13.4 Angel of Mercy

Morning broke, the bright light turned on. “I do not show off!” teased Marina stuffing a bag full of clothes gathered from shopping. Madeleine yawned lying in bed and her hair spread on the pillow.

“Show me that!” said Madeleine.

“Salah’s card,” Marina passed it.

Suddenly, Madeleine shot up in bed, “I be damned! SOUTHERN CROSS!”

“What’s the matter?”

“I remember a long time ago…my boss had an issue with this firm in Johannesburg. A long time ago!” Madeleine prattled blankly, “I wouldn’t have recalled if I didn’t see this logo. It’s about gold. In so many years I did not have to remember!”

“Aren’t we leaving today, Maddy?”

“Yes, in the evening,” she gathered her hair, “What time is it now?”

“Ten-thirty,” Marina checked her wristwatch. She didn’t lose it fortunately. “I think it is raining outside. Are we taking the bus?”

“Yes, it is going to be a long ride but we cannot fly,” said Madeleine, “I have tickets for eight o’clock bus.”

“How long will it take?”

“Ten hours, sometimes eleven. We can cuddle all the way. We’ll be in Bogotá by seven in the morning.”

There came a knock on the door. “It is open!” called Madeleine, “Come in, Luz!”

“Hola señoritas!” Luz entered. She wore a big smile, high cheekbones and a broad forehead, “I brought these booty shorts for you. I know you like very sexy micro shorts.”

“Oh! How nice of you, Luz!”

“I want to give you a regalito,” said Luz making it sound cute, “Colombian colours and three in a set. Red, blue and yellow.”

“Wow! This is cute!” cried Marina, “I can wear them, it stretches. Lycra. Gracias, Luz!”

And the lady was so contented that she could not close her mouth.

“We go to the restaurant for breakfast,” said Madeleine getting out of bed, “I go wash my mouth. Then we spend an hour in the pool.”

“I take towels and my bag.”

“Luz, get our stuff from the laundry today. We leave tonight.”

After breakfast, they pooled at the pool bar. Salah and his family were there. Eric Rider left that day. Salah happily passed drinks. Marina had quite a moment with Salah. They enjoyed in the pool. A light rain continued.

At six that evening they checked out at the reception. Luz was off duty. She said that she’d show up but obviously she’d come late. Marina wore blue booty shorts and Madeleine in red. Those cheeky cuts high up on the waist leaving the entire buttocks independently exposed. Both wore yellow cardigans and looked very Colombian in the colours. They climbed a taxi with quite some luggage. They started so light and ended up heavy. Most of the textiles purchased in Santiago de Cali.

While waiting at the bus terminal, each grabbed a carnitas taco and chewed down.

“Watch the time!” cried Madeleine.

“It’s time!”

Soon, they boarded an Arauca bus and settled in the seats. They carried a huge wrap of tacos, water and drinks. It was lit inside and at this hour, not a lot of passengers climb.

“These booties are very comfortable and so cheap,” articulated Marina.

Madeleine said still digging into a taco, “Colombia is a huge producer of textiles. Very fashion people. Now we are caleñas. When we reach Bogotá, we become rolas.” She threw her lanky legs on the backrest of the seat in front. Marina took the window seat.

“You are going to finish that before we reach Bogotá.”

“Of course, we stop, we restock.”

Two hours into the journey, it started to rain. They couldn’t see the outside through the window because it was dark. Marina fell asleep and Madeleine tried to nap. She chewed the end of a cigarette and the food was over.

Seven in the morning, the bus rolled on the streets of Bogotá, 2640 metres above sea level, surrounded by mountains and rain. The bus stopped many crossings, traffic increased and there were several city buses as well.

Finally, they got out at a packed station and made way through the streets lined with colonial houses, very different from Buenos Aires, some Gothic style buildings and some contemporary. They turned into a narrow lane that was literally empty, long and undulating, a mountain sighted at the end of the road. Low houses with clay roof tiles and bright paint on the walls, some looked modern and designed aptly to the road. A lot of street art and graffiti on the walls, big cobbles paved the road.

They turned to another street dragging their bags, slightly with more traffic, and sight of a mountain landscape over the rooftops, so densely green if not for a mist overlying. Both wore see-through raincoats but not helpful in the rain. Their bags wet and they discovered a while later that their clothes were soaked.

They entered a café with food in glass showcases, found a comfortable spot at a corner and spent an hour to refresh, dry up and make few calls.

There they caught a taxi and drove off to Chapinero.

“Chiquitita!” cried Ana García grabbing Marina firmly. She wore golden decors on her body – the exhibits. Ana García wore a golden girdle on a hip-size waist. To describe her at best, she wore a young face and skin of a mona. Robust legs and around the hips but they made things cute by calling them small.

She was a godmother taking care of so many chicas and maricas in the comfort of her hostal in Santa Fe. She was said to be closely linked to the most powerful dame in Medellín; otherwise known as La Madrina.

On 19^th June, Pablo Escobar who eluded an intense police manhunt for seven years surrendered to the Colombian authorities. He was flown by government helicopter from a jungle hideout to a special mountaintop jail near the city of Medellín.

“Billionaire drug lord’s 1000 square feet cell is more like a penthouse suite, with an ante-chamber, bedroom, walk-in closet, bath and a breath-taking view of the Medellín valley. Envigado Authorities control the 40 guards posted inside the jail, and as agreed, to keep the army and police outside.”

The telephone rang, Juan Carlos Bauzá dropped the newspaper and picked the phone; “Madeleine Blanche returned today from Lima unaccompanied.” He dropped the handset and smiled.