Solutions: A Dog's Dilemma by James Gerard (book suggestions .TXT) 📕

“Her mother is very protective of her.  I told you what happened.  Right or wrong, do not underestimate the fear they feel over her.”

Rick could believe it having had bad relationships with his family.  His parents were deceased, but before each one went he was glad he had the chance to talk to each of them and apologized for being such a bad son.  His siblings varied in the type of relationship they wanted with him, some nothing and others infrequently. He remembered the times of going through bouts of extreme loneliness, yet he knew through no fault of anyone that there was simply no one to reach out to.  No wife, no children, just a life spent in isolation with hurt, pain, and misery as his constant companion.  But he looked at Marisol and could not help but to feel compassion.  He wondered how she could be blamed for just existing.  He couldn’t understand how she could be ostracized for, no fault of her own, coming into life.

“Doesn’t the mom have any family here?”

“Yes she does.  She was raised here.  Her great grandparents, grandparents, her mom and dad, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews and nieces are all here.”

“But you said she was alone?”

“She is, but out of stubbornness and anger and pride.  She felt abandoned, blamed for Santa Rosa’s troubles.  Sure, the situation has created distance, but deep down there is a lot of love between her and her family.  It’s just not expressed openly.”

Rick found himself understanding, but up to a point.  He figured that out here it should be, had to be different because of the isolation from any bustling city.  But no matter, he thought.  What do I know? 

Rick jumped off the truck.  On a hunch a makeshift stepping stool was assembled for his little friend.  He picked up Marisol and placed her on the higher of the two boxes so she could see everything going on.  He then jumped back up and gave Marisol a wink.

Rick figured he could get an answer to Marisol’s presence without asking.   He surveyed the boxes before him and took the smallest one he could find and laid it right in front of her.  She picked it up and placed the box in just the right sorted pile and ran back.  Her smile once again lit up the trailer.  Again and again he placed small boxes in front of her and she delivered them exactly where they needed to go.  He went back and forth putting down one for Sebastian and one for her.  They went on for hours.  But the doubling pace started to be felt in his arms and legs and back.  Sweat dripped off his face.  While they worked in the rising heat, among songs of praise bellowing from the makeshift church just a little ways beyond them, a few beaten pickup trucks parked by the boxes and some of the village men began to load boxes into the back of the trucks.

“What are they doing?”

“They are from nearby villages.  Word spread about the food and they came for some.”

“What were in the boxes they brought?”

“They are trading.  It is common practice for the villages to barter with one another.  Corn, wheat, tobacco, coffee, fruits and vegetables, pork, beef, poultry, whatever any village needs they trade for.”

“That’s smart of them.”

“Not necessarily.  The way of life here Rick is not like life in the United States.  Yes, they grow food and sell some of it at market, but they also use some of it to pay off taxes owed.  Essential things they need that cannot barter for are purchased once a year when they go and sell at market.  They are provided electricity and pay a price for it, but they also have to maintain it themselves.  If a bus knocks down a utility pole and snaps the cable, they have the necessary tools and supplies to fix it.  They just have different ways of attaining the same things you are used to.”

That made perfect sense to Rick.  He really never considered, even with his lifestyle, how things needed and or wanted were easy to come by.  It was based on a system; different than the one just explained by Sebastian, yet it was a system he had adapted to.

“Sebastian, I think I could use a lunch about now.”

“I think that is a good idea.”

“I’ll go get us some food.”

Rick held out his hand to Marisol.  She looked up and he could see that she was giggling silently.  She took his hand and they strolled over to a large tent set up by the medical team as a makeshift dining and storage facility.  Pans of different foods covered two tables while another was occupied by three young women talking while sipping from cups.   Flaming cans rested under some of the pans while others sat in ice.

He took up an empty plate and looked to Marisol.  He asked what she wanted by using his hand and pointing to the various trays.  Marisol pointed at one, then another, then another.  Rick loaded up her plate with her selections and loaded up two more.  As they approached the end of the table to pour cups of the various drinks, one of the young women sitting at the table came over, a stethoscope dangling from her neck, and reached under the table.  Marisol’s face lit up as the woman handed her a cold soda.  Rick winked at her as he grabbed silverware and napkins for their feast.

