Chapter 37
“I miss Papi,” Rafael said softly as he looked at the rain falling outside the transpod he, his sisters and his mother were riding in. “Today is Sunday. He should be taking me to the park today so we could play futbol.”
“Stop it, Rafi,” his older sister said. “Stop talking about him!”
“No, Manuela, that’s ok,” Esmerita said to her daughter. “A person should be free to say how they feel, and we should be accepting of how they feel, even if we don’t agree.”
“I miss him too,” she continued, looking in the backseat of the transpod where Rafi was sitting with his other sister, the two of them separated by a mound of bags filled with food and other supplies for the week. “I very much miss the man who was your father, mi pequeño dragón. We waited for five months in Ambato for him to join us. But he wouldn’t leave his parents. He isn’t the same man who would take you to the park on Sunday.”
“But why not?” Rafael asked, looking at his mother. “What made him change? Did I do something to make him mad?”
“Absolutely not, Rafi!” Esmerita insisted. “You did nothing wrong or bad. You, Dolores and Manuela have been wonderful children, and did not make him mad.”
“Then why didn’t he come to Ambato with us?” Rafi questioned.
“I don’t know exactly, Rafi. Maybe he was afraid,” his mother said.
“Afraid of what?” Rafi asked.
“I’m not sure. Maybe leaving the comfortable life he has living next to his parents. Maybe he is afraid of everything that’s happening with the alien elevators and all of the people leaving Earth. Maybe he is afraid of taking on his responsibilities as a father and a husband,” Esmerita said.
Dolores sniffed and wiped away a tear from cheek. “Maybe we shouldn’t have left Quito,” she said as she continued to watch the rain fall outside her transpod window. “Maybe we should have stayed with him to help him not be afraid.”
“Papi is a turd!” Manuela burst out. “If he’s too afraid to leave his mother and his father, then he doesn’t need to be around us. We need someone brave, like Mami, to take care of us. We don’t need him around any more.”
“Oh, Manuela, please don’t think of him as a bad person,” Esmerita said. “He isn’t bad. He is just confused. I’m sure he loves you in his own way.”
“If he does, he is hiding it well,” the eldest child said. “His family should be more important than his parents!”
“But Abuela Ximena and Abuelo Humberto are part of his family,” Dolores said, turning to look at her sister. “How can he take care of his parents if they stay in Quito and we are somewhere else?”
“They are grown-ups. They can take care of themselves,” Manuela countered. “Besides, Guadalupe does most of the work around that house, and they have plenty of money to buy whatever they want. Papi should have chosen us over them.”
“I have to agree with you, Manuela,” their mother said, wiping away a tear from her right cheek. “But things have been changing a lot these past six months, so who knows what he may decide to do in the future. I promise you that I will always be looking out for you, always there to make sure you have enough to eat and a safe place to sleep, and I will always love you.”
Esmerita sniffed, let out a big breath, and cleared a tear from her left cheek. “Now we’re approaching our apartment. I need each of you to help me get all these provisions inside without them getting wet from the rain. Then I need to contact a few people on the commblock. After that, if the rain has stopped, we’ll go for a walk before we get the ice cream I promised you.”
“Do we get the ice cream before or after la cena?” Rafael asked.
“Before, of course,” his mother said with a big smile. “Then maybe you won’t eat so much when we go to get some encodado afterwards.”
The transpod pulled up in front of a tall, nondescript building. “Ok, the pod doors are going to open soon,” Esmerita said. “Everybody get ready to grab some bags. Can you run between the raindrops? And….. let’s go!”
The two children in the back seat hurriedly grabbed a bag in each hand, and dashed out of the transpod, Rafi shouting at the top of his lungs, running side-to-side on his way the entry door of the building, and Dolores letting out a high-pitched, happy squeal as she made a straight line for shelter. Manuela calmly divided the remaining bags between herself and her mother, then kept pace with Esmerita as they dashed inside.
Starting with Manuela and then to Rafael, Dolores and finally Esmerita, each of them looked into the bioscanner, said their first and last name, and passed through the security door into the apartment building.
Once the building elevator carried them up to the eighteenth floor, they walked down the hallway, their wet shoes squeaking on the hard floor, entered their apartment after Esmerita repeated the security protocol from downstairs and deposited their bags in the kitchen.
“You three please put the provisions away and I’ll get my calls started so we can leave as soon as possible, will you?” Esmerita said to her children. She then went back to the bathroom to freshen up before going to the small bedroom she shared with her son. She closed the door, pulled out her comm tablet, and told it to “Call Carmen San Francisco.”
The block rang five times before the connection completed and a voice spoke while the image appeared.
“Rita!” the woman said. “I’m sorry! The commblock wasn’t right next to me, so I had to run across three rooms to get to it.”
Esmerita smiled broadly. “Carmen, you little shit! You scared me! I didn’t think you were going to answer.”
“I won’t answer if you call me a little shit again,” Carmen said, returning the big smile. “I was worried about you, since we haven’t talked for a week and then your message this morning said ‘Can we talk later today?’ but nothing else. What is happening with you? Are you ok?”
“Yes, I’ve just been busy and thinking a lot and trying to figure things out,” Esmerita said.
“Oh why don’t you come back here, Rita,” her friend asked. “Rudi and Maggie really miss your kids. Even Paulo said to me the other day that he wouldn’t mind seeing you back here.”
“Oh, I’m sure he did,” Esmerita said. “Then did he follow that up with a promise to bring out the laundry schedule again?”
“He was joking,” Carmen said.
“No he wasn’t,” Esmerita quickly replied.
“Ok, he wasn’t joking,” Carmen agreed. “But he had a really bad time earlier that day, and he did apologize later that evening.”
“I know, Carm,” Esmerita said, “but there was some truth to what he was saying. It was five months, I had no plans, and I needed that to get me moving. Besides, I’m not going to put your family through any more surprise visits again.”
“We all talked about the possibility that Gabriel would come here looking for you,” Carmen said. “I’m very disappointed it took him five months to show up. I mean, if he was serious about trying to reunite with you, why wouldn’t he come here after five days instead of waiting five months. All of the clues should have made him come here immediately. Your best friend from college lives one-hundred fifty kilometers away but only a one-hour pod ride. Our children are about the same age. And you have a crush on Paulo.”
