Read Online Still the Same Man by Jon Bilbao - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jon Bilbao
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save his battery.
“Did you get all that?”
“Yes, sir,” answered the employee at the other end of the line. “I’ll be sure to pass it on to your wife.”
But Joanes wasn’t convinced. He could hear a lot going on in the background, a real racket, and it seemed to him that the hotel employee had more pressing things to attend to than taking down his message. But he couldn’t waste any more time repeating himself. He hung up without saying goodbye and looked again at the battery icon on the screen. He put the phone away in his backpack and nibbled on his
cochinita
. More than a few of the Mexican folks sat brazenly staring at him. He felt utterly depressed all of a sudden. He wanted to say to hell with it all and talk to his wife until he’d used up every last drop of battery. Hearing her voice always calmed him down. She would almost certainly have some sound piece of advice for him.
He saw the professor coming out of the hotel. He’d put on a clean shirt. Joanes watched him as he chose from the platters of food and served out small portions of everything on two plates, but so that no one food type touched another. Afterward, the professor made one of the Mexican women attending the table bring him a tray so he could take the plates up to the room. He didn’t notice Joanes, or if he did, he didn’t bother to say hello.
Joanes polished off his food and grabbed another beer, not caring that it was warm. He felt a bit better with a full stomach. A band of children paraded one after the other in front of him, some stopping to stare at him. He made faces at them, but they weren’t laughing. Little by little, the lawn was emptying; as soon as people finished eating, they looked up at the sky and retreated to their rooms. The women looking after the table had begun taking in the food. One of them came out of the hotel with a palm frond and began to sweep the dirt yard, which made the others laugh. The wind would take care of that.
He was exhausted but stayed outside. He didn’t want to go back to the room while the professor and his wife were eating. He waited with his elbows resting on his knees and his chin on his fists, not paying any attention to the kids that circled around him, staring as if he were some weirdo.
He wondered what the professor and his wife might be up to. Perhaps they’d fallen asleep. After a little while, he told himself there was no reason to keep waiting; after all, the room was partly his, too. But just as he was about to get to his feet, he saw the professor coming out of the hotel. The don looked around, spotted Joanes, and walked straight over to him.
“Do you have a telephone? I need to make an urgent call to Egypt.”
Joanes stood up. He stared at him before answering.
“I’m sorry, my phone is out of battery. I used it up talking to my wife.”
The professor tutted.
“Well! That is very bad news indeed. You can’t imagine how bad.”
“I’m sorry,” repeated Joanes. “Can I ask why exactly you need to call Egypt?”
“My son’s been in an accident. He was deep sea diving in the Red Sea, and something went wrong. I don’t know the details.”
The professor pressed his lips closed, composing himself.
“It happened yesterday, but we didn’t find out until this morning. They called us at the hotel, just before we got on the bus.”
“Where were you staying?”
“In Cancún. We came to Mexico for a conference I had to give in Mexico City. That was last week. My wife insisted that we take a few days’ vacation in the Caribbean after ward.”
“Is your son very bad?” Joanes asked gingerly.
The professor shrugged with his palms facing up in a gesture of helplessness.
“I don’t know. I only had a second to talk to his partner, and the doctors still hadn’t said anything at that point. Later, from the bus, I was able to get through, but they couldn’t tell me anything other than that my son was under observation, no change. By the looks of things,
“Did you get all that?”
“Yes, sir,” answered the employee at the other end of the line. “I’ll be sure to pass it on to your wife.”
But Joanes wasn’t convinced. He could hear a lot going on in the background, a real racket, and it seemed to him that the hotel employee had more pressing things to attend to than taking down his message. But he couldn’t waste any more time repeating himself. He hung up without saying goodbye and looked again at the battery icon on the screen. He put the phone away in his backpack and nibbled on his
cochinita
. More than a few of the Mexican folks sat brazenly staring at him. He felt utterly depressed all of a sudden. He wanted to say to hell with it all and talk to his wife until he’d used up every last drop of battery. Hearing her voice always calmed him down. She would almost certainly have some sound piece of advice for him.
He saw the professor coming out of the hotel. He’d put on a clean shirt. Joanes watched him as he chose from the platters of food and served out small portions of everything on two plates, but so that no one food type touched another. Afterward, the professor made one of the Mexican women attending the table bring him a tray so he could take the plates up to the room. He didn’t notice Joanes, or if he did, he didn’t bother to say hello.
Joanes polished off his food and grabbed another beer, not caring that it was warm. He felt a bit better with a full stomach. A band of children paraded one after the other in front of him, some stopping to stare at him. He made faces at them, but they weren’t laughing. Little by little, the lawn was emptying; as soon as people finished eating, they looked up at the sky and retreated to their rooms. The women looking after the table had begun taking in the food. One of them came out of the hotel with a palm frond and began to sweep the dirt yard, which made the others laugh. The wind would take care of that.
He was exhausted but stayed outside. He didn’t want to go back to the room while the professor and his wife were eating. He waited with his elbows resting on his knees and his chin on his fists, not paying any attention to the kids that circled around him, staring as if he were some weirdo.
He wondered what the professor and his wife might be up to. Perhaps they’d fallen asleep. After a little while, he told himself there was no reason to keep waiting; after all, the room was partly his, too. But just as he was about to get to his feet, he saw the professor coming out of the hotel. The don looked around, spotted Joanes, and walked straight over to him.
“Do you have a telephone? I need to make an urgent call to Egypt.”
Joanes stood up. He stared at him before answering.
“I’m sorry, my phone is out of battery. I used it up talking to my wife.”
The professor tutted.
“Well! That is very bad news indeed. You can’t imagine how bad.”
“I’m sorry,” repeated Joanes. “Can I ask why exactly you need to call Egypt?”
“My son’s been in an accident. He was deep sea diving in the Red Sea, and something went wrong. I don’t know the details.”
The professor pressed his lips closed, composing himself.
“It happened yesterday, but we didn’t find out until this morning. They called us at the hotel, just before we got on the bus.”
“Where were you staying?”
“In Cancún. We came to Mexico for a conference I had to give in Mexico City. That was last week. My wife insisted that we take a few days’ vacation in the Caribbean after ward.”
“Is your son very bad?” Joanes asked gingerly.
The professor shrugged with his palms facing up in a gesture of helplessness.
“I don’t know. I only had a second to talk to his partner, and the doctors still hadn’t said anything at that point. Later, from the bus, I was able to get through, but they couldn’t tell me anything other than that my son was under observation, no change. By the looks of things,
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