INSIGHTFUL
REVOLUTION
By: Ives
(George) Pereira
CHAPTER
1
John and Alison Harding were married. Both of them had barely reached the age of
twenty. Neither of them had jobs that
paid well enough for them to live comfortably, still less could they think of
ever affording a house. In fact there
were times that after they paid their bills, there was not enough left over to
buy some of the most basic foods that were necessary to stay alive. They spent many days and nights wondering
what their fate would be, and often fantasized about what they would do if by
some stroke of luck they became wealthy.
Alison declared that the first thing that she would buy is a house. John whispered that he would be happy to live
a life free from the nagging thought of where the next meal would come
from. Somehow, they both felt more
miserable when they came down to reality about their present circumstance. Yet John was able to encourage Alison and to
assure her that every cloud had a silver lining and that, if anything, their
lives of poverty would only serve to make them strong.
Before long, however, John and Alison became proud
parents of a healthy boy who they loved with all their hearts. John had a nagging fear, however, that in
their economic situation bordering on penury, there would not be much of a
future for their son Alfred. John often
spoke to Alison about moving to Toronto where jobs were available and where he
could perhaps work two jobs or more in order to make a good living. John got in touch with a friend in Toronto
with the hope that he would assist him in making the transition. But his friend Jim informed him that the job
situation was very uncertain and precarious in Toronto and that John would do
well to hold on to his job until things improved.
Fortunately, Alison and John had good and generous
neighbours. They were aware that John
and Alison were facing hard times. They
often helped Alison by buying extra groceries for them whenever they were out
shopping. This act of generosity was
much appreciated by John although he felt badly because he was not able to keep
the family going on his own. Accepting
charity was demeaning to him as with most of his species, but he understood
that he was in a tight and uncompromising situation and that the demonstrated
charity of his neighbours had to be accepted.
John often reflected on those who were less fortunate than he was, and
vowed that if he ever won a lottery, that he would share his fortune with all
the poor people around him. But then he
was once again speculating and he had to face reality all over again.
His neighbour Peter, though on a subsistence level of
life himself, was also on the lookout for a job that would improve his family’s
standard of living. Going through the
newspaper, he saw that there were jobs being advertised by an oil company way
up in the frozen north. When John came
back from work, Peter engaged him before he entered his house. He explained to John that he was going to
apply for one of those jobs since no experience was required, and that new
recruits were going to be trained. The
salary was twice the minimum wage in the city and in addition there was a bonus
added to the monthly salary because of the isolation. Recruits would be allowed a two week paid
vacation each year. Salary increases were assured every year, and after
training was completed workers were assured a substantial increase in their
salaries. Working overtime was frequent in order to meet the demand for oil,
and it was not uncommon that most workers doubled their monthly wages by
working extra hours each day. A further
boost to their salaries was if they worked Sundays which was a time and a half.
“What do you think John? ” asked Peter.
“I guess that I would like to go for it, but who will
take care of our families?” asked John.
“I know that separation from our families for such a
long stretch is going to be difficult for all concerned. But John our wives are strong and I’m sure
they will watch over each other while we are away. Remember also that our wives
are strong and will understand that if we are to extricate ourselves from
biting our nails day after day, they will probably encourage us to embark on
this project. After all, if we do well,
they will be better off for it,” said Peter.
“Thank you, Peter for sharing this information with
me. You and your wife have been good to
us and we are most grateful to you,” said John.
“Please do not say any more. Speak to Alison about our plans and remember
that there are many like us in this Province who are hurting and will be
applying for these jobs too. We must get
our applications in as quickly as possible,” said Peter.
Alison, being the strong and pragmatic woman that she
was, surprised John when she not only asked him to apply for the job, but also
encouraged him to do so. She assured him
that she would look after Alfred and that everything would be fine on the home
front. She had tears in her eyes when
she told John that she was going to miss him while he was away, and that she
hoped he would take care of himself.
John always admired the strength of his wife’s character, and knew that
he was going to miss her immensely when he was gone.
Both John and Peter mailed their applications the
following morning. They had no idea how
long they were going to be kept waiting for a response. Much to their surprise, a letter was sent to
them a couple of days later, requesting that they report to work within a
week. A bank draft was enclosed for
their passages by plane to the oil outfit.
John and Peter promptly booked their air passages and spent what time
that they had with their respective families.
John spent most of his time with Alfred who was still a little
baby. He wondered whether Alfred knew
that he was his father. In six months’
time, when he was due for his holiday Alfred would be walking. He felt saddened that he would not be around
to see his son painstakingly trying to stand and take his first steps. While they were in bed, Alison sobbed
silently for she was aware that John would not be in bed to keep her warm. She knew that it was going to be a lonely
existence for both of them, but she felt relieved that Alfred was there to take
her mind off her loneliness.
CHAPTER
2
John and Peter arrived at the oil field within a
couple of hours. The location was within
the Arctic Circle and was covered with permanent ice and snow. It was also dreadfully cold. As soon as they arrived both John and Peter
were assigned to different work crews.
Each of them had to work closely with an expert in the field. They were given their contracts to sign and
were cautioned that if they were not up to the job that they were being
assigned to, that they would be asked to leave and return home. They were also cautioned that work in the oil
field was full of hazards and that they would have to be very careful when
operating the machines.
Since they were on the job for the first time, they
were asked to quit their training for the day and directed to follow the
supervisor. They were led to their
living quarters which was like a Boarding School dorm. They were led to the far end of the dorm
where each of them was shown a bed.
Besides each bed was a small cupboard into which they could place their
valuables. When the supervisor used the
word “valuables” both John and Peter looked at each other and frowned.
Both John and Peter were happy to be able to exchange
news about their families and though this information may have set them at
ease, it heightened their desire to get home as soon as possible. After six months, both of them were excited
about going home. When they met their
spouses, it seemed as though they were in seventh heaven. John was surprised to see his son so grown
up. Alfred clung on to his mother’s legs
when John asked him tenderly to come to him.
John’s heart was saddened that his son really did not know him. He knew, however, that given a little time
his son would come to realize that dad was not just another man. He was his dad.
Two weeks did not seem a long enough holiday. Before John and Peter knew it, they were
preparing to return to work. Alison made
sure that she prepared for John all the goodies that he liked so that he could
take them with him when he returned to the oil fields. It was again a heart breaking departure for
John. However, he assured Alison that he
was now making it big and that she never had to worry about buying anything
that she wanted. John opened a special
account at the bank for Alison and deposited a few thousand dollars for her to
use while he was away.
This going back and forth did not seem so bad with the
passage of time. After ten years, John
had accumulated close to two million dollars in savings. He soon decided that it was time for him to
retire so that he could be permanently with his family. Because of the isolation from his family, he
acquired bad habits such as the consumption of alcohol. He also smoked a lot and this did not do him
any good.
He was now able to buy himself a Victorian Style four
bedroom house and he paid cash for it too.
Having lived in the cold North for so long, he
explained to his wife that it was time to enjoy their lives by moving to a warm
country. Alison thought that it was a
great idea but she was cautiously optimistic.
He went to a travel agent for information regarding a
good vacation destination in the tropics.
There was a special that was being offered for a week’s all-inclusive
stay in Nicaragua. He jumped at the
idea of going to a warm country. Alison, on the other hand, was sceptical about
leaving for a foreign country. She was
full of apprehensions, many of which were drawn from her imagination, but was
not based in reality. However, she soon adopted the attitude that “nothing
venture, nothing gained.”
John and Alison stayed in a five-star hotel. They loved the extravagance that they were
encouraged to enjoy. Above all, they
bathed in the warmth of the country and felt renewed by walking about without
their heavy coats and boots.
John knew that he had found his nirvana and vowed to
return to Nicaragua to plant his roots there.
What attracted him most were the people out in the
hinterland who were living subsistence existences but who never failed to smile
even at a stranger like himself. He
also noticed that the locals lived a wonderful communal life and propped each
other up with the little that they had.
John soon
realized that the cost of living was very low and that he could stretch his
savings and the interest gained to live a stress free life. He also thought that he would use some of his
money to invest in property which was one-third the price in Alberta.
When he and Alison got back to Nicaragua, they rented
a modest house out in the countryside.
Alison felt a little insecure locating too far away from the city. Even if they had motorized transportation,
the roads were in a state of disarray.
No sooner had the potholes been attended to, heavy rains would soon undo
all the work that was done. It was a
hazardous proposition for any car to withstand the dangers on the roads.
John threw himself into befriending the local
villagers. To demonstrate his
friendship, he often invited local families to his house. He wined and dined them with the kind of generosity
that the locals admired. In a very short
time the entire village came to know him.
Those that were closest to him were treated with special
consideration. He freely paid for
medical treatment, and was known to take families on holidays to the closest
beach. Alison was not sure whether John
was doing the right thing but she went along with him since helping the less
fortunate appeared to make John very happy.
There were times when Alison would ask John to exercise restraint but
somehow John did not hear her.
John made up his mind that he did not intend returning
to Canada. He therefore invested some of
his money in buying large tracts of land and built himself a luxurious house
that stood out like a sore thumb in the village that had makeshift houses that
were badly in need of repairs.
He also built a couple of smaller houses which he
hoped would attract tourists so that his investment could bring in some income,
which, he thought he did not need anyway.
John continued to smoke and drink locally brewed
liquor. Alison began to notice that her
husband was aging fast because of his lifestyle. She often warned him about the need to
exercise restraint but somehow it did not register with her husband.
John continued to entertain his many drinking
friends. Many of these friends lived unproductive
lives and made no effort to support their wives and families. The wives tried to apply themselves to any
job that would help keep their families from virtually starving.
There were several families in the village who began
to envy John and Alison for their obvious wealth. Had they approached John for a handout, John
would have gladly given them enough money to save them from starvation. However, the locals began to argue that this
was their land and here was a foreigner who was living the life of luxury yet
they were suffering so much. This was
just not fair.
John and Alison sensed that there were a few
individuals who demonstrated open hostility towards them. John made sure that these people were always
on his list of invitees whenever he threw a party hoping that they would accept
them as a part of the community. Unlike
most of the expatriates who lived in Nicaragua, John would do everything in his
power to help those who requested his help.
Most expatriates lived in palatial houses and lived insular lives. Their life style was more like the proverbial
colonials who view the locals as sub-human individuals who were to be kept at
arm’s length in order to ensure their own safety.
John was like a breath of sunlight and he went
overboard by extending himself extravagantly and selflessly to the locals. He created scholarships for a few of the
talented local children, and those families who he considered close to him, he
would wine and dine them sometimes for days.
Alison, on the other hand, was sceptical about John’s relationships and
cautiously warned him that perhaps he should ease off on his frequent
socializing which was beginning to take a toll on his health. John was greying very fast and his frequent
imbibing in alcohol showed on his tired face.
Alison, unfortunately, was treated like an interruption by John and he
went on living the life that he thought he enjoyed. John assured Alison that he had no intention
of ever returning to Canada. Alison, on
the other hand, had made up her mind that if anything did happen to John, she
would pack her bags and promptly return home.
She never articulated this to her husband for, like a loyal wife that
she thought she should be, she did not want to take away from her husband’s
infatuation with his adoptive country.
CHAPTER
3
John frequently visited the local market. By now, everybody, for so it seemed, knew him
and greeted him with much enthusiasm.
They generated a feeling in John that made him feel that he was a part
of them. They were quick to share their
meals with him. Where would he get this
love and affection in Canada where people tended to be insular and
private? He became ever so convinced
that he had found his niche and that he would spend the rest of his life with
the people that he had now come to love unreservedly.
Alison continued to be his conscience and from time to
time skillfully reminded him that age was catching up with both of them and
before long they would need to be cared for in a good home. John was quick to tell Alison that if
anything happened to them they would easily be able to find help from the
community and that it would be something that they could richly afford. Alison was not thinking about the unskilled
help which was obtainable locally. She
was thinking of spending her very senior years in a clinically clean home where
medical help was available on the premises. She was thinking about the meals
that would be prepared and served to them and the many recreations that would
be made available to them on the premises.
Right now all of these were nothing more than a pipe dream.
The following day, John decided to spend a couple of
days with friends close to the beach which was a few miles away. Alison explained to John that she was not up
to it and that it would be best if he went with his friends but without
her. Martin and his wife Juana
accompanied John in a chicken bus all the way to the beach. When they got there, it was early in the
afternoon and the sun was scorching.
Much to his surprise, however, he ran into a number of people that he
knew and they welcomed him into their midst.
John felt that the group that he met appeared to be quite tense and that
was not in character with their normal behaviour. He thought that perhaps he had intruded on
their turf and so he graciously excused himself and moved away to another spot
with Martin and Joana and their two children.
“What is the matter with those guys?” asked John.
“Those people are very political. They always meet
together but usually far away from the town,” said Martin.
“I noticed that they are not with their wives or
children. Perhaps their political
discussions do not interest their families,” remarked John.
“I get the impression that they are planning an
anti-government movement,” said Martin.
“I can see why they would want to do that. Since I have been here I have not seen the
government do anything to prevent the growing mass of people getting poorer and
poorer with each passing day,” said John.
“They would like to hear that from you and I am sure
that they would pat you on the back for such an observation,” said Martin.
“Perhaps I should go back to them and tell them
exactly how I feel,” said John.
“I would not do that if I were you. Getting into that group is a slow
process. They have to be convinced that
you will be an asset to their movement before letting you in,” assured Martin.
“And how does one do that?” asked John.
“The leader of the group is Jose Martinez. He is often seen talking with his friends at
the Soaris Bar in the village. Without
making it obvious, you should visit this bar.
A free drink to those who are there will make you friends in a
hurry. Your conversation with the group
should be about the inaction of the government with regard to raising the
standard of life of the people.
Vocalized loud enough, Jose Martinez will certainly be drawn to you and
if all goes well, he will invite you to the private meetings that you see here
on the beach,” advised Martin.
“I am surprised that you are not into politics Martin.
What you say makes perfect sense. Soaris
Bar, here I come,” concluded John.
“One word of warning my dear John. The Martinez group is rumoured to be thinking
of ousting the government through armed violence. Your involvement in the group can bring you into
serious trouble with the present government.
