by Nicole Casey
A serious faced man was drinking yerba mate behind the desk. I had heard that this infusion drink was a national obsession in the country and I was keen to give it a try. This wasn’t the moment to ask to share some with him, I guessed.
The cop turned out to be friendly enough and even smiled at me when he saw me enter. He told me that Joe would be freed in a few minutes and that he should be more careful where he goes in Buenos Aires in the future. I told him that my brother had just gone out with the wrong person.
Then I thanked him and sat down to wait. The cop came over to offer me a sip of yerba mate. It was a lot hotter and more bitter than I had expected it to be, so I guessed it was an acquired taste.
Joe finally appeared, looking sheepish and with a big bruise over his left eye.
“Joe, are you okay?” I gave my brother a hug and was surprised to feel that he was a lot bigger and stronger than the last time I had hugged him, at the airport on my departure day. He was growing up to be a man and I had missed a lot of the time I could have shared with him lately.
This wasn’t the first time that I had felt guilty about heading off to backpack for so long. Some nights I lay awake in bed unable to get to sleep because I felt guilty about being so selfish by living out my own personal dreams like this. My mom had missed me badly and so did Joe, although I wasn’t sure whether there was anyone else who even noticed that I was gone.
“I’ve been better.” He shrugged it off.
“Let’s go and get some empanadas while we catch up.”
We were both starving and ate 5 or 6 meat empanadas each while telling each other about our adventures since he had waved me a sad goodbye at the airport so long ago. It felt like half a lifetime ago that I had pulled my rucksack over my shoulders and gave him a farewell kiss on the cheek, wondering if I would ever see him again.
The empanadas were delicious and a lot meatier than the ones I had eaten in Bolivia and Peru on my way down to Argentina. It was already obvious that this was a city where eating and drinking well was a huge part of the culture.
I was proud of myself for leaving a steady job to go abroad and find my true self abroad. Joe looked proud too, as I told him how I had climbed up a giant waterfall, planted hundreds of trees, and learned how to look after myself so far from home.
I had even had to burn a horrible tick out of my foot, a story which nearly made my brother faint. Well, I left out the bit about screaming in horror when I had seen its nasty little, bloated body sticking out of my foot.
“Are you planning to go home and go back to work in the bank now that your voluntary work is over?”
My mouth was full of empanada so I waved at him to wait a second. It gave me an extra second or two to think as well, to find the right words. Having said that, it was something I had thought about over and over again in the last few weeks.
“No way. I’ve seen so much here that I can’t go back to my old, boring life again. I saw a lost Inca city in Peru, ate fresh bananas straight from the tree in Ecuador, and cycled down the world’s most dangerous road in Bolivia. I feel truly alive for the first time in my life.”
“The pictures you put on Facebook were all awesome. I couldn’t believe that it was my sister who was afraid of Barney the Dinosaur not long ago that was in some of them. ”
“It was Baby Bop I was scared of if you don’t mind. That weird voice just freaked me out but I’m over it now.”
“Now you’ve grown into a woman who savagely burns off ticks and single-handedly saves the rainforest from destruction.”
“I’ve changed, Joe. I’m not the shy, awkward little girl who was terrified of her own shadow once. I can’t go back to phoning people about their overdrafts from a comfortable office every day when I’ve nurtured a sick sloth back to health and eaten grilled bugs.”
“Yuck, what were they like?”
“Do you remember that time you made cupcakes…?”
“Hey, they were great. You must be short of money, though.”
I tried to look unconcerned. The truth was that ever since La Paz I had been dangerously short of cash. I had briefly worked in a hostel in Salta, in the north of Argentina, on the way down here but I was running out of money again.
In Buenos Aires I was staying in the cheapest hotel I could find and was planning to do some bar or restaurant work to make ends meet. Anything to keep my adventure going for longer and keep me from having to go back to a lifestyle that no longer held the slightest attraction for me.
I still had high hopes of finding a way to make a difference in the world but I had to have enough money to survive before I could think about that. I had spent my entire life savings on this trip but I didn’t care about that.
There were still plenty of years ahead for me to earn money and get a career that I was inspired by. Right now, I had to live out new experiences and discover who I really was.
“What about you, Joe? Are you happy now?”
“I’m getting there. I’ve been seeing the world in style with Adam.”
“You don’t need that spoiled rich kid to see the world.”
“I don’t need him but he’s fun to be around. He knows so much stuff and he is different when he isn’t putting on a show for the world.”
“He’s taking advantage of your good nature.”
“You’re wrong, sis. Everyone gets him wrong but he’s a good guy really. I think he’s just lonely…or bored of himself. It can’t be easy being so rich. You just have to get to know him really well and get him to trust you.”
“I’d rather get to know a bad case of botulism.”
“He’s not so bad if you just give him a chance. I think he might be scared of you, though.”
“So he should be. The next time he annoys me I’m going to kick his ass good and proper.”
Joe paid the bill and we stepped out into the bright sunshine. It was a glorious day but my concerns for my little brother made me feel less enthusiastic than I should have been.
