tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18365291393701997532024-03-12T17:26:22.421-07:00r-pentominor-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.comBlogger259125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-69595272581302187702024-02-12T20:33:00.000-08:002024-02-12T20:33:26.182-08:00Mormon Misconceptions: Heaven<p> A joke a non-denominational Christian preacher told me:</p><p>One day a group of people arrived at the gates of heaven. They were greeted by St. Peter, who welcomed them to their new eternal home, and invited them to take a tour. Naturally they all agreed, so St. Peter led them along a path to a wide, lazy river, where a boat was waiting for them. </p><p>Everyone boarded the boat and found a seat. two angels on the docks cast of the lines, and the boat pulled away, moved by some silent propulsion system.</p><p>As they rounded the first bend in the river, an enormous cathedral came into view. It was a beautiful structure of stone, with ornate, stained-glass windows everywhere. The sound of a regal choir poured from an open doorway, into which people were reverently entering the building. A few turned, and seeing the boat, waved in greeting.</p><p>"Those are the Catholics," St. Peter returned the wave of greeting as the boat continued upstream.</p><p>The next bend opened on a giant, outdoor amphitheater. A large crowd was gathered, listening to a band perform, there were drums and guitars, and the crown swayed to the music, their arm raised high.</p><p>"And these are the Pentecostals," St. Peter smiled, his foot tapping to the beat. Someone in the crowd noticed the boat. He let out an enthusiastic yell, and the entire crowed turned, shouting in greeting. The people on the boat waved to the crowd, who returned to their worship.</p><p>"They are a lively bunch," St. Peter observed with a grin.</p><p>Around another bend, the newcomers observed a large meadow, dotted with picnic pavilions. Where people sat in small groups, conversing as they sampled the smorgasbord and read scripture.</p><p>"These are the Baptists," St. waved cordially at a nearby by group, who shouted a greeting to the newcomers.</p><p>"Wow!" one of the passengers exclaimed, "I had no idea heaven was so huge!"</p><p>"In my father's house are many mansions," St. Peter quoted the scripture with a smile.</p><p>Just then, one of the passengers pointed at the opposite bank, a look of alarm on her face. The others followed her gaze to a tall, fortified barricade, with caution signs posted at frequent intervals, warning all to 'keep out.'</p><p>'Oh, yes,' St. Peter seemed startled, "I almost forgot. Everyone please be quiet until we are past this area. no noise."</p><p>The boat floated on in dreadful silence, the passengers not daring to breath.</p><p>As the barricade finally faded in the distance, one passenger turned to St. Peter.</p><p>"What in heaven is so dangerous it needs to be walled in like that?"</p><p>"Oh, no," St. Peter shook his head, chuckling. "It's nothing dangerous. Those are the Mormons. They think they're the only ones here."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>As a twenty-year-old hearing this, I politely laughed at his joke, but I found it not even slightly amusing. A few decades of human interaction later, and I have come to appreciate the humor in his joke. Though I will say it is applicable to any number of people from any number of faiths.</p><p><br /></p><p>In reality however, I think most people, me included, tend to misrepresent the scope of heaven from the perspective of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I say that having recently re-read section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants.</p><p><br /></p><p>(I feel I should probably post a disclaimer here - I am not authorized to speak for, or on behalf of the church, the following is my personal opinion.)</p><p><br /></p><p>Doctrine and Covenants (or D&C - a collection of latter-day revelations, held as scripture in the Latter-Day Saint faith) Section 76 includes several verses which describe, at least in part, the concept of the "many mansions..." spoken of by Jesus Christ in the New Testament (John 14:2). It accounts a vision seen by Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, in which they were shown certain aspects of the resurrection of the dead.</p><p><br /></p><p>During that vision, they saw three "worlds" or "glories" (Both terms are used in this section. People often refer to them as "kingdoms" as well, though that word is not used as such in this section.)</p><p><br /></p><p>And this becomes a point of contention for many Christians (and others), who see this as some sort of grading system. That is another topic, which I might address in a separate post, if anybody is particularly interested.</p><p><br /></p><p>For now, I just want to look at a few of the verses describing these three glories, and dig into my most recent observations:</p><p><br /></p><p>First, the Celestial:</p><p>D&C 76:69 "These are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own blood."</p><p>Seems pretty straight forward. The contention many have with this is the implication that we earn our way into heaven by our works. And many in and out of the Church interpret it this way. Though I think this verse quite clearly calls out the atonement as the vehicle which makes entry possible. </p><p><br /></p><p>But this is is the least interesting one, so, moving on...</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Terrestrial:</p><p>D&C 76:74 "Who received not the testimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards received it."</p><p>Now this one troubled me on first read. It seems to say, that Mother Theresa, and Mahatma Ghandi can do no better than this, but several politicians and businessmen (who shall not be named), who have been caught publicly lying, but have temple recommends can fare better in the afterlife.</p><p>That doesn't make sense. Not if God is truly just and merciful.</p><p>There is a footnote in this verse which cross references D&C 138:2 which includes this elaboration.</p><p>"...those who had died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth, or in transgression, having rejected the prophets."</p><p>I read this as the same statement, made twice. They died in their sins (or, transgression), Without a *Knowledge* (not faith) of the truth (or, they rejected the prophets).</p><p>So, this isn't talking about people like Ghandi, who didn't have sufficient opportunity to learn about and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is talking about people who learned it, understood it, and rejected it, but then came around in the afterlife.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now here's the real kicker.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Telestial:</p><p>82 "These are they who received not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus."</p><p>84 "...are thrust down to hell."</p><p>85 "...shall not be redeemed from the devil until the last resurrection."</p><p>103 "These are they who are liars, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie."</p><p>89 "And thus we saw, in the heavenly vision, the glory of the telestial, which surpasses all understanding."</p><p><br /></p><p>This is where heaven gets bigger in Latter Day Saint teaching. Among the inhabitants of this Glory - A glory which "surpasses all understanding" - are those who reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Not just in this life (That's already been covered by the Terrestrial), but also in the afterlife. In any other Christian doctrine, that qualifies you for hell. End of story.</p><p>But the way I read these verses, those people - the worst of the worst - some of whom refuse to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, not just now, but after they die, still get to go to heaven! An Infinite Atonement indeed.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-39542108985757708162024-01-19T15:00:00.000-08:002024-01-20T13:49:47.492-08:00The Authenticity Fallacy<p>(This post is part of series of posts, beginning <a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2020/07/language-truth-perception-paradigm.html">here</a>. It is recommended they be read collectively, and in order.) </p><p><br /></p><p>"Be Your Authentic Self"</p><p><br /></p><p>This has become a popular phrase of late.</p><p>There is just one problem. You don't know yourself well enough to be your authentic self.</p><p>Consider the case of "Joe".</p><p><br /></p><p>Joe is an individual whose corpus callosum was cut, severing the left and right hemispheres of his brain, in an attempt to control severe epileptic seizures.</p><p>Some interesting observations came from experiments performed with Joe. Having him focus on a dot in the center of a computer screen they would display words or images to either the right or left side of the screen. Anything which appeared on right side, he could verbally name. If it was on the left side, he could not. He could, however, with his left hand, draw the object.</p><p>Taking it a step further, they would show different objects in each side at the same time. He would draw object on the left side. But report seeing the object on the right.</p><p>In some instances, when asked about the disparity between what he said he saw, and what he drew, he provided a believable (albeit false) explanation. For instance, he reported seeing a hammer, but drew a bell, he would report having passed a church while driving to the facility and must have seen the bell in the steeple. Note he wasn't lying, he was creating a false memory to justify the disparity, to make sense of it.</p><p>Which side of Joe's brain is his authentic self?</p><p>It is noted that women, every month, go through a series of four hormonal phases (menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, luteal), during which significant changes in various hormone levels occur. These changes vary in effect from one person to the next, but in some instances, they very drastically alter mood, to a nearly Jekyll and Hyde level in some cases. Recent studies suggest there is also an impact on decision making (specifically, higher estrogen levels reduce impulsivity). At what point on the Menstrual cycle, then is a woman her "authentic self"?</p><p>(Men experience something similar, though not nearly so drastic, and on a 24 hour cycle, but this too may alter mood and decision making to some extent, so again, what time of the day is the man being his "authentic self?")</p><p><br /></p><p>In the previous post, "<a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-invictus-ilusion.html" target="_blank">The Invictus Illusion</a>", I noted a report on instances of drastic personality change occurring in victims of brain trauma. Further, consider the instances of dissociative identity disorder.</p><p>Putting that together, I wish to propose a theory.</p><p><br /></p><p>Each and every one of us consists of multiple "personalities".</p><p>Perhaps our brain is in fact a distributed system, with each region having its own personality. For most people, we are unaware of this due to one or more mechanisms which coordinate those separate personalities. If this is the case, then dissociative identity disorder is the failure of this mechanism, causing a person's separate personalities to manifest independently.</p><p>What then is our authentic self? The combination of all the personas? The command-and-control system, assuming one exists? Perhaps finding your authentic self is lifelong struggle in which one personality ultimately subdues the others?</p><p><br /></p><p>This is of course a theory, but one which fits with what we know, and could possibly explain much of what we don't. It of course becomes a tricky talking point for people of faith - if you consist of multiple personalities, what then, is "the spirit", and what control does it actually exert on body and mind?</p><p>I don't know how close to truth my theoretical model is, but at any rate, who you are, and who you think you are, are likely much farther apart than you realize.</p><div><br /></div>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-70741949367452983562024-01-09T09:26:00.000-08:002024-01-09T09:33:35.942-08:00(Dis)Proving Evolution<p> I created a <a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2024/01/disproving-god.html" target="_blank">series of posts on the topic of (Dis)Proving God</a> quite some time ago. I believe I need give a similar exploration of evolution now.</p><p>I believe it is necessary to consider the concept of evolution in two separate categories:</p><p>1. Evolution as a mechanism utilizing natural (or artificial) selection to alter the characteristics of a living organism.</p><p>2. Evolution as the origin of life.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the case of the former, this has been quite clearly observed and documented. The peppered moth is a key example of this. The moth was largely white in color with black spotting, which worked well as camouflage against lichen covered tree trunks. There were of course mutant variations of the moth which had less white and more black. They were easy prey for birds, however, thus rarely survived to procreate. </p><p><br /></p><p>As we humans constructed cities, and burned wood and coal to keep ourselves warm, we introduced pollution which blackened the nearby trees. Suddenly it was the black moths, not the white ones which had the advantage. Their numbers rose, while the population of white moths declined. </p><p><br /></p><p>We humans have been using this evolutionary process to our advantage for millennia now. We have carefully selected and breed dogs for specific characteristics. We manipulated evolution to create dog breeds specifically suited to heard and guard grazing animals. We created breeds to pull sleds or wagons, breeds to retrieve small game. Breeds to hunt and kill small rodents in and around our homes. Breeds to protect our families from potential threats.</p><p><br /></p><p>We have manipulated various vegetation, selecting for sweeter, hardier, more visually appealing characteristics. Many of today's vegetables would be unrecognizable to those who first used them.</p><p><br /></p><p>Evolution is a clearly observed mechanism. Only an utter fool would argue against it at this point.</p><p><br /></p><p>What is not entirely clear is whether this scales beyond altering characteristics within a species. Certainly, it is reasonable to conclude that a new type of animal can be created through this process. I use the Mule (a cross between a horse and a donkey) and the Liger (a cross between a Lion and a Tiger) as observed examples of this. And though ligers are usually sterile, there have been instances where they have produced offspring.</p><p><br /></p><p>It is notable a Liger is still a cat. We haven't observed the creation - through natural or artificial selection - of a 'cog' for instance (a hypothetical cross between a cat and a dog, though some might point to the fox...). </p><p><br /></p><p>There are two possible arguments to rebut this however:</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Such drastic evolution takes more time than human history has yet had to observe. (i.e. men evolved from monkeys over millions of years)</p><p>2. Such drastic evolution does not directly occur; rather two different mutations in two different surviving species of a primitive organism lead to the two entirely different creatures. (i.e. men and monkeys both evolved from the same origin ancestor [a frog? an amoeba?] over billions or trillions of years)</p><p><br /></p><p>Each of these is a potentially viable possibility, based on what we have observed within natural selection. Or perhaps better stated, it is not an unreasonable theory to propose, based on what we have observed. Certainly not one which can be summarily discarded.</p><p><br /></p><p>There is still that question of the first spark, the initial origin of life.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now this one is arguably problematic for both evolution and intelligent design. If you are going to posit the question, "where did the first living thing come from?" it is equally fair to ask the question "Where did God come from?" And if you are willing to accept that God just always existed, why then is it not equally acceptable to claim the first living organism always existed?</p><p><br /></p><p>(Perhaps my mind is simply too fettered by its finite limitations, but to me, both seem improbable).</p><p><br /></p><p>But setting that aside for the moment, let's just consider this universe as something which came into existence. "Bang", and there it was. Either it did so because some external, intelligent entity acted upon it (perhaps even utilizing artificial selection to evolve it), or it did so through random chance.</p><p><br /></p><p>There is a thought experiment which posits the argument, if you have an infinite number of monkeys banging away on an infinite number of typewriters, one of them will eventually produce the complete works of Shakespeare. That is fundamentally what is at the heart of the random chance argument.</p><p><br /></p><p>That is a probability problem. What is the likelihood of such an occurrence happening?</p><p><br /></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><br /></p><p>Just a quick probability primer: If you flip a coin, for instance, you have a 1 in 2 chance of it landing on heads.</p><p>If you flip two coins at the same time, you have a 1 in 2 chance of getting one heads and one tails. But only a 1 in 4 chance of getting two heads or two tails. See the table of possible outcomes below.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiYmCMZ7i_IxFZFBNltHwXlM-6rrWi6eLMMwqJV-mKekU1REDG_bAhPF3uu1qwyrE90DioP7vIgysT4PX8cO1M7i0y2NfJC-irYLI5i8VwJujjMtuK_r1AXMNh2w1rPy6iUQkYvvlNc3EEGtGq1Oxw7vugJuUzgayTaCKOMXL9YVAIeiML-9CyPOQQHB_Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="128" data-original-width="256" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiYmCMZ7i_IxFZFBNltHwXlM-6rrWi6eLMMwqJV-mKekU1REDG_bAhPF3uu1qwyrE90DioP7vIgysT4PX8cO1M7i0y2NfJC-irYLI5i8VwJujjMtuK_r1AXMNh2w1rPy6iUQkYvvlNc3EEGtGq1Oxw7vugJuUzgayTaCKOMXL9YVAIeiML-9CyPOQQHB_Q" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><span><!--more--></span><p><br /></p><p>So let's examine the monkey-Shakespeare problem in light of probability.</p><p><br /></p><p>First, we'll adjust the odds in the monkeys favor. Well ignore spaces, punctuation, and capitalization. In other words, we are only going to deal with the lower case letters, therefore the odds of our monkey banging on the typewriter and getting the first letter correct is one in twenty-six. (assuming the odds of hitting every key is the same, which it is not. That further reduces our chances, so again, arguing in favor of the monkeys, we'll ignore that.)</p><p><br /></p><p>The first word in the synopsis of Hamlet is "on". The odds of our monkey typing that is 1/26 * 1/26 or one in 676. ignoring the space, the next word is "the" the odds of our monkey getting the first two words correct is one in eleven-million (actually, closer to one in twelve-million).</p><p><br /></p><p>just going from two character correct, to five characters correct changes the probability from one in 676 to one in twelve-million. adding just the next letter of the next word jumps the odds to one in 300 million! Do you see how rapidly the odds of this actually occurring are dropping?</p><p><br /></p><p>There are roughly 8000 characters in Act I, Scene I of Hamlet.</p><p>There are in total 20 scenes spread across 5 acts.</p><p><br /></p><p>The odds of a monkey randomly producing that are astronomical, not even bothering to consider the nine other tragedies and seventeen comedies Shakespeare wrote, not to mention all the Sonnets and other works.</p><p><br /></p><p>The probability of that occurring is a number too infinitesimally small for us to even wrap our heads around.</p><p><br /></p><p>The number of characters in all of Shakespeare's works pales in comparison to the number of atoms in a single cell (Scientists estimate there are on average 100 trillion atoms in a single cell). </p><p><br /></p><p>Now the number of different types of atoms in a single celled organism is a smaller list than the number of characters in the alphabet, so that helps some. However there are a number of other conditions which would also necessarily have to be met.</p><p><br /></p><p>There would need to be a mass of appropriate materials, of sufficient size to produce an appropriate gravitational field. This mass would need to be an appropriate distance from - and orbiting - a source of heat and light sufficient to support said lifeform. Said mass would also have to have a correct orientation and spin direction and speed to avoid one side being a furnace, and the other an ice cube.</p><p><br /></p><p>Oh, and since cells tend to have short lifespans (an amoeba's average life span is two days.) The aforementioned 100 trillion cells must coalesce in a very precise window of time, and then successfully obtain sufficient energy and mass to replicate itself before it is killed by the wildly unreliable environment in which it lives.</p><p><br /></p><p>There are a number of other factors one must consider, but I believe the above is sufficient to make the point, the likelihood of life randomly, spontaneously occurring is extremely unlikely. Not impossible, perhaps, but absurdly improbable. Certainly small enough to be considered a statistical impossibility.</p><p><br /></p><p>It is quite frankly more reasonable to assume the intervention of an intelligence in the process, than it is to believe in blind, random chance.</p><div><br /></div>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-8804301358931583592024-01-09T09:17:00.000-08:002024-01-09T09:17:21.196-08:00(Dis)Proving God<p> This is an index for a series of posts I created titled "(Dis)Proving God".</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>1. <a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2015/08/disproving-god-math-science-and.html" target="_blank"> Dis/proving God: Math, Science and a Checkerboard</a></p><p>2. <a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2015/08/disproving-god-logic-anecdotes-and-water.html" target="_blank">Dis/proving God: Logic, Anecdotes and Water</a></p><p>3. <a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2015/09/disproving-godthe-facts.html" target="_blank">Dis/Proving god:The Facts</a></p><p>4. <a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2015/09/disproving-godscience-and-faith.html" target="_blank">Dis/Proving God:Science and Faith</a></p><p>5. <a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2015/09/disproving-god-patterns.html" target="_blank">Dis/Proving God: Patterns</a></p><p>6. <a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2015/10/proving-god-math-and-personal-science.html" target="_blank">Proving God: Math and Personal Science</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-22725985125445364482023-11-22T14:52:00.000-08:002023-11-22T14:52:42.121-08:00Nicolas: A MissTaken Story - Ch10<p> (<a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/11/nicolas-misstaken-story.html">Landing page</a> with info and list of sample chapters)</p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Chapter 10</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">The day of the second weapons
shipment arrived, and Oscar and Nicolas drove their scooters to the range, with
Javier riding behind Nicolas. Javier and Nicolas had settled their differences just
two days before. Nicolas finally relented, consenting to allow the girls to
stay over, but only one night a week, and not weekends, or busy times.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">They arrived early—Nicolas was obsessive
about arriving early—and waited impatiently for the others to arrive.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Next to arrive was the Templarios’
shipment of drugs, with one of Luis’ men driving, and two more sitting in the
back, rifles at the ready. Benjamin was with them again, and waved to Nicolas
as he exited the passenger side of the vehicle.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Where’s Luis?” Nicolas asked. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Benjamin shrugged. “We came straight from
the warehouse. I thought Luis was meeting us here.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Oh, uh,” the driver’s eyes flickered
nervously, “he said he was going to be late, that we should proceed without
him. Some other business to take care of this morning.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Benjamin shot a quizzical look at the
driver, then began loosening straps on the load of boxes.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">It was only a minute or two before the other
truck arrived. In addition to the two foreigners from last time, there were also
two unfamiliar, but native-looking individuals. The two groups sized each other
up, then exchanged handshakes as a gesture of trust. The newcomers began
unloading their crates of firearms, and as before, Nicolas selected a couple
rifles from crates to test-fire, while Javier selected some pistols at random.
Oscar offered to test a crate of military-grade shotguns.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas had an uneasy feeling. Why was
Luis late? Why was the driver acting so strangely? The two natives who were
traveling with the gun dealers, where were they from? Why were they here?
Nicolas covertly watched them; they seemed unable to take their eyes off
Benjamin. Something didn’t feel right.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Hey, Benjamin.” Nicolas sauntered toward
the big man after emptying the magazine of the second rifle he had taken for
testing. “How’s it going?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Benjamin broke from his work to shake
hands with Nicolas. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Doing good, and you?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I’m good,” Nicolas responded, then
leaning in, he spoke more quietly: “I think something’s wrong.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Benjamin cocked his head to one side, an
unspoken question in his eye.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I don’t know, just … watch your back,”
Nicolas whispered, then speaking more loudly, “We gonna test the rockets
today?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Benjamin chuckled, nodding. “I think we
can arrange to test one.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“We got this big hunk of metal for a
target,” one of the native men with the visitors announced, thumping a hand on
a bulky object in the truck. He directed his attention to Benjamin. “You wanna
help us pack it down range?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Benjamin’s eyes narrowed. He flashed the
briefest of glances toward Nicolas.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Sure.” Benjamin gave a half-smile as he
walked over to the two natives.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">The three of them dragged the object––some
sort of damaged wood and metal crate—out of the truck. One of the native men
took the front, while Benjamin and the other one each took a back corner. They
hefted the object and began the slow, ponderous trek into the open field, away
from the men, cargo, and vehicles.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“How far we goin’?” Benjamin asked.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“About two-fifty meters,” the closer of
the men replied.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas selected another magazine from a
crate. Keeping the rifle he had just finished testing, he ejected the empty
magazine and loaded the new one. He moved into position on the range, the rifle
pointed at the ground.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">He stood stock-still staring intently at
the three men struggling with the heavy target.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“What are you doing, man?” Oscar stood
close to Nicolas and whispered the question.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Quiet,” Nicolas hissed in response.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">The men were a hundred meters out now.
Nicolas checked the safety, then chambered a round. His hands trembled
slightly.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">A hundred and fifty meters away, one of
the men swore. “I cut my finger on the edge of this box!” It was difficult to
make out at this distance, but Nicolas was laser-focused on the man. “I gotta
let go, you good?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Go ahead, I got it,” came Benjamin’s
grunted reply.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">The man next to Benjamin let go of the box,
and turned, inspecting his hands.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas raised the rifle and sighted
through the scope.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Dude!” Oscar hissed.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Shut up!” Nicolas hissed back.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">The man who had supposedly hurt his hand
slipped a machete from a sheath on his back, and with a look of murderous
intent, turned back toward Benjamin. He slunk stealthily behind Benjamin, the
machete raised overhead, poised to strike.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas didn’t think, he reacted. He
flicked the safety on the rifle, sighted in on the machete blade and squeezed
the trigger. He heard the metal-on-metal clang just as the machete jumped from
the unsuspecting man’s grip.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">For his size, Benjamin was startlingly
fast. He dropped the crate, spun as he drew a pistol from a shoulder holster,
and fired two rounds into his would-be attacker. Nicolas saw the spray of blood
and gore as the large caliber bullets exited the man’s back.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">The first man staggered when the back of
the case dropped to the ground. He reached for his own sidearm as he sought to
regain his footing.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Benjamin was too fast for him, turning
back and firing three rounds before the man’s weapon cleared the holster.
Benjamin took cover behind the crate, pointing his pistol in Nicolas’s
direction. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas lowered the rifle, raising one
empty hand overhead. Then he remembered the other men. Glancing over his
shoulder, he saw them standing wide-eyed, hands frozen halfway to their own
sidearms.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Hey,” one of the arms dealers spoke
softly. “We got nothin’ to do with those two. We were told to bring them to
help unload. We’re just here to do business.” He slowly raised both hands, palms
out, to confirm his peaceful intentions. The other man duplicated his gesture.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Everyone turned to watch as Benjamin
approached, gun at the ready.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Anybody know what that was all about?”
Benjamin glanced from Luis’s men to the two visitors.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“No idea, sir.” The arms dealer spoke
reassuringly. “They were a last-minute hire to help us load and unload.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Benjamin stood, coiled like a spring,
ready to strike at the first hint of movement from anyone. The other men wisely
remained motionless.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">The sound of an approaching jeep drew
everyone’s attention to the road, as Luis and his driver pulled into the
clearing.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“What’s happening here?” Luis looked
surprised as he stepped from the vehicle. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Eyes flashed from one to the other as each
man waited for someone else to speak up.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I think our friends here made a hiring
mistake,” Benjamin finally offered. “They accidentally took on a couple of thieves.
That or maybe freedom fighters. You anchored south of here, right?” Benjamin
directed the question to the arms dealers.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Uh, yeah,” one of the men nodded.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“El
Pobre Unido, maybe.” Benjamin grunted. “Trying to steal weapons for
their rebellion. They tried to ambush me. Didn’t work out for them, though.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">There were several relieved grunts of affirmation
from both sides. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Yeah, that was probably it.” One of Luis’s
men eagerly supported Benjamin’s theory.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Ah, well, I am … so glad you’re okay,”
Luis offered, eyeing Benjamin closely. “Tell me, how did you manage to escape
their trap?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Luckily, Nicolas saw right through them.”
Benjamin fixed his eyes on Nicolas. “He knew they were up to something, he
warned me.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Really?” Luis shifted his penetrating
gaze to Nicolas.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Yeah…” Nicolas began haltingly. It was
more than just those two. Nicolas was sure of it. The other men knew something.
He glanced at Benjamin again. Something in his expression seemed to warn
Nicolas to keep those suspicions to himself.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Yeah, I don’t know exactly. Just …
something about the way those two talked. It just felt … off. So, I told
Benjamin.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“And so, I was ready for them,” Benjamin
finished. “You got a good man there, Luis. We should probably wrap up here and make
those bodies disappear.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I’ll take care of them,” Luis quickly
offered. “You finish the transaction, yes?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas ejected the magazine and cleared
the chamber of the rifle, returning it to the case.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Benjamin walked over to assist in closing
the case and loading into the Templarios’ pickup.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I owe you my life, man,” Benjamin
murmured to Nicolas.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Oh, I uh …” Nicolas stuttered.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Seriously, Nicolas.” Benjamin fixed him
with a hard stare. “You ever need anything, you call me. I’ll take care of it.”
<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">With testing done, Nicolas and his friends
were no longer needed. They got on their scooters and drove back to the
apartment.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“What was that all about?” Javier asked as
they walked back into the condo.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I don’t know,” Nicolas answered honestly.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“But it was more than just a couple rogue
bandits, wasn’t it?” Oscar joined in the interrogation. “I mean, you were … on
edge, man.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I dunno.” Nicolas shook his head.
“Benjamin said bandits, he’d know better than me.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Later that evening, a knock at the door
startled the three boys.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Are you gonna get that?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas turned to stare at Javier, and
realized both he and Oscar were staring at him.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Open up, it’s me, Benjamin,” the familiar
voice spoke through the door.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Relieved, Nicolas jumped up and opened the
door. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Hey, man, come in. Everything okay?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I was just gonna ask you. You guys okay?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Yeah.” Nicolas relaxed when Benjamin
didn’t seem tense. “What was that?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Benjamin looked over his shoulder, then
scanned the room. Nicolas closed and locked the door.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“You trust your friends? To keep a
secret?” Benjamin directed the question to Nicolas. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Them?” Nicolas’s eyes gestured to Oscar
and Javier. “Yeah, I trust ’em.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Benjamin looked around again, uncertainly.
