Ch 27, Sinaloa
Note: 'Sinaloa' was the name of the yacht Teresa owned in the Novel "La Reina del Sur" by Arturo Perez Reverte.
The Mexican production 'La Reina del Sur', S1 E50, shows Teo giving her the yacht and taking her onboard for the first time.
watch?v=ilTnIV2HahI
The text read that his Uber was 15 minutes out. James had refused to be driven to the airport to avoid scenes and the reflections that accompanied them. But he just couldn't leave without seeing Teresa, although he knew she knew exactly when he had to leave, and he expected her to show up from somewhere. He walked to the pool area and heard his daughter's voice: "You should not get up, Mom, because the mask is going to fall off your face!"
James found Teresa lying on a reclining chair, her face covered with a greenish clumpy substance, her hair pulled back, Suzie and Lupe expertly hustling around her. Kelly Anne sat to the side sipping a soda, hair tied in the same fashion, but her face was clean, her bare pale arms still bruised and scraped from the accident. Louise and Vivienne were trying to play cards on the other side of the pool, but none seemed to be able to enjoy it as their faces showed. Louise's one arm and hand were still bandaged.
Suzie turned to James and said in response to his curious face: "This is a facial, Dad! Lupe and I made it from boiled rice, honey and avocado. It's not for boys!"
"I see…" James smiled, then hovered over Teresa: "Can a boy kiss his girl goodbye, when she is having a facial?"
Suzie laughed and after saying a quick goodbye herself got busy with the remaining facial mixture. James ruffled his daughter's hair and then looked again at Teresa who also sported healing bruises on her legs, arms and neck.
She had opened her eyes wide: "Yes, if he wants green on his face, he can kiss her for sure!"
James touched his index finger to his lips and then touched her mouth gently: "I'm off. Will call you when it's done!"
"Why not call me when you land?" she asked.
"No need for extra communications." He said shortly.
"Only with Avi?" She had heard him talk to Avi three times already.
James wrinkled his nose: "His comms are secure!"
He seemed to stop for a second to think, then he bent down, making a raspberry with his mouth and giving Teresa a smack on the mouth, trying to avoid touching her face. But unsuccessfully! She had to wipe a speck of green from his nose before he could lift himself up.
James checked his watch and decided to get his carry-on and wait for the uber outside, but before he had gotten back in the house, Kelly Anne had stood up and had come by his side.
"You're done with your facial?" He teased her. She was still very unstable despite that four days had passed since the accident.
"Yep" She mumbled. "Be safe, okay!" she added and looked down and he knew she had teared up again.
He didn't want to tell her not to cry and to be strong. She had the right to be broken, she needed to let it all out, so he put his arm around her shoulders and let her stare down: "I will be extra careful. When I'm done with this bitch, the family will be whole again, I promise!"
She only shook her bent head yes, and James went on: "You need to relax. Maybe have a mojito…"
"Don't want alcohol…" she interrupted, voice trembling. "Makes me super emotional…and Pote…he…ahh…!"
Pote had come out of the kitchen just then and had stopped short upon seeing them.
James's eyes caught his; James shook his head 'no' slowly to make him wait and then said: "Pote is right here….and he knows you're not well, so he'll take you out for a walk on the beach…maybe he'll take you to shoot at the range…or hit the boxing bag at the gym…to let some of this steam out…It helps, believe me!"
Kelly Anne turned to see Pote and as her tears started coming down again, and as he extended his arm to her, she took the step to him. He pressed her head on his shoulder letting her sob.
Pote's eyes met James's again. Then he said: "Ten cuidado, Cabron!" (Be careful). Your ride just pulled in!" James nodded and walked away with a somber face.
Viola Richardson, Lancaster's mother and business partner, was in a wheelchair! A servant pushed it to the table just close to the railing of the terrace. The bright morning sun shone above the huge mansion as the man walked back inside and the old woman adjusted her wide brimmed hat and looked peacefully in the distance.
James had scouted the lush green area and had found at least five great positions. Avi had been right – this was an easy shoot!