Marisol’s little hands struggled to carry both the soda and plate.  Rick reached down and smiled, carried the bottle for her.  She clutched her plate of food with her little hands, and they walked over to the truck.  He noticed Sebastian sitting a further beyond on an outcrop in the field.

In no time at all Rick was busy shoveling the food into his belly but suddenly stopped as Marisol brought her hands together and bowed her head.  Embarrassed, Rick put down the plate and followed Marisol’s example.  He kept one eye closed and the other on her as she gave thanks in silence.

Rick could see Marisol struggle hard with the bottle top, using all the strength she had to try to twist it open.  With a gentle tap on her shoulder, a hand extended, he gave her a wink and quickly twisted the top off.  He could see the sheer joy in her face as he handed the soda back to her.  Rick gulped down the orange drink and went back to assaulting the food.  Marisol leaned over with the soda carefully secured in hand and poured some soda in his now empty cup.  Rick leaned down and gave her a hug.

“Rick?  Do you see those mountains out there?”

“Sure.”

“I am wondering with the way you work, do you think you could move one of them?”

Rick laughed.  “Sure.  Just give me a shovel and pick and about a trillion years or so and the job will be done.”

Sebastian smiled.  “You underestimate your strength.  I think you can get it done a lot faster than that.”

“Okay, a billion years.”

Rick handed one of the napkins to Marisol, then one to Sebastian.  He looked at the distant mountains and had no idea what they were named.  For that matter, he thought, I don’t even know what country I’m in.  But he found a peace about everything.  Even though he was amidst the misery caused by a severe drought, the kind that came around every few hundred years or so, he felt tranquility within the village and strangely within himself.

“Why are you here Rick?”

“Something to do I guess.”

“No, really, why are you here?”

“Jack asked if I wanted to come, and seriously, it was something to do so I came.”

He perceived that Sebastian was somewhat satisfied with the answer, but at the same time he was not.  Rick realized, however, that what he had thought he was coming here for had not happened.  That Jack just wanted him for the heavy labor and not to talk about God.  In fact, he realized, he had not even seen Jack or Amanda since yesterday morning.  He could feel anger stir in his belly, regurgitate up to his thoughts, an imagination ready to say a few choice words to how he has been treated, but with Marisol sitting beside him he thought better.  If anything would be said it would be done in private, away from the ears of those around him.  Then again, why screw up by the doing the right thing.  Like that ever happened before.

 Rick woke up to the sound of honking vehicles and panicked voices.  He looked around the shed for Sebastian to find out what the fuss was about, but he was not there.  He figured Sebastian must had already been awoken by the din of confusion and was nosing about outside.

Rick opened the door and was hit by the glare from two sets of headlights rolling slowly into the middle of the village square.   He could see and hear the old men scattering about and barking out the arrival of unfamiliar guests.  As the vehicles came to a stop he noticed Jack running as fast as he could to greet them, could hear his chatter with a man dressed in some sort of uniform.  He wondered what all the commotion was about since the sudden whirl of activity rousted the whole village.

Rick stood at the doorway observing, tried to make some sense as to what was going on, but the words, as loud as they were, were just foreign to him.  He looked around for Sebastian again, scanned the scene before him, but he was not there.  Finally wanting an answer, an explanation to the havoc, he walked up to Jack who was still in conversation with the uniformed man.

He could not tell if the uniform referred to a law enforcement official or that of someone in the military.  The color was olive, simply adorned in cloth patches, epilates, and black boots shimmering in the light from the vehicles.  He saw men in like uniforms sitting and standing alertly in the back of a truck with a familiar configuration.   Rifles aimed in the direction of the perimeters of the village seemingly waiting for the word to disembark, to seek and destroy.

Rick heard his name called out.  Rising above the mass of villagers gathered around the vehicles, a hand waved, a person emerged from the panic.  “Rick.”  Sebastian came into view between the gaps of the curious. 

“Will you get over here already?”

As Sebastian struggled through the crowd, Rick turned his attention to Jack.  He noticed Jack was now backed by the medical team listening to the uniformed man.  He could see all nodding as if all were in agreement with what was being discussed.  Finally Sebastian stood beside him.

“What’s going on?”

“There is a group of men roaming through this region.  They have been terrorizing villages, taking food and any valuables they can find.”

Rick pointed to the rifles, “What are they for?”

“They have been called in for protection.  They just came here to warn Jack of the trouble and to escort all of you back to the