by Sasha Pop
“Six months, at most. After that, I doubt anyone will be able to help her, “ the doctor had announced.
Six months to get a hundred thousand dollars. What at first seemed like an attainable goal soon dawned upon Rodrigo as an impossible task. Dropping out of veterinary school right away, he picked up as many part-time jobs as he could possibly fit in a day, understanding that it meant that his mother’s dreams of seeing him become a doctor one day would be shattered. He quickly started realizing though that there was just not enough time to do it all by himself.
After a month of his quest for money going nowhere, he finally went to various banks to ask for a loan, but no amount of pleading managed to get him the sympathy of the bankers who just repeatedly told him that he had to pay off his student loans first. That evening his desperation had reached a breaking point. Finding an old bottle of tequila that supposedly belonged to his father that they still had at home, Rodrigo drank hard all by himself on this same beach. As he was slowly making his way home, dirty as hell and stumbling everywhere, he stumbled upon their neighbor Teresa, an older woman who was his mother’s closest friend and confidant, who always helped watch over Rodrigo when he was younger while his mother was at work. Teresa herself had had a son who died several years ago after getting involved with the wrong crowd who dragged him into the world of alcohol and narcotics. As such, she had grown to treat Rodrigo as a second son, and seeing him in such a pathetic condition made her feel sick.
“Look at you, boy!! What is going on, I have never seen you like this! What if your mother saw you now?” Teresa asked indignantly.
Rodrigo didn’t know what to say, as her mother had kept her illness a secret even from her closest friend, retaining her smile even during this tough time.
“If only I could be strong like her,” he wishfully thought.
Sensing that something was very wrong, Teresa invited him in, or rather, forcibly dragged him to get some tea. At the table, as the alcohol finally took control over his unprepared body, Rodrigo swallowed his sense of pride and told the story that had consumed his life over the past month. Slightly shocked, but still retaining the composure that comes with age and vast life experience, Teresa commented:
“Well, that explains while she has been avoiding me lately. “ In the pause that ensued, the old woman thoughtfully drank her tea, appearing to do some math in her brain.
“How much do you need?” she asked bluntly.
“One-hundred thousand dollars,” Rodrigo answered, the frustration apparent in his tone. He had never been a fan of money since his childhood, managing to find joy in life even with their family being poor. But now he truly felt the frustration for not having it, combined with hate for the power that money had to decide who lived and who didn’t.
“Well…I won’t promise you anything…but we will see what we can do.”
Rodrigo initially dismissed the idea that Teresa might be able to do anything significant to help, thinking that she was only offering sympathy. After all, he was very well aware that she barely managed to make her own ends meet, so what could she do?
Over the course of the next few days, however, Teresa, who due to her old age and wisdom was respected and well-known through their neighborhood as Grandma Teresa, told the residents about the plight that Rodrigo’s mother Rosalinda was in. What at first started as a lonely cry for help, with Teresa’s help soon turned into a neighborhood fundraiser to aid Rosalinda. Rodrigo was truly shocked and grateful at the amount of support they were getting – apparently his mother was very popular and loved in their neighborhood. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, he thought in retrospect, as even with her busy schedule she always took a moment to assist those in need. It was truly a blessing to see the Hispanic community, regardless if they were Mexican or Cuban get together in a moment of need, forgetting their differences and own difficulties for the greater common good. Many of those who donated only gave five or ten dollars, but Rodrigo knew that for them these five or ten dollars meant two or three days’ worth of food. At the end of the second month, the donations had slowed down, just having broken twenty thousand dollars total. It was more money than Rodrigo had ever seen in his life, however he was still far away from his goal, and the clock was rapidly ticking…
A few days later, as he was sitting on the bench in the neighborhood park, looking hopelessly at the sky while contemplating his grim situation, he was approached by Juanito – a Mexican young man with an infamous local reputation for getting into trouble. The two of them were acquaintances back in high school, but ever since Juanito dropped out in tenth grade they had never talked again to each other. He sure had changed since then. Always dressed like a playboy, with expensive brand clothing and jewelry on, he now looked like he would fit a lot more naturally at U of M than in their God-forsaken neighborhood.
After offering him a few words of sympathy, Juanito went straight to the point. He knew how to make money fast, the big kind of money – and he could see in Rodrigo’s desperate eyes just how much the curly-haired youth wanted it. He said they needed trustworthy, brave men to do important work. Rodrigo didn’t ask who “they” were or what the “work” was; having lived in a poor neighborhood for most of his life he had seen enough drugs and dealers to make a good guess. Clenching his fists, Rodrigo’s first reflex was to tell Juanito to go f*ck himself – he was painfully aware of the deadly addictive potential of drugs, especially with peer pressure for the young. He would never steep so low as to become a dealer himself; with his proud spirit he felt that it would be better for him to die than to live by bringing misery and pain to others.
Unfazed at Rodrigo’s insult, Juanito slowly got up. “If you change your mind, come ask for me at Docks,” he said, walking away.
“I will not get involved with your petty criminal network!”
