Maneuvering the dried out riverbed proved more difficult and time-consuming than Alexandra first thought. However, the sight of civilization kept everyone awake long past their usual hour. When the truck reached the other bank, one of the awaiting jeeps flashed its lights and a man called to them.
“¿Quem sao voce?”
Alexandra stopped the truck, killed the engine and turned to Santino. “Are they speaking Portuguese?”
Santino nodded. “Si, I know it.”
“By all means. Make a good impression.”
Santino passed Delia to Nicole and waved at the soldiers. He exchanged a few words in Portuguese and then a short man in a plain green jumpsuit descended the slope.
Smiling, the Brazilian soldier said, “Welcome to Brasilia. Please, please come!”
“What’s your name?” Alexandra asked.
While Santino maneuvered the truck up the embankments, everyone else climbed up with the Brazilian soldier.
“Cedro.”
“I’m Alexandra. This is Benjamin and Nicole,” she said as she waved her hand in the direction of the pair. “Nicole has Delia in her arms. Behind them are-” She paused. Did she fabricate names for her two unusual companions? What if the Brazilian military detained them? Deciding that the simplest solution was always best, she said, “Koneh and Erzulie.” Pointing to the pickup she said, “And Santino’s in the truck.”
“Yes,” Cedro said, “good to meet you.” The Brazilian soldier’s eyes lingered on Koneh and Erzulie for a few moments, but he didn’t appear shocked.
“How have you fared?” Alexandra asked.
Cedro paused his climb to remove his helmet and wipe his brow. “Very much death. But we go on. Padre Hernon is good to keep us together. He talks to visitors, so I tell him where you are.”
“Do you get many visitors?” Alexandra asked.
Cedro resumed his climb. “No. Very little visitors.”
Switching from small talk, she asked, “Is there a place we can stay?”
“Yes! I take you to Tryp Hotel, yes?”
Nicole gasped and said, “A hotel?”
“Yes,” Cedro said, “many rooms to use. You pick.”
“What about supplies?” Alexandra asked. “Can we buy or trade for gasoline and food?”
Several more Brazilian soldiers waited in and around their jeeps. Some of the soldiers smoked cigarettes, others chatted in Portuguese.
Cedro nodded to one of the soldiers leaning next to an empty jeep. Then Cedro said, “Yes, very many gasoline and food. You see. You ride with me, Alejandra? Truck can follow.”
“Sure,” Alexandra said.
After a few more minutes, Santino popped over the ridge in the pickup. The vehicle rumbled and protested, but Santino prevailed. Benjamin helped Nicole and Delia into the truck and then joined Koneh and Erzulie in the flatbed.
Alexandra approached the driver’s window on the pickup and smiled at Santino. “I know you are anxious to see your daughter. All I ask is you drop us off at the hotel and then take the truck wherever you want.”
Santino smiled. “Si, many thanks to you, Alejandra.”
Alexandra kissed him on the cheek. Then she patted his forearm and said, “Your rig brought us most of the way. It’s you we should be thanking.”
As they drove through the dark city, Cedro acted as Alexandra’s tour guide.
“Very many buildings crumbled, but very many okay,” he said.
As they passed buildings and campfires, Alexandra marveled at how intact Brasilia was compared to Tampico and the other places she had visited. The people appeared less downtrodden as well. They almost seemed cheerful. Perhaps the shock of the earthquake and loss of loved ones had passed. Maybe they were moving on with their lives.
The jeep turned onto a wide road and the central city plaza stretched out like an endless field in front of the headlights.
“What’s that?” Alexandra asked, pointing to a tall structure at the center of the field.
“Television tower,” Cedro said.
Cedro turned the jeep into a large, mostly empty parking lot. The tall Tryp Hotel looked like it had been blanketed by a layer of ash, but otherwise appeared to be in good health.
At Koneh’s suggestion, they claimed some rooms on the second floor. Nicole settled into her room with Delia while everyone else unpacked the supplies.
“Good luck,” Alexandra said to Santino. “You know where we are.”