“No, I’m afraid you have that last item wrong,” Esmerita said to her friend.
“You dated him first,” Carmen replied.
“I let him buy me a drink in the bar, and you were sitting next to me,” Esmerita said. “If I remember correctly, when I fell ill right before I was going to meet him again, you said it would be better if you went to tell him in person so he didn’t think I was trying to drop him. And then he took you out to dinner. If I didn’t know better, I would think you put something in my coffee that afternoon to make me ill.”
“You remind me about that story every year on our anniversary,” Carmen said with a laugh.
“Oh, and happy anniversary to you and Paulo,” Esmerita said.
“Thank you,” her friend replied. “But don’t try to change the subject. When Gabriel did show up that day, it seemed pretty easy for Paulo to convince him you weren’t here. He didn’t seem to press the issue.”
“Why would he?” Esmerita questioned. “You’ve always been nice to Gabi and never lied to him before. And Paulo is a bit imposing when he gives his big puffed-up policeman look. Wasn’t he wearing his uniform when Gabi came to your house? Besides, he called you two days after we left him in Quito. He said you were the first people he thought we’d go to.”
“And he was correct! So if he was so sure, why not be persistent!” Carmen emphasized.
“Let’s not debate that,” Esmerita sighed. “He showed up once, and I don’t want to risk him coming again and having the kids see him. So we can’t come back there.”
“Then what are you planning to do?” Carmen asked. “You said yourself last week that you weren’t sure Guayaquil is the best place for you.”
“It isn’t,” Esmerita said. “I’ve made up my mind about that. Yes, it’s easy to get lost in all these people. But when things start getting crazy, I don’t want to have the kids in a big city.”
“You’re still convinced bad things are going to happen?” Carmen questioned.
“Carm! I heard a caster estimate that twelve-million people have been whooshed away by the aliens,” the distraught mother of three replied. “That’s nearly the same as the deaths during the Covid Pandemic from the early 2020s.”
“And that’s, let me think, hmm, about one-tenth of one percent of the Earth’s population right now,” her friend responded.
“Oh my God, there you go again. Why aren’t you still an accountant, Carmen! You have such a lovely brain for numbers,” Esmerita said.
“Adults are boring – at least when I worked with them,” Carmen said. “I like teaching ten-year olds how to get their brains to love numbers like I do. And there you go trying to change the topic again. So what are you going to do.”
“I’m thinking of going to the coast,” Esmerita answered. “Someplace with more space between people compared to here.”
“Someplace like where?” Carmen asked.
“Esmeraldas,” her friend answered. “My mother used to joke with me when I was young and say ‘You should get a house in Esmeraldas. Then you could be Esmerita from Esmeraldas.’ She said she visited there with her family when she was young, and thought it was a beautiful place.”
“That’s a sweet idea, Chita. But what makes you think it’s going to be easier there?” questioned.
“I don’t know,” Esmerita said. “I just think with a few hundred thousand people instead of a few million like here, there is a lot more space to spread out, but still enough people to get things we need. I’m thinking of finding some property inland a bit, along the river. I could put in a garden, and get some chickens and maybe a goat for milk.”
“Farmer Rita!” Carmen chuckled.
“I’m serious, Carm!” her friend replied with a slight tone of a hurt feeling in her voice. “And you, Paulo and your kids could come there when things go crazy.”
“And when things go crazy, why is that any better place to be?” Carmen asked.
“Because it’s close to the coast and closer to Central America,” Esmerita said confidently.
“Huh? Why does that matter?” Carmen wondered.
“OK, I guess I have been thinking about this a lot,” Esmerita said. “I think the better place to be is someplace warm, preferably less populated. If things don’t work out in Esmeraldas, then we’ll go to some place in Central America. I’m thinking of Panama. And here’s the next part. Any money I have won’t mean anything before long, so I need something that people will find valuable. And that is seeds!”
“Oh, Chita! Are you really feeling OK? You’re not making sense to me,” Carmen said, looking at her friend with a very concerned face.
“Yes, I’m feeling fine,” Esmerita said, waving her hand in dismissal at her friend. “Think about it! You’re not going to feed gold or diamonds to Rudi and Maggie if they get hungry, are you? You need food! So people will want seeds to grow food. If I have seeds, I can help feed my own family and I can have something to barter with people.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?” Carmen said.
“I am,” Esmerita replied. “And I’m serious about you and Paulo coming to stay with us once we get situated.”
“And where are you going to find all these seeds, Chita?” her friend asked.
“My mother is an inspiration again,” Esmerita said. “Do you remember me telling you how much she loved to garden?”
“Yes,” Carmen nodded.
“Mama’s best friend from the gardening club moved here to Guayaquil twenty-five years ago. She became a professor at Universidad Tecnológica Ecotec, teaching botany classes. She’s retired now, but I’m thinking of contacting her since I’m sure it’s possible to find a large quantity of seeds in a city like this.”
“Rita, dear, please listen to yourself,” Carmen said. “You’re going to be like Jack and the Beanstalk. Except I don’t think you’ll be buying magic bean seeds.”
“I was calling to get some support from my friend, Carmen,” Esmerita said.
“And I am supporting you, Chita! A friend listens to what you have to say and tells you the truth,” Carmen said. “You were so smart with how you got that money to take care of you and the kids. Don’t waste it on seeds!”
“Look, Carmen”, Esmerita said, her face and her voice tightening up, “I know what’s best for my children. If you don’t like it, too bad.”
“Listen to me,” Carmen said. “I had to work on Friday because they needed someone at school to be there for the students coming in for meals, so the Head of School said I could take a day off this week coming up. I’ll tell her Wednesday will be my Día de Muertos make-up holiday. And I’m going to travel down to see you on Tuesday after school, and we’ll spend all day together. I’ll even pull Maggie and Rudi out of their classes to come along.”
“Good,” Esmerita said. “Then I’ll be able to show you the great collection of seeds I’ll have by then. And maybe you won’t be so doubtful. I’ve got to go, Carm. I need to make another call, and the kids will be getting restless soon.”
“Chita, you know I love you,” Carmen said, looking at her friend through the comm tablet screen.
“I know. And I love you too, Carmen,” Esmerita said in return. “You’ve got to trust me on this. Adios querida!”