You must understand that whatever is happening in the villages is being
closely monitored by government spies and information is being constantly
examined. Your name will certainly be
recorded in their list of people to watch,” warned Martin.
“Thanks for the warning Martin, but those jokers do
not scare me. I believe that one has to take a stand against tyranny of any
kind but particularly ones that are imposed on the citizens of the land who are
living in poverty,” said John.
“You are a foreigner in this country no matter how
many friends you have here. If the
government is made aware that you are doing something politically underhanded,
they will either throw you into prison and throw away the key; or they will
deport you immediately and confiscate your property,” warned Martin.
“What will be, will be,” responded John.
CHAPTER
4
When John returned home, Alison was waiting for
him. Because of the lateness of the hour
of his return, she was nervous that something untoward might have happened to
him. She had learned long ago not to
question her husband about his whereabouts.
As soon as he made his entry, Alison informed him that his dinner had
probably got cold but if he was hungry, she would warm up the food.
“No thanks Alison.
I stopped over at a village restaurant and had my dinner. You should have come along with us to the
beach. It was a bright warm day. You would have enjoyed it,” said John.
Alison told John that she was very tired. She would have liked to tell him that it was
more because of the stress that he created, but refrained from doing so in
order to avoid a confrontation. She
excused herself and strode off to her bedroom.
John sat on the veranda puffing a cigar. He recalled the events of the day but somehow
focussed on the conversation that he had with Martin regarding the group that
was planning a coup. Though he had come
from a more affluent society, he identified with the poor all around him. He remembered the piercing pain of poverty in
his own life and somehow he knew that he had to help the poor in his adoptive
country in order to improve the lives of all concerned. Somehow, it would seem, the government was
doing very little to help the poor.
Rumour had it that most of the government officials were on the take and
were syphoning their ill begotten money to banks in Switzerland. This was enough reason for John to join the
group that was seeking to overthrow the corrupt government. However, Martin’s warnings were also to be
taken seriously. Furthermore, his wife
would not approve of her husband getting involved in local politics and John
was aware that he could not possibly keep it away from his wife.
John decided to turn in and to postpone any of his
decisions to another day.
He woke up the following morning even more determined
to join the group that was planning the coup.
Alison was aware that something was in the works. Wives are generally sensitive to the moods of
their husbands, and can read into their general disposition that something was
in the works.
John felt that it was as good a time as any to let
Alison know about his plans.
“A penny for your thoughts,” commented Alison.
John made no reply.
“I know that something is bothering you. Perhaps you could share it with me. Your mantra has always been that there is a
solution to every problem if discussed in a rational way,” coaxed Alison.
“Well said Alison.
Perhaps I should put my plans on the table. I know that you are not going to like what I
am about to say, but it needs to be said.
We have been witness to the poverty that is so endemic in this
village. This poverty exists right
around the country. There is a group who
feel that the government will not act simply because it is run by greedy,
self-centred, avaricious, and corrupt politicians who are funnelling money to
accounts in Switzerland instead of spending it on programs to enhance the
living conditions of its people. This
seems to be typical of most developing countries around the world. The difference is that the people are now
thinking of getting rid of the present government,” pontificated John.
“Why don’t they do it during election time,” asked
Alison.
“Most people are aware that the polls are often rigged
in favour of the same politicians who are looting the government coffers,” said
John.
“Perhaps a better way would be to make the people
politically aware of what is happening in the country so that during election
time they will cast their vote appropriately. Anyway, what has all this got to
do with you my dear?” asked Alison.
“It is my intention to throw in my lot with the group
that is planning a coup. I have no idea
whether the group will accept me. I
guess that they will have to do a whole lot of vetting to determine whether I
will be up to the responsibilities that go with membership,” commented John.
“I have not said this to you before, but you obviously
have a bone for a brain. Don’t you
understand that when you are caught…….notice, I’m saying “when” and not “if”
you are caught…..you are going to be history.
You are playing with fire my dear husband! I really think that we should pack our bags
and return to Canada,” stressed Alison.
“What do we have to look forward to in Canada? Months of snow and ice that keeps us
homebound; friends that are far too busy for you because they have their own
lives to worry about; a cost of living that will gobble up our savings and will
soon return us to the poverty that we once suffered?” said John.
“At least we will have our lives, and live a life free
from the intrigues that will only add stress that neither you nor I need in our
old age,” said Alison.
“I think that we should inject some purpose in our
lives if we are to live productive and meaningful existences. Helping the poor is a noble cause. Some do it by establishing food banks which
would be totally unnecessary if the government provided its people with jobs so
that everybody could be self-sustaining.
In this country, this can only be done if the present government is
kicked out and responsible people were put in its place to help put people to
work and to invite investment from other countries to create jobs and establish
appropriate training for its people,” said John.
“It seems obvious to me that you are going ahead with
your plans. I do not want to be around
to pick up the pieces. Please book me on
the first plane home,” Alison insisted.
John kept silent.
He knew that life would not be the same without Alison, yet he felt a
compulsion to hook up with his renegade friends as a matter of duty.
“I cannot promise you that I will not join my friends
in their noble cause. Life will not be
the same without you here. I would
rather see you stand by me as you have done all these years. However, I cannot stop you from doing what
you think is best for you,” responded John.
“Please book my air ticket to Canada right away. I have no idea how far gone you are in this
crazy plan of yours. I would rather not
be around when bullets keep flying. I
have always stood by you over the years because you always struck me as a
reasonable man. But what you are
embarking on right now is the height of stupidity. This is not your fight. Let the local people fight for their
rights. We are merely guests in this
country and have no right to interfere in the internal affairs of the people
who belong here,” reprimanded Alison.
CHAPTER
5
John continued to make the rounds of the local
bars. He was outspoken about the
ineptitude of the government in power but not once did he suggest that the
government be overthrown. He steadily
became increasingly popular with the people and wherever he went he attracted
crowds. Part of the reason is that he
splurged drinks on all those who joined his table.
Now John had more time to spend with the people. Alison packed her bags in frustration, and
flew home. The only way he could
compensate for the loss of his wife’s company was to spend as little time as
possible in his large empty house.
One dreary evening, however, there was a knock on
John’s door. John wondered who it might
be since it was rare, since his wife had left him, that anybody came to
visit. When he opened the door, he was
surprised to see Jose Martinez standing at the door.
“Come in my amigo,” said John.
“Gracias, I hope that I am not disturbing you at this
hour,” said Jose.
“My door is always open to you. What is it that I can do for you?” asked
John.
“I have been getting frequent news about you and your
feelings for the poor in this country. I
come to invite you to a meeting of like minds tomorrow at the beach,” said
Jose.
“I will be happy to put my two cents in if it is going
to help the poor in this country,” said John.
“You are a very unusual man. Most foreigners who come here have very
little empathy for the poor. They buy
big homes, live opulent lives and treat the locals as though they are sub-human
beings,” said Jose.
“That is not true of all of them my dear Jose. Many of them treat the locals with much
respect and their very presence in the country helps the economy along,” said
John
“Why don’t you come to the beach tomorrow at ten
o’clock? It is not quite so hot at that
time and you will meet a bunch of people who will share with you their plans to
raise the living standards of the people,” said Jose.
After a couple of drinks, Jose and John shook hands warmly. John’s wish to be included in the group had
now been realized. Somehow, deep in his heart he felt that he was now on a
collision course with fate.
The meeting started on a jovial tone with that
hail-fellow-well-met attitude that seemed to precede the impending
conversation. It then worked up to a more serious and contentious tone as they
condemned the ineptitude of the government in a crescendo of invectives.
There were at least fifteen individuals, each wanting
to be heard at the same time. Jose Martinez
invited the group to conduct themselves in English so that John could
understand what was going on. However
there were a few who preferred to express their opinions in Spanish but John
was able to get the gist of what they were saying. Jose Martinez then exercised
his leadership by intervening.
“It is clear that all of us are convinced that the
government should be overthrown. We are
only a small group here who are trying to get organized. However, this is a big country and we have to
get all the suffering people on our side.
This can be done by having cells all over the country in order to
propagate the change that we are seeking.
If we do not have the people on our side, we will be wiped out by the
government forces,” advised Jose Martinez.
There was silence for a few seconds by the group.
“You are absolutely right,” said John. “We need to
have a few hundred of us who are committed to the cause. Those committed individuals should then be
posted to various villages around the country.
They, in turn, will expand the group until we have an army of our own,”
continued John.
“Revolution requires a sound organization. If it does not have one, it is doomed to
failure. Remember that we will be
fighting a formidable foe who are well armed with guns and tanks. There are two ways that we can match them
with weapons. One way is to canvas some
of the disgruntled soldiers to our cause.
They know where the arsenal of guns are kept and when the time is ripe
we can obtain the guns by a surprise attack on the arsenal. The other way is to pass the hat around and
buy guns,” advised Jose Martinez.
“Buy guns?!!
What are you saying Jose? People
hardly have money to buy themselves a good meal. Where are they going to find the money to buy
thousands of guns? Perhaps our rich
friend here can tell us,” asked Manuel smiling at John.
The entire crowd turned their heads to observe John’s
reaction.
“I have some money to enable us to buy a few
guns. But where are we going to get the
guns from?” Most guns are made in the
United States and it is going to be a hard sell to obtain them from there. The U.S. government has come down strongly on
gun stores and every sale is monitored,” said John.
“In times like this the only person that we can rely
on is the President of Cuba. He will
supply us with the weapons if they are going to set us free. If we play our cards right, the President of
Cuba will probably send us some specialists in the use of modern weapons so
that our people will be prepared when the time comes,” encouraged Jose
Martinez.
“I don’t think that we should approach Cuba. It is a communist state. The people there are suppressed by that
regime, and if they give us military aid it is sure to be conditional that we
set up a communist state. Our people will
be worse off than they are now,” put in Kino.
The others in the group nodded their approval.
“We may be poor, but at least we are free,” said
Emilio.
“Think of what Communism has done for Cuba. It has brought poor people out of biting
poverty and through education it has made over ninety percent of the population
literate. Surely, it has forced the
people to work hard in order to eat, and perhaps our people need to do that too
instead of spending so much of their time in bars,” said Jose Martinez.
If you are making a case for Communism, I would rather
be where we are right now. It may be
true that a few people in this country are making big bucks, and somehow the
government does very little to tax them so that the money could be used for
programs to uplift the people. However,
once the government is in the hands of the people it could enact policies and
enforce the law to trim the fat from the rich.
We don’t need to become Communists to bring about change,” declared
Emilio.
Jose was unsure what to say but thought that it would
be best to conclude the meeting. He set
a date for the next meeting for the following week, and urged the group to
think seriously about the direction that should be taken to make the Revolution
a success. When it came to revolution,
he was aware that the nations that were ever willing to help would be Russia
and Cuba. However, obtaining their help
was like going from the frying pan into the fire. Yet there seemed to be no other option. Guns were badly needed and so was advice on
strategies to make the Revolution a success.
None of those in the group had any idea how to form, or even run a
government still less how to organize a Revolution. Jose Martinez knew that it would be a
dangerous situation even if the Revolution was a success leading to chaos that
would throw the country into anarchy which would be a worse state than it was
presently. He was convinced that this
concern should be raised with the group at the next meeting. However, he was disturbed
that if his visitor was genuine, word had already traveled much too far. This meant that the government was also aware
that political action was brewing in the village and that the lives of the
group were in jeopardy.
This was far too worrisome for Jose to sleep. He got dressed in a hurry and made his way to
Emilio’s house. Emilio’s wife answered
the door.
“Hello Sofia,” greeted Jose.
“Is there something wrong my dear Jose?” enquired
Sofia.
“I know that it is very late, but could I please speak
with Emilio? It is of the greatest
importance.”
Emilio suddenly made an appearance rubbing his
eyes. He walked across to Jose and
hugged him.
“What is the matter Jose? You look very worried. Have you been drinking?”
“Could you and I talk somewhere private?”
“Sure. Come
with me,” said Emilio walking him to the kitchen.
“Emilio, I had a visit from a representative from the
Russian embassy. He came to me offering
help to enable us to kick out the government.
At first I thought that he was a government spy trying to flush us out
so that they could lock us up. The point
is that our plans are somehow being transmitted far and wide,” said Jose who
was now perspiring.
“What did you say to the Russian representative,”
asked Emilio.
“I pretended that I did not know what he was talking
about. What if he was a government spy?”
“Well done Jose.
How did this guy learn about our plans?”
“Obviously, someone in our group has been talking to
his friends about our plans. You know
what it is like in a village. Word gets
around very fast.”
“I think we should lie low and stop meeting for a
month or so. We must stress the
importance of keeping everything discussed a guarded secret. When we hold meetings in future it has to be
done where nobody will see or hear us,” cautioned Emilio.
“The agent gave his name as Ivan Petrov and I asked
that he meet me at nine p.m. at my house tomorrow. I have asked him to prove his credentials
before I talked to him any further. He
said that he would comply. Could you be
at my house at nine tomorrow? If he is
genuine,
“You bet I will be at your side tomorrow,” said
Emilio.
“I knew that I could depend on you my friend. I will see you tomorrow then, “said Jose.
Good Night
CHAPTER
6
It was a dreary day.
It seemed that the heavy rain clouds would never leave. Late that evening, there was a heavy knock on
Jose Martinez’s door. Jose wondered who
would have come to see him at such a late hour.
It was almost mid-night.
Jose cautious opened the door. He noticed a man
standing there anxiously awaiting to get out of the rain.
“Are you Jose Martinez?” asked the stranger.
“Yes, I am.
What do you want at this late hour,” asked Jose.
“Please let me come in. I have some important information to give
you,” pushing his way into the house.
As soon as he got in, he wanted to set Jose at ease.
“Please Sir, my name is Ivan Petrov. From my name, you can tell that I am
Russian,” said the stranger.
“Hello Ivan.
What brings you here? If you are
looking for a loan, you have come to the wrong place. I have no money just like the majority of my
counterparts in this country,” declared Jose.
“No my friend.
I have come to help you and your fellow countrymen out of your
poverty. It is my understanding that you
and your followers require help. I am a
representative of the Russian Government.