He nodded. Then, with tears in his eyes, he hugged her.
“Gracias,” Santino said. “I was not born here, but this is my home. You brought me home.”
“We’ll see you tomorrow?” Alexandra said as they parted.
“Si.”
Koneh shook Santino’s hand and said, “You did well.”
Though Santino was weary of Koneh at first, those feelings had long since been replaced by the bond of friendship.
Erzulie embraced Santino and said, “You are very brave, Señor Santino. I hope you find your daughter. The love between a father and daughter is a special gift.”
Alexandra winced at the angel’s words and thought of Father Callahan. Her guilt refused to be ignored.
After Santino departed, Koneh turned to Alexandra and Erzulie. “So,” he said, “ready for your lesson tonight?”
Alexandra glared at him and said, “Seriously? Tonight?”
“Sometimes,” Koneh said, “the battle comes to you when you are least ready. I thought you knew that lesson already.”
After training with Koneh, Alexandra found her room and dropped into her bed. Sleep came easy on the comfortable mattress.
She awoke refreshed but sore. Sword training proved more taxing than a game of racquetball. And more frustrating. At the gym in San Antonio, she feared nobody on the racquetball court. In the wasteland, however, she found plenty to fear.
“Are you well?”
Alexandra jumped out of bed.
“When did you get here, Erzulie?” She examined her naked body. “And where did my clothes go?”
Erzulie cocked her head to the side. “I arrived in your room two hours ago and noticed you were still in your clothes. So I removed them and washed them for you. I also brought you a bucket of soapy water to clean yourself with, as the running water and electricity are both nonfunctional. Is all of this acceptable?”
Both annoyed and grateful, Alexandra sat on the edge of her bed and said, “You don’t need to do all of these things for me. You are not my servant.”
“But of course I am your servant,” Erzulie said. “All angels were built to serve. This is not something to revile or pity. Rather, this is a fact of our existence.”
Alexandra ripped open a granola bar. In-between mouthfuls she said, “Well, I’d rather you treat me like a friend, like we talked about before. You’re nobody’s slave. Okay?”
“I’m sorry that I cannot explain myself to you. It is my own failing.”
Alexandra shook her head. “You’re not a failure! If God discarded you because He thought you were flawed, well, then He was wrong!”
Erzulie lowered her eyes and said, “Your words are kind, but I am self-aware of my own flaws.”
Alexandra sighed and walked to the bucket of soapy water. “I’m not going to win this argument, am I?”
Erzulie smiled, rose to her feet with the grace of a trained dancer, and left the room. Alexandra took advantage of the time alone to bathe and open Father Callahan’s altered Bible. Though she couldn’t read Latin since her early days in law school, she flipped to “Revelations” and studied the cross-outs and notes in the margin. Did this book hold some clue to her future or was it just the ramblings of a man driven insane?
After relaxing for the better part of the morning, she slipped into some clean fatigues and ventured from her room. A lone propane lantern flickered at the end of the hallway, throwing long shadows.
“Good afternoon,” Koneh said.
“Why are you lurking about?” Alexandra asked.
“Our friend Cedro came to visit this morning,” he said.
“Yeah?”
“Looks like the man in charge here is Padre Lucio Hernon, a priest,” Koneh said. “And he wants to talk to you.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What did you tell them?”
“Nothing,” Koneh said. “I’m not the one who’s been advertising.”
The scene at the army tent crept into her mind. She healed Benjamin and she still didn’t know how. Why couldn’t she heal Father Callahan? Jason? The others who died at the cruise ship?
“I got the impression they’re just looking for news or information we may have,” Koneh said. “It will probably be quick and harmless.”
“Sounds good. When do I go?”
“As soon as Benjamin wakes up. He stayed in Nicole’s room last night.”
“Why Benjamin?”
“Because he’s going with you,” Koneh said.
She sighed. “I don’t always need protection.”
“I’m not sure how well organized or informed the Catholic Church has remained over the past few months,” Koneh said. “So, like anyone, we’ll treat them with caution for now.”
