for us to make soup with us. So, what are we going to wait here? ... That they kill us, or what? ... Julio Fierro, we have enough money to live next to those five popcorn that left us an inheritance and that, by the way, are very good. Think about it. If the boss made such a serious mistake and this was his organization, the rest should be taken by the devil in addition. Yes or no?...
His words warmed my soul, my body became a pack of muscles and, with all the strength, I struck a fist between his eyebrows. William went back and delayed a few seconds to regain consciousness. Then he stopped with his face all bloody. He smeared the blood all over his face and said:
- This is not so.
- As you want, sir, when you want me to kill him, he comes and warns me - I sentenced, out of my senses, with my breathing agitated by fury. I designed a plan quickly. Patricia, who was a fragile but brave woman, remained by my side waiting for the determinations.
- Go to the cabin and pack all the things that, right now, we are going to the house of Las Dantas - I decided, abandoning the idea of ​​negotiating with the unbalanced guerrillas.
- At this hour? ... - Patricia asked incredulously. I, a little calmer, explained with patience.
- Our enemies, at this same time you say, come to exterminate everything that has any relationship with Mario Galeano. - She, understanding the situation, said with great determination:
- Well, then I'm going to wake up the girls, although it will be very difficult, because they are afraid of the night and the vermin of the road.

- Also wake up Carlos and tell him to saddle ten mules, to pack all the things, because we left here - I ordered, trying to ignore the comment he made about his companions. I remained meditating and ... -. Wait, I better go, with you, to explain to your classmates everything that has happened.
I crossed the village, absorbed in my thoughts. "How is it possible that, by mistake, the whole organization is coming down, like a fragile house of cards?" The big mistakes that Mario had made were scarcely manifesting.
Awakening these girls was more difficult than waging a battle against the government. The girls, half naked, dozed in a large bed. The fabric for his pajamas was very scarce and left in view all the charms of a teenager who did not bother to hide.
- What has happened? ... What happened to Mario? - they asked with concern, interested in the problem that, in spite of everything, had not taken their sleep away.
- As Patricia already must have told you, Mario has got into a problem and Pablo, the administrator of the farm, has died in that same lawsuit. "The godfather" has been the owner and boss of this, all the time, and, now, what we have left is to wait until he decides what we are going to do. In the businesses that "the godfather" manages, there are many free enemies. We do not know who we are going to fight against, but what I am sure of is that we are all running a serious risk of dying. Therefore, we must take refuge somewhere else, until Don Mario regains freedom - I explained, trying to make them understand -. I hope you are very brave and behave at the height of what he always wanted from you. Do not be afraid of anything, because William, Carlos, the Indian and I are going to be protecting you. Each one will go on a gentle mule that, in addition, knows by heart the road to the farm where we are going to be.

- Why does it have to be at night? ... Tomorrow morning would be better, do not you think? ... - said a girl thinking she had discovered the solution.
- Look, girl, I think the boss was the victim of a trap, with which they intend to displace him in the business and seize all this. I hope you collaborate and obey what I tell you, because, honestly, I think we are in grave danger.
- That's what you think - said one of the young women without showing her face.
- The one that does not rise, immediately, we are going to leave it abandoned, so that they know it - I exclaimed exasperated -. I want to see you all ready in twenty minutes. In the stable I wait for you and the one that is not prepared to travel, I leave you thrown in the jungle and go realizing that I am not chatting.
- Wait a second - said the girl with the Solomon question, when I was already turning around to leave -. When will Mario return with us? ...
- I'm not sure, but I guarantee that my sponsor will be very soon by your side - I said hopefully. They were all lying on the bed, they seemed to be struck by a rare plague. In their pensive faces, the uncertainty of having to face something unknown was reflected.
- I do not move from here until dawn. If we stayed, it would be more comfortable for everyone - one of the girls shouted, with a rebellious tone in her teenage voice.
Patricia, putting herself in front of everyone, advised with fear reflected in her eyes and said:

 

- In these moments many men come to kill us. Who wants to be raped by fifteen or twenty men? ... Haber. All standing please. For the first time in life, we will be brave to save our lives. I need you awake, because I want to see you working - he finished saying, showing his leadership. Shyly they got up, one by one, and began to organize their things.
- Patricia, take care that they only carry what is necessary. Remind them that we are not going for a fashion show. Me, meanwhile, I'm going to wake up Carlos.
I left the girls working very animated. The triumph or failure of the mission depended on his behavior. Unfortunately, those women so spoiled, were the weak point of the group. I went through the hamlet, thinking about the difficult situation that was presented to us. At the end of the street, I noticed Carlos coming all disheveled. You could tell he had thrown himself out of bed as if frightened.
- Julio Fierro, if the boss grabbed it, do not think that this is going to square to fists - he said speaking hard -. There he arrived, William, with his trunk swollen because you hit him with a fist for nothing.
- How so for nothing, man? ... Thank you for not throwing a shot at him as a traitor. Do you know what I was proposing? ... That we should abandon the boss, distribute the ticket and stay with the women. How about?
- It seems to me a very good idea - Carlos answered seriously.
- How well, badly...? - I said throwing a hand at the nine millimeter.
- No, lie, it's about chatting - Carlos said clapping me on the shoulder -. Stop being so tense and clarify your thoughts. What do you want us to do? ...

- First of all, we are going to take refuge in the houses of "Las Dantas". In those marble caves no one finds us. Now I need you to help me prepare the reception party that Don Mario had imagined for a case like this. Because, despite his peace of mind, he always suspected that one day they would invade him - I remembered, thinking about what he had explained to me since he got it that I had to be his successor -. He gathers some Indians and distributes them the ether and gasoline cans, within a radius of a hundred meters around the camp. Then you gather the women and the mands with the Indian and with the weeping William, for the house that we have in the caves of the Dantas and you are not going to lose, that you have to help me to put the mines that I made, under the fuel. I need you by my side, because it will be a serial detonation and if one of those bombs explodes in our hands, with death we will save our enemy a lot of time. I want you to guarantee me, on your return, that no one will be left of us, within the circle of death that, at this very moment, I am going to start building. Have you understood everything I have told you? - I asked with marked agitation.
- Yeah right. I take all the people from here and when the camp is empty, I return to place the mines together with a nylon that will prevent the passage to the friends of "the birds". It is not like this? - He asked, proud to know, perfectly, the plan of which the boss had spoken in secret.
For two hours we worked in a hurry, placing the mines devised by the criminal mind of my godfather. He always expected an invasion, but what nobody imagined is that I would have to face it. Time ran faster than we expected and it was beginning to thin, when we could slip into the jungle like snakes driven away by danger. In spite of everything, things worked out as I planned them from the beginning. Even William sent me to say I apologize. Everything was ready. Now, I was the boss.

 

Finished saying the blind horseman, visibly affected by the memory of that company that left him many millions of dollars and the ultimate mutilation.
José Antonio approached timidly and asked us:
- What time do the gentlemen eat? ...
I looked at Julio and kept silent, waiting for the answer of the owner, who had not stopped telling me delicious anecdotes since he had met me. I, from always, I was a writer and the stories did not tire me. For me it was normal and very interesting for the horseman to talk three or four days without stopping.
- What time is it? ... - asked the boss, without imagining the hunger so great that I had and that I did not want to continue holding more.
- I do want the food, immediately - I said to our humble servant.
- Well - Julius reaffirmed - let's give this body some food, which worms will soon eat.
José Antonio brought us two plates of green beans with cabbages, rice, more fried venison and a few slices of potatoes and bananas. We all went to eat and forgot, for a moment the pain stories.
After the delicious meal, we had another bottle of whiskey with the Mexican music and, when we were completely exhausted, we went to sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER NUMBER FOURTEEN

We slept peacefully all night, but the dawn of a new day arrived and, although I was taught to sleep late, the noise made by José Antonio always woke me up very early. I was happy in that hacienda, the food and the sleep were good, but the story that the wealthy horseman was telling me was better. My ranch was completely abandoned, but that did not matter to me, because what was really important was living there, next to a drug trafficker who had been punished by God, for his excessive ambition. The smell of the mountain arepa filled the air and reminded me that I was in the mountains of Antioquia la grande. I wanted to start working and I got up in search of that great horseman, who was always aware of what was happening to him.
- Good morning, gentlemen - I said when entering the kitchen.
- Good morning - answered the two most early risers I knew. José Antonio, with his fatherly attitude, prepared me a cup of hot coffee.
- Well, teacher - I said with an inspired accent -, I have been taught that time is money and that we must take advantage of it. So you can tell the story and tell us what happened in "Las Dantas".
We were in a more comfortable and beautiful farm than the previous one, it was the place where Mario Galeano spent his vacations. The cabins were made of fine, highly polished wood and, everywhere, there were beautiful furniture made of wild bamboo. In the big house the bar was the main attraction. There were also pool and tennis tables. The women, despite having traveled through the middle of the jungle, were now sleeping peacefully. Nothing was done in that shelter without my consent. Patricia was a true leader who surprised me often.
- Patron, if you want one of us to accompany you in your room, tell me that I frame things, so that it is a secret. - That offer left me disturbed. I had not caressed a pretty woman for five months and now, for lack of one, they offered me five beautiful little girls. I thought for several seconds and, like a ray of magic and clarity, the memory of my beloved Natalia was present. "Even if the future is uncertain, I will continue to love you for all eternity, I will never put a woman before you, let alone an alien." Natalia, I swear that there are faithful men and I am one of them, always. " I promised mentally, thinking of her.

 

In the morning hours came entire families of these Indians who are almost nomadic. The leaders of each group asked me about Don Mario and I explained the matter to them, more or less, as far as it suited me. They put themselves at my disposal and I ordered them to sacrifice a veal from the farm, for the consumption of all, also I ordered to collect a large amount of fruit, which would assure us a very pleasant stay in that beautiful paradise. Despite all the problems and difficulties, I had not been able to stop appreciating all the nice things that existed in that place. We were in a true tropical paradise, while the chief was resting in a cold dungeon. I could not sleep, my convulsed mind tried to devise a plan to save the boss. The first law of survival, is to let the storm subside, after the storm passes we can act. That sunny morning I ordered our Indian to leave with enough provisions and guard the entrance to the canyon of the caves, with the only rifle we had and that fortunately we had all learned to drive. Even in the purchase of weapons the godfather had failed, because we had almost nothing to fight with.
Before noon everyone was standing, having rested for a long time. The women of Mario watched me absorbed, with their big and beautiful eyes. Their faces burned when my eyes watched them intensely. Sitting at the head of the table, the women offered me the splash of fruit and roasted meat that had been prepared in the blink of an eye. A delicious shyness manifested itself when I spoke words of complacency or admiration for his good behavior. What good taste the boss had! Spending money on that bunch of beautiful women was such an ingenious investment, that it was reserved only for him and for the oil magnates who also had their harem. Those girls were educated and made to serve. Her abundant hair was combed in different ways, even though they had been sleeping half a day. I do not know how or when, they were so elegantly combed and adorned with flowers. They wore light cotton suits, which allowed them to appreciate their charming bodies, in a symphony of turned arms and abdomens as perfect as those of the dancers from the Middle East. The legs of soft skin were seen up to very high, with all the security and audacity of queens. When they were leaning to serve one of their gastronomic recipes, I could admire the perfection of their breasts in freedom. After supper, they raised the food that was left over and went to prepare the rooms where we were going to sleep.

 

Carlos and William were very far away. They ate alone in the corridor and now they were at the bar drinking whiskey on the rocks. I moved slowly closer and poured myself a cognac.
- I think, boys, it's better to take four or five days, while things calm down - I explained trying to iron out the asperities -. When one is at war, knowing how to flee is paramount. At the moment we are not in a position to fight head on. What do you think?
- Yes, that's true - Carlos answered willingly.
- Tonight I want you to sleep in the ranches below, so they watch a little, because nobody knows what might happen - I ordered with authority. I waited for the answer and as nobody said anything, I said goodbye and went to the corridor. I remained contemplating the sunny sunset, although my soul was uneasy. The women returned to show me the room they had arranged for me. They wanted to observe the effect that the careful preparation of the room could have on me. Next to the big bed, where they were taught to sleep, they had placed a smaller bed so that I could sleep between white cushions. The night table was decorated with an immense bouquet of wildflowers.
- What beautiful flowers! - It was the only thing I could say. I would sleep next to those beautiful women without any obstacle.
- I do not want you to be upset - I apologized - but I can not sleep here anyway. I need to be watching and the ideal is to sleep in a hammock in the corridor. Anyway, I thank you very much - I said leaving the place without giving them time to answer. That afternoon I spent thinking about my principles and the good manners that society had invented to live better.
- Natalia, I compared them with you and I felt very far away, but I remain firm with our relationship and with our commitment - I said in a low voice, as if my beautiful model listened to me.

 

 

The afternoon passed slowly and the darkness dropped its sacred mantle over the jungle.
At one o'clock in the morning, from my loneliest dawn, the distant explosions made the earth tremble. Our enemies were falling into the innumerable traps we had set for them. In the distance a terrible fire broke out, the sky lit up with a red glow that reflected the fire, the blood and the wickedness of the ambitious men who exploded into a thousand pieces because of their ignorance. That night I could not sleep either, I spent it thinking about how to free the boss of this economic emporium that was bringing me so many problems and contradictions with myself. The peace of my heart had disappeared since that adventure began.
When it dawned, I slept for a while and dreamed that Natalia was talking to Mario's wives. It was when I woke up when I heard their voices. They had got up very early and the smell of fresh bread and hot chocolate was coming out of the kitchen. I got up immediately, I was very sweaty and went to a pond, washed my body and combed my hair, then sat in a rocking chair and began to observe the beautiful girls. They discovered me and, as if by magic, they did not go back there.
At breakfast time Carlos and William arrived, and they sat next to me.
- How was it last night, boys? - I asked interested.
- Well, but not as much as you, - Carlos said with malice.
- If it seems very exciting to be awake all night, then I invite you to celebrate together from today - I explained trying to avoid misunderstandings.
- Yes? ... It is that to watch with those five popcorn tires a lot, for there you are right - argued William sarcastically.

 

- See, mate, I do not know what you are thinking, the only thing I warn you is that these women are sacred and if you are very hot, why did you let yours go?
- Good. Do not get so brave either, that was just for a chat, "William clarified. I remained silent and soon after they called us to breakfast.
We had breakfast with a good appetite and afterwards, I went to sleep for a while.
After lunchtime, I accompanied the boys and indicated where they should be watching. I looked for work as soon as possible, because I noticed them a little anxious. I returned to the cabin and the women were sitting in the corridor. I went up to them and Patricia began to ask me a thousand things about Medellín. What was the city like? ... What was the atmosphere like? ... What if there were very nice women? ... What if the buildings were very tall? ... They all looked at me with attention. I began to tell them all the details that interested them, and then they wanted me to make a comparison between them and the most modern girls that I would have known. They worried about the possible delay they were suffering in those jungles. After a while of speculating between the pros and cons of each situation, we came to the conclusion of how fixed and accommodating is the false modernism of the citizens and that, although they did not believe it, they were far exceeding everything. In the end I came to a Solomonic conclusion with them, because studying or not studying, living or not living in a big city, having a lot of money or not having anything, everything is the same, because in the end, the only important thing is to be happy , with what little you have. That was the key, to be immensely happy.
At night the boys arrived and I sat at the table with them. We were very hungry and the women delayed a little bit with dinner. The atmosphere was strange, I noticed them very quiet and I realized that keeping them at ease, in half of all these women, was going to be a bit difficult.
- Starting tomorrow, I want you to stay in the houses below. I'm going to send an Indian woman to cook and help them, "I said, making the first mistake of that mission.

 

- I knew you wanted to stay with them, you alone - replied William disgusted.
- I do it because you are very materialistic and you can not control yourself, so, being away, it is easier for you to respect the women of your only and best friend. I do not accept discussions and I hope that as soon as they finish eating, they go quietly to their new home - I concluded categorically. Dinner was served and we all began to eat in silence. The women, sensually dressed, came and went with the food, finishing up the mood. At fifteen minutes we were finished. The women removed the plates and we remained silent.
- Well, guys, it's time for you to go to sleep - I advised a little uncomfortable. Carlos and William looked at each other and did not move from their posts.
- We're going to stay sleeping in one of the pieces of this house - said William, looking at the floor slyly. The heat rose to my face, the fury invaded me and looking at Carlos I asked:
- What do you think? ... Do you agree with him? ...
- Let's do one thing, Julio, give us two females of these and there will be no problem - answered the hypocrite of the hermit, thinking that those little girls were prostitutes -. Quiet, man, that Mario Galeano is no longer present.
- Is that the problem is not with the godfather - I said giving up that figure -. The problem is with me, because all these old ones are mine.
- Ah! ... The problem is with you! - William exclaimed coldly - Then go outside and fix it at once. The anger drove me crazy and, without thinking twice, I unloaded a fist on his face. William went on his back and fell to the ground, I immediately jumped on him and gave him a couple of kicks in the mouth. Blood flooded his face, I mounted the gun and aimed it right at his head.

 

- Ask me for forgiveness, before I kill you, mangy dog ​​- I shouted enraged. William looked terrified and, without saying anything, walked away crawling on the floor like a reptile.
- Julio Fierro, it is not so much - Carlos intervened -. Better give us a carafe of brandy and I convince him to stay in peace.
I went to the bar, brought the brandy and a bottle of whiskey. I handed them to them and they left. That was getting the color of an ant. I looked at the room and there, at the door, was Patricia with a gun in her hands.
- Thanks for defending us. We listen to everything and we are grateful to you - he babbled with his voice broken by fright.
- Close the door and lock it inside. Do not open to anyone. Did you hear that you can not open anyone, for any reason? ...
- Yes, sir - the girl replied with humility.
I went to one of the back rooms and locked myself up. I picked up a book from the bookshelf and tried to read a little. The situation was becoming unbearable. William, with his effeminate body, insubordinated every opportunity. He was trying to impose his hegemony and, surely, he was not going to stay with the beating. I felt cornered with the amount of problems we had and the jealousy that had awakened my actions, in the organization. Inside me, a disgusting sensation was shaken when forced to make a decision. "It's my life or theirs, I'll have to kill them, if it's easy for my enemies to gamble on their lives, for the sole pleasure of being crushed, neither will the moral reserve and the convictions of eternity that there is in my soul, if they challenge me, I will kill them without giving them a chance, I am determined and if I start with one, I will finish with everyone. " I thought clenching my fists with fury. At that same moment I went out the window and through the mountain paths I went in search of the Indian. I spent a few minutes talking with the faithful aborigine and told him that we could get to the ranch to sleep a little, because I was going to patrol with the rifle for the rest of the night. He did not understand the plan very well, but I walked away with the R-15. I got lost in the dark, with the security of a powerful weapon in my hands. He was already breathing the air of death, determined to everything.

 

The main characteristic of the bad guys is that they go head-on against the danger, as if enjoying the risk. All my companions seemed normal, even if they were participating in something illegal. They always behaved like civilized people, but now that the king had fallen, they became desperate and the violent spirit woke up in them. The desire to experience drunkenness, which makes me feel the danger of a near death, was throwing them in search of the power that rested on my shoulders, although I would never have looked for it. "I will not give them the opportunity to defend themselves, without any remorse I will take them out of the way." I thought with my head troubled by the confusion.
I remained locked in my room. Inside my chest a feeling of fury and hopelessness took refuge, before the possibility of having to shoot against my friends. Fortunately, a good book had fallen into my hands and I was reading until dawn. It was about seven o'clock, on the morning of my third sleepless night. Despite the fatigue I could not fall asleep. Circumstances required me to be awake, although I was about to go mad.
- Julio, open me please! - someone shouted, while knocking wildly on the door. There came what he had been waiting for all night. Something reared inside me, I jumped like a tiger and mounted a shot in the chamber of the rifle.
- Who is it? ... - I shouted with the voice emboldened by the pressure.
- It's me, William. Godson, please open up to me - the man screamed on the other side of the door.
- Go to sleep, this is not the time to visit - I ordered furious.
- I'm unarmed. Listen to me, for God's sake, that a serious accident has occurred - he begged disconsolately on the other side of the door. His voice seemed sincere, I thought for a few seconds and finally decided to leave. I unlocked the door and ...
- I come to ask your forgiveness - he told me with despair. His eyes were completely irritated. His appearance reflected the perdition in liquor and drugs.
- What happened man? - I asked, softening the tone to sense the misfortune.
- Last night I was drinking with Carlos and, like in the middle of the night, he gave the man to light me up. Not only that you had knocked out a tooth with my fist, but "gonorrhea" also seemed to me - William said, crying -. He attacked me like that, without more or more. I was all drunk and confronted him, I gave him a series of fists and threw him to the ground. When I was lying there, I hit him with a brand of cattle until he stood still. I did not realize anything I did and went to sleep peacefully. This morning I got up and went to look for Carlos, when, I need, I was completely dead. Brother, I killed caliche! - He cried with eyes full of tears.

