“She wasn’t in the least happy to see me at the door. I tried out my Spanish on her, but she spoke too fast for me to understand. Later I’ll try to get in touch with Richard through someone at the office who knows him personally. In the meantime, I’m anxious to help you in any way I can.”
The chicken and beans tasted good. So did the fruit juice which was an interesting blend of peach and something else, maybe mango.
After she’d drained the glass she said, “There’s a Captain Ortiz at the police station who’s working on your case. He hadn’t heard of any accident at sea. However with the information I’ve given him, he said he’ll come up with some answers soon and hopefully find out who you are.
“If we don’t hear from him in the next few hours, I’ll call him before I leave. In case there’s no news, I have an idea.
“Since the doctor said they’d be removing the bandages on your hands in the morning, maybe with my help you could write your name or your home phone number on a piece of paper. That is, if it doesn’t hurt too much.
“Depending on your mobility, you might even be able to write down a word that will tell me Richard’s location. One way or another we’ll unravel this mystery.”
She finished the rest of her chicken, then put the tray over on the table. Eager to do something to bring a little pleasure to the man who’d been through so much suffering, she turned to him.
“Now that I’ve eaten, I’ll give your legs that massage you’ve been waiting for.”
Not expecting an answer from the stranger, she picked up the lotion and walked over to the bed.
After squeezing lotion up and down his left leg, she began to rub it in. “When I was in junior high, we once read The Invisible Man for Halloween. That’s a holiday in the States, in case you haven’t heard of it. The children dress up in costumes and go door to door asking for candy.
“Anyway, there was this scientist who’d made himself invisible. He wrapped himself in bandages so it would outline his body. But sometimes a dog or a cat would chase after him in the streets and pull the bandages away. People would scream in terror when they couldn’t see anything underneath.
“It was a really fascinating concept. Of course I love science fiction of all kinds, so the story captured my attention right off. Anyway, when I walked in this room yesterday and saw you, I was reminded of that story.
“Thank goodness when I looked in your eyes this morning, I saw life there staring back at me,” she teased. “You’re kind of a cross between him and The Mummy.
“Maybe you don’t know about this old movie. It concerns a guard of the Pharaoh who dared to love his Egyptian queen. For his punishment the other guards turned him into a living mummy. It still gives me chills just thinking about it.”
A faint noise came out of him. It could mean most anything.
“If your feet are ticklish, I’m sorry. I’ll try not to drive you crazy.”
When she’d finished with one leg, she moved around the end of the bed and started on the other. Strange how it felt so natural doing this small service for a total stranger. The darkness of the room with just the two of them added a certain intimacy, which she enjoyed.
In truth it was much easier than if it had been Richard lying here. Too much unhappy history had passed between them to have made it an enjoyable experience.
“Do you know? I haven’t the faintest idea of your nationality. Obviously you understand English, but you could be from so many different countries besides Ecuador, your predicament has fueled my imagination.
“You’ve probably never been to South Dakota. That’s where I live in the States. A small town called Lead, gateway to the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore. Fresh out of college with an English degree, I started working for the local chamber of commerce.
“In the beginning it was only supposed to be a temporary job until I found a good teaching position. However the work became so interesting to me, I’ve been with them ever since.
“If you asked me what I actually do there, the answer would be a little bit of everything under the sun. Something’s always going wrong and I have to fix it. That’s why I like it so much.
“Of course my family is there. My mom and my sister Beth who married Tom three months ago. Now they’re expecting a baby. You already know my marriage to Richard failed, so that’s about it. The story of my life. No doubt I’ve bored you to tears.”
She gave his foot a final rub, then covered his legs with the sheet. “Since there’s no television in here, I’ll read you what’s on the front page of today’s newspaper. Someone left it in the room. In case you’re a native Spanish speaker, please forgive my pronunciation.”
Terri washed her hands, then put on some lotion from her own purse before placing the chair near the wall light so she could read the print.
“This is from El Telegrafo. Let’s see…
“Mediante oficio No. 19370 enviado al Presidente del Congreso, José Cordero Acosta, el Procurador General del Estado, Ramón Jiménez Carbo, senñala que su pronunciamiento sobre la inconstitucionalidad del artículo 33 del Reglamento que dispuso la prisión domiciliaria para—entre otros—los ex presidentes y ex vicepresidentes de la República, ‘tiene carácter vinculante.’”
She put the paper down. “If I knew what vinculante meant, this article would make a lot more sense. But I don’t think it would be of interest to anyone who isn’t involved in local politics. Of course, maybe you are. If so, forgive me if I don’t read further.”
To her surprise, his body appeared to be shaking. Alarmed, she jumped up from the chair and hurried over to his side.
“What’s wrong? Do you need the doctor?”