It is our understanding that you need our help to overthrow the present
corrupt government,” stated Ivan.
“Who told you that must be out of his mind. I am a poor man going about my own business
and trying very hard to make ends meet,” cautioned Jose thinking that Ivan was
probably a Government spy.
“Jose, please do not play games with me. We know from a very reliable source that you
are planning a coup d’état. This is a
very serious business and you are going to need the assistance of the Russian
government to develop strategies and to provide you with arms to counter the might
of the present government. We are prepared
to train your men and this will only be done because we believe that you are
our brothers who are badly in need of good government that cares more for the
people than for itself,” stressed Ivan.
“I understand where you are coming from Mr.
Petrov. Please see me tomorrow at nine
p.m. right here. Make sure that you have
something other than yourself to prove that you represent the Russian
Government, otherwise don’t waste your time coming here,” said Jose.
“I respect your wishes and understand your cautious
approach which is a hallmark of leadership. Thank you very much for your time,
and do forgive me for the lateness of the hour.
I will see you tomorrow at nine p.m. and will possess all the evidence
that I am a genuine representative of the Russian Government.”
With that he saluted Jose, turned around and walked
out into the dark and rainy night.
As soon as Ivan left, Jose got dressed hurriedly and
made his way to see Emilio. Oblivious of
the lateness of the hour, Jose knocked at the door. Emilio’s wife Sofia opened the door.
“Hello Jose.
Why are you up so late? Is there
something the matter?” asked Sofia.
“I apologise for visiting this late. Is it possible for me to talk with
Emilio? Something has come up and it is
very vital that I talk to him,” acknowledged Jose.
As Jose spoke, Emilio walked in wiping his eyes with
the back of his palms and his pyjamas looking crinkly with use.
“Hello Jose.
What brings you here at this unearthly hour,” asked Emilio.
“Is there a place where we can talk privately?” asked
Jose.
“Don’t worry.
You can remain right here. I will
go to the kitchen and make some tea for all of us,” said Sofia.
“Thanks Sofia,” said Emilio and Jose in unison.
“I had a strange visitor come to visit me this
evening. He confessed to be a
representative of the Russian government.
He made me understand that his government had become aware that the
people of Nicaragua were planning to overthrow the government and that his
government would be happy to assist the people.
I thought that perhaps this was a trick and that he might be a
government spy fishing for information regarding our movement,” said Jose in
deep thought.
“If the Russian government has come to hear about our
plans, it is even more likely that the Nicaraguan government has already got
wind of our plans. This has certainly
put the whole movement in jeopardy and our lives may be in much danger. We could be rounded up and taken up for
treason which, in our country, is punishable by death,” continued Jose.
“I think that there are some in our group who are
passing on the information that we discuss at our meetings to their
friends. Typical of small town
mentality, these friends pass on the information to their friends and in no
time it reaches precisely those who should not know our plans. I think we should call a meeting right
away. This time it should done in
private. Our members should be informed
that they will not divulge anything even to their mothers or fathers. They must be made to take a vow to that
effect. Any breaking of the rules should
have serious consequences,” stressed Emilio.
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” said Jose. “However, I think we need to lie low for the
next month or two. Our whole attitude
should now be to spread the word that our government is doing a fine job, and
that rumours that Nicaraguans were trying to overthrow the government is one
big joke. If this is repeated in all the
public places, it will certainly get to the government and the incident will be
put on the back burner. After two months, under very tight security, we can
commence holding meetings once again to further our plans,” continued Jose.
“I think that would be the right way to go,” approved
Emilio.
“I am meeting the supposedly Russian representative
tomorrow at nine p.m. at my place. You
are a very perceptive person Emilio so I want you to be at this meeting to pick
up anything that I may have missed. Ivan
Petrov, that’s his name, is going to reveal his identity tomorrow. If he is who he says he is, perhaps we could
ask him how we should proceed in the light of our new discovery,” said Jose.
“I will be there at nine on the button, “assured
Emilio.
Sofia made an entry with steaming hot tea and some
homemade biscuits.
She noticed a seriousness about their demeanour but did
not venture to question them about what was going on.
It was close to three o’clock in the early hours of
the morning but neither Emilio nor Jose were sleepy or tired any more. They did, however, say good night to each
other and parted company.
CHAPTER
7
Early in the morning, John woke up feeling mildly
depressed. It had been almost three
weeks since Alison left him for Canada.
He began to feel the loneliness precipitated by the distance that
separated them. John tried phoning her
when he was feeling very low, but more often than not, he had to leave a
message on her voice mail. He had spoken to her only twice since her departure
so he began to wonder whether it was all over for them. If absence makes the heart grow fonder, John
felt that he was missing his wife very intensely. He self-medicated his loneliness by drinking
heavily. He became increasingly aware
that his health was slowly but steadily going down the tube. He often debated whether he should pack his
things and join his wife in Canada. But
somehow, he believed that he had a calling in Nicaragua. Deep in his heart, he felt that he had to
remain where he was if only to help in the cause of restoring a good and decent
standard of living for the people. He
had already pledged his loyalty to the group who were undertaking this
ambitious but perilous movement in a bid for change. There were moments when he wished that change
could come without any violence. However,
he lived long enough in Nicaragua to believe that the greed and corruption of
those in charge was so endemic and so pervasive that violence seemed the only
way to make changes.
While he was having his breakfast, he was interrupted
by a visitor. He opened the main door
and there in front of him was Julius.
Julius was part of the growing group of conspirators. John met him at one of the meetings. Julius rarely spoke or wagered an opinion.
“Hello John. I
hope I am not bothering you too early,” said Julius as a form of greeting.
“Please come in Julius. That is your name isn’t it? I have seen you several times at our meetings
but never had an opportunity of talking to you, or discussing the issues that
were brought up at our meetings,” said John.
“Yes, it’s Julius.
How kind of you to have remembered my name. Since I joined the group, I
have been in a state of depression. You
see, I do not believe in violence and what is constantly being advocated by the
group is the violent overthrow of the government,” said Julius. “On the face of it, it would seem to me that
nothing short of an armed struggle that would bring about to this country,”
declared Julius.
“If you are a true patriot, you should be prepared to
lay down your life for your country,” said John.
“I understand what you are saying. But there have been countries like India that
adopted the policy of non-violence and were able to throw off the shackles of
colonialism. If you examine many of the
African countries that obtained their independence through violent means, the
governments that replaced them became more repressive, brutal and exploitive
than the government that they overthrew,” said Julius. “Why don’t we follow
India’s example and start with non-cooperation with the government unless the
demands of the people are met. The
moment the present government is hit in the pocket, it will be persuaded to
make changes to its economic policies, and the people will become
beneficiaries,” stressed Julius.
“As I see it, Revolution is a short cut to improving
the lot of the people. But I do see what
you are saying. Why don’t you bring this
up at the next meeting my friend. It
would be worth discussing. As I see it,
we need an intelligent and strong leadership…..one that is incorruptible and one
that can garner the support of the majority of people. Such leadership has not emerged as yet. What we also need in this country is a very
strong labour union. Many leaders have
emerged from the labour union who are generally well informed about the state
of the country and particularly the needs of its people,” advised John.
“By the way, I am such a bad host. Please let me offer you something to
drink. Have you already had your
breakfast?”
“Coffee will be fine my dear friend,” said Julius.
Both Julius and John continued to discuss a number of
issues. It was finally decided that
their concerns had to be raised with the group.
Perhaps there were others sitting on the fence with regard to armed
insurrection and so it was important to clear the air for all concerned.
After Julius and John had parted company, Emilio
appeared at John’s residence. He told
him in whispers that the meeting slated for the week had been called off. He explained to him that there were new
developments in their plans, and that he would be informing him shortly about a
possible meeting in the near future. He
also told John that it was very important that anything that was discussed at
their former meetings not be divulged to anyone. This was of the utmost importance for the safety
of the group.
“Why this special visit to give me this
information. Something is going on and
somehow you are not telling me the whole story,” admonished John.
“Please do not ask me anything. There is something in the works right
now. Only after this has been resolved
will the group be let in on it,” said Emilio.
With that, Emilio took his leave and promptly left the
house
John wondered why there was such drama, but he became
conscious of the fact that something serious was going on. He thought that he
had to get to the bottom of it.
CHAPTER
8
At nine p.m. on the button, there was a knock on
Jose’s door. Both Emilio and Jose looked
at each other as though in disbelief.
Ivan Petrov had come visiting as he had promised.
“Hello Jose. I
see that you have a friend with you,” said Ivan.
“Please come in my friend. This is Emilio who is one of my dear
friends,” said Jose.
“Any friend of Jose is also my friend,” said Ivan
patronizing Jose.
“As I had promised, I have come bearing good
news.”
He produced a letter from his brief-case and handed it
to Jose.
Jose split open the envelope and in it he found an
official letter with the Russian emblem embossed in gold on top of the
letter. The letter was from the Russian
Ambassador and it was brief and to the point.
It stated that the bearer of the letter was Ivan Petrov and that he was
one of his assistants. It further
stated, that if Jose wished, he could visit the Embassy by phoning ahead, and
it provided Jose with the ambassador’s personal phone number.
“I guess that the letter is sufficient proof to lay
your suspicions to rest,” said Ivan.
Jose made no reply.
“This is hardly the place to discuss politics. Your walls are far too porous for that. I would like to set up a meeting for your
group somewhere in the city. Your group
will not have to worry about paying for anything for the week that you will be
with me. The Ambassador will pick up the
tab. However, nobody is to say anything
to anybody about your departure from the village. Each of you will have to find some credible
excuse for your absence, that even your families will buy,” stressed Ivan.
“When is this going to happen?” asked Jose.
“You will be given ample notice so that your group can
prepare themselves for this life saving trip,” said Ivan.
“You may be taking things for granted here. We have not said that we are going to accept
your terms, so why are you wasting your money?” asked Jose.
“After the meeting your group will have the option to
accept or reject the assistance that we are offering you, “said Ivan.
Jose pulled Emilio aside, and asked him whether he saw
any danger in what was developing.
Emilio stressed that they were still living in a free country, and
attending a meeting would not hurt them.
Jose smiled at Ivan for the first time and declared
that it was a deal.
“I would like to leave you with a sober thought,” said
Ivan. “In order for a Revolution to work, there is a whole lot of spadework to
be done. A plan has to be drawn up and above all there must be a whole lot of
training to undergo. It is a lot of hard
work which demands the sacrifice of thousands of committed people who are
prepared to give up their lives in order to take their country back,” continued
Ivan.
Neither Jose nor Emilio responded to this
warning.
They bid Ivan goodbye and he, in turn, left the house
unceremoniously.
Emilio told Jose that he was quite impressed with
Ivan’s honesty and sincerity. Jose,
however, had another take. He told
Emilio that Ivan was perhaps a great salesman and that they had to be very
careful before they signed on the dotted line.
“I am of the firm belief that nobody gives something
for nothing,” concluded Jose.
CHAPTER
9
On the other side of town, Chief Inspector Sebastian
Santiago was scanning through several reports that were left on his desk. Sebastian was a well-known police officer
reputed for his stern demeanour and no-nonsense attitude. His instructions to his officers had to be
carried out without any excuses and with precision. Several officers were demoted because they
failed to do as they were instructed. He
was feared by all his equals and subordinates.
He had in his hand a report that he read several times
over in order to understand the information which he thought was of much
concern to him. The report was signed by
Diego Mateo from the Security Department.
He got on the phone and asked Diego to report to his office within an
hour.
The report read:
“Please be informed that our investigation has
revealed that there is a fledging group in the East of Nicaragua who are apparently
planning to conduct a coup. Your
intervention at this stage might help stamp out any attempts for this group to
grow in popularity and strength. It has to be nipped in the bud. While there is
universal dissatisfaction among the people against the government because of
its economic problems, it is only this group referred to earlier, who seem to
be taking positive steps to spread their treasonable doctrine in an effort to
draw more people to their cause.”
“Do you have a list of the people involved in this
movement?” asked Inspector Santiago.
“No Sir.
However, please be informed that since we are still a democracy, people
have a right to express their views about the government. It is not easy to arrest anybody unless there
is iron clad proof that they are breaking the law. As you know, Sir, right across Nicaragua
there is a growing dissatisfaction among the people. In some cases there is genuine anger and this
can translate itself into all kinds of threats against the government which
will never materialize. The group that I
am referring to are now meeting to organize themselves into a parallel
government. I have received this
information from the grapevine and it requires further investigation by your
department to verify the authenticity of the movement.”
“Now you listen to me.
I would like you to get me names of people who are flapping their mouths
off about the government. I would like
to have a chat with them. I hope that is
very clear,” demanded Santiago.
“Respectfully Sir, if that is the case I would have to
bring in thousands of people who do not have anything good to say about the
government.”
“You know what I mean Diego. Don’t be a smart ass with
me. If you get to know of anybody who
poses a threat to the government, I need to be informed right away.”
Diego knew that he had to follow orders. He also knew that once names were handed to
Santiago, those people would be summarily arrested, and rumour had it, they
would never be seen again. He was aware
that Santiago’s reputation for brutality was well known but never documented.
However, orders were orders and it was now up to Diego to supply Santiago with
the list of dissidents.
When he got back to his office, however, Diego was
having pangs of conscience. He, himself
had friends and relatives who were suffering biting privations because they
could not find jobs and money was very scarce.
He was aware of the nepotism that was practiced by the higher-uppers
when jobs had to be filled. In Security
he was privy to information about the siphoning of government money to Swiss
banks by government officials. Inspector
Santiago was one of the biggest offenders but nobody would reveal this since
their lives were at stake. His job was
important to him in as far as it brought in a reasonably good wage. However, his conscience constantly nagged at
him because of the corruption that prevailed at all levels of government. He left the office early, and went to his
favourite bar.
“Hello Mr. Mateo, you are here early today,” said the
barman.
“Hello Adolpho, could you pour me a double Scotch?”
“Yes, of course.
Is something bothering you?” asked Adolpho.
“If you had some of the problems that I have, you
would probably want a double Scotch yourself,” said Diego.