“Adios querida Chita,” Carmen said, waving at her friend as if she were squeezing a rubber ball.
Esmerita tapped the ‘Suspender’ button and the comm tablet screen went blank.
She set the tablet on the bed, took a big breath, stood up, wiped the corner of her eyes, and walked back into the main room of the apartment. Manuela and Rafael were on separate chairs, each with their own tablet, Manuela reading a book and Rafael playing a game which involved shooting at alien creatures.
The game had been around for eight years, but had received a resurgence of interest in the past six months. After two months when the game entered into the ‘Top 100 Download’ list, the game publisher had reworked some of the graphics to where the alien ships looked a bit more like the landing craft and the interstellar transport ships seen in the real world since April, had added a level before the final challenge that involved traveling up a long elevator ride with multiple alien creatures jumping into the ascending container, and congratulated a player who succeeded in blowing up the mothership by telling them “You have saved humanity by preventing the depopulation of Earth.” The publisher also insisted this was just a planned update and in no way had any relationship to the actual aliens that had arrived, arguing that the creatures weren’t based on the real aliens since “No one has seen what they actually look like.”
“Don’t you ever get tired of that game, Rafi?” his mother asked.
Rafael shook his head side-to-side, mumbled “No” without looking up, and kept on playing.
“Where is your sister?” Esmerita asked.
“I think she’s in the bathroom,” Manuela said, also without looking up.
Esmerita walked towards the bathroom and could hear her daughter talking in a soft voice but could not make out what she was saying. Even when she put her ear up to the door, the words were not intelligible.
“Dolores?” Esmerita knocked, “Are you ok?”
There was silence from the bathroom for a few seconds, then Dolores said, “Yes, Mami, I’m fine.”
“Are you talking to someone, mariposa?” her mother asked.
“Um, no, Mami. I’m just thinking out loud,” her daughter replied.
“Thinking about what?” Esmerita pressed.
“Nothing important, Mami,” Dolores said. “I’m just making up a story in my head. Do you need to use the toilet?”
“No, dear,” Esmerita said. “I just wanted to make sure you are ok.”
“Yes, I’m fine. I’ll be out in a bit,” Dolores said.
“OK. Well, I’m going to make my other call now. Maybe on the way to ice cream you can share your story with all of us. I think you have a great imagination,” Esmerita said, trying to sound encouraging.
“Sure, Mami. I’m going to finish going to the bathroom now, ok?” the girl said.
“OK,” Esmerita said, and went quiet, but remained by the bathroom door.
After a few seconds she could hear her daughter grunting as if she was bearing down on her intestinal muscles.
Esmerita returned to her room, thinking “I need to get better food so they don’t have hard poop.”
The mother of three closed the door, picked up the comm tablet, turned on the ‘mirror’ feature to check her hair, and then said to the tablet “Call Alexandra Ulloa. Identify caller as Esmerita, daughter of Carmelita Gutiérrez de Hirtz”. The tablet started the call and after multiple rings, noted the call had been acknowledged by not accepted. After a brief pause, the voice on the other end spoke. “Hello?”
“Ola, Miss Alexandra!,” Esmerita said, smiling into the comm lens but still looking at a blank screen. “This is Esmerita Villacis Hirtz de Alba. I am the daughter of Carmelita Gutiérrez de Hirtz.”
The image from the other end activated and a middle-aged, slightly portly woman with graying hair appeared. “Esmerita? Esmerita Villacis Hirtz? Oh my goodness, I wasn’t expecting to hear or see you on this screen.”
“Yes, I apologize for bothering you, Miss Alexandra,” Esmerita said.
“Oh, it’s no bother, dear,” the older woman interrupted. “I’m just so surprised and needed a moment for the seed to sprout in my mind. I mean, it has been a long time since we last spoke to one another.”
“Yes, I believe it has been ten years,” Esmerita said. “It would have been at my mother’s funeral in Santo Domingo the last time we met. I apologize I haven’t reached out since then.”
“Apologize? Why would you need to do that, Esmerita!” Alexandra said. “You’ve had a child to raise, or is it two? Weren’t you pregnant at the funeral?”
“Yes, I was,” the younger woman said. “And I’ve had a third child since then.”
“Well, then, you’ve been busy with your family. And I was your mother’s friend, not yours, so I wouldn’t have expected you to be calling me all the time,” the older woman responded. “By the way, how did you get my comm ID?”
“After my mother passed, I decided to copy her contacts into my secure list,” Esmerita explained. “I learned so many surprising stories when people would come up to me that weekend of the funeral and say to me ‘Did your mother ever tell you about the time she and I…’ and then they would tell some amazing story about her I had never heard. I thought it would be good to have those names in case someone told me about another story. And your contact information was in that list, so I looked it up.”
“That’s definitely an interesting approach,” Alexandra said. “And how have you been after all this time? I hear things are getting a bit tense in the capital what with the Social Christians pushing Fuerza to be more forceful about locking down the borders with Colombia and Peru.”
“As a matter of fact, I’ve not been in Quito for almost six months,” Esmerita shared. “My children and I left in early May, went to Ambato for a while, and now we’re here in Guayaquil.”
“In Guayaquil? How long have you been here?” Alexandra asked.
“For about a month,” Esmerita answered.
“So you and your husband decided to take the children out of the capital?” the older woman asked.
“No, Gabriel remained behind in Quito,” Esmerita said. “It is just me and the three children.”
“Esmerita, are you doing alright?,” her mother’s friend asked. “You remember how I told you at the funeral that I’m always willing to be of help to Carmelita’s little girl in any way I can.”
“I remember, Miss Alexandra,” Esmerita said. “And the children and I are doing well.”
Esmerita paused.
“But?” Alexandra said.
“Well, I think it may be time for the children and I to leave Guayaquil, and I was hoping you might be able to help me with something,” Esmerita said hesitantly.
“Certainly, Rita!” the older woman said. “The University didn’t really provide a pension to speak of, but I get a few invitations to present at conferences still, and I still get a small royalty from my maize varieties still in use. How much money do you need?”
“Oh, no, that’s not it at all,” Esmerita said. “I mean that’s very generous, but we’re doing well enough with money. It’s actually seeds I was hoping you could help me find.”
