by P J Skinner
‘Really? How do you know it wasn’t talc?’
‘Because it made my tongue go numb. She’s snorting coke in the office.’
‘Wow!’
‘Who does she think she is? Keith Richards?’
‘I should take her to the AA meetings.’
‘Good luck with that. How’s it going this time? I mean, how do you feel?’
‘It’s truly weird. I’m so through with booze I don’t even want any. Of course, there will be times when I don’t feel so calm, but I think I’ve finally cracked it. I can’t bear to lose Gloria or David. It would kill me.’
‘You don’t know how happy that makes me.’
‘I think I do. I’m so sorry you’ve had to put up with me for so long. I owe you.’
‘You don’t owe me anything. I think it’s time you plucked up courage to pay Gloria a visit.’
‘I can’t face it yet. Will you prepare the ground?’
‘Have you forgotten why she moved out?’
‘That’s not why she left. She needed an excuse. She didn’t want to face the elephant in the room any more than I did.’
‘I’ll think about it.’
Sam stood outside the building where Hernan Sanchez had his luxurious apartment. The cars drove by behind her and she got several wolf whistles in typical Latin style. This convinced her to go inside.
‘Miss Sam? I haven’t seen you for years.’
The guard left his desk and looked as if he meant to hug her. In the end, after hesitating, he shook her hand and patted her shoulder.
‘Are you here to see Señor Sanchez?’
‘I was hoping to see Gloria.’
‘She’s gone shopping with Miss Amanda.’
‘Oh, I, um--‘
‘Don’t go, Senior Sanchez would never forgive me. Please go up and see him.’
As Sam rose in the lift, she tried to rid herself of nerves but she had no idea how Hernan Sanchez would react. He had a reputation as an implacable enemy and she couldn’t imagine what Gloria might have told him. As the lift doors opened, she swallowed and pressed the doorbell.
Agatha, Hernan’s long-term maid answered the door.
‘Miss Sam. Welcome. Señor Sanchez is in the sitting room. Would you like a juice?’
‘Thank you. Yes please.’
Sam entered the sitting room with trepidation. The walls were covered with paintings by well-known Sierramar artists and the picture windows had a view across the whole town of Calderon to the El Grande volcano which had a tutu of fluffy white clouds. Hernan Sanchez dominated the room with his massive physical presence. He was almost as wide as he was tall. His bald head caught the light coming from outside and gave the illusion of a halo but Hernan Sanchez was no angel. His rages were legendary. A notorious, corrupt contractor, he had scaled down his operations in his old age and lived like a retired emperor.
Sam gulped and forced out a greeting.
‘Señor Sanchez, it’s so nice to see you again.’
He waddled forward and enveloped Sam in his chubby arms where he kept her trapped for longer than was comfortable. Finally, he released her.
‘Sit,’ he said. ‘We need to talk.’
The relief was so great that Sam started to cry. She scrabbled in her bag for a tissue, weeping all the while. Sanchez did not say anything, waiting for her to control her emotions.
‘What’s this all about?’ he said, when her sobbing abated.
Taking his cue, the whole story poured out of Sam like water from a dam. Her thrill at getting a job in Sierramar again. The change of boss. Alfredo’s drinking. Gloria’s defection. The stay at the beach and the awful scene at Alfredo’s house. She left nothing out, except for some of the worst language, and her affair with Yannis. By the time she had finished, a huge weight had lifted from her shoulders.
Sanchez nodded.
‘I thought as much,’ he said.
Sam sniffed.
‘You did?’
‘You don’t think I believed all that stuff about you and Alfredo, do you?’
He splayed the fat fingers of his right hand over his chest like an insulted diva.
‘But she’s your daughter. I thought you might--‘
‘She may be my daughter but she’s not infallible. Anyway, I doubt Alfredo’s able for much of that considering his alcohol intake.’
He bent his little finger and wiggled it at Sam. She blushed and looked away.
‘Um, I couldn’t possibly comment,’ she said, laughing.
