Strong as an Oak - As Liz (classic book list TXT) 📗

getting closer; seeing her only salvation. Finally, I arrived, and handed her body to the paramedics; “Hagan algo”. (Do something). They took her pulse and the look of despair in the paramedics gave me no hope. It was too late; I had arrived too late; could this be true; that I had lost her. In a moment of panic, disbelieve, and losing my reason I took the body into my arms again. Her neck was now hanging limp from in my arms. Pain was rising in my heart. Guilt was encompassing my being for I could remember the night when we had both watched the local news channel on T.V. Recalling the events in our childhood that we had lived through I joked, “Now that you are a model, you can save the world Olivia.” He had only been joking, but her eyes held a foreign twinkle. I noticed her eyes held that sparkle in them a week later when she was standing at that platform after doing the catwalk, ogled and admired by everyone. Olivia’s auburn hair shone with a sparkling brilliance against the show lights. Her hazel eyes had an indelible glance alongside her elfin like features. An air of grace enveloped her every movement; Olivia could have had everything. She could have made love to the world but she chose one thing.

 That tragic morning, I woke up early after a restless night, today we would be joining the protest rally for the first time. My mind and body were in an agitated state at the acknowledgement of this new feat. Olivia managed to wake me up from my oblivious state when in her usual perky manner said, “Ismael, babe, I will be ready in a couple of minutes. I went into the kitchen and made coffee for both of us. Olivia came into the kitchen and commented on the robust smell of the coffee that filled the air. As we sat down, a conversation took place mostly about the rally. “Are you ready for the rally,” I asked? She replied so confidently yet with still a subtle insecurity, “Is anyone really ready for a rally in the world that we live in today? Am I prepared to do what I must do, yes. Yet, will I be ready for what may or may not happen while I, we are out there? All I know is that I don’t want to be a model all my life and be subjugated to false admiration.” She simply said, “Now that I am a model, people will listen and I can help change the world.”  Her vision made her eyes spark with that twinkle I had seen early only this time it was not foreign but a true part of her.

It was that fateful hot afternoon at what was supposed to be and had started as a peaceful rally turned into a hellish landscape with literal hellfire and brimstone. In the midst of the crowd I had lost sight of Olivia. I heard my name being yelled out in a familiar tone and saw Olivia running towards me. As her eyes glanced at me I saw that they shone with what could only be described as a fiery determination and with an ethereal quality. Suddenly I heard a sound that pierced the air, like hail pouring down hard on the roof of a car; it was gunshots. Before I could react Olivia was struck and fell to the ground. I hurried towards her, there was a pool of blood forming around her; a bullet had struck the left side of her head. She was conscious for a few minutes but I knew it wasn’t for long I could see dying embers in her eyes.

In the ambulance; I held Olivia’s body and closed her eyes one last time. I did the only thing I could do at that moment, I cried incessantly for my love and friend. As I recall these grievous event my coffee emanates a smell of sulfur and my mind recreates the gunshot.

Black oil

 

At first, we thought the black liquid was oil, that we’d struck it rich and that we’d be able to retire and live in leisure. We actually started writing down all the ways we’d spend the money. Our first choice was owning a piece of property but we could not decide. I wanted a private island and Ruth wanted to own a farm that was the first of many disasters. This led to an argument that ended nowhere until I decided to find a solution before we both ended up slamming doors at each other. However, her big angry brown eyes disturbed my concentration and I did not find one in time. “I never have a say” claimed Ruth with an imminent and escalating emotion like a volcano that is about to burst. “We have plenty of time to decide,” I added, but I stupidly decided to add the next clause that finished bursting this volcano of a woman. If not, we will divide the money and part each our own ways”. I knew we would never do that because we loved each other too much but it was on my mind and I said it. I regret it now. She stormed out of the living room and slammed the door. I went outside it was best to leave her alone and let her calm down. I surveyed the area for the fiftieth time, we would be moving in a hotel this week after the inspector came and made the pertinent paperwork of releasing the land and also after the results of inspecting the black liquid came back. I felt nostalgic, not that I missed the land, now that I was about to hit it big, I couldn’t care less. Must I relate to you the story of how I came about the oil or about my past and miserable sub sequential life.

I will begin with the discovery. As usual Ruth was nagging me about fixing the garden. I really didn’t want to I hate gardening and was looking for an easier way out of this. I studied the yard for what seemed hours. I guess the easiest choice right now was parting with my old car, I forgot what kind it was. I have been forgetting a lot of stuff lately. I didn’t want to though. So my thoughts went into the next object that darn mulberry tree, I hated so much but Ruth didn’t let me cut. She always said it was the only thing alive in the yard. Well I will at least trim it. So I headed right through. I came across an old and rotten oil pan, I decided to get rid of that and just threw the damn thing in the trash. I went back to the tree but my eyes focused on the car. I had gotten millions of offers for the car must it be time to get rid of it. Maybe I can trade it for something else, but what could it be. I could use the space to make an extension of the house. It was the hot part of the day and I wanted to do the less meaningful work and looking for anything that would bring me back inside.

I went back inside and called the local newspaper company to place an ad but since I forgot the car brand and only new it was a 70 something, I told the selling agent I would call back. I was then dozing off and fell asleep in the chair. Ruth would soon be back with groceries and look at me like if I was the Frank Kafka’s creature. That thought made me so angry that I decided on doing something drastic so she could know who is the man of the house. I went to look for my ax, but it was not in good condition, so I went to borrow the neighbor’s Efrain but when I told him about my plans he said and ax was not good I need a higher powered tool, he said I would bust my ass for nothing. He lends me a chainsaw he baptized with the name Sylvia as he named each of his tools he told me to be careful.

I must actually confess the feeling of destruction felt good but no more than hacking that tree felt. Of course, I didn’t calculate how big the tree was or that light poles where embedded in there. I just didn’t. Eventually the tree came down light poles and all and it came back to the neighbor’s yard now I had to pay for damages. What was worse was that the lights went out for two days and I had to endure the stares of the electricians and neighbors. At least not of Ruth it was too dark to see her big angry eyes.

When finally, all that was over and I would receive a bill from the city over the costs of fixing the lines that was estimated the least to 20 thousand in whole, the light folks are relentless. I went to check out the stump, and noticed a black liquid coming out from it. I mentioned to Ruth casually about it and at first she lends no care but then her eyes widened and she went outside to check.  Its black oil she said, I looked at her oddly, it wasn’t me, I always use a pan, she looked at me in a way that seemed to make her anger subsided not that kind of oil she said, it the oil that makes you rich. Just like in that show Amador. We looked at each other were to start, who to ask, we decided to go to the library the next evening and use their computers and sure enough we found a number. Which we wrote down and then when we got home we called. We figured on them coming the next day but they came that same evening. The inspector immediately said he doubt it was the rich black oil because it wasn’t deep enough into the ground it was still black oil but of a lesser kind. Still valuable but not so much.  I let Ruth know that and I wondered if it was enough for a piece of land somewhere else. That is where we found each other at the argument. My thoughts and silence were interrupted by Ruth she said the phone was ringing and it’s for you, it’s the oil company. I listened to them on the phone. Then I went outside and kicked the car then the tree with Ruth following behind me. What happened she asked. You don’t want to know. Ruth stayed silent then said you don’t want me to drag it out of you. Okay I said the oil test came back negative for rich black oil, but positive for motor oil. The look Ruth gave me was killer then she said at least you have somewhere to sit cause you are not coming inside the house.