I forgot my weapons, I ran in my pajamas and barefoot. I came to the ranch, I hurried in and the bloody body appeared before my eyes. He was lying on his back and with his eyes open. I went over and put my hand on his jugular, trying to find his pulse. The heart was beating weakly, but it was beating. I tried to lift his head and something, like an eggshell, tracheó between my hands. I looked at him well and the lividity of his face enveloped me in the cold of death. I got up, took a desperate turn and returned, to take his pulse more calmly. The corpse was completely rigid and cold. The anxiety and the desire that everything was a lie, I had played a dirty trick, making me think that life throbbed in his body unarmed. In a few seconds the place was full of people. The Indians arrived with their families. Everyone was watching my reaction. I, with my head down, started walking in search of the main cabin.

- Julio Fierro, please shoot me - he shouted, William, desperate. I, ignoring his whining, walked away and locked myself in the silence of the darkness of my room. A few minutes passed in which I could not do anything. I picked up the book I was reading and started a paragraph several times. I went around the bed several times, trying to capture a distant dream, but everything was impossible. The detonations of the gun that William shot in the air and the murmurings of the people, gathered in front of the hut, began to filter through the slots left by the walls. The women and the Indians were claiming the authority that gave me being the boss's godson. In these moments of doubt, all the confidence that Mario Galeano had deposited in me inflamed my chest. Without knowing how, I loaded my rifle and left like a mythological hero. I passed among the women who parted silently, stupefied. I went to the cubbyhole and stopped in the middle of the street. William got up with the gun in his hand and sobbing, opened his mouth to tell me something, but the only thing that was heard was the burst of my rifle. In the afternoon hours we buried them both.
That night I debated the macabre nightmares of my actions. I was immersed in the terrifying world of fever that makes you convulse. If William was crazy, now I was worse.

- You will not kill. - Jesus Christ said.

Sweat enveloped me, making me feel sticky like garbage. My inflamed brain did not manage to order the thoughts. The curse of the jungle, we were all absorbed, and, for a terrible night, I wandered in the world of the crazy. I lay on the bed. The thoughts tingled inside my head and would not let me rest. "I have killed a human being, what does that mean? ... Destroying the body of a fellow human being and sending it into the void of non-being is the greatest sin we can commit on earth, I have not killed it for pleasure, God and the circumstances, have forced me to punish his mistakes, he was generating a lot of pain and his expectations of living were nil, when someone is tired of existence, when earthly learning is no longer felt, it is because he has already fulfilled a mission and he needs to go to rest, for William it was all disappointment and bitterness, that's why I helped him leave this ungrateful world. " I thought anguished.

I thought I went crazy. A terrible despair enveloped my whole body. It was my fourth night without sleep. I felt burned by the fever. I got up and opened the door. Everything was in silence. The women were sleeping. Filled with fear, I looked at my hands, I could not understand why he gave me the outburst to eliminate William. I never thought about your little daughter. Now, who is going to take care of her until she is big? ... Who is going to play with her when she feels very lonely? ... Her father is one of those who swallowed the jungle and nobody knew about it again. they. William's mom, dad and brothers are always going to be waiting for me to come back, and the curses they utter will all fall on me. Shaken by the chills and by these creepy thoughts, I undressed completely and threw myself on the bed.
- OMG! - I shouted with despair - How could I have killed him? ... I never wanted to be a murderer.

I felt drowned in bed. I got up and was about to faint. I came back and threw myself face down, I covered myself with a sheet. Sleep and delirium took possession of me, then I fell asleep and it had not been twenty minutes when I awoke bathed in sweat. He had dreamed that William was coming back with his flesh in tatters. Could it be that the punishment is coming to me? ... I can not stop thinking about the expression on his face when he was dying. Is it that I am losing my mind? ... I covered myself to the head with the sheet. His body was stiff. For several hours I remained quiet. The same nightmares crossed my mind like thunderbolts. A knock at the door woke me up for good.
- Boss, it's time to have breakfast - Patricia said, through the slots in the door, with a very soft voice -. Eat something, that yesterday afternoon did not taste a mouthful.

I was naked, I took my pajamas and dressed quickly. I got up, walked to the door and ran the knocker.
- Why did I close with a knocker, I was afraid that some of us would miss it? - the woman asked, looking at me strangely. I did not pay much attention to his words and looked without appetite at the tray. Orange juice, fried eggs, coffee, arepa, cheese and freshly baked breads made up the menu. I was not hungry but I accepted it, anyway, life had to continue.
- Don Julio, are you sick? - Patricia asked me, without looking away from my face - We have a very good medicine cabinet, if you want I bring you some pills.
- Last night I had a little fever, but it's already taken off - I said to excuse my lividity - Anyway, thanks for the intention.
- Quiet, Julio, that what you did was what you had to do - Patricia said, guessing the cause of my depression.
- Do not worry, precious, that, with a little rest, I am again like new.
- Eat something to make him recover - advised the good girl -. In twenty minutes I come back for the tray.
Patricia left and I went to the stew, to nibble some things. "Even if I do not have an appetite, I have to eat something so that my body recovers." I thought a little quieter. I threw myself on my back on the bed and rested for a while. "Everything is a fantasy: Pablo, Carlos and the disgusting William die in life, and in spite of everything, the world continues to march with absolute normality, will it be when I die?" I thought, anguished again.
San Francisco, December 17
My love:

I have had a number of problems, which you can not imagine. My desire was to be with you at this time, but it was humanly impossible for me. I do not want to tell you, in detail, what has happened to me, because the business of men is very boring. But, because of bad luck, we broke down a few pens and ran away all the cattle. All this time I have spent trying to rebuild the business that will give us sustenance in the future.
I imagine you've been very sad, but I beg you to have a little more patience. In life, things do not work as you want, but as the Almighty wishes. Although I have not been very Catholic, I want you to pray a lot to God, so that in the future we will do very well. I hope that you have chosen a beautiful dress and that you have everything ready for our marriage because, after this great separation, things will have to be spectacular. Natalia, I can not stop thinking about you, my soul and my body need you, I'm desperate to see you. You do not know how much this loneliness is hurting me. I hope you are taking advantage of the very judicious time. Do not forget to go to the gym every day, so that you are always very nice, because remember that beautiful women everyone loves them and I want our future daughter to feel very proud of you.
Natalia, I'd like you to go to some dance classes. I want you to perfect your steps in tango, because when I return, we will give ourselves a life of bohemians that you have not even imagined. My love, I would like to tell you many things, but when I sit down to write, all the beautiful verses escape scared before your beauty. Remember that my heart beats for you and that I am the one who more, more, loves you the most.

July.
José Antonio gave us a delicious breakfast. Eggs, arepa, cheese, milk chocolate and biscuits with butter, interrupted the story of the poor blind horseman, who had been so wrong in life. We ate with good appetite, we rested a little and we appreciated the beauty of our cold mountains, without feeling the passage of time.

 

 

 

CHAPTER NUMBER FIFTEEN
After the hot chocolate, Julio Fierro continued telling like this:
The boss was in jail eight days ago. Locked up with a hundred and four other men, he was part of that community of dishonor and shame. Thieves, sadists, drug addicts, swindlers, psychopaths, homosexuals and murderers were the fauna of that cold criminal. A director and nine armed guards of obsolete carbines and revolvers thirty-eight longs, held that beautiful herd together.
On Sunday December nineteenth, at ten o'clock in the morning, I arrived at the door of the jail. All the people who were there turned their heads and looked at me curiously. Women, men and children, lined up patiently, waiting for the entrance to the visit. I was surprised to see decent people and elegant women in that awkward waiting, because I was waiting to see, a number of vagrants and poor rags. A black guardian opened the door and, sticking his head out, said:
- Those who have permission make a line to all the front.
Fifty percent of the people carried a white piece of paper, which was the safe credential to enter the premises. I did not have that document; however, I kept waiting in silence. After two minutes the guard opened the door completely. He had a pad and a seal in his hands. He hit the stamp against the ink and started looking at the permits. He let the people in, one by one, while placing the imprint of the seal on each visitor's right arm. Twenty people entered and the door closed with a crash.
- You, are you allowed? - I asked a lady about forty-five years old, approximately.
- No, ma'am, they explained to me that with the ID I could visit my friend - I said with confidence.
- The friend you are going to visit has already been convicted? - The lady investigated, with the clear desire to help. - Because if he is not convicted, then you have to go and ask for a special permit at the address.

- He was imprisoned eight days ago - I answered, knowing he was not condemned yet.
- Wait to see what they say - concluded the lady -. For me it will also be very difficult, because I forgot the ID and I live in another town.
It took about ten minutes. The wait was long, but I amused myself by looking at the beautiful girls waiting for their turn in the front row. There was a brunette of about sixteen years of age, which stood out from the others; his body was sculptural and his face exotically beautiful, although in the background he seemed to keep the sadness of hidden suffering. Behind her, three or four other women were so pretty, that I never imagined that women of such quality would visit those cloisters. The guard opened the door again and let another group enter. Before closing, he stared at me aggressively. He looked at me for a few seconds and then asked:
- Who are you coming to visit? ... Because Don Mario Galeano is still incommunicado, and, if you go there, it is for problems with the director - he warned aggressively.
- Quiet that I come to visit another prisoner - I explained confused for not knowing what to say.
- You are stupid or what? ... I know who you are going to visit and I will let you in, but be careful, let yourself be surprised by talking a lot with that man, because there you are suspended the visit - the guard warned abruptly, leaving me a strange feeling of gratitude and rage revolt -. Go to that office, so the director can give you permission. Tell him that you are going to visit Santiago Medina, so he can let him continue without problems.

- Thank you, sir - I said gratefully. The guard put the seal on me and stepped away from the door, making room for me to enter the administration room. I took a few steps and a fat and small man told me kindly:
- Good morning young. Inmate name and identity document please?
- Santiago Medina - I answered, extending my ID. The man took it, wrote the permission and handed it to me.
- Your friend has a few days to go out - he informed me, without knowing the real reason for my visit - follow behind these people, so that the guard requires it.
- Thank you very much, sir - I said with the satisfaction of having the visit assured. In that place everything was bars. All the people had already entered and, behind me, the heavy metal door closed. The guards received the identity documents, tucked behind a locker of thick steel rods. In the waiting line there were about twenty women and only five men. One of the guards caught my attention and took me into a small dungeon.
- Haber, what do you bring? - He asked running his hands down my sides, checked the waist and down the legs to the bottom - Show me the wallet. - I handed it to him and he checked it everywhere, being very careful. He watched the large amount of bills he was carrying, looked me in the eye, closed his wallet and handed it to me.
- You seem good people - he said placing a second seal on my arm. I pulled a bill out of my wallet and gave it to him in thanks. He took it quickly and made it disappear, thanked me and then explained:

- Go down this hall and there, in the back room, you wait until my partner goes to another group for the patio.
I walked down the corridor and in a window, also with steel bars, a guard asked me if I had packages, I said no and continued walking to the bottom. I arrived at the place and I dedicated myself to wait patiently, trying to see where the prisoners were. Before my eyes there was only an impressive fence, with large locks, that protected a gray door. In that gray sheet the landscape froze. From inside the bolts ran, filling the room with a great crash. The guard removed the padlocks and left the space free. In the background, the prisoners stacked with curiosity. Those beings, rather than in a prison, seemed on a market day. The music rumbled and I was barely discovering what a state prison looked like.
Pass. Go fast - said the guardian pushing us with his hand, for the space left by the door ajar. In truth, that landscape was festive. We were locked in an iron cage, in front of the patio where all the people were. It seemed so natural to me that I had to ask myself a question. "What did you expect to find? ... A nest of vermin? ..." I searched with my eyes to see where the pattern was. My eyes met his. His long hair and mustache had disappeared, he was very pale and his figure was fresher and more youthful. They had taken ten years off him. He looked at me for a second and then went off to chat with some friends, feigning total indifference. Surely, they had already warned him that visits, for him, were forbidden. It is ridiculous our prison system, it is assumed that the prisoners, who have not surrendered indagatoria, should be isolated, but no, my friend moved like a fish in the water, next to all his companions. Mario was talking to a fat dark man who, with his prescription glasses, looked like a priest in the middle of that patio. The two of them looked at me and the young man moved towards me, waiting for the guard to open the heavy grate. The boy looked at me curiously. He was very small and plump, but his smooth, polished face made him look like a black angel in the middle of all those miscreants. The nature is incredible. How can you develop a criminal brain, within a young man of such good looks and such good manners? ... The hair was cut almost flush with skin. "What an infamous way to rape the poor inmates!" I thought distressed. The door creaked like horror movies and I, with two steps, was for the first time in a prison.

- Hello! ... My name is Santiago - he said, the young man, shaking my hand in a cordial greeting - Don Mario asked me to please you, because he is not condemned and cannot receive direct visits. If you want we are going to talk to my family and, now, later, I make the form so you can talk to him. - We crossed the patio and went to sit on wooden benches, which were arranged in boxes.
- Good morning, madam - I greeted recognizing in that face the one who should be the mother of Santiago and, next to her, to whom I must have been the sister of my new friend, she gave me a smile. In the benches were also sitting two nice women who, later, I realized that they were his admirers. That was like a big party. Everywhere there were women and children. On the loudspeakers the music played incessantly. The group was like a large family gathered in a field day. Many of the prisoners offered handicrafts, stuffed animals, paintings and wooden carvings, evading with their screams the anguish of being imprisoned in December.
- Hello! How have things gone there? - The boss asked me, sitting quietly beside me.
- What else? ... How have you been? ... - I said reflexively, surprised by the coldness of the boss - Have you been taken into question? ...
- Yes, they have already taken me twice to the prosecutor's office. Thank you for sending me the lawyer - he said with a lost look on the horizon of his silence.
- But tell me, what did you say? How did you explain the accident? - I asked full of curiosity.
- I told them that I was drinking liquor from the night before, that I arrived in "Aquitaine" and I started to negotiate a red holstein bull that, in the end, I did not know if I bought or did not buy. Later I lost consciousness and, when I woke up, I was in jail with the news that I had killed a couple of boys I did not even know - Mario said, as if remembering the event -. The prosecutor asked me where the weapon came from, and then I told him that I did not have any weapons. Then he asked me about Pablo who, luckily, was undocumented that day. I, with pain in the soul, I had to deny it. I argued that he must be friends with the other two dead. The judge used that against me and told me that it was no longer double murder, but triple. They called people from the cantina and nobody saw anything, as always. The prosecutor is very confused with the facts but, in spite of everything, he told my lawyer, that these murders can give me forty to sixty years of prison. Of course I am very calm and resigned. They did not catch me but a thirty-eight.

- Mario, remembers that I have all the people ready to come for you, whenever you want - I said presenting a good alternative to his passivity.
- No, godson, you may not understand, but since the day I am in this place, I have felt what real peace is - reflected, Don Mario, with his eyes fixed on the sky -. I believe that for a long time I needed this tranquility. I go to bed at eight in the evening and sleep until the next day like a dormouse. I do not worry about anything and I feel a great rest in my soul.
The boss was talking and I could not believe it. How is it possible that, the greatest and most powerful man I have ever seen gladly accepts the humiliating and filthy prison? ... What was happening to my godfather? ... It seemed to me that I was floating in a bubble of dense fog, which separated him from what he was and from me. At that moment I did not know what to say, I took refuge in the silence of understanding. How can Mario Galeano feel good, locked in the middle of a hundred and four vermin who can kill him for anything?
- All my life has been an exaggeration. Too much liquor, too many women, too many parties and hullabaloo. Now, the time for meditation and rest has arrived - analyzed Don Mario, not so much to convince me, but trying to convince himself.
- They told me that you left the farm - said the boss, moving away for the first time from his meditations -. That has been a good move, which justifies the trust placed in you.
- Yes, we went to live in the caves of "Las Dantas" - I hastened to explain, to avoid misinterpretation.

- Today I want you to go to what was left of the camp. Because they also told me about the party you gave them, those thirty-two thieves who killed each other fighting alone. It's a shame that Juan "el lender" and the bartender have left, because I would have liked to kill them with my own hands. But, well, what is going to be done. Ah ... as I was saying, you go to the farm and you get to the old water well, the one that was not used, the one next to the chicken pen. You remove the wood that is on top of it and pull a wire that is tied on one of its sides and remove a plastic basket, which is tied at the tip of it. Within it you will find ten million eight hundred thousand dollars, a little more, a little less. To my women you give one hundred thousand dollars each and the maids accompanied for their houses. The other three hundred thousand are given to Carlos, William and the radiotelephone operator, who is in charge of the townspeople.
- Don Mario, what happens is that there is a problem - I started to say very nervous about the bad news.
- Count, whatever it is - said the boss, to reassure me.
- Since you had the accident, William and Carlos insubordinate. They did not obey me and your women began to dispute. One night, I gave them liquor, William, who turned out to be the most rude, killed poor Carlos. That man was crazy since his wife left him, because the same afternoon you came here, she left for Medellin. In any case, after he killed Carlos, he continued to bother that he was going to kill everyone, and then I had to execute him.
- How like that man? ... What a pair of "gonorreas" were those two traitors! ... But that was very good, son, because remember, that the only sacred thing for handsome men, are their women. Then, the money of those two traitors, you give it to the Indian so he can distribute it among the aborigines who helped us.

- But, boss. How will the group dismember, now that it needs it most? - I complained with anguish - Do not you think it's crazy?
- Calm down, son, I'm going to stay a long time. So, why do I need so many things? - Don Mario asked. I did not manage to say anything and he continued -. One goes by getting money to be able to live and, in the end, when he is very old and well tired, he does not even cause him to live. Because of greed I bitter my existence. For money I have sacrificed my youth and my tranquility. Now I have regained my peace, even though I am here locked up. Can you understand that? ... Yes or no? ... I also want you to kill "Venusino" my favorite horse, because I would not resist that someone would make him suffer. Bury it next to William and Carlos, so that my equipment is complete underground. Then you take the ten million dollars that are left over and keep it so that you continue to fund the organization, because you are my heir and because you are my successor and the son I never had. You burn “The Danta” cabins and go to my hotel in Medellin, to administer the distribution channels of the drug, while the thing cools on these sides.
- Don Mario, for God's sake, what are you talking about? - I asked anguished.
- Calm down, son, that when the time passes, you will realize that one has a mission on earth and mine is over. Do not tell anyone what is happening and, please, do not return to this cloister - warned the boss. I was very sad and then he said -. Do not go thinking that you are leaving a helpless cat, convince yourself that I am a tiger and that, to this amount of queers, I put them all together in the ass. Now you do me the favor and you're going to fulfill my orders, while I take a short vacation.
That order was given without looking me in the eyes. I was bewildered and did not know what to think.
- Do you know where my favorite horse is? - He asked a little suspiciously.
- Yes, sir, they must have it in the police command.

 

 

 

 

- True. There they have it, and do not insist on claiming the necklace and the stirrups that those children of police prostitute, they already stole them. Now yes, go, son, and behave like a man. -
I did not want to leave that place; however, I started walking in search of the exit door.
December 20th
My love:

I am writing to you because I cannot resist the temptation to tell you that, in a few days, I will be back. How ironic is the life of men, yesterday I was immersed in the deepest of sorrows and today I am overflowing with joy, because it was time for our reunion. Today, more than ever, I miss your words, your smile and your warmth. From the moment I visualized my departure, I have not had peace. My body and soul are shaken with the fever of an overwhelming emotion. Natalia, I love you with all my heart and I'm dying of jealousy for you. Today I curse myself for having spent so much time in this monologue, a monologue that is diluting your sacred image and that is destroying me from within. This is the last S.O.S. desperate, an idiot who had not been able to learn to live. I need you unwavering and cheerful, because now, that I ran over the triumph, you have to be by my side watching, that I will not fall into a pit of anguish, because of the ridiculousness of life.
I hope you are still alive and that, within you, there is still the love that you once felt for me. Natalia, it's four in the morning and I'm suffering for you. The rain is striking incessantly on the roof. These rainy days are a symphony of gray colors and thoughts full of melancholy. It's been a long time since I separated from you and today, for the first time, I've felt your total absence. All night long, winter has lulled me into an elusive dream, with drops of life, as fragile as glass. Who believed it, the majority of our body is made of water. This is a reality that has made me feel fragile and vulnerable, precisely when I am free to march by your side. Men should be made of steel, with a heart of silver and thoughts of Iron, that way, we could walk the world, without fear of vipers and the bites of a dog. It is incredible that the fragility of our bodies is comparable to flowers and fruit in an orchard. Natalia, we are like butterflies that go flying in the sky, of this unjust and miserable world. Today I am clinging, with all the strength of my soul, to the sacred hope of love that your words and your sweetness have born within me.

