.
I said to myself that I would hang on until three in the morning. I mean, the weather was turning nasty as the hours progressed. The wind swayed the palm trees as if they were oscillating blades of a fan. The clothes hung on the line threatened imminent take off.
As the wind made an impressive show of acrobatics to keep me company, I still struggled to stay awake. During interims of being fully awake, I tried to keep my mind occupied while keeping my eyes peeled.
I thought that if I gave up due to the ominous howling of the wind, what kind of wimp would I appear to them? They would not deem me worthy. I communicated my fervent desire to see them telepathically, over and over again. I simply wanted to see them pass by, that would have been enough for me.
I stuck it out all the while thinking, how hard it must be for the homeless living on skid road, or elsewhere, with only a few card boxes providing the illusion of shelter.
Even with the blankets on me, I was still cold. I remember what someone had said about the heat between my legs resembling a furnace. If only he knew that due to alignment of Mars during the time of my birth, that is the reason for the molten lava of my core, and of my hot temper. True enough, I found warmth when I rested my hands between my legs.
As the seconds progressed with the lentitude of a steady drip, I gazed at the stars these like diamond studs strewn carelessly on a black velvet jewelry box, then another idea dawned on me.
I recalled there is another way! Yet, my expression changed to sullenness since I have to admit I am merely a human being with a few pleasures unwilling to forfeit. This is what hinders my evolution to a higher plane. Therefore I must harbor modest expectations, and simply strive to be a good person – to live a good life.
I dozed off for a bit, the howling of stray cats a change in the symphony of the wind. I looked up again to the sky and saw a massive cloud of fog covering the stars and visibility. I estimated that it was very late, close to three in the morning; I then decided tonight was not to be.
I decided to renew my vigil next spring when it’s warmer, and bring someone alone for company. I intend to go to the beach with the hill to where they go. Thing is, there are no lights at all. It is a deserted beach, like most along the coast. I would not really venture there alone, in total darkness.
Later in the morning, I decided to leave town. I would have eaten the innkeeper alive, had I seen him, but he was missing. His elderly mother opened the place, and I did not feel like telling her off. Instead I wrote a letter to the owner, and placed it under his office door.
When I attempted to pay for the room to the lady of the restaurant next door, she refused payment. She is a fine woman from Ayacucho who told me how nice the people from there are. She also related her own UFO sightings, and I could not doubt her story.
I ate breakfast at her place and thanked her. I told her that I had decided to visit Ayacucho to see it for the first time. I left payment for the room under the plate, and said goodbye.
As I walked away, I felt her eyes following me. A lone figure with a purple backpack, wheeling a small suitcase on my way to the Panamericana Sur. I sensed that she longed for her hometown, and the memories of her carefree youth, or perhaps it was the freedom that she perceived in me.
She did not stay on the doorway too long. She had chickens to fry, dishes to wash, and clothes to hand wash.
I think that on a visceral level we both understood that as women, we have a high price to pay, no matter which road we choose.
To be continued….sometime next spring.
