The Covenant - Chapter Eleven

Walking through the streets of Lima, Annie observes the pastel homes cascading down the mountains and built into the cliffs of shades of blue cornflowers, melon, mango, squash, and sweet pink orchid. At the top of the mountain stands a wood cross as a beacon watching over the city.  Along the coastline tall merchant and corporate buildings emerge from among the bluffs before reaching the steep and rocky precipice with the ocean waters rushing hundreds of feet down below.

The colorful buildings with wide baloneys in the tourist section are reminiscent of days years ago in the wild west with their iron decorative casting tracing their fringes and accented by ornate street lamps.  Gazing out towards the cool blues waters of the ocean, Annie views white sandy beaches with a mixture of colorful and dried grass umbrellas scattered along the tropical landscape as locals and tourists alike embrace and bask in the warm sun.

After touring the Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas, a troupe of traditional women dancers puts on a performance for the crowds gathered in the area for the Puno Folk Festival.  Each woman wears something like a bowler hat that Charlie Chaplin might have worn in the 20s accented with flowers or feathers and also wearing woven scarves in tones of red and pink and matching skirts.  They carry multi-colored palm-palms of yarn attached in long strings around their waists and shoulders. 

As they listen to the rhythmic music of the drums and flutes, the melodies move through them enchanting the audience with its beautiful harmonies and cadences.

The group is eventually guided to a more affluent area of the city.  In the center of the Miraflores district known for shopping and beautiful gardens, is a large memorial of a former hero in the large roundabout meant just for walkers to enjoy their time sitting on cement benches in the lush green grass. 

Exhausted from their apprising new adventures, Annie finds a peaceful place to rest for a few moments to soak in the foreign beauty of everything around her.  Choosing a bench right next to her own, Rick looks up towards the sky and smiles lost in his own thoughts.  He glances over at Annie who shyly for a few seconds returns his friendly gaze. 

“Hey!  Where did you go?” interrupts Lauren “You were behind me one moment and then I look again and you’re gone!  You can’t leave me alone, I need you to show and explain what everything is to me since I’ve never been here before”.

In return Rick squints his eyes as if the sun is too much to take in and takes his palm to cover his eyes before speaking, “This is a great view.  You might want to find a place of your own to enjoy it for a few minutes.”

“Oh, okay” reluctantly agrees Lauren and after accessing the situation, plops down next to him on the bench barely long enough for two. “I guess it doesn’t hurt to take a break, but I really don’t like being bored.”

Just after her, Ben Wick finds a shaded spot directly across from Annie and takes out a favorite book with a worn cover from his backpack. He brushes the cover lightly with his hand before opening it to one of his favorite passages.

“I think you might like this one Annie” kindly offers Ben Wick “I found it last night and thought that I would share it with you today.”

“Really? What is it?” asks Annie curious to discover what might be an insightful reflection for the day.

“It’s really a rather familiar quote from Sir Galahad by Tennyson” finding his place Ben Wick slowly  begins to read with dramatic effect “’My good blade carves the casques of men, my tough lance thrusteth sure, My strength is the strength of ten because my heart is pure’. ”

“What is that suppose to mean?” sarcastically asks Lauren “It sounds like a sword fight. None of us are going to get into a sword fight today that I know of.”

Deciding whether to respond or not, Ben Wick silently stares at her for a moment biting his lower lip before answering “It means when the tough times come, if you keep your thoughts and heart centered on the good, you can overcome many difficulties even though at first appearance they may seem insurmountable.”

“Oh, I never thought about that.  What a lot to get from a few words” genuinely reflects Lauren wondering how much she considers the good or bad of anything as much as only relying on impulse before making a decision. “How do you know if something is “good” anyway?”

“I don’t know.  I think usually when something is good there are some trademarks that are clearly evident” considers Ben Wick pleasantly surprised that Lauren would ask him a philosophical question “In my opinion ‘Good’ can be defined by a few things such as: if it makes everyone around you better for that experience or knowledge; if it respects who you are without decreasing anyone else’s value; if it encourages and protects the general feelings of love and well-being, but also counter-wise does not include any negative connotations such as shame or resulting in a consequence of guilt.”

“Ummmm …. Interesting, I’ll have to think about that one a little more” returns Lauren and then shaking her head as if removing any deeper thoughts then stands up announcing “I’m ready to go shopping!  It’s our first day off in a week from working in the children’s home and I want to find a Colca bracelet, a hand-painted ceramic bowl to bring home for Mary, and a silver necklace for myself.”

After being persuaded, Rick reluctantly follows her lead with Ben Wick and Annie chatting together over a few favorite lines of poetry slowly trailing along behind them.

After a few quotes, Annie feels more comfortable with Ben Wick and forces herself to ask him a few questions that might tell her a little more about Rick and the years that she has missed him. “You’ve been friends with Rick for a long time.  What was he like over the years?” curiously asks Annie wondering what changes in his life occurred to make him into the man he has become.

“Rick? Yes, we’ve been friends for awhile now” remembering into the past, Ben Wick glibly shares  “When I first met him, some stupid girl had rejected him and he was pretty torn up about it. He’s a great guy.  She must not been worth his time to even consider giving him up. I hadn’t met my girlfriend yet that I’ve lost so I had no clue why he was grieving so much over someone that he probably needed to do without.  Although not too empathetic, I tried to help him out and get over her which is how we became friends.”