 

Many times, the faintness has gone through each of my muscles, filling them with a painful heaviness and making me remember how insignificant my figure is before the immense nature. It is wonderful that your memory has become the motor that drives me to take every step in this terrible adventure. Every difficult moment that I have lived in these last days, was always accompanied by your stimulating memory. Already, the end of the madness is near, I am missing two or three days of suffering, before starting the trip back to my loved ones. We have enough money to form a decent home, to educate our future daughter, to buy your platinum filly, to buy "Prophet of Besilu" or his best descendant, to buy a red jacket and to buy the house you want. Natalia, even being far, I have learned many things from you. The practical and cold way you take life is the smartest way to reap the dreams that this society offers us. I was always a loner in the convulsions of life and now I have you and, forever, you will be the guide of my spirit.
From today I can give you the security and peace that give a well structured home, waiting for my body and my soul to provide the last ingredient to make the cutest love that ever lived.
In this exile I have thought a lot about your spontaneity, in your open and frank way of saying things, without caring about the reactions of people, and I have realized that all this is a product of the great talent that is within you. . The delicacies of your body, your voice and your soul, are the happy and natural way with which you assume life, without thinking about the risks that you do not know, because all your life you have lived like a crystal goddess, in the one that was a model from your first years of life. The only thing you will never be able to understand is what ninety percent of the people have to do in order to live. Life is a difficult challenge, although you do not reach it to perceive and, for you, I went to hell, I wallowed in it and I came out triumphant. I have learned all the tricks that will give me strength, to unite her to all your fantasies and to form, with all the happiness of the universe, a magical home.
Julio Fierro

 

 

I went to claim Mario's horse and they handed it to me very thin. A son of the commander, he ruined it by practicing his veterinary classes on it. The horse was like a fool, due to malnutrition. I gave him enough water; I injected him with serum and vitamins, to resist the return trip. I tied it in the back of the car and went to the old camp. I collected the money and went back to the farm, where the women still were, with the Indian and the Indians who helped in the housework. I divided the dollars, I set fire to the cabins, I embarked the women for their houses and I released to "Venusino" the beautiful roasted sorrel of the patron, in the middle of the mountain. Because I could not kill a son of "Capuchino del ocho" which was a spectacular example of the Colombian paso fino. After I picked up my thing and flew in search of my beloved.
The blind horseman said visibly moved, thinking again, which was one of his greatest triumphs. He took a long drink of whiskey and took a deep breath and continued narrating like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER NUMBER SIXTEEN

I arrived in Medellin and ... The first thing I did was look for a telephone booth and ...
- Hello! Natalia, please! - I said over the phone, frayed by the excitement that was seizing me.
- Yes with shoe. Who needs it? - replied his tender voice on the other side of the line.
- I just traveled half the country, I've traveled sixteen hours to see you and you do not remember me anymore! - I exclaimed sarcastically, pretending to be brave.
- Oh! Julio, adored! What a surprise! - He shouted with emotion, recognizing my voice - And where are you?
- I'm here in Medellin - I answered, my voice broken by the agitation -. I'm near the "Coltejer" building. Sorry to call you at ten in the morning, but I just needed to hear your voice. Natalia, what are you doing? ... I want to see you.
- I'm still lying down - said, Natalia, surprised by the invitation - But if you want, I get up and in an hour and thirty minutes, you come for me and invite me to lunch. Yes? ... In the center of the city, they sell fried chicken and such delicious milkshakes that you cannot even imagine them. What do you say?
- Good. I'll be there in an hour and thirty minutes. But, first of all, tell me how you've been. Did you miss me? Have you thought about me? - I asked, with the desperation of a long separation.
- Sure, my love, how I'm not going to think about the nicest things in my life. I have to tell you many things that have happened in your absence - he said in a voice interrupted by a sob that he wanted to escape -. But let's not delay, come to my house soon, I'll be fixing myself.
- Well, beautiful, in an hour and a half we met. Bye. - I said goodbye.
- See you later, my love - said Natalia before the communication was cut off. I hung up the receiver with marked satisfaction. My face was lit by the strength of that immense love. I looked everywhere and, carrying my heavy briefcase, I went with firm step to the kiosks where they offered flowers of all colors.

 

- Sir, do me the favor and sell me twenty red roses wrapped in cellophane, and tied with a white ribbon that hangs a little - I ordered very safely. The old man looked at me with smiling eyes and, without saying anything, began to make a bouquet with the most beautiful roses. In the middle of the bouquet he placed a white rose that opened fearful to life.
- I know you're in love with a pretty little girl - said the old man, an accomplice of love -. This white rose, means the purity that is in your body and in your heart, as a gift for you. The old man looked in his drawer and extracted a small tangerine card.
- What message do you want to write? - He asked me, the old man, readying a wet ink pen.
- Natalia: Not a single moment of life, I could stop thinking about you. Sincerely, Julio. - I said without thinking much. The old man wrote down the phrase, handed me the bouquet of roses and watched my reaction, before the beautiful package he had built in a few seconds.
- How much do I owe, sir? - I asked while looking for the wallet in the briefcase.
- Twenty thousand pesos, nothing more - the man replied, feeling proud of his work. "Twenty thousand pesos, and I have more than ten million dollars, to buy the best descendant of" Prophet of Besilu ", to buy the platinum filly for my beloved and to spend the rest on anything. It is very cheap." I thought to myself. I handed him a fifty-thousand-dollar bill and gave him the change. I said goodbye and thanked and started walking in search of a taxi, to take me to a hotel, to keep the heavy suitcase and then to visit my beautiful girlfriend.

 

 

Time flew by like a silver arrow and, in the taxi, I took out some napkins and started writing:
You will always remain my Natalia.
I do not know if you are a ray of light
Or the wake of a star
But what I do know,
It is that you are the most beautiful.
On a beautiful morning
I'm shaking with love
And luckily you have crashed
With a dreamy man
That has a good heart
You are like an angel of joy
That spreads and infects
My whole life.
Natalia

Deep in the soul
you have removed my calm
from that beautiful day
in which I met you.
You are my only girlfriend
And I have been very faithful to you
When I could understand
That you were my life
Your name is an obsession
For me, in each morning
That became song
In a distant forest.

 

The taxi turned the corner and revealed a lovely landscape before my eyes. The floor was full of the dry leaves that had come loose from the disheveled eucalyptus, with the power of the wind. Immediately I observed the twisted pine trees that presided over my beloved's garden. The turtledoves that looked for food in the grass did not flinch before the arrival of the car. The vehicle stopped slowly, I looked out the window and thought for a second. I opened the door and told the driver to wait a few minutes. I got off very calmly, taking care not to damage the bunch of flowers I was carrying in my hands. I looked towards the closed door and took a deep breath. With determination I crossed the road, descended the garden ladders and went to the front of the door. My heart was very agitated and I felt that I am short of breath. I filled myself with courage, raised my hand and knocked on the door three times. The beating of the dog was heard and, in a few seconds, the door opened. I heard a scream and felt a hug of desperate love. Our lips were searched with despair and a sweet kiss sealed that exciting encounter. The lovely Natalia, my favorite model, was more beautiful than ever. We got into the taxi and went to the center of the city. The voluptuous body of my beloved and the soft golden of her skin aroused the admiration of passersby who greeted her excitedly. A crowd of anonymous people followed her with the hope of getting an autograph of the country's most charismatic and sweet model. Definitely, Natalia had not wasted time in my absence. She went from being a thin and fragile girl, who dreamed of modeling, to being the most recognized and beloved of all Colombian models. We moved one block and a half after the park of Bolivar and, unable to resist the harassment of the fans who wanted to watch closely, we took refuge in the darkness of a theater where they were projecting the "Titanic". We bought two hot dogs and two soft drinks and sat down to watch the movie. I could not believe it. My sweet girlfriend was more famous than I imagined and I was by her side, enjoying an impromptu but delicious fast food. I finished eating and I watched her in the dark, while she finished with her soda. I took one of his delicate hands between mine; I stamped my hot lips on each of his polished fingers and did not even realize when the movie started. My heart was shaking like crazy and, in the gloom, I felt like my sweet princess was leaning on my shoulder, as if looking for the warmth that my love offered her. My hand was holding his little hand tightly and our lips were searching. We were very comfortable in those fluffy chairs and we stared at each other with admiration, after our eyes adjusted to the darkness. The romance that the protagonists were living on the screen, was very similar to ours, but with the difference that ours was very real. I stared at the film and tried to calm down, took a deep breath and watched with my breast brimming with love, the spectacular film. Natalia squeezed my hand with despair, when the tragedy began to flood the all powerful "Titanic". The film was impressive and my beautiful lady fainted before the harsh and cruel situation that those helpless beings lived on the screen. He placed my hand between his bare legs and squeezed it as if trying to stop the water that ran through the passageways of the ship. I felt the warmth and softness of the skin of those turned and firm legs and I could not resist the temptation to caress it with my fingers that escaped, gently, from the pressure of the delicate hand. The universe stopped in my soul and only the beat of my agitated heart was heard. My restless fingers moved through his willing skin and our mouths searched again in the darkness. Natalia spread her legs gently and my audacity advanced until my fingers hit the thin fabric of her underwear. The protagonists fought to save their lives and I struggled to penetrate the body and soul of my beloved. My hand slid safely inside his underwear and, while the "Titanic" was submerged in the frozen sea, my fingers sank again and again, into a damp and burning shell that throbbed desirous. Natalia spread her legs completely and I put my fingers into that sea of ​​deliciousness and abundant hot juices. The scandalous situation did not allow us to witness the sad outcome of the desperate couple who shouted with water up to their necks. The situation became unbearable and, hand in hand, we left the theater when the protagonists were crushed against a fence and about to drown. The refreshing wind hit our flushed faces, to prove that this delight had not been a dream. The half-day sun had hidden behind the clouds and passers-by marched inwardly in thought. We moved almost running and Natalia clung to my arm wailing strangely. Little griddles of deep pleasure escaped her throat, while she squeezed her legs tightly as if she were urinating. I looked at her amazed. His agitated breathing was very strange and his clear eyes were lost in the devilish excitement that produced, in the shell, the friction of walking.

 

- My clitoris is completely inflamed and sensitive by emotion and, when I walk, with the lips of my vagina completely flooded, I feel that my body starts to vibrate with the proximity of a wonderful orgasm.
I did not know what to do. We stood on the platform, while people looked at her with admiration. Natalia could not take it anymore and with her breathing agitated, she spread her legs crying with pleasure because, without being able to avoid it, she threw herself in a delicious and violent orgasm that made her scream with emotion. He hugged me and kissed me madly. He raised his right leg and, in the middle of the street, violently squeezed his mom’s pubis against the muscles of my right leg. I hugged her tightly and carrying her almost loaded, I leaned against a wall bluer than the sea that swallowed the "Titanic". I ignored the rest of the world and with my leg I began to gently tap my beloved's shell, which was shelled in one and another and another, successive orgasms. That was great. My wife was melting, in the middle of the street, as an ice cream melts in the scorching heat, when nobody wants to suck. I hugged her tightly and she moaned and moaned, until she almost lost consciousness. I had never seen such a thing before and I was dumbfounded.
-! Oh! - He exclaimed when he could control the emotion that made him run hot water down his legs, as if he had urinated -! This is wonderful! ... I cannot wait longer to be yours.
With my handkerchief I tried to dry the delicious juice that descended through the tanned legs of my angel, but when I touched its flooded shell, I knew that the sea that swallowed the "Titanic" was insignificant before the physical vigor of my lady. I stopped a taxi, because passers-by already looked at us curiously and without measuring my words, I told the good man to take us to the closest hotel I knew. The taxi driver went around the block, stopped at a beautiful house with colonial doors and said:

 

 

 

- It's two thousand five hundred pesos.
- Is this a hotel? ... - I asked incredulously.
- And the most good and discreet - answered the taxi driver, still with his hand outstretched to receive the money.
- And how do I get in? ... - I asked, not knowing how they worked those dens that, from afar, you could tell they were clandestine.
- Ring at the door and now.
I paid the taxi driver and helped him get down to Natalia, who was still out of touch with reality. I rang the bell and a boy who seemed familiar met us.
- I need a nice room with hot water, how much does it cost? ...
- Twenty-five thousand pesos, advanced.
The young man said without taking his eyes off my beautiful and pale girlfriend. We proceeded down a narrow corridor that led us to the doors of two or three rooms. I took out my wallet and told him to sell me two cold malts, four packets of donuts, a half bottle of aged Medellin rum and a liter soda.

 

 

- It's fifty thousand pesos for everything - said the boy, without hesitation. I paid him with new bills and we entered the comfortable room he pointed out to us. Natalia threw herself face down on the bed and there she remained silent. I stayed with the door ajar, waiting for the young hotelier to return with the order and while I was waiting for him I remembered, with all clarity, that the boy was studying at the University of Antioquia. Yes, that man who attended us, I had found him in engineering school many times, that's why he looked at us with a strange smile, as if he knew us. Definitely, the world was very small. How about that we were hiding, something or someone. The man returned with a broad smile, handed me the liquor, the groceries and left. I closed the door with insurance, placed the things on a bedside table and hugged my girlfriend in the back. I started kissing her delicate neck. We hugged and kissed each other with passion, but she felt a bit uncomfortable, because she was very wet and suggested that we take a shower. We went straight for the bath and the warm, clear water hit our faces and relaxed our bodies. My enchanted Goddess was even prettier, when she was naked and wet. I fell on my knees before that monument and my tongue ran over her bare, wet skin. Natalia spread her legs completely aroused and let my dilated eyes contemplate the beautiful combination of the golden and pink color of her excited shell. I introduced my tongue into that magical grotto and she held my head tightly as I started licking her excited clit. I pressed the delicious button between my teeth and bit him gently. My tongue traveled again and again, traversing the moist and delicious lips throbbing eager for full penetration. She could not take it anymore, she took me by the hand and so, completely wet, we went to bed. He threw himself on his back on the beautiful aquamarine comforter and completely opened his legs so that I would fully enjoy his humanity. I took my filly swollen and hot, and caressed with it the major and minor lips, that delicious vulva that throbbed without ceasing. I held on to her beautiful hips and slowly inserted my cocoon into that damp and delicious shell. I felt the warmth of triumph and breaking everything, penetrated with violence into the paradise reserved for me by the Gods. Natalia gave a shout that shook the whole building and hugged me tightly, feeling that it was completely mine. She was shaking like crazy, feeling my whole body attached to his and turned on my humanity to be mounted on a horse on my heavy humanity. He leaned forward and brought his beautiful and excited nipples to my mouth, which murmured deep and choked exclamations of satisfaction. I kissed her beautiful breasts and I wanted to swallow them whole, while she danced on my spear of fire, which penetrated her to the depths of her insides. I grabbed his immense and delicious hips and felt when his whole body began to tremble uncontrollably. She closed her eyes tight and stirred like crazy, screaming with pleasure in a new and wonderful orgasm, while I hit her pussy with all the strength of my legs. He calmed down for an instant and started an Arab dance, which my swollen eggs could not resist. That beautiful body was moving rhythmically, with a feline precision on my excited spear and, unable to take it anymore, I closed my eyes and filled it with the thick, hot milk of my semen, which would give life to Mariana in the near future. My body was shaking uncontrollably, as if a lightning bolt was electrocuting me and I had to grab my insatiable Goddess, so that it would not end with me. I held her with my arms and, turning my body, I supported my exhausted humanity on her beautiful figure and wept with emotion until my breathing normalized.

! Thank you love! - I exclaimed completely ecstatic. This is the most beautiful thing that has happened to me in life! After feeling this happiness, I can die when God wants!
That was the reward for all my efforts and efforts. Natalia was already mine and I only needed to buy "Prophet of Besilu", the horse of my dreams, now that he was immensely rich. That stud was my second passion after my beautiful lady. The dollars were ready to buy the spectacular descendant of "Resorte cuarto".
In those days, when I was completely happy, I realized that "Prophet of Besilu" was not sold "and then I communicated with" The spring house of fine passage ", in the United States of America, and I was able to speak with Jairo Velez, the manager of "Capuchino del ocho." He told me that the owner of the horse was a woman named Zarela Olsen and that the woman did not sell the horse, nor for all the gold in the world. The owner of the wonderful specimen was a woman, it became difficult and Jairo offered me the services of reproduction of the animal, guaranteeing me live breeding for the modest sum of three thousand five hundred dollars, equivalent to some ten million Colombian pesos. Well, "Capuchino of the eight "I was already many years old and I wanted an old man, I started to investigate which was the best descendant of" Prophet of Besilu "until, one night, I met Don Alvaro Atahualpa in the Capo del ta The famous editor was drinking liquor with a beautiful blonde, who was about ten centimeters tall. I approached safely to the original couple and asked the good editor.
- Don Alvaro, do me the favor and tell me, what is the best descendant of "Prophet of Besilu" in Colombia? - The man looked at me with eyes dilated by the effect of alcohol and told me:

The only colt that will match the softness and temperament of this noble animal, is "Platinum of Besilu.", Born and raised in the J.S. in Rionegro Antioquia and is, suddenly, even better than the pope, better than "Capuchino del ocho" and better than all. But there is not a man in Colombia who is able to buy it. That colt is worth the millions of pesos you imagine and the only way you get it would be selling your soul to the devil - said the good man, making fun of me, before the beautiful young woman. I smiled a little bitter, for the old man's comment. I called the waiter and asked him to bring it to Don Álvaro, a chop of pork rinds and pork, so that the fat would cut him a little the terrible drunkenness he had. I paid the bill of the famous editor and left, without having told him that I had already sold his soul to "Satan" for "A horse and a woman"
As I was not poor anymore, I bought a new Toyota model. I began to learn about each of the equine exhibitions and the different specimens that were winning on the slopes. It was thus, speaking with the assemblers and grooms, that I realized that what Don Álvaro Atahualpa had said was true and that Mrs. Yaneth, owner of the J.S. that he recommended to me, he had a foal son of the famous "Prophet of Besilu", who was better than the father, than the grandfather, than the great-great-grandfather and all his ancestors together. A week passed like the wind and, next Sunday, Jaime no longer had to lend me his humble vehicle, because I picked up Natalia in a beautiful red party, which made her feel very proud of me. We went to the city of Rionegro in search of my second love.
That same day, in the afternoon, we met the newborn foal of our dreams. After having walked through all the eastern Antioquia, with my beloved strawberry-faced princess, we headed to the impressive farm that was to the front of the José Maria Córdoba airport to meet the renowned "Platinum of Besilu" of which all the assemblers good, they were talking. We arrived at the farm and everything was desolate. The office, which was in front of the parking lot, was also closed and only a humble worker, who was dragging an immense cart full of hay, came to our aid
- Good afternoon, sir - I greeted with kindness, attentive and friendly man -. My name is Julio Fierro and she is my girlfriend. We came to meet "platinum of Besilu" a Plato moor foal, son of "La Cibeles" and "Prophet of Besilu". It's a very nice colt that I'm going to buy from Dona Yaneth.