His shoulders sagged slightly. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“It was my fault, I guess.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“How so?” Nicolas frowned.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“When I was young, the Templarios’ leader
was a different man. He lived in Acapulco, but he fancied himself a gentleman
farmer. He spent much of his free time in southern Guerrero. So, my father
spent time there as well. I grew up near the Oaxaca border.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“You want something to drink?” Oscar
offered when Benjamin paused.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“<i>Cerveza</i>?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Oscar went to the kitchen to pull a bottle
from the refrigerator.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I met a girl down there, when I was …
maybe sixteen. She was fourteen—very pretty.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“What I didn’t know then, she was the
daughter of a prominent figure in the Oaxaca Cartel. The Oaxaca Cartel worked
for the Tijuana Cartel, with whom the Templarios were bitter rivals.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Oh, wow.” Javier stared with wide eyes.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Yeah, it was kinda like the Montagues and
Capulets.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">The three boys stared blankly.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“<i>Romeo
and Juliet</i>?” Benjamin frowned. “Don’t you read that in school?” Benjamin
shook his head and mumbled something under his breath. Nicolas caught the word ‘uncultured’
but couldn’t make out the rest.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Anyway, both our fathers put an end to
that as soon as they figured it out. But …” Benjamin winced. “Our relationship
had already … bloomed … by then.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I was willing to marry her,” Benjamin hastily
added, his voice somewhat defensive. Then he sighed. “But my father would have
none of that, and sent me off to train under Gonzalo, who was being groomed to
take over the business from his father. He was already running much of the northwestern
operations.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“So, what happened to the girl?” Javier
prodded.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“<i>No se</i>, just rumors. I heard the
baby was stillborn, and she blamed her father, who in turn blamed me for
ruining his relationship with his little <i>princesa</i>. Anyway, those two
would-be assassins were Oaxaca cartel, and I know Gonzalo was working to broker
a deal of some sort with them. A merger or something. My guess is that giving
his men a shot at me was part of the deal.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“What? No way!” Oscar clenched his fist,
his face clearly telegraphing his outrage at the idea.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Benjamin shrugged. “It’s business.
Employees are expendable.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“What are you gonna do?” Nicolas asked, his
eyes downcast, unwilling to meet Benjamin’s.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Nothing.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Nothing?” Javier’s tone was incredulous.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“They tried and failed. Gonzalo doesn’t
know I know. So, he gave them their chance and––for the time being at least––it’s
business as usual. He can honestly say he didn’t interfere. Their blunder
shouldn’t mess up his plans, unless her father is crazy bitter. At any rate, he
likely won’t be able to negotiate another shot at me for a while. I’m a good
soldier, Gonzalo won’t sell me off cheaply. Especially not a second time.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“You’d still work for him?” Oscar shook
his head.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“It’s a job. Job’s a job.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Most jobs you just get fired, not killed
by your boss.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Pros and cons, I suppose.” Benjamin held
his hand up as if weighing the two in the balance.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“How is there a pro to killed versus
fired?” Javier stared in disbelief.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Well,” Benjamin looked upward, considering,
“you don’t have to see the look of disappointment on your family’s faces when
you have to tell them you can’t feed them anymore.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“That’s messed up.” Oscar mumbled it under
his breath, Nicolas heard it though.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Pay’s good,” Benjamin explained, “which
is good for my <i>mamá</i>. Medical bills.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Your father?” Nicolas queried.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Died in a firefight with some special
anti-drug force several years ago.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Sorry, man.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“It’s business,” Benjamin countered.
“Look, I just wanted to stop by and make sure you guys were okay, I know you’re
mostly in the softer side of the business.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Oh yeah,” he said as he raised a hand,
“I’m also supposed to let you know Gonzalo wants to meet you three. You’ll get
a call tomorrow, about a dinner invitation for Sunday afternoon. Probably at
one of the country clubs. Keep your schedule open.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Benjamin went to the door, opened it, and
then paused halfway out. <o:p></o:p></p><p>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">“And I’m serious, Nicolas.” He poked his head
back into the room. “You need anything at all, you call me. I’ll take care of
you.”</span></p>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-44783603764239052282023-11-17T20:46:00.000-08:002023-11-17T20:46:32.835-08:00Nicolas: A MissTaken Story - Ch9<p> (<a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/11/nicolas-misstaken-story.html">Landing page</a> with info and list of sample chapters)</p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Chapter 9</span></b></p><p><br /></p><p> “Rocket launchers?” Oscar stared at
Javier in disbelief.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I swear it’s the truth.” Javier raised
his arm as if he was testifying under oath.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“For real?” Oscar’s gaze shifted from
Javier to Nicolas.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“For real,” Nicolas confirmed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“You missed out, man.” Javier smirked.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Somebody has to manage the business while
you’re out playing,” Oscar retorted.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“We got paid,” Javier shot back.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Oh good, and when’s the next job?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“In a month.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Wait.” Oscar furrowed his brow. “Really?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Yup,” Javier sneered.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Aww, man!” Oscar smacked the arm of the
couch in frustration.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Maybe I’ll take you instead of Nicolas
next time, if you can convince me you deserve it.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“What?” Nicolas’s eyes went wide. “No way,
man, I’m gonna be there when they test the rocket. Besides, I’m making
connections, me and Benjamin are like that.” He held his hand up and twisted
his fingers together.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Who’s Benjamin?” Oscar scowled.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“He’s the main bodyguard for the main
man.” Nicolas puffed out his chest. “Oh yeah, by the way, did you know Luis
isn’t the big boss?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Well, yeah.” Oscar wrinkled his nose in
thought. “I mean, the Templarios are all over Guerrero, right? But Luis just
handles Ixtapa, so obviously.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Anyway,” Nicolas tried to cover his
irritation that Oscar had worked it out for himself, “Benjamin is the bodyguard
for Gonzalo––he’s the real leader of the Templarios.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas paused, waiting for Oscar to
express awe or admiration. To his annoyance, no such response came.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas continued, “he and I hung out—shot
guns together.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Cool,” Oscar offered, nodding his head. To
Nicolas, it looked more like he was being placatory, rather than truly
impressed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Well, I’m going next time,” Nicolas grumbled,
glaring at Javier. “Maybe Oscar can come with me, and <i>you</i> can stay and
watch the shop.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“No way,” Javier objected, “this is my gig,
man. I set this up, don’t try and squeeze me out.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Oh, will you two stop bickering.” Oscar
rolled his eyes. “You were only gone for like, half the day, and in the middle
of the week. We can all go, and it won’t make a difference to business here.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Whatever. I gotta go.” Javier jumped up
and headed toward the door, then looked over his shoulder, a smug grin on his
face. “I’m hosting a party near the south beach tonight, gonna show up in a Porsche,
I gotta go pick it up.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Don’t crash the rental, man.” Oscar
didn’t even bother to look up.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Javier shot dagger eyes at Oscar, made a
gesture, then closed the door forcefully as he exited the apartment.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Oscar and Nicolas sat in silence for a
while, watching a show on the television.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“He’s hosting parties now?” Oscar shot an
incredulous look at Nicolas. “How’s he gonna pay for that?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“He is getting paid to host the parties,”
Nicolas explained. “He told me a little bit about it while we were driving out
to the range. He’s like … catering or something for these super-rich Americans.
Like private birthday parties or bachelor parties or whatever. They’re here
with friends to have a really crazy time, and Javier acts as their contact. He
hooks them up with a place, food, drinks, drugs, girls …”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“You mean prostitutes?” Oscar queried.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I don’t know, maybe. I bet there’s lots
of girls that would go, just to go to a fancy party. Just whatever the guys
want. Javier works with Luis, gets the right people and makes sure everything
runs smoothly, and that the guys have a great time, then he gets a big tip at
the end.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Oscar snorted disapprovingly.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“What?” Nicolas defended Javier. “He’s got
a good face for it, he’s easy-going and fun. He’s getting pretty good money
throwing parties for people who are stupid-rich too. Nothing wrong with that.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Maybe.” Oscar’s eyes grew distant. He
opened his mouth as if to say more, faltered, then closed his mouth again, with
a shake of his head.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“What?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Nothing, man, forget it.” Oscar yawned, rising
from the couch. “I’m sleepy. I’m gonna call it a night.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Yeah, me too.” Nicolas flicked the television
off and went to his own room.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas was awakened at four in the
morning by the sound of giggling. Shaking sleep from his head, he pulled on his
pants and, opening the door to his room, he peered into the living area.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas rubbed his eyes and looked again. Javier
was standing between two girls, an arm around each. Both of the women were
extremely attractive, and both were wearing very expensive evening dresses.
Javier himself was wearing a tuxedo. The three seemed … very affectionate.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Oh, Nicolas,” Javier gasped, “sorry, were
we too loud?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas continued to stare, mouth agape.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“This is my partner, Nicolas.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Hi, Nicolas,” the two women sang in
unison, then broke into another giggling fit. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Nicolas, this is Carmen.” Javier inclined
his head to the girl on his left, a slender blonde with pouty lips and sultry
eyes. “And this, is Daniella.” Javier indicated the doe-eyed brunette on his
right.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Javier, can I speak with you privately
for a minute?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Oh, sure.” Javier’s eyes flicked from one
woman to the other. “Please excuse me for a minute, ladies. My partner and I
have some business to discuss.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">The women giggled again as Javier
extricated himself and sauntered over to Nicolas.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“What’s up?” Javier stared at Nicolas with
a jaunty expression.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Who are they?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Javier furrowed his brow. “Carmen and
Daniella.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas closed his eyes and pinched the
bridge of his nose. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“What are they doing here?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I’m giving them a tour of my place.”
Javier turned to wave at the women, who were now standing arm in arm whispering
and giggling. They returned his wave.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Why?” Nicolas fixed Javier with an
exasperated stare. “Who are they to you? Where do you know them from?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Oh, I met them at the party tonight, and
it was love at first sight. Isn’t it great?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas cast a dubious glance at the two
girls. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Which one?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Both,” Javier replied brightly.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas scowled, shaking his head slowly. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“No.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“No what?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“They’re not staying here.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“What? Oh c’mon.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“You know the rules.” Nicolas crossed his
arms.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“You said no parties. These are my
girlfriends.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Really?” Nicolas stared incredulously.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Really. I love them.” Javier glanced over
his shoulder again, smiling at the women. “And they love me.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Fine,” Nicolas snarled, “but not here.
You can love them someplace else.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Oh really,” Javier hissed. “If Oscar
brings a girl home, are you going to kick her out? What happens when you meet a
girl? Will the same rule apply then?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Yes,” Nicolas growled, “it will.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">The two stared defiantly at each other for
several seconds.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Fine.” Javier finally broke away. “Ladies,
my partner has just reminded me of some rather delicate business occurring here
later, so he needs us to postpone the tour to another day. It’s short notice,
but perhaps we can find an executive suite at one of the resorts.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The girls exchanged excited glances, giggling
again as Javier placed himself between them and steered them to the door.</span>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-3237483704985432182023-11-13T12:09:00.000-08:002023-11-13T12:09:44.346-08:00Nicolas: A MissTaken Story - Ch8<p> (<a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/11/nicolas-misstaken-story.html">Landing page</a> with info and list of sample chapters)</p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Chapter 8</span></b></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Summer settled into a routine for
the boys. The weekdays were relatively laid back, with time on their hands to
relax. They would usually get one or two shipments during the week, in the
evenings, and there would be an occasional sporadic request from one of the
distributors.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">The weekends were a mad rush. On Friday
and Saturday nights, almost every distributor would come in for a refill, and
they were frequently invited to more than one party.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Oscar always offered to stay and ‘mind the
shop’, so Javier and Nicolas would go to the parties. It was a bit strange for
Nicolas. He and Oscar had always hung out the most as kids. Javier and Gaspar
had been around, but they also had other friendship groups they spent time with,
and Nicolas lived far enough away, they would only see each other on occasional
weekends. Nicolas and Oscar’s parents were friends, and one or the other would
travel to visit at least once a month. Sometimes the boys were allowed a week-long
sleepover. They were frequently together back then; fishing, or riding bikes,
or just wandering the neighborhoods. Now, it seemed Oscar would always
disappear when they’d make plans to go to the beach, or when there was a party
to attend.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas liked Javier well enough, it
wasn’t that it bothered him to hang out with Javier, it was just weird that
Oscar was never around.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">A month into the summer, this changed
slightly. Luis invited the boys to go shooting one morning during the week.
Oscar was available for that, and it became a part of the regular weekly
routine. Every Tuesday, they would drive out of town to a remote area and shoot
at targets, with a variety of guns provided by Luis: handguns, shotguns, rifles
… Luis even had a fully automatic AK-47. Nicolas favored rifles. He took to it
naturally, and within a few weeks, he was putting a two-and-a-half-inch grouping
on a target at three hundred meters.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Oscar’s grouping was closer to five inches
at that distance, and Javier gave up by two hundred meters. He preferred the
automatic anyway, though he did discover a talent for speed-shooting with the handguns.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas was easily the best shot with
rifles at a distance; he even managed to earn a little extra money taking bets
on distance shots with military, police or mercenaries, who would occasionally show
up to shoot with Luis and his friends. He only ever lost once, to a guy who he
later learned was a professional sniper. He picked up a few tips from him, so
in the end it was more payment for a lesson than a loss.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Fall and winter saw a slight turndown in
business, as the American students returned to their studies. It didn’t have a
significant impact on Nicolas and his friends though. Rent was free,
regardless. There was a downturn for the shops, thus a reduction in their
income from collections, but not so bad as to worry them. Javier complained
some. He had discovered he was able to attract the affections of a few of the
young girls by buying them little trinkets and taking them to the fancier
clubs. Unfortunately, as his money waned, so did their attention.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Oscar shook his head in disgust as Javier
complained. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“You need help, man.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Oh, yeah, like I’d take relationship
advice from you,” Javier quipped. “When was the last time you had a date? Lunch
with your mommy doesn’t count.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Oscar rolled his eyes and stalked out of
the room, mumbling.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Dude,” Nicolas chastised Javier, “that
was cold. Just ’cause he’s not a player, like you.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I’m not a player. I just know, if you
wanna find your princess, you gotta kiss a lot of frogs.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Frogs?” Nicolas raised a brow. “Really?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“What?” Javier spread his arms
defensively.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas sighed. “Oscar’s right, man. You
do need help.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">As winter gave way to spring, and tourists
began blossoming on the beaches once more, Javier’s complaining subsided.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Maybe you should pace yourself,” Nicolas
suggested one evening. “Save some of your money now, so you have enough for the
winter, you know?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Naw.” Javier shook his head. “What I need
to do is develop more income opportunities. I’ve been talking to Luis. He
thinks he might have something for me, some other businesses the organization
is looking to get into. He says I have a good face for it. Handsome, honest …
speaking of which, I need your help this Thursday.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“For what?” Nicolas asked pensively.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“There’s some guys coming in, looking to sell
some guns. Luis just needs a couple of us to check the guns.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Luis is buying guns? What for? Doesn’t
that mostly happen near the border?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Yeah.” Javier agreed. “Usually does. There’s
been some freedom-fighter group setting up in Templario territory recently, south
of here, so not really bothering us yet, but Luis is concerned about it. He
wants to be prepared, make sure they stay in check, you know?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I don’t know.” Nicolas frowned. “I didn’t
sign up to be a soldier. Why not let the police handle it?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“We’re not gonna be involved in any action.”
Javier rolled his eyes. “We’re just gonna test a few guns out for Luis, make
sure they are good quality before he buys them. It’ll be just like any other
target-shooting trip for us. No biggie.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“You sure?” Nicolas eyed him skeptically.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Yeah, I’m sure.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">As Javier predicted, it was very much like
any other target-shooting trip. A pickup truck arrived with crates in the back.
In the crates were assorted firearms. The men delivering them claimed they were
‘misplaced’ inventory from the US military.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas was directed to select a few
rifles at random and test them, to make sure they fired properly. The men
continued to unload the crates while Nicolas and Javier obliterated various
targets.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Several minutes later, one of Luis’ trucks
arrived, with crates of its own. The men inspected the crates, then began
transferring them to their now empty pickup.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;"><i>So, it’s a trade</i>, Nicolas thought. <i>Drugs
for guns</i>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">A man Nicolas didn’t recognize joined them
on the firing line. Nicolas eyed him curiously as he inspected, loaded and
fired a very military-looking gun. Too short for a rifle, too big for a pistol.
Nicolas had never been big into guns but this looked like something from the
movies; all black, sleek and sexy. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">The man had larger than normal hands, to
complement his larger than normal body, yet he handled the gun with easy
dexterity. He brought the collapsing stock to his shoulder and sighted down the
short barrel. An imperceptible squeeze of the trigger, and the gun fired. He
paused briefly, then fired a dozen more rounds in quick succession.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“You ever fired an MPX before?” The voice
was soft and sonorous. The big man gave only the briefest of nods in Nicolas’s
direction.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“No, sir.” Nicolas shook his head.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“You wanna try?” The man held the gun out
toward Nicolas.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Okay.” Nicolas moved haltingly. The man
was a full head taller than Nicolas, but that wasn’t what made him so
intimidating. His biceps were larger in diameter than Nicolas’s legs.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Don’t worry, the gun won’t bite.” One
corner of the man’s mouth turned up slightly in a smirk. “And neither will I.”
He handed the MPX to Nicolas and talked him through the proper stance and grip.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Nice.” The man complimented Nicolas as
his first round struck its intended target. “Now try squeezing twice in rapid
succession.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas squeezed the trigger, then again
and again. Three rounds in less than a second. It felt … powerful.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I said twice.” The man scowled at him.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Sorry.” Nicolas held the gun out stiffly
at arm’s length.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">The man glared briefly, then chuckled.
“I’m just messing with you. It’s pretty fun, yeah?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas grinned. “Yeah.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“You’re a good shot with a rifle. What’s
your name?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Nicolas.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Benjamin.” The man offered a giant hand.
Nicolas couldn’t even properly grip the man’s hand to shake it; his own hand
was completely swallowed up in Benjamin’s fist.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Nice to meet you.” Nicolas gave a sharp
nod of his head and said, “Do you work for Luis? I’ve never seen you before.
Are you new?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“No, I don’t work for Luis, I’m usually
with Gonzalo. He wanted me to help with this delivery though.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Who’s Gonzalo?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Benjamin maintained an even composure, but
Nicolas detected the faintest upturn of the corners of his mouth, and the
slightest twinkle of amusement in his eyes.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“He’s Luis’ boss. He is the head of the
Templarios.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Oh, wow.” Nicolas felt the heat creeping
into his cheeks. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember Luis mentioning him.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Possible he didn’t,” Benjamin said. “It’s
a pretty large organization, divided into separate cells. The lower-level
bosses generally work autonomously. No need for you to know your boss’s boss.
Better if the lowers don’t know, in fact.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Oh.”
Nicolas flinched at this revelation. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Don’t sweat it. If you’re here, now, Luis
must think you have a future in the organization. You’re fine to know.”
Benjamin smirked. “Wouldn’t matter to me anyway, you know?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“But …” Nicolas frowned, perplexed, “you’re
… like … <i>the</i> bodyguard, then, aren’t you?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Benjamin shrugged modestly. “My father
was, so now I am. Family business, you know? Not what I would have chosen but …
you know ... you do what you gotta.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I’m keeping this one,” Benjamin announced
to the other men, holding the MPX up for all to see. No one challenged him, and
he collected extra magazines and a holster from the crate. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">The final crate of weapons was the
surprise of the day; it contained a small number of six-foot-long tubes, and a
larger number of rockets.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“RPG-29.” Luis smiled at Nicolas who
stared, wide-eyed. “We won’t be testing those, since everything else tested
good. We’ll take their word for it on those. It would be fun to see though, no?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas grinned and gave a nod as the men
closed the crate back up and loaded it onto Luis’ truck.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Luis chuckled. “They’ll be bringing
another shipment in a couple months. Perhaps we can arrange just one
demonstration then.”<o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-59132980414203005532023-11-10T12:26:00.000-08:002023-11-10T12:26:10.648-08:00Nicolas: A MissTaken Story - Ch7<p> (<a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/11/nicolas-misstaken-story.html">Landing page</a> with info and list of sample chapters)</p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Chapter 7</span></b></p><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">The rest of the weekend passed
quietly. Oscar and his father showed up on Sunday morning with a carload of
Oscar’s things. His father stared in awe—and perhaps a touch of envy—at the condo,
but asked no questions as he helped move boxes in. When the last box was in the
condo, he shook Oscar’s hand awkwardly, and left the three boys to their
amusements.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Luis arrived with a knock on the door on
Monday in the early afternoon, along with a small pack of rather unpleasant-looking
ruffians, who he introduced as the delivery men. Luis presented Nicolas with a
ledger for tracking inventory and money, and then walked him through the
process of cataloging incoming inventory as the ruffians shuttled crates of
product into the designated storage room in the condo.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“You must be meticulous in your
record-keeping,” Luis emphasized, “clerical errors are unnecessarily costly to
the business.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Okay.” Nicolas fidgeted nervously.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“You’ll do fine. I have complete
confidence in your abilities.” Luis smiled reassuringly.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“That takes care of the first part of your
responsibilities, and you’ve met the delivery team. Now we must introduce you
to the customer service team. How about we throw a party this weekend? You are,
of course, welcome to invite a few friends if you wish. I will introduce you to
each of the dealers, so you will know their faces, and they will know yours.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas glanced at Javier, who grinned
triumphantly.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 17.0pt;">* * *<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in;">The week passed slowly, with little to do but sit in the
apartment. Nicolas was too worried about the safety of the recently stocked
storeroom to go any farther than the pool, and even that only for a half hour
at a time.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Are we supposed to be hosting this
party?” Oscar asked on Saturday afternoon, as he and Nicolas sat on the balcony.
“Do we need to go get stuff? Food and drinks, decorations or something?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas’s face fell. “I don’t know.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">A knock at the door made Nicolas jump.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I’ve got it!” Javier’s voice came from
inside.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Oscar and Nicolas stood still, staring
uncertainly at each other.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">A minute later Javier strode onto the
balcony followed by a youthful looking man in a perfectly pressed suit, with
perfect skin, perfect hair, and perfect teeth. He was followed by a man and a
woman, both dressed in executive attire.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“These guys are here to set stuff up for
the party tonight,” Javier announced.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Excellent.” The impossibly perfect man
scanned the balcony. “We will get started on decorations and furniture right
way. You can go ahead and do whatever it is you have planned for this morning.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">The man dismissed the boys with a wave of
his hand.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I don’t have any plans,” Nicolas
stubbornly replied.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">The man stared down his nose at Nicolas.
Nicolas met and held the man’s gaze, unblinking.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“We need this space clear, so that we may
get everything prepared.” The man spoke in a condescending tone. His voice was tight
with poorly disguised annoyance.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I won’t be in your way.” Nicolas planted
his feet firmly and folded his arms across his chest.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Fine.” The man huffed, turned on his heels
and strode back into the condo. He snapped his fingers, and the man and woman
who were with him raced to him like trained dogs.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Oscar fidgeted uncomfortably. “I gotta go
do some shopping, you okay without me?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Fine.” Nicolas continued to stare icily
at the entry to the condo.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Okay if I come with?” Javier asked.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Uhm, sure.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas followed Oscar and Javier to the
main room and plopped down on the couch, where he had a clear view to the door
of the storage room. He turned on the television.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Okay, laters.” Javier gave a quick wave
and jogged out of the condo. Oscar stood uncertainly for a moment, then turned
and followed.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas fumed. He was annoyed that after
spending hours saying no to Javier, Javier ultimately got his way. The
Templarios recruited <i>him</i>. The condo was offered to <i>him</i>. Javier
and Oscar were tag-alongs. Didn’t that mean <i>he</i> should be in charge? And
now here he was, responsible for storing and distributing an expensive, illegal
product, and he had seemingly no control over his circumstances. Strangers
coming and going, trying to bully him into leaving his own house, into leaving
his inventory unattended. The nerve!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">The next several minutes were
uncomfortable for the workers, and mildly entertaining for Nicolas. He met each
with a hard stare as they entered the room, from which they visibly flinched.
One nearly dropped the armload of decorations she was carrying. Before long, however,
the workers carefully avoided meeting Nicolas’s gaze. In time, Nicolas grew
bored and turned his attention to the football game on the television.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas wasn’t really all that into
sports, but once he started watching a game, he had to see it to the end. He
didn’t know the teams; he’d usually pick a team to cheer for based on which
color of uniform, or which logo he liked better. He knew the basics of the
rules, and he knew a good play when he saw it.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas noticed a couple of the workers
were football fans. Two in particular made frequent trips to the living space
and walked very slowly whenever they had a view of the screen. At one point,
one let out an involuntary cheer when a goal was scored, and Nicolas turned
abruptly, staring as the red-faced young man scurried out of the room and back
to his assigned duties.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">The game ended and Nicolas thumbed through
the channels a few times, but finding nothing to watch, he finally turned the television
off and sat silently, observing the caterers who by now had grown sufficiently
accustomed to his presence that they simply ignored him as they scurried about.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas occupied himself by counting the
floor tiles, and by looking for patterns within the patterns of the tiles—faces
or other shapes the manufacturer had not intended, but which were nonetheless
visible to the sufficiently creative mind.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">His exploration was interrupted much later
in the day by familiar voices approaching.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Good afternoon, Nicolas.” <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Luis spied Nicolas on the couch as soon as
he entered the room and flashed a warm smile in greeting. Javier and Oscar
followed close behind.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Oscar tells me I caused you some distress
this morning, sending the caterers in unannounced.” Luis shook his head slowly,
bowing slightly in a gesture of humility. “Please accept my apology, this is,
after all, your home. It was rude of me not to consult with you.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“It’s okay,” Nicolas murmured, “I was just
nervous about the … inventory is all.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Luis grinned. “Good boy, ever attentive to
your responsibilities. Admirable.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas flushed at the praise Luis heaped
on him.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Dude, guess what?” Javier broke in, “Oscar
bought a scooter. Can you believe it? Like, where did he get the money?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Oscar blushed. “I don’t spend my money
like you do, Javier, I’ve been saving it up. It’s not a new scooter,” he
confided, “it’s a bit rusty and clunky, but it runs well enough. Pretty sure I
can fix it up.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I’m gonna wait for a sports car,” Javier
declared, “the <i>chicas</i> dig a man in a sports car.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Oh yeah,” Oscar retorted, “you gonna buy
it with all that money you’re not saving, huh?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Shut up, man.” Javier made a loose fist
and swatted Oscar’s arm.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">The guests arrived, a few at a time, and
Luis introduced Nicolas to each of the individuals he would be distributing
product to. Nicolas was surprised by the amount of diversity. Some were
well-dressed, sophisticated-looking individuals, with pretty girls hanging on
their arms. Others were scruffy-looking beach bums, still others were
intimidating tattooed men. There were a few women as well, including an elderly
woman who looked more like a sweet grandmother than a drug dealer.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“We cater to a broad demographic,” Luis
explained, “different people are more comfortable doing business with certain
types of suppliers.” <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">What surprised Nicolas even more was that
Luis knew each one by name. Not only that, but he knew the names of their families—mothers,
fathers, husbands, wives, and children.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas had gone to work with his father
once several summers ago. His father’s supervisor struggled to remember his
father’s name. Of course, the fact that he was probably drunk was a factor.