A middle-aged couple was dancing tango elegantly on the sidewalk and I threw a few coins into their hat. The way that they glided back and forward so sensually and in perfect harmony was a joy to watch. Would I ever find someone that I fitted together with so well?
A long, white limousine pulled up in front of us, causing several other drivers to toot their horns as it cut in front of them sharply.
I knew who it was even before the dark glass slid down to reveal his handsome, smug face and crooked smile.
“Jump in Joe. We’ve got things to do and places to go to.” He looked out at me from behind expensive looking sunglasses. “Unless you were planning to go and plant some trees with your hippy chick sister.”
“Hey, maybe the three of us can go out together.” Joe turned to me. “We’re going out on Adam’s yacht. It’s a beauty, with a home cinema and a full bar and everything. It’s moored down in Puerto Madero.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ve got better things to do than hang about with Little Lord Fauntleroy and his expensive toys.”
“Good. The last thing I want on my boat is a miserable goody two shoes telling me about how she planted trees to save the planet and wiped the asses of sick monkeys.”
“Come on guys, can you not at least try to get along?”
I felt like a naughty schoolgirl as Joe looked at me with a disappointed face. Why did this guy make me so angry just by looking at him?
“Adam, we can drop Jessie off at her hotel, right?”
Oh God, no. The last thing I wanted was to travel to my hotel in his limo. I could well imagine his satisfied face when he saw the nasty little hotel I was staying in.
“No, I would really rather just walk. It’s not far.”
Adam took off his sunglasses and his dark eyes flashed dangerously. His expression was somewhere between playful pleading and arrogant mocking. I wished I could interpret his expressions better than that but there was some sort of confusion between his eyes and mouth that led to extremely mixe
d messages. What was he hiding and why?
“Jump in, Jessie. There’s room for as many gorgeous but argumentative eco warriors as can fit in here.”
Joe pushed me in and I decided to sit down inside of making a fuss about it.
I was squashed in the middle between the two of them. It was a warm day and we all had shorts on. As the limo started up I felt Adam’s muscular leg press against mine. I could sense his strong, masculine presence next to me every single second of the trip and I didn’t like how it made me feel.
The car went round a roundabout and Adam put a hand on my thigh, apparently to help him keep his balance. It was lingering there just a fraction of a second longer than it had to, though.
I was angry at myself for enjoying the feel of his big hand on my leg. What was wrong with me today? The hand was still there and it was clear he wasn’t going to move it. It was as though he was claiming me as his possession by holding me there.
“There’s no greater pleasure in life than traveling in a quality vehicle with a real lady by your side.” His smile mocked me but his eyes didn’t seem so sure whether to be serious or not. I threw his hand off my thigh. At the next corner, I stuck my elbow sharply into his ribs and felt fantastic about doing it.
“What hotel are you in, sis?” Joe looked over at me.
“Umm…”
“My favorite is the Alvear Palace but you look like more of a Hilton or Sheraton kind of girl.” Adam licked his lips as he savored making me feel uncomfortable. Our hips bumped going round the corner and I tried very hard to fool myself into believing that it didn’t feel good.
“Just drop me in the Plaza de Mayo. If you don’t mind.”
“Ah, there are some quality hotels around there as well. Just be sure to get a suite with a view of the Casa Rosada.”
Enough was enough. I turned round to face the rude billionaire. His face was closer than I had thought and we rubbed together as I faced him. He casually put an arm over my shoulder. His hand was now dangling only inches away from my breasts and I could see how tempted he was.
I instantly regretted not wearing a thicker t-shirt, as I was sure he was enjoying the feel of my body against his. Was I too? It wasn’t the right moment to think about it, as I tried to act cool and calm.
“You’ve been taking advantage of my brother since you met him, and now you have been rude to me since we first met…Stop looking at my breasts.” I grabbed his arm and pulled it off my shoulder.
“I can’t.” Christ, he could have at least lied. “They’re my one weakness.”
“You are so infuriating.”
Adam leaned his hand on my thigh again, this time way up higher than any stranger had the right to, and I hit him a stinging slap in the face.
Too late, I realized that this he had genuinely lost his balance as the driver braked sharply when entering the iconic Plaza de Mayo. The Casa Rosada where Eva Perón had addressed her adoring public was in front of us now but I felt very far from being the sort of dignified lady that Evita had been.
He looked stunned. My hand was stinging from the impact and I could see a red blotch appear on his cheek.
Should I apologize? I would have felt better if he had slapped me back but he just kept staring at me with that deep, impenetrable expression.
The limo pulled in to the side of the plaza and I had hit the ground before it even fully stopped.
I hoped never to see that annoying man again in my whole life. In fact, I had to avoid him like I had never avoided anyone before.
Adam
The limo pulled in beside my yacht at the harbor. My cheek was still stinging but I wasn’t angry at Jessie for slapping me anymore. I had forgiven her even before she had got out of the car, to be honest.
I was angry at myself because I had deserved it, and more besides. It had been so long since I had met a woman who had turned me on like she did that I had completely forgotten how to act. Most girls just giggled and made it too easy for me when they found out who I was and how much money was swilling around in my bank account.