“Why aren’t you coming with me?” Alexandra asked, though she already guessed the answer.
Koneh flashed a look of frustration at her and said, “I’d rather not raise any more eyebrows than we have to.”
“Fair enough,” Alexandra said as she turned her attention to Nicole’s door. “Have you knocked?”
“The baby stopped crying an hour ago. So, I was letting them get some sleep.”
“Oh,” she said, “how much has she been crying?”
“Off and on, all night,” Koneh said.
“A bomb could have detonated in the hotel last night. I wouldn’t have heard it.”
Koneh huffed. “You looked quite ragged.”
The cry from the other side of the door started low, but then it grew into an all-out cacophony of infant screams.
“Wow, she’s really unhappy,” Alexandra said as she knocked on the door. “Nicole! Benjamin!”
Moments later, Benjamin opened the door and rubbed his bleary eyes. “What’s going on?”
“We’re going to meet someone,” Alexandra said. “Grab your clothes and bring the pistol.”
“Okay.”
Alexandra fidgeted with her short ponytail as she waited for Benjamin in the hotel lobby. Some people, mostly locals, milled about the lobby and restaurant.
Then, Santino entered the hotel and Alexandra’s heart sank. The look on his face told a familiar story she had come to know in this new world.
Santino had lost his daughter.
Chapter 26
“I’m so sorry,” Alexandra said as she held Santino.
Though Santino wasn’t crying, she noticed the red circles under his eyes and the lines across his face. The man had been upset for many hours.
“They say the building fell,” Santino said. “They say people inside screamed for days. Then, no more screams.”
She searched her heart but couldn’t find any words of comfort. Even when her friends in San Antonio called her in despair, Alexandra never really listened to them. She wasn’t good at this.
“Where’s her mother?” As a lawyer, Alexandra never asked a question like this, where she wasn’t sure of the answer. Some of the possible answers could bring Santino to tears again and she scolded herself for taking the risk.
“She’s gone,” he said. “Very long ago.”
Alexandra quickly decided that asking him questions about his family would bring the man more pain. Then an idea popped into her head.
“Do you want to see Delia?” she asked.
He nodded. “Si, I like that very much.”
Alexandra led him to Nicole’s room and knocked on the door.
Benjamin, now dressed, opened the door and smiled. “Good to see you, Santino.”
Nodding, Santino entered the room and scooped Delia into his arms. Though the pain on Santino’s face remained, love was also there. He had grown close to the infant over the past week since Holly had plummeted off the Flyover. In the old United States, adoption under these circumstances would take months or years. However, in the wasteland, Alexandra learned to follow her heart.
“Santino,” she said, “I can’t imagine the pain you are feeling. Delia shares your pain, but from the opposite end. If you’ll have her, I can think of nobody more qualified or deserving for this special baby girl.”
Confusion and then joy spread over his face.
“If you’re not ready for this, I understand,” Alexandra said. “I’m meeting with the leader of Brasilia in a few moments. I can ask him if anyone wants a child. However, I think this is the best place for Delia. She’s safer here than in the wasteland with me. I think you are the best one to make that decision for her. Should I mention something to the Brazilians or will you take care of Delia?”
Santino looked into the infant’s eyes. Then, he raised his tear-streaked face and said, “Si, I take Delia.”
“Good, it’s settled,” Alexandra said. A part of her recoiled at her own arrogance. Was she making new law as she went along? Who was she to decide the fate of an infant who had lost both parents to this new Earth? Was she just trying to hide her own guilt over the battle at the cruise ship?
Despite the questions in her mind, Alexandra felt her decision was a wise one.
Nicole clapped her hands together and hugged both Santino and Delia. “I haven’t fed her yet. She’s probably hungry.”
“Si,” Santino said, though his eyes remained on the baby.
“I’ll get the bottle ready,” Nicole said as she sprang into action.