-! Yes, of course! ... Well, I can. Keep going, I'll show you - said the confident man, who is only half a meter and fifty centimeters tall. We walked about twenty steps and we went through a gallery of mangers that, on both sides, enclosed very beautiful horses. We got to the side of the most beautiful foal, that my human eyes could see. He rattled uneasily with our presence and paced from side to side, as if to let us appreciate the perfection of his body. He was an almost black Moor, just as polished to all the good ones.
- Friend, what is your name? - I asked the man, who had been so kind to us, to feel the need to ask a small favor.
- Pacho, although everyone says "pachito" because I'm very short - said the charismatic stable, with a smile to the lips.
- Pacho, you do me the favor and you take that foal out, which is to see how it is moving.
- With pleasure, sir.
That kind man left and brought a halter from another manger, entered and pulled the mare with the filly that came jumping of joy to feel free. That animal was a spectacle. The firm sound of his rapid footsteps rumbled in the cement of the corridor, which echoed with the finesse of the best foal in the world. That feeling that rang in our hearts was love at first sight. Natalia and I, we were enchanted with the quality of the wonderful specimen and, before her, I swore that this animal was going to be the stallion of our breeding. In my mind everything was very clear, that colt had to be mine.
- Pacho, where is the owner, to talk to her? - I asked, willing to investigate the price of such a noble and beautiful animal, even if I had to pay all the money in the world for it.
- The lady is in the United States of North America, for eight days, and I do not know when she will come - the good man replied, as he introduced and untied the mare with the colt in his stall.
Natalia and I were looking at him totally in love, but in the end we decided to leave, so that Pacho could continue taking care of the numerous horses that were missing.
I took out four fifty-thousand bills and tipped them to the good man.
- Pacho, do me a favor, do not tell the owner, or anyone, that we were seeing that colt, because if she realizes that we were looking at that copy, the price will automatically go up. Ready?...
- Yes sir. Quiet.

Said the humble stable, which must be very happy with the tip. We left in love and happy to have contemplated that marvelous example.
The days passed and the months passed, one after the other. We were living the best romance in the world. For several months that the beautiful Natalia, did not like to go out to the street, or even work. He only wanted me to make love to him in the most exotic and varied places, showing me the great value that lived in his heart. He remained all the time with beautiful miniskirts and with small and colorful bikinis, from which he easily slipped off. We liked to make love in the countryside, in the open air, and on a spring afternoon when we were walking through the hills of the town in Medellin, my beautiful lady asked me the following question:
- What would you do or what would you think, if I were expecting a son of yours? ...
- I would be very happy - I answered immediately, to guess that very soon that would happen.
- And do not you fear the enormous responsibility? ...
- You know, princess with strawberry mouth, that I am not afraid of anything, also, when God sends a child, always sends the bread under the arm.
- Well - said with joy my beautiful and fruitful woman, taking my hand and pressing it with her fingers, below her navel. I felt that my little daughter throbbed in her lower abdomen, as if her little heart was already ready.
-! Oh, what a beautiful and beautiful girl is going to be born, to administer the horse farm that we will soon have! - I exclaimed deeply in love.
In those days I was the happiest, but most confused man in the world.
We went to live in the United States of America, for some time. I became friends with Mario Galeano's partners in Miami and started directing the whole operation.

The narcotics business was growing rapidly, and in a few months dollars were raining by the thousands, and I felt trapped in a rat trap that had no way out. I could not hide my profession and my wife felt too distressed, when she realized that I was committing a crime and started to pressure me to withdraw from that criminal world. The state of my wife made me more sensitive and I came to the conclusion that I could not go against life. It was not fair that I was poisoning the children of North America with drugs, while God gave me the opportunity to dream of having a daughter. Yes, a daughter was the best gift of life and, then, advised by my wife, I decided to surrender to the authorities in a program of protection of witnesses, delivery of goods acquired in the narcotics business and denunciation of all my accomplices in the business. I surrendered, I denounced to all those criminals and, in reward, I received the forgiveness and the change of identity. I went to live definitively in Colombia, until I was seized by the criminal hand of revenge and my mind and body were castrated.
He finished saying the blind horseman, visibly hurt by those words.
He remained a few seconds deep in his thoughts and in his pain. I remained at his side, in complete silence, until his breathing normalized.
- That foal platinum that I met that time, is the one you're going to try to buy for me, and you have to go find it right now, because as I later learned, Yaneth, the former owner of that silver ray, sold it to him to a farmer in Urabá who is a skilled investor who plans to put him in Puerto Rico. The man's name is Rodrigo Jimenez Pinillos and he has a farm called "La Recoleta", on the outskirts of the town of La Ceja and you should know where it is, or not? ... But do not waste any more time, list all your things and get ready for the trip before they sell it again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER NUMBER SEVENTEEN

Time had flown by and, well after two in the afternoon, Fierro gave me a thousand dollars in low-denomination bills, to finance the expenses of the sudden mission he had entrusted to me. There was only one goal and that was to buy "Platinum of Besilu" the best descendant of "Prophet of Besilu", before they got ahead again.
I swallowed the whole potatoes of a succulent chicken stew that I could not enjoy. I ran down the winding paths of the mountain and when I reached the main road, bathed in sweat, I took the only bus that passed every day, at four o'clock in the afternoon, towards "La Ceja del Tambo" The vehicle was almost empty and I, while resting, I entertained trying to observe my farm, which was stuck in the immense mountain range, which we were slowly leaving behind. The landscape was beautiful and full of color that put the good men of Antioquia, with their daily work. Tree tomato crops flooded the environment with the delicious smell of white flowers, while on both sides of the road, awaited the packages with the product, to be shipped to the big city. The granadillos covered the hills with their strange cobweb, which hung in the air, to offer us the sweetness of its delicious fruits. That trip was a symphony of beautiful landscapes and friendly faces and good-natured, who watched the bus with curiosity, while milking the sleepy cows. I thought of poor Julio who clung to life and his last dream, with those empty sockets that at all times seemed to be filled with blood despite his perfect and healthy face. "I cannot understand how it is possible that they could have ripped out his eyes with one blow!" I thought completely distressed. I tried to imagine it with them on and I got confused when I did not know what color they would be. "I may have had them green, or black or a bright, beautiful brown color, it's just, now, that I'm understanding why he's hid in the ranch like a rat, if his mutilation is affecting me, that I'm a real man, I have a heart of stone and I have nothing to do with him, how would it affect his young and modeled wife and his little daughter? ... Yes, it has been a good decision that has taken, why it is going to turn into the disgust, shame, bitterness and grief of that beautiful and proud woman, who would die of fright just look at those empty basins and the at the same time full of blood, like two coals lit in the placidity of a beautiful face? ... Without counting the emptiness of the two eggs below, which are no longer there? "I closed my eyes and tried to push away those stupid thoughts. I settled into the chair and tried to fall asleep.
Time passed and I thought of "the blind horseman", again and again, during the exhausting journey. My body was filled with fever and rage in the last kilometers. I got off the bus and started vomiting in the middle of the streets of the town, disgusted by the miseries of men who are destroyed by a few pesos. I felt the need to take a strong drink, I took refuge in the darkness of a bar and drank and drank brandy, until I did not know more about me.
The next day I got up completely sick, because of the hangover produced by the liquor I swallowed. I did not even realize how I got to my mother's house. I searched the pockets of my pants and, to my surprise, the dollars that Julio Fierro had given me were complete, so I did not know who paid the bill for all the liquor I consumed. My head ached and I felt the cravings in a stomach affected by the gastritis that the liquor produced. I felt bad, but it was time to continue trying to make the last dream of Julio Fierro come true, before another one went ahead and bought that blessed silvery colt.
Honestly, I did not know where the "Recoleta" was where the foal grazed. I told Julio that he did know, but I am a writer and not a horseman. I imagined, more or less, where the Guillermo Usuga farm was located, an editor of the Galeanos who has been a commission agent and business man all his life. I took a bicycle and I went in search of the popular subject, and I say popular because in the municipality of La Ceja, everyone knew him. I kept wondering until I arrived at a beautiful horse farm called "Los Potrillos", a society of the mulato that I was looking for and always imagined to be poor. I observed the infrastructure of the place and concluded that the horse business must be very profitable.

- Good morning, Don Guillermo, I am looking for a colt of fine Colombian step, that is very good and that they sell it to me very cheap - I said directly to the charismatic black man, who was stirring a pile of sawdust.
The man stared at me, while I placed the bicycle against the wooden fence and approached to his side.
- Good foals I do not have here, but I have a pregnant mare, very thin and very cheap! Diego! - Shouted calling a worker, without letting me say a word - Saddle the red mare, I'll show it to this man.
The boy left and saddled an ugly mare, small and very badly made. This animal had a very visible physical defect, it had too long paws on its legs and it lowered its ankle as if crawling forward.
- This female, five years old, is pregnant with "Escándalo de J.S." and only costs her five million pesos - the character told me, with the spontaneous kindness of a great businessman
- No, sir, that mare crawls very ugly and I do not like it. I want a colt that is very good.
- I have them very good. There, in "La Recoleta", I have eight Colombian Paso paso foals, so you can choose the one you like best. Leave that bike there, that nothing happens to you and come with me in the truck, for us to see them once and for all - said the famous editor, surprising me with his kindness.
We got on the pickup. We went down the narrow path of the farm and I left thinking about the strange ways in which people behave in Colombia. The world of Creole saddle horses is an exclusive and expensive world, and, that skilful businessman, quietly drove by my side, without knowing who I was, or how much money was available. Of course it is not surprising, because with this wonderful phenomenon of drug trafficking, any fool can have two or three cans full of dollars buried in the garden of his house. It's like poor Julio Fierro, who must have a bundle full of dollars, so that José Antonio makes a market every eight days and to buy the silver colt, of which he is in love. Surely, that man had seen in my eyes, the security that the green notes that Julio had given me gave me. They spent about five minutes of being in the car, before arriving at a beautiful mansion. We walked through a cobbled parking lot and, in the background, sitting in a wicker chair, was an elegant old man with white hair. Surrounded by three or four backs, armed to the teeth.

-! Good morning, doctor - greeted the commission agent, descending quickly from the car. I turned to meet the two men and when I got to his side, the editor made the respective presentation - Look, doctor, I present to a friend, who wants to buy a colt of fine Colombian step.
-! Pleasure! - I said shaking the hand that the elegant horseman offered me - My name is Jorge León and I have been entrusted with the mission of buying a good colt.
-! Welcome, young! I am Rodrigo Jimenez Pinillos and on this farm we are here to serve you - argued the honorable old man, who sat down again on the wicker chair, inviting me with a gesture of his right hand, to sit on one of the free chairs that had his side. Then he said to a tall, stocky man with a friendly face. Fluff, do me the favor and saddle me those fine colts, which are in the process of training and make me go through here, through the resonance track, so that this young man can appreciate them. He also does me the favor and tells the secretary to bring the records of each one so that he can look at them carefully.
There were two other boys at the entrance of the stables who, surely, were part of the process, because they left quietly behind the giant.
- And what is what you are looking for, boy? ... - The charismatic man asked me, which reflected peace and tranquility, in the kindness of his face and in the deliberate tone of his voice.
- We want to buy a colt of Colombian fine step, to have it there, as a pet -. I argued, completely nervous, when I realized how little the subject dominated. "Why did Julio Fierro want that colt? ..." I thought of the brief lapse of time, in which Dr. Jimenez was distracted to receive the records of a humble and ugly secretary, whom I had known long before, in the streets of my neighborhood in "La Ceja del tambo". The simple woman approached us and greeted me with a kind smile. He handed the package of records to the doctor and left, after finishing with that routine that, surely, he had repeated many times. We were silent, about four or five minutes, which were getting interminable, until Pelusa and the other two assemblers appeared, invading with the sonorous footsteps of three beautiful foals. Two were of Moorish color and the third was a beautiful bright black animal. Dr. Jimenez told me the name of each animal and the parents that appeared in the registry, while pointing to the animal to which they corresponded. I was confused trying to know which one was the best. The black colt was very beautiful, but he crossed his hands in a very strange way, as if he had.

- What's up? - Doctor Jimenez asked me, smiling, when the three copies finished the rigorous tour and entered the stables again.
- I want to see everyone first - I said thinking about the "Platinum of Besilu" that Julio Fierro had sent me to buy.
-! Sure, boy! - The old man calmly exclaimed, as if accustomed to the routine of showing and selling horses.
- What causes you to take, Don Jorge? - The venerable old man asked me, trying to get me out of my silence - A coffee, a soda or a drink? ...
- Nothing, Don Rodrigo, thank you very much. I have a hangover that is killing me and it does not cause me anything.
The atmosphere was filled with the sound of three other copies on the track. The group was headed by a red trotter, with an immense white paint on his forehead, which reached down to his lower lip. The other two were regular "zainos". So far, the best specimen I had seen was one of the two Moors children of "222." Dr. Jimenez read the records and I did not even hear the name of the parents of those simple animals. the track and I, meanwhile, looked towards the stables struggling to observe the silvery foal that Julio Fierro had commissioned me. The three bad foals left the track and the old man asked me:
- How did you like them? ...
- That trotón, mask, is very regular - I said a little annoyed, that they showed me horses of another step different from the one I was looking for.
- For you to see. That red colt, the one with the white paint on his forehead, is the best of that last lot. He is the son of one of the best mares I have, and it's just a matter of giving him time to be a champion. But do not think, young man, that these foals that we are showing are already made and right - said the old man a little annoyed by my indifferent attitude and my comment on the white-faced hack -. Keep in mind that they are foals in the process of training and with very few weeks of work. But calm that a better one is coming and with a little more work.

- Well, sir - I said with a smile from ear to ear, to try to soften the misunderstanding. Suddenly...! There, it was! ... The atmosphere was filled with the light of a silver ray and the sound of a magic bell. "Platinum of Besilu" advanced slowly, while his hands and legs, perfect, beat the track with incredible speed and harmony. He seemed suspended in the air, gently carrying a rider whose shoulders did not move. In that sample, you could have a Colombian coffee red, without even a single drop. "Platinum of Besilu" was absolute perfection, marching on a track with incredible sound. "This colt is the photocopy of" Prophet of Besilu ", but in an improved version." I thought full of joy. Dr. Jimenez was going to start reading the riding report, because the colt had not yet been registered, but without being able to hide the interest in the horse, I extended my hand to hand it to him and began to read: Association of breeders of Creole saddle horses "ASDESILLA" mountain report number 243761
Player data:
Name: "Prophet of Besilu", Record number: 178.597. Color: Platinum moor, Walking: fine, Owner: Benjamín León, Hatchery: Besilu. Municipality: Miami. Department: La Florida.
Data of the mare:
Name: Cibeles. Record: 144,300 Color: Platinum moor. Walking: fine. Owner: Criadero J.S. Municipality: Rio Negro. Department: Antioquia.
Insemination service on September 21, 2001.
Possible date of delivery on September 21, 2002.
I was so completely bewitched by that animal, I could not think of a good strategy to get it cheap. The old fox of Dr. Jimenez, guessed the deep impression that that colt had caused in my heart and began to say:

- Definitely, that colt is going to be a revelation - it has a lot of timbre and phenotypic ally it's almost perfect. It is the best and I am going to sell it because the debts have me up to my neck, or if I did not leave it for me.
- It's nice - I said trying to minimize the error, having shown so much interest. I breathed deeply and, for the first time, I could see the agile horse that moved behind "Platinum of Besilu". Behind or ahead, because while the platinum of Julio Fierro's dreams, progressed together, as if dancing to the Gods, the other chestnut horse, white legs, flew over the track with a very long and very fast thin. He traveled the track three or four times, while "Platinum" played like a bewitching melody. I was not able to control my emotions, deep in my soul I wanted to ignore the wonderful horse that marched slowly, before my eyes, ringing on the track with an incredible sound, so that Dr. Jimenez would sell it to me cheaper, but that living poem it got into my blood and into each of my cells, to make me vibrate with the demonic rhythm of its legs. It was incredible that this little animal could march with that speed, with that vigor and with that elegance. I could not take it anymore, I jumped from my chair like a spring and with my mouth dry with emotion, I asked Dr. Jimenez if he could mount it. The good man answered affirmatively and Juan alias "Carraspa", the editor who was showing him and who was a friend of mine from childhood, came up to me and handed it to me saying:
- There, there is quality, Don Jorge.
We were all excited. Pelusa helped me ride and the first symphony that I created in my life was heard. The colt turned, slowly, still ringing. Being mounted on that colt, it was like being suspended in the air, with a motor of incredible power between the legs. He felt more like a fag in tennis.

 What beauty! ... God bless the fine Colombian step and the men who had the wisdom to select it, polish it and protect it. I went and came in the spectacular animal. I could not believe it. I got off and watched him, trying to find a defect that would devalue him. That colt was very beautiful and almost perfect, but. ! Bingo! ... I found the defect to get it out cheaply. The hands of "Platinum of Besilu" were long, thin and well made, but the helmets were like a little elongated and flat, very different from those of the legs, which were very steep and perfect.

Look, doctor, the difference that exists between the helmets of the hands, which are like plates and the hulls of the legs that are steep and perfect.
-! Clear! Young, that's how they have to be, to make it a fine one. That is the main characteristic that transmits "Prophet of Besilu". Juan, bring me from the office, a photograph that I have of "Prophet of Besilu", player of the millennium in the United States, so that Don Jorge notes that the helmets of "Platinum" and "Prophet" are exactly the same, and know a thing, sir, that if "Prophet" worked on those flattened hands, as you say, then "Platinum of Besilu" will also work for him.
Juan "Carraspa" brought the photograph. "Platinum" was the silver copy of "Prophet of Besilu". There was nothing more to talk about. They were phenotypic ally the same.
- How much is this colt worth, doctor? ...
Dr. Rodrigo Jimenez kept thinking and at that precise moment, Guillermo Usuga appeared, that I do not know where he had gotten and he was an expert negotiating horses and he said:
- That foal is worth two and a half million of the big ones.
I remained silent. At that price, that colt was very expensive, and like a good Antioqueño, I decided to get a very juicy reduction.
- If you want, I'll give you 800,000 for him, to bring the cash back the day after tomorrow, after he talks to the boss.
- And who is your boss, Don Jorge?  - dared to ask the black commission agent, finding out gossip that did not care.
- My boss is a poor man who is crippled and has a few cents to buy that little horse and drop it in a paddock with seven fillies. Although you can never have the satisfaction of observing the silver tones, which the sun puts on the haunch, because the poor man is blind.
-! Blind! - They all exclaimed very surprised.
- You know that 800,000 is a lot of money and that the poor blind man had to kill himself a lot, planting bushes, to get it. So you decide ...
- See, man, with those eight hundred thousand do not pay even the water that has taken that foal, but you shut me up and I think to make that gift ... "Usuga" go to the office and bring a bottle of whiskey and some glasses with ice, that this business is done and you have to celebrate with a drink, even be a very humble business - announced Dr. Jimenez.

All the boys shouted excitedly and clapped my back, when Dr. Jimenez offered me his firm hand, to close the deal. With a handshake we concluded a business of which I did not understand the magnitude, until much later. We had a whiskey with ice and I felt like I was celebrating a business with the mafia. For the way of being of those men, for the absolute confidence that inspired them the word of an unknown and simple subject like me, and for all the attentions that they offered me, those men seemed to me too rare.
Dr. Jimenez said goodbye immediately and retired to rest. Guillermo Usuga took me through all the mangers and he showed me, one by one, all the descendants of "Marinero", a fine Colombian Paso horse, who was the player of the farm at that time. Then we got on the pick-up and went in search of my broken-down bicycle.
That afternoon I arrived radiant with happiness at my house. I told Ferley, my favorite brother, that he had bought, for Julio Fierro, the best colt in the world for only $ 800,000, and the man almost fell to the ground as soon as he heard the number.
- It cannot be - said my cerebral brother, who knew nothing about horses and who did not understand his real value -. You have to be wrong, because that sum equals more than two billion pesos and that cannot be the price of an insignificant colt. Are you sure that the old man told you it was worth eight hundred thousand dollars? ...
I was silent because, really, in the whole transaction the word dollars was not mentioned. Dr. Jimenez said that 800,000 of the greats and I assumed they were dollars, because I, in my life, have seen selling many horses worse than that revelation of a colt, in many millions of pesos.
- I do not know, brother - I said hesitating for the first time, of the huge number that the blind horseman would have to pay -. But good - I continued saying -, the thing is very simple, tomorrow we take advantage to take the first ten calves for my farm and we say to the lovely Julio Fierro, that the colt of his dreams is worth 800,000 dollars. If the man gives them to us, we give Dr. Jimenez eight hundred thousand pesos and we keep the rest. How do you like the business we are going to do, dear brother? ...