“Seeds? Are you going to grow a garden here in Guayaquil?” Alexandra asked. “Oh, wait, that’s right. You said you were leaving town. So you want to grow a garden in the country?”
“Well, yes, I do. But I think I could use a lot more than what would grow in a garden,” Esmerita said. “I’m not confident that money will mean much to people in the future, and…”
Alexandra interrupted, “and you think seeds will be the new money,” she said with a large smile. “Oh, I always told Carmelita you were a smart little girl.”
“I’m not sure I’m that little girl any longer,” Esmerita said.
“You’re a generation younger than me, and you’re still lighter than I am, so to me you are still that little girl,” Alexandra said.
“Thank you, I guess,” Esmerita said.
“So what kind of seeds are you thinking about?” the retired teacher asked.
“I guess all types – fruits, grains, vegetables,” Esmerita said.
“Of course! Oh that makes so much sense, Esmerita. People don’t realize the true value those small packages contain!” the botanist exclaimed. “But of course you would, seeing as you watched your mother spend all those valuable hours in her beautiful garden. So you want enough to start a garden? How big do you expect this garden to be?”
“Actually I’m looking for more than what is needed to start a garden. I was thinking of spending four million oscurodar,” Esmerita said in a lowered voice.
“Oscurodar?” Alexandra said. “I’m not good with the virtual currencies, Rita. How much is that in pesovar?”
“About one point five million,” Esmerita said in an even softer voice.
“One and a half million pesovar of seeds!” Alexandra said loudly.
Esmerita quickly looked over her shoulder, nervously glancing at the closed door.
“That is enough to feed a half-dozen villages for a year!” Alexandra continued. “Is that what you plan on doing?”
“Not exactly,” Esmerita said. “I plan to use it to trade.”
“That is a lot of trading, dear,” her mother’s friend said. “Should I ask what you’ll be trading for?”
“I’d rather not say at this time,” Esmerita said. “But if the trade is successful, I’ll be glad to share.”
“Fair enough. But the oscurodar. Now that is something I need to ask about. Why not just use pesovars directly?” Alexandra inquired.
“I don’t want the money to be traced,” Esmerita said. “And I don’t want the seller to find out my name.”
“Are you worried about Gabriel tracking you, Esmerita? I have other contacts that may help with that issue,” Alexanrda said seriously.
“No, not Gabriel. Maybe his family a little bit, but not really,” Esmerita said. “I just don’t want the federal bank to know about my affairs right now. I don’t think they are making good choices and they don’t need any extra information about where I’m going or what I’m doing right now.”
Alexandra nodded. “OK. Let me get in touch with a few of my contacts. I know someone who helped me when I was doing some research on fungus-resistant high-altitude vegetables that were hard to get. I’ll contact her. Give me until tomorrow morning, please, and I’ll call you back.”
Esmerita looked over her shoulders again, but this time it was because she could hear the voices of the children from the other room.
“Oh, that would be great!” Esmerita said, turning back to the comm tablet. “I wasn’t expecting anything so…”
“Stop it!” Dolores’s voice could be heard shouting. “Give it back!”
“You shouldn’t be messing with it!” Manuela shouted back.
Esmerita cheeks reddened. “I’m sorry, Miss Alexandra,” she said. “It seems the children have lost interest in cooperating with each other. I look forward to talking again tomorrow.”
“That’s fine, Rita,” Alexandra said with a smile. “I’m sure this is all stressful for them like it is for you. I’ll call you tomorrow morning.”
And having said that, Alexandra reached towards her screen and her image disappeared.
The mother of three walked out of the bedroom to find Manuela holding her mother’s commblock over and behind her head with one hand, and using the other hand to push away her younger sister, who was trying to reach the communication device.
“I’m not done with it,” Dolores said, jumping to extend her reach.
“It’s not yours!” the older sister replied.
“What is going on out here?” Esmerita said. “My call was interrupted by the two of you fighting!”
“Dolores is snooping on your phone, Mother,” Manuela said, continuing to push her sister away.
“I’m – – not – – snooping!” Dolores said, trying three remaining unsuccessful lunges for the commblock.
“Dámelo!” Esmerita said, holding out her arm.
Manuela put the commblock in her mother’s hand, and gave her sister a fake smile.
“Dolores, this is my commblock, and you know I don’t like any of you just picking it up. You each have a device of your own,” the mother said.
Dolores plopped down in a chair, her shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry, Mami.
“Why didn’t you use yours?” Esmerita asked.
“I, … I needed to do some research for my story, and my block has limited access,” Dolores said. “Yours can get to what I want to look at.”
Esmerita looked at her daughter, who had made eye contact by the end of the explanation.
“Then just ask me, mariposa, and I can get you set up,” she said. “I’ve loaned it to you before. I don’t like people sneaking onto it.”
“I’m sorry, Mami. I didn’t want to bother you,” the daughter said. “I promise to ask next time.”
“OK. If we’re calmed down, then everybody use the bathroom, wash up and let’s go get some ice cream,” Esmerita said.
Early the next morning, Esmerita’s commblock sounded. She rolled off her back and onto her side, using her elbow to prop herself up on the mattress to see the name of the caller.
“Alexandra Ulloa”
“¡Mierda!”, Esmerita hissed. Then her eyes widened and she turned to look over her shoulder. Rafael was still sleeping, although he was starting to stir. She quickly slid out of the bed covers, grabbed and muted the commblock, and padded out of the bedroom.
In the hallway, she clicked the ‘Contestar’ button on the screen and whispered ‘Hello’.
“Hello? Esmerita?” Alexandra said.
“Yes, it’s me,” Esmerita said.
“Is it too early? Did I wake you?” the botanist asked.
“No, it’s fine,” Esmerita said. “The children are sleeping in, and I don’t want to wake them.”
Alexandra raised her eyebrows and gave a questioning look.
“OK, I was asleep as well,” Esmerita admitted. “We had a late night last night. It was so beautiful after the rain stopped last night, and I took the children to Play Land Park. We rode on the rides until the park closed. By the time we got back to our apartment, and everyone settled down, it was midnight.”
“Now that is an excuse I find perfectly acceptable,” Alexandra said.
“And how are you doing this morning, Miss Alexandra?” Esmerita asked.