Adolpho was a seasoned barman, who was a master of
human behaviour. He knew that he should
not ask too many questions. His
experience had revealed that it was only a question of a couple of drinks (a
form of self-medication) that the troubled person would pour out with his
problems.
“Adolpho do you come from a village a few miles from
here?”
“Yes Senior.”
“Are the people happy over there?”
“It is hard to be happy when one is poor,” said
Adolpho.
“I cannot agree more with you,” said Diego taking a
long sip at his Scotch.
“Most people depend on their little gardens for food
since they do not have the money to buy it.
But, because of the changing seasons, many people starve for most of the
year. Unfortunately, the government does
not reach out and help poor people,” ventured Adolpho.
“Is it not true that the majority of people are far
too lazy to work for a living? Perhaps
the people are responsible for their own failure to work for a living,” said
Diego.
“In every community you will find some lazy
people. In my village, most men and
women are prepared to work but there is no work to be had. After looking for
work time and time again and failing, many just stay at home and are often
labelled as being lazy. This is most unfair.
You work for the government Senior, have you seen any initiative by the
government to create jobs for the people?” asked Adolpho.
There was silence for a few seconds.
“Why do people always have to depend on the government
to create jobs? Why don’t people start
their own businesses and in the process create jobs for other people” asked
Diego.
“In order to start a business one needs money
Senior. Our banks will only loan money
to rich people. Poor people are far too
great a risk on their finances. Many
villagers have approached banks for money but were rudely rejected,” said
Adolpho.
Diego handed over his glass to Adolpho and asked for a
fill-up.
By this time Diego was feeling liberated and for the
first time he decided that if there was a movement intended to overthrow the
government, perhaps he should be a part of it too.
“You know Adolpho, what if I said to you that we
should get organized and try to overthrow the government.”
“I would think that you are crazy,” said Adolpho
defensively.
“You know that I work for the government and I see
with my own eyes the corruption that exists.
Money that should be spent on uplifting the standard of life of the
people is being siphoned off and sent to Swiss accounts created by government
officials.”
“Why don’t you report the matter to the Police,”
responded Adolpho innocently.
“I have already said too much Adolpho. If you pass on this information to anybody
else, I will deny that I ever said it,” warned Diego.
“Information?
What information? I never heard
anything,” replied Adolpho with a serious look on his face.
“That’s my man.
Now how much do I owe you?”
Diego left the bar, meandering towards the main door
and mumbling to himself something that was totally incoherent.
Adolpho knew that he was a disturbed man.
CHAPTER 10
A meeting was called to order to inform the group of
patriots about the recent developments.
This meeting was to be held in secrecy.
John’s house seemed to be the ideal place to accommodate the group in
attendance. John was very obliging and
assured Jose that the group would be very comfortable. Emilio and Kino were instructed to inform
each member in person that the meeting was to take place at nine p.m. the
following Tuesday. They were also to
keep the meeting a guarded secret.
Nobody was to know about it; not even their spouses. They were also warned not to approach John’s
house in groups for fear that John’s neighbours might be alerted to the
meeting. In any event, the neighbours
were already used to the crowds that visited John and the noisy partying. The parties went on well into the early hours
of the morning. They would, therefore, not bother with those who came there
even if it was for nefarious reasons.
Jose opened the meeting. He informed the group that things were
getting frightfully serious and it was important for the group to know whether
they still wanted to proceed with liberating the country. He warned them that it was going to be a very
difficult journey fraught with many dangers to themselves and their families. If they did not have the intestinal
fortitude, the conviction of the nobility of their actions, the determination
to bring about change no matter what the consequences, then only was it going
to be worth their while to proceed. The
meeting was called to make a head count of those who were going to be loyal to
the cause.
“lease rest assured that there is no pressure on you
to stay with the group. However, once
you are in, your unstinting loyalty is expected. If this is not forthcoming
your lives may be in forfeit,” said Jose.
There was silence while each member of the group
contemplated what had just been said. Finally, one member of the group stood up
and walked out of the meeting. He did
not utter a word. Jose did not say a
word to him either, but in his heart he praised him for his conviction.
“Thank you for your loyalty to our country. Now, before we proceed I have to emphasize
the importance of keeping everything you know about our plans and our
activities a guarded secret. If the
secret service gets to know what we are up to, it is going to be curtains for
all of us. Nobody, but nobody apart from
this group, will be your confident. Those of us who are married will have the
onerous task of keeping our plans away from the ears of our spouses. It is not going to be easy, but secrecy is of
the greatest importance. We are now
going to have an election for the person who is going to lead this group. I now call for nominations,” said Jose.
“I nominate you, Jose,” shouted Emilio.
“Do not underestimate the leadership skills of those
here. I call for further nominations,”
declared Jose.
“I move that the nominations be closed,” said Julius.
“I second the nomination,” said Kino with
satisfaction.
“Thank you my brothers. As your leader, I am going to
frame some rules of conduct which are very essential to the success of our
venture. When the rules have been
constructed, I will have you discuss them and hopefully pass them. We are a democratic organization and we are
going to do things by consent of the majority.
Now for the good news. I am going
to ask Emilio to give you the news,” concluded Jose.
“My brothers, we have been in touch with the Russian
embassy. One of the assistants there
approached us and offered us help in making our revolution a success. All of us require training not only in the use
of firearms which they will supply us when the time comes, but also to become
good fighters in the field. This
training will not take place here. We
are going to be transported to Cuba and then flown to Moscow where we will be
for three weeks of intensive training. This is going to be done in pairs so
that the villagers do not get suspicious about the sudden absence of so many of
us if we all got away together. Those of us who are behind will have to scout
around for recruits to our cause. I need hardly say that you have to be very
discrete about who you recruit.
Prospective recruits have to be deeply committed to getting rid of the
government. It will not be very
difficult to find them in the villages around us. There are so many who live in desperate
poverty and really have nothing to lose.
However, your search should not be confined to people in our immediate
neighborhood. We need to get the whole
country on our side. Those of you who have friends in the North or South will
have to travel to meet with them. Jose will give you the money that you need to
travel to and back again.”
“Isn’t it dangerous for us to seek help from the
Communists?” asked Kino.
“I thought that we had discussed this at the beach
once and most of us were against the idea,” said Julius.
“We have no other way to get out of the poverty that
has enveloped our country. Most Western
countries will not help us since they tend to gain far more from our country
the way it is. The Communists cannot
force us to run our country the way they do theirs. I have no doubt that they will try to
indoctrinate us when we go for training.
Politics is a game and we have to learn to play it. After the revolution is a success, it is up
to the people to decide what kind of government they want. I am sure that there is a sizeable group who
will favour a communist state. In my
opinion any kind of government would be better than what we have right
now. But don’t get me wrong. I am with you and will do everything in my
power to establish a democratically elected government,” said Jose.
“Somehow, I get a strange feeling in the pit of my
stomach,” said Julius. “But who can argue with you? Anything would be better
than what we have now,” continued Julius.
“Then this is settled,” said Jose.
“My final word to you all is that everything that is
said here has to be a guarded secret.
Try to abstain from alcohol for it tends to loosen ones inhibitions and
makes you very vulnerable to divulging your secrets to others. This may cost you your life if divulged to
the wrong person or group of persons.
Now go your separate ways and remember that you are the chosen ones who
will make or break the movement,” warned Jose.
CHAPTER
11
Diego Mateo was on the horns of a dilemma. While at his desk, he wondered whether he
should seriously investigate who were part of the conspiracy so that their
names could be handed over to Sebastian Santiago, the Chief of Police. His job demanded that he should follow the
instructions given to him by the Police Chief.
Deep down in his heart, however, he was convinced that the Chief of
Police represented all that was wrong and morally reprehensible to the human
spirit. His conscience told him that
rounding up those who did not agree with government policies was undemocratic
at best. How could anybody exterminate
people who did not agree with what the government was doing to its people? It was not only heartless but downright
murder. He was convinced that he had to
find a way of exposing the corrupt practices that he witnessed, and hopefully
the pressure would be off those who were trying to change the status quo.
As he was deep in thought, the phone rang.
“Hello Diego, this is your friend Gustav.
“Hello Guz,” replied Diego. “I am so happy that you
called. I have been in a depressive mood
for the past week. Your voice is a
breath of fresh air,” continued Diego.
“You have a fine job my friend…..making a whole lot of
money. What would someone like you be
depressed about?” asked Gustav.
“I cannot talk to you on the phone my friend. Can we meet at “La Taberna” at eleven-thirty
today?”
“If you have the cash, I will be happy to join
you. If you don’t, I know a good outlet
that sells good ‘Guaro de contrabando’ which is something I can afford, and
gives you a better buzz than the best liquors in the world,” invited Gustav.
“No Guz, it is going to be my treat, so do we meet at
eleven-thirty or not?”
“Your invitation is music to my ears my friend. I will be there an hour early with great
anticipation,” said Gustav.
There were only a few customers at “La Taberna” and
Diego felt that he could talk to Gustav freely.
Gustav was happy to meet Diego.
Their friendship started in High School.
Gustav was a very enterprising student and Diego often envied him for
his intelligence and for his good looks that seemed to attract girls without
him wooing them. Unfortunately, Gustav
came from a poor family and so he did not have the where-with-all to advance
his education in college. There were
also far too few job opportunities so Gustav had to accept any job that was
offered to him. Most of these jobs were
temporary in nature and paid very poor salaries. Minimum wages were not as yet established by
law. According to Gustav, he was more often than not unemployed. He hoped for better days but somehow things
were getting worse.
“What will you have to drink,” asked Diego.
“Will it be too extravagant of me to ask for a
Scotch?” asked Gustav.
Diego called the waiter and ordered two double
Scotches on the rocks.
“Now, my friend, what is this I hear you say about
being in a state of depression?”
“It is a long story Guz, but I have to tell somebody
about it to lighten the burden that seems to be weighing so heavily on my
heart.”
Diego told Gustav the entire story and he wondered
whether Guz had any advice for him.
“It is a well-known saying, and I’m sure that you know
it well. If you work for the government,
you have to be culpably dishonest. What
you have just described to me is not at all surprising. You are asking me for advice so I will give
it to you. If you want to be happy, you
have to quit your job and lose all the monitory benefits that you are receiving
in order ease your conscience. You
should look out for a job in the private sector and this is not going to be
easy. I can confirm to you that there is
a movement afoot to overthrow the government.
Perhaps you and I should hook up with this movement so that we could
give our country the kind of renewal that it has never seen before. The movement is also in need of intellectuals
who will inject some form of sanity into a movement that will require a sense
of political direction,” advised Gustav.
“At present I am of two minds. If I stay where I am, I can provide the
movement with inside information that they may not be privy to. If I quit now, I am sure that I will be
watched closely by the police. Inspector
Santiago is no fool. He will definitely
associate my sudden departure with his request for names of what he considers
to be dissidents. He is sure to suspect
that I am with them, and that will restrict the contribution that I could make
if I stayed on,” said Diego.
“Then how are you going to get around giving him the
list that he has demanded of you,” asked Gustav.
“I will have to come up with a cock-and-bull story to
massage his ego,” replied Diego with a pensive expression on his face.
“There is another way Diego. Why don’t we get in touch with the
underground and have Santiago neutralized?
I know of quite a few desperate people who would only need to be given
the word. It will also be another way of
getting rid of a despotic murderer who has done away with so many bread winners
from the village in the past,” invited Gustav.
Diego asked the waiter to bring another two doubles.
After a long silence as though he was waiting for his
drink but was actually deep in thought he declared, “I think that I am with you
my friend. How do I get into this
movement?’
“Give me a phone number where you could be
reached. As soon as I leave you I will
approach the leader of the group who is organising an armed insurrection
against the government. His name is
Basilio Camilo. I will arrange for you
to meet him so that the Chief of Police will soon be history,” declared Gustav.
They drowned their drinks, hugged each other and
parted.
CHAPTER
12
John remained awake until the early hours of the
morning. His concern was that Jose had
not assigned to him any responsibilities making him feel that he was really not
a part of the movement. He wondered
whether since he was from a foreign land and belonged to a very visible
minority within the community, whether perhaps that was the reason for his
seeming distrust of him. Furthermore, he
was also going through the pains of separation from his wife who made no effort
to contact him, and that added to his loneliness and his frustration. There were times when he thought seriously
about selling all he had and returning to Canada. Yet deep in his heart, he knew that he could
play a role in seeking the freedom of the people, who he had come to love and
respect.
He thought that he would have a tete a tete with Jose
and determine just exactly what role he would play if any.
“My dear friend John, everybody in the group is going
to be assigned a responsibility. I was
thinking that perhaps you should be handling the funds of the
organization. It is not going to be easy
to raise funds in a society that is so cash strapped as ours is. I am also very convinced that you are the
right man for the job since you are independently well off, and there will be
no temptation for you to abscond with the money. You will also have to come up with ways to
raise money and that in itself is going to be quite a challenge,” advised Jose.
“Thank you Jose.
For a moment there I thought that I was being phased out, but you have
set my mind at ease. Sure, I will accept the responsibility of handling the
cash. As far as organizing fund raising
activities, I am going to need at least two others from the group to put our
heads together to have some kind of activities that will generate funds,” said
John very much at ease.
“You can go right ahead and choose whoever you think
will be creative enough to raise funds,” advised Jose. ”Furthermore, I am
expecting some money from the Russians to help us pay for incidentals and that
money will be kept by you,” said Jose.
“To cement my allegiance to the party, I am going to
sell some of the land that I bought when I got here, and that money will be
transferred into the account as a part of my contribution,” said John.
“You are a generous man. I am sure that the country could have been a
much better place if everybody was like you,” complimented Jose.
“Well, I guess that I had better be going. There is a whole lot of work to be attended
to,” said John.
They shook hands warmly and went their separate ways.
When John got home, he felt a sense of relief that he
had now become very much a part of the group.
He admonished himself for thinking that the group had abandoned
him. He was also deep in thought about
including a couple of members from the group to assist him in raising funds
particularly since he was aware that he would be confronted with donner fatigue
largely due to the many pleas for donations from mainly Church groups who used
the money to ease the suffering of the very poor in the community.