‘Gloria tells you everything, or she did. I’m quite sure you have discussed this too.’
Agatha came in with the juice. She served them both a glass.
‘Saved by the bell,’ said Sam.
‘How can I help?’ said Sanchez.
Sam sighed.
‘I don’t know that you can. Alfredo wanted me to pave the way for him to visit. He is back at AA, and this time he’s serious. I’ve never seen him so determined. He tipped all the alcohol in the house down the sink. He says he has made his choice and he’s never going back.’
‘We’ll see. If Gloria believed that, she would go back to him. She still loves him. Give her time.’
‘I wish she would talk to me. I’m so heartbroken about our fight.’
‘It wasn’t your fault. My daughter’s stubborn but she isn’t stupid. In her heart she knows the truth.’
‘But what about Amanda?’
‘I’ve a feeling this crush she has on Amanda will be short lived. Please be patient. You’re the only real friend my daughter has ever had. She needs you.’
When Sam got back to Alfredo’s house, a wave of homesickness flooded over her as she battled with her emotions. Nothing ever went the way she planned. Sometimes she wanted to go home and sit in her parents’ kitchen and listen to them talk about things of no consequence. She picked up the receiver and dialled the operator who put her through to London.
‘Hello?’
‘Mummy? It’s Sam.’
‘Hello darling. How’s it going over there?’
‘Oh, you know, drama all the way.’
Her voice caught in her throat.
‘Daddy’s here. He’s listening on speakerphone. Tell me.’
‘Gloria has left Alfredo because of his drinking. She blamed me and…’
‘Blamed you? Why ever would she do that?’
‘My new boss told her lies.’
‘Your new boss? What’s he got to do with it?’
‘He’s a she, and she’s a monster. It’s a long story.’
‘Do you want to come home?’
‘No, I can’t do that. I needed to speak to someone who wasn’t hysterical all the time.’
‘What about the job?’ said her mother.
‘Um, I’m not sure about the deposit yet. It’s still a bit of an enigma. Oh, tell Daddy that I’m using the torch. It’s brilliant.’
Her father’s voice came over the line, muffled in the background. ‘That’s wonderful.’
‘So, it’s not all bad?’ said her mother.
‘I went to see Gloria’s father today. He says she’ll soon realise the truth. She wanted a break from Alfredo, not from me.’
‘Is the drinking really bad?’
‘He stopped the day she left and hasn’t had a drink since. I can’t tell if he has finally given up but it looks hopeful. What’s happening at home?’
A silence. Sam could imagine the hand gestures and head shaking in the kitchen at home.
‘It couldn’t be worse than the goings on here. Spit it out mother,’ said Sam.
‘It’s Hannah. She’s pregnant again.’
‘But that’s great news, isn’t it?’
‘Simon didn’t think so. He’s left her, for good. He told her he wasn’t coming back.’
‘Oh.’
Simon and Sam had started out together before he transferred his affections to her sister. It had caused a lot of heartbreak but Sam had moved on years before.
‘Are yo
u okay? I know it’s a bit of a shock,’ said her mother.
‘It’s Hannah who must be shocked.’
‘She’s taking it quite well actually. She has a new boyfriend. I have a feeling she’s known him for a while.’
‘Hmm. Hannah and Gloria could compete for drama queen of the year any year.’
‘Well, now you’re up with the news. Chin up darling. It’ll all come out in the wash. Daddy and I are off on holiday for a week tomorrow. Call us when you can.’
‘I will. Give my love to Hannah and Daddy.’
‘Bye darling.’
Galo Martin had not let his disappointment at his poor reception from Amanda affect his work. He produced some superb graphics for the presentation and worked for hours on the posters that would adorn the booth at the PDAC. As the date for Amanda’s departure approached, his cousin printed out drafts and redrafts for her perusal but she was never satisfied.
‘Honestly, can’t you get anything right?’ said Amanda, tossing her hair back. ‘I don’t know what Bill Maclean was thinking.’
Probably that I would be more useful at the project than stuck here in the office.