That had made me get lazy, so I usually just dropped a few less than subtle hints about my money and let them do the hard work from there on. It had always worked, even if it tended to leave me with an empty, unsatisfied feeling deep inside me.
Jessie had done the exact opposite and had shown complete contempt for me from the very start. Now I couldn’t get her proud expression and her fine body out of my mind no matter how hard I tried. I knew that she hated me but I had the niggling sensation that she could grow to like me if I could only find a way of breaking down those barriers that she had put up.
I had tried to be funny, I had tried to be nice, and I had tried to be a tough guy but absolutely nothing caused her to lower her barriers. She made me feel like the worst guy in the world but I knew that wasn’t true. I had to find a way of getting through to her but I had no idea how to even get started on it.
What I did know what that I was bored of easy women who fell over themselves to be close to me. I could now tell a mile off when someone was only after my money. Of course, I had been badly burned more than once before I had worked it out and seen what the warning signs were.
I could still picture the look on Andrea’s face as she had laughed at me and walked out the door with a bag stuffed full of expensive jewelry and designer clothes. That day had been the last time I had cried, and I swore that I would never let any woman do that to me again.
Jessie was different. She seemed to hate me simply for being rich and successful. There was no way she was interested in my money. She would probably donate it all to orphaned sloths and traumatized monkeys given half a chance anyway.
I had been feeling increasingly lonely in the last few months but I wasn’t going to go crawling to anyone to try and get them to like me. I was who I was and people either took me at face value or they could get lost.
Joe was one of the few people I could open up with and who seemed to appreciate me for who I was. He never asked me for money and he was always there to help me when I needed someone.
He seemed like the kind of guy who I could tell my secrets to and who would try to understand me if given half a chance. I had already been tempted to open up and tell him more about who I really was deep inside. Yet, I had always got scared and carried on with the façade of being a carefree billionaire playboy who was rough, tough, and a little bit wild.
I felt light-headed for a second as I imagined being with Jessie on my yacht or in one of the big mansions my family owned across the world. In my glorious yet painful daydream, we were both relaxed and comfortable.
Could I ever be happy living a simple, normal life with a woman like that or was I doomed to just move from one mansion to another and from one pointless party to the next without ever meeting the right woman?
Joe had been silent since his sister had slapped me and I knew that he was embarrassed about the whole thing. I started to get angry with him for no good reason.
I climbed out of the limo and turned round to him.
“You need to learn how to control your sister, Joe. That little girl is out of control.”
“She isn’t normally like that at all. I’ve never seen her act so crazy.”
“Maybe a monkey bit her in the ass while she was in the jungle and gave her some sort of disease that affected her brain. She needs professional help.”
“Well, she has definitely changed since she left home. I think I told you before that she used to be shy and a real nerd.”
“Well, she isn’t a shy little girl anymore. She’s a…tigress.” The memory of her flashing eyes in the moment that she slapped me came back to haunt me. She was furious with me but her stinging reaction surely hadn’t been justified.
“I think we should maybe leave Buenos Aires, Adam. The cops are probably keeping an eye on us after last night.” Ah, so that was why he had been constantly looking out of the window during the car trip.
“Don’t be silly. This is
one of the biggest cities on the planet and it has enough problems with the gang, drugs, and poverty for them to not worry about some random rich guy getting into a fight with a bunch of idiots. We’ll be fine here for a few days more.”
“Why don’t we sail up the coast to Brazil or…whatever else is further up there? Central America? I’ve always wanted to go there and go surfing.”
It wasn’t a bad plan now that I thought about it. Brazil was a huge country where I didn’t know a soul. That meant freedom in my book and freedom was exactly what I needed just now. Freedom from my business, from my uncle, and from wild-eyed, wild-haired temptresses who made me feel confused and lost.
Of course, I had some bad memories of my time in Brazil. I had once spent a week in Rio de Janeiro, which was the only time I had ever been there. The images flashed through my mind of a birthday party that had gone horribly wrong. Was that when I had unconsciously made the decision to close off my emotions?
Now wasn’t the time to let awkward thoughts like that enter my mind. I needed to try and stay positive if I was going to avoid slipping back into a depressed state of mind. After all, I had everything a man could ever ask for. Or did I?
Joe had helped me greatly in getting back on my feet in the last few months, but I couldn’t risk it all happening again so soon after the last time.
“You might have hit on a very decent idea there, Joe. Maybe you should invite your sister along to keep us company.” I tried to keep it casual but the words came out faster than I had intended them to. “After all, she owes me an apology.”
Joe laughed and I decided to play along and pretend that it was a joke all along.
“Let’s go and get some food, Joe. Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
“Listen, let’s not mention the whole thing about the fight and the trip to prison to anyone. Now go and put on your finest clothes because we’re going to light up Buenos Aires tonight, my hungry little friend.”
After he had gone to the cabin to get changed I looked out over the city. Being in such immense cities always made me feel small and insignificant, which is why I liked to stay in smaller places where I knew that no-one was richer or more powerful than me.