Amaranto Bajardo and Carlito Dimas were well known to
him. However, he did not know whether
they would join the underground. Both
these men were creative and popular within the community. They would be persuasive when it came to
generating funds, but he first had to bring them aboard before recruiting their
help. Both these gentlemen had little
makeshift stalls in the market. Amaranto
sold freshly slaughtered goat meat and Carlito sold fruit and vegetables. In addition he sold lottery tickets which
were the biggest sellers in this impoverished community. Both Amaranto and Carlito were single. They would very much have liked to be married
and raise children but their income from their businesses just about kept their
heads above water.
John made his way to the market when he knew that they
would not be busy. Siesta was taken
quite seriously by the locals and John thought that it would be the best time
to engage them individually.
“Hello my friend Amaranto. How are you?” asked John.
“It is always a pleasure to see you. What have you been doing with your life? How is your wife? Is she back from the old country?” asked
Amaranto.
“I am well my dear friend. I have been quite busy recently. I would like to see more of you. This may be
short notice, but is it possible for you to visit me tomorrow at 7 p.m. at my
house? We can have a few drinks followed
by dinner?” invited John.
“What’s the occasion?
Is it your birthday?”
“Not at all.
Why can’t two friends meet each other on a social level without having
to celebrate something or other?”
“I will be there at seven p.m. and thanks for your
invitation,” said Amaranto.
John then moved further down the road where Carlito
had set up his stall.
“My friend Carlito, how are you?” asked John.
“It is always a pleasure to see you John. What brings you to the market? Interested in some great, fresh vegetables
and fruit?”
“Sure, why not!” said John.
After John had picked up the choicest fruit and some
vegetables he looked Carlito in the eyes and said,
“I have not spoken to you for such a long time. Why don’t you come over to my house at seven
p.m. the day after tomorrow? We can have a few drinks and have a chat,” asked
John.
“You are always very generous my friend. I would love to have a few drinks with you,”
exclaimed Carlito.
“Now don’t forget, the day after tomorrow, Wednesday
to be exact at seven p.m.”
“I will be there!”
CHAPTER
13
A couple of weeks later, Jose Martinez was met at the
market by someone he did not know. The
man, who did not give his name, bumped into him and whispered to him that his
boss Ivan Petrov would like to meet him at the “Tipsy Cow Bar” at eight that
evening. This arrangement was being made
for his own safety. Before Jose could ask him a question, the man walked away
and disappeared in the crowd.
If anything, Jose began to become conscious that
secrecy was important since government spies were posted all over the country.
He was abundantly aware of the brutality that could befall anybody if the
government felt that there was anything anti-government that was going on.
That evening, Jose entered the “Tipsy Cow Bar” hoping
that Ivan Petrov was already there. Jose
had arrived at the bar twenty minutes early, so he took a seat at a table at
the far end of the large sitting area.
At eight p.m. sharp, Petrov entered the bar. He walked straight to where Jose was sitting,
as though somebody had already tipped him off as to where he was.
“Thank you for coming.
I have some good news for you,” announced Petrov sounding very official.
“Good news is always appreciated,” replied Jose.
Petrov pulled out a large brown envelope from his bag
and handed it over to Jose.
“You will find ten thousand dollars in this
envelope. The Russian government is
aware that your group is going to need money for a variety of incidentals and
this money should help ease the way. I
need hardly emphasize that the money should be kept by someone who is very
trustworthy. This money should only be
used for activities hinging on the movement,” warned Petrov.
“Please thank the Russian government for its
assistance. Also be assured that this
money will be held by a gentleman from Canada who is independently rich, and is
sworn to help the cause with much of his own money,” said Jose.
“The Russian government knows of Mr. John Harding and
we have him in our files,” said Petrov.
“The second topic that I need to discuss with you is
your training. We are going to fly
leaders of different cells right across Nicaragua to Russia for a week of
intensive training. You will be flown
from Nicaragua to Cuba in a private plane.
From Cuba you will be flown directly to Moscow. I suggest that you had better get ready for
the flight since you will be given only a few hours’ notice before one of our
drivers will pick you up and drive you to a destination which, for security
reasons, will not be divulged to you right now.
You must find some plausible reason for leaving, so that the family does
not get anxious about a week’s absence from home. A good excuse is to say that you are going to
visit some relative on the other side of Nicaragua. There is no need for you to
bring a change of clothes or any toiletry.
All this will be provided. You
must travel as light as possible,” said Petrov standing up and extending his
hand to Jose. They shook hands and
parted company.
Jose never had so much money in his hand. He felt very insecure carrying it. He slipped the envelope in his shirt and
hoped that nobody had noticed him. He
made directly for John’s house and without telling him the source of the money,
asked him to place the money in a bank account under his name. John did not ask any questions but just like
a good accountant, he opened the envelope and counted the money with Jose
looking on. It counted correctly and
John assured Jose that the money would be banked first thing in the morning.
When Jose left, John decided to hide the money where
it would not be found easily. He walked
out to the back yard and in the cover of darkness, he inched his way towards a
discarded drain and stuffed the envelope containing the money into it as far as
his hands could travel. He then took a
bunch of rocks and stuffed them in.
Satisfied that the money was safe where it was, he had a drink to calm
his nerves and then decided that it was time to go to bed.
In the early hours of the morning, he could not help
feeling that there was a presence in his room.
He was wide awake. It took him
some time to get used to the darkness.
He dared not switch on the lights.
His ears were eager to catch any sound so that he could focus on the
area from which it came. Before he knew
it, however, the lights suddenly came on.
John sat up in bed. Right in
front of him was a man dressed in black.
He kept his face covered.
“Where is the money,” asked the voice with a level of
threat to it.
“Money? What
money?” asked John?
In a flash, a ten inch knife blade appeared in the
intruder’s hand.
“I have money Sir, but it is all in the bank. I will be very happy to give you some if you
need it that badly,” said John.
“Don’t give me that you lump of shit. Where do you keep your money? Tell me, or I will cut you into small
pieces,” said the voice in a menacing tone.
John got up from the bed holding on to the blanket
just in case the intruder attacked him.
Much to his surprise and good luck, a car was heard
driving into his driveway and flashing its high beams. The intruder could hear footsteps approaching
the entrance to the house. He suddenly
made for the window through which he had entered the house and before John knew
it there was a knock on his door. John breathed a sigh of relief. It was Jose.
John opened the door but rather than welcoming him in, he shouted that
there was a thief who was about to kill him.
Jose ordered his driver to scout around the house but there was no sign
of anybody.
“Are you sure you have not been drinking and have been
imagining things?” asked Jose.
Jose assured him that there was a thief.
In any event, Jose explained to John that he was on
his way to Russia for training and that he was the only one to know about
this. He would be back in a week, but
during this time he suggested that he invites one or even two of the group to
stay with him so that he would be safe.
Before Jose left, John hurried to the backyard and was heartened that
the money that he had stuffed up the drain was still there. He took it in with him knowing full well that
the thief would not have the guts to venture into his house again.
Jose got into the car and drove away without saying
goodbye.
It was only after Jose left that John came to a full
realization of how close he came to death or, if he was lucky, he would be left
seriously hurt. He noticed that he had
broken into a cold sweat and found himself shaking as though he had a bout of
malaria.
CHAPTER
14
Diego waited anxiously for a call from Gustav. Before long he knew that the Chief of Police
Sebastian Santiago would be in touch with him seeking the list of dissidents
that Diego was ordered to bring to him.
If he told Santiago that he did not have the list ready, he knew that he
would be in for a serious reprimand or even out of a job. To his good luck, Gustav called him while he
was still deep in thought. The first
ring of the phone caused him to be in a state of shock. He finally plucked up the courage to answer
the phone and was richly relieved that it was Gustav and not Santiago.
“Please meet me at the “Zanzi -bar” at 8 p.m. It has all been arranged,” declared Gustav.
“Thanks Guz. I
will be there at exactly 8. Bye,” said Diego.
This was a pivotal moment in Diego’s life. He was off to meet the gang that Gustav spoke
to Diego about.
In order to maintain the integrity of the gang, the
meeting was to be held deep in the woods.
It was a dark night but Gustav appeared to know the way. Finally they reached the spot where he met at
least fifteen gang members. The leader
of the gang approached Diego and placed his palm on his shoulder.
“I believe that you want us to solve one of your
problems,” he stated. “You have come to
the right place,” he continued.
“Santiago is no friend of ours. In fact he is no friend of Nicaragua. Gustav
has told me that you would like to join our cell. We are freedom fighters and it is our hope to
unseat this government at the earliest possible time. If you are certain about joining, you have
to swear your loyalty to the group,” said the Leader who did not give out his
name.
“Yes Sir. I
swear my loyalty to the group and to Nicaragua,” said Diego.
“My name is Basilio Camilo. Welcome to the group. One of the things that we insist on is
secrecy. Whatever you learn when you
attend our meetings is to be held in utter secrecy. We are like brothers and will protect each
other even if it is going to cost us our lives.”
“I understand Basilio,” said Diego shaking Basilio’s
hands.
“Gustav,” shouted Basilio, “take Diego and introduce
him to the rest of the gang.
After introductions were made, Basilio addressed the
group.
“Brothers, we have now come to the purpose of this
meeting. We have known the Chief of
Police for some time now. We know him to
be a twisted and corrupt murderer who has brutalized and killed several of our
brothers. We now have added proof from
brother Diego that he is still at it. He
is an impediment to our movement. He
needs to be neutralized. By show of
hands, let us decide that he has to go,” said Basilio. All hands went up.
“Benjamin and Julio you will have to come up with a
plan to get rid of this animal,” said Basilio. “Remember that the plan should
be so perfect that it would not give any of the police force any reason to
accuse you or any of us,” declared Basilio. “This plan should be ready by
tomorrow since Diego’s life is perilously in danger,” Continued Basilio.
The two men left promptly in order to devise a
plan. Unfortunately, neither of them nor
the group possessed any guns and this posed a disadvantage. The Chief of Police had to be killed at close
quarters. Benjamin owned a Bollock
Dagger and Julio carried a Trench Knife.
Both these weapons were lethal if used strategically. Benjamin and Julio were convinced that they
had to study the habits of the Police Chief.
Their best bet was to engage him when he was in a crowd. Unfortunately, most crowds gathered when it
was celebrating a Catholic feast especially when paying tribute to the Virgin
Mary. They considered that murder was
heinous act and participating in it on a Christian feast was unforgivable. They
therefore had to do it when the opportunity presented itself perhaps when the Chief
of Police was visiting the market. However, they discovered that they were
running ahead of themselves and decided that keeping an eye on the Chief was
the first thing that they had to do.
Benjamin agreed to watch his movements during the week
and Julio was to observe him on the weekend.
It was not an easy task, but after a week they were able to determine
that it was not going to be easy to engage the Chief since he spent long hours
at his desk at work, and drove straight home around ten p.m. His house was guarded by an armed policeman so
entry into the house, was very risky at best.
Santiago rarely went out on the weekend, and that added to their concern
about how and where to engage him. Chief Santiago did, however, have a
girlfriend. She was a matronly looking
woman with hard features and a strong body.
She lived out in the country, and rumour had it that the Chief would
sometimes spend a night with her. It was
difficult to determine when he would next visit her. Basilio and Julio took turns watching the
girlfriend’s house. Through their good
luck, the Chief drove up to the house around ten p.m. They lay low in the bush closest to the
entry. As soon as Santiago got out of
the car, they rushed him and dropped him to the ground. Julio thrust his knife into his throat and
slit it. Gurgling sounds began to be
heard while blood spurted out unceasingly.
Benjamin gripped his arm and dragged him into the bush. Julio made to stab him in the chest, but
Benjamin stopped him. Santiago’s heart
had stopped beating.
Benjamin and Julio made the sign of the cross, and
promptly disappeared into the night.
The following morning all the major newspapers carried
the dramatic news about Santiago’s murder.
Most of the villagers thought that it was an occasion for
celebration. The Police had issued a
warning that the murderer would soon be apprehended and would be hanged for
that dastardly deed. The warning was
ignored.
CHAPTER
15
John waited impatiently for Amaranto Bajardo’s arrival
at the house. At seven p.m. sharp there
was a knock at the door. John opened the door and warmly welcomed his
friend. Amaranto declared how pleased he
was to be invited and hoped that they would have a pleasant evening together.
John brought out the drinks, but said very little to
his friend about the underground movement.
He knew that after a few drinks, Amaranto would lose his inhibitions and
John could then broach the issue in an effort to canvas him to the cause. They
spoke about their families and spouses and out of a matter of interest,
Amaranto was curious why John’s wife was away for such a long time. As an excuse, John explained to his friend
that his wife had to return to Canada to attend to a business that she was
running over there. He knew that this
was an outright lie, but he hoped that the explanation would stop Amaranto from
asking any further questions. It did.
When the two them were reasonably sauced, John thought
that it was time to dabble into politics.
“I have often wondered why a man of your intelligence,
creativity and ambition would continue to live here. I have observed, and in talking with a lot of
people, there is nothing here for anybody to reach for the top, when there are
no jobs here. All you see is biting
poverty,” baited John.
“Isn’t that a shame?
It would seem that the government is doing nothing to help raise the
standard of life. Rumour has it that
most of the taxes that we pay, goes into private accounts in Swiss banks
instead of being spent on improving the economy so that people could find
work,” said Amaranto almost apologetically
“In many developing countries, people have stopped the
bleeding of government fund from their countries, by going to the polls and
changing the government. Why is that not
happening here?” asked John pretending ignorance.
“It is because our people seem to be used to the
punishment that they are receiving.
Nobody is prepared to bell the cat for fear of retributions by the
government that has all the power,” said Amaranto in disgust.
“What if I told you that there is a movement under way
to get rid of this repressive government?” asked John.
“I would probably have to say that there will be many
heads dropping, but there is no doubt in my mind that an armed insurrection
would be the only way to rid ourselves of this government. Please do not tell anybody that I said this.
If you do I will deny that I ever said it,” warned Amaranto.
“Nobody will ever know from me how you feel about the
Government. The point is that I feel
exactly as you do about it. Please keep
this a secret too. I want you to know
that I am a member of the underground.
