Oaxaca ~ Part VII

The sun was setting when Ben walked into the cavernous Terminal de Autobuses de Oaxaca. Gentry had been told that Mexican night-buses usually traveled at half capacity. This meant passengers could generally expect to have an empty seat next to them. The seats were similar to standard airline seats but with more leg room. With two seats a rider could have an expectation of extra comfort in the night. With the twisting and turning on mountain roads, rumbling and bouncing on older stretches and occasional military stop and search points, Ben hoped for a little more comfort during this journey. 

Before he boarded the bus Ben learned that the coach had been sold out and would make the trip at full capacity. He knew that seating is strictly assigned on all Mexican buses. Being one of the first to board he took his assigned window seat, number 16. With some anxiety he wondered who would sit next to him in seat 17. He looked out the window at the long line of people waiting to board the coach. Feelings of dread crept into Ben’s sense of adventure. Then in an otherwise rag-tag group of travelers Ben noticed a tall, handsome woman dressed in tailored slacks and blouse, and carrying a smart carry-on bag. She  appeared to be in her early thirties and had a striking air of elegance. He thought, ‘could I be so lucky?’ 

Many people got on the bus, all passing seat 17. Ben’s heart was pounding like a kid at a cotillion wondering who might be his dance partner. One very old man, dressed in stained and tattered clothes, seemed confused as he stopped and stared at Ben and the open seat. As he studied his ticket Ben noticed the old man’s zipper was half open.’Well,’ he thought ‘que sera, sera’, and averted the old man’s eyes. After what seemed like the longest time the old codger moved on. Other passengers appeared, some stopping briefly to consider seat 17. But they all moved on. Then she walked up, flowed up to the seat. Ben kept looking at the seat in front of him, afraid to reveal his glee. She opened the top storage compartment and stowed her smart carry-on bag. Then she sat herself down in seat 17. 

Ben looked over at her, smiled and calmly said “Hola.” 

With a genuine warmness, she smiled back and responded with an equitable “Hola.” 

Gladly relieved, Gentry felt the deal was made. The two strangers would be companions in the coming moonlit journey through the Mexican wilderness. In close quarters they would accord each other with respect and dignity during the long unfolding passage. Ben felt like a teenager on a first date. 

Promptly at 8PM the bus pulled out of the station and for a time traveled through the streets of Oaxaca toward the highway that led to Chiapas. As is customary on long haul Mexican buses, the driver put on a video that played over the six 19-inch monitors, which were strategically placed overhead at every few rows of seats. 

The movie was a vintage action-film with car chases and big explosions. The dialogue was in English with Spanish sub-titles. ‘Pretty awful’, Ben thought but it allowed a couple of hours for the folks on the bus to settle in. 

The first challenge to Ben’s alliance with the mysterious lady was his attempt to turn off the overhead air conditioning duct that was pouring cold air down on his head and shoulders. After only twenty minutes into the ride the cold was becoming hard for him to bear. Three times he tried but couldn’t get it completely closed. Then the lady asked him, in Spanish, if it was a problem. He replied saying he couldn’t stop the cold air from coming down. Thereupon she reached up with her left hand and, pressing herself against his left shoulder, tried to shut the air duct. Ben was suddenly aware that her ample breasts were pressed up against his shoulder in an open though not suggestive way. Also he saw that she wore a gold wedding band on her left ring finger. 

After her own attempt failed, she lowered her arm and sat back in her seat. She asked Ben if he wanted to change seats with her. Charmed by her offer he declined. He felt a sudden impulse to profess his masculinity. 

He asked her to let him by so he could open the upper compartment and retrieve a cap and jacket from his daypack. Then he suited up and sat back down, girded for the cold. Sitting in his seat in the darkened bus he now felt well accepted by this woman who would be his companion for the next ten hours. 

When the movie ended the bus went into grey darkness. Ben’s companion tilted her seat back and closed her eyes. Not feeling sleepy he gazed out the window at the moonlit patterns of passing fields and forests there in southern Mexico. 

Ben became aware of jungle foliage. He was moving through it at a rapid rate. To his surprise he was on a bicycle racing down a hillside through lush green terrain. He was alarmed because the foliage prevented him from seeing more than a few feet ahead. Then all he saw was blue sky as he and the bike were airborne, falling toward a blue-green body of water. It was coming fast. He wondered how deep it would be. He wondered if this was the end. 

It was a dream. The bus was now in a long, sharp left bank and his companion’s sleeping body was pressed into his left side. Ben looked over at her. She was very much asleep, her serene face turned toward his. This was not a dream. 

They traveled on through the night. Gentry’s companion awoke briefly, turned slightly in her seat and went back to sleep. He went back to his vigil of the moonlit countryside. 

In silence, Ben could sense little hands gently reaching into the blue-green water. He didn’t know how long he’d been submerged but somehow he could breathe. Then he was aware of little people around him as they lifted him onto a crude stretcher. These people were little, no more than four feet tall. They had brown skin and straight black, shoulder length hair with neatly cut bangs across their foreheads. They all wore white, smock-like gowns and were barefoot. No one had facial hair and Gentry couldn’t tell who was male or female. They spoke to each other in soft, child-like tones in a language he never heard before. 

The little people carried him on the stretcher through a dense jungle path. He wasn’t afraid but he was concerned that he couldn’t move or feel his body. He wondered if he might’ve broken his neck and was now paralyzed. His rescuers were silent as they conveyed him in a blur of dark green foliage. 