Nine o’clock in the morning and the man reeked of tequila.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">The more time Nicolas spent around Luis,
the more he admired him. He’d always heard stories about the brutality of the
cartels—of their complete disregard for human life. Perhaps those who spun such
tales were merely jealous. Luis was one of the most civilized men Nicolas had
ever met.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">The rest of the evening passed pleasantly.
There were a few discreet inventory transactions, which Luis observed, and on
which he provided feedback. It was a simple enough process, Nicolas concluded. He’d
just need to be disciplined about record-keeping.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">A handful of stray vacationers passed
through as well. A few appeared to be customers of one or more of the distributors
he’d met. Nicolas found it necessary to shift his perception of them somewhat,
setting aside his usual disdain for them as targets, and extending a degree of
gracious hospitality to them as paying customers. It felt awkward, unnatural.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;"><i>Diplomacy</i>. The word popped into his
mind. <i>The art of saying ‘nice doggy’ until you can find a big stick</i>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">He couldn’t remember where he’d heard
that. His history teacher maybe? At any rate, it was cynically fitting for the
current circumstance. They were still the same spoiled, selfish, obnoxious
brats that he and his friends used to steal from. Only now they were customers,
participating in a legitimate business transaction. Maybe legitimate was a
stretch, but a traditional exchange of cash for goods, at any rate.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“You know,” Nicolas observed, speaking to
Luis, “these kids like booze as much as, or more, than the other stuff. Maybe
we should keep some of that on hand if we’re going to have parties like this
very often. I think they’d pay more just for the convenience.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“No.” Luis shook his head. “We don’t wish
to compete with the nightclubs and bars. That is their business. We leave that
alone, and in return, they make it easier for us to access their customers. It’s
a mutually beneficial arrangement.” Luis tapped a finger to his head. “Remember,
Nicolas, you’ve got to think long-term.”<o:p></o:p></p><p>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Nicolas was exhausted when the party finally
ended, just two hours before sunrise. They closed the door as the last guest
left, and then crashed, sleeping late into Sunday afternoon.</span></p>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-71845983029005581672023-11-01T10:56:00.002-07:002023-11-01T10:56:39.856-07:00Nicolas: A MissTaken Story - Ch6<p> (<a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/11/nicolas-misstaken-story.html">Landing page</a> with info and list of sample chapters)</p><p><br /></p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Chapter 6</span></b><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">The next two weeks dragged on torturously
for Nicolas. School was of no purpose for him. There was almost no teaching
going on—not that he felt they ever really taught him anything. What they
presented, he either knew, or he wasn’t interested in knowing.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">School probably wasn’t going to matter for
him anyway now. He had an easy job that paid well, and soon he would have a
luxurious apartment to live in––for free. What did his diploma or grades
matter?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nevertheless he suffered through it, to
satisfy the expectations of society, and of his family.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Each day he spent several minutes in his
room, combing through his possessions, making a mental list of the most
important items, working out in his mind how he would carry them all on his
scooter the Saturday after graduation.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">It would be the best way to avoid drama.
He’d go to work on Saturday, spend Saturday and Sunday night with Oscar, and
move into his new place. He’d let his parents know sometime after that. It
would already be done at that point, so nothing to argue about.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas sighed. He knew that wasn’t precisely
how it would turn out. His mother would call him—probably Saturday night. Would
she involve Oscar’s parents? Maybe it would be better to stay at a hotel. He
was reluctant to spend his money that way. Maybe he’d spend the first night at
Oscar’s, she wouldn’t be able to do anything that quickly.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Graduation day came and went. The best
part was when it was over.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas didn’t really hate school, it just
… wasn’t for him. It was so boring.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">He’d always struggled with school. Not
with the material, he got good grades. The classes were tedious. He couldn’t
sit still and pay attention for that long, especially when the teacher kept
repeating the same stuff over and over. He already knew it. The repetition was
mind-numbingly aggravating.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">But it was over now. No more long pointless
lectures, real life was finally ready to begin. Nicolas was excited by the
prospect of new challenges, new adventures.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Did the Templarios ever rob banks? He’d never
heard of it happening. He wasn’t sure how he would respond if the offer ever
came up. On the one hand, that was straight up theft, completely different from
taking party cash from rich spring breakers.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">On the other hand, the thought of
outwitting the advanced security systems; slipping in undetected, emptying the
vault, and leaving no trace … just thinking about it caused his heart to race.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas rose early on Saturday morning,
packed his bag, and slipped out before anyone else was stirring. He pushed the
scooter for half a block before starting it, as an added—albeit unnecessary—precaution.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">The day’s collections went smoothly, and
the three friends arrived at the collection office almost simultaneously. Luis
was at the desk—he frequently was, though sometimes one of his assistants would
manage the money while he attended to other matters.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Ready to move into your new home?” Luis asked
as he counted out a portion of the money and handed it to Nicolas.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“More than ready,” Nicolas replied with
more enthusiasm than he intended.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Are you sure you don’t want me to just
give you the keys now?” Luis asked. “You can move in today if you like, get
settled before I stop by on Monday to help you learn your responsibilities.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;"> “Really?”
Nicolas’s eyes widened.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Of course.” Luis grinned. He opened a
drawer in his desk and withdrew three sets of keys.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Thank you, sir.” Nicolas eagerly accepted
the keys.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“It is my pleasure.” Luis grinned. “I won’t
say anything to your friends. I will let it be your surprise.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas waited impatiently for Oscar and
Javier to complete their reports.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Where we gonna eat?” Javier asked when
the three friends walked outside.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m in
the mood for a nice juicy steak,” Oscar offered.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“How about that place down between the
golf courses?” Nicolas suggested.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Hah!” Oscar snorted. “Says the guy with
the scooter, who doesn’t have to pedal.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“C’mon,” Nicolas cajoled, “it’s a nice
place. Plus, we can take another look at our new apartment.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Hey, yeah, good idea.” Javier’s voice
dripped with sarcasm. “We can stare wistfully at the outside of the building,
wishing we had keys.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Javier’s eyes widened as Nicolas jangled
the keys in front of him. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“No way, man. Are those our keys? I
thought we weren’t getting them until Monday.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Monday, Saturday.” Nicolas shrugged. “One
day is as good as another.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Well, quit standing there pretending to
be cool, let’s go!” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Javier ran to his bicycle, jumped on and
raced down the street.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Oscar glanced at Javier, then at Nicolas.
He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Javier and I will catch up with you at
the condo in a few minutes.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas chuckled. “See you there, man.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Oscar and Javier made record time,
arriving dripping in sweat. They took advantage of their new air conditioning
and a shower to cool off and achieve a more presentable state.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Hey,” Javier spoke to Nicolas, “can you
give me a ride to my place to grab some things for tonight?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Sure.” Nicolas replied. “What about you,
Oscar?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Nah.” Oscar shook his head. “I’m gonna
stay at home tonight. Maybe have my father help me move stuff tomorrow.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Sure?” Javier questioned.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Yeah, it’s all good, but can you guys
wait till after we eat to go play moving van? I’m starving.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Lunch was spent with Javier wheedling and
coaxing Nicolas into taking advantage of their opulent new home to throw a party
and invite some beautiful women over, and Nicolas flatly refusing. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“It’s as much our place of business as our
place of residence.” Nicolas firmly planted both hands, palms down on the
table. “We’re responsible for merchandise going in and out. We don’t need a
bunch of strangers coming and going.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“So, what did you guys tell your parents?”
Oscar interrupted, changing the subject. “About who we work for, I mean.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I told them I was hired as a courier,”
Nicolas said, “I didn’t say anything about who I work for.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Hah!” Javier laughed. “I told my family I
work for an import-export business.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Really?” Oscar stared incredulously. “And
they bought it?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Javier shrugged. “They appreciate the
extra money. What about you?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I haven’t told them anything yet.” Oscar
stared into the distance. “They just think I’m doing odd jobs, or just messing
around, or something.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“What about the money?” Javier furrowed
his brow.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“They don’t know about it. I’ve been
saving it up.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“What about you moving out?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Oscar’s eyes flicked between Javier and
Nicolas. “I just told them I’m moving into an apartment with some friends, to
be closer to work.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“And they didn’t ask about the work?”
Nicolas stared intently at Oscar.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Nah, their hands are pretty full with the
surprise twins my mom just had. I’m guessing they’re mostly just happy to gain
a little more space, and to have one less mouth to feed.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Aww, sorry, man.” Javier placed a
consoling hand on Oscar’s shoulder.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Oh, no.” Oscar shook his head. “It’s not
like that. They love me and all. They’re just dead tired all the time. Those
two little babies are like vampires, just sucking the life out of them, you
know?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Huh.” Javier snorted. “Man, I am never
having children.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">After lunch, Nicolas and Javier made a few
trips between Javier’s home and the condo, moving his possessions a couple bags
at a time. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Oscar stayed at the condo, watching TV
from the bed in the room he had chosen, just to make sure one of the other boys
didn’t steal it before he could move his possessions in to formally lay claim
to it. They had all agreed Nicolas should get the master bedroom, since he was
the reason this opportunity had even come to them.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Once Javier was settled in, the three went
down to the pool. Nicolas and Oscar didn’t have swimming trunks, so the three just
sat at the edge, dangling their feet in the water, and watched as the sun set.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Javier renewed his efforts to win Nicolas
over to the idea of hosting a few parties.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“We can lock the merchandise in one room,”
Javier pleaded, “It’ll be safe. Nobody even needs to know it’s there.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“No. I’m not taking any chances on
something going wrong. I’m not interested in getting lost in the jungle, thank
you very much.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“What?” Javier and Oscar both squinted at
Nicolas.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Nothing, forget it,” Nicolas mumbled,
then his expression hardened: “No parties.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I think we should take a vote.” Javier
looked hopefully at Oscar.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Sorry, man.” Oscar shook his head. “I’m with
Nicolas’s on this one.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Javier opened his mouth to protest but
Nicolas cut him off with a wave of his hand as he pulled out his ringing cell
phone. It was his mother’s phone number.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas answered reluctantly. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Hello?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Where are you?” His mother’s tone expressed
aggravation.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I’m in Ixtapa.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“It’s already after dark, you should be
home by now.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I’m not coming home.” Nicolas forced
himself to remain calm. He wasn’t going to let her get him going. Not this
time.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“What did you say to me?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“I’m not coming home.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“You get on your little scooter and you
drive yourself home right now.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“No. I’m not coming home tonight, Mamá.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“What do you think you are going to do?
Sleep on the street?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“No, I’m staying with a friend tonight,
and tomorrow. Then I’m moving into my own place on Monday.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Silence.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Fine.” She spoke tersely, then the line
went dead.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">Nicolas took a deep breath. It was over
now. He’d stood his ground, and he hadn’t gotten emotional. He mentally patted
himself on the back.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Everything okay?” Oscar eyed him closely.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Yeah.” Nicolas smiled at his friend.
“Everything is great.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Sure?” Oscar raised one eyebrow.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Yes. I just declared my independence is
all.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Independence?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Yeah. My mother is so controlling, she
couldn’t accept that I was an adult now—couldn’t let go, you know? So, I had to
let her know I wasn’t her little baby anymore.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Uh huh.” Oscar’s face was expressionless.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“What?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17.0pt;">“Nothing.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Javier opened his mouth to resume the debate on
parties, but Oscar stopped him short with a shake of his head.</span></div>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-71510322679272116822023-11-01T10:37:00.005-07:002023-11-23T20:47:10.546-08:00Nicolas: A MissTaken Story<p> This is my landing page for <i>Nicolas: A MissTaken Story</i>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidciFQNYIusYIqdfFkQPyPA3gupWZI2yWoU49tYdvLXDsCEHnpZkG8Hz-vj2xfh8k-YPLUevpx-Pg6LT6EqG558P0Z8KnXd9NLVTozH2vIcnfiSAwPBmA3wvrlhWC_qvZOeJXYoGYSg4cEKhSVjJbe0neZn05DY3jwmutiQeyHf7D7VYmkxxrj59hgtTg/s1512/Nicolas_Cover.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1181" data-original-width="1512" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidciFQNYIusYIqdfFkQPyPA3gupWZI2yWoU49tYdvLXDsCEHnpZkG8Hz-vj2xfh8k-YPLUevpx-Pg6LT6EqG558P0Z8KnXd9NLVTozH2vIcnfiSAwPBmA3wvrlhWC_qvZOeJXYoGYSg4cEKhSVjJbe0neZn05DY3jwmutiQeyHf7D7VYmkxxrj59hgtTg/w400-h313/Nicolas_Cover.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>My author page on Amazon: <a href="https://amazon.com/author/ecphilips" target="_blank">https://amazon.com/author/ecphilips</a> </p><p>I also have an author page on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22950428.Edwin_Philips?from_search=true&from_srp=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2022/03/misstaken.html" target="_blank">MissTaken</a> Landing Page (Where it all began).</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Nicolas: A MissTaken Story</span></b></p><p><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/09/nicholas-author-note.html">Preface</a> (A note from the author)</p><p><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/09/nicholas-misstaken-story-ch1.html">Chapter 1</a></p><p><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/10/nicholas-misstaken-story-ch2.html">Chapter 2</a></p><p><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/10/nicholas-misstaken-story-ch3.html">Chapter 3</a> </p><p><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/10/nicholas-misstaken-story-ch4.html">Chapter 4</a></p><p><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/10/nicholas-misstaken-story-ch5.html">Chapter 5</a></p><p><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/11/nicolas-misstaken-story-ch6.html">Chapter 6</a></p><p><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/11/nicolas-misstaken-story-ch7.html">Chapter 7</a> </p><p><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/11/nicolas-misstaken-story-ch8.html">Chapter 8</a></p><p><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/11/nicolas-misstaken-story-ch9.html">Chapter 9</a></p><p><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/11/nicolas-misstaken-story-ch10.html">Chapter 10</a> </p><p>Enjoying it? Want more? Then you should <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Nicolas-suspenseful-slavery-friendship-MissTaken-ebook/dp/B0CNTZY3JK?ref_=ast_author_dp">purchase it</a> :-)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>22 Nov 2023</b> - My second book successfully published! Hooray!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>13 Nov 2023 - </b>Proof is ordered and should arrive on the 20th at the latest. If that passes inspection, I can release to publishing. I believe 24 Nov at the latest, possibly a day or two sooner.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>10 Nov 2023 - </b>I am scheduled to upload the final Manuscript to Amazon Monday, at which point I will order a proof printed copy for review. If all goes well, it will be available for purchase in two or three weeks (e-book might be a little sooner)!</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>1 Nov 2023 - </b>How embarrassing! I only just noticed Nicolas's name was spelled incorrectly on the cover. I am so used to "Nicholas", I completely missed that 'h' that shouldn't be there. Somehow I managed to miss over a dozen such typos in the manuscript as well (I did a global search and replace, so not sure how). I made the same mistake when I created the landing page for the blog. So all the links are misspelled (That probably matters to nobody but me, since nobody else really sees it, but my OCD is freaking out, so I just re-created the landing page to fix that. Now we'll see if I can smoothly transition it). On the upside. it has a cover now! </p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>27 Oct 2023</b> - Front cover design has been selected! Hope to have the final full cover soon! Looking like I will be able to publish in November. I should be able to add the cover to this page next week, when I upload chapter 6. 😀</p><p><br /></p><p><b>12 Oct 2023</b> - Typesetting is complete. Hopefully the Cover will be my birthday present... </p><p><br /></p><p><b>6 Oct 2023</b> - Typesetting is in process now. :-) Still no cover design :-(</p><p><br /></p><p><b>29 Sep 2023</b> - The final proof is back in my hands! Aiming to get it ready for Typesetting by the middle of October. I am very anxious to see the first draft of the cover. Hopefully it will be ready soon.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>15 Sep 2023</b> - My second book is nearly ready to publish! The manuscript is out for final proof and should be back in my hands at the end of this month or early next month. Cover design is in process, and hopefully the cover will be adorning this page next month. Looking promising to be published before the end of the year.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-18661242524136510852023-10-27T07:53:00.002-07:002023-11-01T10:42:21.429-07:00Nicolas: A MissTaken Story - Ch5<p> (<a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/11/nicolas-misstaken-story.html">Landing page</a> with info and list of sample chapters)</p><p><br /></p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Chapter 5</span></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">“Happy graduation.” Luis patted
Nicolas on the back as he handed him an unusually large stack of bills for his
payment one weekend.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What?” Nicolas frowned, reluctant to take
the money.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“You graduate in two weeks, no?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yes …” Nicolas still hesitated.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“So, this is my graduation present to you.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Slowly, Nicolas reached out and accepted
the payment. Luis chuckled.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What are your plans now?” Luis asked.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“I’m looking for an apartment I can afford
in Ixtapa.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Oh?” Luis looked down. “As a matter of
fact, I happen to know of a very nice apartment you can have, rent-free.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas stared at Luis, with one eyebrow
raised.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“It is a … distribution office for us. You
will of course have some responsibilities: keeping inventory, receiving and
distributing product.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Product? Do you mean …?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Crystal meth and marijuana mostly, some
heroin.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“I’ll be selling it?” Nicolas averted his
gaze, twisting his fingers together nervously.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Oh, no.” Luis shook his head. “You will
receive shipments from manufacturing locations, and our vendors will come to
you to restock their supplies. It will be very important for you to keep good
records of what comes in, what goes out, and to whom it goes out. Inventory
must be accounted for.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“So, I just sit in the apartment all day?
And wait for people?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“No, no.” Luis chuckled. “They will call
you in advance, so you can arrange a time to meet—usually in the afternoon or
evening.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Also …” Luis continued. “If you feel they
are trustworthy, you can share the apartment—and the responsibility––with your
friends, if you wish. You will handle the calls of course, but you can delegate
responsibilities as you see fit. Just be certain that you can trust them.” Luis
grew serious. “You will be collectively responsible for any accounting errors.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Is this something new?” Nicolas queried
suspiciously, “or am I replacing someone?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Luis drew in a breath and glanced at the
ceiling. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“You are replacing someone. Two someones,
actually. They started using some of the product—out of curiosity at first––but
then they used more to throw parties with some friends, and it became a …
habit.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“So, what happened?” Nicolas shifted
nervously, recalling the penalty for drug use outlined in the Templario
rulebook.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Well, naturally we couldn’t allow such behavior.
We had to terminate their employment.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Where are they now?” Nicolas persisted.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“They and their friends disappeared while
hiking in the jungle. Very tragic.” Luis paused in somber reflection. Then his
face brightened. “But I am not worried about you, Nicolas. You are a very
bright young man, with a very promising future.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas stared down at his hands, then
realized he was still holding the money. He pulled out his wallet and tried to
cram the paper money in. The stack was too thick to fit. After several
attempts, he stuffed the bills that wouldn’t fit in his wallet directly into
his pants pocket.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“I have business to attend to at the
moment,” Luis said, “but if you’d like, I can show you the apartment later this
afternoon, say … in two hours?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Sure.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Excellent.” Luis smiled. “I will call you
with the address in roughly two hours and meet you there.” He rose from his
desk, indicating it was time for Nicolas to leave.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas rose, shook Luis’ hand, and left
the office.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 17pt;">* * *<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in;">“So …” Oscar closed his eyes in thought. “You get an
apartment, rent-free, just for taking a few calls and managing some inventory?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“That’s what he said,” Nicolas said between
bites of a sandwich.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Where do I sign up?” Javier cut in
enthusiastically.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“I don’t know.” Oscar shook his head
slowly. “That sounds like a good deal but …”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“But what?” Javier spoke after a moment’s
silence.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“It’s just … I don’t know. What about the
money? He didn’t say anything about that. Are you responsible for collecting
the money from the dealers? Do they buy the stuff from you? Do you have to pay
for the deliveries? What if you make an accounting mistake? Can you trust the
dealers to not take advantage of you?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Aww, c’mon, man. This is Nicolas. He’s a
genius. He can totally figure a way to keep that from happening.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“I don’t know.” Oscar shuffled his feet. “I
mean, stealing a little change from spoiled, rich <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">gringas</i>, or collecting insurance money from shopkeepers, is one
thing, but drugs? I don’t know …”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Oscar––” Javier’s tone was condescending
“––we aren’t going to be dealing drugs, or making them, were just transferring
them from maker to dealer. We’d barely even be considered as ‘in the drug
business.’ Besides, people want to use the drugs—it’s not like we are forcing
them to take them. So why not make a little money supplying people with what
they want?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“I think you two might be getting ahead of
yourselves,” Nicolas interjected. “I mean, we should probably look at the
apartment first, right? What if it’s a dive? In a trashy neighborhood? There
are places I wouldn’t want to live, even for free, you know?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“True,” Oscar conceded. “Might as well
check the place out before we make any decisions.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">They finished their meal and sat together,
talking idly for several minutes, until Nicolas’s phone rang.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“It’s Luis,” Nicolas announced as he answered
the call.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Are you ready to take a look at your
future accommodations?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Sure, we’ll take a look at it.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Luis chuckled. “Okay, I will be there in
about fifteen minutes, let me give you the address and directions, and I will
meet you there.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas recited the address and directions
out loud. He wasn’t very good at remembering verbal instructions, but Javier
and Oscar would keep it straight. As he continued reciting the directions,
Javier developed an odd look on his face.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Are you sure you said that right?” Javier
asked after the call ended.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yeah.” Nicolas frowned as he walked to
his scooter. “Why?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Is it a long way from here?” Oscar picked
up his bicycle. “It didn’t sound like that many instructions.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas grimaced. “Is that it, Javier? Am
I gonna have to wait forever for you two slowpokes?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Oh, sure,” Javier whined, “rub it in,
scooter boy.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“But no.” Javier’s brow was furrowed.
“It’s pretty close, I think. If I got it straight, it’s close to the beach. The
nice beach, where the resort hotels are. The nice ones.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Are there apartments down there?” Oscar
questioned.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yeah ...”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Let me guess,” Nicolas cut him off. “The
nice apartments.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Oh, scooter’s a comedian.” Javier threw
his head back in mock laughter. “C’mon, let’s go take a look at this place.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The apartment was in fact a condominium, situated
midway between two golf courses, one to the southeast and the other northwest.
It was just less than a kilometer from the ocean. There was a master bedroom
and three smaller bedrooms, an ample-sized kitchen, and an enormous living
space, made larger by a balcony with floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding glass
doors. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The balcony, situated just above the tree
line, faced the ocean and provided an expansive and spectacular view. The
master bedroom had its own smaller private balcony, furnished with a bistro
table and two chairs. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The entire space was luxurious, with tile floors,
granite and marble stonework, and rich wood trims and finishes.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Oscar crossed the large main balcony and peered
over the edge. Directly below was a small, manicured strip of green grass,
bordering a cement patio, with a circular sauna, and an irregular-shaped pool
serving as the primary features. The far side of the pool, was a straight
infinity edge, which dropped to a bed of dark gray river rock. Beyond that, a
thick grove of trees created a natural boundary between them and a large
tourist zone, consisting of several blocks of restaurants, clubs, bars, and a
few hotels.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">South of that was a large street, lined
with shops, including the shop of Gaspar’s father, and just beyond that lay the
large stretch of beachside resort hotels—the primary location where Nicolas and
his friends used to find their victims and liberate them from their excess
money.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Of course.” Luis stepped beside Nicolas
as he stared out at the vista. “We expect you to take care of this apartment.
As you can see, the walls, floors and ceiling are in excellent
condition—freshly painted and cleaned. You are welcome to hire a maid if you
wish. Just––” Luis gazed at the view a moment, then directed a smile at Nicolas
“––keep it clean.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas glanced briefly at Luis, then back
to the scenery, nodding absently as he did so.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“So,” Luis asked gazing at the pool below,
“are you ready to move in?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Of course he is.” Javier strode briskly
across the balcony, wrapping an arm around Nicolas’s shoulder.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Luis grinned. “And when would you like to
take occupancy?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Tomorrow?” Javier asked, staring
anxiously at Nicolas.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“He still has to finish school, you
idiot.” Oscar glared at Javier from the doorway.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Nicolas?” Luis spoke softly after a long
pause, during which Oscar and Javier stood, staring at Nicolas with bated
breath.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Graduation is a week from Friday.”
Nicolas twisted his fingers pensively. “Monday after that?” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“That would be fine.” Luis beamed,
exposing his brilliant white teeth.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Javier pumped his fist enthusiastically
while Oscar stared at his friend, his face unreadable.<o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-59546070680382915012023-10-19T21:51:00.004-07:002023-11-01T10:42:05.118-07:00 Nicolas: A MissTaken Story - Ch4<p> (<a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/11/nicolas-misstaken-story.html">Landing page</a> with info and list of sample chapters)</p><p><br /></p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Chapter 4</span></b><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">“All you did was collect envelopes
from a bunch of shopkeepers?” Javier stared in disbelief at the cash Nicolas
held out for the boys to see.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“You made that this morning?” Oscar didn’t
wait for Nicolas to respond to Javier’s question.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yup.” Nicolas nodded. “It was that easy.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“And he gave you a scooter.” Javier
continued to stare. “You think he’d do that for us?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“I don’t know.” Nicolas shrugged. “I mean,
you guys live here in Ixtapa, so you don’t have to travel as far, but I think
you’d get paid the same.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Gaspar grunted. He had remained silent throughout
the conversation, staring moodily into the distance.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Well,” Nicolas added, “assuming they have
you do the same kind of work, I suppose.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What’s wrong, Gaspar?” Javier asked.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Taking money from the shopkeepers?”
Gaspar’s tone was accusing. “Taking money from my father?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“I didn’t take anything from your father.”
Nicolas raised his hands defensively.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“He wasn’t on your street,” Gaspar
snarled, “but somebody did. Maybe you didn’t today, but what about next week?
The week after that?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“You know,” Nicolas softened his tone, “your
father does benefit from the service the Templarios provide.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Gaspar snorted derisively. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“So, what, we’re supposed to pay taxes to the
government, and to the Templarios, and to anyone else who claims they are
providing a service that somehow benefits us, whether or not we wanted or
needed that service?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yeah, but if you’re benefitting along
with the other shopkeepers, it’s not fair if you don’t pay.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“And what if none of the shopkeepers want
it? Huh? At least with the government we can vote.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“That vote is just an illusion, really.”
Nicolas parroted Luis’s argument from earlier. “You don’t really get that much
say, just which of two or three candidates is in charge for a time, and they
all say and do the same stuff, tell the same lies. With the Templarios, they at
least make decisions based on what makes the most business sense.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Gaspar expelled an exasperated breath,
shaking his head. He glanced down for a moment, then looked back at Nicolas. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“And what if tomorrow they decide it makes
more business sense to support the robbers, and collect taxes from them
instead?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“But that wouldn’t happen,” Nicolas insisted,
though the nagging voice in the back of his mind was less certain. “That wouldn’t
make business sense.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Gaspar stared at Nicolas for a moment,
then sighed as he lowered his head. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Look, I can’t do this. My <i>papi</i>
would die if he found out.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Oh, hey, man.” Oscar placed a hand on
Gaspar’s shoulder. “Even if the rest of us decide to do it, you don’t have to.
We understand. We’re still your friends, man.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yeah.” Javier’s expression changed to a
smirk. “We might even buy lunch for you sometimes.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Gaspar glared at Javier, then chuckled,
shaking his head.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The boys relaxed as the tension lessened.
They sat in silence for a moment, sipping their drinks and watching passersby.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What the heck,” Javier broke the silence.