‘You haven’t mentioned the resource.’
‘We don’t have one yet,’ said Sam.
‘We must have at least one million ounces by now. Can’t you put that in?’
‘It takes weeks to calculate a resource. We don’t have the correct software to do it by computer.’
‘No one will notice. Put it into the presentation,’ said Amanda, her tone impatient.
‘I can’t do that. It’s against the rules of the stock exchange.’
‘I don’t give a fuck about the rules.’
‘Bonita could get thrown off the exchange if someone noticed,’ said Sam.
‘You’ll write what you’re fucking told, or I’ll get another geologist,’ said Amanda, red in the face with suppressed fury.
‘Get one then,’ said Sam.
Amanda stood there for a minute tapping her foot but Sam stood her ground. Finally, Amanda sighed and went back to her office. Galo, who had been quaking in the background, patted Sam on the back.
‘That boss of ours is a monster,’ he said.
Despite the pressure to get it right, Sam and Galo managed to cement their professional relationship with mutual admiration on both sides. They worked side by side, united by their shared interest in the aesthetic nature of map and section drawing. Galo liked to go out somewhere different to lunch every day so they visited all the local eateries to try out their soups and local fare.
Sam’s favourite was Mi Cosina, which had a different soup every day. In the weeks before Easter, they put Fanesca on the menu, a traditional soup made with salted cod, squash, fava beans, chochos, corn, peas, fresh beans, rice, onions, garlic, cumin, achiote, peanuts, milk, cream and cheese. It was served with small empanadas, fried ripe plantains, hardboiled egg slices and avocado.
A bowl of Fanesca filled people up for the whole day and made them fart like troopers due to the high bean content. No one seemed to mind the side effects. Sam loved the mix of ingredients and she gazed at her bowl in admiration.
‘I can’t believe they peel all the beans and peas one by one,’ said Sam. ‘How long must it take?’
‘They do it for weeks ahead but it’s worth it,’ said Galo. He stopped eating, his spoon hovering in the air as he scrutinised her face. ‘Is it true that you’re friends with Señor Muerte?’
Sam stopped chewing. She blushed.
‘Um, sort of, maybe, I don’t know.’
‘His real name is Damien Galarza. We attended the local school together. He is extremely intelligent but his family life was a disaster. His father drank every night and used to punch and kick the stuffing out of him when he tried to protect his mother.’
‘That figures.’
‘Well, one day when we were about fourteen, he stopped coming to school and never came back. There were rumours but I don’t know if any of them were true.’
‘What happened?’
‘I’m not sure. I didn’t see him for almost ten years as I left Arboleda to do my degree and work in the city. The next time I saw him, I had come home to visit my parents and he turned up at their house. We ate together and had a couple of beers but he didn’t tell me what he had been doing for the decade we had been apart. I only found out later that he had established himself as a king pin in Monterico, with stakes in some of the most profitable mines and whore houses.’
‘I met the Lara brothers too.’
‘Ah, yes, I knew they were associates of his.’
‘I’m not sure that’s the word I’d use,’ said Sam, raising her eyebrows.
Galo laughed. ‘I don’t think they would either,’ he said. ‘Anyway, I was surprised he didn’t rob or hurt you. Do you know why?’
‘Well, the first time we met I bought him a sandwich and showed him my compass. No big deal, really.’ She paused and smiled. ‘Oh, I burped really loudly and he roared with laughter.’
‘You burped? Ah.’
‘Ah, what?’
‘He always told me he would fall in love with a woman who farted and burped like a man. Maybe you’re the one.’
‘I somehow doubt that. Although if he comes around after this soup, I could deliver on the other half of the bargain.’
Galo got an attack of the giggles. Sam pretended to join in but all sorts of weird ideas milled around in her head until she shook them out and finished her soup. Galo did not mention him again.
After countless iterations of the presentation, they hit on a formula that satisfied both Amanda and Stock Exchange regulations. Sam sat in Amanda’s office as her boss reviewed the latest version. Amanda fiddled obsessively with her earrings and seemed unable to concentrate. Had she been snorting coke again?