“I am doing well, Rita,” the older lady answered. “In fact, I am feeling quite happy with myself. After we talked yesterday, I reached out to my contact. At first, she was surprised I was calling, since she thought I was out of the rare seed market. But when I explained I needed to buy a large variety of common seeds, she smiled and said that would be easy. I think she misunderstood me, because when I told her what volume I meant by ‘large’, she was speechless. Finally she said she would reach out to her contacts, and call me this morning.”
“So I just finished my call with her, and she said was able to locate everything on my list except for mora, watermelon, choclo, and romochia. That’s twenty-six of thirty seed in quantities larger than most commercial farmers buy for a year. And she located them in less than twelve hours!”
“Wow, that’s fantastic!” Esmerita exclaimed as she stepped out on her balcony. “So how do we make this happen?”
“OK, now comes the challenging part,” Alexandra explained. “The people my contact deals with don’t operate on the same schedule nor the same business patterns you and I may be used to. She said she can have the seeds in Guayaquil sometime over the next seven days, but can’t guarantee exactly when. And she said you have to take delivery and make payment the day that seed arrives, even if it’s spread out over all seven days. And she’ll need proof of payment capability today.”
“Yes, I thought something like this might be the case,” Esmerita said. “OK, can we meet her at Parque Chile?”
“I’m sorry, but no,” Alexandra said. “She informed me that we need to meet by the port, as that is where she conducts all her business.”
Esmerita looked up from the commblock screen to observe the clear, blue sky above the buildings.
“Tell your contact, please, that I’ll meet her at 11:30 am,” Esmerita said, returning her gaze to the screen. “She is to have two of the thirty batches of seeds available at that point, and I’ll have payment ready. And we can make arrangements for the remaining transactions then.”
“¡Dios mío! First the unexpected call, then the seed request, and now your counter demands. You are full of surprises, Miss Hirtz!” Alexandra commented.
“Perhaps,” Esmerita replied with a sly grin. “But it’s Mrs. Villacís Hirtz de Alba, now. And one of the positive things I did learn from my husband’s family was some skill at negotiating. I heard my father-in-law and my husband both make numerous deals over the comm or at a dinner for their export business over the past thirteen years that we’ve been married. Some of that may have rubbed off.”
“Good, you may get a better price than I did for my uva,” Alexandra said. “What is the address where you are staying? I’ll come by and pick you up at 10:30.”
“Wait a minute,” Esmerita paused. “I forgot about the kids. Um, would it be possible for you to stay with them in the transpod while I go talk to your contact?”
“No, that won’t work,” Alexandra chuckled. “My contact will only deal if I’m there with you, as she won’t allow me to share her name or location. And that part of town isn’t very safe at the moment, so I won’t let you go alone. The children definitely should not go anywhere near there. Can’t they just stay at your apartment? I thought your oldest was old enough to watch the other two?”
“It doesn’t always go that well if they are left alone,” Esmerita said. “But I suppose I don’t have any other good option at the moment. OK. I’ll send you my address here. When you are getting close, let me know and I’ll come outside. Estoy en deuda contigo, Miss Alexandra.”
“You can thank me when this adventure turns out well, Esmerita,” the retired professor said, reaching for her commblock screen. “I’ll see you soon!”
Esmerita hugged her chest and breathed in the cool morning air. “This will be a good day.”
She returned inside the apartment to find her son sitting at the table, playing his favorite game.
“Already, Rafi?” the mother said to her son.
“Good morning, Mami! The aliens don’t stop, day or night,” he said, pausing the game long enough to look up with a smile. “Someone has to keep you and my sisters safe.”
Esmerita smiled back and tousled his hair. “OK, Mr. Alien-Fighter. Can I get you some breakfast to make your thumbs stronger for battle?”
“Yes, please!” Rafael said, returning his attention to the game.
Esmerita pulled out the ingredients for one of her personal favorite dishes, huevos con chorizo. By the time the eggs were ready, Dolores had come shuffling out of the bedroom she shared with her sister.
“Good morning, mi pequeña mariposa,” Esmerita said. “Did your sister get to the bathroom first?”
“No,” Dolores said, plopping herself in a dining table chair. “She is still asleep.”
When the three of them were almost finished with breakfast, Manuela came trotting down the hallway into the kitchen.
“I’m sorry, Mami, I overslept” the oldest child said, rubbing her eyes as if that would help her become alert more quickly.
“It’s fine, Manuela,” Esmerita said. “We all had a late night last night. And if I haven’t said it already, I think you’re entering a growth stage where your body needs more rest.”
“Yes, you’ve said it before, Mami,” Manuela said, looking slightly embarrassed. Then she looked at the table. “Oh, good! I wasn’t sure if it was me dreaming or it was real. I think the smell of the chorizo must have gotten past my sleep. I’m starving!”
“I made some extra I thought you could have if you three got hungry before lunch, but if you are truly hungry, then eat whatever you want,” Esmerita said.
“Are we having a late lunch because we slept in?” Dolores asked.
“Well, lunch may be a bit late today, but not because of that,” Esmerita said. “I need to do some shopping this morning.”
“More shopping,” Rafael said. “Didn’t we buy the whole store yesterday?”
“I’m shopping for different things this morning, Rafi,” his mother said.
“Oh, can I go with you!” Dolores asked excitedly.
“No, mariposa, I’m afraid not this time. In fact, I need all three of you to stay here while I’m out,” Esmerita said.
“Not fair!” Dolores said. “You hardly ever leave us here all together. And when you do, you always say Manuela is in charge. I’m only one year younger than her…”
“Eighteen months younger,” Manuela interrupted.
Dolores quickly stuck out her tongue at her older sister, then returned to her argument, “And she is no better than I am, so why does she always get to tell us what to do? She is mean to us!”
“I am not, you stinky mushroom,” Manuela responded.
“See?” Dolores said, looking at her mother but pointing to her sister.
“Please, girls, not this morning already,” Esmerita said, rubbing her temple. “If it were completely up to me, I wouldn’t be leaving today. But I need to go out for a few hours. I’ll be back, and if all goes well, we can go out for dinner again tonight.”
“Really?” Manuela said. “OK, then I take back what I said. She’s not a stinky mushroom. She’s just a regular mushroom.”
