Heading Towards Safety
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Chapter 31
The crow of the rooster excited Pepita as she began her descent down the mountain. Her movements were abruptly stopped, however, when she felt Amanda's hand reach out to grab hold of her arm, holding her back.
Pepita looked shocked, "Wha-"
"Hold on, Pepita! Where do you think you're going?" Amanda questioned.
"Down there, Señora!" Pepita gestured to down below, "You hear Señor Lee say there must be a village very near to us, so we must go down now!"
"Pepita, we can't just run down there in full view!" Amanda warned, "Bad people may spot us or...that helicopter might return any minute!. It's not safe to leave these rocks yet!"
"The Señora is right, Kid," Lee concurred, "We need to proceed carefully while staying still out of sight."
"But we are so close!" Pepita impatiently exclaimed. She shifted positions, moving her head slightly more forward to get a better view, "Yes! Look! I am right!" she stated, pointing off in the distance, "I can see it! A bit of town down there! I bet it is the town of San Cristobal!"
Lee and Amanda also peered down and slightly to the left at the sight of what appeared to be a bustling town. Indeed, it seemed larger and full of more people than the other villages they had earlier seen. It was exhilarating to think they were so close to their destination.
They were almost safe.
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Pepita had volunteered herself to scout out the best way to complete their ascent down the mountain. This left Lee and Amanda once more alone with one another and there seemed to be an awkwardness between them ever since each gave a reason for not pursuing a relationship.
"So..." Lee began, the word hanging in the air.
"Yeah...so..." Amanda repeated, looking about tentatively.
"Perhaps...we should get out of these traveling clothes and into our villagers' clothes in order to enter the town," he suggested.
Amanda nodded, "Al-right..." she then cleared her throat, "Uh, Lee, do you think you could you go away somewhere for a sec, please, while I change my clothes?"
"Really? You want me to leave?" Lee looked incredulous, "Amanda, you do realize that we are surrounded by steep mountains from all sides, don't you? Where would you want me to go—up above the clouds?"
"No, of course not!" She pointed in the near distance, "That rock over there, however, might do..."
Sometimes Amanda's modesty was annoying. Especially when there was already an awkwardness between them.
He shook his head, "I'm not the one feeling embarrassed."
Her eyes widened, "You want me to go over there? Really?"
"Really!"
She couldn't believe he was making a big deal about this.
"Alright, I will then!" she determined, as she snatched her clothes and made her way to the big rock.
He could hear some swishing garment sounds. He tried to ignore the image of Amanda removing her garments as he quickly took off his shoes and unzipped his pants.
"Are you done yet?" he yelled, hoping she wouldn't come out and see him pantless.
"Hold on! I've only had time to unbutton two buttons! Give me a couple of minutes!"
For some reason, that image of her with her two top buttons unbuttoned made Lee feel slightly warm, and that made him irritated.
"Yeah, yeah, I heard that one before!" Lee complained, "When a woman says 'give me a couple of minutes' she means 'give me an hour'!"
"The same comparison for when a man says 'hold on, the game only has two minutes left!'" she shot back from behind the rock.
Minutes later, she came out from the rocks, "Done!"
Lee had already changed pants and her announcement made him look her way. His breath caught at the sight of her dressed in her peasant blouse with the full embroidered red skirt. He had forgotten how beautiful and tantalizing she looked in this outfit.
Amanda was really beginning to interfere with him wanting to stay single.
"Lee, is there something the matter?" she blinked.
He had to think quickly, "No, not at all...I was just thinking that your skirt...is so full and wide….I hope it won't catch on any of these jagged rocks! I don't want that skirt of yours to slow us down!"
Amanda put her hands on her hips, "I didn't know a simple skirt could make you so irritable Why are you acting so grumpy now?"
Lee hoped Amanda could not see how it was her attractiveness that was driving him crazy, "I'm not grumpy—I'm just selective with my good moods!"
He was now now busy unbuttoning his travel shirt with aggravated movements.
"Wait, whoa, just hold on there, Lee..." Amanda began, as she put up her hands defensively.
He stopped, a scowl on his face, "NOW what?"
"W-What are you doing?"
He paused, "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm changing into my villagers' clothes as well!"
Amanda's eyes went from side to side, "Out here... out in the open like this?"
"Why the hell not? Only Superman needs a phone booth to change clothes!"
"But you shouldn't be changing your clothes out in the open like this!" she complained.
"Watch me!" he challenged her.
He flicked his unbuttoned shirt off and was now reaching for his villager's rough cotton pullover shirt.
He was bare-chested, and Amanda had to admit that he looked pretty good. She felt her pulse race as she licked her dry lips. She wanted to look away but she couldn't.
As Lee adjusted the villager's shirt to pull over his head, he saw Amanda's admiration of his chest and couldn't help preening.
"I'll have you know.." he teased, after he flipped the villager's shirt over his head, "that every morning when I get dressed in the bathroom, my shower gets turned on!"
"Pfft! I think you need a ladder to get over yourself!" Amanda snapped back.
