CHAPTER ONE
Early December, nineteen-ninety-eight
ALEJANDRA HAD AN off-and-on vexing discomfort in her stomach, a strange nagging feeling of queasiness and lightheadedness that had been pestering her all morning long. It worried her because it was different than any other bellyache she had experienced before. She was alone. Her nine-year-old daughter Juanita was at school and her husband Manuel was at work. She thought about resting for a while to see if the rare vexation would go away, but she continued working instead. Taking a break was not a good idea, she believed. She still had to prepare the afternoon meal and embroider the collars and hems of six small dresses that had to be delivered the following morning. The internal affliction became painful as the day wore on. Her stomach felt bloated, too. At first, she thought it was food poisoning. She had suffered the malady once before and the symptoms were similar; one sign was different this time, though. She remembered throwing up a lot when she had the food borne illness, but so far she hadn’t had the urgency to vomit. She wished she could go see a doctor, but there wasn’t one nearby. The nearest ones were in San Ignacio, a small town some seventy kilometers to the northeast. She lived in a desolate area and in one of the hamlets that comprised what was called La Laguna, in a small house next to the southern edge of the upper arm of Laguna San Ignacio, a huge salt-water lagoon half-way down the Baja California Peninsula. Gray whales from the waters off Alaska visited the lagoon every winter.
Hoping that it would make her feel better, Alejandra decided to prepare a small pot of té de manzanilla, a soothing tea. She poured some of it into a cup and took a few sips but was unable to consume much. A nauseating pang came over her as she tried to drink it, so she decided to skip the tea and take a nap instead. She removed her shoes, but nothing else, and got under the bed cover. She was unable to fall asleep right away, but eventually dozed off for about an hour. Sleeping didn’t help much, though, and to make matters worse, the initial nauseating feeling had suddenly evolved into a burning pain close to her navel. Alejandra was sure it was something serious. She was normally healthy and was seldom afflicted by the usual recurring illnesses that nag most people, things like the common cold and stomach flu. She had been hospitalized once, after her daughter was born. A local midwife had helped deliver her child, but Alejandra developed serious complications after giving birth and had to be taken to the nearest clinic in the area, also in San Ignacio.
The perplexing abdominal pain continued to haunt Alejandra. She felt weak too. A few minutes past noon, the affliction became excruciating, severe enough to prevent her from preparing the late afternoon meal. Something is definitely wrong, she thought, so she decided to visit her friend María to solicit her help. She lived a short walk from her house. Once there and after telling her about her condition, María suggested an herbal remedy. There was a woman in a settlement nearby, about three kilometers to the southeast, who sold traditional herbs that were used as cures for an array of ailments. Some of them often worked and cured common skin flare-ups, stomach disorders, respiratory problems and other conditions. Alejandra had in the past bought rue there and some medicinal teas, but not much else. She didn’t give much credence to most of the curative attributes given to herbs. Rue had been proven to be an effective remedy, though. She used it to cure the repeated earaches that afflicted her daughter when she was younger.
“I think I need to see a doctor,” Alejandra said. Her friend agreed.
“It’s probably too late to leave today,” she added. “Unless we can find a ride to get to San Ignacio.”
“Maybe Manuel can find one,” said María.
“I am hoping he can,” Alejandra replied. Manuel normally arrived at the house a few minutes past three in the afternoon, at about the same time Juanita came home from school.
“Is there anything I can do for you?” asked María.
“Yes. Can you take care of Juanita and look after our house while we’re gone? I don’t know how long it will be, but I’m hoping it’s just a day or two.”
“Of course, I will. You don’t ever have to ask.” María’s seven-year-old son Luis and Juanita were friends. They also walked to and from school together.
“Thank you, María, I really need your help.” Alejandra placed both hands on her lower abdomen as she replied. There was a gesture of extreme pain on her face.
“Are you okay?”
“I am fine, it was just a pang.”
It was more than just a pang, but Alejandra did not want to alarm her friend. Her face couldn’t hide her agony, though. It was pale and devoid of the usual cheerfulness. There was a worried look in her eyes, too, and the forced smile shown after she responded to María never achieved its full form. It was an abbreviated and woefully truncated effort to make her friend believe that she was fine.
“Have you cooked dinner already?” María asked Alejandra.
“Not yet; I am planning to start on it as soon as I return.”