“Mami!” Dolores complained.
Esmerita got the girls to calm down. When Manuela finished eating, Esmerita noticed the time was close to 10:30 am and went to get herself ready, telling the three children to work together to clean up the kitchen from breakfast. She was dressed and barely had time to grab some makeup to put in her purse when her commblock buzzed. Alexandra had sent a message that she was five minutes from the apartment.
Esmerita rushed into the living room. “OK, listen. Everyone needs to shower before I get back. Manuela is not telling you this, Dolores. I am! I think there is some leftover school work you each need to do from last week. We’ll start this week’s lessons tomorrow, so last week’s work needs to be done by the time I get back. That means no more shooting aliens, Rafi!”
“And, most importantly, no one needs to leave this apartment!” she said, pulling on her a long overcoat. “I don’t care who knocks, who sends a note, or what you see outside. No one leaves. Got it?”
“Yes, Mama,” Manuela said.
“Yes, Mami,” Dolores added.
“Rafi?” Esmerita said, looking back at her son as she opened the apartment door.
“Ok, I won’t leave the apartment,” he replied.
“Love you all! See you soon!” Esmerita called, closing the door, confirming it locked, and rushing downstairs.
By the time she made it outside, Alexandra was already sitting in a transpod waiting in front of the building.
Esmerita ran over and got in the front seat with her host. “I’m sorry I’m late. Will we still be able to get there on time?”
“Yes,” Alexandra said. “It should only take twenty minutes.”
She turned to the console of the transpod, “Podero, drive to Primer Paseo 55 SE and Avenue 11A, Reina Del Quinche.”
The transpod replied “Por favor abrochen sus cinturones,” and began pulling away from the curb.
“Good,” Esmerita said, pulling out her commblock. “I need the time to get a few things ready. And thank you again, Miss Alexandra. I’m happy to see you again!”
“I’m happy to see you again as well, Rita,” the older lady said. “Before we go too far, I just want to make sure you want to go through with this. You can change your mind, I can call my contact and tell her the deal won’t happen, and we can get some coffee and I can learn more about the past ten years of your life.”
“Thank you Miss Alexandra,” Esmerita said and she was tapping away on the screen, “but I’m ready to proceed as we talked.”
“Once you make this first part of the deal, you are committed to follow through on the rest, even if you change your mind,” her host said.
“Yes, I realize that,” Esmerita responded, tapping a few more clicks on the block. “There! I am committed already. I’ve transferred the first block of oscudar out of my personal account and into a trading account I can’t get back.”
“But how do you know what she’ll agree to already?” Alexandra asked.
“She’ll have to agree,” Esmerita said. “That’s the only amount I can transfer today.”
She attached her commblock to the transpod dashboard, put it on mirror mode, and pulled out a mascara bottle and started on her right eyelash. “So tell me about your contact. Is she younger or older than I am? Is she a native Guayaquileno? Are you aware of any likes or dislikes she has? And when do I find out her name?”
“Are these more of the things you’ve learned to ask from your negotiating lessons?” Alexandra said.
“Some, yes. Others I found out on my own are good to know,” Esmerita answered as she switched to her left eyelash. “Men don’t care what other men like. It’s all about themselves. I think it’s good to realize an interest in the other person can be a benefit.”
“I would guess she is a few years younger than you,” Alexandra said, “But I’m not sure. Her life hasn’t been as easy as yours or mine, so the years wear on her a little harder. I know she doesn’t like to see things go to waste, but what ultimately happens to the things she finds and sells is the buyer’s choice at the end of the day. Beyond that, I don’t know of any specific likes or dislikes. And I’ll tell you her name when you both meet, at the same time she learns what your name is.”
Esmerita closed up the mascara, put it back in her purse, and pulled out an eyeshadow marker. “And how many deals have you done with her yourself,” she asked.
“Over the past fifteen years, probably half a dozen,” the retired professor answered.
“Any problems?”
“Only one time when her supplier backed out at the last minute, and left the location where we were finalizing the transaction,” Alexandra said.
“What happened? How did she deal with it,” Esmerita said, finishing the eye coloring.
“She contacted me later that day, brought over the plant, and apologized for the delay.”
“Did she lower the price?” Esmerita wondered, pulling out a blush / bronzer kit.
“No, she just apologized for the extra hassle,” Alexandra answered. “I asked what happened to her supplier. She said that person would not be supplying anything else, but didn’t explain any more.”
Esmerita nodded, applying the bronzer on her cheeks and nose.
“Good,” she said, ensuring a smooth color transition with her finger. “A professional who knows what to expect from her client and her sources. One last question. Male or female?”
“Um, she is a female,” Alexanrda said with a confused look.
“No, I mean, does she prefer women or men?” Esmerita clarified as she applied the blush.
“I don’t know,” Alexanrda said. “She has had both with her in the past. Why? Does it matter?”
“Not usually,” Esmerita said. “But it’s one more fact to know about someone.”
She clicked the color kit closed and pulled out a lipstick. Before applying the color to her lips, she turned to her host.
“I’m sorry, Miss Alexandra. I just realized how very assuming I am,” Esmerita said. “This is obviously a serious matter, and I’m pulling you into a deal you didn’t ask to take place. All you need to do is say the word, and I’ll agree to let you call your contact, cancel the deal, and we can go have that coffee you are talking about.”
The botanist reached across the seat and clasped the back of the younger woman’s hand. “You are sweet to say that, dear. Like I said, I’ve dealt with this woman many times in the past. As long as I don’t lie or try to cheat her, I have nothing to be afraid of. And besides, retirement is boring and the news has been depressing lately, so I’m very much looking forward to today. You won’t deny me that guilty pleasure, will you?”
Esmerita smiled, “No, Miss Alexandra. I won’t. Now for the lips, and I’ll be all set.”
And almost as if she had timed it that way, the transpod slowed down and stopped just as Esmerita finished applying the lipstick.
“The traffic was lighter than I expected. We arrived five minutes ahead of time. But my contact is usually early as well, so we can go in and get started,” Alexandra said as she started reaching towards the open button on the transpod door.
Esmerita reached over to grab her host’s arm. “Please, Miss Alexandra. Let’s wait another two minutes.”