But she couldn't help smiling when Lee let out a huge laugh. It helped to break the awkwardness between them, although the memory of Lee's chest made her blush.
Then they silently began putting their traveling clothes away in their respective bags. Lee had completed the task first and when he looked her way, he first noted the top of her head as she bent over, putting her clothes back. Lee's eyes next traveled downward and he couldn't help noticing how the top part of her peasant blouse had slightly fallen away, revealing the top of a lace camisole.
His mouth felt dry as he caught a glimpse of where her creamy skin met the exposed flesh at the top of her breasts. His mind went to another place, imagining what it would feel like to run his hand down-
WOOP!
His thoughts were interrupted when a tiny pebble suddenly hit the side of his face. It didn't hurt, but it caught him by surprise as his hand went up to cover the cheek that was hit.
"Hey!" he turned to see Pepita directly behind him.
She was looking at them with scorn, her hands on her hips, "I have found the best path down and still you are not ready to go?" she impatiently asked. As she approached them, her eyes narrowed, "And is the sun so hot for you two so early in the day? Why do I see your faces with so much red?"
"Uh..." Amanda immediately answered, "I think the Señor and I are not used to the sun being so blistering hot!"
"This is not hot—this is morning!" Pepita argued.
Lee changed the subject as he grabbed his backpack, "So it's still early. Let's get goin'!"
Pepita agreed, "Yes, we will go!"
They left their refuge and climbed cautiously down the mountain. Their eyes constantly searched for new places to hide in the rocks, should they need to; their ears attuned to any noise that was heard out of place.
"Not far! Not far at all!" Pepita encouraged as she handily went quickly down the rocks.
"I'm beginning to think the kid has suction cups on her feet!" Lee grimaced as he and Amanda took more time and effort to climb down.
At last, they made it all the way down and were level once again. Dry dirt seemed to kick up everywhere they walked and Lee and Amanda had to put on their hat and shawl on their heads to guard against the sun, which was now rising to its highest point and constantly beating down on them.
As they continued walking, they were surprised when they heard a young boy yelling something behind them. When they turned around, they discovered a peasant boy, but he was not talking to them. Instead, he was busy directing his three large brown dogs to follow him.
"¡Andela! Andela!" he was encouraging his dogs in Spanish. He was dragging a wooden wagon behind him, filled with what looked like bags of oranges, which he probably planned to sell in the marketplace today.
That gave Lee an idea.
"If we time it perfectly," Lee stated, "why don't we blend in with the boy and his dogs before we enter the town square? We'd be less noticeable that way."
"Yes, that is wise," Pepita agreed, "I will go and slip the boy a few pesos and he will let us join him."
"Good idea," Amanda stated.
"I said..." Pepita patiently repeated, but this time with emphasis, "I will go and slip the boy a few PESOS and he will let us join him!"
"Oh!" Amanda realized, "You need some money!" she gave Pepita a few pesos, "Will this do?"
"Oh yes! He will be happy to get this!" Pepita stated as they purposely slowed down their steps, "He is almost upon us!"
When the boy was about to pass them, Pepita stopped him and began speaking Spanish to him before slipping the boy the money. No words were exchanged afterward as the boy proceeded to stare forward, not indicating that he even noticed the two adults and one child accompanying him into town alongside his wagon of oranges and his dogs.
By the time they neared the village, it was near noontime. At the entrance of the village, there was a water trough and a circular stoned water well ahead, which would lead to the unpaved shopping area.
"Hurry up, do not fall behind!" Pepita reminded them as she passed them. She then turned around and whispered, "Remember what I said about real villagers! Keep your back hunched and you must shuffle more!"
"How the hell can we hurry AND shuffle at the same time?" Lee complained, trying not to stumble with the unusually slow steps as Pepita had already continued on.
"LEE!" Amanda whispered a reprimand to him, "Don't use cuss words in front of Pepita!"
"For your information, I wasn't cussing in front of her, I was cussing in BACK of her!" he snapped back.
Lee, Amanda, and Pepita had finally reached the entrance to the town of San Cristobal. The boy who had escorted them in was allowing his three dogs to drink from the wooden trough up by the gates. With a nod, Lee, Amanda, and Pepita separated from him.
As they passed the trough, Amanda nudged Lee.
"Lee, don't make it obvious," Amanda advised, "but do you see what's just beyond the water fountain over there?" she whispered, head-gesturing ahead.
Lee's senses became alert, but he didn't want to be obvious by looking that way, "You see someone suspicious?"
"No, but I see a car," she solemnly nodded.
Lee stared at her in disbelief, "Really? A car? Is that so uncommon for the mid-1980s?"
Amanda looked frustrated that he didn't get it, "Not just ANY car, Lee! That particular car looks so American and...so new. In this part of town."
Lee took a sideways glance. There was, indeed, a shiny model green Chevrolet Cavalier parked not far away from the water fountain, slightly hidden by a large Cypress tree, with several loose overhanging leafed branches covering the hood and roof.
"I see what you mean," Lee concurred, "A newer model American car like that definitely looks out of place in a simple village like this."
