Chapter 2: Getting to know Sands
In town Evelyn found someone to fix her car. Once it was repaired she could drive further into the country and maybe even find somewhere to call home for a while. The mechanic told her, in very bad English, that the car would take at least three days to fix so Evelyn found a pleasant little hotel which was close to the market and to several restaurants that Evelyn thought looked nice. After depositing her stuff in her room she went on a long walk in order to get her bearings.
The market was noisy with stall holders all trying to sell their wares. Evelyn was approached several times by children offering to sell anything from clothes pegs to necklaces. Evelyn did not buy anything from them; she did not want to be known as the rich lady to be targeted. She felt guilty of course, she thought of how hard their lives must be, they were little more than beggars.
Evelyn explored until the sun became too hot. She returned to her hotel and closed the shutters in an attempt to keep the room cool. She picked up a book she had only recently started but couldn't get into it. She thought about getting out one of her sketchbooks but she already knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate. She also seemed to know the reason and it wasn't the one that had driven her to come to Mexico in the first place. She couldn't seem to get Sands out of her head. His anger hiding what must be an intense pain, his remarkable ability to notice things without sight, his bitterness. Evelyn was still afraid of him but she was more afraid of the thought of angering him than the man himself. Nino had said he didn't trust anyone any more, that Evelyn could well believe. What had happened six months ago that ended in Sands losing his sight? Evelyn grabbed her room key from the bedside table; she was restless and needed to get out again.
As Evelyn walked around the almost deserted streets an image of Sands seemed to be pasted in front of her eyes. His pale face, dark glasses and even darker manner. Whatever had happened to him he had never got over it. Evelyn thought of how angry he was and concluded that it couldn't be much fun living in a world of eternal darkness. She wasn't sure if she could but she was determined to help. After all, whether he had wanted to or not, he had helped her by letting her stay the night.
All thoughts of driving away faded even though Evelyn now had her car back with a clean bill of health. She found that she wasn't thinking about the thing that most scared her either; it seemed that Sands was wiping everything else from her mind. She sat in the restaurant just opposite her hotel. The Spanish name of it made her smile, translated into English it was 'The Flying Cow.' She ordered and saw observing people coming and going. Gradually the restaurant began to fill up and the noise level slowly rose. Evelyn was nearly finished with her main course when a waiter approached her.
"Excuse me senorita but would you mind sharing your table as we have run out of space?" he asked.
"No problem," said Evelyn, "I'm almost finished anyway." The waiter flashed her a grateful smile and a moment later Evelyn was joined by two men. They said hello in Spanish, sat down and began to study their menus. They looked similar; Evelyn thought they might be brothers or at least relatives of some sort. They were both average height for a Mexican man, dark skinned and dark haired. They had identical drooping moustaches hanging down over their top lips. The only obvious difference between them was that one man wore a wide brimmed hat while the other had on display his greasy, centrally parted black hair. The man wearing the hat saw Evelyn looking at him and smiled toothily revealing a few gaps. He said something in rapid Spanish but Evelyn shook her head quickly.
"I don't speak Spanish senor," she said apologetically.
"Ah, an American lady," said the man with the hat, "That explains why you are so pale. No problemo, me and my brother here speak the English very well." His brother gave a curt nod; he did not seem like the talkative type.
"So what's a pretty lady like you doing all alone?" asked the man with the hat. Evelyn could tell it wasn't intended as a chat up line, it was just a friendly question to begin a conversation with. Evelyn was not about to divulge the real reason for her stay in Mexico, but she also did not lie.
"I'm on holiday really," she said, "Taking a break from it all."
"Sounds good," said the Mexican, "Do you have any friends or family out here?" Evelyn didn't know quite why she did it but the decision to embellish the truth a little was unconscious, it happened before she could change her mind.
"I only know one person out here," she replied, "He lives quite near here actually, I wonder if you know him."
"Speak his name senorita," said the Mexican, "I'm sure if he lives around here me or my brother will have heard of him."
"His name's Sands," said Evelyn casually. She noticed the name had an immediate effect. The Mexican without the hat looked startled; he looked at his brother who also looked a little shocked.
"Agent Sands?" the Mexican with the hat asked. His brother was looking at Evelyn with a worried look on his face.
"Yes," said Evelyn presuming that this was the same man. Was he really an agent? An agent for which organisation?
"His name is not said lightly around here senorita," said the Mexican dropping his voice so there was less chance he could be heard, "How do you know him?"
"Oh, I don't know him very well," said Evelyn, "He's a friend of a friend really."
"Ah," said the Mexican, "It makes sense that you speak his name so freely if you do not know him well." Evelyn was intrigued.
"I take it you know him then," she said.
"I've heard about him senorita, everyone here knows of him but no one actually knows him," explained the Mexican.
"He's a dangerous man," said the other Mexican very quietly his eyes shifting from side to side, "We shouldn't be talking about him." The Mexican with the hat ignored his brother.
"He's a member of the CIA," he said looking pleased when Evelyn's face registered interest, "Very influential around here despite being blind." Evelyn wondered how much these men knew; she decided to try them out.