“Don’t worry,” María said. “I’ll make enough food for all of us and take some of it to your house once it’s done.”
“Thank you María, but that’s not necessary.”
“I insist; you better get ready to go to the clinic,” María replied.
“Fine, you’re right. Thank you for being so helpful.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Alejandra added that Juanita would go to her house just before they left for San Ignacio, either that afternoon or the day after. Alejandra was glad that she had someone trustworthy like her to look after her daughter. She was sure that Juanita would be in good hands while they were gone. She liked María. She was young, close to her own age. She had known her for more than ten years. They were good friends but didn’t visit each other much. Alejandra was usually busy with her house chores and the sewing contract work she did for a traveling salesman named Don Miguel.
It was almost two in the afternoon when Alejandra returned home. The abdominal pain had gotten worse and was now tough for her to get around, but she had to prepare for the trip. She retrieved a small suitcase that she had bought in Tijuana a few years after getting married, but that hadn’t been used much. It was still in good shape, she thought. She had gotten it for a voyage that was never taken. Manuel and Alejandra were planning then to visit their families in two different states, in Guerrero and Colima. But that travel plan was cancelled after moving to La Laguna. The suitcase reminded Alejandra of her mother. She hadn’t seen her or her father for close to eighteen years. Although she had planned on several occasions to visit them, those plans were always broken for some reason or another. She had written to her on multiple times, though, and her mom had written back. But those replies eventually stopped. Alejandra often wondered whether she was still alive. She kept a small photo of her mother in an envelope near her bed. She seldom took it out to look at it to avoid the heartbreak caused by both remorse and a longing to see her in person again. She opened the envelope this time, though, and took out the photo.
“I love you mamá,” Alejandra said to herself. After looking at the photo for close to a minute, she put it back in the envelope and stored it in a pocket inside the suitcase. She then gathered a few clothing items and toiletries for her and Manuel and also placed them in the suitcase. She later retrieved a leather pouch from under the bed and placed it on the kitchen table so she could remember to take it with them. She kept cash in it, mainly money she earned from her work. At least once a year she would take some of it and deposit it in their savings account at a bank in San Ignacio.
Manuel arrived home soon after three o’clock and noticed the suitcase near the entrance of the house. It puzzled him. Besides, there was no sign of Alejandra. He wasn’t aware that she was outside, sitting next to a table and near the lagoon.
“Alejandra!” Manuel yelled. “Alejandra!” he yelled again as he looked for her.
She couldn’t hear him. It was noisy. The early afternoon wind had already begun to batter the lagoon, something normal during that time of the year. The capricious wind bursts caused the water to become cranky and unstable, turning tame waves into rough swells that noisily went over the edge.
“Alejandra!” Manuel yelled one more time, still not knowing where she was. His yelling startled her once she heard him.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said once he was near her. “I noticed the suitcase…”
“I don’t feel good,” she interrupted him. “I need to see a doctor.”
The look on Alejandra’s face stunned him. She didn’t look well.
“What is wrong?” Manuel asked.
“I have a pain in my stomach that is getting worse. I also feel nauseated. I’m worried that it could be something really serious.”
Manuel was going to tell her that she didn’t look well, but he didn’t. It wasn’t a good idea, he thought.
“I’m going to have to find a ride to take us to the doctor,” Manuel said.
A million thoughts raced through Manuel’s mind as he tried to figure out how to get Alejandra to San Ignacio. He also wished that they had a doctor close by. It would take at least two hours to get to the clinic, he thought. There was a daily van that transported people between San Ignacio and several settlements near the lagoon, but the van had already gone by. His best chance, he believed, was to go to La Fridera, the fish plant, and try to find a ride there. A few vehicles came to the plant from San Ignacio during the week, to drop off goods at other places and pick up fish there.
As they both walked back into the house, he noticed that Alejandra had difficulty walking. It worried him.
“I’ll be back soon; I’ll try to find a ride at La Fridera,” he told Alejandra.
Just before he left, their daughter Juanita entered the house. She had found out about her mother’s illness on her way back from school. María had mentioned it to her.
“What is wrong mommy?” Juanita asked her mother as she hugged her.
“It’s nothing serious Juanita, but it’s important that I see the doctor,” Alejandra replied.
She didn’t want her daughter to be troubled by unnecessary anguish. She hugged her tightly and tried to pick her up but lacked the strength to do it.
