Page 43 of Rio
A small group of men sit under a banyan tree playing dominoes.Vilma points out another vendor store where the table is filled with roasted plantains and fried fish.I still have my plate of conch fritters.They all buy something.Vilma points to one of the tables over by the beach for us to sit down at.
“Everyone want rum punch?”Edwin asks.There’s a collective chorus of agreement.He leaves as we head towards the tables.I kick off my sandals and sit down, letting my feet sink into the sand which feels like powder between my toes.
I take a bite of my conch fritter.It’s chewy, and fishy, like a scallop, and it’s so delicious.I pop the little nugget into my mouth, then devour the next three.When I’ve finished, I sit back and sigh in contentment.“Thanks for dragging me out.I would’ve gone straight to the hotel and worked some more, while sweating away.”
“You don’t have AC?”Vilma asks.
“That’s with the AC on.”
Alma’s fork stops inches from her mouth.“Do you ever stop working?”
“Not really.”
To my surprise, she doesn’t question me further, but watches silently.
“Rum punch.”Edwin brings over a glass pitcher of rum punch and some paper cups.He pours the drink for us all.
“Isn’t this the life?”Edwin takes a swig of his rum and sinks his head back against the chair.The sun warms my shoulders, the perfect breeze ruffles my hair.I hear children laughing, music playing, and somewhere the rhythm of drums and the bright notes of a steel pan.I’m tempted to get some more conch fritters.I sip my rum.It’s smooth with a hint of spice, and it slides down my throat like liquid heat, leaving a sweet burn that lingers.
This is perfect.It’s a world away from Tovey & Roth.A world I could get used to.A way of life, a pace of life, that is gentle and fuels my soul.
“This is the life,” I murmur.
We sit in silence, eating and drinking, basking in the warm summer evening.No one talks.There is no need to.We’re all savoring the ambiance, the food, the surroundings.After a while Alma announces that she’s heading back.
I sit up, suddenly.“So soon?”I was just beginning to unwind.
“I need to be in the office early, but you look the most relaxed I’ve seen you.You stay.”Alma’s voice is almost schoolmarmish.“You enjoy the rest of the evening.I doubt Vilma and Edwin will be heading off anytime soon.”
Vilma nods.“We’re staying a while.Stick with us, and you’ll be fine.”
We bid goodbye to Alma, and I stick with the youngsters, though, as I soon discover, they’re only a few years younger than me.
Edwin gets up to play football with some young children.
“What made you work for EcoGuardians?”I ask Vilma.
“It seemed like the only way I could do something,” she says, sipping her rum punch.“When I was fifteen, the reef near our house started dying.My brother used to take me snorkeling out there, and it used to be so colorful.So many colors; bright pinks, reds, and golden yellows.My favorite were the blue and purple.It was magical seeing that flash of color in the water with fish darting around.Then, one day, it wasn’t there.It didn’t happen overnight.It was gradual.The colors fading slowly.Not more vibrant and bright oranges, reds and yellows.They became paler, washed out, then turned bone white, like a skeleton.Their beauty wiped away.”
I glance at her somber face.
“I felt helpless.My brother felt angry.I couldn’t sit back and watch it happen and not do anything.I wanted it all to come back, that vibrancy, that beautiful, magical flash of colors that captivated me.That’s why I’m here.I’m not a scientist, or a lawyer.I wish I could be like you...”She looks at me in awe, like I’m Wonder Woman, someone who’s going to save the world.“I wish I could be a lawyer, but … it costs money and …” She shrugs.“But I can do this, and working for EcoGuardians has taught me so much.I’m doing something good here.”
“You are, Vilma.You are doing good, and on the ground, right here where help is needed.You have such passion, such conviction, in your voice, and EcoGuardians are lucky to have you.All of you.”She has the most gorgeous sun-kissed bronze skin, and wears her hair in a thick braid down her back.She’s so passionate about protecting her community’s land and water, that I sometimes see a bit of me in her..
Hearing my compliment, she fills up with happiness.
“Never forget the power you have to make a change.You don’t have to be a lawyer to do that.”
Her smile widens, like I’ve given her the biggest compliment.Being here, I feel part of something.Unlike Tovey & Roth.I love what I do, but being here, in the same office and the others, fills my soul.
“This is so nice.”I take a big sip of the rum punch and sit back in my chair.
“You like it?”
“All of it.The food, the rum, the music, this ...”I gesture with my hand, waving my paper cup around.“Having this just outside your place of work.Pure magic.”
I forget the stress.The injunction, the eco resort and unexpected shock of Rio Knight being here, in Belize, at the same time as me.Just as the thought of him settles on me like a fading picture, I see him again.Rather, Ifeelhim first, as goosebumps pop up all over my skin.He’s leaning against the trunk of a tree, dressed in a white linen shirt, sleeves rolled up at the forearms, his top buttons undone, and trousers.
