At the Camp, Day One

8. BACK TO ARRIVING
Arriving
The carro publico stopped by what looked like no place, a barren dune, left us standing with our duffels piled on the sand. Machi made the rule, one small bag apiece was all we could bring. He stood in front of us, our 17 year old leader. He pointed to a plume of smoke. It wasn’t hard to follow the smoke to the cluster of tents and makeshift wooden shelters of the Encampment. Among the shacks built of wood there were many more tents than I had imagined, a few real tents made of white canvas, government issued. Many of the shelters were lean to's made from palm fronds, tarps, plastic table cloths, shower curtains. Among them were some wooden houses with techos de dos aguas, abandoned summer homes. Taina ran ahead of us calling out,"El circo." Where had she ever seen one? Machi kept up with her. There were enough tents to get lost in.
All these people refused to move, to be moved, for as long as it took, until their loved ones were released from the Camp. I was looking at human strength. People joined them because they wanted to end the war. People came because this was a good place to hide. For others this Encampment was better than home, or better than a mushroom town, a different kind of mushroom town with a cause. People came and went and some stayed. Some had been here for years. At first glance it was a happy place. I heard lots of music. Different kinds of music. A wonderful cacophony of voice and sound. We are a happy animal. We can be a happy animal as welcome on the earth as the dolphins. We passed three men building a frame from two by fours between two other wooden shacks, in a narrow space where I would not have seen the possibility of shelter.
A few yards from where four men played dominoes on a table made from crates Machi found an empty spot sheltered by a seapine. He told us to set down our duffels and we did, in a little circle. We sat on them and looked at each other. “We are here.” Julia took my hand. “Now what do we do?” She closed her eyes and I wondered if she was praying. She opened her eyes. “We have to eat. What time could it be?” The sun was halfway to the horizon. I looked at my watch and it was just past four. “The beginning of our new life.” I looked at Julia and spoke so that Machi and Taina didn't hear. “ How long can we last here?” Julia looked away. I knew what she was thinking. “As long as it takes to find them.” I had some money but couldn't imagine the cost of living here. I was on unemployment for a few months if I could get online someplace in Caiman and file my weekly claim. I was old enough to collect retirement money, but the end of the burocrazy had been so sudden...Was I ready to retire? I'd gotten paid for my 11 vacation days after the humanitarian lay-off. How long would my savings last? How could the world of my office and this one be on the same planet? Sooner? Is this after the 'end' and the burocrazy program is shut down? Timing 'just right' does she get laid off in absentia? Gets a phone call or calls in and is told the job is gone?
Taina stood motionless. I saw her fix her eyes on a small iguana with a crest. "Un dinosaurito." She moved her hand to grab it and the iguana vanished. She dug her hand into her duffel. "Where's the Playa?" She pulled out a blue bathing suit and stripped and changed behind the seapine. Machi reached for her hand. "Let's find the playa." Julia waved at them as she spread a thick cloth on the ground. She lay on it, with her head on Taina's duffel for a pillow. I jumped up before I lost sight of them and followed Machi and Taina into the maze of huts and tents. He took a path along a dune toward the roar of the surf, everpresent beneath the cacophony of music, the shards of conversations and radio voices. The path turned onto a white sand turquoise beach I recognized. Taina screamed "la playa" and ran ahead. Machi caught up to her. I kicked off my sneakers and raced into the water. Machi ran in after her, wearing the shorts he'd traveled in.

I saw him comingand stood up to meet him. He was alone. No Lagarto or Robles. I saw my son approaching our shelter from the Camp side of the beach. Where had he been? Was he drunk? Just as abruptly as he left Machi came back, glanced at me, said nothing, and crawled into his sleeping bag. I didn't want to know whether or not he was drunk. Now at last I could try to sleep for as long as I could before Taina woke up and the day began.