The only thing missing is what I have spent on these drinks. I couldnt miss this, so thanks for cheering me up the man was saying to me.
I stared at him, I suppose, with a silly face, because he laughed out loud.
Dude, thats right, thanks to you, Im going to go to places that I have wanted to visit all my life, so it wasnt fair to charge him. You have given me the push I needed, and in return I will take you there for free. Yes, I know that you dont understand it now, but youll see how in your moment you do understand everything.
And without more he turned around and when he was walking away to get into his cabin I heard him saying:
Fasten your seatbelt tight, we´ll be off in a few seconds.
I stood there without knowing what to say. I looked and in my hand I still had the bundle of bills he had given me. Why would he have done it?
I did not understand him. He had told me that at the moment he would not understand it, of course! How could he understand that strange ability? That I would have hired him the day before and I´d have given him the money that we had agreed, and that at the beginning of the trip, I would return that money.
It was incomprehensible of course, and I also remembered in those moments that he told me that later on he would surely understand it. What did he expect would happen later? I got an answer which was absolutely absurd. The pilot will take me in his plane for free. What strange things happened to me!
Half asleep I was going when surely a turbulence, as the pilots say, made me hit my head , and I got up, looked around to see what was happening and I found myself up there in that plane.
I was sitting and next to me there was my backpack, the one that had all my belongings. I said to myself What could you tell me if you could speak? And smiling, I looked at it again, and I said again You better stay quiet, because surely there would be times that you would not let me get into any of the problems we have experienced together.
Take over that belt. Were already arriving I suddenly heard the pilot saying.
I instinctively reached out my hand and saw that he was tight, and I thought Well, if hes not a good pilot, a little belt wont be useful.
Instead of belts, what they should give to those who take planes is a good helmet for the head, one of those worn by motorcyclists, so if people are given helmets, their heads will not be hit.
Well then I thought . Really, what else gives a tap on the head. If this device falls, I will not tell the story in any way.
When I was thinking about it, I saw through the window that was next to my left shoulder, some nearby trees, and at the moment the pilot was already slowing down. Good I thought . This time Im free!, and before I could think anything else, I already had the pilot encouraging me to go ashore.
Well, we started the adventure, Im all ears. You give orders my friend because you´re the one who understands best said the man, to whom he had a good mood.
I looked at him surprised, but what was this man saying to me? That he was coming with me? I had no plans for that. I just wanted to continue, as usual, with my things, but without company, and above all, what kind of company was this old man offering me? Come with me?
That was impossible. If he seemed like he couldnt take two steps with that skinny body, what was he trying to achieve? Climb? How?
Friend, I am stronger than I seem, do not be influenced by appearances, surely I can keep up with you and that I will not be a hindrance at any time he said and was standing there looking at me very seriously.
<<<<<>>>>>
I was sleeping peacefully in this paradise, never in my entire life had I imagined that such a place could exist. I had taken a bath in the waterfall water. What a delight! It came to me wonderfully, after the long walk.
We picked up a fruit along the way which we ate sitting quietly in the shade and we both commented on how it was possible that there were still places with this charm.
Im sure no one has ever been here Peter said to me . If someone had discovered it, they would have already taken care of spoiling it. I do not know what we have that we cannot stay quiet and whenever we touch something, we break its harmony.
Come on! Dont be exaggerated I replied . We have done something well, I say, dont be so fatalistic!
Well, yes, something sure, but what? Come on! I invite you to reflect a little and find me a place where the man has put his hand and has improved it. Im sure youre not going to find any of them, its just that we are like this. What are you going to do? We have little hands, wed better stand still.
Come on! Keep eating, dont tell me it wasnt worth getting to this place I said, while I threw myself another bite of that delicious wild apple.
No, if the place seems wonderful to me, thats not what Im talking about, but look, if by any chance it occurs to us to stay here to live to enjoy all this, dont you think we would have to make some arrangements for it, to make it livable? And every thing we do for our comfort would be to spoil nature, which if it has it that way is because that is how she likes it, who owns it, and not as intruders who want to put it, modifying the environment. Do not tell me that you have not been tempted to tell me that you would stay here to live, because the truth is that as soon as I have seen it, I have said, this is my place!, from here I do not move anymore, whoever wants something mine has to come up here.
Dude, I see youre an exaggerated I said, smiling.
Exaggerated! What do you say? When I saw that crystal clear water falling into the lake, I was delighted. I have been a long time without being able to stop looking at it, until I have decided to take a bath, I did not want to break the harmony of the moment, but I said to myself, what the hell! This place is so magical. I want to belong to that magic, and when I have immersed myself in it, it is as if my whole body, at the same time that I was feeling its freshness, was recharging something. I dont know how I could explain it to you. Do you know what happens to a cupcake when you put it in the milk bowl? It swells. Well, I have had that feeling for a moment, it has been as if I was filling myself with something that was entering my body. I could not tell you, but it was a delicious sensation. I think I have never felt anything like it in my life.
But Peter, we have already visited many places and you have always found some charm, I think in all of them.
Yes, it is true because all the sites have their I dont know, I like them, I cant help it! But this one, my friend, this one I tell you, is unique. What I have felt as soon as I have looked at this place, I would not know how to explain it in words, but what I do tell you is that I do not move from here. If you want to continue with that task, well, I have already found my place, and I think I will stay. Yes, every moment I spend here I am more determined to it, and also sure that I can adapt to the site without making any changes. I am sure that the place will welcome me and I will be able to spend the rest of my days there he was saying very convinced.
Come on! Dont be exaggerated. How am I going to leave and you stay here? That cant be possible. Look, if you want we can be here for a while, living, both of us, I dont know what you want, anyway they are waiting for us nowhere, but then one day we will have to leave. This site is fine, I do not discuss it, it is wonderful, but listen to the task that we have in our hands, we are not going to abandon it, at least for the moment, I think we still have a lot to do I said to try to distract him from his idea.