“I’ll give it a try. Sign me up, or whatever.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas smirked, then shifted his attention
to Oscar.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“You already know I’m right behind you.” Oscar
flashed Nicolas a mischievous grin. “Unless they’re chasing us. Then I’m right
in front of you.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“As, if.” Nicolas snorted. “You’d have to
be faster than me to do that.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Ouch! You need some burn cream, Oscar?”
Javier teased.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Whoa! What’s that?” Oscar pointed with his
left hand at the ground a few feet in front of Javier.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What?” Javier looked down.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Oscar’s right hand swung around, landing
an open-palmed slap on Javier’s exposed neck.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Oww!” Javier grabbed at his neck. “Man,
you are such a punk!”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Oscar laughed. The other three joined in.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Gaspar grew serious again: “Guys, I
appreciate our friendship and all, and we’ve had fun playing our game, but …”
he stared at the ground, “… I just don’t see how we can hang out without it
coming back on my <i>papi</i>. It’s not that I want to cut ties with you guys
over this, but ...” He looked up, pleadingly.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Guilty by association?” Nicolas offered.
“Don’t worry, man, we get it. We’re still friends. That won’t change. But we’ll
keep our distance, at least until we can figure something out.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Oh, man,” Javier groaned. “This is all so
touching. We gonna all hug and cry now?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Shut up, man.” Oscar punched Javier
playfully in the shoulder.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 17pt;">* * *<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in;">“How was your job?” Nicolas’s mother asked later that evening
while she was straightening up the living room.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“It was good,” Nicolas answered tersely.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What did you do?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Just some collections—I mean, deliveries.”
He quickly corrected himself.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Of what?” His mother stopped tidying and
fixed Nicolas with a suspicious stare.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Just some packages.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Of what?” His mother’s stare grew more
intense.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Just stuff,” Nicolas responded evasively.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Drugs?” She leaned forward, her tone
accusatory.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“No, Mamá.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“How do you know?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“It was just money,” Nicolas relented.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Money?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yeah, like payroll stuff.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas fidgeted, his eyes downcast,
unable to meet his mother’s gaze. She continued to stare for what felt like
hours, then finally, with an explosive breath, she turned on her heel and
stormed to the kitchen.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Son.” Nicolas’s father, sitting unnoticed
on the sofa, looked up from his book. “Why do you do that?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas glanced at his father
questioningly.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Why do you irritate her like that? She
loves you. She worries about you.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“I don’t know.” It was a barely
discernable mumble. Nicolas stared at the floor. Why did he always have to take
her side? Why did he always kowtow to her authoritarian demands, her volatile
temper, her overbearing, domineering, controlling behavior?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas watched his father from the corner
of his eye. His father’s eyes flicked this way and that, as if trying to find
words. His shoulders slumped slightly.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Look.” His father finally spoke. “I know
she can be … intense at times, but it is because she loves you. She wants you
to be safe, to be happy.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;"><i>She doesn’t understand</i>! Nicolas
wanted to scream it. <i>You don’t understand. You’re stuck in your
old-fashioned, outdated ways. The world has changed. You don’t get it.</i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“I know,” Nicolas mumbled, still looking
down.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas’s father continued to stare at his
son for some time. Finally, with a sigh, he returned to his book, a sadness in
his eyes.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas felt a twinge of guilt.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;"><i>No</i>! Why should he feel guilty? His
father was always too busy for him. <i>Now
all of a sudden he wants to impart advice? About things he knows nothing about</i>?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;"><i>That’s not fair</i>, a quiet voice in
the back of Nicolas’s mind said. <i>He works hard—all the time—to support his
family</i>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;"><i>No</i>.
Nicolas shook his head. He didn’t want to hear that. He wasn’t a child anymore.
It was time his parents realized that—let him make his own decisions. Nicolas
stalked out of the room.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 17pt;">* * *<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in;">The following weekend, Nicolas walked the street gathering
the payments from the designated shopkeepers while Luis walked with him, observing,
and offering guidance.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“You are their friend.” Luis smiled pleasantly
as he spoke. “Make a little small talk, ask about their families, ask if
everything is going well. If they report trouble with one of the shopkeepers,
smile and thank them for letting you know. Then let me know.” Luis patted his
shoulder. “We have others who are responsible for dealing with any
unpleasantness, so your relationship with the shopkeepers can remain
unstrained. It’s better for business that way.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">After two weeks, Nicolas was managing the
route on his own. Two weeks more and Oscar and Javier began training on their
own routes.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">It became an easy routine for Nicolas
after that; school during the week, then on the weekend he would drive his
scooter to Ixtapa to run his route in the morning and collect his pay. In the
afternoon he, Oscar and Javier would meet for lunch. They visited all the nice restaurants
they were previously never able to afford, eating foods they had only dreamed
of tasting.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">That was Nicolas’s only splurge; he saved
the rest of the money. He gave a little to help his family, but not too much.
His mother was suspicious of his new job, so he was careful to avoid revealing
just how much he was making, as that would only lead to fighting and yelling; he
hated conflict. His mother was too set in her old-fashioned ways of thinking––better
to just keep it a secret.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">When summer came, Nicolas had expected to
be pressed into full-time service with the Templarios. He was surprised when
Luis informed him there would be no changes to his responsibilities.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“We will keep things as they are until
next year, when you graduate,” Luis had said. “You are management material,
Nicolas, not a grunt-worker. Education is of use to you.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas tried to get a summer job with one
of the shopkeepers he and his friends had worked for previously, but they all
nervously declined. Oscar and Javier reported the same experience.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“They all say things are too slow, or they
already have someone lined up,” Javier complained during one of their regular
weekend lunch meetings.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yeah, it seems word of our new employment
has gotten round.” Oscar stirred the ice in his glass with his straw. “Maybe
they are afraid we’ve been sent to spy on them.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“It seems rather petty to me,” Nicolas
accused, “we were always good workers for them before, and we’re only polite
and friendly to the people we collect from. There’s no reason for them to
discriminate against us like this.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Oh well.” Javier stretched in his chair.
“It’s not like we need their money, right? I mean, I make more in a month’s
weekends now than I made all last summer.” Javier puffed out his chest. “I’m
the hero at home now. We have fresh fruit every day, and meat every week.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yeah, I can tell.” Oscar examined
Javier’s waist critically. “You’re getting kind of chubby.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What?” Javier jumped up and lifted his
shirt, examining his middle. Oscar snickered.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Not funny, man.” Javier shook his head.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Really?” Oscar’s eyes widened. “Huh, I
wonder why Nicolas and I are both laughing then?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Seriously though.” Oscar’s expression
sobered. “What are we gonna do all summer?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“How about we all pitch in and rent a
boat?” Javier leaned in conspiratorially. “Girls love guys with boats.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas laughed out loud.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What?” Javier asked.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“I don’t know how much <i>you</i> are
making, but I’m not making enough to rent a boat.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Come on, there’s got to be some we can
afford.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yeah,” Oscar chortled, “a canoe or a
paddleboard maybe. Girls love guys with yachts, or the big, sexy cigarette
boats.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Okay, fine.” Javier huffed. “Boogie
boards then.”<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 17pt;">***<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in;">It was the best summer ever. Nicolas and Javier played in the
water, sipped drinks, and flirted with pretty young tourists. Oscar made an
occasional showing, but never stayed for long. He always had something going on,
whether some odd job he had picked up, or a project he was helping his father
with. The latter excuse seemed suspicious to Nicolas. He didn’t remember
Oscar’s father ever being much for projects.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Returning to school was difficult. Nicolas
missed seeing Oscar and Javier every day. All three boys went to different
schools, but Oscar and Javier both lived in Ixtapa, and met occasionally during
the week. Nicolas felt very alone, living so far away. He had nothing in common
with the kids at his school. He’d tried to convince his parents to let him stay
with Oscar’s family that school year, but his mother had flatly refused.<o:p></o:p></p><p>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">He resolved to get out from under her thumb as
soon as possible. After he graduated, Luis would give him more responsibilities,
he was certain. As soon as he could afford a place in Ixtapa, he would move
out, be free of her.</span></p>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-39280970605884947432023-10-12T22:02:00.002-07:002023-11-01T10:41:44.990-07:00 Nicolas: A MissTaken Story - Ch3<p> (<a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/11/nicolas-misstaken-story.html">Landing page</a> with info and list of sample chapters)</p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Chapter 3</span></b></p><p><br /></p><p>“Good morning, Sancho.” Luis
greeted the shopkeeper with a broad grin. “How are you this morning?”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Good, thank you, and you?” The shopkeeper
returned the warm greeting, as he reached into a drawer and withdrew an
envelope. He turned and offered it to Luis.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Very good,” Luis responded, reaching to
take the envelope. “Everything is well, I trust. Any concerns to report?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Nothing to report.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Excellent.” Luis pocketed the envelope,
then gestured to Nicolas. “Allow me to introduce my new associate, Nicolas.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Nicolas,” the shopkeeper repeated,
extending a hand in greeting. “Pleasure to meet you.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“And you.” Nicolas shook Sancho’s hand.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Nicolas will be taking over responsibility
for collections on this street.” Luis placed a hand affectionately on Nicolas’s
shoulder.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Diego?” the shopkeeper questioned.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“New assignments.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Ah, well. Diego is a good man.” Sancho
examined Nicolas closely.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yes, yes, he is a good man,” Luis agreed,
“as I am sure you will find Nicolas to be as well.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Of course.” Sancho inclined his head,
smiling.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Have
a wonderful day, my friend.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“You as well.” Sancho waved and returned
to his work in the shop.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas followed Luis in silence until
they were out of earshot of the shopkeeper.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“That’s it?” Nicolas murmured.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“That’s it,” Luis replied, the corners of
his mouth turning up in amusement. “You were expecting something else?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Well …” Nicolas searched for words.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“You were expecting perhaps that I would
bully him? Make threats? That he would cower, or resist?” Luis chuckled. “You
watch too much American TV, Nicolas. We are businessmen, not robbers.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas frowned. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“I don’t understand.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“We keep crime under control in this city.
We keep it away from the businesses the tourists frequent.” Luis gestured to
the shops around them. “This means more profit for the businesses for two
reasons: first, they don’t experience losses from theft, and second, since the
city is safe, more tourists come here and purchase from the shops.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The two crossed the street to the next
block and Luis continued, “Naturally it makes sense, if we provide this service
to the shopkeepers, they should compensate us, no?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Isn’t that what the police are for?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Luis chuckled.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“The police are the government’s
enforcers. Now you want to talk about criminals, the government officials rob
everyone. They lie, they take bribes, they live in luxury they haven’t earned. The
police pretend to control crime, but they don’t, not really. There is no
benefit for them. They make more money taking bribes than they do stopping
thieves, and more safely, and for less work.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“But, you do <i>make</i> the shopkeepers
pay.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Naturally.” Luis spread his hands. “The
service we provide is not like an orange, where one person pays and then eats
it. What we do benefits all the businesses. So, it is only fair that all the
businesses pay their fair share.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The conversation paused as Luis greeted
another shopkeeper and received an envelope from him.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“You skipped a bunch of shops,” Nicolas said.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yes. For each block, we designate one shopkeeper
who is responsible for collections for the entire block. It’s more efficient
that way. He collects from the block and we collect from him. He will let us
know if there are any concerns that need to be addressed, and we take care of
them appropriately.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“So, you do use force sometimes then?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yes,” Luis conceded, “but very rarely. We
don’t demand an unfair payment for our services, so most shopkeepers are
willing to pay without complaint. Occasionally, there will be a greedy
shopkeeper who wants to enjoy the benefits of our service without paying, and
so we must—of necessity—take measures to ensure payment is exacted. It wouldn’t
be fair to the other shopkeepers if we didn’t, would it?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas mulled over Luis’s explanation.
His logic seemed sound. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yes, I suppose, but isn’t that why people
vote for government officials? So they can choose the services they want?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Luis chucked again. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Oh, Nicolas, so much to learn, but I
suspect you already realize; people don’t really get to choose what they want,
do they? They have the illusion of choice, but no real choice. They get to
choose between a small handful of candidates, carefully curated by the political
parties. The candidates might be opposing sides, but it is still the same coin.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Another pause for an interaction with a
shopkeeper. Luis’s arguments really did seem reasonable, and crime was more
controlled in Ixtapa than in the villages elsewhere, where the Templarios
didn’t have business interests.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What about the villages?” Nicolas raised
the question once they were walking again.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What about them?” Luis stopped and gave
his full attention to Nicolas.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“They don’t get help from you.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Not so, my young friend.” Luis wagged a
finger. “Some do, and some do not. Again, I reiterate, this is the nature of
business. The villages that produce for us receive services from us. The villages
that don’t, don’t.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“That doesn’t seem fair.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What doesn’t seem fair––that those who
don’t pay for services don’t get services? You think the government is fairer?
They take from everyone and give nothing in return. Is that better?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“They build stuff,” Nicolas disagreed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“For themselves, and for their friends. El
Presidente for instance, he lives in a very nice home, goes on vacations to
exotic countries, drives his cars on paved streets—are the streets in front of
your home paved, Nicolas?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Luis already knew Nicolas lived on a
packed dirt road. There was no need to respond to the question.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“No, Nicolas, we at least operate on
principles of sound business. We do that which improves profitability, not that
which buys votes.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas was silent. Luis made sense. Maybe
everyone was better off with the Templarios in charge, or at least more people
were better off.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“That’s the end of this street,” Luis
announced. “You remember the shops we collected from?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas bobbed his head affirmatively.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Good, I will walk with you next week, but
you will take the collections. After that, this street will be your
responsibility. Here is your payment.” Luis extracted a few bills and offered
them to Nicolas.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“So that’s it then?” Nicolas asked.
“That’s all I have to do?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“For now.” Luis nodded. “You will be given
other responsibilities in the future, but for now, collect this street each
weekend, deliver it to me—I’ll show you where next week––and collect your
earnings.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Luis’ SUV pulled to the curb and stopped. One
of the thugs from before, sitting in the passenger seat, got out and opened the
rear door for him.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Luis stepped one foot into the SUV, then
paused, turning his head to look at Nicolas.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Did any of your friends wish to work for
us as well?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Some might. I haven’t checked for sure.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Well, if they decide, let me know and we
will find work for them.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Luis climbed into the SUV. The thug closed
the door, then got back into the passenger seat.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">As the SUV pulled away, Nicolas stared at
the money in his hand; he had made close to half as much in an afternoon as his
father made working all week.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Glancing around nervously, he slipped the
money into his pocket. He pulled out his phone and dialed Oscar’s number as he
fairly skipped back down the street to his scooter.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yeah,” Oscar grunted.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Oscar, where you at?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“With Gaspar, at his dad’s shop.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Javier with you?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“No, he’s running a few errands for one of
the other shopkeepers.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Call him for me and figure out when we can
all get together for lunch. We’re going someplace nice. I’m buying.” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas ended the call without waiting for
a response.<o:p></o:p></p>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-36839543611513766672023-10-06T11:39:00.002-07:002023-11-01T10:41:11.927-07:00Nicolas: A MissTaken Story - Ch2<p> (<a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/11/nicolas-misstaken-story.html">Landing page</a> with info and list of sample chapters)</p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Chapter 2</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">The week passed quickly—much too
quickly. The boys mostly avoided each other, and when they were together, they
talked very little. They didn’t want to talk about the Templarios, but that
weighed so heavily on their minds that they couldn’t think of anything else to
talk about.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The call came on Thursday morning, one
week to the hour since the abandoned heist.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Hello?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Nicolas, have you made your decision?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“My friends don’t have to join, and you
will leave them alone so long as I join?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“You have my word.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas exhaled. “Okay, I’ll do it.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“An excellent decision. Please, go
outside.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas frowned. “You mean my front yard?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yes.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Puzzled, Nicolas strode through the front room
and opened the door. He stepped onto the small porch, paused to look around,
then closed the door and walked to the middle of the yard.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The Mercedes SUV drove in front of his
house and stopped. A Vespa scooter stopped directly behind it. He recognized
the driver of the scooter as one of the goons with Luis that day—he parked the
scooter and stepped off.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas glanced around guiltily. He was
glad his family were all elsewhere that morning. His younger sister, Inés, was
participating in a cultural activity, and the rest of the family had gone
together to watch. Nicolas got out of attending by feigning a stomachache. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The window on the rear door of the SUV
rolled down, exposing Luis’ beaming face.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What do you want?” Nicolas asked warily.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Just bringing you a gift.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The thug who had driven the scooter held
out his closed hand. Nicolas stared at his hand but didn’t move.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Here you go.” The thug extended his hand
closer to Nicolas.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What is it?” Nicolas leaned back
uncertainly.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Key to your scooter.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas stared blankly at the thug.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“You need your own transportation,” Luis
explained.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The thug grabbed Nicolas’s hand, turned it
palm up and dropped the key. He closed Nicolas’s fingers around the key and
released his hand. Scowling and shaking his head, he opened the passenger door
and entered the SUV.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Be in Ixtapa before noon, Saturday,” Luis
directed. “I will call you with your assignment then.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What am I supposed to tell my parents
about this?” Nicolas gestured toward the scooter.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Tell them whatever you wish. Tell them it
is a gift from a friend.” Luis continued to smile at Nicolas as the tinted
window closed. The SUV drove away, leaving Nicolas standing alone in his yard.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas frowned. They knew where he lived.
How did they know? How much did they know about him? About his family? His parents
wouldn’t approve of his decision. He was planning to keep it a secret—at least
for now. But if they were just going to show up whenever they felt like it … <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">His phone rang, pulling him from his
thoughts.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“<i>Hola</i>.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Hey, it’s Oscar.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Hey, Oscar, what’s up?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Have you heard anything yet?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yeah.” Nicolas looked around guiltily,
fearing someone might be eavesdropping on the conversation. “They just left a
few minutes ago.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“And?” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“And what?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What did you say?” Oscar’s voice was
tinged with impatience.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“I said yes.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Oscar whistled softly. “For all of us?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“No, just me. I can’t make a decision like
that for the rest of you.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“I told you I got your back.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yeah, I know. But still.” Nicolas shifted
nervously. “You wanna go for a ride?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“A ride?” Oscar sounded puzzled.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“You home?” Nicolas climbed on the
scooter.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yeah.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“I’ll be there in a couple hours.” Nicolas
ended the call and started the scooter.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The drive from Ixlayotla to Ixtapa was
thrilling. Nicolas had been on a motorcycle once before, with his father. His
father had taught him how to drive it. The scooter was similar enough, and he
quickly grew comfortable with its controls and handling.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas drove faster than was prudent on
the winding dirt road leading out of the mountains and to the paved two-lane
road, which followed the shoreline south and east to Ixtapa.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">He thrilled to the rush of the wind in his
face and blurred scenery rushing by. Rather than reduce his speed, he cut the
corners on the tight bends. Halfway through one particularly sharp turn, he
came face to face with an oncoming car. He swung right, narrowly missing
clipping the car’s fender. He was pretty sure that, had there not been a
windshield between him and the driver of the car, he could have leaned over and
kissed the terrified woman on the cheek.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The tires of the scooter skidded on the
dirt road as Nicolas swerved to the left just beyond the car, to avoid flying off
the road and down into the ravine on the right-hand side.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">As he regained control of the scooter, he
noticed the slight adrenaline tremble in his hands. Laughing, he opened the
throttle wide again.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The dirt road wound out of the mountains
and on to the flat strip of land between the mountains and the ocean. It ended
roughly three kilometers from the coast, dumping onto the paved road that
followed the coastline. He covered the distance in just barely over an hour,
ten minutes or so faster than his family had ever driven it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">A little less than an hour to go. Nicolas grinned;
maybe a lot less.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The scenery along the road was drab and
dreary, consisting mostly of dry, yellow grasses and small scrubby brush with intermittent
clusters of feeble-looking deciduous trees, or lines of sickly palm trees. Occasionally,
the drabness of the natural landscape was interrupted by a dilapidated building,
accented by crumbling stone and random graffiti.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas despised this road. He despised
the small town he lived in. It was only lush and green for a few brief months, during
the rainy season. The rest of the time it was dry and barren, a miserable,
boring wasteland.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">He despised the slow, boring life in the
town. The relatively small number of students in his school and their backward,
country-bumpkin way of doing things. He longed for the excitement and energy of
the big city––that and the many luxuries available there: the beaches, the
swimming pools, the dazzling array of restaurants and clubs, the sophisticated
people, the lights, and the energy. Oh, how he longed for that. He sighed as he
continued along the road, impatiently racing around an old rusty automobile
making its way southward. He stared disdainfully at the old man inside, barely
able to see over the steering wheel. Why was that old fool still allowed to
drive? He was a hazard, puttering along so slowly.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas shook his head and sped on. As he
approached the city of Pantla, he slowed. Only a few kilometers more to Ixtapa.
There were more cars on the road, and he was more likely to run into <i>polic</i><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">í</span>a</i>. Technically, he
was still on a limited driving permit for one more year. Best not to draw
attention.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Minutes later, Nicolas arrived at Oscar’s
house on the outskirts of Ixtapa. Oscar was outside, sitting on a chair in the
shade of the small porch. Nicolas pulled up in front of the house and Oscar
jumped up, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. He crept toward the street as
Nicolas stopped, then cut the engine.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What do you think?” Nicolas glanced from
Oscar to the scooter, then back to Oscar.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Oscar scowled. “Where did you get that?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“From the Templarios.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Oscar stared at the scooter in disbelief,
examining every inch. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“They just gave it to you?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yeah, said I needed a way to commute to
Ixtapa.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“You haven’t even started working yet and
they gave you a scooter?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yeah.” Nicolas responded with a single
nod. “Wanna go for a ride?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Sure.” Oscar shrugged noncommittally, but
his eyes glimmered with eager anticipation.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The two boys drove to the pier, and then
south on a road that followed the ocean, winding through a lush canopy of trees,
finally stopping in a small parking lot next to a heavily forested area. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Hiking a winding trail, they dropped
through the forest to a secluded beach. It was a narrow strip of sand, bordered
on either side by rocky structures which rose from the ocean and disappeared
into the heavy green growth of the forest. The whole of the beach was shaded by
a thick canopy of trees. The area was void of activity, save for two young
families playing with their children near the lapping waves.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“When do you start working for them?” Oscar
queried as the two strolled through the sand down to the water’s edge.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Next weekend.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Just weekends then. He’s not gonna make
you drop school?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“I don’t think so.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What’s he gonna make you do?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas shook his head. “I don’t know.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Smuggle drugs?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Probably not.” Nicolas squinted. “I mean,
we’re too far from the border, right?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Yeah, I guess so.” Oscar frowned, then his
eyes lit up. “Do the Templarios have a drug farm near your place? Maybe he’s
gonna have you bring product to Ixtapa.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“On a scooter?” Nicolas looked skeptically
at Oscar.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Oh, yeah.” Oscar’s eyes fell. “Well,
shoot. What else could they have you doing?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“No idea.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The two stared silently at the ocean for a
moment.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Okay.” Oscar finally broke the silence.
“What time do we start?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“We?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yeah, we. I can’t have your back if I’m
not there.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas grinned. “It’s just me next weekend,
let me find out what’s going on before I drag us both into it.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Well,” Oscar dragged the word out, “okay,
but try and keep your cool. I know how you tend to fall apart under pressure.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas snorted and playfully punched
Oscar in the arm. Oscar snickered.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas grew somber as he stared out at
the water again.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Why?” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas turned an uncertain gaze to Oscar.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Why didn’t they just … you know …”
Nicolas drew a finger across his throat.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Oscar rubbed his chin. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“You’re pretty smart, Nicolas. Look at the
way you handled last weekend. You saw it coming, and you kept us out of jail.
You’re the one that came up with all the plans. Me, Javier, Gaspar, we’re just
the muscle.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Ow!” Nicolas flinched as Oscar punched
his shoulder.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“We probably should get going.” Oscar
peered at the sky. “Your mom will have a whole litter of kittens if you’re not
home by dark.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas rolled his eyes and grunted. He
turned his head to steal one last peek at the ocean as he followed Oscar into
the dense vegetation.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Speaking of your mom,” Oscar pushed a
low-hanging branch out of his way, “what does she think of all this?” He
released the branch, allowing it to whip back.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas threw his arms up just in time to
avoid getting slapped in the face by the thin branch. He scowled at Oscar. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“She doesn’t know about any of this, and
she’s not going to know about any of it.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Oscar turned his head, furrowing his brow.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“How exactly are you going to keep the
scooter a secret?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“I don’t know.” Nicolas shrugged. “I guess
she’ll know about that, just not anything else. I’ll tell her it was a gift
from a friend or something.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Right,” Oscar snorted, “because you have so
many friends with pockets full of money and more scooters than they can fit in
their giant garages. Hey!” Oscar stumbled as Nicolas successfully kicked the
bottom of his shoe mid-stride.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Hey yerself.” Nicolas smirked
triumphantly.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“You can be such a punk sometimes.” Oscar
shook his head, smiling.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 17pt;">***<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in;">Nicolas dropped Oscar at his house, then made the return
drive to his own home, arriving just as the sun was setting.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“I’m home,” Nicolas announced as he
entered the house. His mother entered the living room from the kitchen,
scowling.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Where have you been?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“I went to hang out with Oscar.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“How did you get there?” She looked out
the window. “What is that?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“It’s a scooter.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Were did it come from?” She placed her
hands on her hips.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“It’s a gift from a friend,” Nicolas
responded lamely.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Who?” his mother demanded.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Uhm, I got a job, for a private courier
company. I am delivering packages for them. They gave me the scooter to do
that.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What is the name of this company?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Mamá</span>,”
Nicolas whined, “I don’t know, it’s just a guy.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Who?” his mother persisted.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Luis, Luis Arroya.” Nicolas figured there
was no sense making up a name. Maybe Luis would be willing to support his cover
story. His mother continued to scowl suspiciously. Finally, with a huff, she
turned and went back to the kitchen. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“You’re late for dinner. Everyone has
already eaten. There is still beans and rice in the pot, you can have that.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas breathed a sigh of relief, though
he doubted this was over. She was so overprotective! Didn’t she realize he was
almost an adult now?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Can you give me a ride?” Leticia, his
twelve-year-old sister sitting quietly in the corner of the room, had gone unnoticed
throughout the conversation with his mother.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Okay.” Nicolas smiled. “But just around
the block.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Leticia grinned, then jumped to her feet
and raced outside.<o:p></o:p></p>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-51602619390445402762023-09-29T06:09:00.005-07:002023-11-01T10:40:12.685-07:00Nicolas: A MissTaken Story - Ch1<p><br /></p><p>(<a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/11/nicolas-misstaken-story.html">Landing page</a> with info and list of sample chapters)</p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Chapter 1</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Nicolas Mora remembered vividly the
first time he stole anything. He was twelve years old, and his family had
traveled to Ixtapa to visit friends. The Mora family usually spent two or three
weekends every summer visiting old friends in Ixtapa. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">He had gone out one evening with a group
of boys and no real plans, just to roam the streets and watch the tourists. It
was spring break and Ixtapa was packed with American youth.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">They had come across two American girls
who were wandering the streets together, dressed in clubbing clothes. The girls
were a bit tipsy, but not ready to call it a night. Their own funds must have
run short, as they were stopping various boys, offering to make out with them
in exchange for alcohol.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">They found two willing young American men
and slipped into a side street to commence the exchange. Nicolas and his
friends slunk after the four teens, keeping to the shadows.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The Americans stopped near the back door
of one of the clubs. The girls placed their small handbags on the lid of a
garbage can and paired off with the two boys.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Nicolas, I dare you to go steal one of
those purses.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What?” Nicolas scowled. “No.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Chicken.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“No, I’m not.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Then do it.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Fine, I will.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">One of the boys gave Nicolas a push, and
he slipped from their hiding place, behind some boxes. He padded forward,
watching the two couples warily. It seemed to him a sort of duel was
underway—the boys’ hands roaming, pressing every advantage in an effort to
expand the scope of what was permissible while the girls attempted to contain
and constrain the boys’ wandering hands, striving to maintain a boundary, but
without doing anything that might cause the boys to get upset and renege on the
deal.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">There had been a certain thrill to it, he
recalled, an excitement. A heightened sense of alertness as he approached.