The two let out a loud laugh and jumping of happiness, we began to make arrangements to hire the truck, to take the bulls to the entrance of the farm. I was, all afternoon, completely excited. I could not forget that silver horse, which looked at me with its intelligent eyes, hidden behind its abundant mane. "Platinum of Besilu” was one of those horses that were transformed and enlarged when they were riding, as "Don Danilo", as "Fourth Spring", as "earthquake of Manizales", as "Capuchino del ocho", as "courtier" and like many others who have made the country's horses great. I knew that Julio Fierro did have the 800,000 dollars and much more, because the Colombian drug traffickers, in the eighties and nineties, brought millions and millions of dollars, which are still buried in plastic cans in the middle of any mountain. What I did not know was how shrewd Dr. Jimenez could be by buying and selling horses. Because, honestly, when we negotiated the spectacular "Platinum of Besilu", I noticed him distant and relaxed, as if he were selling one more of the two hundred horses he has in his stalls, or as if he wanted to give it to me. For me, that silver moor was a precious jewel as they were "Don Danilo", "Spring Fourth" and "Capuchino del Ocho" in his time, and you had to see the mystery and jealousy with those who kept, the Ochoa, a those horses. Copies to which one could not even get close. Asking the great patriarch Don Fabio Ochoa Restrepo, how much "Resorte Cuarto" was worth, was a dare that nobody dared to commit. You cannot even ask how much "Capuchino del Ocho" is worth, because Zarela Olsen, the owner, says with a mouth full that horse has no price, and "Platinum of Besilu" which is the successor and the improvement version of all of them, my brother wanted us to sell it for eight hundred thousand pesos, which is less than an old mule is worth. "That yes it will be very rough and what an idiot I am, to follow the current of low prices to a man who knows nothing about horses." I thought still confused. Tomorrow, at five in the morning, I have to be willing to have a long day. "I have not yet been able to sleep; I'm writing these lines and thinking about" Plail of Besilu "! I have to fall asleep already! ... I'm going to count sheep! ... No!! I'd better count Silver Moor horses that shine with the sun, with that beautiful tone that only the stars know how to give! ... No!! I better tell all the dollars that.

The next day we boarded the bulls at six and twenty minutes in the morning. Giving thanks to God, that the driver of the truck, brought a son of about sixteen, who collaborated immensely. My brother traveled in the cabin with the driver and the boy. I had to go back, watching that no res fell to the floor. In the first climb, all the cattle came on top of me and almost gutted me. I felt the pain of having more than two hundred kilos on my little finger, when one of those monstrous cattle stopped in my foot. His eyes were also full with the sawdust that was flying from the ground, carried away by the wind. I tied a loop from side to side of the truck, to make a small shelter to protect me from the cattle in the next forty-five kilometers of travel. I thought many things about the colt that I had negotiated and the time was getting too long before the intense desire to tell the blind horseman the good news.
It was a very hard trip, but we arrived without any major mishap. The river "Buey" appeared before my eyes with its lovely aquamarine color and relaxing music, while the sun shone with its entire splendor in the clear blue sky, which did not have a single cloud. We descended the cattle against a ravine and, the driver and his son, helped us to lead them along the small path that would lead us to the hacienda. It was fifteen minutes before nine o'clock in the morning and my brother had just enough time to help me take the cattle, to know the farm that I had bought with my few savings, to have lunch and to return to take the only bus that only happened to four o'clock in the afternoon, because he could not and did not want to stay sleeping in my lands. We lifted the backpacks on our backs, in which we carried about forty kilos of food, tools and utensils that I would need on the farm.
We started walking through the imposing central mountain range, in search of my property, which seemed to be in the last piece above, or rather, in the sky. The bulls walked, patiently, ahead of us on the steep ascent. We advanced about five hundred meters before we realized the enormous weight we carried on our backs and the hot sun that was shining on that hot morning. We breathed hard and our legs were tired, when the first inconvenience occurred. The only female we had in the herd of cattle, a yellow zebu heifer, threw herself on the ground refusing to walk anymore.

- It is full of anger and, when that happens, do not walk or for the devil. They resist standing up and can be beaten to death and do not get up until they feel like it. I explained to my brother, who was inexperienced in the subject.
To make matters worse, the smaller calf was also tired and I, practically, had been pushing it for a while. The bigger bulls kept advancing along the path leaving us behind.
- Let's leave these two here, that I, now, later, under Jose Antonio for them -. I said, looking for a quick solution to the matter, before the other calves that went further were dispersed. We continued advancing along the steep path, our faces soaked with sweat and our legs trembling from the effort of the difficult climb. My brother walked without protest, although I noticed that he was too tired with the heavy backpack.
- If you want, we can leave the backpacks hidden in the forest, until now or until tomorrow that I can take them in one of the beasts of Julio Fierro. After all, I only carry nails, staples, clothes and other things that I will not need immediately. I told my brother, to rid him of the heavy torture.
- Well, let's keep it if you want, because it is very heavy and I am already getting wounds on my feet, with these boots that heat up too much and that I have left a bit too big.
! How! ... That was the last thing I needed. We had ten cattle halfway and my brother already had excoriations on his feet. The thing was going to be harder than I imagined and, then, I decided that we had breakfast immediately, hoping that he would rest.
That's right; we ate some sandwiches and drank with satisfaction the drinks that we brought.

The mid-day sun was already rising imposing and we had not traveled half the way. My brother armed himself with a thick stick and hit hard on the heated calves that walked slowly. The hills followed each other, because we had to climb from the lowest point that is the river, to the highest point that are the peaks where our farm is. One by one, the peeling was developing on the feet of my brother, who walked with great effort as if trying to overcome the pain. The calves were also tired and took advantage of my companion's weaknesses, to put their bodies in the refreshing shade projected by the trees that grow abundantly on either side of the road. We had to make a very big effort, to take the cattle even to the paddocks of Julio Fierro. We still had a long way to go and my brother was completely dehydrated. We continued walking despite the difficulties and, with great sacrifice, we reached a crystalline stream that descended singing merrily from the mountain. That small stream of water marked the boundary of the blind horseman's farm, with that of Dr. Álvaro Villegas Moreno. On the other side of the refreshing current that my brother wanted to drink alone, we were saved, whatever happened; because at that same point the immense paddocks of Julio Fierro, my new friend, began. I forced the animals to continue advancing some forty meters that still separated us from that first paddock, pastures in which they dispersed merrily. The task had been started, but it was better to pay a few pesos to Jose Antonio, who was expert herding cattle, to continue extending the pain of my poor brother who was no longer able to continue.

- So what, Ferley? ... He will not be able to go to meet Julio Fierro - I asked sadly, understanding that my brother was not going to be able to know neither my farm, nor the blind horseman who I was going to take from the poor. We were resting under the bushes, completely exhausted, while the sun shone imposing in all the half of the sky, like wanting to toast everything that was underneath it. I looked at the clock and it was already twelve and fifteen minutes in the afternoon. The time had flown and the mission was still difficult, even if it was up, or down.
- If you want, you wait for me here, while I go up to where Julio for a horse, so that you continue the trip mounted -. I proposed looking for a solution to the matter. But my brother was too spoiled and all he wanted was to go home.
- The bus passes at four o'clock in the afternoon and it is already more than half a day - he said -, I think that I hardly have the time to go down slowly, so I have to get down sitting down. When we are at the edge of the river, we eat the lunch we have brought and wait for the bus to appear.
This was done. We left the cattle. I hid the backpack with the provisions, I took out the two sodas, the two cocas with lunch and we went down, slowly, tormented by a sun so radiant that lunch was even cooked. The rice and potatoes were spoiled by the heat. We ate the meat and a piece of bread. We drank a couple of canned soft drinks that were also almost hot with the inclement sun. We were talking about business for a long time, and we decided that we should buy three or four fillies of Colombian fine step, to catch children to that spectacular horse beauty called "Platinum of Besilu". My brother, naively, still thought that we were going to charge eight hundred thousand dollars to Julio Fierro and that we were going to pay him eight hundred thousand pesos to Dr. Jimenez Pinillos. It was just a small difference between dollars and pesos, which was hardly noticeable, but I knew that, anyway, a small part of those pesos or dollars would end up in our pockets.

We were lying on the ground like marmots, for a long time, until finally the bus passed and took my aching brother. I began to walk in search of my dear friend, who needed to know, urgently, that I had already negotiated the horse of his dreams.
The yellow heifer and the small calf had not moved from the place where we left them. I grabbed a branch from a tree and slowly began to graze them, until I was able to get to where the other animals were. I looked for the bag I had hidden on the edge of the mountain and I went in search of Julio Fierro, although I lost a lot of time before the night took me.
I walked and walked. It seemed to me that the farm was too far away, but I did not slow down. I climbed the arid paths and it was already getting dark, when I arrived at the house of the blind horseman, who was meditating in the middle of the corridor.
- Do they sell it or do they sell it? ... - was the first thing he asked, when he noticed my presence.
-! Sure, boss! ... And it's ours -. I shouted excitedly, hugging the poor man who remained silent, his tongue paralyzed by the deep emotion. Julio Fierro turned pale and his lips warmed in a grimace that reflected the immense pain of men who cannot cry, because they have no eyes, how could he cry with joy, with empty sockets? ... The chest the horseman calmed down and the interrogation began.
- How is my beautiful steed? ...
It was the first thing that poor man asked me, to my surprise, because if it had been my brother, I would have asked myself how many pesos it was worth.
- It's beautiful - I announced quickly -. It is in the early stages of the training process and it is better than what you described to me - I explained, infected by the emotion of the moment -. It glides smoothly and those hands and those legs move with the speed of a hummingbird's wings. Dr. Rodrigo Jimenez to Guillermo Usuga and all his advisors love them, because it is too harmonious and polished to move. They love that horse, because it advances slowly in the most delicious symphony. That colt is not an ordinary horse; It is a film and an altar to the patience and good taste of Colombian men who had the wisdom to select and raise them. That stallion is like a painting that reflects silvery and diamond tones with the sun. That colt should not be called "Platinum" but "The lost diamond of Besilu", because it is the greatest precious jewel I have ever seen. They asked me two and a half million dollars and I offered them eight hundred thousand of the big ones - I said using the word "grandes", so that Don Julio would recognize the language to which, surely, he must be used to it. The man did not flinch at the price.

-! Ready! ... They cannot imagine the horse they have sold for those piggy bills! - Exclaimed the blind horseman, completely inflamed by pride - I knew that, they, have not yet understood what that copy is worth. They do not know what a genetic code and virility are worth, because they have not yet lost their eyes or their testicles, for those damn dollars, which end up wrapped in sacks under the bed. Tomorrow you leave with the eight hundred thousand dollars, so that you bring me as soon as possible to my sweet "Platino" descendant of "Prophet fino" That rhymes or does not rhyme my dear poet? ...
-! Of course, my dear friend! I know very little about horses, but if "Spring Four" was worth three million dollars, this colt is worth thirty. I hope Dr. Jimenez has not been taken out of business from today to tomorrow.
-! Quiet! That old dear, is one word and do not think we're giving alms for that foal. Because eight hundred thousand dollars cannot be earned by working decently in Colombia, or in this life, or in ten more lives. I got that money but it cost me my life - said the poor blind horseman, with the same grimace of pain that was drawn on his lips when he crossed a bad thought. Julio Fierro stood with his mouth open, as if searching for air in the middle of his darkness - I need you to describe my horse again, because, honestly, I saw him when he was just a newborn foal and he fell in love with Natalia and me, with his cheerful neighs.
- The colt is just in the process of leasing - I explained, trying to use my limited knowledge on the subject -. They showed it to me with a muzzle, because it hardly came out as a tutor and they have not yet started to take it from my mouth. The colt is fragile and thin, but it is seen that phenotypic ally it will be equal to "Prophet of Besilu", because it has the same hands, the same legs, the same head, the same timbre and the same attitude, although it is noticeable from afar that is barely a baby.
-! Sure, man! ... You're not going to pretend that you have, at one time, the same neck and the same musculature as the great "Prophet"
- And where is José Antonio? - I asked, surprised, by the absence of the faithful butler.

- That arrived, now, around five in the afternoon, after repairing all your fences. He took that trap with which he grabs all his animals and went to put it on a "guagua" that corralled the dogs on your farm. You know, my dear Don Jorge, that this man is kept insane by the hunt and I swear to you that it is not for the pleasure of eating meat, but because of the challenge represented by the capture of each one of those animals. Of course he does not delay to arrive, because he left the cigarettes and he cannot stand for a long time without smoking. But do me a favor, my dear writer, bring me a kitchen pot, so we can count and put the dollars in it before "Toñito" comes and she feels more illiterate than she is.
- Is it that José Antonio is completely illiterate? - I asked, sorry that our friend did not know how to read.
- That does not know the letters, or the numbers, or anything. Although he is the man who knows most of trees and animals, I know. And I do not want you to have compassion, because he may not know how to read your letters, but he knows how to read your actions, your feelings and your mountains.
Julio Fierro took the pot that I brought to his hands. He asked me the favor of waiting for him sitting there, and went groping for his room. I sharpened my ears and heard something, as if I were dragging a sack. I felt slowly filling the pot with the dollars and then pushed the bundle under the bed. Two minutes later he came out with a pot half full of new dollars, tied with paper ribbons in small bundles, as if they had just been taken out of the bank. He placed them very carefully beside me.
- Count the money, while I go for a suitcase to be packaged -. The boss ordered, knowing perfectly what he was doing.
He went to the room, again, and returned with a black suitcase, one of those that the executives carry.

- Collect the money and pack it neatly in the suitcase -. He ordered again, without asking me for the favor. You could tell he was taught to command and I resigned myself to remain his slave. There were one hundred and sixty five thousand packs. The blind man was not stupid. I had taken exactly eight hundred thousand dollars worth the horse, and did not mention anything about my tip, although I still had in my pocket, a large part of the thousand dollars he had given me for travel expenses. I began to pack the dollars in the suitcase, with all the calm of the case and I thought, again, of the crazy possibility that Dr. Jimenez would only charge us eight hundred thousand pesos for the colt. "Where that happens, my brother and I, we will have done the best business of our lives and the world will know about my novels, even if I have to give them to my countrymen to read." I thought excitedly.
The dogs that announced the proximity of José Antonio arrived running. The light of a flashlight dazzled my eyes and illuminated the boss's serene face.
-! Goodnight! - He came saying the good man.
- Good evening, José Antonio, how did the fences go? ... - I asked, once and for all, what I was interested in.
- All right. I got up early at five in the morning and fixed everything there was to fix, so that the cattle you never brought did not escape.
- No, José Antonio, what a difficult thing it is to herd these crossed cattle. Imagine that five hundred meters up, a heifer was thrown to the ground and did not want to walk anymore. Rather, often cattle that we brought, we were not able to bring even one. We had to leave them in that paddock that you have there, contiguous to those of the former governor, the neighbor below.
The experienced farmer scoffed at my despair and let out a laugh that left his whole mouth toothless.
- To the one that does not know of cattle the dung it attacks, my dear writer. But calm, that tomorrow at dawn we take them to his farm, which is already well fenced. And how was the second love of the boss? ... - researched the peasant, to reaffirm how important that horse was in Don Julio's life.

- I bought it for a few dollars and I could see why it is, this man, crazy about him. That colt is a specimen that falls in love just by looking at it and nothing to say when they are riding it, because it arches its neck in a special way and repeats in a single point, while decorating the tail naturally, as if it were suspended on a sliding surface. Definitely, the Colombian paso fino is a dance so rare, that it surpasses what is imaginable.
- I am very happy that you helped him realize that dream for Don Julio. I think we should drink some whiskeys to celebrate that today are December twenty-second and that the child, God, sent us the gift in advance.
- Well, let's have a few drinks this Christmas and let's relax, because I know that tomorrow is going to be one of the most hectic days of my existence - I said, wishing for a long drink of whiskey in my throat. Julio Fierro was happy because, at last, all his dreams had come true. He placed a CD. With the country music of the most famous horses. The atmosphere was flooded with music and singing at the top of our lungs, we expressed our joy, while José Antonio went to bring the bottle of whiskey.
That night I also got drunk until I lost consciousness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER NUMBER EIGHTEEN

I did not know how or when I went to bed, but I slept like a dormouse, six or seven hours, until, José Antonio, started again, moving pots and pans in the kitchen.
- Good morning, gentlemen - I greeted kindly the two men, who had treated me so well.
- Good morning, my friend, how did you wake up? - asked the blind horseman, truly interested in my welfare.
- I woke up very well, thank you very much. Prepared to go pick up the second love of your life, because with the first love you went very well, with that blessed angel - I argued thinking about the beautiful and famous model of the story that the elegant horseman had been telling us.
- Come breakfast, Don Jorge, because it is already eight o'clock in the morning and we will hardly have time to go to bring the cattle left in the paddock below - said José Antonio, visibly annoyed, because of my incredible capacity to sleep.
- Good. But first I'm going to take a shower and in ten minutes I'm ready.
I went to the narrow, dilapidated bathroom, undressed and bathed in the coldest water in the world. ! What a horrible thing! ... It froze up my nose. I dried myself with a dirty towel that was on the toilet bowl and left in a hurry. José Antonio gave me coffee with cookies and butter. I ate the improvised breakfast and, without further ado, we went in search of the ten animals we had halfway to.
We walk revitalized by the cold air of the morning, until we find the cattle. We began to herd the cattle and the yellow heifer was thrown to the ground every ten minutes, in a strategy that uses zebu cattle, so as not to be bothered. We climbed slowly, affected by the sun and by the dehydration left by the whiskey of the previous night. The discomfort I was feeling because of the hangover, made me promise, again and again, that in the future I would try not to drink liquor. The anguish and depression suffered by Julio Fierro, after the accident that left him mutilated, must have been immense and, therefore, he surely had to consume large quantities of alcohol to drown his sorrows, but I was not used to it. Intoxicating me without a special motive and, therefore, I could not allow myself to be involved in their sorrows and their bitterness. We climb slowly with the cattle. We suffered again and again, with the ravenous heifer and with the malnourished calf that almost did not walk and that, practically, I had to take it pushed. At one and ten in the afternoon, we went with the last animal to my paddocks and now I had just enough time to have lunch, rest a bit and then travel at four in the afternoon in search of the silvery colt of Besilu, who He was already a legend among us.
- Today is December twenty-third of the year 2004 and, at four in the afternoon, you have to go to the Ceja del Tambo, because tomorrow, December twenty-fourth, at around ten in the morning, you must be paying the best gift of Christmas that life could have given me. Then you can go to your house to rest for a while, after hiring a large car, to bring the foal to the river's edge. At three past noon you must be there, on the bridge, with that diamond called "Platinum of Besilu", which is the most beautiful jewel that Santa Claus has been able to send me, because from two in the afternoon, José Antonio to be in the old bridge of the "Río Buey", waiting for you with the "Capuchina de Medellin" and with the "Melody", which are the two fastest fillies that we have, so that they come riding on them and bring that traction engine mule, called "Platinum of Besilu." before my presence -. The boss explained, letting me see the great imagination he had to call his colt.
- I do not know if "La Recolecta" is going to work on December twenty-fourth - I said thinking it was a very special date for many people, although for us it meant very little.
-! Of course, man! ... Dr. Jimenez spends most of December at the Ceja del Tambo and, with complete certainty, will be waiting for you at the farm, to close one of the best deals he has ever made in his life. And, for my part, I am convinced that on Christmas day, the immortal "Platinum" will be here with me, neighing in the stall that has been finished and conditioned to receive it.
I left for La Ceja with my suitcase full of dollars and did not want to call my brother because, surely, I was going to continue with the story that the colt was worth only eight hundred thousand pesos. I felt too tired and too dehydrated and that's why I went to sleep very early.

The next day I got up at nine in the morning, I went, I hired a truck and I flew to the great "Recolecta". We arrived at the farm and it was completely lonely, there was only one guard dressed in black and armed with a machine gun in his hands and a pistol in his waist.
- Good morning - I greeted him kindly. When I get off the car.
- Good morning - he replied with a broad smile -. Did he come for the colt?
- Yes sir. - I answered, surprised by the credibility that my humble presence generated in those men.
- Did you bring the money? ...
-! Sure, man! - I exclaimed without thinking more about the ridiculous theory of my brother, because to take care of eight hundred thousand pesos did not need a security guard armed to the teeth.
- Wait I call the manager - he turned and hit the gray door of a small room that was next to the office -. ! Miguel! ... Miguel! ...
A skinny, pale man like a dead man appeared in his underpants. He indicated with his hand that we should wait for him for a moment and he went, and put on a pair of shorts, wet his head and left almost asleep. The guard received my suitcase with the dollars and gave it to the boy who was visibly ill.
- Wait a moment that Miguel would take the money to the doctor, to count the eight hundred thousand dollars, because everything they have to pay in advance - explained the guard, who stared at the skinny, who walked away without uttering a single word -. What a hangover the poor Miguel has. Last night he was going with the secretary until three in the morning and today I felt him vomiting up my guts.
Some twenty minutes passed and Miguel returned just as pale.
- Everything is fine. Wait I open the office, to deliver the report of riding and meanwhile go, yourself, and bring "Platinum of Besilu" ... If you know in which stall you are? ...
- Yes, sir - I said a little nervous, because I almost did not know how to deal with those animals. I went down the corridor, took a head from the rack that was in the entrance and walked to where our silver ray was. The wonderful steed stared at me and I said:
- Be judicious, we're going to go to the man who gave his life for you and for a woman.