Alexandra and Benjamin departed the hotel and followed Cedro’s directions to the Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida – The Cathedral of Brasilia. Though the streets were occupied by a few more people and vehicles than the night before, Brasilia was still quiet and dark for a city of its size.
The Cathedral of Brasilia looked like a massive teepee, rising from a bed of white stone. Crumbled statues lined the main entrance courtyard. Pillars of concrete stretched inward from a circular base to a point near the top, and then angled outwards and towards the sky. Gigantic sections of gray and tan cloth waved in the breeze between the skyward reaching concrete columns. Locals of Brasilia huddled around trash can fires and picnic tables scattered about the wide courtyard area. The scene reminded Alexandra of nighttime tailgating outside of Cowboys’ Stadium after a football game.
Equally as impressive as the exterior, the inside of the Cathedral drew a low whistle from Benjamin. The interior appeared to be one large teepee room, with fiberglass angels hanging from the slanted spines of the concrete pillars. Propane lanterns lined the room along its circular base, but couldn’t pierce the darkness of the roof high overhead. The many pews were filled with people, though mass wasn’t in session.
Benjamin and Alexandra waited only a few minutes before they were lead into an inner office by a woman with a nametag. Seated behind a large steel desk was a slight, middle-aged Brazilian man with thick gray hair and glasses. The Padre wore black robes and several silver rings.
“Hello! I am Padre Lucio Hernon.”
“I’m Alexandra and this is my friend, Benjamin.”
“Please, Alejandra, sit.” Padre Hernon motioned to the two chairs in front of his desk. “Benjamin, sit.”
“Thank you for seeing us,” she said. “My friends and I have travelled far and we are grateful for your hospitality.”
Padre Hernon waved his hand and said, “Brasilia is friend to all. You come from Mexico, yes?”
“Yes,” she said as she wondered what Koneh was so worried about. The Padre seemed quite pleasant.
“You have news?”
Alexandra told the Padre about the quake, Tampico, the Army base at Veracruz, the beached cruise ship, the garbled message on the satellite radio and the Flyover. However, she omitted the battles, Erzu
lie, Alexandra’s healing hands, the altered Bible, Holly’s fall and most everything Koneh said. She wasn’t ready to show her aces just yet.
After listening without interrupting, Padre Hernon leaned back in his chair and studied them. Though he appeared simple and humble at first, Alexandra reevaluated the man. As Padre Hernon digested the information, she reviewed her story in her mind to confirm she didn’t divulge any dangerous facts.
“We heard that same message on our radios,” Padre Hernon said. “We think we sent a reply message to Rome, but we have no response. From what we know, Pope Victor the Fourth survived the quakes and is gathering information from Rome.”
“Oh, that’s good news!”
“Yes, it is. So, why did you leave Veracruz base?” the Padre asked.
“Santino wanted to get home to his daughter,” Alexandra said. “We promised to help him. We were saddened to find out she had passed away.”
“And Santino was in Mexico with his baby?” Padre Hernon asked.
“Yes,” Alexandra said. “He has brought his other daughter back to Brasilia. Her name is Delia and she is a newborn.”
“The mamã?”
Alexandra shifted in her seat and said, “The mother died.”
Padre Hernon studied her for a few moments. She usually avoided lying as it always got witnesses in trouble on the stand. One misstep and the whole lie came crashing down.
“And you’re a soldier?” This time, the Padre addressed Benjamin.
He nodded. “Yes, Father. U.S. Army.”
“Why did you leave Veracruz base?”
Benjamin looked to Alexandra, who had the answer ready. “General Ryan had no news of the outside world,” she said. “Since we were travelling so far, he thought it a good idea to send someone with us, both for protection and to gather some information.”
“I understand. We have law in Brasilia. God’s law. I see the cross on your neck, so I think you know the laws?” Padre Hernon said as he gestured to Alexandra’s Confirmation necklace. “Follow God’s law and you stay for as long as you want.”
“Thank you,” she said. “We don’t want to cause any trouble. Some of us are staying and some of us are moving on.”
Eden (Eden Saga) Page 26