He could feel his hands sweat as the target was not just a mission, but someone who had cheated for a living, then had had his son kidnapped and most likely had ordered the death of Marcel, Teresa and whoever else had been in the car that day. The whole shooting prep work this morning had scratched some nostalgic itch in his psyche, and he felt the need to wrap it up and move on.
So, he adjusted in his high-cover position, the sniper rifle on the bipod, diligently hidden under the leaves not to reflect the sunlight. He observed her for a few more seconds through the scope, then took aim and squeezed the trigger. A red dot appeared on the old woman's forehead and her head slumped to the right.
James had put his 'gear' in its case and was almost down the hill by the ravine where his car was parked, when he heard the commotion coming from the terrace above.
"The Dream Yacht Club" occupied the fourth floor of a building in the City of London. James had changed into a suit he had just purchased for this specific meeting, and he felt in the right place in the waiting room with its high end furniture.
The agent, a man in his early 50s, smiled at him as he came out to greet him: "My boss advised me you're in the market for a 50 footer Dreamer yacht. Is that correct, Mr Valdez?"
James stroked his closely cropped beard and felt the pleasure that he was about to get her the gift she had asked him for! His Teresa, the only one who had made his life worth living and whose wishes were his commands! She was turning 45 soon and he not only intended to buy a boat, but to learn to pilot it…as he had been told!
The agent had him sign some paperwork and then said: "If you're to take delivery in Piraeus, you'll need to hire a Captain or be licensed yourself by then! It's a week's course, that you can take here… or in Athens!"
"I can't hide for that long," James mused, then elaborated: "This is a surprise gift for someone…and if I'm gone for a week, she'll know!"
"Whoever she is…she'll love the vessel though…and maybe you can hire a professional chef for your maiden voyage….I understand to Cape Town?" The agent was full of ideas!
James chuckled: "She's like a chef herself!"
"Well, you'll need a captain to sail you out, sir!...It's complicated machine!…Not a jet ski or a motor bike!" The agent was not letting go.
"She'd like us to be alone on board!" James wasn't sure why he was giving so many details just as the man commented with a smug face: "Wow… She must have you wrapped around her finger!"
James smiled: "Hard to argue!"
"Is she your significant other?" came the question.
"Yeah… 20 plus years and counting…", James smiled again.
"And how come you never bought her a boat before?" The man pushed some more papers over to James for extra signatures.
He shrugged: "We were busy…Did you note down what I want for the boat's name? "
"Yeah, Sinaloa…like the town in Mexico!" He noted.
"Like the state in Mexico", James corrected him.
He paid $2 mln for the two story, 3 bedroom, 50 feet long yacht from his 'stash fund' and felt excited when he was asked to authorize the wire. He needed to ensure that the money trail would not give him away before he had had the chance to surprise Teresa personally. Hence, the use of his 'stash fund'. As much as he loved Kelly Anne and was grateful to her for the management of the family streams of cash, she was not one to keep her mouth shut.
One month later
The residence at the Hellenic Academy was impressive as it was housed in a building that was 200 years old or more. Just like most of Athens, or most of Greece for that matter!
Tony had moved in with a roommate from some Mediterranean island and the two boys clicking right away eased Teresa's worry that James and she were about to leave their teenage son alone in a foreign country for more than four months. But as said son was excited to be on his way of becoming a sea captain, he couldn't wait for them to leave right after James had given him his bank and credit cards.
Teresa sat in the back seat of the cab on the way to the hotel and kept silent. James regretted having sat next to the driver because he couldn't talk to her or hold her hand. She seemed too deep in her thoughts! He had known she'd be emotional leaving Tony in boarding school, and as such couldn't wait for the ride to end.
"What time is our flight, exactly?" Teresa asked as she zipped her bag and turned to the hotel room door.
"Ahh…We're not flying out," James said and smiled at her, but the wrinkle in her forehead didn't ease.
"What?" she made a face.