If you feel as strongly about getting rid of the government, why don’t
you join us? Your talents are very
important to us and will be used to free the motherland,” said John.
There was silence for a few seconds while Amaranto was
thinking over what he had just been told.
“You are a foreigner to this land, my friend
John. I am almost ashamed of myself that
as a foreigner, you are prepared to lay down your life for our people, and I
sit here trembling at the thought of joining the underground,” said Amaranto.
“I don’t fault you for how you feel my dear
Amaranto. But let me tell you that I
need you very badly to help the cause.
As you know everything costs money.
Unfortunately, even to gain one’s freedom money is badly needed. I belong to a cell here and I have been
appointed to raise funds for the cause.
As a foreigner here, though I do not consider myself one anymore, I
would like to use your creativity and expertise to raise as much money in the
shortest possible time. The easiest way
would have been to rob a bank, but we are trying to keep things as honest as
possible,” encouraged John.
“I need to think about this and perhaps discuss it
with my wife,” said Amaranto.
“No! No! No!”
put in John. “Ours is a secret
movement and everything that is done has to be kept a guarded secret. We have dozens of freedom fighters who have
pledged their allegiance to the cell. They have vowed their secrecy even with
their wives and children. It is only
under these conditions can you become a part of the group,” reprimanded John.
“I will have to leave right now. It is already quite late. I’m afraid that the drinks have gone up to my
head. Thank you very much for a very
revealing evening. Please leave this
offer on the table. I am going to have
to think seriously about your invitation to join the group. There are so many things to consider. As soon as I have made my decision, I will
let you know,” offered Amaranto.
“Goodnight my friend.
I respect you for who you are. I
also respect you for giving the proposition serious thought. All I ask you to pledge to me is that our
conversation tonight will never be divulged to anybody for security
reasons. I look forward anxiously for
your decision,” said John.
“Thank you John. I also respect you for what you are
doing for us. Our country is going
rapidly downhill. Give me some time to
think about my role in all of this. I
will not keep you waiting long. Goodnight my amigo.”
The following day John was to meet with Carlito. He thoughtfully reviewed his interaction with
Amaranto and wondered whether his approach to Carlito needed a change so that
he could bring him on side without any hesitation or reservations. A direct approach would perhaps be
unproductive and would perhaps scare Carlito away. He was aware, however, that much depended on
Carlito’s disposition and his attitude towards the hopelessness that he
witnessed all around him.
“I’m so happy to meet with you Carlito. I am glad that you were able to come over,”
said John.
“Thank you my friend.
You are a good man…..so different from the other white folk around
here,” said Carlito.
“Thank you again,” said John. “You know that I love the people here and
have been trying very hard to become a part of the community. I know that I have gained acceptance among
some, but there are others who are genuinely hostile toward me,” continued
John.
“In any country, you have all kinds. I guess the ones that do not like you are
those who are jealous that you have more than they do. This is a human frailty and there is not much
that one can do about it,” said Carlito.
“I really think that something can be done about
it. Unfortunately, the present
government is totally inept and is only fattening its own pockets rather than
building an economic structure that will create jobs to improve the lot of the
people,” said John.
“I wish that the people would organize themselves to
rid itself of this corrupt government,” said Carlito.
“Actually they are,” said John. “And they are looking to enlarge their
organization to gain in strength,” continued John.
“I have been hearing all kinds of rumours that this is
happening but nobody has ever approached me to enlist me,” said Carlito.
“If you are dead serious and committed to unseating
the government, I could introduce you to the group that is working hard towards
that end,” said John.
“Great! “ said Carlito. “Does that mean that you are also a member of
this group,” asked Carlito?
Both of them paused and took a long sip at their
drinks.
“I honour you for your empathy towards our suffering
brothers my dear Carlito. The freedom
fighters, as we prefer to call ourselves, are seeking to restore the dignity of
the people. As a member, I am asking
that you join me in raising funds for the organization. I know you to be a
creative and aggressive person and I am going to need your assistance. I will also arrange for you to be sworn in by
our leader who is presently away on training.
As soon as he gets back I will contact you,” encouraged John.
They drank well into the night and since both Carlito
and John were inebriated to the point that they could not even stand up, they
both fell asleep in their respective comfortable leather covered chairs and
woke up late in the morning.
CHAPTER
16
The death of Chief Sebastian Santiago was taken
seriously by the Police Department. As
with most police forces, there existed a brotherhood which dictated that if one
of their own was murdered, the other members of the police force would double
their efforts to find the culprit and bring him or her to justice. More often than not, the Police dispensed
justice on their own by killing the suspect.
The first duty of the government was to find a
replacement for Chief Santiago. This was
done as expeditiously as possible. The
replacement was Chief Agapito Alfredo.
Chief Alfredo was a brutal individual and reputed to be even more
devious than his predecessor Chief Santiago.
In public he presented an image of an understanding
and benevolent father, but his Jekyll and Hyde personality was well known and
the community was alerted to avoid him as much as possible. Chief Alfredo called a meeting of all the
Inspectors that served under him. He
made it clear that each of them had to be vigilant about a wave of suspected
terrorists who intended to unseat the government. They were to introduce a number of spies into
the community in order to identify the culprits. Arrests were to be made on the slightest
suspicion of anybody attempting to break the law.
In a very short time, the entire east side of
Nicaragua was placed in a state of alert with spies dressed as labourers,
salesmen, and vendors, who intermingled with the locals in the bars and
restaurants and even Church groups.
Several arrests were made by the police who were tipped off by these
spies. The entire community lived in
fear, and the market place, which was once bustling with sounds of people and
animals, soon became quiet and subdued.
It soon became obvious that spies were at work, and
the growing resistance group made it their task to spot these spies and
exterminate them. Within a month, at
least ten spies were identified and all ten of them were neutralized. The Police then poured their forces into the
villages and used any excuse (even made-up ones) to brutalize the
inhabitants. Even young children were
not spared the wrath of the police force.
The underground had now grown to a regular army. This was not surprising since with all the
repression against the people, the common man was looking out for a way to
fight back. At least thirty of the
freedom fighters had been trained in Russia.
These men were given their own cell of manageable numbers. Regular meetings were held in secret and
training in the use of firearms (scanty as the weapons were) in remote areas
were undertaken. The frequency of these
meetings increased as the day of reckoning drew closer. A large number of newly signed up fighters
received their army training in Cuba.
Now that the freedom fighters had become an organized group, they were
ready to hit back. Their weapon of
choice were knives. Their training in
the use of these lethal weapons was thorough.
Weapons, such as guns and ammunition were smuggled in from Cuba at
regular intervals and distributed to the freedom fighters all over the country.
At regular intervals, the police were attacked in
different parts of the village and it was not unusual that several policemen
were killed, usually at night. Their
guns were then harvested and kept in safe hiding places.
A reign of terror developed and no government
politician was safe anymore.
It reached a stage that the police officers were
afraid to monitor what was going on in the villages since they feared for their
lives.
CHAPTER
17
There was an exodus of foreign visitors and settlers from Nicaragua. The Americans were the first to leave since
the Nicaraguans felt deeply that they were not to be trusted. They were suspected of complicity with the
existing government run of Anastasio Somoza so that they could establish a
presence closer to Cuba and other unfriendly countries around Nicaragua, who
the Americans considered hostile to America.
The Nicaraguan army was put on high alert. However, little did the government know, that
many in the army itself privately ceased to be loyal to the government, and if
push came to shove, the army in all likelihood, would switch their allegiance
to the freedom fighters.
Of course, those in the army who had divided loyalties
remained very quiet about it. The army
dissenters, however, were kept abreast of the preparations that were being put
in place for the final assault on the government in power. After all, they belonged to the communities
all over Nicaragua and were therefore made aware of what was in store fr the
government.
John discovered that it was an onerous task trying to
raise funds from a community that was on the subsistence level. He reported the matter to Jose Martinez, the
cell leader, who was more than willing to concede that John’s time should be
put to a more productive and purposeful use.
Jose was also aware that the entire movement was now being financed by
the Russians. Even the military hardware
was steadily being smuggled into the country by way of Cuba and distributed to
various cells within the country. Private tutorials in the use of these weapons
were given to cell members in preparation for the final assault.
Since John was
answerable to nobody and lived alone, Jose cast him in the role of
“messenger”. His task was to convey to
other cells, through word of mouth, any important decisions regarding
strategy. What was once the underground
movement was now called the “Sandinistas” and was headed by Danial Ortega. The telephone service was now being
seriously monitored by the government and this rendered it totally unsafe as a
communicative device. This placed a
serious sense of responsibility on John’s shoulders. The State Police was not to be caught napping
either. They had already compiled a
generous list of villagers who they suspected to be involved in what they
considered treasonable acts against the government. John was somewhere on that list and was
warned to be on the alert at all times.
What complicated John’s life, however, was the sudden,
unannounced arrival of his wife. Alison
had enough time to think about her role as a wife when she returned to
Canada. She had pangs of conscience that
since she had taken the marriage oath of “for better and for worse”, her
loyalty and place was to be beside her husband.
She also hoped that she would be able to convince John to return to
Canada since things were getting very tense in Nicaragua. She hoped to be persuasive enough and
compromise with him that after things returned to some semblance of normality,
they could then return to the country.
John was of two minds when he came home after one of
his assigned trips. He was happy to see
her, however, he was so involved in the political movement that her presence
would seem an impediment to his contribution to the effort. Furthermore, since the revolution was
inevitable, he thought that that Alison’s life was in jeopardy because of his
involvement in the revolution. He
thought that it was only fair for him to put his cards on the table.
“I am happy that you came back my dear. I really thought that I had lost you
forever,” commenced John.
“Honey, I am sorry I left you. I did it because it was my hope that you
would have time to think about our lives together. I recognize that you are a good man. I know how giving you are, but this is not
our country and I was in perpetual worry about what our fate would be if you
got involved in the politics of this country,” said Alison.
“After you left Alison, I had little to live for. I rarely heard from you so I thought that it
was curtains in our relationship. I am
now deeper into the politics of this land because I had nothing else to live
for,” replied John.
“I’m sorry about abandoning you John, but I had become
really worried about your involvement in this dangerous game of politics. Furthermore, your safety was my main concern
and so was mine. Perhaps I was being
selfish but then there was no way that I could convince you that as a
foreigner, you would eventually get caught and then find yourself languishing
in prison,” said Alison.
“Things are getting dangerously serious right
now. My suggestion is that you take the
first plane out of here and await word from me that you return,” said John.
“No John. I am
going to stay with you for better or for worse.
My place is besides you,” insisted Alison.
“A word of warning.
I am rarely going to be at home.
You are going to have to fend for yourself. I am bound to secrecy about my whereabouts
and in any case, it is best that you did not know where I will be, just in case
you are questioned by the police,” said John.
Alison made no response.
CHAPTER
18
The Revolution started. All over the country, the police stations
were the first to be targeted. Once
taken, the arms storage was forced open so that the guns and ammunition were
promptly absconded by the invading forces.
Members of the government were rounded up at gun-point
and taken into custody by the Sandinistas.
There was chaos in the streets. Villages, loyal to the Sandinistas, ran
through the streets with machetes and anything that might serve as a weapon for
their personal protection. Many
villagers broke into stores and left them bare after they left. Poverty can sometimes raise the appetite of
people for revenge and it was not uncommon to use this period of anarchy to get
even with people against whom they carried a grudge. There was a lot of blood spilt on the roads
of Nicaragua.
And where was the army at this time? More than half the army deserted and joined
the Sandinistas. Those soldiers loyal
to the government declared war against those who deserted. It was the army fighting the army.
In a short time, victory was declared by the
Sandinistas, and Daniel Ortega was installed as the President of Nicaragua.
When John returned to his house, there was nothing
left of it. It was burned to the
ground. Alison was nowhere to be
seen. He feared that the worst must have
happened to her. He felt pangs of
conscience that he might have been responsible for her death. While he stood staring at the building,
telling himself that he should return to Canada now that the people were in the
hands of a caring leader, he heard a voice behind him.
“Senior, I am sorry to see your beautiful house in
such shambles. This was not done by the
government or the army. It was the
people from the village who torched the house.
When I saw them coming, I quickly knocked on the door to determine
whether there was anybody home. There was no answer, so I thought that perhaps
everybody had gone into hiding. As I was
about to leave, however, I heard the voice of a woman asking who I was. I promptly told her that she had better come
with me since the villagers were going around burning all the houses that
belonged to foreigners. She promptly got
her things, and I took her over to my house where she could be safe. My wife was very happy to help her too.”
“So she is alive???!!”
“Yes, senior.
You come with me.”
Alison was overjoyed to see John approach the
house. She ran into his arms and told
him how worried she was about his safety.
“My job is done here, my dearest.”
“Let’s go home.”
INSIGHTFUL
REVOLUTION
By:
Ives (George) Pereira
CHAPTER 1
John and
Alison Harding were married. Both of them had barely reached the age of
twenty. Neither of them had jobs that paid well enough for them to live
comfortably, still less could they think of ever affording a house. In
fact there were times that after they paid their bills, there was not enough
left over to buy some of the most basic foods that were necessary to stay
alive. They spent many days and nights wondering what their fate would
be, and often fantasized about what they would do if by some stroke of luck
they became wealthy. Alison declared that the first thing that she would
buy is a house. John whispered that he would be happy to live a life free
from the nagging thought of where the next meal would come from. Somehow,
they both felt more miserable when they came down to reality about their
present circumstance. Yet John was able to encourage Alison and to assure
her that every cloud had a silver lining and that, if anything, their lives of
poverty would only serve to make them strong.
Before
long, however, John and Alison became proud parents of a healthy boy who they
loved with all their hearts. John had a nagging fear, however, that in
their economic situation bordering on penury, there would not be much of a
future for their son Alfred. John often spoke to Alison about moving to
Toronto where jobs were available and where he could perhaps work two jobs or
more in order to make a good living. John got in touch with a friend in
Toronto with the hope that he would assist him in making the transition.
But his friend Jim informed him that the job situation was very uncertain and
precarious in Toronto and that John would do well to hold on to his job until
things improved.