“We’ll leave today if we can, but will be back in a day or two,” Alejandra said as she continued to hug Juanita. “María will look after you while we’re gone.”
“I will be fine; don’t worry about me mom,” her daughter said and began looking for something to eat. She noticed that her mother hadn’t prepared anything. Alejandra explained then, to Juanita and Manuel, that María had insisted on cooking the afternoon meal and that she would bring it soon.
“She wanted to do it; she wanted me to rest,” Alejandra added.
“Right now, I have to find transportation to travel to San Ignacio,” Manuel said and explained that he would eat later.
Manuel left the house and walked hurriedly to La Fridera, hoping to find a ride. Once there he noticed two trucks parked at the fish plant. Unfortunately, they were going toward the south, in the opposite direction of San Ignacio, he soon found out. He thought about waiting at the plant for a while, hoping that a truck going to his desired destination would arrive, but he decided to instead go to a nearby settlement, to Ejido Luis Echeverría, located close to three kilometers to the southeast, and try to find a for-hire ride there. Just as he was leaving La Fridera, however, he noticed a large, refrigerated truck approaching the plant. He soon recognized the vehicle. It was a truck that belonged to someone he had previously befriended. His name was Demetrio, a food broker who came to La Laguna once a week with a load of five-gallon bottles of drinking water, a few groceries and fresh produce to be delivered to a man who sold the goods in the local area. Manuel hoped that the stop at the plant would be his last one as it usually was. Demetrio normally picked up fresh fish destined for a few small restaurants in San Ignacio and other nearby towns.
Manuel ran toward the truck, reaching it as it stopped in front of the plant. His friend remained inside the cabin for a couple of minutes, looking at his notes. Once he opened the truck’s door, he was surprised to see Manuel.
“Hola,” he said as he got out. “You look agitated.”
“We need a ride to San Ignacio. My wife is very sick, and she needs to see a doctor as soon as possible.”
“What’s wrong with her?”
“She has a terrible pain in her stomach and can barely walk. I’m really worried.”
“This is my last stop before I head back,” Demetrio told Manuel. “But it’s going to take me about half an hour to pick up my load.”
“I’ll help you,” Manuel said. “Of course I will help you,” he added.
They both had met there, at the dock, a few years back. Manuel was at that time dropping off the load of fish that he and his crew had caught that day. Demetrio was waiting for a load of shellfish to be delivered. They exchanged a few words then, but during their short conversation Manuel found out that Demetrio was from Ixtapa, Guerrero, a small resort community next to Zihuatanejo, his hometown. Their friendship had grown since then.
“We’re done,” said Demetrio.
It had taken them less than fifteen minutes to load the truck and for Demetrio to complete the required paperwork.
“Where is your wife at?”
“I’ll show you,” replied Manuel.
Demetrio waited outside while Manuel went in the house to get Alejandra. The place looked familiar to him. Of course, Demetrio said to himself. He remembered going by it on many occasions and once in a while waving at a woman that he though lived there. They were friendly waves, the kind given to others in places with few people, like La Laguna. The woman would wave back. He didn’t know that she was his friend’s wife. One day, as he drove his truck in that vicinity, he had a chance to fully appreciate Alejandra’s facial features. She was walking along the dirt road and as she heard the truck coming, she turned around to make sure she was out of the way. Demetrio had then the opportunity to see her from a close distance. He was so surprised by her looks that he forgot to wave at her. He was mesmerized by her affable smile and especially captivated by what he thought were the most beautiful eyes in the world. They were big and pleasant, he told himself later, almost bewitching.
Alejandra held onto Manuel as she walked toward the truck after coming out of the house. She looked frail. She got in the cab with her husband’s help, and tried to say something to the driver, but instead grabbed the right side of her lower abdomen and flinched. She must be in terrible pain, Demetrio thought.
“I will get you to the doctor as fast as I can,” he said after he introduced himself.
“Thank you, thank you very much. My name is Alejandra,” she replied, trying to sound normal, speaking slowly and deliberately.
The truck had a large cab with plenty room for three passengers. It also had room behind the seat. Manuel placed the suitcase in that space.
“Maybe you should bring a pillow for your wife, Manuel, so she can rest her head on it,” Demetrio suggested.