"You'll see….just bear with me!" He took the three steps to her and gave her a peck on the mouth at which she shrugged and handed him the suitcase.
This time he sat in the back seat of the cab, next to her, and was able to see firsthand her astonishment when he told the cab driver to take them to the Port.
James held Teresa's hand as she boarded the Sinaloa to be greeted by the Captain and the Chef, lined up and dressed in full gear, both ready to sail. Teresa's eyes sparkled with excitement, but she seemed to have lost her ability to speak coherently.
She walked as if in a dream and wondered what she had done in this Life to deserve this Man, with his thoughtfulness and generosity. And she knew that 'giving' to his family was what made him happy. He had told her once he was a 'giver' and she now firmly believed that the worthiest people on earth were the givers, not the takers.
As they stood on the second deck, sipping champagne, gazing at the frothy trail behind the yacht, feeling the pleasant wind ruffle their clothes, his hand around her waist, her back leisurely leaning on his front, they both felt happy and complete.
"I promise you here and now", Teresa said slightly turning her head to look him in the eyes, "…that this was the last time we get ourselves in such…situations!"
He gave her a little doubtful smile and she went on: "I mean it, James! Especially now after we know that Marcel will not be walking without a cane for the rest of his life, which is not a small price to pay!"
He chuckled and kissed her on the side of the neck. She kept going: "Because at 45, I should know that doing the same thing over and over again…and expecting a different result…is the definition of insanity!"
"Did you really expect that no one would be harmed in that chase we got ourselves into?" He asked.
"All I did was hope that we'd come out on top! I just saw this …enticing opportunity to expand and to fix a wrong I had done… and I couldn't stop myself!…But Kelly Anne almost drowned, Tony almost got blown up to pieces…" Teresa's voice slightly trembled and she felt James's arm squeeze tighter around her. "Pote almost got shot…Marcel and I hardly escaped…and George and that little girl had to live through a kidnapping…And my teenage son had to kill a man…I'm insane for believing we could find these fraudsters and get back this money without it costing us dearly…". Her voice trailed off and her face showed her internal pain.
"I see you've been indulging in some philosophical thinking yourself!" James whispered and kissed her hair this time. He didn't want her going down the road of regrets, at least not today. "I agree though…as I don't wanna tempt Fate again either!", he added in a more serious voice.
"They say that what matters most…when you reach the end, is the last face you see...and I'm sure I'll be seeing yours!" Teresa was trying to smile as she talked. "But I realize that how you lived your life, how close you came to the fire… also matters! And we all got too close this time around!" She exhaled a deep breath and turned her head to look at him again.
His expression was soft and gentle: "I love you…You mean the world to me, no matter what actions you take or what mistakes you make!" he said, and this time she was able to smile with ease because she knew the words came from the depth of his heart.
Teresa closed her eyes to the emotion. She realized that until everything toppled, one usually would have no idea what one actually had and how precariously and perfectly it all hung together.
And she silently swore to herself, then to Malverde, that her entire family was done being pulled back in the Life for good!
Ending notes
It's been quite the ride writing these last two fics (Complicado and Eyes, S3), exploring angles of love and attraction, fear and apprehension, mixing it with action both in the show's timeline and in the future. I really enjoyed presenting my version of the family's 'journey of life' (quote by Peter Gadiot) and their development as parents into their 40s and 50s.
The most amazing thing was scratching my head how to present a notion from James's pov in the season 3 timeline, then staying true to his character and lining up these same emotions of this same person 20+ yrs down the road when his beloved wants to dip her toes in the big game again; when his sons are young men, and his old buddies either love or lament their lives and achievements.
It's fascinating trying to get a read on the bunch of other characters, some weak, some strong, reliving Pote's grumbles and KA's rollercoaster emotions as written on her glass face, creating a universe for all of them, as they're one family, realizing how their stories made my life richer, helped me analyze situations and relationships, filling in blanks of unsaid things on the show, interlocking it with things we wanted to see or hear. Truly fascinating!
I hope you enjoyed these fics as much as I enjoyed writing them.