"He wasn't always blind though," she said hoping that one of them would take the prompt and respond.
"No," said the Mexican, "But no one knows what happened to him. If you are wise senorita you will stay clear of him."
"So he doesn't speak to anyone?" Evelyn asked. The Mexican shook his head which made his hat wobble.
"Not anyone around here," he said.
"Have you ever seen him?" asked Evelyn wondering how much of the information the man was giving her had been passed through ten different men before reaching her.
"Si," said the man, "I've seen him twice in this very restaurant. Always orders the same thing, the peurco pibil with a tequila and lime. The last time was over a month ago now, dreadfully pale he was like a ghost. Everyone avoids him if they can. Rumour has it he's got half the town bribed and the other half blackmailed."
"Why is everyone so scared of him?" Evelyn asked. The Mexican leaned across the table and spoke in a low voice barely above a whisper.
"Because he carries a gun with him at all times," he said his eyes wide, "And he's not afraid to use it."
"But he's blind," said Evelyn. How dangerous could a blind gunman be?
"Don't underestimate him senorita, it will be your end," warned the Mexican, "I've seen him with my own eyes. The waiter tried to cheat him out of money; he had three bullets in his chest before he could do anything about it. Died right there on the floor in a pool of his own blood. And Agent Sands simply walked out, stepping right over him."
"Your meals senors," said the waiter in Spanish. The man with the hat leaned back to allow his huge meal to be placed in front of him. Evelyn said good night to the two Mexicans, paid her bill and left. Her head was buzzing from all the information she had been given. A CIA agent? A feared man? A very dangerous man? Some parts of the puzzle were beginning to fit together but there was so much she didn't know and so much she wanted to know. She had only stopped her questioning and left the restaurant because she had noticed the silent Mexican becoming more and more uncomfortable as the conversation had progressed. If she wasn't very much mistaken she had even seen him sweating in the candle light. Sands certainly had quite a reputation.
It was a week later that she finally plucked up the courage to return to that dark house. She had terrible nerves all the way from the hotel up the road to where the house was set apart almost purposefully away from the rest of the town to suit Sands. The funny thing was that as she drew closer the nerves began to die away when she had expected quite the reverse.
Sands was sitting on the porch again. He had a black cowboy hat on which shielded his face from the sun which was still hot even this late in the afternoon. Evelyn knew he had heard her footsteps even from this distance because he appeared to be looking directly at her.
"Hi Sands," said Evelyn when she got closer enough for him to hear her. A small smile appeared on Sands' face which surprised Evelyn, it faded very quickly though.
"What do you want Miss Evelyn?" he asked. Evelyn was glad he couldn't see the slightly impressed look she was giving him; she certainly had not expected him to recognise her voice.
"I wanted to thank you properly," she said walking slowly forwards. Again the flicker of a smile, it seemed she was getting it right this time.
"Is that right?" he asked with obvious amusement.
"Yep," said Evelyn.
"Even after I shouted at you?"
"Even after you shouted at me," said Evelyn, "I want to make you dinner."
"Then why have you come this early?" asked Sands guardedly. He knew full well it was halfway through the afternoon, he had only just been told the time by Nino.
"Ah well, that would ruin the surprise now wouldn't it?" said Evelyn mysteriously, "I brought everything I need with me." Sands said nothing.
"So is it ok if I come in?" Evelyn asked thinking it best to obtain certain permission before presuming anything. Sands seemed to be considering this for a moment.
"Ok," he said and he wasn't totally able to hide the keenness from his voice. Evelyn, pleased with herself, walked up the porch steps and Sands' sunglasses followed her every movement.
"I'll just go and put this stuff in the kitchen," said Evelyn.
"I guess I'll have to show you where it is then," said Sands getting reluctantly to his feet. Evelyn was about to say she was sure she could find it herself when she stopped herself, Sands already knew that. He wasn't entirely sure why he didn't just aim at a gun at this woman and shoot her straight to fucking broadway. He had always told himself he would never even think about letting another woman into his house but here she was, about to cook him dinner. He felt very conflicted but, as Evelyn began to hum to herself while she walked, Sands knew very well he was not about to throw her out of his house, what he didn't know was what had made him change his mind.
It was a small kitchen but Nino had kept it spotlessly clean. The highest shelves weren't used at all, Nino couldn't reach them and Sands couldn't see them. Evelyn unpacked the things she had already prepared, Sands stood in the kitchen doorway. If he hadn't been blind Evelyn would have said he was keeping an eye on proceedings.
"So how have you been?" Evelyn asked as she rummaged around in drawers for utensils. Sands took his time in answering.
"Fine," he said at last. Evelyn smiled.
"That's good," she said cheerfully, "Is Nino around?"
"Shopping," said Sands simply.
"Oh, I'm sorry to intrude when you had some time to yourself," said Evelyn as she unfolded some banana leaves.
"That's ok," said Sands and something in his tone made Evelyn ask, "You're not glad of the company are you?"
"Something like that," said Sands indifferently.
"I'm finished for the moment," said Evelyn, "Shall we go back to the porch? This takes an age to cook."