“Did he date much?” cautiously asks Annie not sure that she wants to actually know the answer because it might be too painful.

“Not really.  His friends set him up on a few blind dates or tried to do a little matchmaking in groups, but no one really captured his attention.  I don’t think that he ever completely recovered from his old girlfriend, but he never mentions her either” explains Ben Wick focusing his attention on Rick and Lauren talking just ahead of them “However, I think he is older now and starting to look for someone to share his life with so he is not so lonely and settle down.”

“Whatever happened to the girl?” asks Annie wondering what the rumor came to be about herself.

“I’m not sure.  I actually think that I overheard once in a conversation when a friend of his came to visit from his home that she’s become a bit of a recluse and not the marrying type, but don’t quote me” offers Ben Wick and then continues more insightfully “Rick is a really capable and an outstanding guy.  I would trust him for anything. He’s going to need someone rather unique and special to match him.  He needs someone who can be something of a leveler for him so that he doesn’t overwhelm them too much by his abilities or that also isn’t in constant awe of him either like some of the younger girls tend to be. I’m surprised you haven’t been interested in him yet.”

Looking down to avoid any embarrassment being recognized, Annie deeply blushes and pretends that her sneaker has become untied. Annie quietly suggests “We knew each other a very long time ago. But I doubt he really remembers me from then anyway.”

“Maybe not, I’ll have to ask him about it” considers Ben Wick “Sometimes he misses the obvious.”

Walking back towards them, Rick asks “Do you want get some mazamorra morada for a treat?”

“What is that?” skeptically asks Lauren not too sure about all this new food she’s been trying over the last few weeks. 

“It’s a purple corn desert in sort-of a jelly substance with fresh and dried fruits in it.  It’s delicious!” enthusiastically explains Ben Wick being one of his favorite desserts “You have to try it!”

“Ok, if you say it is good, it probably is.  So far you have been right about everything” compliments Lauren swaying back a forth a little noticing how surprisingly handsome Ben Wick looks today “I can trust your judgment as far as food is concerned.”

As the group moves the trail to the hill, Lauren pretends to find it difficult to walk on the cobblestones.  At every opportunity where she can create enough reason, Lauren grabs Rick’s hand in an effort to steady herself and to keep from falling.  She widely smiles directly into his eyes every time he turns towards her in a protective manner to see if he can save her from losing her balance.

Watching her, makes Annie feel like gagging but manages to keep her emotions in check other then occasionally rolling her eyes when the acting is a bit overdone. Ben Wick noticing the same thing looks over to Annie in agreement with a smirk and shrugs his shoulders at the entertainment.

“Rick might end up with her if he is not too careful!” observes Ben Wick in a slightly mocking tone “I don’t think he realizes the welcoming trap he is walking into.”

Suddenly feeling alone and if she might have lost Rick forever, Annie feels a sharp pang of remorse as his comment sinks into her heart and mumbles “I don’t think so either ….”

As the find seats at the outdoor restaurant, Rick orders for the group and turns to Annie “Would you be interested in going to Machu Picchu on our day off next week?  Major Smith has offered to let us borrow the mine-bus for any of the team that would like to go.  The Inca Indians are quite a fascinating people. I know you like history and this might be a place that you would like.”

“Sounds great!  I was hoping there would be an opportunity to go while we are here. A few years ago I took a sociology class specifically focusing on the culture and achievements of the Inca Indians. I read quite a few more books before we came too about their history” explains Annie feeling as if she may be boring everyone at the table especially Lauren who is re-applying her mascara and obviously checked out of the conversation.

Rubbing her eye, Lauren turns to Rick “I think I have an eyelash in my eye.  Can you see it?”  She leans in very close as Rick politely moves his head away and to the side from her but attempts to help her.

“So, you like sociology?” curiously asks Ben Wick being his minor in college and pleased to find something else that he can share in his friendship with Annie.

“Yes, very much so … I enjoy learning what makes people interested in the things that they are, how their rules and codes of conduct are developed, how they share life within their families, how their language is defined over their years – any and all of it is fascinating to me” sincerely shares Annie feeling slightly uncomfortable talking about herself so much.

Not discovering anything, Rick swiftly scoots his chair a couple of inches away from Lauren and turns towards Annie placing his hand on her arm to grab her attention while he is speaking “I have a couple of books back home that you might be interested in reading sometimes”.

“Thanks!” replies Annie feeling pleasantly surprised by his touch while taking another bite of her dessert but not sure how to process how she is feeling at the moment.

“I guess it’s about time we head back to the children’s home.  They’re probably wondering where we are.  Harriet and her mom took everyone else to the beach today so they should already be back since it is nearly dark” suggests Rick paying for the bill in nuevos soles banknotes which he previous exchanged at HSBC, a large international bank, to give him the best rate.

“I’m riding shotgun!” shouts Lauren moving quickly to the passenger door before the others can reach the van to return to their temporary home.  Rick unlocks the doors as everyone climbs in and secures their seatbelts for the upcoming ride on a tricky narrow road up the side of the mountain.