The colt how he understood what I said, because he stayed still when I put the head. I opened the door of the cage and it went out so fired, the stallion, that almost it throws to me of head. I held it tight and began to ring with joy. I went along the cobbled floor and took it to the truck, which was already square on the jetty. I climbed it, tied it to one of the rods and received the montage report. I thanked the friendly guards who did not take my eyes off me and went in search of the blind horseman.
I was amazed by the docility, meekness and nobility of "Platinum of Besilu" In popular wisdom it has always been said, that the noble is good and that was fulfilled with this silver ray. I had hired a large truck, to be very comfortable on your trip. I had the maximum care with him, during the whole journey and arrived bathed in sweat by the agitation and the effort that produced the unevenness of the road, but arrived in perfect condition.
We disembarked the horse on the same mound where we had disembarked the cattle. José Antonio was waiting for me with the two fine fillies, as we had agreed. The faithful butler gazed in surprise at the shaggy and beautiful animal, which was shaking and whimpering desperately, observing the agile and delicate figures of its future females.
-! What a beautiful horse! ... - was the only thing that could say the humble butler, who had also been struck by the silver animal that shone with sweat? We were all excited, thinking about the joy the boss was going to feel. José Antonio took the colt by the halter. We thanked the driver of the truck and we headed for the path that would lead us to the blind horseman's farm. The road started in a deep gutter, those of yellow earth that are so common in the mountains of Antioquia. José Antonio started forward and "Platinum de Besilu" barely felt that his legs sank into the sticky mud, he threw his ears back, opened his eyes and went off like a madman, pushing the "Medellin nasturtium" on which he rode the butler and that also got scared. We climbed about fifty meters into the canyon and, fortunately, José Antonio did not let escape the desperate foal that did not know how to walk on foot.

- And what happened to him? - The butler said to me, completely pale, while I was shaking the clubbed fingers that the frightened stallion almost pulled, with the pull.
- That animal has always been in a comfortable stall and does not know how to walk on an uneven floor -. I argued, still surprised by the colt's reaction.
We continued the path and, definitively, "Platinum of Besilu" had been born for the tracks, because he could not stand the mud that absorbed his extremities and left hopping as if thousands of snakes were going to bite him. We came to a small stream that crossed the road and what a bigger problem, for the foal to cross. He jumped as if he were going to jump the Magdalena River and, once again, he went over the filly that José Antonio controlled by force of Lordships. How strange? ... I always thought, that horses knew how to walk in any kind of terrain, but no; the stables and domestication make them lose some skills, to, at the same time, polish other virtues such as speed, timbre and recollection. "Platinum of Besilu" was a model of catwalk and I could not imagine, dragging a couple of blocks of wood for those cannelloni, or two pieces of potatoes, or a couple of milk cans as they did every day the humble horses and anonymous, who conquered the impregnable mountain ranges of Antioquia la grande. "Resorte cuarto", "Terremoto de Manizales", "Capuchino del ocho" and "Platinum de Besilu" had been selected, bred and trained to entertain and start applause on the most sought-after tracks in the world and, now, José Antonio and I, we took it by some crags, in which even the cats needed horseshoes. My heart was not filled with sadness to understand, that July nor could “Platinum of Besilu” from that day forward belong to the elegant society that conceived them. Julio Fierro was dying slowly, and he was dragging to his grave the best Colombian fine step horse, which could have been born in this world.

 

The beautiful stallion slipped on the damp walls of that royal road and stopped desperately, unable to understand what was happening to him. Obliging the elegant "Platinum of Besilu" to climb those abrupt abysses, was like putting miss universe to run up the slopes of "Everest". We went step by step, but the beautiful foal was still scared, when his limbs were stuck in the mud. Definitely, the beautiful specimen did not know how to walk through those cannelloni that swallowed it in thick mud to the belly. It was completely muddy. The silver colt was covered with a thick layer of mud, because of its excessive excitement, which always made it take the most rugged road. The butler tried to take him along the drier banks, but when he grazed the branches that were born at the edge of the narrow road, the foal left hopping in terror and went to face the puddle that had deepened the mules in those days of winter. It was a long and hard day, with that expensive stallion. At first we wanted to take it as clean as possible and, in the end, we fought to bring it alive.
After two and a half hours of constant struggle, we reached the first paddocks of the farm and I decided to bathe "Platinum de Belisu" before getting to the boss.
- How are we going to show the boss, a horse that was worth more than two thousand four hundred million pesos, completely covered in mud? ...- I said to the butler with despair. The little man let out a laugh, which let me see up to the tonsils, because a bird had more teeth.
- You do not remember that, Don Julio, he is completely blind. - José Antonio argued with good humor.
At one point I crashed into reality. I had forgotten that the pattern had only the empty eye sockets and that I could never see the most beautiful flower of the Colombian herd. Herd of horses of handsome men, who loved with all their hearts their families and their horses.

 

- Well - I said bitterly - we cannot let the boss caress him covered in mud.
I took off my hat to get some water, my shirt to put it on, and we took it to the crystalline gulch that was left in the whole boundary of the farm, and we washed it until it was completely clean. The platinum bar had returned to shine. We continued walking, slowly, so that it had time to dry, but the desire to deliver the wonderful Christmas gift to the boss, forced us to arrive, when the foal was still wet. There was no need to announce our arrival. The patron was in the corridor, listening to the neighs in love with the colt, who greeted the other five thin "capuchins", who all came to look at him. Julio Fierro turned pale. A grimace of pain was drawn again on his lips and my chest was filled with rage, unable to avoid the pain I felt, with the prostration of that great man. I had not cried for more than twenty years and I felt a huge pain in my chest, which would not let me speak or breathe. I pulled the "Melody" and breathed deeply, until I could say with the voice choked with emotion and tears in the eyes.
-! Mission accomplished, boss!
The boss was also very excited and was not able to answer anything. José Antonio pulled the other filly, went to the corridor, took him by the arm and helped him down to the paddock. He pulled him close to the beautiful horse that, for the first time, was completely still so that the chief would caress his neck.

 

Julio Fierro was still completely pale and a wrenching grimace, letting him appreciates the deep emotion and perfection of his teeth. The boss was crying with his heart and the beautiful "Platinum of Besilu." He was watching him carefully, as if recognizing his new owner.
- It's spectacular - shouted Julio Fierro, excited. - The second dream of my life has been fulfilled and thank you, dear writer, for being so honest, I thought that at this time you should be flying, with your brother, to the city of "Las Vegas" to spend my money. No lies, I, from the beginning, knew that you were a gentleman. I hope, one day, I can pay you for all the favors you have given me.
- Calm down, man, that's nothing, - I said recognizing that option in which I never thought.
The boss continued to caress the horse, which was left to be spoiled with pleasure. He ran his hand slowly down the spine that was soft and fluffy like a cushion. He reached the loin and gave him two or three slaps, as if to feel the strength of that muscular athlete. The horse dried with sunlight and shone more beautiful than ever. Don Julio took the skin of the animal's neck between his fingers, as if to feel the thin, delicate delicacy of that stallion, which seemed to be covered in velvet. Then he asked me to hold him by the halter and felt the forelimbs to the hooves.
- Good Creole saddle horses are known for their thin and smooth skin, in the conformation of strong and very thin hands; so they can develop a great speed. The working horses, like "the percherones", have the bones of the thick and strong limbs, with huge helmets, so that they can withstand the hard work in the field, on the other hand, the horses of fine Colombian passage, are standing on extremities so thin that they look like they were going to break with the weight - explained Julio, so that we could expand our knowledge. - Take the colt, so that it rests in its stall.

I drove the beautiful stallion to his new home and I was pleasantly surprised, with that huge manger, which was divided into two spaces by a wall. In the first space, the floor was covered in sawdust and had a plastic water bottle, a container with care and a fiber bag filled with hay, which was where the horse was going to be. The second space, practically was like an office, for us, it had a polished wooden floor and three comfortable black leather seats that were waiting for us to celebrate because, on the rustic table in the center, lay a tray with chopped fruits, a tray with fried pork rinds and a sparkling bottle of champagne that, José Antonio, surely, had prepared in advance. Our silver and adored foal had no manger but chat room. I sat in one of the soft armchairs, while the butler helped to seat the employer. I shook the stylized bottle of champagne vigorously and let the plug escape with great noise. Everything rumbled in a small pump of laughter and snorts of the spirited and scary horse, who wanted to get out of the leather. "Platinum of Besilu" was agitated and nervous with our hubbub, and marched and chimed at a single point, as if he were riding an imaginary rider. ! What a beautiful show! ... That vision deserved a toast and another toast. We were happy. We talked and talked non-stop. Champagne was softer than a soft drink and, very soon, it began to run out. José Antonio went to the secret warehouse and, to my surprise, brought a bottle of the best liquor in the world. The Antioqueño brandy, is a liquor for males, and is the one that we take the real men. The heat rose to my face with the first few drinks and, what about the rest of the afternoon, when we talked hard and told stories that were totally excited. That afternoon we went to bed completely drunk.
The next day...

 

- We need the best Colombian horse breeder, who exists in Colombia, to finish leasing this wonderful colt - I was told by the blind horseman, who no longer left the comfortable stall. At last I understood the objective of the leather seats and the rustic table inside the manger. This was the employer's new office, which did not stop grooming and combing the beautiful mane of the platinum stallion, which established a strange language with the chief. Julio Fierro took a soft brush, the kind with which his shoes shine and he called his horse of the soul, like this:
-! Boy! ! Child! ... Come! ! Come on!
The blessed colt approached tamely, so that he stroked his forehead and his neck flashed with the brush. The blind horseman dominated very well, the sense of the location, because he knew exactly and with amazing precision, where each of the objects he needed was inside the manger. He walked with such confidence inside that place, that he no longer seemed blind. Accurate and invariable routines had quickly been established, in which the blind horseman was busy most of the day. The image of the blind man lying in a corner meditating and ruminating his pain, for that of a horseman dialoguing, at all times, with his most beloved copy that, two or three days, already understood and obeyed his orders.

 

- Well, Julio Fierro, that colt is smarter than we all imagined. To the very ladino, the only thing he needs is to talk, because that silver ray neighs with joy when you are telling funny stories. If the thing is like that - I argued, convinced of the success we had in buying the copy that had brightened the life of the boss, to the point of softening the expression on his face, which was now sweeter and calmer - we are going to build a track of training here, in this plan, to the whole front of the house. Let's break down that wire corral, in which the cattle used to bathe, and we do, among all of them, an exhibition track with all the irons. We placed the cones of the serpentine, we built a path of resonance and also we nailed two large poles, to make the test of the eight. After Álvaro Atahualpa, or the chosen tamer, puts the brake on you and establishes the routine, you learn it by heart and can mount the horse of your dreams every day, so that you can enjoy it and, by the way, to whom Will you choose to finish leasing it? ...

- I have two candidates - said Julio showing his knowledge in the subject -. I would like to hire Don Nelson Pardo, an old Tolimense who is the best Colombian fine step tamer. Owner of a horse called "The Cat", which is so well arranged, despite being a humble horse and the pile, which can be operated with a single finger or with a gentle inclination of the body. It is so magical the arrangement of that animal that Don Nelson, in full competition, throws the rein on his neck and the horse continues without decomposing his erect and well placed head, obeying the soft and subtle inclinations of his master's body. The old man works in "Amagá" and is poor, because the Colombian guerrillas kidnapped him twice and took him to the last peso. I think that is going to be the man who will educate "Platinum of Besilu", but if we do not find Don Nelson, who is the highest authority in the matter, we hire Don Alvaro Atahualpa, who is also great, but who He is supremely busy, because at this moment he is assembling and arranging the best fine-step horses in the country. I know that Atahualpa, who is a man who knows a lot, hardly realizes the quality of this copy, which is a revelation, with the greatest of tastes will want to triumph with him, in all the fairs of the country, but there is a small inconvenience, as he is such a busy man, in no way will he come to this exile, to mount our silver ray. Then, surely, we will have to take him to the manger he says, but I also know that he also demands a percentage of the colt's value, if he makes a champion, and that's where the horse comes, because, after that it triumphs in all the fairs of the country, surely we do not have it again in these lands. I know that Atahualpa makes "Platinum de Besilu" the best Colombian fine step horse of all time, and makes it worth a lot of money, but why I want more green papers under the bed. Definitely, after we have the track ready, you go to "Amagá" and hire me Don Nelson Pardo, the "Gato", and do not worry about the money, I have enough to pay that man and leave him a little bit to you two, when I die. - He finished saying the pattern, reflecting a grimace of pain, which passed like a black cloud through his face. The pain was still hidden in the depths of his soul and I had thought, that the silver horse had completely cheered his heart.

 

- Julio Fierro, do not tell me that sadness still nests in your soul - I said, trying to dispel his secret anguish.
- No, man, I am calm and happy with my diamond colt, but sometimes I cannot stop thinking about everything that has happened to me.
The thing stayed like this.
We worked a lot on the boss's projects and I practically stayed with them.
We finished doing the training track and.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER NUMBER NINETEEN

I went to the Ceja del tambo and, from there; I made a phone call to "ASDESILLA" and asked the secretary for a favor, so she could get me the cell phone number of Mr. Nelson Pardo, or to inform me in which mangers I was in service of mount "The cat". My surprise was very great, when the helpful girl informed me that the cat cheerfully grazed in the stalls of "Cantarrana" in La Ceja. Everything was happening magically, so that "Platinum de Besilu" was the most spectacular horse of all time ...
I suddenly appeared on the blind man's estate, as if fallen from the sky, to be the negotiator of the poor horseman. Don Nelson was displaced by the guerrillas of the eastern plains and good fortune, he sent us directly to La Ceja, to be our landlord. ! What else could we ask of life! ... I was happy and I went in search of the charismatic old man, who was pure nobility and pure love. It could hardly be found, in Colombia, another intellectual who knew so much about horses and loved those animals so much. Don Nelson Pardo, was one of those friendly men, who have the gift of people and who offer their sincere and spontaneous friendship. I found him riding on a beautiful chestnut horse with a fine Colombian step. Exemplary that later I learned, from his own lips, that it was the peasant horse called "El Gato", which the boss had told us about. He invited me to observe the routine of training that he did every day, to the simple animal and it seemed a very innovative method of rational dressage. That man became a very special friend, for the horse, spoke to him with love and explained each one of the exercises they were going to execute. I liked the system and, once and for all, I suggested that we fix it to "Platinum of Besilu" I showed him the report of the ride of our young horse and he watched it carefully. He studied it carefully and then said:
- With these parents, that colt must be very good - he concluded, absorbed in his thoughts, then raised his head and looked me in the eyes he said -. Know, young man, that I am already very old. I am over sixty years old and if I take the trouble to fix that colt, it is because I watch a champion. I first have to look at the animal to see if I like it, and if I promise to lease it, they have to give me thirty percent of what it is worth when they sell it, because I am no longer able to work for a salary.

 

The old man finished saying, without showing much interest in the matter. With Don Nelson, things were going to be more difficult than we all imagined. The man was already in the final stretch of his career and he was motivated by very different things. I tried to earn his friendship and when he finished his work with "El Gato", which he did in a very short time, by the way, I invited him to have a few beers with me, in the beautiful "Cantarrana" bar. That man was proud of his story and began to tell me, one by one, the exploits he did with some difficult horses that filled him with fame and money, in the epoch of the eighties. We took one, two, three and four beers each, and, in the fifth, Don Nelson began to get melancholic and told me that he was, one more, of those displaced by violence in Colombia and that the municipal administration of La Ceja, monthly, gave him a market to collaborate with his subsistence. There was the weak point that I was looking for, the old man had great economic needs that he hid with his immense pride, but they had to be satisfied anyway. I did not want to wait any longer and asked the teacher a question, which he had to answer.
- How much money does your family need, monthly, to live well? - I asked leaving the formalisms
- We need about two million pesos, because I have to pay the manger and feed my horse here, in "Cantarrana" and that's very expensive for me.
- Good. Not to mention more. We are going to pay him three million pesos a month, so he can fix "Platinum de Besilu" and make him the best horse in Colombia.

The old man turned pale with the proposal, he kept thinking about the arguments that would allow him to refute the overwhelming figure and he did not find them. There was only one reality, Don Nelson's family desperately needed money, and we were going to provide it. I explained where the farm was and between the two of us we chose the work schedule. He would travel every Tuesday on the bus at ten thirty in the morning, to work Tuesday and Wednesday until two in the afternoon, when he would return to La Ceja to attend to all his affairs. We would resume on Friday, again, working with the colt until Saturday. Sundays and Thursdays would be the days of rest. From that day on I became a good friend to that wonderful old man, to whom I have to thank him very much today. The good man asked me a million pesos in advance and eight days of freedom, to put all his affairs in order. Time that seemed prudent, to build Don Nelson's only demand, that he asked that around the sounding track, we build a corral in thick wood about thirty meters wide, about thirty meters long. He also demanded that the floor of the track be in white grit.
We got down to work. José Antonio and I built the corral and a kiosk to turn the colt into rustic wood. We imitate, perfectly, a competition track, with the cones of the serpentine, with the track of resonance and with the poles for the test of the eight. Then we illuminated it with immense reflectors and the atmosphere was filled with greatness and spectacularity, just before the master arrived, to polish our stallion. The temperament of the blind horseman changed and he could already see the joy and enthusiasm that the intelligent steed had given him, who took his arm with his lips as if to caress his skin. Caresses that scared me, because I thought the foal wanted to bite the blind. Definitely, between equines and humans, there is an affinity of perceptible thought, and much more remarkable, when the master is a helpless being who needs the love that only horses know how to give. 'Platinum de Besilu' had scarcely ten days on the farm and had already become Julio Fierro's best friend. He looked for it with his intelligent look and was aware of each of the movements of the boss.

 

The famous Don Nelson Pardo arrived and, with him, came the wisdom, the calm, the respect, the good manners, the elegance and a deep love for all. The colt knew that he was in the hands of a master, who spoiled him and caressed him with admiration. The beautiful animal was transformed and obeyed with nobility and promptness, each of the orders that the teacher gave him. They were simple and clear movements, which from the first moment "Platinum of Besilu" understood. Don Nelson knew more than we imagined and every day, he surprised us with new things. That man possessed the innumerable secrets of the llaneros, who were always climbed on the back of a horse. The branches and flowers used by Don Nelson, to make new drinks with which the horse bathed, gave a new shine to our wonderful jewel. The silver moor looked like a ray of light, velvet and satin. The bamboo flakes, with which he also made drinks, made disappear an imperceptible belly that I could never see, and, that according to him, made the admired specimen look ugly. That old man was like a witch who knew all of them. The "Platinum de Besilu" helmets became harder and blacker, after the old man put them in a greenish substance that contained copper oxide and had a smell of formaldehyde. Cane honey was banned on the farm, because that gave caries to the beasts. I think Don Nelson did not wash his teeth, the colt, with a toothbrush and toothpaste, because he was sorry for my mockery. They spent two months of training and the foal was learned by heart, all the routines that the wise old man carefully prepared. Platinum of Besilu was the horse of a blind man and the experienced assembler was training him so that the boss could enjoy it whenever he wanted. I taught him to stay totally still when they were riding him, and then the thing got more interesting when the noble old man asked me to bandage his eyes with a handkerchief. The old man knew by heart all the movements and paraded, by all the track, trusting absolutely in the eyes of the copy that, by the safe movements, as he knew so that they were training him. The teacher went and came, again and again, completely bandaged.

 

 

- It's time to give this good news to Julio, so that he can build confidence - the good man said, full of joy. I ran in search of the horseman in love and almost dragged him to the track.
- Well, Julio Fierro, the time has come for you to help me in the completion of the training of this wonderful specimen, because I have to leave for the United States of America to compete with "El Gato" - explained Don Nelson, to leave us everyone surprised -. I have guided him with the light of my eyes and my knowledge, but, from today, you will have to guide him with the power of thought and with the strength of an unbreakable will, with which this intelligent animal will have to learn to think and feel what your owner wants to do. The moment will come when the colt will know, exactly, what you want and will do precisely what is his due. Better said: The eyes of "Platinum of Besilu" will be your own eyes and your strength will be your strength. With a small order, "Plail of Besilu" will know if it has to take you to the cut of grass, to the stables, to the track of training or to where you want. But enough words and hands to work, because today is the last day I can be here. Mount Don Julio - said the noble old man, inviting the blind horseman to mount, for the first time, the beautiful animal - Loosen the body. Relax and try to memorize the routine that I will show you and that we will always follow, invariably, while I take it from the halter.
The blind horseman climbed and the horse stirred and began to ring gracefully at a single point; I knew that the boss was on his back and I wanted to impress him with the symphony of his speed and strength. Julio became nervous and grabbed his mane.