They sat down opposite each other. Evelyn freely admitted to herself that Sands was handsome in a haunting sort of a way. His open hostility hinted at the possibility of a softer core and then there was his obvious vulnerability, his need to trust people and his reluctance to do so. She wondered why she was sitting with him, why he hadn't simply refused to have anything more to do with her but before she could think any more on the subject Sands' voice sliced sharply through her thoughts.
"Are you just going to stare at me?" he asked. Evelyn was taken aback and apparently Sands knew this too.
"I can tell," he said smirking with pleasure as he imagined Evelyn's expression, "Pass me my cigarettes." Evelyn passed him the packet; he took one and lit it. He inhaled deeply and then released the smoke in one slow stream from his mouth.
"So what brings you to Mexico Miss Evelyn?" he asked, "You don't live here do you?"
"No," replied Evelyn, she already knew she would tell Sands the closest version of the truth that she dared tell, "I quit my job and decided to take some time off."
"Fair enough," said Sands with a shrug, "So do you have a place to go or are you just a free spirit?"
"I'm going wherever I feel like at the moment," said Evelyn. She had the horrible feeling that Sands was finding this conversation amusing.
"You staying here long then?" he asked. He asked this in a would be casual voice but Evelyn noticed that he stopped smoking as he waited for the answer.
"I haven't decided," she said honestly, "I guess it depends."
"On what?"
"On everything." Sands resumed his smoking, all traces of amusement gone. Evelyn decided to risk asking a question of her own.
"How long have you been in Mexico?" She had asked this before and Sands had given her the vaguest answer possible, perhaps this time he would respond more satisfactorily.
"Three years," said Sands, "Something like that, I tend to lose track of time."
"What brought you out here?" Evelyn asked eager not to let on that she already knew a bit about him but maybe she had done by mistake because Sands suddenly looked suspicious.
"Why do you want to know?" he asked harshly.
"I was only interested," said Evelyn, "You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to." Sands relaxed a little.
"I came here because of my job," he said almost painfully, "I used to work for the CIA and Mexico was my beat."
"Oh," said Evelyn and she decided not to press the issue. Sands heaved a deep sigh and asked, "Is it sunset yet?"
"Almost," replied Evelyn looking at the sky.
"Will you describe it to me?" Sands asked quietly. For a moment Evelyn was quite sure she hadn't heard him right. He looked ready to be defensive and if she dared laugh at him so help him he would...
"Sure," she said and without another word she moved her chair so she was facing in the same direction as Sands. She was right next to him now, almost but not quite touching.
"The shadows are getting longer," said Evelyn, "The alleyways are already cloaked in darkness. The sides of all the houses are being painted orange, not a fiery orange, it's more yellow than that. The sun is only just touching the dark horizon, the sky immediately around it is a dazzling gold but even now it's beginning to darken like the sky above which is navy blue streaked with purple clouds. The buildings are losing their colour now and are turning grey."
"It's getting colder," said Sands as the sun sunk ever lower.
"The sun's almost gone now and you can just about make out the first few stars as the sky turns from blue to black and all other colour fades." Evelyn fell silent. Sands seemed lost in his own world until quite suddenly he seemed to remember where he was and what had just happened. He turned to Evelyn his expression vicious.
"Don't go around thinking I owe you something now," he said nastily. Evelyn blinked.
"I..."
"I don't need a comment," said Sands and Evelyn closed her mouth, she found she wasn't as frightened of Sands' temper as she was before. Sands snarled and then suddenly turned away and looked towards the road. Evelyn thought he just didn't want to look at her but then he spoke.
"Nino's coming," he said his voice softer again. It was a little while before Evelyn heard the little boy's bicycle coming up the road towards them, during that time Sands' sudden fierceness evaporated. As Nino cycled closer he rang the bell on the handlebars. Sands shuddered beside her but the night really wasn't that cold.
"Are you alright?" Evelyn asked almost putting her hand on his arm but deciding against it thinking of what Sands might do to her if she did. Sands gave a short nod.
"Senor, I'm sorry I was so long..." began Nino as he got off his bike but he stopped when he saw Evelyn sitting right next to Sands, "Senorita!" Evelyn smiled at him. Nino looked nothing short of thrilled.
"You have the night off," said Sands to the boy, "Senorita is cooking dinner."
"Si senor," said Nino as he bounded into the house with his bags of shopping grinning from ear to ear.
"Let me help you," said Evelyn and she followed him inside with the remaining bags.
When she reached the kitchen Nino grabbed her arm.
"I knew you'd come back senorita!" he said excitedly, "I knew senor Sands wouldn't scare you away."
"Does he scare you?" Evelyn asked thinking of his sudden outburst only minutes before.
"No senorita, senor Sands is good to me. I help him and he give me money."
"I see," said Evelyn, "And he is kind to you?"
"Si," said Nino seriously, "He like me and he like you too senorita, I just know it."
"Ok," said Evelyn deciding not to ask anything about Sands' sudden mood swings for fear of wiping the look of happiness from the boy's face. She had some things to prepare for the dinner so she stayed in the kitchen while a joyful Nino went back to join Sands.