Expecting at any moment to be seen, devising and adjusting an escape plan with
each step. It seemed he could feel every irregularity, every pebble through the
soles of his shoes. His nostrils were assaulted by the alley’s lingering scents
of teenage sweat, stale urine, cheap perfume and cheaper alcohol. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">He focused his ears on the sounds of the
couples, listening for any indication the semi-amorous engagement was breaking.
He ignored the muffled cacophony of dance music, drifting and mingling from
various nearby clubs. His skin prickled in the hot, humid night air as he crept
closer.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The ‘duel’ kept the two couples sufficiently
occupied for Nicolas to tiptoe to the garbage can unnoticed. He gripped both
handbags, lifted them carefully, then turned and retreated as rapidly as he
could while keeping his footfalls silent. He returned to his friends, holding
up the evidence of his bravado for all to see.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">At that time, Nicolas concluded either the
girls had a different definition of ‘not enough money,’ or they were lying.
Between the two handbags, the boys collected just under a hundred American
dollars. That was more money than his father made in a month!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">In addition to the thrill he experienced,
he had felt a twinge of guilt back then. He had almost felt sorry for the two
girls—had worried about how losing the contents of their bags had affected
them.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">But no longer. Now, at age seventeen, he
felt contempt for the Americans as he walked along the street, looking for an
easy target. They were spoiled brats who came to Mexico, flaunted their money, partied
in the streets with no regard for the locals, and left behind a mass of debris;
cans, bottles and plastic bags. Misplaced shirts, pants and sandals. The side
streets reeked of refuse and vomit.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The Americans were disgusting pigs. They
were also easy money for a few days every year.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">It was easier now he and his friends were
old enough to take jobs. The four of them would be hired as part-time help with
the local shops. Gaspar’s father owned a small shop near the beach, which gave
them an ‘in.’ They would deliver supplies, organize inventory, and sweep sidewalks
during the day, which would accustom the police to seeing them and lower their suspicion.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Of course, the police weren’t the only
concern. Spring break was lucrative for the Templario cartel, through money
they skimmed from the legitimate businesses as well as what they acquired
through the sale of illicit drugs and prostitution. They also utilized spring
break as an opportunity to find new channels for drug distribution in the
United States. The Templarios had a vested interest in ensuring theft and
violent crime were absent in the areas the spring breakers visited, and more
than a few rumors circulated of petty criminals being beaten to death or
beheaded.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas and his friends were very careful.
They worked together to select only a few targets each year. They had become
familiar enough with clothing brands to be able to profile for wealth, and they
prioritized middle-class females, which was the sweet spot for higher
probability of a decent amount of cash, and lower probability of raising an
alarm. Younger high school girls were particularly good targets, since they
were typically there on Daddy’s money and therefore didn’t feel the loss
personally. Also, since they were usually using fake IDs to get alcohol, and to
get into clubs, they were even less inclined to report anything.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas coordinated the activities of his friends
as they identified potential targets, and then took turns tailing them. He’d
work out a strategy to make the grab, his friends would execute the plan, and
they’d split the loot. They’d limit themselves to six or seven targets a year
total. They weren’t getting rich by any means, but a week’s work could net them
the equivalent of several months’ salary.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">And there was still the thrill of it. Even
greater now than the first time. The hunting, the planning, the dynamic, fluid
nature of the plans, as the people and environment shifted and changed. On the
fly adaptation to maintain stealth, to outwit the police, and the victims.
Nicolas loved the rush far more than the money.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas was currently following an
especially promising target. She was a high school senior from Scottsdale,
Arizona, here with a half-dozen girlfriends. Gaspar had discovered her the
previous afternoon, talking loudly to attract attention to herself, and
flashing large quantities of cash to impress her friends.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Gaspar had followed them to their hotel
and waited for them, but when they came back out that evening, they weren’t
carrying their beach bags. Most likely they had their cash—and fake IDs—in the
pockets of their denim shorts.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas had picked them up this morning as
they left the hotel dressed in bikinis, their beach bags once again in tow. The
one girl definitely stood out from the others. She was loud, she spoke over the
other girls, and her voice was gratingly nasal. Her daddy had to be loaded.
Money was the only reason Nicolas could think of for the other girls to put up
with her. They were nearly clear of the shops leading to the beach when Nicolas
pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“<i>S</i><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">í</span></i>,” came the voice of Javier.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Photoshoot.” Nicolas spoke softly. “They’re
heading right to you. Maybe three more minutes and you’ll see them.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“<i>S</i><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">í</span></i>,” Javier responded. Nicolas tapped the button
to end the call and dropped the phone back into his pocket.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">It was a well-rehearsed strategy. Javier
and Oscar would ‘bump into’ the girls. Javier would be very charming and would
offer to take a photo of the girls together. They would accept the offer
immediately because such girls were vain, and always wanted their picture
taken. Oscar would hold their bags for them while Javier took several pictures.
Nicolas would then slip next to Oscar while the girls were distracted and
extract the handbag from the target’s beach bag. He would move on while Javier
finished his photoshoot, effusively complimenting the girls on their beauty. Oscar
would return the bags, and the two young men would say their goodbyes and slip
away. The girls were already past the shops, so an impulse purchase was
unlikely, and there weren’t many reasons to pull their money out on the beach,
so they probably wouldn’t notice anything missing for several minutes, if not
hours, and several more encounters.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas slowed his pace, widening the gap
between himself and the girls, giving sufficient room to allow Javier and Oscar
to set the trap as he approached.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“<i>Buenos dias, se</i><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ñ</span>oritas</i>!” Javier’s
voice carried as he engaged the girls. Nicolas paused briefly in front of a
shop, examining a small bauble with feigned interest. He strained his ears,
listening to the giggling of the girls, as Javier engaged them with his
flattery.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Javier—by far the most charismatic of the
four—was usually the one to do the approaches. He was trim and well groomed,
with a perfectly proportioned face, and his complexion was the lightest of the
boys, allowing him to blend in with the American teens, yet still dark enough
to appear exotic, intriguing. He stood nearly a head higher than the other
three, who were all close to the same height and build, Gaspar being the shortest
by one or two centimeters.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Gaspar was the best of the four at finding
targets. Gaspar’s slightly diminutive stature and appearance gave him the
ability to go unnoticed by the party-going teens. He had just a hint of
roundness in his face and midsection, giving him a cute little-brother vibe. His
complexion was also the darkest, his features displaying his Aztec heritage. The
sum effect was, he was just interesting enough to not be shunned, but not so
interesting as to attract attention. The perfect shadow. He would find the
marks, then leave the rest to the other three.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Oh yes, please, let me take your picture
for you. My <i>amigo</i> can hold your bags.” That was Nicolas’s cue. He
returned the bauble to its place and continued his stroll toward the group. He
ran a hand through his wavy, dark hair, careful not to fix his gaze on Oscar as
he approached.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Ironically Oscar, whose toned, muscular
physique made him the perfect candidate to attract girls, was uncomfortably
awkward around them. He stood with the half-dozen bags on his arms, and an
expression that might be irritation, or boredom. His eyes were focused intently
on a rock near his feet. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Oh yeah, that’s nice.” Javier encouraged
the girls as they struck various poses. “Very sexy.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas casually scanned the area as he
approached Oscar. He stiffened, his heart jumping. He forced himself to remain
expressionless, and he continued forward, undeterred.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Abort,” Nicolas murmured to Oscar as he
passed by, not stopping. Oscar’s eyes flashed up briefly, then returned to the rock.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“<i>Que pasa</i>?” Oscar’s lips barely
moved.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“<i>Polic</i><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">í</span>a</i>,” Nicolas replied, glancing again to the three
policemen unobtrusively watching the exchange. He continued past Oscar and
sauntered down the street, throwing a curious glance at the posing, giggling girls
before rounding a corner and melting into the crowd.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“That was very smooth.” A baritone voice
next to Nicolas startled him. He quickly regained his composure as he turned an
innocent, confused face toward the voice. A middle-aged man with sharp eyes and
a disarming smile was walking next to him.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“I’m sorry?” Nicolas asked, his brow
furrowed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“The way you handled that—the way you
adapted—that was very smooth.” The man gave a half-nod. “Very impressive.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas shook his head. “I don’t know what
you are talking about.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“You and I need to talk.” The man’s gaze lingered
on Nicolas’s face for a moment. “Please, follow me.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Two burly men seemed to appear out of thin
air from the crowd, one on either side, and slightly behind Nicolas. Nicolas’s
throat tightened. These had to be Templarios. He swallowed against the wave of
fear welling up inside him. Glancing around quickly, he looked for an escape
route. A giant heavy hand closed on his shoulder.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Don’t try it.” A gruff voice spoke quietly
in his ear.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas glanced back to his friends. The policemen
were questioning them.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Oh, my apologies.” The man spoke, observing
Nicolas. “You, of course, are concerned for your associates. We can wait until
the police are done with them.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The police were searching the two boys
fruitlessly, with increasing frustration. Finally, after several more minutes
of interrogation, the police threw their hands up in surrender and sent the two
young men away.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Ah, all is well, then.” The man smiled.
“Now, back to our business, if you please.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The man continued up the street, and Nicolas
followed at the prompting of the two men flanking him. They continued through
the streets for a few minutes more, until they were clear of the crowds of raucous
teenagers.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">As they walked toward an SUV bearing the
Mercedes logo, a man exited from the driver’s seat and walked around the
vehicle to open the rear door for the man, who slid into the seat, then
beckoned to Nicolas.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Please join me,” the man said it as
though it was a polite invitation. A glance at the ever-present thugs barring
his escape made it clear the invitation could not be refused. Nicolas let out a
sigh as he climbed onto the seat next to the man.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What is your name, young man?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas hesitated. Should he give a fake
name? Something in the man’s eyes suggested he already knew. Nicolas’s
shoulders slumped.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Nicolas,” he replied, “Nicolas Mora.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Nicolas,” the man repeated, “pleasure to
meet you. I am Luis Arroya. I oversee the interests of the Templarios in
Ixtapa.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas swallowed hard. He had already
guessed these men were Templarios, but hearing it confirmed was more than
unsettling.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“You see …” Luis turned his gaze to the
city, “… Ixtapa is important to the Templarios. The value it generates is quite
high. Its value comes from the many visitors it receives. The more, the better.
Visitors come here because they feel safe.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Luis focused once again on Nicolas, his
eyes narrowing as his expression hardened. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Crime, even petty crimes, erode that
sense of safety. So, you see, the Templarios take crime in Ixtapa very
seriously.” Luis’s expression softened once more as he returned his attention
to the window. “Usually, in a case like this, we simply collect the offenders,
and …” he paused ominously, “… make them disappear.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas shifted in his seat, his eyes
darting, frantically searching for a way to escape.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Your case is an exception.” Luis’s genial
smile returned. “You are a very sharp young man, very observant and organized.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“You know, we intended to have you and
your friends arrested, and come talk to you in your jail cell. But you,” Luis chuckled
softly and wagged his finger, “you saw the trap and cleverly wriggled out of
it.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Luis leaned over, placing a hand on Nicolas’s
knee. “To be truthful, it was a chance stroke of luck that we even became aware
of you. Talent like yours shouldn’t be wasted, Nicolas, which is why we want to
recruit you.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas stared down at his lap, his brows knitted
as he chewed his lower lip.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What will I have to do?” Nicolas looked
up.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Oh, various tasks: deliver messages and
packages, coordinate activities of small groups. In time, you might be groomed
for a leadership position in the organization. As I said, talent like yours
should not be wasted.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“If I refuse?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Well.” Luis shrugged. “If that is your
choice, that is your choice I suppose. Naturally, you and your friends’
activities will no longer be permitted.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“They have to join also?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“You are welcome to invite them, but no,
they are not required. You and they may continue your present activities
unmolested, as long as you work for us, and so long as they continue to be unobtrusive
and restricted.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas stared down at the floor again. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“If we had been arrested, and I refused,
what would have happened?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Luis grinned. “You would have remained in jail
to serve your sentence.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The two sat in silence for a minute, as
Nicolas mulled the offer over.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“You don’t have to decide right now. Take
some time to consider, discuss it with your friends if you wish.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">As if on some prearranged cue, one of the
men guarding the vehicle opened the door, then stood aside to allow Nicolas to
exit.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Here, take these.” Luis extended his hand
to Nicolas, offering him a small booklet and a cell phone. “The book is the
code of the Templarios. You should read it, make sure you understand it.
Breaking the code is punishable by death.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas examined the booklet. It was small,
only a dozen pages, and could easily fit in his pocket. The cover was decorated
with knights on horseback, each with a lance at the ready, and a cross in their
free hand.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Luis gestured to the phone. “I’ll call you
in a week to discuss your decision.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas took the book and phone and slid
out of the vehicle. The driver and the other two men entered the SUV, then the
engine purred to life, and the vehicle pulled away from the curb. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas stood still, watching until the
SUV was out of sight. He stared down at the phone in his hand for another
minute, then slipped it into his pocket. He removed his own phone and dialed
Oscar’s number.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Hello?” Oscar’s voice was tentative.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“It’s me.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Oscar breathed out explosively. “Where are
you, man? Is everything okay? We were going to call you when we couldn’t find you,
but we didn’t know if you were caught, or on the run, or hiding or something.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“I’m fine, meet me at the shop. We need to
talk.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“We’ll be there in five minutes.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas ended the call and returned the
phone to his pocket. He mulled the conversation over as he walked. How had they
found out? He and his friends had been so careful. What had they missed?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Would Luis really let him refuse and just
walk away?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">What kinds of ‘various activities’ would
he be expected to do? Petty theft was one thing, but what if they wanted him to
smuggle drugs? Or kill someone? Nicolas shuddered at that thought.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">He’d seen some guys he knew were
Templarios once. They had money. Lots of it. The things he could do for his
family—new clothes, new cars, as much food as they could eat ….<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The others were already at the shop when
Nicolas arrived, watching him closely as he approached, looking for any
indication that a trap might be set for them. This was the first time they had
been caught––almost been caught. They were understandably on edge.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What’s up, man?” Javier questioned, “Did
the police grab you?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Nicolas shook his head. “Templarios.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Eyes widened in surprise, and Gaspar swore
under his breath. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Templarios? Are you sure?” Oscar frowned.
“How’d you get away?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“They let me go.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What?” Gaspar raised his brows. “Why?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“They want me to work for them. They gave
me a week to consider it. They said you guys could come too. If we say no, we
gotta shut down our operation.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">Oscar snorted. “Do you believe them? That
they will let us say no, I mean.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“I don’t know, I think so. You guys at
least, I’m pretty sure you can say no. Not so sure they’ll let me walk away.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Whatever you decide, man.” Oscar gripped
Nicolas’s shoulder. “I got your back.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Whoa.” Gaspar shook his head. “I don’t
know, man, I mean, stealing a little cash from stupid <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">gringas</i> is one thing, but you’re talking big time here. Career
criminal stuff.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yeah,” Nicolas affirmed. “It could be bad
stuff. Might be good money too. They do have a code of conduct, so maybe not so
bad.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Really?” Oscar raised an eyebrow.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Yeah, I read through it on my way here.
They talk about the European Knights Templar a lot, like, it used to be their
code or something. You swear to help the poor and fight against materialism, and
to never kill for money. You gotta be respectful to women and children and
protect the helpless.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“That doesn’t sound bad,” Javier said, “in
fact, that all sounds really good.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Oh, and you can’t use drugs.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“What?” Gaspar leaned forward. “Don’t they
sell drugs?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“I think so.” Nicolas furrowed his brow. “I
guess I don’t know for sure, but the book says they will test you for drug use,
and if they catch you …” Nicolas drew a finger across his throat.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“If we can walk away from it, I think we
should.” Gaspar spoke resolutely.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Easy choice for you,” Javier huffed. “You
got money. You do this stuff for the thrill. Me? My father can’t work, and my mother
only gets a few pesos a week doing odd jobs. The cash we get from spring break
helps feed my family. No offense, man.” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“No.” Gaspar sighed. “I get it.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“We got a week to think it over,” Nicolas
reminded the others. “Maybe longer for you guys. And we don’t all have to give
the same answer.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">The four boys stood together silently,
staring at the ground.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: 17pt;">“Well, today’s done,” Nicolas finally
spoke. He inclined his head toward Gaspar. “We should go see if your dad needs
any help.”<o:p></o:p></p>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-51662837966939094252023-09-15T21:24:00.006-07:002023-11-01T10:58:29.562-07:00Nicolas: Author Note<p>Dear reader,</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">A few days after I released my first novel, <i>MissTaken</i>, I was told by several people
that they loved the story, but there was one character in particular—Nicolas—they
wanted to know more about. Roughly a week later, I woke up at two in the
morning, and his story just flashed through my mind. I furiously scribbled
notes before it faded from memory, then set to work writing.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">I am delighted to now present to you, <i>Nicolas: A MissTaken Story</i>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">This story occurs over roughly the same timeline as the
first book, but through the eyes of Nicolas. While I have attempted to make
this story stand on its own, I do think reading <i>MissTaken</i> first will improve the clarity and make it a more enjoyable
experience.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">For those who have read <i>MissTaken</i>,
I will note this story is a bit darker in tone, owing to the perspective of the
protagonist. It delves more deeply into the world of trafficking, though I have
worked hard to do so in a way that is tasteful.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">I am writing this note just a few days after watching <i>Sound of Freedom</i>, a movie based on the
story of Tim Ballard and his efforts to combat human trafficking. It has reignited
in me a desire to do something, to help in some small way; to shed some light
on this contemporary issue.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">It is nearly 160 years since the end of the American Civil War,
which many see as the “end of slavery”. Yet today, there are an estimated
thirty to fifty million slaves worldwide (0.5 to 5 million in the US). That’s
three to five times the total number of slaves brought to the US during the
entirety of the transatlantic slave trade. It is estimated that roughly
thirteen to twenty percent of present-day slaves are children.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">While this story is a work of fiction, most of the concepts
surrounding slavery and trafficking are founded in reality, based on
information shared with me by people from Central and South America, who have
witnessed its horrors. It is a very real, very sobering problem. One which
needs more attention, more sincere effort to resolve. Nobody should live in
bondage.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">It is my hope that this novel—in addition to being an
enjoyable story—will help to create awareness, and perhaps to inspire others to
become more involved in whatever way they can.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">As a small step on my part, I am committing twenty percent
of the profits from the sale of this book to one or more organizations
dedicated to fighting and preventing human trafficking, and to helping its
victims.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Thank you for your support and enjoy <i>Nicolas: A MissTaken Story</i>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">Edwin Philips<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">(<a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/11/nicolas-misstaken-story.html">Back to Landing Page</a> for Nicolas: A MissTaken Story)</p>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-44518858989183749942023-09-15T20:53:00.014-07:002023-11-01T07:31:50.239-07:00Nicolas: A MissTaken Story<p> This is my landing page for <i>Nicolas: A MissTaken Story</i>. </p><p>Note: Contents are subject to change.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>My author page on Amazon: <a href="https://amazon.com/author/ecphilips" target="_blank">https://amazon.com/author/ecphilips</a> </p><p>I also have an author page on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22950428.Edwin_Philips?from_search=true&from_srp=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2022/03/misstaken.html" target="_blank">MissTaken</a> Landing Page (Where it all began).</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Nicolas: A MissTaken Story</span></b></p><p><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/09/nicholas-author-note.html">Preface</a> (A note from the author)</p><p><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/09/nicholas-misstaken-story-ch1.html">Chapter 1</a></p><p><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/10/nicholas-misstaken-story-ch2.html">Chapter 2</a></p><p><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/10/nicholas-misstaken-story-ch3.html">Chapter 3</a> </p><p><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/10/nicholas-misstaken-story-ch4.html">Chapter 4</a></p><p><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/10/nicholas-misstaken-story-ch5.html">Chapter 5</a></p><p>Chapter 6 - coming soon</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>27 Oct 2023</b> - Front cover design has been selected! Hope to have the final full cover soon! Looking like I will be able to publish in November. I should be able to add the cover to this page next week, when I upload chapter 6. 😀</p><p><br /></p><p><b>12 Oct 2023</b> - Typesetting is complete. Hopefully the Cover will be my birthday present... </p><p><br /></p><p><b>6 Oct 2023</b> - Typesetting is in process now. :-) Still no cover design :-(</p><p><br /></p><p><b>29 Sep 2023</b> - The final proof is back in my hands! Aiming to get it ready for Typesetting by the middle of October. I am very anxious to see the first draft of the cover. Hopefully it will be ready soon.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>15 Sep 2023</b> - My second book is nearly ready to publish! The manuscript is out for final proof and should be back in my hands at the end of this month or early next month. Cover design is in process, and hopefully the cover will be adorning this page next month. Looking promising to be published before the end of the year.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-58506063497667942052023-09-04T18:22:00.004-07:002023-09-21T13:55:54.561-07:00Capitalism vs Communism: A Different Perspective<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgymHxe2ZkuZ_ZJv-cFtx-5LJcTnXrhNRtuNwq5Hmhjf7SPAzkbLavyDDg97QE8x83ABaTkMSNj_lYr6h2OeQVYgblXaDSTEZoxm3PFztosKpYQniUMGWaUweX_c8qI9bjwE3YWnGjRKcpLTac2yYXH30yk3dmNiOak8z9k6r3aRk_tqx6Mi79pTskERgM/s1543/Capitalism_v_Communism_0.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1087" data-original-width="1543" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgymHxe2ZkuZ_ZJv-cFtx-5LJcTnXrhNRtuNwq5Hmhjf7SPAzkbLavyDDg97QE8x83ABaTkMSNj_lYr6h2OeQVYgblXaDSTEZoxm3PFztosKpYQniUMGWaUweX_c8qI9bjwE3YWnGjRKcpLTac2yYXH30yk3dmNiOak8z9k6r3aRk_tqx6Mi79pTskERgM/w282-h198/Capitalism_v_Communism_0.png" width="282" /></a></div><p>Capitalism vs communism has been a long-standing point of contention for many decades. I wonder however, if the debate is not misdirected.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I think it best to begin with a bit of history.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The concept of capitalism is generally attributed to Adam Smith - a Scottish economist who published a series of books in the late 1770's, analyzing the nature and causes of the wealth of nations.</p><p>Adam Smith's Theory was that - in the absence of war, resource deficits, or poor governing policies - human economics would evolve naturally through four stages:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Primitive hunting</li><li>Agricultural Nomads</li><li>Agricultural Feudalism</li><li>Commercial Interdependence.</li></ol><p></p><p>The final stage being the 'utopian vision'. </p><p>His observations supporting this were derived from the '14th century crisis'. A combination of wars and famine, followed by the Black Death, caused a severe population decline. This left the great feudal manors with a deficit of serfs to manage their lands. To overcome this, manors would offer increased wages to tenant farmers, to poach them from other manors or entice them from towns. (Note: This seems counter to Smith's model, as it was a combination of war and deficit which caused the transition from Feudalism to Commercial Interdependence.)</p><p>This model became the standard for 17th century economics. The key characteristic (lending to its name) was the idea that, rather than using accumulated wealth (capital) to build monuments (statues, cathedrals, pyramids, etc..), one would use that capital to improve the means of production, thereby raising the standard of living for all.</p><p>Smith believed this would occur and regulate naturally, according to our own "better natures". He specifically argued against civil intervention, as such government institutions tend to protect the rich to the detriment of the poor.</p><p>Smith did note one key flaw in the model; the potential for one, or a small group of individuals to accumulate a monopoly position. He opposed that, though it is not clear (to me at least), how he thought to control for that. Perhaps - relying on humans' "better natures" - he anticipated we would "naturally" choose to prevent the rise of monopoly powers.</p><p>Alas, he overlooked our silly ability to conflate disconnected themes - such as wealth and righteousness (which became a popular concept during the protestant reformation era and allowed 'pious' people to justify hoarding their wealth and ignoring the needy on the grounds that the needy were getting what they deserved for their unrighteous behaviors). He also had not considered in his equation, the industrial revolution, and the displacement of human labor by machines.</p><p><br /></p><p>Communism was, in many ways, Karl Marx's response to these flaws in capitalism. Through the industrial revolution, he observed a consolidation of power into the hands of a few (The very thing Smith opposed), and the formation of a privileged class (The Bourgois).</p><p>Marx theorized the natural progression would then be a revolution, in which the increasingly dissatisfied Proletariat would overthrow this privileged class. He believed this would lead to an interim period (Socialism), during which an altruistic, intellectually elite group would assume control of the responsibility of government. They would redistribute the stolen wealth and restore a state of equity. </p><p>Once a state of stability was achieved the interim organization would voluntarily relinquish power, and society would operate under the direction of the collective (Communism).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCo40-vQtiwy9AsLYCDwbm6Xyay1ntHDF7ESB17lMQ7jjBa6BEXwYXuZxHVJLE4cWJque_1UK-kjX5W6bS3gN3aUDro_A8kOlxthZWeo_jsJmCfgfW4weiRpX_-PFVace-fjI7IoLEr6Tv7LOss9_SDQb1YjppOqUoqY7nLweLYkJ5AUfAuKRRsfGWnYI/s1426/Capitalism_v_Communism_1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="1426" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCo40-vQtiwy9AsLYCDwbm6Xyay1ntHDF7ESB17lMQ7jjBa6BEXwYXuZxHVJLE4cWJque_1UK-kjX5W6bS3gN3aUDro_A8kOlxthZWeo_jsJmCfgfW4weiRpX_-PFVace-fjI7IoLEr6Tv7LOss9_SDQb1YjppOqUoqY7nLweLYkJ5AUfAuKRRsfGWnYI/w400-h118/Capitalism_v_Communism_1.