They hadn't seen noticed him before, but next to the car, they could now see a man sitting down on the ground, leaning his back against the wall of a store as he slept with his head down.
"Maybe that's the driver...I'll be right back," Lee stated.
"No, Lee, wait!" warned Amanda.
But he had already left her side and approached the man, ready to fight, if necessary.
The man obviously didn't hear anything as he continued to be hunched over, obviously asleep. Lee lightly kicked the man on the sole of one of his sandals to awaken him, "Hey!"
"Eh?" The old man jerked awake and looked at Lee with sleep-deprived eyes and then his eyes turned into one of annoyance.
"¡Qué deseas! ¡Por qué me despiertas!" the old man bitterly yelled out to Lee, upset that Lee had bothered him.
Lee then showed the man a couple of pesos. The man immediately grabbed them and seemed more amendable as they began conversing in Spanish.
Amanda and Pepita moved closer so Pepita could translate.
"Señor Lee is asking sleepy man if the car belongs to him and the man at the well tell him no, the car and driver had arrived earlier that morning," she told Amanda.
Lee ended his talk with the old man and came back to Amanda and Pepita, "The old man doesn't know much. He only remembers that the driver wore native clothing and that he had a marking, perhaps a tattoo, on his left hand."
Amanda remembered, "A tattoo? That's just like bad leader Hector and FakeRamos! Maybe being tattooed on the left hand is a requirement to be in the Santana gang."
"I was thinking that as well," Lee agreed.
Amanda watchfully looked around, "Then maybe it wasn't a good idea to go into this town if Hector's men are here," She held on protectively to Pepita's hand.
"We have no choice," Lee reasoned, "The next town over is probably two hours away. And we need a phone now so I can contact Billy to update him about the mission. We also need to be safe. The Embassy is our only local safe place. Hopefully, it's only one of Hector's men looking for us, but we need to hurry in case he calls for reinforcements."
Although it was barely past noontime, the village was already alive with local shoppers. The doors of shops were wide opened and there were tables and tables of items. There were also booths with tradespeople selling their services. The smell of cooked pork and beans permeated throughout the marketplace, giving it a welcoming feeling.
The three continued to shuffle along, trying not to attract attention. A barefoot child stood in the doorway of one of the shops, staring up at them.
They walked down one passageway and turned left and then walked down another and turned right. It was like one big maze with all the shops seeming to look like other shops from the last street they had just left.
The shops on the street they had just turned into seemed older, less crowded, yet more sinister looking.
Amanda spotted a suspicious-looking bearded man with an old straw hat walking behind them. He was dressed in villagers' clothes that did not suit him.
As they weaved in and out of the crowds, Amanda reported, "Lee, there's a suspicious guy behind us..."
"How can you tell which one is suspicious looking? We're new here; everyone looks suspicious!"
"The one with the beard and hat!"
Lee slightly turned but no one was there, "I didn't see anyone fitting that description, but let's just stay close."
Then minutes later Lee spotted the same bearded man behind them.
"I think he's back," Lee announced.
Amanda inched closer to him.
"Lee, I'm scared," Amanda admitted.
He reached out and squeezed her hand, "It'll be fine," he assured her, although he seemed to be more watchful.
Amanda looked at their entwined hands and a shiver ran down her back. It felt so natural, so real. But he was just playing a part. Even so, she actually did feel safer after that.
With Pepita in the lead, they continued on in silence, still holding hands. The tentative glow of the unexpected intimacy made both of them feel safer.
They were interrupted when Pepita suddenly appeared by their side.
"Stop! Do not do that!" Pepita insisted in a frustrated tone.
"Do what?" Amanda anxiously asked, looking all around.
"The holding of hands!" Pepita's head gestured to their enjoined hands, "For me to see it, it is more than okay, but one does not show affection here in public!"
"I forgot," Lee responded, instantly let go of Amanda's hand. She knew she should not take it personally, but it still made her feel disappointed, "It's okay, I think we lost the bearded/hat guy anyway."
"We are almost there! You must not fall behind!" Pepita urged them.
"I'm trying to shuffle-run as fast as I can!" Amanda insisted, "but it only makes me look as if I've never walked before in my life!"
They turned another corner and Amanda couldn't help but feel a tingle of anxiety again. It was a sensation of being watched, only it was more intense now. She wished she could reach for Lee's reassuring hand again.
Lee's watchful eyes scanned the few shops that were lined up in this particular alley, but he didn't notice anything unusual. Yet he couldn't shake the unsettling feeling he had in the pit of his stomach.
Then something on his periphery caught his attention. That same bearded hat man seemingly appeared from nowhere and was trailing them again. Though he dressed like a villager, he walked with long, confident strides.
A bad feeling surged through Lee's veins, yet he could not pull out a gun in front of the villagers. The bearded hat man was closing the gap between them. Lee knew he had to do something.
So Lee decided to turn around to confront him. And when he did, he saw the man pull out a long switchblade from his pocket.
So he did what he felt was most important, which was to shout out to Amanda and Pepita, "RUN!"
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