Manuel thought it was a good idea and went back into the house to get a pillow. Once he returned, he handed it to Alejandra. She placed it under her head. Manuel decided to ride in the center of the cab to provide more room for his wife and better support for her body.
“Thank you, Demetrio, it was a good suggestion,” said Manuel.
They stopped quickly at María’s house to let her know they were leaving and to bid goodbye to them. Juanita was there already. Alejandra remained in the truck but opened the door to let her daughter come into the cab. She slid her hand over Juanita’s head as she placed pressure on her abdomen with the other hand.
“Don’t worry about me mom, I’ll be okay,” Juanita repeated what she had said before.
“We’ll be back soon,” Alejandra replied.
Juanita kissed her mom on the cheek before leaving. She was about to cry, but didn’t, perhaps trying to show that she was strong and that she would be able to take care of herself. She then got off the truck and waved to them from the front of the house. María, her husband Roberto, and their son Luis were also outside.
The clinic in San Ignacio was the same one that Alejandra had visited before, right after Juanita was born. It wasn’t really that far, but the road was rough. It usually took an hour and a half to two hours to get there. Part of the road was flat, but about a third of it was in hill country. Demetrio had driven it hundreds of times and knew where every curve was, every bad spot, and every road sign. Most people drove the flat portion of the highway at around sixty kilometers an hour and fifty in the hills. He planned to do it at ninety all the way. Judging by Alejandra’s visible signs of pain, he felt that he had to get her to the doctor in an expeditious manner.
Bringing the pillow turned out to be a valuable suggestion. Alejandra was able to lightly alleviate her pain sitting at an angle, with her head sunk into the pillow and against the window. The cushioning also helped mitigate the smacking and thumping caused by the bumps on the road. She didn’t say much or complain about her pain during the first few kilometers of the trip. Both Manuel and Demetrio were mostly quiet and for long stretches the main noise in the cab came from the wind that seeped through the weather-stripping on the doors’ windows.
They were making good time. In less than half an hour they had already advanced close to forty kilometers. There were roughly thirty more to go, but most of those would be a lot tougher. They were about to enter hill country too and a punishing and dangerous section brimming with curves and slow vehicles.
“We’re doing pretty good time,” said Demetrio as he turned to look at both of them.
“I’m glad,” replied Manuel and gently clutched Alejandra’s hand.
She had her eyes closed.
A couple of minutes later, Alejandra felt a fierce pang in her entire abdomen area. It was a different kind of pain. She began to moan at first, but a few seconds later she yelled loudly.
“Oh, no, no,” Alejandra screamed, placing both hands on her stomach as she stretched her head against the seat.
“What’s going on?” asked Manuel.
He thought about hugging her to comfort her but desisted. It wasn’t a good idea, he believed. He stroked the side of her head instead.
“The pain is horrible,” she replied and violently turned her body to the right, then grabbed the pillow and placed it under her, near her waist, hoping that it would lessen the suffering.
Demetrio had feared that Alejandra’s condition would worsen before reaching their destination, so he was not surprised when it did. At least we’re a lot closer to the clinic, he thought, as he looked at his watch. It was four thirty in the afternoon. Although that section of the road was tough and unforgiving, Demetrio figured that they would get to San Ignacio just before five, as long as they didn’t encounter much traffic during the rest of the journey.
“Please, please, let’s get to the doctor on time,” he pleaded in silence.
“Hold on, señora, we’re almost there,” said Demetrio as he speeded up.
His eyes were firmly focused on the winding road.
“Thank you, Demetrio. Thank you. I’m so glad you’re able to help us,” said Manuel.
Alejandra soon stopped moaning, but she was clenching her teeth. Her eyes were closed, applying pressure on her lower abdomen with both her hands. The pillow was still under her waist area.
The road was devoid of kilometer markers, but it didn’t matter to Demetrio. He knew exactly how far they were from their destination. They had ten more minutes to go if all went as planned, he thought.
“We just have a few minutes to go,” he said. “The road is good now; no more curves.”
Demetrio also knew the exact location of the doctor’s office. It was a house turned into a clinic in the old part of town, not far from the San Ignacio Mission. It was run by a doctor that had practiced medicine in San Ignacio for more than thirty years.
“We’re here,” yelled Demetrio less than ten minutes later and quickly got out of the truck. It was almost five o’clock.
AUTHOR: Pedro Chávez