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>This model has been tried repeatedly, but always fails in the "Socialism" phase. It should be obvious, knowing what we know about human nature, that those willing to wield such authority, never willingly surrender it. But then somehow, we all believe we are exempt from that particular human characteristic. We uniquely, are truly enlightened, wise, and altruistic - unlike the many others before us. We would only wield such power until the masses have finally matured, and we would recognize this, and then we would happily step aside. We are not like everyone else...</p><p>But let's take a moment to consider these models under a different lens.</p><p>First, it is notable that those in the capitalist camp tend to treat communism and socialism as one thing. This - I believe - adds to the confusion. As such, let's consider them separately, as Marx described them. However, rather than diagram it according to Marx's timeline. I am going to render it thusly:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi832dKkW9akJo7i5C8Kox9ftdKxhGK6f3q5jJCx5WmqNKvUv3_Dtsak4atExPl84-sKZc_Dnn3e0vE3IbO15ogFsT3ruoD6X1QGYVSFrB5MrLnbB2w8x4eV17r-Q-mRQV9LBTIG-81148ltPhQTvEru9xtN3TFVnI95_fCotMO_9DG_aZ9ktXofzwjYzU/s826/Capitalism_v_Communism_2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="826" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi832dKkW9akJo7i5C8Kox9ftdKxhGK6f3q5jJCx5WmqNKvUv3_Dtsak4atExPl84-sKZc_Dnn3e0vE3IbO15ogFsT3ruoD6X1QGYVSFrB5MrLnbB2w8x4eV17r-Q-mRQV9LBTIG-81148ltPhQTvEru9xtN3TFVnI95_fCotMO_9DG_aZ9ktXofzwjYzU/s320/Capitalism_v_Communism_2.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Starting on the right side of the image, those in the communist camp idealize it as a system under which all people have access to the means of production.</p><p>In simplistic, agrarian terms, everybody has an equal portion of equally good ground, on which they can plant, raise, and harvest food. And because we are 'nice' human beings, we help each other out, so when someone has a bad year, we share our abundance to help them get by until next year. Also, because we are 'fundamentally good', we don't take advantage of this system, to get other people to work for us while we laze about. We all work together, share together, lift together, rise together.</p><p>Capitalists object to this system because we aren't all decent human beings. Some will abuse the system, and they don't want to be forced to pay for someone else's laziness. This is where the conflation is a problem. This isn't communism they are describing; this is socialism. Communism (ideally) doesn't have a mechanism to force you to surrender your goods to aid someone else. People do that out of natural human kindness. Socialism is the system in which a few 'enlightened' individuals make the decisions for us, regarding how our resources are allocated. Not communism.</p><p>Moving to the left side, those in the capitalist camp idealize it as a system under which everyone has the capacity to produce value, according to their abilities and efforts, and will fare accordingly (this is really just another way of saying all people have access to the means of production. Our inherent good natures will allow us - through individual industriousness, and through the free exchange of goods and services - to all work together, share together, lift together, and rise together (sound similar to something I just defined?).</p><p>Capitalists do chafe at the idea that everybody gets an equal portion of equally good ground, because... well... that is impractical. You can only do that once without robbing somebody to give to the next generation. However, capitalists also hold the ideal (as Smith himself proclaimed), that better human nature - our rational self-interest if you will - will cause us to help out those who are struggling, and a degree of balance will occur naturally. They also believe capitalism is protected to some degree from the problem of people abusing the system; since charity is given by choice, those who try to get a free ride, will at some point be recognized as abusers, and will stop receiving charity, at which point they will of necessity return to a state of productivity.</p><p>Socialists and Communists both object to this system, as it means a small number of people amass the wealth and subjugate the masses. However, one should note - this scenario is one which Smith objected to. As such, it should be treated as a separate system from capitalism. Let's call it "corporatism".</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfl01Tpsg3lpztxeoK4C23_jp-JK83OiunUSHfwJeIxQLk6MCnQeKMjrwtpqgTqPKBhZZPpB2qzbuylRsRpQUZl3SBiqyuIv9lWm68YGS_bbZdb8XgGwgfvychw3kvsK8hx-_ZLyTqeLmr7_g_ZeXKS2xfWyL58h2HrH1hrXLvrpdAK-C0f-PA_dYank/s676/Capitalism_v_Communism_3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfl01Tpsg3lpztxeoK4C23_jp-JK83OiunUSHfwJeIxQLk6MCnQeKMjrwtpqgTqPKBhZZPpB2qzbuylRsRpQUZl3SBiqyuIv9lWm68YGS_bbZdb8XgGwgfvychw3kvsK8hx-_ZLyTqeLmr7_g_ZeXKS2xfWyL58h2HrH1hrXLvrpdAK-C0f-PA_dYank/s320/Capitalism_v_Communism_3.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Now, ignore for a minute, the rhetoric around the two; the (mis)conceptions regarding how you 'get there'. Just consider the most fundamental ideals of capitalism and communism. The grand utopian vision of each.</p><p><br /></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">A system in which everyone has the means to produce wealth; in which everyone fares according to the effort they expend, and in which, through basic human kindness (charity), nobody is left to suffer unfairly. A system in which free exchange and cooperation allows us all to collectively rise.</p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>The two systems, at the idealistic level, are fundamentally equivalent, and seek fundamentally the same outcome.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSaGeVLW_JBLgQHDJiBV1fJipcCNaYh05_WHxF1-3IHa6ww97-QzsDdjV3yIj5ZGNbrfcEW2cXhO5LbL_seUbVsXhbcMq6H9ox7DqTJ8cMMea7Mgl7JGNzbSGal6GiOpnrCfNuNQuK_9qzELIqRoE8_p4OX4xmAyPd6soOcRfV63U1HmDk6YYGrHj3-Fk/s688/Capitalism_v_Communism_4.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="688" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSaGeVLW_JBLgQHDJiBV1fJipcCNaYh05_WHxF1-3IHa6ww97-QzsDdjV3yIj5ZGNbrfcEW2cXhO5LbL_seUbVsXhbcMq6H9ox7DqTJ8cMMea7Mgl7JGNzbSGal6GiOpnrCfNuNQuK_9qzELIqRoE8_p4OX4xmAyPd6soOcRfV63U1HmDk6YYGrHj3-Fk/s320/Capitalism_v_Communism_4.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Both systems suffer from the same fundamental flaw - that is, they both depend on the manifestation of our better natures; the intentional extinction, or at the very least, suppression, of "<a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/05/reasoning-your-greatest-enemy.html" target="_blank">Your Greatest Enemy</a>".</p><p>Failing that, both systems inevitably degrade to a state in which a small number of individuals accumulate an inordinate amount of control over the means of production. On the left side, this occurs through unethical manipulation of the economic system (typically justified as being 'smart about business' and capitalizing on their advantages or opportunities. That or being blessed by God - divine providence). On the right side, it occurs through manipulation of the social system (typically justified as a response to the aforementioned abuses on the left side; an abuse of power to battle an abuse of power. That or divine or intellectual providence).</p><p>The end result on either side is the same, however. A small number of individuals acquire inordinate power and control over the fortunes, freedoms and destinies of the masses. They will claim it is necessary to protect the masses (who are perceived as inferior), but, since they are also human, and subject to the same human failings as the masses, they inevitably prioritize their own needs, according to their specific fears, flaws, and driving survival mechanisms.</p><p>So, the reality of these models, considered collectively, is this:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6VIVKcDzX6sedCi0OHquHgN7E7sbsKwjFJ9wvdcavGOwWjtcs_X7yNK-dvZ8j35qDHyRBDFqTpB1ZgrbyeU1k-oFy_bqbZiyDh_IX60535PQF-WROtRVS6A3EOnTEI9Ji1nrXLIeauJoXvkYU3ztgkkxs6FrxliDVlPfnLSrrKGYKJcarUB9XAd5a6iM/s1153/Capitalism_v_Communism_5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1149" data-original-width="1153" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6VIVKcDzX6sedCi0OHquHgN7E7sbsKwjFJ9wvdcavGOwWjtcs_X7yNK-dvZ8j35qDHyRBDFqTpB1ZgrbyeU1k-oFy_bqbZiyDh_IX60535PQF-WROtRVS6A3EOnTEI9Ji1nrXLIeauJoXvkYU3ztgkkxs6FrxliDVlPfnLSrrKGYKJcarUB9XAd5a6iM/s320/Capitalism_v_Communism_5.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>We organize ourselves around one of two ideals, which seem opposed due to our different perspectives, but are fundamentally equivalent. </p><p>We oppose the other system, not based on its 'ideal', but rather on the state of inevitable oppression to which it degrades, due to our inherent, human natures.</p><p>The system we espouse degrades to its oppressive state, helped along in part by our own inherent natures. </p><p>It is interesting to note, both sides of this equation can happen simultaneously. It is also notable, those who ascend to power on both sides often do so with our help, and admiration. We view them as the champions opposing the oppression on the other side, and out of fear, we accede to their oppression, to protect us from the others' oppression.</p><p>And while the two oppressors appear to be in contention with one another, when one considers our inherent natures, one should realize they have more in common with one another than they do with the masses who serve them. They therefore tend to ally with one another more often than they ally with their respective masses. But because of our highly manipulable natures through fear, uncertainty and doubt, we willingly sacrifice our own will to our respective oppressors, unable to perceive that we in fact have more in common with the 'opposing masses', than we do with our chosen oppressors. </p><p>So, there we sit, pining for identical ideals, while fearing - and adoring identical oppressors. An absurd, foolish tragedy.</p><p><br /></p><p>In conclusion, I believe "capitalism vs. communism" is a false flag, which leads to an artificial battle against an enemy who is not our enemy, in an alliance with those who are not our allies. It is a distraction; a diversion which enslaves us in a prison we manufacture through our fear of the worst nature in others, and our unwillingness to acknowledge that same nature in ourselves.</p><p>Just something to consider next time you take up arms in the social media-sphere.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-80223284863965859352023-08-30T09:54:00.005-07:002023-08-30T09:58:09.917-07:00Reasoning: Our Greatest Enemy<p><span style="background-color: #888888; color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"> (This post is part of series of posts, indexed </span><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2022/05/reasoning.html" style="background-color: #888888; color: #0800dd; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-decoration-line: none;">here</a><span style="background-color: #888888; color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">. It is recommended they be read collectively, and in order.) </span> </p><p><br /></p><p>This post could, perhaps, be considered an addendum to the <a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/05/reasoning-your-greatest-enemy.html" target="_blank">prior post</a>, exploring the impact of your greatest enemy on the larger society.</p><p>Humans, even the introverts, are social animals. We need social connection. Complete social isolation has been shown to have significant negative impact on emotional well-being, and it even causes physical changes within the human brain. (See <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain-chemistry/201902/the-effects-solitary-confinement-the-brain" target="_blank">The Effects of Solitary Confinement on the Brain: Psychology Today</a>)</p><p>If you consider the human being from a purely physical design, it seems quite obvious we are intended to function within a social collective - a herd or pack if you will. We are quite poorly designed to survive in this - often harsh - world. Our exterior covering provides little protection from extremes in heat or cold. Our long, gangly, upright structure is less balanced, less durable than most other creatures in the animal kingdom. We have no claws, nor tusks to serve as offensive or defensive weapons, and our hide, when compared to most other creatures, is quite fragile.</p><p>For the first few years of our lives, we are utterly helpless. Without someone to care for us, we would die of starvation, or dehydration, or exposure.</p><p>Our survival depends heavily on our mental capacity, and our opposable thumbs; our ability to imagine, design, and construct tools and machines which compensate for our frail structure, and which allows us to re-shape our environment to suit us. </p><p><br /></p><p>Our capacity to do so collectively is truly the secret to our success. We collaborate to create systems far more complex and sophisticated than any one person could ever hope to achieve in a lifetime.</p><p><br /></p><p>You may readily note the presence of our fundamental survival mechanisms within this:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Seek Pleasure</li><li>Avoid Pain</li><li>Conserve Energy</li></ol><p></p><p>Our homes, vehicles, electronic gadgets … All designed for the purpose of increasing our comfort (or decreasing our discomfort if you prefer) and reducing the effort we must personally exert. We can now plant and harvest crops largely from the comfort of an air-conditioned machine. We can travel thousands of miles in less than a day. We have become so efficient in meeting our basic survival needs, there are now entire industries, employing millions of people, devoted entirely to entertainment and leisure.</p><p>However, much like the above mechanisms, our fundamental social characteristics can be subverted.</p><p><br /></p><p>Survival dictates we avoid potential dangers, and seek out potential allies. But how does one identify potential dangers? In simplest terms, "Different is dangerous." and "same is safe."</p><p>But what is "same" and what is "different"?</p><p>Skin color, hair color, language, accent ... Outward characteristics are perhaps the most immediately available to us. </p><p><br /></p><p>If you have ever traveled to a foreign country or even a distant city, perhaps you've had a chance encounter with someone who was from your own region, and experienced that moment of connection with them, even though personally, you know them no better than any of the strangers surrounding you. The similarity in speech, clothing style, accent... whatever it may be, is more familiar, and so you experience an immediate rapport.</p><p>Conversely, have you ever witnessed a baby's first encounter with a father after he shaved a full beard? The very sudden, very dramatic change in appearance generally leads to tears. Daddy must reestablish his rapport with his child, as he has reverted to 'stranger'.</p><p>We gravitate toward that which we deem similar, and away from that which we perceive as 'different'. However, since the function of this behavior is tied to the need for protection against danger (real or perceived), The characteristics which are prioritized for similarity are often altered by our fears. Instead of seeking the 'greater of two goods', we will instead default to the 'lesser of two evils'. We will align with the obvious 'enemy of our enemy', over a potentially neutral friend.</p><p>Furthermore, since our own opinions are quite mutable (despite our claims to the contrary), once we have aligned with a group, we will tend to adopt the group tenets ('groupthink', or the 'echo-chamber' phenomenon as they are often called; this, coupled with our tenuous grasp of '<a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2020/07/language-truth-perception-paradigm.html" target="_blank">truth</a>', can shape our entire culture, to the point of creating false realities). And once again, as this is a survival mechanism, fear tends to hold greater sway in the preferential weighting of these tenets. We huddle together, and chitter fearfully, or angrily at the perceived threats without.</p><p><br /></p><p>An extreme example of the effects of this can be seen in the <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/africa/rwandan-genocide" target="_blank">Rwandan genocide</a>, as Hutu people slaughtered neighbors; not just the Tutsi, but also Hutus who held moderate views in regards to the Hutu - Tutsi conflict ('if you are not for us, you are against us').</p><p>Another example worth consideration is the Soviet campaign to eliminate the <a href="https://www.history.com/news/ukrainian-famine-stalin" target="_blank">kulaks</a> - essentially peasant farmers who, despite their generally poor-to-middle-class state, were considered enemies to the 'collective', due to their land ownership. The kulaks were imprisoned or murdered, their livestock were destroyed, and their crops were ruined. The result of this ill-conceived action was a famine which killed over five million people.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fundamentally, this is what is really happening 'under the hood' of what we call 'racisim' or 'sexism' or 'ageism'... It is the underlying mechanism defining discrimination against members of a different religion, or a political party, against blonds or redheads, or blue eyes vs brown eyes.</p><p>We layer all kinds of nonsensical and complex concepts on top of this, to attempt to explain or describe this behavior (unconscious bias, privilege, etc...), but it really is not so complicated as that. It is simply a survival mechanism that we are failing to properly manage. </p><p><br /></p><p>A second key characteristic of our social nature is that of hierarchy. In point of fact, "...all men are..." NOT "...created equal...". Our genetic differences predispose us to excel in certain capacities and underperform in others. Our own personal interest in, and investment of time to study and practice a particular skill further widens the gap. This ability to specialize is fundamental to our extraordinary success as a species. One masterful farmer, using advanced tools created by a skilled craftsman can feed a village, freeing others to construct more comfortable homes and more efficient tools, to innovate and invent better fabrics, indoor plumbing, electric lights, heating and cooling, computers, transportation … It is all possible due to our hierarchical nature.</p><p><br /></p><p>This particular characteristic is impacted by a couple of the fundamental survival mechanisms.</p><p><br /></p><p>First, our directive to conserve energy will oft time lead us to surrender authority to those we perceive as more capable (even in some instances when they aren't). This can be observed in the 1960's <a href="https://www.simplypsychology.org/milgram.html" target="_blank">Milgram experiment</a>. Its effect likely played a role in the death of <a href="https://www.simplypsychology.org/kitty-genovese.html" target="_blank">Kitty Genovese</a>, who was attacked twice, over the span of one half hour, with witnesses having observed the first attack.</p><p>Second, our directive to avoid pain, even injury to our ego may lead us to fight unreasonably against those more competent than us (seemingly in contradiction to the directive to conserve energy). This perhaps explains why organizations, such as Twitter, Google, etc... often censor degreed, credible doctors and scientists whose dissenting opinions don't align the current consensus on certain topics. One specific example is a doctor who creates YouTube videos, reviewing data relating to covid. The entirety of many of these videos is him reviewing and highlighting data from published studies, some of which he pulled directly from the CDC and WHO websites. Yet staff from YouTube (who are not doctors, nor scientists) flags each of these videos with a warning that the information is suspect, and then provides a link to a (out of date) CDC web page where you can "get the facts".</p><p><br /></p><p>Surrounding all of this is the issue of scale. As our population density grows, we find ourselves connecting to, and shifting between an increasing number of herds. The differences and similarities which bind or divide us become increasingly subtle, and increasingly strong.</p><p><br /></p><p>This issue of scale also introduces the challenges of anonymity, which frequently impacts both how we perceive others, and how we behave.</p><p>When we encounter someone we know nothing about, our natural survival instincts will make snap judgments, based on our past experiences (and associated cognitive biases) based on external factors, to determine whether an individual is a pack member, or a threat. Such cursory evaluations of complex creatures like ourselves are rarely accurate. Curiously, while we usually acknowledge that complexity in ourselves, and those to whom we have established close relationships, we fail to acknowledge it in the anonymous. We dehumanize them. And - being "less than human" - we feel no compunction to treat them according to our established social mores.</p><p>The opposite circumstance has a curious effect as well. When we are in a state of anonymity - that is when we are not surrounded by members of one of our many herds, we often behave differently. Our herd tends to act as a social conscience, keeping our natural, instinctual, and sometimes vile natures in check. In their absence, we may behave in ways we otherwise would not. The effects of this are frequently visible in social media chat forums.</p><p>So, we can be monstrous when we are not surrounded by our flock, and we can be collectively monstrous when we are caught up in the effects of groupthink with our flock.</p><p>When one considers in combination with these, the previously mentioned characteristics:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2020/07/language-truth-perception-paradigm.html" target="_blank">We view the world not from a position of truth, but from a perceived perspective, through the lens of our unique paradigm.</a></span></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2020/11/the-liar-within.html" target="_blank">Our brain lies to us</a></span></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2022/02/reasoning-narratives-models-and.html" target="_blank">We construct models, based on narratives, which we therefore accept as 'reality'</a></span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><p>One can perhaps recognize the potential for disaster on a grand scale. Our own perception of potential threats tends to be adopted by those within the flock who view us as hierarchically 'competent' - a sort of social contagion, which infects the minds of the collective. These perceived, or imagined characteristics become codified by the collective. They become the truth, regardless of any evidence to the contrary. With scale, the overwhelming volume of data and the inherent anonymity can lead to a point where a critical mass is reached. We can observe the creation of a mass illusion, which - due to the individual need to preserve ego - the flock will aggressively protect. Illusion then becomes - for all practical purposes - reality, and the flock experiences mass psychosis, mass hysteria, with all the potential devastation inherent in a stampede of sophisticated, yet deluded creatures. </p><p>It is here, at this point of mass surrender to 'the natural man', that we observe seemingly rational, morally principled people engage in heinous, unspeakable acts of violence and denigration; subjugation, enslavement, mass murder, genocide. Neighbor against neighbor, and brother against brother. Our capacity for creation balanced by an equal capacity for destruction.</p><p><br /></p><p>These last two posts may seem quite frightening, disheartening. That is not my intent. </p><p>For, stating the last conversely; our capacity for destruction is balanced by an equal capacity for creation. </p><p>I believe as we come to recognize and acknowledge that within each of us, individually, is this duality - that we contain within ourselves both the seeds of a Mother Theresa and a Mao Zedong, that we are equal parts Ghandi and Hitler... as we acknowledge this, then we can recognize the circumstances which enable our darker side, and then devise mechanisms to constrain that probability. We can, through the Art of Reasoning, cast aside the illusions, subdue our 'natural man'. And enable our individual, greater selves to ascend. </p>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-28277814607918185112023-05-31T08:39:00.004-07:002023-06-02T07:39:47.198-07:00A Post for Mental Health Awareness Month<p> 2 June 2023 Edit - I said I wasn't going to edit this, but I realized I neglected to mention a number of useful tips. I added them to the bottom of the list of tips (Cold Showers, Breath Work, Meditation, Nature & Grounding). I also added links to the songs I listed, to at least make that part more ADHD friendly.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>As Mental health awareness month winds down. I once again consider writing and posting a blog about my own experience with that. I am mortified at the thought of sharing such details. However, over the years, I have read posts, or seen videos which other courageous people have made, which have been of benefit to me, so I find myself weighing my fear of what other's might think of me, against the potential benefit some might derive.</p><p>This will be relatively free-form, and I will do very little editing or rearranging, in hopes of capturing the thought process - the way my brain works. So, it may jump a bit, or feel disjointed.</p><p><br /></p><p>Also, as a <b><span style="font-size: medium;">warning</span></b>- the topic of suicide will be addressed. If you are uncomfortable with that, you may want to give this a pass.</p><p><br /></p><p>First, about me: I am at present diagnosed with ADHD - Inattentive type.</p><p>That is a rather stupid name for a diagnosis, and rather problematic for a number of reasons.</p><p><b>AD</b>= Attention Deficit. (Plus Inattentive type; they used to separate ADD and ADHD, now they lump them together and then add "Inattentive", or "Hyperactive" or "Both" as a type. And "Inattentive" is even worse). It suggests I can't pay attention, this is inaccurate. Sometimes I go beyond paying attention to hyper-focus. At other times, I am paying attention to too many things at once. The problem is I can't always control it. </p><p>Many also describe it (accurately, I think) as people with ADHD having fewer "slots" in which to hold things which need focused attention at the same time. So, we have to swap things in and out of working memory more often, and we experience decision fatigue more rapidly.</p><p><b>H</b>= Hyperactive. I'm not hyperactive. Sure, they added the types to distinguish. But the H is still there, in the back of everyone's mind (This is part of why girls with ADHD often go undiagnosed. They don't present with hyperactivity, and they often do well in school, so nobody sees it as ADHD. They therefore often end up with the wrong diagnosis and the wrong treatment).</p><p><b>D</b>= Disorder. With roughly 10% of the population having it, is it fair to call it a disorder? Actually this is starting to shift somewhat. They are beginning to refer to it as a "Socially induced disorder" meaning it is only a disorder because we have created a social and cultural structure in which those with this particular set of characteristics tend not to thrive - a discrimination of sorts. </p><p>Some are now throwing around the term "Neurodiverse". Instead of ADHD. Not sure that is really the right approach either, that is a generic and ultimately meaningless, non-descriptive term.</p><p>I have seen some speculation that the ADHD characteristics were present in the hunters, gatherers, and protectors in early tribes. That seems sensible. Many of the ADHD characteristic would support that role well.</p><p>There has also been speculation that ADHD falls on the autism spectrum. Certainly there are some overlapping characteristics, and the two are frequently comorbid.</p><p>It is also noted that Anxiety, Depression, and Addiction are frequent comorbidities with ADHD. I've dealt with all of those. Technically, I probably don't qualify for an official addiction diagnosis; just a compulsion, as it hasn't disrupted my ability to keep a job, or maintain (within reason), relationships, though it certainly has had an impact on them. </p><p>I suspect that rather than being comorbid, the anxiety and depression were/are secondary "infections" caused by untreated ADHD.</p><p><br /></p><p>I wasn't diagnosed with ADHD until I was over forty. I was put on my first anti-depressant in high school. It didn't do anything. I've been on nearly every anti-depression and anti-anxiety medication ever made, with varying unpleasant side-effects, and few to no benefits; no lasting benefits at all. </p><p>I actually diagnosed myself with ADHD, and had to convince the doctor of it. Adderall definitely helped me. The generics seem less effective. Lately it has been hard to get either, due to a shortage. I went a couple months without, as nobody had it in my (lower than typical) dosage.</p><p>That is tough too; Being treated like a burgeoning criminal all the time. Adderall is heavily abused, so the default assumption is you are potentially an abuser. You can't get a refill prescription for Adderall, you have to request a new prescription every single month (you have to remember to do that every month, which isn't very ADHD friendly...)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I know that the overall effect looks different for everyone, but here are some of the things I have observed in myself, in no particular order:</p><p><br /></p><p>I love languages and accents. I always try to guess where someone is from when I hear them speak, and when I listen to people with accents speaking, my jaw gets tired from the micromovements in my jaw as I subconsciously mimic them.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the same time, I barely manage to comprehend English - which is the only language I actually speak. As a teenager, I developed the habit of saying "what?" any time someone asked me something. I didn't actually need them to repeat what they said, I just needed a few extra seconds to process the words they had said in order to comprehend the meaning, and formulate an appropriate response. I am a little better at it now, but only a little.</p><p><br /></p><p>When I was in first grade, our school class took a tour of the local bank. As the bank manager was showing us all the different security systems, I was working out how to circumvent those mechanisms. Not because I had designs on robbing a bank, but because it was a puzzle to solve.</p><p><br /></p><p>When I am in a waiting room, or any room really, I look for patterns in the floor or ceiling tiles (or the curtains or...). And then I look for patterns in the patterns.</p><p><br /></p><p>In fifth grade someone introduced me to solitaire, I became obsessed with it, but since I couldn't afford a deck of cards, I cut out squares of paper and drew my own deck of cards. My teacher caught me with the cards and yelled at me for having made them. She felt I was wasting my talents. </p><p>Oh that reminds me; once in first grade, during story time, the kid sitting in front of me yelled at me to stop kicking him, and the teacher lifted me up by my hair, shook me and yelled at me. I was engrossed in the story, and completely unaware that my foot was swinging and bumping into him. That was a rather traumatic experience.</p><p><br /></p><p>When I am working on projects, I will set a tool down to go take care of something else, then come back and spend the next twenty or so minutes trying to find the tool I set down. If you read the Book of Mormon, you might be familiar with Ether Chapter 14, verse 1:</p><p>```</p><p>1 And now there began to be a great curse upon all the land because of the iniquity of the people, in which, if a man should lay his tool or his sword upon his shelf, or upon the place whither he would keep it, behold, upon the morrow, he could not find it, so great was the curse upon the land.</p><p>```</p><p>Yep, that's my curse, almost every day.</p><p><br /></p><p>I have no concept of time. They call it "time-blindness". How long will something take? I have no idea. What day is it? Don't know. I forgot my own birthday one year not too long ago.</p><p><br /></p><p>Same goes for distance. How long is that stick? How tall is that tree? If I give you an estimate, be warned; it is a guess, and quite likely not at all accurate (Probably within +/- 50%...).</p><p><br /></p><p>I currently have 60 tabs open on my web browser. Several technical how-to's, a few charts and strategies for keeping your home clean, a few philosophical essays on various economic systems (capitalism, communism... Working on a blog post - a new take on that topic.)</p><p><br /></p><p>My brain is nearly always running full speed. Nearly anything I get involved in, I will see a few dozen ways it can go wrong. This can be a good thing, in that I am pretty good at risk mitigation. It can also be a bad thing, when anxiety kicks in and shuts me down. Also, while I may see a dozen rather obscure things, I may at the same time overlook something quite obvious.</p><p><br /></p><p>When faced with a problem I can often see dozens of solutions. Again, good and bad. I can present many alternatives, so if one doesn't work, another is ready to go. On the other hand, I can get shut down by analysis paralysis, going round and round in my head trying to find the best solution, when there rarely is a "best" one.</p><p><br /></p><p>I often struggle with sensory overload. If someone is talking to me in a crowded room, and someone else is having a conversation within earshot, or if there is music playing or a show on the TV, my brain will usually try to hear both (or all) conversations, and therefore I will comprehend neither. </p><p><br /></p><p>When I received my ADHD diagnosis, the doctor gave me a handout, then started to explain something to me. I don't know what, however, because have gave me a handout, and I started looking at it, so my brain did not process the words he was saying (I suppose that was a dead giveaway).</p><p><br /></p><p>I am often compulsive about finishing things. When I go for a hike on a new trail, it is extremely hard for me to turn around at any point, because I need to see what is around the next corner, or over the next hill. As in, it causes physical pain for me to not.