Alexanrda looked over at Esmerita, shrugged her shoulders, and sat back in her seat.
At 10:27 AM on the transpod console clock, Esmerita leaned forward. “OK. Thank you for waiting. Let’s go inside now.”
The two women stepped out of the vehicle.
Alexandra sent the ‘remain in place’ request from her commblock to the transpod, which acknowledged the request, locked its doors, and went into stand-by mode.
Esmerita followed Alexandra to the front of a run-down, small two-story warehouse. The older woman knocked on the standard door next to the warehouse bay. The door buzzed with the sound of the magnetic lock disengaging almost immediately. Both women stepped inside and stopped, letting their vision adjust to the interior dimness.
They could hear footsteps coming down a small corridor before being able to see the person wearing the shoes that made the noise. A fit, moderate height woman followed by a taller, more muscular woman came around the corner.
“Well, hello again, Alexandra Ulloa,” said the woman in the lead. Stretching out her hand in welcome to the older lady. “I’m surprised but very happy to see you again. I thought you had retired!”
“I did, but I guess I can’t help sinking my fingers into the dirt,” Alexandra replied.
“And this is????” the woman said, looking at Esmerita.
“This is Carmelita,” Alexandra said smoothly. “Carmelita, this is Lucia.”
Esmerita extended her hand. “Pleased to meet you, Lucia.”
The other woman accepted the gesture and shook Esmerita’s hand. “Likewise, Carmelita,” she said. “So yesterday, Alexandra contacted me and told me she knows someone who wants thirty crates of seeds available in a week. And this morning, she tells me that that person, which I presume is you, actually wants two of those crates this morning. I’ll have you know that was not an easy request to pull together on demand like that.”
“Thank you, Lucia. I appreciate your attention to the matter and your ability to fulfill the request,” Esmerida said. “This gives me every confidence that you’ll be able to fulfill the remainder of the deal.”
Lucia looked at Alexandra then back at Esmerita, tilting her head slightly. “You have someone who has worked with me before make arrangements for a deal for you, and you did not have confidence I could deliver?”
“Please don’t misunderstand me or take offense. I have every confidence that you can deliver every seed requested,” Esmerita said. “Alexandra has shared she has made multiple deals with you, and every time she was very satisfied with the goods you delivered. Likewise, I’m sure you can deliver what I have asked for. The only question is the speed at which you can pull together the cargo. And you have confirmed that should be no issue either.”
Lucia didn’t respond.
“So, now, for today’s delivery,” Esmerita said. “May I see the seeds, please?”
Lucia turned to her assistant and nodded. “This way, please”, the assistant said, and turned to walk back down the hallway.
The group proceeded around one corner to another door, which the assistant unlocked, opened and stepped back.
Lucia entered and the auto-lights brightened the room.
In the middle of the room were two pallets, each supporting a metal box.
The group walked over to the pallets.
“Yuca” Alexandra said, pulling out a seed from the first box, then moving to the second pallet. “And naranjilla. The seeds appear in fertile condition.”
“Excellent,” Esmerita said. “And what price are you asking, Lucia?”
“Oscuradar, correct?” the seller asked.
“Yes,” the buyer replied.
“Two-hundred fifty-thousand,” Lucia answered.
Esmerita nodded, pulled out her commblock, which elicited a small smile from Lucia. The mother of three tapped and held the commblock screen towards Lucia.
“I have placed two-hundred thirty-thousand in this transfer account,” Esmerita said. “I’ll enter my final authorization and you can complete the transaction. As I have already placed an amount in a transfer account, I’m unable to transfer any additional amount within the next twenty-three hours based on our present virtual currency regulations, as I’m sure you are aware.”
“Then you’ll need to make up the difference before taking possession,” Lucia responded.
“And how much for the entire set of thirty seed containers?” ‘Carmelita’ / Esmerita asked.
“As I’m sure Alexandra told you, I’m only able to locate twenty-six of the seed varieties,” Lucia replied. “And for that it will cost four-million, five-hundred thousand oscuradar. Half of that amount in three days when I expect the majority of seeds to arrive, and the remainder by next Monday when the final shipments will be delivered.”
“I’ll pay three-million, five-hundred thousand for all twenty-six seeds you have located, provided they are delivered in by this Thursday, and are packed into a transvan in vacuum-sealed containers, after inspection by Alexandra,” Esmerita said calmly. “The seeds must have an eseal of authenticity and pass a genomic-transport scan that we will perform. In addition, I’ll pay an additional five-hundred thousand for the remaining four seeds if delivered by Thursday as well.”
“You’re offering me eighty-percent of what I’m asking for more product than what I am offering,” Lucia said. “How is this a good deal for me?”
Esmerita looked her negotiating counterpart in the eyes. “Because you and I both know the seed price market has fallen sharply in the past month as planters realize the labor pool, the logistics, and the commercial buyers may not be available in usual quantities by the time harvest comes around. Volume seed demand isn’t there this season, and who knows how long there will be any demand for volume quantities like we’re talking about.”
“I can also assure you that these seeds will be used within the next growing season for each plant, so they will not be wasted,” Esmerita finished, still holding the commblock screen towards her counterpart.
“Four-million for the twenty-six available seeds in three days is all I can commit to,” Lucia said.
Esmerita pulled the commblock towards her, tapped a few times, put it in her coat pocket, turned around and began walking towards the door.
“That’s it?” Lucia said. “You’re just going to walk out with nothing?”
“I have made an offer I know is more than fair,” Esmerita stopped, turned around and explained. “While I have every confidence you can deliver, I believe I can also find another source if necessary.” She then turned towards the door and began walking again.”
“Wait!” Lucia said.
Esmerita stopped.
“Two-million oscuradar to be paid in two days, with the remainder due on the third day,” Lucia said. “I’ll have all thirty seeds available.”
Esmerita turned around, pulled out her commblock and began tapping on it while walking back towards Lucia, handed her the block and said “You may complete the initial transfer.”
Lucia tapped a few times on the screen and handed the block back to Esmerita.
“Thank you for helping me, Lucia,” she said, extending her hand again.
Lucia shook to seal the deal, “It is a pleasure to negotiate with you, Carmelita. You have my respect.”