Come on! Dont be exaggerated. How am I going to leave and you stay here? That cant be possible. Look, if you want we can be here for a while, living, both of us, I dont know what you want, anyway they are waiting for us nowhere, but then one day we will have to leave. This site is fine, I do not discuss it, it is wonderful, but listen to the task that we have in our hands, we are not going to abandon it, at least for the moment, I think we still have a lot to do I said to try to distract him from his idea.
I was a little thoughtful, I did not know what my friend meant with that he was staying here. Yes, I understood the words, but I think there was another meaning that I did not quite understand, and I asked him quietly:
Peter, did you feel like this is your place?
Yes was his flat reply.
How? I asked again with fear, since I was already dreading the answer.
I have been with you for several years traveling different parts of the earth, and you know because you know me perhaps better than I do myself, that I do not make drastic decisions.
No, thats not your thing. I know that well I replied.
Well, now I want you to understand that if I told you that, its because thats how I feel it and I think thats the way it should be, and I shouldnt leave this place. I cannot give you any more explanations because I am not clear about it either, but I would like you to respect my decision, as you have done so many times, that even though the place, where I asked you to be smiling, always smiling, was very rare, because dear friend, thats what I like most about you, your smile. Well, as I was saying, with a smile on your face you said to me Well, we dont have anything better to do, why not?. And we prepared everything to start an adventure to that place again Peter was saying to me in a very serious tone.
Yes, I dont know where you have always got your ideas, but the passing of the years has proven me right, following your hunches like flames, we have gone to unusual places and we have had experiences that, if it had not been for you, we could never have had them.
Look, well the same as in those times that you are referring to. In these moments I am having that hunch, here is where I must stay. I do not know if it will be for a long time or for a short time, that answer is still not very clear to me, but I must let you go, and I must be alone here. It is a stage of my life that I must go through in solitude, and do not think that it will be easy for me to get away from you, you have accustomed me to your morning ditties, those that I do not know where they come from but that make me wake up with joy, because its lyrics always invite you to have a good day, and I recognize that it is a great way to feel positive, even though I have ever told you to let me sleep a little more, that the previous night we had been seeing the stars until very late.
Peter, do you remember when we met?
I dont know why I asked him that in that instant, but his mention of the ditties had brought to mind that moment.
Of course! How do you pretend I forgot it? I was on the motorbike, so calm, I wasnt in a hurry and thats why I was going so slowly, when I passed that field I heard someone sing. The truth is that I found it amazing, a guy there singing to the moon. I couldnt believe it!
At first I thought, and excuse me, but I dont think I could think another thing. I thought you were like a vat, and I stopped the bike, because the lyrics of the song seemed beautiful to me. I was there listening, I dont know how long. You did not get tired of saying those things, which I had never heard in my life, and certainly they could not have occurred to me, so I did not have the slightest doubt of waiting for you to finish, I had to talk to you. After listening to it for a while, I understood that he was not drunk. A person who says these things is very sane. What was evident was that you thought that no one was listening to you, although the lyrics clearly showed that you were saying it to someone.
But were you there for a long time? Weve never talked about it.
Well, I dont know when you had started, but my time flew by, it was very interesting. You know, you seemed like a minstrel of those who speak the books that in the Middle Ages narrated the events in the form of songs. That was what I heard that night, a series of inexplicable events for me in those moments, but the more I continued to listen to it the more they hooked me, as they say, all that, that you seemed to have very clear became more and more interesting and thats why I waited for you to finish. I didnt want to interrupt you, what you were doing was very important to you, I noticed that immediately.
<<<<<>>>>>
Today we have History, gentlemen!
The professor was talking very seriously, we all knew it, of course he was the history professor. What was he going to give us? We did not understand very well why he had told us that.
The whole class was surprised, we looked at each other, until one of the classmates, possibly the one who had less patience than the others, could not wait any longer, said:
Sir, we already knew that.
Yes, I know he replied . But what I am sure you do not know is the topic we are going to deal with said the professor, putting a big smile on his face.
He had our full attention, it was the first day of class, and that it started that way, we all found it very strange, so we were quiet to see where it came from. What would he want to tell us?
Have you ever heard of Charlemagne? he asked very seriously.
No! was the general reply.
Well, Im sure he was the brother of Alexander the Great, and that Magno was his last name said one of the companions.
No! said the professor . They did not get to know each other.
Well, at least they would be cousins said another of the companions.
I doubt that, but lets continue with what we were. Charlemagne, who was the king of the Franks and the Lombards, was crowned Emperor Augustus by Pope Leon III in the year 800 in Rome. He was the son of Pipino el Breve, and fought against the Muslims in his advance through the Iberian Peninsula, until he was defeated at Roncesvalles.
He told us his story, how good it was! It was interesting, but we got tired of it because it was getting longer, and we were beginning to hear some whispers in class.
What a problem! was suddenly heard from the back of the class.
The professor, that old man, taking off his glasses, leaving them very calmly on the table, got up and said:
Do you think thats a problem? And if I tell you something
Yes, but dont let it be another problem he heard himself being told, interrupting again.
He was very thoughtful, in silence, so he was that way a few moments. We thought he was angry, and he was planning something to punish us.
It was the first day of class, and it seems that we had started off on the wrong foot, but what would not be our astonishment, when he returned to speak he asked us:
Who knows what a UFO is? And he fell silent again.
We all look at each other for a moment and then we laugh.
Why are you laughing? Did I say something funny? asked the professor.
A UFO? That doesnt exist! jumped one from one of the last rows, those who sit there because they want to interrupt, without anyone knowing who it is.