Elisha's Bones - Don Hoesel [29]
She’s in the back of the plane, in easy conversation with the laborers. I can’t hear what they’re saying over the engine noise, but she’s laughing, and one of the men looks pleased at having amused her. I’ve always thought that Esperanza was the sort who could fit right in at a construction site anywhere in the world, unfazed by crude language or innuendo. She can take care of herself, and keep a smile doing it.
I sense that we’re descending. Raphael gives me a thumbs-up and I notice the plane isn’t shaking like before. Our pilot speaks decent English. He looks to be about fifty and has the hands of a farmer, someone who is used to hard work. His eyes squint even when the sun is not on them, like they are fixed that way.
He asks if I want a drink. I don’t and tell him so and then watch as he pulls a flask from a compartment between us. I don’t know what’s in it but he seems to appreciate it as he takes a long draw. He offers it toward me and I again decline. Maybe I should be nervous about watching him drink as we get closer to landing, but I’m not. There’s some understanding here that this is Raphael’s world, his plane. His hands are steady. And it’s not my first inebriated ferrying.
San Cristóbal slides into view from out of nowhere as Raphael guides the plane over another ridge. The small city occupies a valley, like many hubs of human activity in this mountainous region. Had we not flown directly over the place, I might have missed it entirely. Looking down, I take in the city’s buildings, streets, its muted whiteness.
Raphael is concentrating now and I see the sliver of land on which he plans to drop the Cessna. I watch his hands as he works the controls, noting the confidence on his face, and I feel at ease as I watch San Cristóbal grow larger. In what seems just a few seconds later, we touch down and Raphael hits the brakes.
The next several minutes are a happy blur as I slip back into a role that is almost free of cobwebs. And I’ve got Espy to help with the particulars, such as working with the crew and coordinating the equipment transport. As I stand back, chatting with Raphael, I watch Espy, amazed at how much she resembles her brother in the way she manages the men.
We have two SUVs, both of which will be loaded down with equipment. I’m not sure what we’ll need, which is why we’re packing heavy. I’d thought about a backhoe, a dozer, and a few other pieces of earthmoving equipment, but that would have meant a larger team and a lot more time than I’ve got. I chuckle at that; Esperanza is right in that it’s looking less likely I’ll make it back to Evanston for the start of the new semester. Still, I’m not yet ready to give up on the original plan. For all that I’m enjoying myself, I’m not prepared to dismiss my role as educator. I have a whole life, stunted though it may be, waiting for me back in North Carolina, complete with friends, a paycheck, and my much-abused cactus. It might not seem like much, but it’s what I’ve got. And I kind of miss my cactus.
As the last of our gear is off-loaded, I say good-bye to Raphael. I paid him on the front end with my magic card—the same one that bought our equipment. I’d joked with Romero that it was the first time I could remember having paid for supplies he procured for me. He’d frowned and then made a notation on the invoice.
“What now?” Esperanza asks, suddenly appearing at my side. “You want to find someplace to eat before we head out?”
“I’d rather not. The less time we spend here, the better.”
I feel uneasy out on the tarmac, as if eyes are watching me. One of the gentlemen who would not be pleased to see