</p><p><br /></p><p>In College, a friend loaned me a video game once on a Friday afternoon - a game with a well developed story line. I started playing Friday evening. I finished the game Sunday morning. I only took breaks to go to the bathroom. I didn't eat or sleep the entire time. I was so completely hyper-focused on the story, nothing else existed.</p><p><br /></p><p>I have frequently skipped/missed meals while working on projects (personal or work). I can have a water bottle sitting on my desk, and still go the whole day without taking a drink of water. Self-care is a real and serious issue. I have even tried using alarms, but when the alarm goes off, I will silence it, and finish what I am currently working on first - it will only take a couple minutes (remember that time-blindness?), and I don't want to interrupt my train of thought.</p><p><br /></p><p>I have a weird relationship with people in general. I like people, I care about people. I want to know how they are doing, and what they are doing, but I am hopeless when it comes to carrying a conversation. My mind goes blank. I don't know what to ask or say. So, I end up standing awkwardly, until we're both uncomfortable. Also, when I see someone, I will absolutely know who they are, but for the life of me I can't recall their name. It is dreadfully embarrassing.</p><p><br /></p><p>I am an inherent people pleaser. Perhaps it goes farther than that. I need people to like me, to think highly of me (which is likely the main reason It terrifies me to post this). When I am around a person, my personality, my language and mannerisms tend to shift, mirroring their own somewhat. On the up side, this has made it easy for me to connect with a very diverse range of people, and even be the go-between for groups that have historically not gotten along. On the downside if there is a large diverse group... Imagine a chameleon standing near a disco ball. It's exhausting. Also, since I subconsciously try to be what people want me to be, I find I am not entirely sure who I really am.</p><p><br /></p><p>This also makes therapy difficult. On a subconscious level, I respond to the therapist in the way I believe they want me to respond. And I don't want them to feel bad, so I will superficially improve in order to give them a sense of a successful outcome.</p><p><br /></p><p>I am terrible at saying 'no', so I often take on more than I can manage, or keep track of. But when I write it all down, the list is so large it overwhelms me. That is a general challenge with big projects. If I don't write down granular enough steps, I will have trouble getting started, but if I see all the steps together, I can become overwhelmed and shut down. But at the same time, I really want to see all of the steps, to visualize the entire process, and see the big picture...</p><p><br /></p><p>I also tend to take on too much, because I don't like doing nothing, so if I am stuck in a moment where my other projects are paused (or next steps have slipped my mind), I will pick something else up to fill that time. And since I suck at time comprehension, I frequently take on more than will reasonably fit in my schedule (And yes, I have tried a whole slew of calendering and productivity systems to no avail. Bullet Journaling is working better than most...)</p><p><br /></p><p>Finances are a nightmare for me. I try to create and use budgets, but if an urgency or a great idea strikes me, or someone is in need of a few dollars to help solve a problem... I can't recall the budget, but I am pretty sure there was enough money... (no, there wasn't).</p><p><br /></p><p>There's this thing called the ADHD tax, and I can attest it is real. I have paid tons in late fees over the years, not because I didn't have the money. I just lost track of the deadline. The worst one however was just a few years ago. Our company was sold to another company in March. The name on the paycheck didn't change however. Come tax time, and the second company sent a W-2 (Salary for Mid-March to end of the year). Somewhere in the back of my mind, I briefly had the thought, "hmm that seems a little low. Oh well, I must have misremembered my salary." The first company never sent a W-2. They expected us to get it from their website. But that didn't occur to me. And if they sent a notice, I either missed it, or it came early enough that I forgot. They did however send it to the IRS, who then hit me with a hefty fine plus interest, for not paying the appropriate amount of tax.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, yeah, I could probably make a million dollars a year and still look poor on paper.</p><p><br /></p><p>I despise conflict, even though I often take the contrary voice in conversations, due to my tendency to see all sides of a thing, and a tendency to stick up for the underdog. The world has a great deal of conflict. There are many bullies, and that too often becomes too much for me to bear.</p><p><br /></p><p>I don't really enjoy sarcasm either, even though I have often used it (that whole chameleon thing, I suspect). The world is full of that as well. And It leaves me feeling sick inside.</p><p><br /></p><p>I so often feel I am right on the verge of disaster - financial, or social or career most typically. Try as I might, I can't seem too keep it in balance, one or more of the many spinning plates gets dropped. I feel like I am an imposter, living in a world in which I don't belong, living a life I don't deserve. </p><p><br /></p><p>It is an interesting observation; I believe in an afterlife. I believe in God. I believe in Jesus Christ, and in the atonement.. I met an old man while I was serving a mission for my church; he was an alcoholic who had been to prison twice for murder. I have absolute confidence the atonement of Jesus Christ will wash his sins away, that he will be made whole and clean one day. Yet somehow, I am unable to believe or accept that it applies to me- That there is a place in God's grand plan... for me. It sounds absurd saying it. I can't begin to wrap my head around why my brain thinks that way, why I am unable to 'fix' that ridiculous incongruency.</p><p><br /></p><p>Suicide ideation has been a long-term factor in my life. The first time I recall, I was a teenager. The world is hard. And I often feel alone, even when in a crowd. I don't know if that is common to ADHD brain types (or Introverts, which I also am). But I have on many occasions wanted to be done to be free of pain and despair (much of which I acknowledge I manufacture).</p><p><br /></p><p>I am confident It is not all genetic. I was exposed to pornography ( a particularly violent sort) when I was seven or eight years old, so I really don't recall what it is like to live without addiction/compulsion. The impact of that material on my young, impressionable brain was to build automatic, subconscious, Pavlovian responses to things that most people hardly give a second thought to. I have to constantly be on guard, managing my thoughts. And triggering material is everywhere. I compare it to if you were an alcoholic, and everywhere you went, people were running around with super-soakers filled with bourbon, shooting you in the face. There is rarely a reprieve or escape from it. It is a very real, albeit perhaps nonphysical pain, ever-present. Sometimes, you just want the pain to stop, but it never does.</p><p><br /></p><p>I was molested at age twelve; at a scout camp. I had a fever of 106 F at the time, and he (a camp leader, not one of my leaders) was taking care of me. It was subtle; I recall feeling uncomfortable, but didn't say anything. It wasn't until ten years later, when I recognized his name in a newspaper article about his arrest for similar behavior that I really connected the dots. I don't know how much this event affected me - I'm inclined to think not much, where it took me that long to even recognize the event for what it was, but who knows; perhaps as some subconscious level that has aggravated my other difficulties. </p><p><br /></p><p>My advice to parents - make sure your children understand they should never be alone with another adult (I don't think that was policy back then, or if it was it was not enforced. Requiring adults to follow the "buddy system" serves as strong protection for all involved.) Even it if is an adult you trust, or know to be a good person.</p><p><br /></p><p>Yes I said a good person. I hold no ill will toward the individual who harmed me, and I do think he was - by and large - a good person with mostly good intentions. I don't know know his past or what demons he's faced. I don't excuse his actions. and I do believe he needs to be held accountable - I hope he got whatever help he needed to resolve his challenges. But before you judge him, consider the degree to which we allow our children's lives to be permeated with media and messages - both overtly and covertly - of a sexual nature, at ages when their brains are not sufficiently developed to cope with or properly process such complex and sophisticated ideas and emotions. If he is a monster, then he is one we created.</p><p><br /></p><p>So yes, on many occasions in my life, I have had to battle with that particular demon, and I suppose right now would be an ideal time to share how I've done it. I can think of nothing that would be of more use to someone who is struggling right now with thoughts of giving up, and prematurely ending their life.</p><p><br /></p><p>But I must admit I don't know precisely. </p><p><br /></p><p>Partly, I succeed (ironically) through a fear of failure ("With my luck I'll botch the attempt and make my situation worse"). Partly I am fortunate to have a wonderful family (both immediate and extended), and I dread the thought of causing them pain. Partly, I try to practice resilience. I tell myself to hang on for just one more day. Things are bound to get better soon (sometimes It feels like a very empty promise, but... that combined with a tendency to procrastinate... sometimes that's enough to get you through). Much of that you may or may not have at your disposal, or may be beyond your reach to control, but at least you can know - and perhaps take some comfort in knowing - you are not alone.</p><p><br /></p><p>There are a few things I have found that help:</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Routine:</b> A solid morning routine - when I am able to maintain it - is... soothing? comforting? anchoring? Helpful and any rate. I don't recommend creating and trying to follow an elaborate routine from the get-go. Start with one or two things - get up at the same time every morning, drink a glass of water, and brush your teeth. Once you have that down, add more things, slowly, and one at a time, exercise, a healthy breakfast. A similar evening routine is also valuable; even harder to establish - always something to interfere...</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Exercise:</b> Physical exercise has tremendous value. Some studies indicate that 20-30 minutes of zone 2 cardio is as effective - or more so - than any anti-depressant. It is a bit tricky to start - hard to find the motivation, but if you can build that into your routine, you will derive considerable benefit.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Morning and evening sunlight:</b> ten to fifteen minutes of exposure to the sun early in the morning, and again in the afternoon has been found to be very beneficial for mood and circadian regulation.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Supplements:</b> There are some supplements which are helpful as well. Fish Oil has been shown in several studies to help with PTSD and Anxiety. Talk to your Doctor to check on possible interactions, and find a reputable source (I've been using Thorne, which I discovered through the Andrew Huberman podcast - he is a good source of science-based information.). I've also found brewed Cacao helpful. It is similar to Coffee in how it is made, but with cacao beans instead. It has much less caffeine, so you don't get the caffeine 'high' and crash effect. It has Theobromine, which is a mild stimulant which works for a longer period. It is a vaso-dilator (vs Coffee is a vaso-constrictor), so improves blood flow, and has several other health benefits.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Music: </b>Music has a number of benefits. For people with ADHD in particular, there are certain types of music which are especially helpful. The specific structure of certain classical music styles (Mozart, Vivaldi, Bach...) has been shown to help improve Focus. Similar benefits have been found with some electronic music, which uses similar musical structure - complex, intricate rhythms, with repeating, progressive, melodic themes. Positive Lyrics can serve as affirmations - reinforced by the power of music to help embed those thoughts in your mind - which can provide further benefit.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are a few I have found particularly beneficial (you should be able to search them on youtube):</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czsd13Mmcg0&pp=ygUmQnJhbmRlbmJ1cmcgQ29uY2VydG8gTm8gMy4gLSBKLlMuIEJhY2g%3D" target="_blank">Brandenburg Concerto No 3. - J.S. Bach</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8bZ7vm4_6M&pp=ygUgU3ltcGhvbnkgIzQwIGluIEcgTWlub3IgLSBNb3phcnQ%3D" target="_blank">Symphony #40 in G Minor - Mozart</a></p><p>01 Concerto in D Major FI No. 138 Allegro - Vivaldi</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMg8KaMdDYo&pp=ygUZRmx5IHdpdGggbWUgLSBUaGUgRmF0IFJhdA%3D%3D" target="_blank">Fly with me - The Fat Rat</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rKwPblSdQA&pp=ygUSQ2FycnkgWW91IC0gUnVlbGxl" target="_blank">Carry You - Ruelle</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt349_rJB7A&pp=ygUNQ2xpbWIgLSBBZG9uYQ%3D%3D" target="_blank">Climb - Adona</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqlwKBrrMXk&pp=ygUVUmlzZSAtIENhcm9saW5lIEpvbmVz" target="_blank">Rise - Caroline Jones</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHLtE1wFeRQ&pp=ygUSTGlua2VkIC0gSmltIFlvc2Vm" target="_blank">Linked - Jim Yosef</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwB9EMpW8eY&pp=ygUdU3RhbmQgYnkgWW91IC0gUmFjaGVsIFBsYXR0ZW4%3D" target="_blank">Stand by You - Rachel Platten</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDLiAs5k1oI&pp=ygUpSW4geW91ciBFeWVzIC0gUm9iaW4gU2NodWx6IChmZWF0LiBBbGlkYSk%3D" target="_blank">In your Eyes - Robin Schulz (feat. Alida)</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acmbUpvXp_Y&pp=ygUZV2FsayBUaHJ1IEZpcmUgLSBWaWNldG9uZQ%3D%3D" target="_blank">Walk Thru Fire - Vicetone</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypg0pXj3CR8&pp=ygUgSG9sZCBvbiBmb3IgYSBNaXJhY2xlIC0gU3ZpcmNpbmE%3D" target="_blank">Hold on for a Miracle - Svircina</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiT9BttZy1M&pp=ygUdSSBhbSB0aGUgU3Rvcm0gLSBBZCBJbmZpbml0dW0%3D" target="_blank">I am the Storm - Ad Infinitum</a> (This is rather aggressive - Swedish Death Metal - so may have limited appeal. I have found the message to be very uplifting however. And variety has its own benefit.)</p><p><br /></p><p>Speaking of <b>affirmations</b>: those are also good to have. Personal values and goals as well. Write them down, keep them where you can see them frequently throughout the day. Having your purpose firmly fixed in your mind can carry you through many difficulties.</p><p><b>Cold Showers:</b> I saw a video (which I can't find now) a few years ago, listing a number of benefits for cold showers (Boost Dopamine production, improves skin health, lowers your power/gas bill...). <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEDmZlVCCzc&pp=ygUNam9ubmEgamludG9uIA%3D%3D" target="_blank">This narrative video by Jonna Jinton</a> is really the one which pushed me to try it. It is really quite helpful. You shouldn't do the Ice bath without supervision; people have passed out and drowned doing that. But the cold shower is generally available to anyone. Go as cold as you can possibly stand it. 25 C (77 F) is considered room temp, and it feels quite cold, and even that has benefit. 20 C (68 F) is considerably more effective. I think beyond the biological benefits, there is also a psychological benefit to doing this in the morning. Doing something hard first thing gives you a confidence boost, sets you up for success. I wouldn't recommend doing it daily; maybe two or three times a week. That will help maintain a novelty factor for your brain, and prevent it from adapting and compensating.</p><p><b>Breath Work:</b> There are breathing exercises which are also very beneficial, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BNejY1e9ik&pp=ygUbd2ltIGhvZiBicmVhdGhpbmcgdGVjaG5pcXVl" target="_blank">This Wim Hof Technique</a> is particularly helpful. The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QTJOAI0UoU&pp=ygUdd2hpc2tleSB3aW5lIGNvZmZlZSBicmVhdGhpbmc%3D" target="_blank">"Whisky, Water and Coffee" techniques</a> are also useful.</p><p><b>Meditation:</b> It can be difficult to find the time for this, but a good meditation practice can be very helpful. It can help develop better control over your brain- the thoughts that ramble around in there. There are several types of mediation techniques which work; Mindfulness meditation (also referred to as sensory awareness meditation), Yoga Nidra, Labyrinth Walking.</p><p><b>Nature & Grounding:</b> There really is something to connecting with the natural world, which is very emotionally healing, grounding. Just going for a walk in the woods can make a huge difference. If you can, spend five or ten minutes barefoot on the grass or dirt. This one sounds a bit silly perhaps, but there are <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4378297/" target="_blank">legitimate studies</a> showing real benefits.</p><p><br /></p><p>A few recommendations for those who wish to help those who are struggling:</p><p><br /></p><p>Don't try and guilt them (i.e. "Think of the people you will hurt if you take your life..."). Believe me, they are doing plenty of guilting already. The last thing they need is for you to pile on more. If they open up to you about suicidal thoughts, Thank them for trusting you, and for being courageous enough to speak to you about such a difficult topic. Encourage them to seek out professional help, or other trained resources.</p><p>Don't become invested. Remember the saying about the oxygen masks in airplanes (Put your own mask on first) - you can't help them if you can't breath yourself. Invite them to come to the light with you, don't chase after them in the darkness.</p><p>Don't push pharmaceuticals as the fix. Yes, they have their place, but they aren't a magical cure for most. One of the big problems people in these circumstances face is there is a misconception that they just need to find the right drug and poof, everything will be all better and they will live happily ever after. The pills often don't work, or work for a period before the body adjusts to them and nullifies their positive effects. They often come with side effects, which outweigh the benefits. A Therapist or a good life coach would probably be of far greater benefit, and certainly SHOULD be a component of the whole treatment plan. Unfortunately, it is hard to find one who is "the right fit". Also insurance rarely covers that cost.</p><p>Don't tell them to "just choose to be happy" or "change their mindset", a blind person can't "just see", a quadriplegic can't "just walk", whether a learned behavior, or an actual physical defect in the functioning of their brain, they can't just flip a switch and be better. In some cases, they might never be "better" in this life. Learning to cope, and finding the tools to allow them to function might need to be the goal. Baby steps. Encourage them, push them (kindly), but recognize it is a process, and there may be hard limits which will need to be worked around rather than eliminated or ignored.</p><p>Don't absolve them of responsibility, or cater to their misconceptions or misperceptions. It isn't helpful to support their illusions, or to allow them to pursue escapism. Reality is reality, and they need to face that, even if it is difficult. You can do this kindly, of course. You can even offer to help clean up the mess, but they must first accept that there is a mess, and that it needs to be cleaned up.</p><p>Just as someone who was born without a limb has a lifelong struggle, so often do those with mental health challenges. For physical challenges, we often make efforts to adjust our world to compensate for their "deficiency" - wheelchairs, handicapped parking spaces, ramps, automatic doors... Why not give thought to the things in our environment which impede their progress, or make things harder for them? I don't know precisely what that might look like, and I don't suggest looking to government to legislate a solution (they will most certainly get it wrong). But perhaps, as a community, we can be more thoughtful, kinder...</p><p><br /></p><p>This post is not very ADHD friendly, so I'm not off to a great start on that last bit - sorry. TO be fair ADHD is not the only challenge I have addressed, though it is perhaps a key component or contributor of much of the rest. But hopefully, if you managed to get through this, you have been able to derive some value, or find some hope.</p><div><br /></div>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-67071916641851046622023-05-29T19:45:00.002-07:002023-09-04T17:54:50.721-07:00Reasoning: your Greatest Enemy<p> </p><p><span style="background-color: #888888; color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"> (This post is part of series of posts, indexed </span><a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2022/05/reasoning.html" style="background-color: #888888; color: #0800dd; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-decoration-line: none;">here</a><span style="background-color: #888888; color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">. It is recommended they be read collectively, and in order.) </span><span style="background-color: #888888; color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"> </span></p><p><br /></p><p>"For the natural man is an enemy to God..." </p><p> - Mosiah 3:19 (Book of Mormon)</p><p><br /></p><p>This statement is remarkably profound, in light of what we know about <a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/04/reasoning-human-machine.html" target="_blank">the human machine</a>. Though he is as much our enemy as God's</p><p><br /></p><p>Perhaps you already concluded that the enemy would be you, based on comments from earlier posts, most notably <a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2020/11/the-liar-within.html">The Liar Within</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, that we lie to ourselves, that we distort our own perception of reality, barely scratches the surface of the threat you pose to yourself.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the <a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2023/04/reasoning-human-machine.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>, we considered some of the fundamental mechanisms of the human machine; the underpinning, biological programming which serves to keep us alive, both individually and as a species.</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Seek Pleasure</p><p>2. Avoid Pain</p><p>3. Conserve Energy</p><p><br /></p><p>Our bodies have fascinating mechanisms to drive these priorities. through the regulation of a variety of chemicals - Dopamine, Serotonin, Adrenaline, etc...</p><p><br /></p><p>A few examples:</p><p><br /></p><p>-----</p><p>- You are walking though the jungle (or a grocery store, for a less primitive example), and you see a potential food source. Your body releases a bit of dopamine, to motivate you to pursue/hunt that bit of food. The more promising the food source appears to you, the larger that hit of dopamine. Then your body utilizes mechanisms to create an equal and opposing reaction, putting you in a state of... pain... So now not only do you desire the object, you must have the object in order to remove the pain. (priorities one and two at essentially the same time.)</p><p><br /></p><p>- You are again walking through the Jungle. you are hungry, and you see a piece of fruit. However, it looks rotten, and is in a spot which will be difficult to get to. Your body depletes the the levels of certain chemicals (Dopamine, Serotonin...). In your system. Creating a mood which, in extreme levels, we call depression. This reduces your motivation to pursue the object, even though you are hungry, and you continue on your way (yes, depression does in fact serve a practical purpose, in appropriate levels and under appropriate circumstances).</p><p><br /></p><p>- You see a strange animal, one which you have never seen before. It has large claws, and enormous, fang-like teeth. Although you don't recognize this animal, you do recognize those features from other animals you have seen, and which you know to be dangerous. Your brain automatically categorizes this creature as a potential threat, and alters various chemicals to place you in a state of heightened awareness (we often call it anxiety), prepared for a fight/flight/freeze response.</p><p>----</p><p><br /></p><p>These systems are quite amazing. They work well to keep us alive, driving us toward that which is necessary for our survival, and away from potential danger.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, these systems can be hijacked. They can 'misfire', and can ultimately work contrary to their intended purpose.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 1954, James Olds and Peter Milner discovered if they wired a button to the pleasure center in a rat's brain, the rat would push the button repeatedly, ignoring opportunities for food or mating. They would push the button until they collapsed from exhaustion. They would prefer the button to the point of starvation. </p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Positive reinforcement produced by electrical stimulation of septal area and other regions of rat brain. <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1955-06866-001">https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1955-06866-001</a>)</span></p><p><br /></p><p>Conversely, scientists discovered that by disconnecting the dopaminergic mechanism in a rat's brain, the rat would lay about lethargically, ignoring opportunities to mate or eat. It wouldn't exert the effort to eat food placed directly in front of it, and would ultimately starve to death.</p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Feeding behavior in dopamine-deficient mice - PMC <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC18425/">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC18425/</a>)</span></p><p><br /></p><p>Yet another study observed rats ignoring other foods - and even cocaine - in favor of the filling of Oreo cookies. The high, sugar, high fat content appeals to priorities one and three - high levels of tasty calories with little expended effort. (Sadly, the mechanism is a trifle weak when it comes to identifying key nutrients which are needed, in addition to the calories).</p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">(2013 · Connecticut College News <a href="https://www.conncoll.edu/news/news-archive/2013/student-faculty-research-suggests-oreos-can-be-compared-to-drugs-of-abuse-in-lab-rats.html">https://www.conncoll.edu/news/news-archive/2013/student-faculty-research-suggests-oreos-can-be-compared-to-drugs-of-abuse-in-lab-rats.html</a>)</span></p><p><br /></p><p>For a system so important to our survival, it is surprisingly unsophisticated.</p><p><br /></p><p>For instance, the chemical signature in our bodies for the experience of fear is nearly identical to that of excitement. We often can't distinguish clearly the difference between physical attraction and a threat to our life (this was the subject of an experiment in 1974 performed by Don Dutton and Arthur Aaron at the Capilano Suspension Bridge.) </p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www2.psych.ubc.ca/~schaller/308Readings/GeorgiaStraight2011.pdf">https://www2.psych.ubc.ca/~schaller/308Readings/GeorgiaStraight2011.pdf</a>)</span></p><p><br /></p><p>Additionally, these systems treat a threat to your ego as equal in order of magnitude to a threat to your physical well-being. Your body's response to the threat of losing an argument, and the threat of being stabbed can be indistinguishable. If you have selected a particular position on a topic, or a method of accomplishing a certain task, your brain will literally fabricate logical-sounding justifications to support your position, and will discard sound evidence to the contrary. It will work to support and defend your decision to the point of irrationality.</p><p>The very system meant to keep you alive - to keep your entire species alive - can (intentionally or unintentionally) be subverted, leading to addiction, compulsion, unbounded anxiety or depression, irrational prejudice... It can drive us to neglect or even harm ourselves.</p><p>But not just ourselves; our friends, neighbors, loved ones, even our own offspring. The most dangerous enemy we face - and the most difficult enemy to conquer. Is ourself. It is an ever present enemy, always lurking just below the surface, ready to strike. All it needs is for you to be distracted, overwhelmed, or inattentive, and it will assume control.</p><p>This is why mastering the art of reasoning is so critical. It is the one tool we have in our arsenal capable of subduing this inner enemy.</p><p><br /></p>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-43757636667632626312023-05-22T09:35:00.003-07:002023-05-22T09:35:37.308-07:00Journal Entry 22 May 2023<p> A random journal entry, which after some deliberation, I have decided to share publicly...</p><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I have recently found myself spending considerable time
reflecting; trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up, among other
things. I suppose fifty-three is a reasonable age for such thoughts.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>For decades now, I have had as my life’s mission to “Build
toys and make people happy.”</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I was never specific about what those toys were. Nor did I
exclude useful tools from that classification. And “Make people happy” can
range from simply delighting or entertaining, to improving quality of life.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The first career choice I remember having as a child was
“Space explorer”, (like Buck Rogers), or some sort of “Rescue Hero” (A-Team,
Knight Rider, The Bionic Man…)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have been told that prior to those, I had designs of being
a wealthy farmer, though I abandoned that when I was told that I should serve a
mission first, and that would put me over 20 years old which, I considered
“Over the hill” at that time.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Somewhere in elementary school, I vacillated between an
array of options in the entertainment industry; actor, dancer, musician… I believe
this was driven by a desire for fame – a need to be admired, adored. Also, I had
the chance to interact a few people who were amateurs or low-level professionals,
and they were all very admirable people; kind, happy, pleasant, likeable… I
wanted to emulate them.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In high school, spurred perhaps by Air-wolf and The
Equalizer (The series from the 80’s), I think I was still leaning toward
“Rescue hero” And had designs on entering the military - Air Force or Army (for
helicopter piloting) – to begin my training for such an endeavor. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This ambition shifted to engineering sometime during my missionary
service – thought still with some thoughts of piloting lurking in the
background. My aim was aerospace engineering, but an aerospace engineer I met
while in Florida encouraged me to consider mechanical engineering instead, as
it would provide greater career flexibility.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I began my university career in Mechanical Engineering, but
for one reason or another allowed chemistry to intimidate me. I then couldn’t
make up my mind between Electrical Engineering or Computer Science, so pursued
both, and after five years schooling was roughly a year away from a degree in
either.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then an unusual illness struck (Probably a physical
manifestation of Anxiety/Depression caused by my undiagnosed ADHD brain, and an
environment which was not ADHD friendly) forcing me to abandon school and take
up a job.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I spent the next many years working in IT – Which allowed me
to occasionally build systems, which made people’s jobs easier, so… pretty good
fit for my mission statement.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">During that time, I managed to return to the university and
complete a newer degree offering – Computer Engineering. I was well established
in my IT career at that point, so no drastic changes came from the degree.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My combination of IT and Engineering placed me in a unique
position to bridge the gap between our company’s IT and Automation Engineering
teams – teams which historically butt heads. I began to focus on a more recent
discipline – OT, or Operational Technology. OT has similarities to IT, but
priorities are changed to accommodate the unique requirements of systems which
interact with the physical environment. (for example: IT’s top priority is to
protect data – they will happily delay network traffic to inspect it for
malware, stolen intellectual property, etc… In the OT world, where we are
concerned about controlling a machine to prevent loss of product or worse, loss
of human life, this delay of traffic is unacceptable).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have enjoyed this work. It is challenging, engaging,
technically interesting, and again, ticks both items in my long-standing
mission statement.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In recent years, I have made a slight modification to my
mission statement, as I have come to recognize more accurately what my passions
are. It is now a set of words:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Creation</b> – whether woodworking, writing, gardening,
software coding, or machine building. I take great joy in making things.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Discovery</b> – I love learning. My hobby has been
collecting hobbies.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Sharing</b> – While as an INFJ/P personality, it doesn’t
necessarily come easily or naturally for me, I do enjoy learning from others,
and I enjoy teaching others the things I have learned.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Delight</b> – I love to use my talents to make other
people’s lives easier, or more enjoyable. I am an obsessive problem solver,
especially technical problems, I have been known to latch onto a particularly
troublesome problem and work it all day, non-stop (another ADHD characteristic).
