Blog 23-David with Arturo on the Arrecife

I made myself sit at my writing spot in La Fabrica every day this week. Today I made myself go through my flash drives all morning then I let myself take a break for lunch with the women at El Comedor. I'd gone into a rapture of the deep, rereading my flashdrive entries from my burocrazy days. I
was very hungry, couldn't think. I strode into the crowded, noisy Comedor. Since yesterday the walls had been plastered with posters for the Trackers' Convergence. I walked up to one and studied the small photos of the speakers. At last I let my gaze rest on the big photo in the center, a close-up of a grinning, confident Adela. I headed to the serving table and filled my plate with watercress, lettuce, avocado, viandas, and bacalao. Julia and Patria were already at the table closest to the kitchen, our usual table. I reached them and saw Julia pry a photo from her wallet and hand it to Patria. She looked radiant with the euphoria of telling her everything. Such was Patria's effect.
“This photo was taken the day before the Parade when Marina and I lost the boys on the train.” I had never heard Julia refer to that moment in a conversation, certainly not as if it was just one more story. “The boys had been so excited to buy the flags from the vendor on the avenue.” I brought my face close to her ear so that she could hear me. “Have you carried this in your wallet all this time?” She nodded. “I thought you just wanted to forget all that.” She'd refused to speak to me about losing the boys on the train all those years, not until we were on the Karaya Ferry, but she was telling Patria our story now. Telling all of us at the table, Patria, Elba. It was clear Patria had on Julia the same effect she had on me. Maybe everybody told secrets around Patria.
Julia let me hold the photo. “Breaks my heart, to see how sweet my Machi was. I want to go back to that age and do it all over, get it right. Was that the year I ruined his life? The year we lost them on the train...The year I left the family for that fool affair with the cad whose name I can't bear to say out loud or even think.” Julia looked at me surprised. Patria's benevolent attention had Julia and I both blurting secrets. “That was the year Machi liked to play a game on the avenue. He would take my hand and close his eyes and tell me to keep walking. He wanted me to navigate the Avenue crowds, make sure he didn't hit anyone or anything. That same year Machi decided Ori should have a trophy for father's day. At the trophy store he chose one with a figure of a muscular athlete on top. He dictated the inscription: Fine Nurturing Pa. Where did he get that phrase?”
Patria squeezed my hand. Julia gave me a look. She wanted to shut me up. She was mbarrassed for me and she wanted to tell her own secrets! She showed Patria another photo of her son David standing with his father Arturo on a rocky beach. Patria took the photograph. “Is that the Arrecife side of Karaya? Why go there when you can't even swim in those reefs? Is he a surfer?” Julia shook her head and laughed. “The very idea of Arturo surfing...My ex had business reasons for being on that side. Drop off product was my guess. I tried to not know. He brought David with him a couple of years ago, in between bids. I was furious. I suppose he thought he was mentoring his son, teaching him his trade. That was when I at last kicked Arturo out.”
Patria returned the photograph. “I wouldn't say this lightly. Your boy looks familiar. I'm almost sure. ” Julia's voice rose. “You've seen him? Where?” Patria nodded. “On one of Elpidio's wade-in videos. A lot of the muchachos live Hillside working on the storm shelter and living in the shelters and the caves. They go in and out of the Territorio Libre, even cross into Ventura. They mainly come to Palenque for direct actions on the Base. He might even have been there at the vigil last night. Do you have a recent photo to show Elpidio?” Julia pulled out a small snapshot of David squatting beside Taina and held it out to Patria. “Here, show Lagarto. I should have thought of that myself.” Patria looked at it and said, “Tomorrow when Marina and I go into Coral to Justice Works, I could make copies of this photo and post them on the wall outside the office.” Julia hesitated to let the photo go. Patria smiled. “I've done this many times. I'm a tracker. I know what these photos mean when we think they may be all we have left of our Desaparecidos. I promise I will return it.” Julia was sobbing as she let the photo go.
Just then Taina came in for lunch with some of her classmates from La Escuelita and ran to her abuela. She saw the photograph in Patria's hand. “Where's my Papi?” She looked at Patria, “Are you the lady who's going to help us find my Papi?” She walked up to Patria. “Where's my Papi? I want to find him and go home." I kissed Taina, patted my friend Julia on the shoulder, waved at the others, and headed back to La Fabrica. On my way through the Comedor I returned Adela's smile, multiplied in the dozens of posters on the walls.