“Petty criminal network huh?” Juanito smirked cockily. “You must have watched too many police flicks… we only do clean business.”
Seeing the figure of his former classmate getting smaller in the dark, Rodrigo felt his anger slightly diminishing. Juanito wasn’t a bad kid, he thought, remembering an episode during their school days when they together rescued an injured stray cat. Just what had happened to make him choose this path?
The answer was obvious: there were no opportunities for kids like them in this society. Noticing how the gold watch on Juanito’s wrist was probably worth more than what he had made in three of his jobs combined during the last two months, he could see how the temptation of the underworld could be overwhelming. Money, women, respect… he could care less about the last two at this moment, however the first one, money – it could save his mother’s life. He was not buying Juanito’s talk of “clean business” – however maybe there was something he could do that didn’t involve selling drugs. Catching himself contemplating Juanito’s offer, Rodrigo spanked himself on the cheek to dismiss the idea. He would come up with another plan, he had to.
When he arrived home that evening, his mother was up on her feet, finishing cooking dinner.
“Mom, what are you doing, you should have stayed in bed, remember what the doctor said!” Rodrigo told her worriedly. She just offered him a guilty smile in return.
They sat down for dinner, remembering the good moments of the past. It was incredible how even in poverty they shared countless happy memories together. Would they have a chance to sit down like that again? And would they have the opportunity to create new memories?
As his mother turned the conversation towards the future, Rodrigo became noticeably grim. Rosalinda was describing excitedly how one day he would become a famous vet, and how proud she was of having him as a son. Rodrigo hadn’t told her that he had dropped out of school – he knew that she would take this news terribly. As such, he had to pretend that his studies were going well, so as not to worry her further.
“I am imagining when I see you in your graduation gown – oh you will be so handsome!” Rosalinda exclaimed like she truly believe
d that she would live to see that day. Behind her optimistic smile, Rodrigo couldn’t tell whether that was real or if she was just putting up a façade.
“I have to give her the opportunity,” he thought silently. He listened distractedly to her description of the ideal ceremony, while remembering the meeting in the park with Juanito. As he finally helped his mother get into bed, and watched her fall asleep with the peaceful expression on her face, almost as if she wasn’t terminally ill, only one thing was left on his mind.
“I have to try.”
Chapter VIII
Listening to the sound of the small waves hitting the shore, Rodrigo reminisced over the events of the past few months since he quit his part-time jobs and joined the gang, lost in thought….He was trying to avoid thinking about the decision he had to make today¸ but it had haunted him day and night, no matter how much he tried to relax. Last Wednesday, Maestro called him to have a private discussion, away from the other members of the gang, with only John, the mysterious British doorman and Maestro’s right-hand man present. Going in, Rodrigo already had a troubling feeling that something unusual was going on. The gloomy atmosphere of the Docks basement was adding to the pressure.
“Listen boy, you have been here long enough to know what our main business is.” Maestro started.
Rodrigo just nodded silently.
“We have been watching you, and it looks that you may be trusted …” Maestro paused to emphasize that point.
This was news to him - Rodrigo didn’t realize that anybody had been following him outside of the club. These guys were real pros, or maybe had had been just so distracted with his own problems to notice.
“I also know about your ‘situation’,” Maestro continued, his expression cold as ice. “And I am willing to give you a chance.”
Rodrigo stood there, slightly perplexed, not ready for this sort of bluntness. He also had no idea what to expect next.
Maestro went on to explain that they had certain valuable “merchandise” that would be shipped to the US in two weeks, and that he would be playing an important part in this operation, as he was completely unknown to the authorities. Rodrigo just stood there, speechless, his worst fears finally materializing. There were so many questions he wanted to ask, so much he wanted to say, to tell them that he wouldn’t do it…. But nothing came out.
“You have three days to make a decision. Don’t come back until then,” Maestro had announced. On that note, John stood up and escorted Rodrigo to the elevator.
“Woof, woof!” – a loud bark interrupted Rodrigo’s inner struggle.
Looking for where the sound was coming from, Rodrigo saw the silhouette of a Golden Retriever quickly approaching. If there was one thing in the world that never failed to cheer him up, it was animals. He loved dogs since his childhood because of the goodness and honesty he saw in them, in contrast to most of the adults around him who were destructive and fake.
He got up and started to pet the dog, who was playfully wiggling its tail around him. Soon, Rodrigo was throwing a stick for the dog to fetch, and the two of them became friends right away.
“I wonder what happened to you,” Rodrigo addressed the dog warmly. “Did you get lost?”
Long ago, he refused to believe that somebody could throw out such a beautiful dog on the street, but after volunteering at an animal shelter before he began vet school he knew better. Some people’s cruelty had no limits.
As he threw the stick farther away this time, towards the warehouses, the Retriever caught it and continued running in the same direction. Looking at where it was going, Rodrigo saw a slender woman’s figure in black leggings down to the knees and a sea-blue t-shirt emerge, with long blonde-hair tied in a ponytail and some expensive-looking headphones matching her outfit. She looked strangely familiar.