Fortunately,
Alison and John had good and generous neighbours. They were aware that
John and Alison were facing hard times. They often helped Alison by
buying extra groceries for them whenever they were out shopping. This act
of generosity was much appreciated by John although he felt badly because he
was not able to keep the family going on his own. Accepting charity was
demeaning to him as with most of his species, but he understood that he was in
a tight and uncompromising situation and that the demonstrated charity of his
neighbours had to be accepted. John often reflected on those who were
less fortunate than he was, and vowed that if he ever won a lottery, that he
would share his fortune with all the poor people around him. But then he
was once again speculating and he had to face reality all over again.
His
neighbour Peter, though on a subsistence level of life himself, was also on the
lookout for a job that would improve his family’s standard of living.
Going through the newspaper, he saw that there were jobs being advertised by an
oil company way up in the frozen north. When John came back from work,
Peter engaged him before he entered his house. He explained to John that
he was going to apply for one of those jobs since no experience was required,
and that new recruits were going to be trained. The salary was twice the
minimum wage in the city and in addition there was a bonus added to the monthly
salary because of the isolation. Recruits would be allowed a two week paid
vacation each year. Salary increases were assured every year, and after
training was completed workers were assured a substantial increase in their
salaries. Working overtime was frequent in order to meet the demand for oil,
and it was not uncommon that most workers doubled their monthly wages by
working extra hours each day. A further boost to their salaries was if
they worked Sundays which was a time and a half.
“What do
you think John? ” asked Peter.
“I guess
that I would like to go for it, but who will take care of our families?” asked
John.
“I know
that separation from our families for such a long stretch is going to be
difficult for all concerned. But John our wives are strong and I’m sure
they will watch over each other while we are away. Remember also that our wives
are strong and will understand that if we are to extricate ourselves from
biting our nails day after day, they will probably encourage us to embark on
this project. After all, if we do well, they will be better off for it,” said
Peter.
“Thank
you, Peter for sharing this information with me. You and your wife have
been good to us and we are most grateful to you,” said John.
“Please
do not say any more. Speak to Alison about our plans and remember that
there are many like us in this Province who are hurting and will be applying
for these jobs too. We must get our applications in as quickly as
possible,” said Peter.
Alison,
being the strong and pragmatic woman that she was, surprised John when she not
only asked him to apply for the job, but also encouraged him to do so.
She assured him that she would look after Alfred and that everything would be
fine on the home front. She had tears in her eyes when she told John that
she was going to miss him while he was away, and that she hoped he would take
care of himself. John always admired the strength of his wife’s
character, and knew that he was going to miss her immensely when he was gone.
Both John
and Peter mailed their applications the following morning. They had no
idea how long they were going to be kept waiting for a response. Much to
their surprise, a letter was sent to them a couple of days later, requesting
that they report to work within a week. A bank draft was enclosed for
their passages by plane to the oil outfit. John and Peter promptly booked
their air passages and spent what time that they had with their respective
families. John spent most of his time with Alfred who was still a little
baby. He wondered whether Alfred knew that he was his father. In
six months’ time, when he was due for his holiday Alfred would be
walking. He felt saddened that he would not be around to see his son
painstakingly trying to stand and take his first steps. While they were
in bed, Alison sobbed silently for she was aware that John would not be in bed
to keep her warm. She knew that it was going to be a lonely existence for
both of them, but she felt relieved that Alfred was there to take her mind off
her loneliness.
CHAPTER 2
John and
Peter arrived at the oil field within a couple of hours. The location was
within the Arctic Circle and was covered with permanent ice and snow. It
was also dreadfully cold. As soon as they arrived both John and Peter
were assigned to different work crews. Each of them had to work closely with
an expert in the field. They were given their contracts to sign and were
cautioned that if they were not up to the job that they were being assigned to,
that they would be asked to leave and return home. They were also
cautioned that work in the oil field was full of hazards and that they would
have to be very careful when operating the machines.
Since
they were on the job for the first time, they were asked to quit their training
for the day and directed to follow the supervisor. They were led to their
living quarters which was like a Boarding School dorm. They were led to
the far end of the dorm where each of them was shown a bed. Besides each
bed was a small cupboard into which they could place their valuables.
When the supervisor used the word “valuables” both John and Peter looked at
each other and frowned.
Both John
and Peter were happy to be able to exchange news about their families and
though this information may have set them at ease, it heightened their desire
to get home as soon as possible. After six months, both of them were
excited about going home. When they met their spouses, it seemed as
though they were in seventh heaven. John was surprised to see his son so
grown up. Alfred clung on to his mother’s legs when John asked him tenderly
to come to him. John’s heart was saddened that his son really did not
know him. He knew, however, that given a little time his son would come
to realize that dad was not just another man. He was his dad.
Two weeks
did not seem a long enough holiday. Before John and Peter knew it, they
were preparing to return to work. Alison made sure that she prepared for
John all the goodies that he liked so that he could take them with him when he
returned to the oil fields. It was again a heart breaking departure for
John. However, he assured Alison that he was now making it big and that
she never had to worry about buying anything that she wanted. John opened
a special account at the bank for Alison and deposited a few thousand dollars
for her to use while he was away.
This
going back and forth did not seem so bad with the passage of time. After
ten years, John had accumulated close to two million dollars in savings.
He soon decided that it was time for him to retire so that he could be
permanently with his family. Because of the isolation from his family, he
acquired bad habits such as the consumption of alcohol. He also smoked a
lot and this did not do him any good.
He was
now able to buy himself a Victorian Style four bedroom house and he paid cash for
it too.
Having
lived in the cold North for so long, he explained to his wife that it was time
to enjoy their lives by moving to a warm country. Alison thought that it
was a great idea but she was cautiously optimistic.
He went
to a travel agent for information regarding a good vacation destination in the
tropics. There was a special that was being offered for a week’s
all-inclusive stay in Nicaragua. He jumped at the idea of going to
a warm country. Alison, on the other hand, was sceptical about leaving for a
foreign country. She was full of apprehensions, many of which were drawn
from her imagination, but was not based in reality. However, she soon adopted
the attitude that “nothing venture, nothing gained.”
John and
Alison stayed in a five-star hotel. They loved the extravagance that they
were encouraged to enjoy. Above all, they bathed in the warmth of the
country and felt renewed by walking about without their heavy coats and
boots.
John knew
that he had found his nirvana and vowed to return to Nicaragua to plant his
roots there.
What
attracted him most were the people out in the hinterland who were living
subsistence existences but who never failed to smile even at a stranger like
himself. He also noticed that the locals lived a wonderful communal
life and propped each other up with the little that they had.
John
soon realized that the cost of living was very low and that he could stretch
his savings and the interest gained to live a stress free life. He also
thought that he would use some of his money to invest in property which was
one-third the price in Alberta.
When he
and Alison got back to Nicaragua, they rented a modest house out in the
countryside. Alison felt a little insecure locating too far away from the
city. Even if they had motorized transportation, the roads were in a
state of disarray. No sooner had the potholes been attended to, heavy
rains would soon undo all the work that was done. It was a hazardous
proposition for any car to withstand the dangers on the roads.
John
threw himself into befriending the local villagers. To demonstrate his
friendship, he often invited local families to his house. He wined and
dined them with the kind of generosity that the locals admired. In a very
short time the entire village came to know him. Those that were closest
to him were treated with special consideration. He freely paid for
medical treatment, and was known to take families on holidays to the closest
beach. Alison was not sure whether John was doing the right thing but she
went along with him since helping the less fortunate appeared to make John very
happy. There were times when Alison would ask John to exercise restraint
but somehow John did not hear her.
John made
up his mind that he did not intend returning to Canada. He therefore
invested some of his money in buying large tracts of land and built himself a
luxurious house that stood out like a sore thumb in the village that had
makeshift houses that were badly in need of repairs.
He also
built a couple of smaller houses which he hoped would attract tourists so that
his investment could bring in some income, which, he thought he did not need
anyway.
John
continued to smoke and drink locally brewed liquor. Alison began to notice
that her husband was aging fast because of his lifestyle. She often
warned him about the need to exercise restraint but somehow it did not register
with her husband.
John
continued to entertain his many drinking friends. Many of these friends
lived unproductive lives and made no effort to support their wives and
families. The wives tried to apply themselves to any job that would help
keep their families from virtually starving.
There
were several families in the village who began to envy John and Alison for
their obvious wealth. Had they approached John for a handout, John would
have gladly given them enough money to save them from starvation.
However, the locals began to argue that this was their land and here was a
foreigner who was living the life of luxury yet they were suffering so
much. This was just not fair.
John and
Alison sensed that there were a few individuals who demonstrated open hostility
towards them. John made sure that these people were always on his list of
invitees whenever he threw a party hoping that they would accept them as a part
of the community. Unlike most of the expatriates who lived in Nicaragua,
John would do everything in his power to help those who requested his
help. Most expatriates lived in palatial houses and lived insular
lives. Their life style was more like the proverbial colonials who view
the locals as sub-human individuals who were to be kept at arm’s length in
order to ensure their own safety.
John was
like a breath of sunlight and he went overboard by extending himself
extravagantly and selflessly to the locals. He created scholarships for a
few of the talented local children, and those families who he considered close
to him, he would wine and dine them sometimes for days. Alison, on the
other hand, was sceptical about John’s relationships and cautiously warned him
that perhaps he should ease off on his frequent socializing which was beginning
to take a toll on his health. John was greying very fast and his frequent
imbibing in alcohol showed on his tired face. Alison,
unfortunately, was treated like an interruption by John and he went on living
the life that he thought he enjoyed. John assured Alison that he had no
intention of ever returning to Canada. Alison, on the other hand, had
made up her mind that if anything did happen to John, she would pack her bags
and promptly return home. She never articulated this to her husband for,
like a loyal wife that she thought she should be, she did not want to take away
from her husband’s infatuation with his adoptive country.
CHAPTER 3
John
frequently visited the local market. By now, everybody, for so it seemed,
knew him and greeted him with much enthusiasm. They generated a feeling
in John that made him feel that he was a part of them. They were quick to
share their meals with him. Where would he get this love and affection in
Canada where people tended to be insular and private? He became
ever so convinced that he had found his niche and that he would spend the rest
of his life with the people that he had now come to love unreservedly.
Alison
continued to be his conscience and from time to time skillfully reminded him
that age was catching up with both of them and before long they would need to
be cared for in a good home. John was quick to tell Alison that if
anything happened to them they would easily be able to find help from the
community and that it would be something that they could richly afford.
Alison was not thinking about the unskilled help which was obtainable
locally. She was thinking of spending her very senior years in a
clinically clean home where medical help was available on the premises. She was
thinking about the meals that would be prepared and served to them and the many
recreations that would be made available to them on the premises. Right
now all of these were nothing more than a pipe dream.
The
following day, John decided to spend a couple of days with friends close to the
beach which was a few miles away. Alison explained to John that she was
not up to it and that it would be best if he went with his friends but without
her. Martin and his wife Juana accompanied John in a chicken bus all the
way to the beach. When they got there, it was early in the afternoon and
the sun was scorching. Much to his surprise, however, he ran into a
number of people that he knew and they welcomed him into their midst.
John felt that the group that he met appeared to be quite tense and that was
not in character with their normal behaviour. He thought that perhaps he
had intruded on their turf and so he graciously excused himself and moved away
to another spot with Martin and Joana and their two children.
“What is
the matter with those guys?” asked John.
“Those
people are very political. They always meet together but usually far away from
the town,” said Martin.
“I
noticed that they are not with their wives or children. Perhaps their
political discussions do not interest their families,” remarked John.
“I get
the impression that they are planning an anti-government movement,” said Martin.
“I can
see why they would want to do that. Since I have been here I have not
seen the government do anything to prevent the growing mass of people getting
poorer and poorer with each passing day,” said John.
“They
would like to hear that from you and I am sure that they would pat you on the
back for such an observation,” said Martin.
“Perhaps
I should go back to them and tell them exactly how I feel,” said John.
“I would
not do that if I were you. Getting into that group is a slow
process. They have to be convinced that you will be an asset to their
movement before letting you in,” assured Martin.
“And how
does one do that?” asked John.
“The
leader of the group is Jose Martinez. He is often seen talking with his
friends at the Soaris Bar in the village. Without making it obvious, you
should visit this bar. A free drink to those who are there will make you
friends in a hurry. Your conversation with the group should be about the
inaction of the government with regard to raising the standard of life of the
people. Vocalized loud enough, Jose Martinez will certainly be drawn to
you and if all goes well, he will invite you to the private meetings that you
see here on the beach,” advised Martin.
“I am
surprised that you are not into politics Martin. What you say makes perfect
sense. Soaris Bar, here I come,” concluded John.
“One word
of warning my dear John. The Martinez group is rumoured to be thinking of
ousting the government through armed violence. Your involvement in the
group can bring you into serious trouble with the present government. You
must understand that whatever is happening in the villages is being closely
monitored by government spies and information is being constantly
examined. Your name will certainly be recorded in their list of people to
watch,” warned Martin.
“Thanks
for the warning Martin, but those jokers do not scare me. I believe that one
has to take a stand against tyranny of any kind but particularly ones that are
imposed on the citizens of the land who are living in poverty,” said John.
“You are
a foreigner in this country no matter how many friends you have here. If
the government is made aware that you are doing something politically
underhanded, they will either throw you into prison and throw away the key; or
they will deport you immediately and confiscate your property,” warned Martin.
“What
will be, will be,” responded John.
CHAPTER 4
When John
returned home, Alison was waiting for him. Because of the lateness of the
hour of his return, she was nervous that something untoward might have happened
to him. She had learned long ago not to question her husband about his
whereabouts. As soon as he made his entry, Alison informed him that his
dinner had probably got cold but if he was hungry, she would warm up the food.
“No
thanks Alison. I stopped over at a village restaurant and had my
dinner. You should have come along with us to the beach. It was a
bright warm day. You would have enjoyed it,” said John.
Alison
told John that she was very tired. She would have liked to tell him that
it was more because of the stress that he created, but refrained from doing so
in order to avoid a confrontation. She excused herself and strode off to
her bedroom.