Relatedly, I am not a fan of conflict, and quite unconsciously seek ways to
resolve conflict, ideally with a win-win solution (again – INFP/J personality,
so this characteristic doesn’t always shine through, but it is deeply embedded
in me nonetheless).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My career has been reasonably well aligned with these,
though the corporate world has never been kind to my INFP/J – ADHD brain, and
therefore delight is an all too infrequent visitor, whose presence is
overshadowed by the nearly always present discouragement, despair and dejection
(perhaps my experience is not so unique, but if so, shouldn’t we—collectively—stop
doing what we are doing, and try something different?).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Recently I have come to the realization that authoring also
ticks all those boxes. I have greatly enjoyed it, even though at present, it
must occupy those few minutes when I am not buried in work-related things
(which my job has never, ever been even remotely close to a nine-to-five. I had
a couple of weeks under GE during which I worked in excess of 120 hours, to
keep the local business running).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">However, while my corporate career has been devastating to
my physical and mental well-being, it has consistently kept my family housed
and fed. It has also helped compensate for the effects of the “ADHD Tax” (Just
recently learned that one- I can see it in play in my life. Perhaps I will
elaborate on that in a later post).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On the other hand, to date, I have invested roughly $6k on
my authoring efforts (ignoring my considerable time investment; that is actual
monetary investment in editing, publishing and advertising), and have seen just
over $100 return.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I realize a certain monetary and time investment is required
for any such venture, so it is what it is. The question of course is who much
do you invest? At what point should you cut your losses and “keep your day job”
so to speak?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Of course, I could find ways to cut costs, I could eliminate
editors, create my covers more cheaply, and learn the tools to publish
directly, but that introduces its own set of risks, with respect to quality of
the final product. (Besides, I am quite fond of the people I worked with, and I
want to continue to work with them and support their business as well).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And then there is the question: Do I actually have enough
material in me to make a viable run at authoring?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have a few ideas floating around, which I have been
writing bits as they come to me, and which I believe could both become
multi-book series:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One is a pre-apocalyptic/conspiracy theory idea – which I
know I would have to be very careful in writing, as I want to use real events,
starting roughly two decades back to weave a tale of intrigue and deception, of
competing secret societies, shadow governments, and a battle to build utopia
amid a backdrop of chaos and corruption. This story would be one in which
Jessica and her friends would likely play a role. The tricky part will be heavy
incorporation of real events and people in “what-if” scenarios, in a way that
doesn’t expose me to defamation lawsuits. Not sure if just using different
names would be sufficient.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The other is a fantasy (with perhaps hints of sci-fi and
horror), set on a unique world, devasted by the wars of past deities and
sorcerers, filled with its own political intrigues and apocalyptic possibilities.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have toyed with a bit of philosophy as well – have a fair
bit of material I thought to publish as “The Geeks Guide to Success”. And of
course, the series I am presently posting on “The Art of Reasoning” could
possibly be a candidate for publishing…<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But, is there an audience of sufficient size, and can I find
them? Is such an endeavor practical at this point, while still finding time for
care and feeding of my (admittedly dwindling – kids grow up and move out…)
family?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have been lurking in a few independent author chat groups,
and I see some success stories, but too often it seems those come by
compromising their values in order to appeal to the available audience (i.e. formulaic
writing vs. personal passion), or through reaching and attracting a large
audience through sheer charisma and charm. I lack the pretty face or adorable
accent for the latter, and I think the former would suck the joy out of it for
me.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There is also a strategy of building a base of subscribers,
and utilizing them as a resource ( patreon or similar ). I believe the idea is
to release regular newsletters to them, (what would I write), or provide early
access to content. I struggle with that. For myself, I want to read the whole
story – start to finish – getting an early peak at what may or may not be the
final story would take from that experience. But, maybe that is just me…<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Much to consider… <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For now, I have “Nicholas” with the editor, and I anticipate
publishing it before the end of this year. I will continue to write ideas for
my other stories as they come to me, and as time permits. And… we’ll see what
the next year brings I suppose…<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-77038926045600761822023-04-21T11:49:00.002-07:002023-04-21T11:49:22.346-07:00Reasoning: The Human Machine<p> (This post is part of series of posts, beginning <a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2022/05/reasoning.html">here</a>. It is recommended they be read collectively, and in order.) </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Speaking of <a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2022/02/reasoning-narratives-models-and.html" target="_blank">models</a>, it is useful to model the human as a
machine – specifically a computing machine, such as the one you may be using to
read this, be it a personal computer, a laptop/tablet, or a phone.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There are three components in particular, which are useful
to consider in this model:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>The Hardware</li><li>The Operating System</li><li>The Applications</li></ol><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">All three of these components are necessary, however, you are
generally only vaguely aware of the first two, and then, usually only when they are
malfunctioning. It the applications – chrome/firefox/edge, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, etc. which you spend your time in, and which you interact directly with - give
your focus to.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But let's begin at the bottom and work our way up…<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Hardware:</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The hardware is the physical, tangible part of the system –
the part that gets the actual work done. It comes in an array of shapes and
sizes, and each has its particular benefits and drawbacks.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A phone is tiny and portable. It is incredibly convenient
for ‘on-the-go’ activities; great for listening to music while you work out, or
quickly looking up some information, or connecting with friends while you are
out and about. The screen is tiny however, making it less effective for reviewing
large amounts of data in a spreadsheet, or typing up a document, or enjoying a
movie in the ‘theater experience’.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The personal computer is much bigger. It gives you plenty of
viewing space for large documents, or vision-filling videos. It can have considerably
more computing power, and other capabilities as well. It is definitely not
portable, however.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The laptop or tablet occupies a space in between these two,
providing some of the benefits of both, though not as well as either.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Apart from the specific features which meet your specific
needs, however, you don’t actually care about the particular design, nearly as
much as you think you do. You’ve been conditioned – by your peers, by
advertising propaganda – to have preferences for specific colors, lines,
curves, etc… But in reality these aesthetic characteristics do little (or nothing) to impact how the system works, and your preferences can change over
time, based on the marketing and peer influences you are exposed to, and by
your inaccurate association of performance issues to those aesthetics.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Your human hardware was not selected by you. It was designed
primarily by genetics, with some epigenetic influences. We tamper with it some;
we have some ability to fix certain performance issues (fix damaged heart
valves, replace failing kidneys, remove cancerous cells…). We also perform
alterations which are strictly aesthetic in nature (tattoos, piercings, face-lifts, etc...). There are limits to what we
can do, and most of these alterations come with certain consequences, which we
should carefully consider.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Operating system:</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The operating system provides the interface between the
hardware and the applications. When working properly, it is virtually invisible
to you. You use an application, called a Graphical User Interface (or GUI),
which sits on top of the operating system, and hides it form you. And you use that application only
just to launch the applications you are actually interested in.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The operating system then, just sits in the background, collecting,
storing, and presenting information for you, and making sure the various
components keep ticking along.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There are different Operating Systems, but apart from socialized
or marketed preferences, or a comfort level which comes from prior use, you don’t
really care whether the operating system is Windows, Android, Apple. Linux, or
something else altogether, as long as your applications are there, and function
the way you expect them to. With experience, the right peer influences, and/or marketing
propaganda, your preferences can be altered, and you can adjust and adapt.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Like your human hardware, your human operating system was
not of your choosing. It came preloaded, via genetics and epigenetics. And for
most everyone, it has roughly the same key functionality and priorities. Keep
in mind, the Human Operating System is the part that ‘just works’ in the background.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is reasonable to model the top three priorities for this
operating system as:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Seek pleasure</b> – which in this case refers
to ‘feel good’ chemicals which are released in your brain when you engage in
activities which meet basic system needs (eat, sleep, reproduce…)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Avoid pain</b> – Which refers to removing
yourself from situations which are triggering various sensors in your body,
which you registers are discomfort (too hot, too cold, too stabby, etc…), and avoiding
situations which we believe will trigger those sensors.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Conserve energy</b> – do the above without expending
unnecessary effort.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: x-small;">(It is difficult to assign a specific priority to these, as we will in some instances endure certain pains for pleasure (running a marathon, for instance), and forgo certain pleasures to avoid pain.)</span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">There are also some built-in tendencies, which are common
across the board as well, though individual degree of expression of these
tendencies may vary from barely there, to detrimentally present:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Filtering </b>– There is too much information coming at
us for us to be able to process and comprehend it all. It would overload us.
For this reason, our operating system develops filtering techniques in order to
‘ignore’ information which it deems as not presently relevant. To see an example
of this. Try telling your kids to go do the dishes, right in the middle of a climactic
moment of a movie they are watching.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Grouping/Discriminating</b> – With so much information available
to us, it is necessary to group things together based on certain
characteristics, to make keeping track of them more manageable. A simple
example; a child who had had a traumatic experience with a Doberman, will also fear
a golden retriever, a poodle, or any other dog, because they recognize a dog as
a dog, regardless of breed or present behavior. A dog happily waging its tail is no
less frightening than a dog which is barking and growling. </p><p class="MsoNormal">We use this
capability to avoid experiencing <b>every</b> possible type of pain, by recognizing an
unfamiliar item as 'similar to' an object with which we are familiar. We
can then use that past experience to guide our interaction with this new object
(i.e. “It hurt when I touched the candle flame, so I will avoid touching the
campfire flame.”)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><b>Pattern-seeking</b> – We innately look for patterns –
look for the familiar. This is useful as it allows us to make s_nse of inc_mpl_te
information (see what I did there?). It allows us to perceive and model things
which we cannot fully see, or physically comprehend. Gravitational force, for
instance – we can’t see it, but we have repeatedly observed the pattern of
released objects falling to the ground and are thus able to draw conclusions
about it, and even develop equations defining its observed behavior, allowing
us to predict the outcomes of activities where gravity has influence (i.e.
launching a rocket into space…)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Applications:</span><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is the part you actually care about; the things that do
the specific things, that you want to do. You don’t open your phone to stare at the Apple
or Android operating system, you open your phone to stare at the Tik Tok video,
or Facebook post, or Instagram reel, or the web page of funny memes, or the YouTube
video of cats, or….<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">An interesting thing about your human applications – YOU
wrote them.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That’s right, you didn’t come preloaded with applications. You
wrote them – are writing them as you go.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For instance, you wrote the <i>walking</i> application many years
ago, when you were still in diapers.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">First, you had to write the <i>sitting</i> and <i>balancing</i>
applications. Perhaps you don’t remember the many times you tipped over as you
focused intently on learning how to decode the information from your muscle, eye,
and inner-ear sensors, to understand in which direction and by how much you
were tipping. You’ve likely forgotten the countless hours you spent focused on
learning how to communicate the commands to the appropriate muscles, to expand
or contract with the appropriate amount of force, to counteract that tipping.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Once you mastered that, you worked on the <i>standing</i>
application, which required refinements to the <i>balancing</i> application, as new
appendages (your legs) were introduced to the equation – a whole new set of
muscles to include in the balance-adjustment process.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then you finally began working on shifting balance between
one leg and the other, allowing you to raise, move, then lower one leg at a
time to propel you forward (ish. Once again, the <i>balancing</i> application required
updating and refining).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As you grew older, this application became stable enough
that you stopped paying attention to the details, and now you mainly let it run in
the background, while you do other things (like watch videos on your phone). Occasionally as a result of this multi-tasking, you may encounter errors with your <i>walking</i> application, such as running into closed doors, or bumping into other people...<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">This is, of course, a model. It simplifies some things, it filters, groups, discriminates.... But the ideas presented here are universal enough to be generally applicable to every human machine, in making observations and predictions about their behavior. Generally speaking.</p>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-38144917191861739212022-10-21T23:01:00.000-07:002022-10-21T23:01:01.171-07:00MissTaken Aftermath<p> I finally published a book!</p><p>My bucket list is now clear. 😀 (Seriously though, that was the only thing on my bucket list).</p><p>It's been up for a week, and now begins the extremely difficult (for me at least) work of getting it in front of enough eyeballs to recover at least the money - if not the time - I invested to make it happen.</p><p>As I was finishing up the publishing work, I started going through some of the other attempts at a book I had worked on previously and considered maybe picking them up again. Then as I watched the daily sales graph rapidly drop to zero, I decided maybe this hobby is too expensive.</p><p>I know- You have to give it time, not an easy ask of my ADD brain (My mom used to love to tell a story about when I came home with a book which showed how to make toy boats - which would float - using carboard, crayons and glue. I didn't have the patience to wait for the glue to dry, so I substituted scotch tape. They didn't float...). But the challenge is finding that sweet spot between giving up too early and chasing an impractical dream to long.</p><p>Six days ago, three different people commented that they really enjoyed the book, but that they wanted to know more about Nicolas.</p><p>Well, that thought got stuck in my mind. Next night, I wake up at 2am, and as I am lying in bed, Nicolas's whole story (or nearly) plays out in my head.</p><p>For the last four days, I have written a thousand words a day about Nicolas.</p><p>So, it looks like there is at least one more book in my future.</p><p>I updated the "<a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2022/03/misstaken.html" target="_blank">MissTaken</a>" Page, to be a good launch point for that book. I would be ever so grateful if you would share it far and wide.</p><p>And I will figure out how to keep you updated on my progress on book number two. Wish me luck!</p>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1836529139370199753.post-79347970518000376312022-05-20T23:05:00.005-07:002022-05-21T15:58:14.228-07:00MissTaken: Ch11<p> If you haven't read the previous chapters, I recommend you go to <a href="https://r-pentomino.blogspot.com/2022/03/misstaken.html" target="_blank">this page</a> which has links to all the chapters as I post them. </p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;">Chapter 11</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Jessica and Alyona awoke
as the world around them shifted from black to grey. The rain was still falling,
and the tree which had so valiantly protected them from the water during the
night was beginning to lose the battle. The persistent rain penetrated the
canopy drop by drop. It worked its way down the labyrinth of leaves and began to
drip on them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Alyona groaned and
stretched.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Good morning sunshine.”
Jessica said cheerily from behind Alyona. She had awakened a few minutes
earlier, and was sitting with her back against the tree, watching the rain.
Alyona turned her head and scowled.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Yes, we are probably
going to get wet,” Jessica responded to the unspoken statement. “On the bright
side, it will be much harder for them to find us, what with the reduced visibility.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Alyona grunted.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“And,” Jessica continued,
“we’ll get a refreshing shower, and our clothes will get washed while we enjoy
a nice hike.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Alyona fixed Jessica with
a hard stare. “Good. You need a shower. You’re starting to smell.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Jessica gasped, eyes
wide, with an open-mouthed smile. “I think you need some protein.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">She dug into the pack,
fished out two strips of dried venison, and offered one to Alyona. Alyona
grunted again but took the meat and began gnawing on it. Jessica tore off a
bite of her strip and chewed on it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">She stood and stretched,
shaking out her arms and legs to get her blood flowing. Her calves were tight
from the impromptu cross-country race they ran yesterday. She rubbed and
stretched them to loosen them up. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“How long until we go
back?” Alyona was up too, working out the kinks in her muscles.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Jess considered a moment,
tilting and twisting her head to stretch her neck. “A few days, maybe a week at
most. I think by then they ought to have moved on or given up.” She cocked her
head, looking upward. She shrugged, then proceeded to pack up the slightly damp
netting, stuffing it into the pack.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“How far are we going to
go?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“I think we’ll continue
up this way to the peak. That should give us a good view, and hopefully, we’ll
be able to spy out what they are doing and where they are going. We can go in
whatever direction makes the most sense from there, depending on their actions.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Aah, very strategic, <i>Polkovnik</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Jessica shot her a half
smirk. “Let’s go get wet,” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Wet was an
understatement, the clouds descended to meet them as they ascended the slope. The
rain drenched them from above, and the air soaked them everywhere else. It
wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t warm either—a sort of unpleasant, clammy coolness,
that left their skin feeling numb and almost corpse-like to the touch. Their damp
clothes clung to their damp skin, adding to their discomfort.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The ground was
treacherously slippery in places, slowing their progress. More than once,
Jessica misjudged it. A loose rock, or a patch of slippery ground cover would
send her foot shooting out from beneath her and her heart into a gallop.
However, each time she caught herself a split-second before landing face down
in the mud. Alyona snickered every time. Jess didn’t mind though. Alyona’s chortling
lifted their moods. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">One upside to the weather
was the bad guys wouldn’t be able to see them since visibility was less than forty
feet. Of course, it meant the high ground wasn’t going to help them keep tabs
on their hunters either.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Weather can change,”
Jessica mumbled to herself. This might even work out better for them; the
clouds were giving them excellent cover for the climb. Maybe the weather would
clear after they got on top and situated in good cover.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“What about the weather?”
From Jessica’s left side, Alyona turned her head to fix Jessica with a
querulous gaze.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Oh, I uh, just thinking
this is a nice change from all the sunshine.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Alyona rolled her eyes
and groaned. “How does your optimism not cause you to strangle yourself?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Jessica chuckled. “C’mon.
You must admit this is giving a little relief from the sunburn.” Jess gazed at the
bright red, peeling skin on the tops of Alyona’s arms and hands, then raised
her own arm next to Alyona’s, comparing their burns.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Alyona scowled, then
sighed. “Yes, is nice.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of the sudden, a tall rock face emerged
from within the fog, blocking their path and forcing them to a halt. It
stretched above them, disappearing into the clouds. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Jessica studied the rugged
wall. “I don’t recall seeing that. To be fair, I doubt we came straight up.
Hard to keep direction straight in weather like this, and we’ve been back and
forth.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“You think we walked
around the mountain?” Alyona asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“A little more than a
quarter of the way around. That’s all it would take to get to a part we hadn’t
seen.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Do you think we went
more left or more right?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Not sure, that’s the
tricky part. Pick the wrong one and we may end up walking around the whole
mountain.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Well, at least we are
closer to top, so is short distance to walk.” Alyona grimaced, “<i>Ugh,</i> your
optimism is getting into my brain!”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Jessica smiled, “Feels
good, doesn’t it?” She turned serious as she scanned the rock in front of her
for some sign or clue to tell her which way to go. “I’m thinkin’ we probably
went more to the right than left, ‘cause we were favoring right to avoid the
trail.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Alyona grunted.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Jess stared at the cliff
again, second-guessing her instinctive choice. “Climbing is a bad idea in this
weather. Rocks’ll be slippery. Yeah, let’s follow the cliff to the left.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Alyona nodded and fell in
beside Jessica as they started walking to the left, along the base of the
cliff.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">They had walked for no
more than 10 minutes when they came to the end of the rock face and began
working their way up the steep slope again.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Wait a minute,” Alyona
paused, “won’t we be trapping ourselves if we go up?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Yeah, it’s a risk, but I
think it is worth taking the chance to get the view.” She looked up into the
impenetrable fog. “Not much of a risk at all if the weather stays like this.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">It was a surprisingly
short climb to the summit. The cliff disappearing into the fog gave the impression
it was much taller than it really was—probably only thirty or forty feet tall
in reality. The top was a small, tree covered dome, roughly 30 feet in
diameter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sides sloped steeply after
that. Off to the right of where they climbed up, the slope abruptly ended in a
rocky edge marking the top of the cliff they had been below earlier.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“What now?” Alyona asked
as they peered into the damp fog.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Let’s hang for a while,
see if it clears up.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">They sat on a dry patch
of ground under a group of large trees with a thick canopy for a moment to rest
their legs and to enjoy a brief respite from the constant drizzle on their
heads, running into their eyes. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The weather finally broke
in the late afternoon. The drizzle stopped, and the clouds melted away. The
temperature rose quickly, leaving the girls uncomfortably warm in their wet
clothes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Staying low and watching
their step, they worked their way to the edges to peer down at the areas below.
Several men were fanned out in the meadow they had made tracks to the day
before, searching it and the perimeter.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Looks like they are
trying to find our trail that isn’t there.” Alyona’s voice was smug.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Yup,” Jessica smiled
grimly, “Wonder if we should’ve crossed the meadow, broke a few branches or
something.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“If we had, right now you
would be wondering if we should have gone another hundred feet to break some
more branches.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Jessica smiled, “True.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The girls watched the men
continue their fruitless search for an hour or so, frequently scanning the rest
of the valley to make sure nobody else snuck up on them. For Jess, it was a bit
like reconnaissance before the hunting season—watching animal movement,
figuring where they were likely to be, and where the best cover for approaches
would be. It was a game of patience, and one which she enjoyed. It was
relaxing, just sitting, watching, enjoying the beauty of the natural world.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Alyona was not enjoying
it quite as much. She fidgeted. “Shouldn’t we be doing something?” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“We are doing something,”
Jess said, focused on the activity below.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“What are we doing?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Waiting for black to
make their move.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“What?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Chess,” Jess took her
gaze off the men to stare at Alyona, “We made our move, now it’s their turn.
We’ll see what they do, how are they going to play it? Cautious? Aggressive?
How much energy are they going to invest? Are they going to just throw a few
pawns at us? Or will they break out the queen and knights?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“I am not following,”
Alyona shook her head, drawing her brows low over her eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“I count seven men down
there. Is this the whole hunting group or are there others looking for us elsewhere?
It was hard to count while we were running from them last night, but I think I
counted five, maybe six. One or two more aren’t exactly reinforcements. I would
expect if there were several groups working from a base camp, the other groups
would have been called in to help here, since we had been sited, but nobody has
shown up. So, are they going to keep tracking us or are they about to give up
and go back? Is a fresh group going to arrive soon? How careful will we have to
be? And for how long?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Jessica shifted her
weight from side to side in her crouch to ease the stiffness in her joints.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“You see those two guys on
the far end of the field?” Jess pointed at two figures standing close together.
“They’ve spent most of the day standing or sitting around. They only act busy
when those three in the middle of the field,” she closed one eye as she
pointed, “get too close. One or more of them appear to be in charge.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Alyona followed her hand,
gazing between the groups of men and nodding along to her explanation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Jessica turned her focus
to Alyona, “The other thing I’ve noticed is they keep searching the same spots
over and over again. They aren’t methodical at all. One of the guys will search
a spot, then a while later another guy will search it. Sometimes the same guy
will come back and search it again. These guys aren't particularly good at this,
and they don’t really want to be here. Hopefully, it means they will move on soon,
and that we are hitting the limits of what they are willing to invest to get us
back. Maybe the hunt will be over soon, and we will be able to move with less
caution.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The two were quiet again
for a while as they watched the men pace in circles around the field.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“So, what is plan after?”
Alyona glanced across at Jessica.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Jessica thought for a
moment. “First, we get everyone over the withdrawal stuff—get everybody
healthy. Then we’ll hang here for long enough to pull together enough food,
water, and containers to be able to travel—”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“And where are we
traveling to?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Still working on that,” Jessica
said. “The closest option was the city they took us from.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Risky, perhaps.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Yeah, at one point
before I found you, I was outside a village, and overheard some guys mentioning
a reward, so it might not be safe to go back there.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“What are other option?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Jessica shrugged, “I
think Mexico City is east of here, or maybe northeast—bit more of a hike.” Jess
stared off in the direction of the cave. “Not sure everyone is really up for
that.” She glanced back to Alyona. “Of course, another option is north to the
border. That’s gotta be something like …maybe a thousand miles, I guess? Be next
year by the time we get there.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“We could drive.” Alyona
suggested.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“We don’t have a car,”
Jessica paused, then remembered. “Oh yeah, the van. I wonder if they will
retrieve it or just leave it? It was pretty beat-up; they might just abandon
it. Of course, don’t know if I can get it running or not.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“That van isn’t the only
vehicle in Mexico you know.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Jessica shook her head,
“We don’t have any money. How we gonna get a car?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“How did you get the
van?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Jessica bit down on her
lip and scowled “I suppose that might be an option. I’d rather not steal
though. Maybe we could hitch a ride …”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“And how you know who to
trust not to take us for the reward?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Jess sighed, twisting her
fingers together in her lap. “There is probably a radius of effectiveness for
the reward. Hike far enough north and we should be clear of it, then hitch a
ride.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“But how far is far
enough?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Don’t know,” Jessica shrugged.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Sometimes you know,”
Alyona said, “you can do wrong thing for right reason.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Said every villain
ever,” Jess retorted.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Alyona cocked her head to
one side, confusion shining in her eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Nobody picks bad guy as
their career choice,” Jess said. “Every villain sees himself as the good guy—the
hero whose means are justified by the end.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Alyona rolled her eyes,
“I’m talking about ‘borrowing’ a car, not committing genocide.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Jessica opened her mouth
to respond, but the words died on her lips in a croak, and she shut it. She opened
it again, raising a finger, then closed it again. Was Alyona right? Was there
perhaps a circumstance where stealing became justified? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">She shook her head. “We’ll
find another way.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Alyona stared at her for
a moment, then sighed and shook her head. “<i>uprjámyj,</i>” she muttered to herself
as she stalked away.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jessica continued her patient vigil, watching for
an arrival of reinforcements, trying to gauge the mood and morale of the men
below. Nobody else came into view, and the men continued going over the same
area.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The sun was low when the
men finally gathered and started back along the trail. Jessica watched as they
crested the ridge, then started down toward the river. It was dark by the time
they reached the clump of trees where she dug the pit on the trail, but the
flicker of flashlights gave her an easy way to track the men as they continued
down the path.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The lights disappeared
for a while as the men traversed the steeper part of the canyon near the base,
then they came into view again as they neared the black ribbon of river. They
were close to her fish traps, and the submerged basket full of venison. Would
they find it? She contemplated whether leaving it in place had been a good
idea. It wasn’t easy to see, and the girls needed the food. Although, with the
men camped right next to it, they couldn’t access it anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Before long, she saw flickering
light and shadow, indicating a fire had been built. It looked like they were
going to be there for the night anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Jessica frowned. She
really didn’t like that they were so close to the cave. If somebody sneezed, or
coughed, or even snored too loud it would give them away.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">A bright flash to her
left caught her attention. It was followed by an ominous rumble. The grass
rustled around them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Jessica!” Alyona hissed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Here!” Jessica whispered
back. The rustling continued, moving directly toward Jess. Alyona’s face came
into view out of the darkness. “You saw that, yes?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Saw and heard it.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“I think on top of tall mountain,
under tallest trees is not so good place to be right now.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Yeah, I think you’re
probably right. Let’s work our way down and find someplace to shelter.” Jessica
stood, brushing and straightening her clothes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Difficult in the dark.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Yep. And remember the
cliff. Let’s not go down that.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Alyona grunted. “Yeah, no
trying flying tonight.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>r-pentominohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174789569032654466noreply@blogger.com0