After that, Alexandra and Esmerita returned to the waiting transpod, got in, and Alexandra said “Return to the last location.”
After they had gone around the street corner, Esmerita slumped in her seat, closed her eyes and let out a big sigh.
“Again, Esmerita, you amaze me,” Alexandra said.
“Don’t be so sure about me,” Esmerita said. The reason I wore the coat is so your contact would not see the sweat stains in my armpit.”
Both women laughed.
“I hope you didn’t mind that I called you by your mother’s name. You said you didn’t want her to know who you were,” Alexandra said.
“I thought that was probably the case,” Esmerita said. “Hopefully Mama would be proud of me, and not mind me using her name.”
“I’m sure she would be,” her mother’s friend said. “You know, instead of getting a cup of coffee, I would really love to meet Carmelita’s grandchildren. Might that be possible?”
“Absolutely!” Esmerita said excitedly. “We’ll surprise them, so I won’t call and tell them we have a guest coming. But I have to warn you there will probably be a mess when we arrive.”
“Then it will remind me of my home,” Alexandra said. “Tell me some things about them on the way so I don’t act too surprised or unaware when we do meet.”
Esmerita spent the entire twenty minute ride back to her apartment sharing details about the three children, hoping to give the older woman an idea of what to expect when they arrived.
The transpod stopped in front of the building where Esmerita had gotten in an hour earlier. Both women exited, and this time Alexandra released the vehicle from her service.
Esmerita went through the security protocols to allow a guest to enter, allowing Alexandra to enter the building first.
Esmerita followed and nearly ran into her new friend, as Alexandra was paused just inside, looking to the left.
Esmerita followed the direction of her gaze, and could hear a small sobbing sound as her head turned, a worried look starting to form on her face.
“Dolores!” she nearly shouted. “What are you doing down here? I told you to stay upstairs in the apartment. Did Manuela lock you out!”
The young girl looked up, then ran and buried her head in her mother’s chest. “Mami, I’m so sorry!” she said.
Esmerita stroked her daughter’s hair. “What’s wrong, mariposa?”
“Manuela and Rafi,” Dolores said, now barely able to catch her breath, “they’re gone!”
“Where did they go?” the mother asked hurriedly.
“I don’t know,” the girl cried.
Esmerita took hold of Dolores’ shoulders and pulled her daughter away from her body.
“Dolores, you know this is important, so just be calm and talk to me,” Esmerita said, trying to sound calm herself. “Nothing bad is going to happen to you. Tell me everything you know and we’ll take care of this together.”
Dolores sniffled, wiped the tears from her eyes already reddened from crying, and took a deep breath. “Rafi was hungry and wanted some more huevos con chorizo. Manuela said she’d get it for him, but she didn’t get it right away, so Rafi put it on a plate. I told him Manuela would heat it up, but he said he wasn’t a baby and put it in the microstove. When he pulled out the plate, it was too hot for him to hold and he dropped it on the counter. One of the pieces of the plate bounced up and cut his hand. He didn’t think much about it at first, but then he saw blood dripping and started screaming. Manuela was already coming in when she heard the plate break, and then she kind of froze once she saw the blood. I yelled at her and said we needed to stop the bleeding and went to get a kitchen cloth and got it wet with cold water. But the blood soaked right through. I said we needed to call you, but Manuela said she didn’t want to bother you since she didn’t know how far away you were. She said she knew where an FastMed clinic was around the corner and was going to take Rafi there. I wanted to go, but she said I had to stay in the apartment.”
Dolores paused to breathe and Esmerita jumped in, “So why didn’t you stay in the apartment like she said? How long ago did they leave? I can go to the clinic right now and probably still meet them there.”
“They didn’t make it to the clinic, Mami,” Dolores said.
“How do you know this?” Esmerita asked, the fear returning to her voice.
“I went to the balcony to watch them walk down the street,” Dolores explained. “I don’t like being in the apartment by myself. Then I saw this transpod pull up and two men jumped out. They started talking to Manuela and Rafi. Manuela put Rafi behind her, but didn’t scream or anything. She put one hand on her hip and shook a finger from her other hand at them. The older man waved her to come to him and took a step towards her and said something. Manuela took Rafi’s hand and they started running back towards our building. That’s when I ran downstairs. By the time I got there, I didn’t see them. But I did see the transpod go by the entrance. It was Tio Paco in the front seat. I couldn’t see exactly, but I think he was holding Rafi. And in the back seat was his son, Cousin Sebastian. I could see that he had his arms around Manuela, holding her back against the seat.”
Dolores rushed back into her mother’s chest. “It’s all my fault!”
“Dolores, it is most certainly not your fault,” Esmerita said. “Tio Paco and Cousin Sebastian are being horrible people. They are the ones to blame.”
“It is me, Mama!” Dolores said, stepping back and looking at the ground. “I lied to you. When I was in the bathroom yesterday, I called Papi.”
Esmerita eyes widened as she looked at her daughter, then she gazed at Alexandra, stunned. Then she reached into her coat pocket, got out her commblock, and began tapping.
“I thought maybe I could get you two to talk to each other again,” Dolores continued. “He asked me where we were, and I didn’t tell him. I swear I didn’t tell him! But he must have traced it. I was so stupid! I heard Abuelo Humberto yelling at Papi one time about tracking down someone who had something they wanted, and he said to trace the call. He gave him the name of another man who could do that.”
Esmerita looked up from the commblock screen at her daughter. “There is no entry of a call to your father’s phone yesterday, Dolores. Did you call a different number?”
“I erased the call,” the girl said, looking at the ground again.
“Oh, Dolores,” Esmerita whispered, the color disappearing from her face, and she started to sway a bit.
Alexandra rushed over to support her.
The younger woman looked at the older woman with slightly glassy eyes. “What am I to do?” Esmerita asked.
Alexandra straightened Esmerita’s stance, took a step back and looked her in the eyes.
“You are the daughter of Carmelita Gutiérrez,” her mother’s friend said firmly. “You will get your children back safely, and make those bastards wish they had never set foot in Guayaquil.”
Esmerita’s eyes cleared, she nodded and held out her hand to her daughter. “Come upstairs, Dolores. We’ll have some guayusa, you can relax, and then tell me everything you remember about the transpod and about Tio Paco and Cousin Sebastian.”