 

- Quiet, man - said the old fox, forcing him to detach himself from the silver mane of the animal - remember that he is mounted on the most powerful horse, smoother, faster and more revolutions that nature has invented.
The animal was undone in infinity of harmonious peals, so that his friend would realize the smoothness and the rapidity of his movements. The old man took the exemplary noble from the halter and went and came three or four times through the training track. He stopped. He breathed deeply, as if to recover the breath that had made him lose the effort and asked:
- Have you already learned the routine, or do we have to keep walking together? ...
Quiet, that I believe I am capable of following her alone - said the cheerful blind horseman, who had a very developed sense of location, who was very brave and who was not changed by anyone. The master let go the horse that came forward more plucked and more harmonious than ever. The specimen fulfilled each of the steps followed in the routine and returned bright and beautiful because of the sweat that was beginning to cover its satiny skin. Julio had demonstrated the sixth sense that the blind develop, to orient themselves when they have lost sight. The scene was repeated twice more and we were all happy to the point of exhaustion.
The sun went out exhausted, before the incomparable brightness of a new star.
I was the second that I rode the wonderful copy, after the old man had left. The previous and subsequent oars moved at great speed, in a very special synchronism. The softness of "Platinum" was remarkable. It moved slowly as if suspended in the air. The first thing I did was give two laps to the training track. Then I went to the posts and made eight on her several times. Then I returned it and then, I passed it through the resonance track, back and forth, to fill the atmosphere with a delicious melody never heard. The specimen complied in those first steps and the boss liked it so much that he told me:

 

- Repeat the whole cycle again, dear writer, and give it to me on the resonance track again.
I started to follow the routine and I got the impression that the beautiful specimen had been memorized, because he was following each of the exercises, without me having to move a single finger. I was pleasantly surprised.
- I want to ride, again, on the "platinum" horse of my Natalia - said the blind horseman, determined to enjoy, once again, that wonderful symphony that was heard with the delightful threshing of the sounding helmets. I planted the beautiful horse at one side of the skipper, calmly descended and held the steed until Julio Fierro was mounted on it, with the help of José Antonio.
I went around the track, holding the halter colt, while regaining confidence, so that there would be an accident with the poor blind horseman, but "Platinum of Besilu" seemed to understand perfectly what he had already done. He started the routine, giving two laps to the track and, afterwards, he went almost alone until the poles where the eight was made, as if he really knew the way. I stayed behind, surprised to see the initiative of the intelligent and noble animal, then, I told the boss.
- Julio Fierro, this horse came out smarter than we imagined. I'm going to let it go and I want you to drive it like you did when the old man was. Remember that you are going to drive as if you were watching the track and your eyes were yours. What do you say?
- Quiet, man, I already know the routine of memory and remember that this noble animal also knows what he is doing. I'm going to try to make the journey without your help, but if I'm diverting, immediately, you tell me and I'll stop it while you come to my aid. Ready?...
! Ready, boss! - I exclaimed excitedly.

 

 

We prepare everything. We placed the brilliant copy on the head of the track and Julio Fierro pushed it with great courage. "Platino" gave the two laps of rigor and then went to the test of eight to overcome it without any error. Julio planted it, reversed it and started in search of the resonance track. They went and came in several times, while José Antonio and I applauded visibly moved. The boss came to our side, with a broad smile of satisfaction that we had never seen him.
-! Zero and go two! ... Thank you, dear writer, for giving me this joy. I never imagined that this "Platinum of Besilu" was so good. I am mentally synchronized with this beautiful colt and I even think I see the track through his eyes. This is the best gift I can give to my beautiful Natalia. There will be no "platinum" filly, but there will be the most polished and smart "Platinum" in the world. She wanted a female because, surely, she imagined it to be gentle and more manageable, but, with this piece of precious metal, she will have all the nobility, all the love and all the intelligence that can fit into the most spectacular animal in the world.
We were all happy

That night we went to sleep very calm and satisfied.
The next day we got up very early, had breakfast and then we went to contemplate the magnificent animal?

The boss was very happy and to finish the party, Ferley, my brother, arrived unannounced.

- Good morning, gentlemen, I did not resist the temptation to come and see how the best horse in the world is and here I am, although this farm is farther away than the devil. - said my brother, showing off his extraordinary gift of people. - And with your permission Don Julio Fierro, because I could not miss this exemplary show.

 

- Good morning friend, and welcome to my humble abode, which every day is more comfortable with the help of his beloved brother ... José Antonio, give a little breakfast to the brother of the writer, who had the courage to come to this exile .

- Thank you very much Don Julio, but I already had breakfast. Better put that silver ray in motion, to appreciate its beauty in its entire splendor.
We were all happy


Julio Fierro went, came and went again. The understanding was constant and the blind horseman began to speak to him as if he were a son.
- "Platinum", take me to where my friends are - Julio Fierro said to the silver steed and, the beautiful animal, led him to our side. We all look amazed and we burst out with joyful cries and with loud applause.
- "Platinum", take me to the track and follow the routine again - ordered the boss to test the intelligence of the amazing animal, which went to the head of the track, to begin to perfectly fulfill all the steps of the difficult routine . We all applauded happily, when the horse went through the sound track and the blind horseman took off his hat to thank the scarce audience.
- I always dreamed of this applause that today you have given me. I always wanted to be mounted on a copy that made me feel proud and happy to be alive and, today, finally, I have achieved this beautiful "Platinum de besilu" which will be the stallion of my wife's and my daughter's horseback, forever. Gentlemen, uncover a bottle of whiskey and kill a pig of the little ones, because the visit of Don Ferley must be celebrated with liquor and chicharrón as good paisas.
José Antonio, who was the most carnivorous man I had ever met, flew to the pigsty in search of the pig that he did not imagine that, in an hour, it would be completely fried. I went in search of the sound equipment that flooded the party atmosphere with a famous Mexican music, in which the man was still the king. Ferley, my brother, drank a double whiskey, as if to remove the weight he had to bear thinking about the dollars he liked so much and that I had given to Dr. Jimenez. It seemed that God took care of us and, right there, to the lonely neighbors of our farm.

 

The boss got drunk and without forgetting his old habit as a poet in love, he began to sing improvised verses to the beautiful stallion.
Friends, I am going to tell you
the story of a fine colt
Colored silver
that shines like platinum.
Softer than a Ferrari
it is a very light horse
that is ringing in the air
wanting to get out leather.
A Colombian pride
for being the best in the world
I love him like a brother
when you skate at a point.
His infinite intelligence
a legend writes
in a town of Antioquia
that is where the foal lives.
A horse pride
for being the best chair
a sacred commitment
From Fabio Ochoa and family.
Softer than a sports
It's an animal luxury
Who learns everything alone
Wanting to be immortal
Carry the inheritance in your blood
Of the springs wanted
And from the earthquake that Paul
He has been neutered by the gringos
A pride of Colombia
In its nice thin step
And a monument to life
With the famous platinum.

 

From that day, the Silver Moor foal became the chief's eyes. Never, ever, had we seen a more intelligent specimen than that. The beautiful horse knew, exactly, what Julio wanted and went with absolute nobility to where the man told him. The boss fell in love with him and told him his sorrows as if the animal understood him.
We all realized the virtues of the elegant colt, and, from that very day, we began to teach him to walk on the roads where the boss wanted to travel. We went to take my brother, to the river, because he was married and he did not like to stay away from home for a long time. Julio Fierro left talking to the colt as if he were one of his friends.
- Remember, dear colt, each one of the curves that take us to the river, because when we are alone, you will be in charge of finding the way.
That animal had a photographic memory and it seemed that it read the thought of the poor blind horseman, who went away explaining thousands of things to him throughout the way. We took my dear brother, who left with his eyes full of happiness. I do not know if he was thinking about dollars or pesos, but he went on the bus.
- Well, guys, I'm going ahead a bit, to rehearse what my "Platinum of Besilu" learned on the descent - the boss announced and, without waiting for any response, he started on the horse and left for the farm leaving us, José Antonio and me, completely amazed. The butler shook his head in disbelief, but did not dare to say anything, while the chief left. We walked and walked, as we watched the intelligent specimen being overturned in the innumerable curves and, at about fifteen minutes, the pattern of the view was lost and we only saw it again when it was already resting on the farm. The blind horseman had unsaddled the colt, had kept it and given him food. We were all happy with the encouragement and with the new vigor shown by the boss.

 

The next day, I, a little incredulous, with the authorization of Julio Fierro, saddled the noble animal, to check once more his virtues and not to leave the safety of the blind horseman at random. I mounted the smooth steed and said:
- Well, "Platinum of Besilu", I am the writer and we are going to go to my farm, so that you learn the way and take the boss when he wants to visit me. We will stop at each of the branches of the path, so you know you should always travel taking the path on the right.
I went very slowly with the intelligent steed and forced my mind, to transmit each one of the variables of the path to the mind of the animal. It was like programming a four-legged computer, with a method never before tested. I went slowly, because my farm was more than forty minutes by intricate roads. I let the beautiful horse drink water in each of the small streams that we found and I let him observe the landscape in each one of the plains, so he could memorize it. I advanced, slowly, telling him with my voice what I had to do in each of the obstacles, so that he would not kill the blind man later. When I gave each of the explanations, the intelligent animal moved its ears, forward, as if trying to tell me that the explanation was understood and that we could continue. Thus, from storytelling to narration, we arrive to my farm. I got off and prepared a delicious meal with cornmeal and wheat bran, so that our great friend felt grateful and realized that going to the writer's farm was something very pleasant. I let him rest for a few minutes, I let him observe the landscape and let him nibble on the delicious and abundant grass that was already covering my humble ranch. I mounted and began to return, continuing with my explanation.
- Well, "Platinum of Besilu", we're going to your boss's house and I need you to memorize the way well. Downhill you always have to take the paths on the left, because we are going in the opposite direction. The left is this side - he said and hit him, gently, the left side of his neck. When we came to a fork in the road, I would plant it, let it look, and hit it on the left side of the neck and said:
- Going down, it's always on the left.

 

So I went, slowly, to the boss's house. I got off and José Antonio and Julio Fierro were waiting for me, happy for the experiment. The faithful butler served me hot chocolate, arepa with butter, eggs and cheese and we enjoyed the succulent breakfast, full of immense joy.
Then, excited by the emotion that produced the virtues of the spectacular animal; we saddled the "Melody" and "the Medellin capuchin" and went behind Julio Fierro, to see if "Platinum of Besilu" had learned the lesson.
- Well, friend, take us to the writer's estate, because you are the one who knows the way -. The boss ordered.
The intelligent animal started, taking the lead by the narrow paths and advanced, slowly, without making any mistake in any of the turns. Julio had absolute confidence and smiled, when I congratulated him after having overcome the difficult obstacles. The horse took us to my farm and brought us without problems. We were all happy and the boss uncovered another bottle of whiskey to celebrate the event.
From that day on, we took on the task of teaching him all the roads in the region. We take it to the river, again. We took it to the craggy mountain range, where the pine forest of the deer was. We take it to the Eyebrow and take it to Abejorral. I, who was the instructor, put small traps when we were coming to the path, which led us from the main road to the farm, I was going on the opposite side, pretending to have forgotten the entrance and, the horse, immediately, was going through the road and I took the precise path. What a spectacular quality of our beloved copy. I never imagined that horses were so smart. "Platinum of Besilu" was so great; it seemed that he read our thoughts. When I was in the manger, I would play with him and he would bite me, I scolded him and tried to hit him with a rejoice, a fool, and he would stand on his legs, completely furious at the adrenaline of my aggression. Then he calmed down and kept pulling on my shirt, with his powerful teeth, so as not to let me move forward in the job of cleaning his stall. That horse was equally foolish to a small boy.

 

We were all in love with "Platinum of Besilu" and we started looking for evidence to develop their intelligence. One day I got up excited and told Julio that I was going to teach him how to add and subtract "Platinum", but the man did not like it and said:
- Do not teach him how to handle numbers, which makes us interested and materialistic like my wife. Better leave it illiterate like José Antonio, so that he remains faithful to our side, without caring about finances.
The boss and I let out a laugh because of their occurrences and the humble butler remained silent, not understanding what those words meant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER NUMBER TWENTY

At that time everything was happiness.
We got up and while they were engaged in caring for and training the wonderful "Platinum of Besilu", I dedicated myself to choosing each of the words to structure this story.
Everything was going very well, until the day when on television they interviewed Natalia, the boss's wife, who publicly acknowledged that she was living with an elegant Mexican actor. I was shocked and did not dare to turn off the television. The boss listened to the complete news, in which she explained that she did not want to be an actress because, her partner, she took too long in the recordings and that was not the life she wanted. Then he said that the dog, his lover's pet, was too harmful and that she had had to throw him out of the house. The bad guy was living with her and had even brought the dog.
The boss disconnected the TV and trembling with rage, he said to me alone:
- I'm going to die very soon, because that topic, that that double son of a prostitute is eating my wife, I cannot stand it and that bitch bitch, who does not respect herself and who does not respect my little daughter, does not He deserves no gift. That's why, right now, I'm going to give you my beloved "Platinum of Besilu" with the condition that you do not let any Mexican ride on him. The pasture fillies also give them to you and a few dollars in a sack under the bed; I want you to use them so that Jose Antonio does not need food and to finance the expenses of the farm. I want you to accompany me so that we can have some whiskeys, because this big pain I cannot stand it in good judgment. I will not deny more of that bitch, who takes another man to my house, who sleeps with him in my bed and who did not make the slightest effort to find me alive. Because I knew one thing, my dear writer, if that woman had placed even one photograph of her missing husband, in the smallest of the trees or in the dirtiest of the walls, I would have returned to her side, despite My mutilation. But nothing, she is only interested in her image as a cheap model, to which she should already be starting to notice wrinkles. Never, never made the slightest effort to find me, after my disappearance. I have seen the humble women of the disappeared police, sending messages on television and on the radio, in search of a life expectancy, for the man who from afar is seen to love with his heart. But my wife did nothing ... Surely; she must have burned all my photographs, so that no one could find me. I do not want to think that the trap they set for me was the idea of ​​that prude with the voice of a spoiled child, to get me out of the way and keep some old furniture and those three badly-counting pesos, which is going to be spent with that poor Mexican, who He knows what awaits him next to that crazy woman. Friend writer, I know that you are a very intelligent and very brave man; I also know that before you I have no need to pretend anything, or to hide anything, because you are above the small lies and nonsense. My life cycle has to end today, because my expectations have already been finished. I made too many mistakes and I paid for them. My wife is too beautiful a woman and the day had to come, fatal, when she got a lover. She is in the fullness of her physical condition and has the right to rebuild her life, even though I do not like it. I cannot stand knowing that he is living in my own home with another man and that is why I have decided to put an end to my life. Handsome men have been players by nature and I played everything for "A model and a horse made legend" and I won, although, with my manhood and with my eyes, I had to pay for my most beautiful dreams and for my most fatal mistakes. I am going to commit suicide today and that is why I am going to charge you, so that after my departure, you will fulfill my will and bury my body worthily. I am going to leave these lands to José Antonio, to plant them and to kill rabbits in them. All the horses are for you, as I told you before, because you are an elegant man and because you will know how to enjoy them. A "Platinum of Besilu", which was always the horse of my dreams, I do not want you to put it to compete with any, because he already won my heart, which was the only thing that had to be won. You can leave him to drink brandy in him, in that beautiful town of the eyebrow. The fillies you can leave here, so that in the future you will have many descendants of the immortal "Platinum of Besilu" The dollars, I want you to use them to buy seeds and livestock, to ensure the subsistence of my faithful steward until his last days. I also want you to give Jaime Lopez, my best friend, about two hundred thousand greens, to carry out the projects he could not do with me. You can find him in La Ceja, next to the hotel "Los Ponchos" ... That's it ... I have no reason to continue living - concluded the poor blind horseman who already seemed dead in life -. Make a lie to José Antonio, so he can lend you the loaded shotgun. - He said after taking a long drink of liquor. I thought for a few seconds and concluded that, instead, I would do the same. I went in search of the butler and said:

 

- José Antonio, I need you to lend me the good shotgun, loaded with a foreign shot or the most powerful cartridge you have, because the boss wanted to eat dove ball dumplings and, right now, I'm going to hunt him a few.
That lie was not believed by the most stupid man in the world. How was I going to hunt the turtledoves, if I had never fired a gun? ...
My explanation had no effect on that peasant who was very manly and who, despite the circumstances and his illiteracy, understood everything with great courage. He got up from the bed and walked slowly to the wall, picked up the American shotgun, which was the most modern and powerful. He wiped it with a firm hand and although his face reflected a deep sadness, he seemed determined to collaborate with the noble cause that was glimpsed in the environment, after we had seen the news, in which the chief's wife spoke calmly of her lover. The faithful butler handed me the gun, without asking a single question. When I left the room, with the powerful shotgun, José Antonio went to the kitchen and continued to prepare the food quietly. I began to doubt that mission and, for a moment, wanted to tell the naive butler everything, so that he could stop the process of events. The confusion of my conscience and my terrible fears, forced me to wonder what that sacrifice would do ... We could wait until Julio Fierro, still living with the terrible certainty that his beloved wife, was betraying him with a Mexican actor ? ...

 

I arrived at the mangers with the shotgun loaded, and handed it to the boss, who received it with immense satisfaction, knowing that his faithful steward also approved of his fatal decision.
He told me to bring him the food, another bottle of whiskey, a pencil and a notebook because, despite his blindness, he was going to try to write a few letters. He ordered me to go and eat, he put his notebook down on the rustic table where the drugs and the nails were placed, he sat on a soft and fluffy chair and began to grope.
"Dear friends, thank you for facilitating the shotgun. You yourselves have approved my decision to leave this ungrateful world. ! Thank you very much for favoring my resolution! You, dear writer that you know my terrible decision and, nevertheless, you have brought to me this destructive weapon. With courage, I will receive rest from the hands of my best friends. ! Yes, boys, I'm going to leave this world! To end this pain so great that Natalia has planted inside my chest, but I'm sure that not a bullet, nor time, can erase the immense love that I have for my wife and Mariana, my innocent daughter. "
The boss was desperate.
Julio walked from one side to the other. He sat down and after meditating for a while, he sent José Antonio to saddle him with "Platinum of Besilu." And, even though it was raining, he went out on the smart stallion and went to meditate in the pine forest of the sierra. He was walking for a long time through the rugged mountains and only returned to the farm at night. Unsaddled, himself, the horse. He kept it, turned on all the lights, so that his blindness would become smoother and he sat down, again, in the black leather seats, to continue writing on the rustic cumin table.