At last, she looked up.
‘They’ll have to do. I’m sure you can explain anything that isn’t clear anyway.’
‘Sorry?’ said Sam.
‘Well, you didn’t think I was going to man the booth, did you? I have meetings to attend to. You and Rhett will glad hand the punters.’
Sam’s mouth fell open. Amanda was waiting for a response.
‘Aren’t you going tomorrow?’ said Sam.
‘Yes, and so are you. By the way, the results are due this afternoon so I’ll need you to incorporate them into the presentation.’
‘But it will take hours to print everything again.’
‘Suck it up. You’re a big girl. I’m sure you’ll manage.’
Sam scarcely had time to review the results when they juddered out of the paper feed on the fax machine. She tore them off and ran to the computer to type them into the presentation, but she noted with grim satisfaction that the blanks from the labelled bag were a gold free zone. She remembered one number for a hidden blank from her missing lists and it contained, once again, a decent gold grade where it should be barren.
Someone had been manipulating the sample results but it was too late to do anything about it. She needed proof before she brought down the house, and she couldn’t find that in Toronto, the only option being to play along for the time being. Amanda hadn’t got financing yet and Sam intended to stop her but meanwhile she had to keep her powder dry.
Amanda finally approved the proofs at ten o’clock at night and swanned off to dinner with Gloria. She left Sam and Galo to get the printing done and check the presentation quality. Galo took it in good humour.
‘I’ll sleep all day tomorrow but you’ll be exhausted. Try and get some shut eye on the flight,’ he said.
‘Don’t worry about me. I fall asleep if I see an aircraft, never mind sit in one.’
Sam had gone home to pack a bag at one stage, and realised that she had nothing suitable to wear in the freezing cold of Toronto. Alfredo got out of bed, and groggy with sleep, had searched through Gloria’s cupboard for a warm coat. Finding none he offered a knee-length, fleece-lined Parker.
‘How old is this coat?’ sa
id Sam, pulling it on and looking at herself in the bedroom mirror.
‘I used to wear it at school in England,’ said Alfredo. ‘It was cheaper than a moped. It holds happy memories for me. I couldn’t bear to throw it away.’
Alfredo had always claimed that he couldn’t remember his school days but it was not the time to pry. The jacket made her look as if she were a retro-Mod, not quite business wear, but freezing to death was not her preferred option.
‘Brilliant, I’ll take it.’
Chapter XV
Sam and Galo had stayed up all night reformatting and printing everything in time for the flight. Sam staggered into the departure hall of the airport at dawn followed by a harassed looking porter pushing a trolley loaded with boxes of presentations and posters fresh from the printer’s premises.
‘For God’s sake, Sam. Boarding’s about to close. What took you so long?’ said Amanda.
Sam rolled her eyes at Rhett who smirked.
‘Sorry. It took all night to print the five hundred copies you asked for.’
‘You should have printed less then.’
Sam counted to ten under her breath and went to check in.
When they boarded the flight, Amanda went straight to First Class without a backwards glance. Rhett grinned apologetically when Sam showed him her economy ticket.
‘She’s trying to break you. Amanda doesn’t like resistance,’ he said.
‘I can sleep anywhere. See you in Toronto.’
Despite her bravado, Sam found it hard to get any rest. The woman beside her had a small child on her lap and she had not brought any toys or books for it to play with, something Sam found incomprehensible. Four hours on a plane with no distractions? The woman ended up letting the child run up and down the aisle, fraying the nerves of the cabin crew who were trying to serve lunch.
They transferred flights at Miami and had to endure long queues in immigration before getting on their next flight.
‘How long will you be in the USA, Mam?’ drawled the immigration official.
‘About an hour,’ said Sam, deadpan.
‘Don’t irritate them. They’ll put you on the naughty step,’ said Rhett, who had found her again.
By the time, they landed in Toronto, Sam’s internal battery threatened to run out. She wanted to go to her hotel and take a cat nap but Amanda had other plans.