“Come here Tara,” the newcomer called. After she crouched to leash the dog and scold her for running away, her eyes locked with his for a quick moment that felt like an eternity. Despite the distance between them, Jessica was absolutely sure it was the same man from that night. Worse (or better, she hadn’t decided yet), the change in expression on his face showed that he had recognized her as well.
Not able to think clearly, Jessica started slowly walking towards the rocks where he was sitting on. She sensed that her heart was beating fast, and she couldn’t tell if it was because she had just finished jogging, or it was the unexpected meeting that made her feel nervous. The premed had hoped that if they ever met again, she would be able to erase the terrible first impression she caused on him, and here she was, all sweaty and with no make-up on.
As she got closer, the terrain got rockier and increasingly difficult to go through. Realizing that there were some slippery stones on her path that could be dangerous if stepped on, Rodrigo got up by instinct to help her, remembering how she kept falling on the night of their initial meeting. Neither of them said a word, until Rodrigo extended a hand to help her climb on the big oval rock where he was sitting on.
“Um…hi again,” Jessica said, awkwardly breaking the silence. “It is you, right? From that night?”
Rodrigo just nodded slightly, not oblivious to how embarrassed she was at the situation.
“I swear that I am usually not like that! I was just having a terrible day…and things got out of control…” Jessica blurted, the memories of the events causing her to blush. “I feel like such a bad person…”
“I don’t think you are a bad person,” Rodrigo said distractedly, looking again into the distance, like he was doing before the Retriever came to play. “It is your dog, right? Well, dogs usually resemble their owners. If you were a bad person your dog would not be so playful and kind.”
Jessica was slightly stunned at his remark. It did not seem like he had intended for it to appear this way, but what he said could possibly be interpreted as the most sincere compliment she had ever heard. Seeing that he was not going to continue talking, Jessica took a moment to observe him. He was sitting with his white shirt slightly unbuttoned exposing the top of a defined chest. His tight black pants were rolled up to his knees, giving him an artistic appearance. Despite the determined look on his face, the black circles around his eyes indicated that he hadn’t slept much or was seriously overworked. Not knowing what to say next, Jessica blurted the first thing that was on her mind.
“It must be tough working at night. You seem tired.”
“Not really, it is ok,” he answered mechanically, not looking at her.
“How can I get him to talk?” Jessica wondered. Usually it was the guys who started all the talking with her, so she didn’t really know what to do in such a situation.
“This is a beautiful place… do you come here often?” she asked.
“Yes it is. It is nice when there aren’t many people around, “ Rodrigo answered, hoping that she would get the hint and leave. The last thing that he wanted right now was to have a conversation with somebody.
Jessica could tell by his closed posture that he was getting impatient. Was he still mad at her for the events of that night? Or was he just not the talkative type? Either way, her pride would not allow her to keep trying when she was obviously unwelcome. Even if it was tough to take the eyes away from the revealing unbuttoned shirt…
“Well ok… it seems that I should go,” Jessica said, trying to hide her disappointment. She jumped down from the rock and called Tara, not turning back to see Rodrigo’s reaction.
The young man felt that he had been too rash and unfair with her, as she walked away through the rocky terrain with the Retriever by her side. Hesitantly, he called her.
“Wait! Be careful with the rocks there,” he said as he got up and approached them, putting one foot on the stones in front of her. They were shaky. “There is a current under this sand, so it’s really slippery.”
Jessica was surprised and secretly glad that he came.
“I will walk you back… to wherever you came from, that is,” he said, looking at her with a hin
t of amusement on his lips, as they headed in the direction of the warehouses.
The blonde just now realized that it probably seemed very strange for somebody to show up at an abandoned pier at seven am in the morning.
“I was just jogging with Tara here, and then she suddenly ran away towards this place,” Jessica told him cleverly omitting the part where she saw the red Ferrari and walked there herself out of curiosity. “I went after her...and saw you two playing.”
“You like running?” Rodrigo asked, noticing up close that she was quite athletic.
“Yes, especially in the morning. It clears my mind – when I run, I just focus on the breeze and all the problems go away. ”
He nodded in understanding. “And it is so peaceful, as if the whole world stops,” he commented.
“Do you run too?”
“I used to, a little,” he revealed. No need to tell her how he ran countless miles every day in his youth when he dreamed of becoming a soccer star.
“So what do you do during the day?” Jessica asked. “Besides sleeping that is.”
Rodrigo smiled feebly at her joke. Even though he worked nights, he rarely got to sleep during the day either, with insomnia keeping him awake.
“I go to vet school,” he replied. It was a lie, but deep inside he still identified himself as a vet student. Besides, it is not like they would ever see each other again he thought.
“Really?” Jessica asked. “That explains why you are so good with animals. You know Tara usually has a hard time trusting strangers…but with you she got friendly right away. I rarely see her so happy.” She looked at the Retriever wiggling her tail near Rodrigo, her tongue sticking out.
“I like animals. It is easier to trust them than people,“ Rodrigo said.
Jessica could relate, quickly reminiscing about the closest people she had in her life, Marta and Philipp. Neither would even come close to Tara in terms of honesty and friendship.