 

 

"Jaime ... Forgive me for betraying your friendship, abandoning you in all your projects. Money changed me, distracted me, corrupted me and destroyed me to the point of bringing me to certain death. Today, when I am on the edge of the abyss, I have thought a lot about you, that you have been, perhaps, the only faithful friend that I have had and to correct a bit the mistakes I have made with you, I am going to leave you two hundred thousand dollars with my writer Preferred, who is a very honest and good man, who I met on this earth and who I have writing my painful story. Dear Jaime, for the last time I rode through the mountains of Antioquia la grande. I traversed the field and became infected with the infinite peace of the trees. I felt the cold rain on my face and relieved, a little, the inner pain that oppresses my heart. God is charging me, in a terrible way, the small mistake I made for love; because you yourself are a witness that I was a good man, until the beautiful model arrived who changed everything. Do not think I'm denying my luck, I'm just trying to apologize to you, that you're one of the people that matters most to me. Forgive me for leaving you abandoned when, I, I needed you more, because you would have been sanity, because you would have been the brake and the pause, in that macabre dance of liquor, drugs and dollars stained with blood, that now rest under my bed, and that only serve me to buy the forgiveness of people as special as you. Use those few notes that I give you well and remember me with love, because I will be very grateful to you, forever. ! Thanks, Jaime! ... Thanks, friend! ... Goodbye. We will meet again and, then, we will be happier and we will carry out all our projects, even if it is in hell. "

Later he continued to grope and closed a few letters addressed to his relatives. The content of the letters was directed in search of forgiveness, which he needed for his betrayals and for his abandonment. At around midnight, he sent José Antonio to take "Platino de Besilu" to one of the mangers in the back and then make a fire to the whole front of the stall where he was, because he was getting too cold after a few minutes he sent us both to sleep.
After twelve ...
"Natalia, I do not know how the man you have chosen to replace me is, but if you like him, it is because he must be a very good man. With that news you have broken me to the soul and you are pushing me towards a filthy and dirty death, in which I will not be able to have peace. How can I rest in the eternity of God, if the great love of my life does not exist and never existed? ... Without needing to be dead, God has punished me with the most intense pain that can exist, with the pain of Know that you are making love with a male who has come from other lands. I can no longer think of the angelic face of my sweet daughter, without feeling the fear that she too is part of your great lie. You know that I always thought that true love existed and was eternally inspired and protected by the Gods, but you have turned it into an ephemeral and earthy flower, which you have allowed to fade so quickly, that you have not yet been able to dry the tears that you shed when the journalists harassed you with questions about my disappearance. My physical scars have not yet had time to heal, because my broken manhood still hurts me, when I ride on my great horse ... Natalia, I tell you that I have cried tears of blood when, full of fury, I escape drops of that thick liquid that emanates from these empty basins that have not wanted to heal either. I congratulate you for your great capacity for recovery and for your great capacity for forgetting. In my land there were always ancient wrapped matrons, a whole life, in the black and closed mourning that humble and good men inspired them. But only now I am understanding, how could God, and life, give me a true love to me, that I was a selfish and treacherous drug trafficker? ... A beautiful and empty woman, who is only aware of her appearance, of luxury and waste. A woman who is exotic and rare like a wild orchid, a woman who constantly changes with the magic of convenience, a woman who is a beautiful lie, is the greatest punishment I could receive, but the Gods have not been unjust. everything, they knew that I did everything for love and, as a final consolation, they let me have Mariana and want to "Platinum of Besilu", the most spectacular Colombian fine step horse that has been able to exist, to accompany me and Love me without any petty interest. What would it have been for me, eternity, without the innocent smile of my daughter? ... What would have become of me, in the dark and black abyss of hell, without the shining brightness of my horse's mane? What would have happened to me, in the brilliant dance of the stars, without this horse that has been like a refreshing balm for my soul? ... Natalia, I forgive you and I continue to love you with my broken virility. Take good care of my daughter and teach her to truly love. Try to instill values ​​of the heart and soul and do not force her to march in your ridiculous dance of false appearances and deception, which was what ended my life. I know that my favorite writer is going to publish this letter and you will be able to read these sincere words. Forgive me if they seem a bit harsh, but remember that I was always sincere. I still love you with all my soul, because you are exactly the female version of the world of deceptions that was me. Remember that you and my daughter, I will continue to love and admire, while I travel for eternity mounted on the brightness of a star, mounted on a beam of light, mounted on a silver horse that will travel through the sky like a star more of the sky. "

 

"Serene and calm, I am going to advance on the path of evolution ... Ah! ... If I could have educated and taken care of my sweet daughter, with joy and enthusiasm, I would have worked, day after day, even if been shining footwear to the rich. But, ayyyyyy, only privileged and good men manage to stay by the side of those they love. Natalia, speak well of me, our daughter. Tell him, that everything I did, I did so that you will not lack anything. ! Oh! Hug her a thousand times and tell her about repentance, about the unfortunate horseman who was her father. ! Oh! ... Natalia. ! How much I have loved you since the first moment I saw you! ... From that moment, I swore that you would have to be mine, even if it cost me what it cost me. ! Ah! ... I never thought that this principle would lead me through the paths of competition, which later led me to this horrific end. Enjoy your new life with tranquility and pray to God to forgive all my sins. Natalia. Natalia ... Remember that in the universe there is a man who will love you for all eternity. "
"Platinum of Besilu" neighs in the other manger with desperation, how listening to the beating of my heart, how to guess my determination. Everything sleeps around us and my soul, despite everything, is quiet. I thank you, oh, my God, for letting me enjoy my two great loves, "A super model and a horse made legend" by those who did everything possible and impossible as well. I go to the door of this filthy manger and the wind hits my face, with the same force as the platinum horse hits the door of his new cage, as if to avoid the madness that is throwing me to eternal life. I think of heaven and in my mind I contemplate the "Pegasus" formed by the stars that always caught my attention and that now I cannot see. ! You will be my guide, immortal stars, my brothers! ... Almighty God, he leads them just like me. I keep thinking about my favorite constellation and for a moment I think that she also neighs with sadness like my favorite steed, who is crying because she guesses my departure. What intelligence of that animal, understands the earthly and with the thought it travels through the sky too! With what delight I have thought of the winged horse of the sky, because within a few minutes I will be traveling mounted on it! How many times have I raised my hands to that horse of diamonds that, however, pales before the brilliant reality of my caged steed of Besilu! Oh, Natalia! ... What is there in the universe that I did not want to give you? ... I did not accumulate millions and millions of dollars, so I could buy you the hamburger that I could not buy you the first day we went to an equine exhibition and I was poorer than a rat? ... "

 

"Dear writer:

Thank you very much, friend of the soul, for all the favors you have given me and for the tender interest you show me. Do not worry about the infamous news I've heard on TV, because that was the right end to the story of my life, which was a complete mistake. I am writing this letter with my heart in my hand, after the universe started to bill me for my bad deeds. What other fate could await an ambitious man like me, who exported tons and tons of cocaine, being aware of the damage it would cause to children and men in the United States of America? ... The Gods have filled my life with the pain I provoked and forced me to take the bitter cup of my punishment, and, since this chalice of life was bitter even to Jesus Christ himself, when he brought it to his lips as the son of God, Why should I pretend, to pretend that it does not hurt and try to make me believe that it has been very nice for me to be chastised, that my eyes and soul have been ripped out? ... why should I not confess my despair in this moment, in which my sweet and tender woman, for whom I did everything, opens and gives herself body and soul, to a model with clear eyes, that will consume the last drops of a youth that is already beginning to wither? Why I'm not going to despair at this moment, when my body trembles and hesitates between existing and not existing? ... "Platinum of Besilu" tries to rescue me from the depths of the abyss, with its deselled neighs, unable to understand the sadness of a being that sinks without remedy, before the betrayal of his golden and adored angel. Natalia does not know that she is killing, slowly, the father of her daughter and I, of boar, trouble with voluptuousness and with pleasure, the fatal cup that she presents to me. What did the desperate tears that rolled down her cheeks mean when the journalists harassed her after my disappearance? ...

Before, when we loved each other, he would look me in the eyes and swear eternal love and now, without having healed the wounds that I got fighting for her and following his wrong advice, makes love and walks hand in hand with a ridiculous Mexican cat ... When I address my pleas to the all powerful, I cannot say, preserve it! ... Because only now I understand, that it was never mine. She was by my side for the luxury and comfort provided by the money I got with blood, and yet there are times when I believe that she loved me sincerely. I cannot tell God either! Give it back to me! "Because I am mutilated and she would die of disgust, observing the eye sockets full of blood. This is how I wallow, without ceasing, on the dirty bed of my sins and my pains.
Natalia ignores that I'm still alive. But I cannot stand before her, because I can no longer contemplate her seductive beauty, or the intelligent aura that surrounds her forehead, although I can still enjoy her sweet voice and her infinite tenderness. Why do not I throw myself at her feet and let her make the decision of what to do, in the future, with this man's plunder? ... I know that she would like to see the silver horse of our dreams. I always wanted to take pictures of her riding naked, on the best Colombian thoroughbred horse of all times, but now I cannot because I am mutilated and blind. I cannot give her the opportunity to decide, because there is an inaccessible barrier that separates her from me, that I am the most proud man that has existed on earth and that she does not want to be pitied for any reason ... I want compassion of my wife and my daughter? ... No. Better I prefer death. I will face with courage, the punishment that the Gods have imposed on me for my sins. This punishment of blindness and castration cannot be compared. I would have preferred to carry three or four crosses to the top of Mount Calvary and die crucified and crushed by the scourges, but with my manhood and with my dignity intact. My destiny has no equal, compared to my torture, the death of all other men, it is a mild physical illness because never, mortal, was as tormented as I am. I have heard the story of "Bernardo y Eloísa" and it is very different from mine, because he was a monk who did not have a silver horse and privileged as "Platinum of Besilu" and, with the advantage that he was never taken out the eyes and ending in that, his story, must have been a script that was written for a movie. Could it be that there has been, in all of history, another man as miserable as I? ... Never, my outraged pride can never be cured, nor can my soul be tranquilized. Wherever I go, I find physical and psychological obstacles that make me despair and throw me into the void of hell. How is it possible for my beloved angel to open her soul so that a stranger can enter, while I rot in the mountains of disappointment? ... No, my friend, this situation can no longer be tolerated and that is why I I'm going to kill myself with your help. Dear friend, thanks for everything. July."
"Natalia:

If you came to imagine that, with that behavior, you were burying my memory, my pride, my honor and my body on a mountain. I bought you "Platinum of Besilu" and my life lit up, and when I was recovering the desire to live, I heard the news that threw me face to face with hell. How is it that my beloved angel has a lover, without even having the certainty of my death? ! Oh, ungrateful destiny! ... Oh, poor fools who trust in the eternal love of women! ... I want to lose my mind and wander through this world like an idiot, who collects color dreams for his beloved. Everything has ended. I'm no more than a wink. Before I met you, my beloved, I was happy and happy as a fish in water, but now I am devastated and jealous because of you. I no longer want to be your friend, or your lover or anything. Goodbye, ungrateful. "

I envy the lives of the beggars who travel the streets of the city of Medellin, picking up garbage and asking for pieces of pizza from the rich. I envy the mental labyrinth in which they are lost, those who do not know the game of the perfect equilibrium of the universe, because they do not see their punishment coming. The vast majority of men go to work in the mornings, resigned to their economic limitations, but full of hope, desire and love. ! God, give me another chance please! ... I no longer hope for anything, because Natalia is no longer mine. Happy creatures who find their misfortune only in a material obstacle. Each stroke, that a humble man beats on the earth, to cultivate a corn bush, is a drop of balm thrown on the wounds of his soul, and, after the exhausting day of each day, he lies down beside his beloved and faithful woman, with a relieved heart and clean of the excessive ambitions that enrage the Gods. Oh, good God, I do not know, eternal father who did not give me opportunities to work decently, father who gave me the best horse in the world and let me love the most sensual woman in Colombia, call me soon by your side. Do not torture any longer this humble peasant, who did everything out of love. In life, after effort and work, you should always receive reward and pleasure, but what has been my reward after so much fighting, if the woman of my soul groans with pleasure with the caresses of another? .
! Oh!  ! OMG!  ! You who see my sufferings; you must remember me and put an end to them! The image of Natalia chases me awake and asleep, she has gotten into my blood and into every one of the cells of my body. In the brain, which is where the images are stored, I clearly distinguish his golden skin and his hair turned on like a wheat field. It is impossible to explain to me what I feel ... I fall asleep and dream of it too. Always in my mind. All my being is absorbed by it, what does "Platinum of Besilu" mean when the one that was going to be its owner is gone? ... She has failed me when I needed her the most and ... Where is the invincible and aggressive Julio Fierro? That I did not give up before anything? ... I am cornered and I am convinced that I am weak and small, I that hoped to be eternal and to overcome until the passage of time. "

"My beloved horse neighs incessantly, as if guessing my terrible determination. ! Oh, dear God, I still do not understand the macabre game that you have subjected me to. First you fill me with poverty and humility, then I crave the most beautiful horses and the most spectacular woman, so that I fall into the trap of love without limits and what have you done to me ... You mutilate me and mistreat me What for? ... Where is the answer to this terrible experiment in which I have been the guinea pig? ... "
"The rain falls with violence on the roof and, meanwhile, I keep thinking of you, Natalia beautiful, and my adored" Mariana ". What a pity that my little daughter has not been able to enjoy all this love that has been entrenched inside me. I look out the door and cannot see anything through the stormy clouds of my blindness. I do not see the stars that must have been scattered in the immensity of the sky of my future. Where are the immortal stars? ... Why have they not enlightened my understanding? ... I want to see the stars that make up the winged horse that is my favorite constellation, but even that has been denied to me by a merciful God! Many times I raised my hands to the "Pegasus", to take it as a witness of the happiness that in those days I enjoyed! ...! Oh, my beloved! What is there in the universe that does not bring my memory to my memory? ...! You are my life, because I did everything for you! I always knew that I was crossing the line between good and bad, to be able to get those dollars that they made you and that make you very happy! "

"Natalia: I am not afraid to take the terrible path that will lead me to the peace of death. You have led me to this death trap and I do not waver before the bitter chalice that you present to me. In this way I am paying and I will pay for all the sins I committed, in the search for your love "
"Head down and defeated, I'm going to knock on the icy door of the tomb, so that the Gods charge me all the damage I did to humanity with those damn drugs! Ay! ... If I had touched dying of old, working to give education and protection to Mariana, my poor daughter! With joy, with enthusiasm, I would have worked tirelessly, to buy some new shoes for my girl, but, alas, I made too many mistakes in the midst of my excessive ambition and, now, William is rising from the grave where I threw him, after having murdered him, to take me to his rotten mansion. Natalia, thank you for all the moments of happiness you gave me. Forgive my misinterpretations and take care of the girl, trying not to enter into that death trap, fashion and immediate waste. Teach her to enjoy the simple things in life and keep her from drugs and alcohol. ! Oh! ... Embrace my little daughter and tell her about the misfortune of her unfortunate father who, one day, tried to straighten the road to march in the ways of the legal, but who had already committed too many crimes. ! How much I love them! ! Oh, Natalia, how much I've loved you, from the moment that Jaime introduced us! ... From that moment I told myself that you would have to be mine and for a few years I got it, because I enjoyed the best of you. ! Oh, I never imagined that this happy beginning would lead me to this tragic end. ! Goodbye, beautiful angel! ... I have placed the barrel of the cold shotgun on my forehead. ! Forgive me, my God! ... Natalia. Natalia ... Mariana. Mariana ... Goodbye! Until forever! Whatever God wants! ... Goodbye! ...

 

José Antonio and I, we heard the terrible detonation in the mangers and nobody said anything. The butler was washing a plate and crashing it, furiously, on the ground. I felt that the air was missing and I left in the middle of the cold night, and I walked to the haunted pine forest. I thought about the meaning of life and the value of money, and I was very happy to have been just a loser.
I wandered aimlessly, through the darkness of the night and my thoughts, and only returned at five in the morning of a new dawn. I found José Antonio drinking coffee at the kitchen door and I said:
- It's time to bury the boss.
The good man did not utter a single word. He stared at me and when I started towards the manger, where the boss had committed suicide, he followed my footsteps staggering because of the effect of the liquor that he had probably ingested. Julio Fierro was lying on the floor, next to the leather seats, his head completely shattered, lying on curds of blood full of flies. No one wept, nobody sobbed and nobody fainted in that sad death.
Bullets entered through the empty socket of his right eye, causing the entire top of his brains to jump. The shotgun was thrown on the table, next to the few legible letters he had written. He was lying on his back, showing his beautiful teeth.
The whiskey bottle was completely empty and an unpleasant smell of liquor escaped from the body of the dead man.

- We have to open a hole immediately, to bury it as it should - I said to the disconsolate butler and made the mistake of opening the stall and letting free the beautiful steed of the boss, to accompany us at the funeral.
We carried a bar and shovel, to a small hill behind the house, and, digging, sweating and shooing the beautiful horse, who seemed to have fully understood the tragedy of his master, at nine twenty in the morning , we finished digging a hole that cost us more effort than we thought. José Antonio and I, we grab the dead man's hands and feet, and we carry him with much effort to his final resting place. We unloaded it gently into the narrow gap and I had to throw the earth over the deceased, because the butler took off, who knows where. "Platinum of Besilu" was neighed to the side of the tomb, as if trying to rescue his boss from the clutches of Satan. I went to my house completely exhausted and I felt so downcast and bewildered, that I barely got to her; I went to bed and covered my head with the blankets, trying to sort my thoughts. I did not try to reason about the trial of Julio Fierro. I felt completely defeated and understood that the decision of that poor man was a real fact. Stuck between the blankets, a terrible fever of my body took hold, that quivered of terror and my mind was submerged in an inexplicable madness that forced to me to look for a guilty one in half of all that misfortune. I did not eat lunch, I did not eat, and I could not forget the poor blind horseman who rested in a narrow and icy hollow, while the two greatest loves of his life were not aware of his death. The hours passed slowly, the night fell and I continued raving. Why would poor Julio Fierro live, if his wife was already in love with someone else? Where to look if there were no eyes? What to aspire and what to dream? To live only to remember his tragedy and the lack of love of his beloved? ... At first, Julio was willing to fight for the happiness of his little daughter, for a hope, for an illusion, for the eternity of that love that he believed true. He was not killed by his enemies, nor by his companions of misdeeds, was the poor horseman killed by his own stupidity, by believing in the unlimited power of money. He was deceived by the enchanting glitter of the tinsel, by the falsity of the conditioned beauty and that is why he poisoned many young people, for the morbid pleasure of satisfying his giant vanity and further increasing his inflamed ego. Why do your actions seem so reproachful to me? ... - I asked myself in that long night - Why did the search for his personal success become a crime? ... His conscience was not calm, he knew himself, that he had performed acts condemned by the penal codes of all the nations of the world and within his soul, there was a great uneasiness without object, a constant sacrifice, because he no longer had a future. Fate sent him the punishment he deserved and repentance robbed him of sleep. A repentance that made him wish for that horrible death, before he could observe the end of his beloved model. Why does your action seem so reprehensible to me, if the media shout to us that the one with the most money is the best? ... Could it be that the story, of that poor man, that could have been my own story, Can it be the announcement of a future change in the goals of many other people's lives? Is not it that reading these examples, we can achieve a new conception of life? ... I am more inclined to admit that the blind horseman, moved by the clumsy instinct of a very young boy, seduced by beauty and the dreams of power. All night long I was caught in a fever that attacked me uncontrollably. I slept very badly and my right shoulder hurt all night, because of the great effort I made when digging the improvised tomb.

The black night ended and the light of a new dawn shone inside my soul. I left my humble home and the cold ice of a rainy dawn hit my face. I could not wait; I went slowly down the slippery roads and went to visit the grave of poor Julio Fierro. I had slept with my clothes on and my battered body was sore from head to toe. My throat was dried by the effort, I felt very bad physically, but a strange feeling forced me to keep moving forward. I slipped several times and the mud from the road damped the rags with which I was dressed. I reached the edge of the blind horseman's farm and, from afar, I could observe a chilling scene that drove me crazy. The platinum horse of Besilu fought, at bites and kicks, against a large number of dogs and buzzards that had unearthed some parts of the corpse of the chief. I ran down the path and arrived, my feet completely sore. We had not buried our friend, with enough depth and at that moment I understood why, in the American West movies, they placed stones on the tombs. I moved the birds of prey away a little and then I went to the stables and brought a halter and saddle. I captured the beautiful stallion that stared into my eyes, saddled it and pulled it close to the mutilated corpse, which had received multiple injuries from the terrible predators. The buzzards had made large holes in his abdomen and the rib cage was almost completely empty. Lift the dead with great difficulty; I went through lying in the saddle of the smart horse that seemed to know everything I had thought. I tied the deceased with a rope and held him by the chair so he would not fall.

- Well, "Platinum of Besilu", we are going to take the chief, so that he rests in the beautiful waters of the Ox River - I said to the noble animal, who started off gently with his adored cargo. I left crying with impotence and did not want to look for guiltier. We went along the path and the other mares of the farm, followed us for several minutes, as if wanting to pay a farewell tribute to their noble owner. I felt a huge pain in my chest, which did not go away until I could appreciate the immense river that came down with its impressive blue green color. Julio Fierro was ... No ... Let's leave the faded scene in oblivion and only think of the eternal rest that the Gods will give him. I finished down the muddy road. I reached the narrow concrete bridge, untied the dead man, brought the horse to the edge and threw my friend headfirst into the abyss. The water exploded in a shower of brilliant diamonds and the horse neighed in pain, suspecting the loss of his friend.


In Antioquia la grande, through the streets of La Ceja del tambo, from time to time, a man passes on a beautiful horse of fine pace, which nobody knows if it is made of iron, silver or platinum.

END