Page 33 of Rio
Chapter 9
RAQUEL
I arrive in Belize, full of expectation and hoping that this is more like a vacation than a fact-finding trip.
I’m expecting the work to be light.I still can’t figure out why Pierce agreed to this, but maybe it’s true.Maybe he senses my growing desire to flee Tovey & Roth.
At least this will be like a little break from my workplace.
The connection from the main airport to Placencia Airstrip was short but bumpy, and the small Tropic Air plane hummed like a tin toy as it skimmed over a patchwork of glittering turquoise shallows, winding rivers and jungle green.
The oppressive heat blankets me the moment I step off the plane.But something else takes my attention; the scent of salt, and something sweet and overripe floats in the air.The humidity is thick, clinging to my skin like an extra layer of sweat.
I walk out from the tiny customs area, my gaze darting around the small crowd, trying to match the mental image I have of Alma Flores.When she told me she’d be waiting for me, I was surprised.She’s the head of the NGO, EcoGuardians, and I would have expected someone else to be here, not the head.
A flash of lettering catches my eye and I see EcoGuardians printed in neat black on a hand-painted sign.Holding it is an older woman with white hair pulled into a tidy bun and deep brown skin creased into a face that probably smiles a lot.She’s hard to miss in her loose cotton dress patterned with bright flowers.Her posture is straight but unhurried, and she’s wearing sensible sandals,.Everything about her signals that she’s probably never rushed for anything.
Her eyes catch mine, warm and assessing all at once, and before I’ve even reached her, I feel like she already knows exactly who I am.It’s a relief to have someone in the office who I don’t have to dodge.Feeling relaxed, I walk up to her.“Alma, hi, I’m Raquel, from—”
“Ah, yes, Raquel.We meet at last.Welcome.”
“Thank you.Nice to meet you.”
She has the warmest of smiles as she shakes my hand.Her dark brown eyes are ringed with grey and fanlike wrinkles spread out from the corners.
“Did you have a pleasant flight?”
“I did, thank you.”She is all warmth and softness, and I like her instantly.She’s a breath of fresh air compared to Pierce.
“Are you hungry?I can pick up some wraps, or some sushi food along the way, before we head to the office.”
“I’m fine, Alma.Thank you.”I’m not hungry.The flight was under five hours, and I want to get on with the work.
We get in her car, and set off.It’s only a short drive she tells me, then adds that she wasn’t sure how much luggage I might have, hence why she drove here.
“Would you like to rest up first?”she offers.“I can take you straight to the office or wherever you’re staying.”
“I’m happy to dive right into the work.”I don’t have many days to wrap this up.A week at most.
“That’s what I was hoping to hear.”
I look out of the window in awe.Clusters of brightly colored hibiscus bloom vibrantly everywhere.“Your country is beautiful.”
“Thank you.We’d like to keep it that way.It’s why we do what we do.Unfortunately, big corporations don’t see it that way.”
I understand completely.Breaking a sigh, I tell her.“That’s whyIlove whatIdo.”
She glances at me.“We’ve had new evidence come in.New photos and local testimony which shows urgent and ongoing damage.All of this natural beauty, it can’t be preserved if big corporations keep interfering.We need more people like you, Raquel.Companies like to set up their hotels and their eco resorts under the guise that they’re good for the environment.”Alma hurrumps her disapproval.“They want their money.They want their profits.They might start off with good intentions, maybe, but when it comes to damaging protected ecosystems, coral reef destruction, illegal deforestation, displacing indigenous communities, violating international environmental agreements … the list is endless, as you know.”
“I’m well aware of the damage, most of it irreversible.”
“They prefer to disregard these things in their thirst for more money.These big corporations will do whatever it takes to protect their profits.”
I nod, agreeing with everything she said.“It makes me so angry.I’m sorry this is happening to you,” I tell her.I despair sometimes, but despair won’t fix anything.I’ve seen it happen before, how a lush environment, with its inhabitants going about peacefully in their normal lives have their world upended by wealthy, foreign companies.“Money is everything to them,” I continue, getting more riled up.“Greed motivates them.Runs their life.Directs every thought and action they take.”I think of Paul Knight and his cunning, devious ways.
And then I remember Rio.
Not good.Why can’t I get that man out of my head?I came here to get away not just from work and Pierce, but from Rio and from Miami which, for now, is tainted with his memory.