Then he was in a dark space. ‘Maybe a a cave?‘ he thought. There was a flickering ambience of amber light coming from a fire he couldn’t see. Still with no feeling he was now lying on the ground. A dozen of the little people gathered around him. Looking up he saw them viewing him with benevolent gazes. In the dim light other people handed small dark bottles to those in the circle. 

The people in the circle affected solemn expressions. Then as one they all took sips from the bottles and began to chant in their strange language. The incantations continued as they began side-stepping to their left around Ben. Then they stopped and became silent. Once again the little people took sips from their bottles and began side-stepping, this time to their right. Then in unison they all belched and broke into giddy laughter. They repeated this ritual twice more at which point they all scurried out of the cave. 

Ben was alone. He laid there in darkness wondering what could possibly be next? He thought maybe he should shout something out but for the life of him couldn’t imagine what he would say. He simply laid still. Then a white light appeared in front of his face. It became brighter and brighter. 

The bright fluorescent lights shone through the bus window as the coach pulled into a way-station for a meal stop. It took a moment for Gentry to adjust himself and look over at his companion. She was yawning and stretching. People were getting off the bus and going into a cafeteria. He pulled out his pocket watch. It was just after 3AM.

“Tiene hambre?” the handsome lady inquired. Ben wasn’t hungry but he nodded back to her. With a smile she got up and exited the bus. He sat and stared out the bus window. There were two other bus-loads at the stop. Scores of people milled about the station. Outside the cafeteria, local vendors were selling breads, fruits and curios. The scene had a carnival atmosphere. Still not hungry Ben thought it would be good to stretch his legs. 

In the cafeteria none of the dishes looked appealing. From a distance Gentry observed his companion waiting in line for service. Then she left the line with no food, going back to the bus. He guessed nothing appealed to her either. 

Back outside, Ben took a walk away from the activity and bright lights of the bus station. He strolled into the darkness of the country road. The new moon was high in the sky but the thick jungle growth made it difficult for him to get any sense of what the environment was like. He was unaware of the silence until he heard a big engine starting up in the distance. Seized by the thought that the bus might leave without him, he made a quick return to the station. 

Back on the bus Ben’s smiling companion was already in her seat. He opened the overhead compartment and retrieved a fresh bag of corn chips from his pack. 

Under his companion’s gaze he opened the bag of chips and held them out in an offering to her. With a delicate manner she reached into the bag and pulled out one chip. She ate it as though it were a sacrament. 

For the next few minutes the mysterious lady and Ben shared a light conversation. She asked him where he was from and what he was doing in Mexico. He told her about his long journey through the Americas and his home in California. He learned very little about her. She was returning to her home in Tuxtla Gutierrez where they would arrive in about three hours. During the conversation Ben sensed a sadness in this woman. She seemed to be grieving for something or someone. He knew he could be wrong about this and felt it wise to keep his perceptions to himself. ‘Besides’, he thought, ‘in a few hours we’ll pass out of each other’s lives forever.’ 

The bus pulled back on the highway and the passengers settled in for the home stretch. Ben and his companion were now subtly and comfortably leaning on each other. She went to sleep again. He was now feeling very tired and sleepy. 

It was a hut not a cave. Ben realized that he wasn’t paralyzed and got to his feet. He had to stoop way down to get through the doorway. Now he stood in a clearing in front of the hut but there was no one else to be seen. He could see a path that led into the jungle and followed it. Then he was standing at the shore of a mountain lake. Across the lake in the distance was a live volcano. 

‘What a place this is’, he thought. Still exhausted he turned and laid down on the ground. He closed his eyes. All around were the sounds of flowing water. Barely audible in the distance was a riot of birds. It seemed like he laid there for a long time. Then Ben felt someone kiss his lips. He opened his eyes but no one was there. He stood up and scanned the lakeshore, seeing no one. Standing there in the jungle at the edge of this lake and with the pulsing volcano in the distance he suddenly realized he was naked. He looked around to see if anyone was watching. A few yards to his right he saw a white smock hanging on the branch of a tree. It looked like the ones the little people wore, only this one was much bigger. Ben lurched to the right. 

The bus driver had swerved to avoid something on the road. It was dawn now. People were waking. Gentry looked over at his companion. She was awake, gazing forward, looking peaceful. Aware that he had awakened, she looked over at him. He went to return her gaze but was gripped with the impulse that he was still naked. He brought his hand up and faked a little cough so he could look down to make sure he had clothes on. 

The bus made its way into Tuxtla Gutierrez, a city of three hundred thousand in southern Mexico. 

When it arrived at the terminal, the bus pulled into an open space under a great metal awning. It was flanked on both sides by a dozen other long-haul buses and outside Ben could see hundreds of people milling about. Many of the people on his bus were getting out of their seats and taking luggage from the overhead compartments. 

With an air of resumed privacy, Gentry’s companion got up and retrieved her carry-on bag. Then she leaned over toward him, offering her hand in farewell and with deep affection said “Mucho gusto.” 

Ben took her hand in his and enquired “Como se llama?” – “What’s your name?” 

“Amparo,” she replied.

With his free hand, he tapped his chest and nodded, “Ben.”

Her face was flush with emotion as she said, “Mucho gusto, Ben.”

“Mucho gusto, Amparo” said Ben as he let go of her hand.

She turned and left the bus. Gentry pressed his head against the window and tried to get one last look at Amparo but she had gone out of sight. 

When the bus embarked from Tuxtla Gutierrez, the highway seemed to climb endlessly into the clouds before arriving at Ben’s destination, San Cristobal de las Casas in the heart of Chiapas. 

to be continued…