John sat
on the veranda puffing a cigar. He recalled the events of the day but
somehow focussed on the conversation that he had with Martin regarding the
group that was planning a coup. Though he had come from a more affluent
society, he identified with the poor all around him. He remembered the
piercing pain of poverty in his own life and somehow he knew that he had to
help the poor in his adoptive country in order to improve the lives of all
concerned. Somehow, it would seem, the government was doing very little
to help the poor. Rumour had it that most of the government officials
were on the take and were syphoning their ill begotten money to banks in
Switzerland. This was enough reason for John to join the group that was
seeking to overthrow the corrupt government. However, Martin’s warnings
were also to be taken seriously. Furthermore, his wife would not approve
of her husband getting involved in local politics and John was aware that he
could not possibly keep it away from his wife.
John
decided to turn in and to postpone any of his decisions to another day.
He woke
up the following morning even more determined to join the group that was
planning the coup. Alison was aware that something was in the
works. Wives are generally sensitive to the moods of their husbands, and
can read into their general disposition that something was in the works.
John felt
that it was as good a time as any to let Alison know about his plans.
“A penny
for your thoughts,” commented Alison.
John made
no reply.
“I know
that something is bothering you. Perhaps you could share it with
me. Your mantra has always been that there is a solution to every problem
if discussed in a rational way,” coaxed Alison.
“Well
said Alison. Perhaps I should put my plans on the table. I know
that you are not going to like what I am about to say, but it needs to be
said. We have been witness to the poverty that is so endemic in this
village. This poverty exists right around the country. There is a
group who feel that the government will not act simply because it is run by
greedy, self-centred, avaricious, and corrupt politicians who are funnelling
money to accounts in Switzerland instead of spending it on programs to enhance
the living conditions of its people. This seems to be typical of most
developing countries around the world. The difference is that the
people are now thinking of getting rid of the present government,” pontificated
John.
“Why
don’t they do it during election time,” asked Alison.
“Most
people are aware that the polls are often rigged in favour of the same
politicians who are looting the government coffers,” said John.
“Perhaps
a better way would be to make the people politically aware of what is happening
in the country so that during election time they will cast their vote
appropriately. Anyway, what has all this got to do with you my dear?” asked
Alison.
“It is my
intention to throw in my lot with the group that is planning a coup. I
have no idea whether the group will accept me. I guess that they will
have to do a whole lot of vetting to determine whether I will be up to the
responsibilities that go with membership,” commented John.
“I have
not said this to you before, but you obviously have a bone for a brain.
Don’t you understand that when you are caught…….notice, I’m saying “when” and
not “if” you are caught…..you are going to be history. You are playing
with fire my dear husband! I really think that we should pack our bags
and return to Canada,” stressed Alison.
“What do
we have to look forward to in Canada? Months of snow and ice that keeps
us homebound; friends that are far too busy for you because they have their own
lives to worry about; a cost of living that will gobble up our savings and will
soon return us to the poverty that we once suffered?” said John.
“At least
we will have our lives, and live a life free from the intrigues that will only
add stress that neither you nor I need in our old age,” said Alison.
“I think
that we should inject some purpose in our lives if we are to live productive
and meaningful existences. Helping the poor is a noble cause. Some
do it by establishing food banks which would be totally unnecessary if the
government provided its people with jobs so that everybody could be self-sustaining.
In this country, this can only be done if the present government is kicked out
and responsible people were put in its place to help put people to work and to
invite investment from other countries to create jobs and establish appropriate
training for its people,” said John.
“It seems
obvious to me that you are going ahead with your plans. I do not want to
be around to pick up the pieces. Please book me on the first plane home,”
Alison insisted.
John kept
silent. He knew that life would not be the same without Alison, yet he
felt a compulsion to hook up with his renegade friends as a matter of duty.
“I cannot
promise you that I will not join my friends in their noble cause. Life
will not be the same without you here. I would rather see you stand by me
as you have done all these years. However, I cannot stop you from doing
what you think is best for you,” responded John.
“Please
book my air ticket to Canada right away. I have no idea how far gone you
are in this crazy plan of yours. I would rather not be around when
bullets keep flying. I have always stood by you over the years because
you always struck me as a reasonable man. But what you are embarking on
right now is the height of stupidity. This is not your fight. Let
the local people fight for their rights. We are merely guests in this
country and have no right to interfere in the internal affairs of the people
who belong here,” reprimanded Alison.
CHAPTER 5
John
continued to make the rounds of the local bars. He was outspoken about
the ineptitude of the government in power but not once did he suggest that the
government be overthrown. He steadily became increasingly popular with
the people and wherever he went he attracted crowds. Part of the reason
is that he splurged drinks on all those who joined his table.
Now John
had more time to spend with the people. Alison packed her bags in
frustration, and flew home. The only way he could compensate for the loss
of his wife’s company was to spend as little time as possible in his large
empty house.
One
dreary evening, however, there was a knock on John’s door. John wondered
who it might be since it was rare, since his wife had left him, that anybody
came to visit. When he opened the door, he was surprised to see Jose
Martinez standing at the door.
“Come in
my amigo,” said John.
“Gracias,
I hope that I am not disturbing you at this hour,” said Jose.
“My door
is always open to you. What is it that I can do for you?” asked John.
“I have
been getting frequent news about you and your feelings for the poor in this
country. I come to invite you to a meeting of like minds tomorrow at the
beach,” said Jose.
“I will
be happy to put my two cents in if it is going to help the poor in this
country,” said John.
“You are
a very unusual man. Most foreigners who come here have very little
empathy for the poor. They buy big homes, live opulent lives and treat
the locals as though they are sub-human beings,” said Jose.
“That is
not true of all of them my dear Jose. Many of them treat the locals with
much respect and their very presence in the country helps the economy along,”
said John
“Why
don’t you come to the beach tomorrow at ten o’clock? It is not quite so
hot at that time and you will meet a bunch of people who will share with you
their plans to raise the living standards of the people,” said Jose.
After a
couple of drinks, Jose and John shook hands warmly. John’s wish to be
included in the group had now been realized. Somehow, deep in his heart he felt
that he was now on a collision course with fate.
The
meeting started on a jovial tone with that hail-fellow-well-met attitude that
seemed to precede the impending conversation. It then worked up to a more
serious and contentious tone as they condemned the ineptitude of the government
in a crescendo of invectives.
There
were at least fifteen individuals, each wanting to be heard at the same
time. Jose Martinez invited the group to conduct themselves in English so
that John could understand what was going on. However there were a few
who preferred to express their opinions in Spanish but John was able to get the
gist of what they were saying. Jose Martinez then exercised his leadership by
intervening.
“It is
clear that all of us are convinced that the government should be
overthrown. We are only a small group here who are trying to get
organized. However, this is a big country and we have to get all the
suffering people on our side. This can be done by having cells all over
the country in order to propagate the change that we are seeking. If we
do not have the people on our side, we will be wiped out by the government
forces,” advised Jose Martinez.
There was
silence for a few seconds by the group.
“You are
absolutely right,” said John. “We need to have a few hundred of us who are
committed to the cause. Those committed individuals should then be posted
to various villages around the country. They, in turn, will expand
the group until we have an army of our own,” continued John.
“Revolution
requires a sound organization. If it does not have one, it is doomed to
failure. Remember that we will be fighting a formidable foe who are well
armed with guns and tanks. There are two ways that we can match them with
weapons. One way is to canvas some of the disgruntled soldiers to our
cause. They know where the arsenal of guns are kept and when the time is
ripe we can obtain the guns by a surprise attack on the arsenal. The
other way is to pass the hat around and buy guns,” advised Jose Martinez.
“Buy
guns?!! What are you saying Jose? People hardly have money to buy
themselves a good meal. Where are they going to find the money to buy
thousands of guns? Perhaps our rich friend here can tell us,” asked
Manuel smiling at John.
The
entire crowd turned their heads to observe John’s reaction.
“I have
some money to enable us to buy a few guns. But where are we going to get
the guns from?” Most guns are made in the United States and it is going
to be a hard sell to obtain them from there. The U.S. government has come
down strongly on gun stores and every sale is monitored,” said John.
“In times
like this the only person that we can rely on is the President of Cuba.
He will supply us with the weapons if they are going to set us free. If
we play our cards right, the President of Cuba will probably send us some
specialists in the use of modern weapons so that our people will be prepared
when the time comes,” encouraged Jose Martinez.
“I don’t
think that we should approach Cuba. It is a communist state. The
people there are suppressed by that regime, and if they give us military aid it
is sure to be conditional that we set up a communist state. Our people
will be worse off than they are now,” put in Kino.
The
others in the group nodded their approval.
“We may
be poor, but at least we are free,” said Emilio.
“Think of
what Communism has done for Cuba. It has brought poor people out of
biting poverty and through education it has made over ninety percent of the
population literate. Surely, it has forced the people to work hard in
order to eat, and perhaps our people need to do that too instead of spending so
much of their time in bars,” said Jose Martinez.
If you
are making a case for Communism, I would rather be where we are right
now. It may be true that a few people in this country are making big bucks,
and somehow the government does very little to tax them so that the money could
be used for programs to uplift the people. However, once the government
is in the hands of the people it could enact policies and enforce the law to
trim the fat from the rich. We don’t need to become Communists to bring
about change,” declared Emilio.
Jose was
unsure what to say but thought that it would be best to conclude the
meeting. He set a date for the next meeting for the following week, and
urged the group to think seriously about the direction that should be taken to
make the Revolution a success. When it came to revolution, he was aware
that the nations that were ever willing to help would be Russia and Cuba.
However, obtaining their help was like going from the frying pan into the
fire. Yet there seemed to be no other option. Guns were badly
needed and so was advice on strategies to make the Revolution a success.
None of those in the group had any idea how to form, or even run a government
still less how to organize a Revolution. Jose Martinez knew that it
would be a dangerous situation even if the Revolution was a success leading to
chaos that would throw the country into anarchy which would be a worse state
than it was presently. He was convinced that this concern should be
raised with the group at the next meeting. However, he was disturbed that if
his visitor was genuine, word had already traveled much too far. This
meant that the government was also aware that political action was brewing in
the village and that the lives of the group were in jeopardy.
This was
far too worrisome for Jose to sleep. He got dressed in a hurry and made
his way to Emilio’s house. Emilio’s wife answered the door.
“Hello
Sofia,” greeted Jose.
“Is there
something wrong my dear Jose?” enquired Sofia.
“I know
that it is very late, but could I please speak with Emilio? It is of the
greatest importance.”
Emilio
suddenly made an appearance rubbing his eyes. He walked across to Jose
and hugged him.
“What is
the matter Jose? You look very worried. Have you been drinking?”
“Could
you and I talk somewhere private?”
“Sure.
Come with me,” said Emilio walking him to the kitchen.
“Emilio,
I had a visit from a representative from the Russian embassy. He
came to me offering help to enable us to kick out the government. At
first I thought that he was a government spy trying to flush us out so that
they could lock us up. The point is that our plans are somehow being
transmitted far and wide,” said Jose who was now perspiring.
“What did
you say to the Russian representative,” asked Emilio.
“I
pretended that I did not know what he was talking about. What if he was a
government spy?”
“Well
done Jose. How did this guy learn about our plans?”
“Obviously,
someone in our group has been talking to his friends about our plans. You
know what it is like in a village. Word gets around very fast.”
“I think
we should lie low and stop meeting for a month or so. We must stress the
importance of keeping everything discussed a guarded secret. When we hold
meetings in future it has to be done where nobody will see or hear us,”
cautioned Emilio.
“The
agent gave his name as Ivan Petrov and I asked that he meet me at nine p.m. at
my house tomorrow. I have asked him to prove his credentials before I
talked to him any further. He said that he would comply. Could you
be at my house at nine tomorrow? If he is genuine,
“You bet
I will be at your side tomorrow,” said Emilio.
“I knew
that I could depend on you my friend. I will see you tomorrow then, “said
Jose.
Good
Night
CHAPTER 6
It was a
dreary day. It seemed that the heavy rain clouds would never leave.
Late that evening, there was a heavy knock on Jose Martinez’s door. Jose
wondered who would have come to see him at such a late hour. It was
almost mid-night.
Jose
cautious opened the door. He noticed a man standing there anxiously awaiting to
get out of the rain.
“Are you
Jose Martinez?” asked the stranger.
“Yes, I
am. What do you want at this late hour,” asked Jose.
“Please
let me come in. I have some important information to give you,” pushing
his way into the house.
As soon
as he got in, he wanted to set Jose at ease.
“Please
Sir, my name is Ivan Petrov. From my name, you can tell that I am Russian,”
said the stranger.
“Hello
Ivan. What brings you here? If you are looking for a loan, you have
come to the wrong place. I have no money just like the majority of my
counterparts in this country,” declared Jose.
“No my
friend. I have come to help you and your fellow countrymen out of your
poverty. It is my understanding that you and your followers require
help. I am a representative of the Russian Government. It is our
understanding that you need our help to overthrow the present corrupt government,”
stated Ivan.
“Who told
you that must be out of his mind. I am a poor man going about my own
business and trying very hard to make ends meet,” cautioned Jose thinking that
Ivan was probably a Government spy.
“Jose,
please do not play games with me. We know from a very reliable source
that you are planning a coup d’état. This is a very serious business and
you are going to need the assistance of the Russian government to develop
strategies and to provide you with arms to counter the might of the present
government. We are prepared to train your men and this will only be done
because we believe that you are our brothers who are badly in need of good
government that cares more for the people than for itself,” stressed Ivan.
“I
understand where you are coming from Mr. Petrov. Please see me tomorrow
at nine p.m. right here. Make sure that you have something other than
yourself to prove that you represent the Russian Government, otherwise don’t
waste your time coming here,” said Jose.
“I
respect your wishes and understand your cautious approach which is a hallmark
of leadership. Thank you very much for your time, and do forgive me for the
lateness of the hour. I will see you tomorrow at nine p.m. and will
possess all the evidence that I am a genuine representative of the Russian
Government.”
With that
he saluted Jose, turned around and walked out into the dark and rainy night.
As soon
as Ivan left, Jose got dressed hurriedly and made his way to see Emilio.
Oblivious of the lateness of the hour, Jose knocked at the door. Emilio’s
wife Sofia opened the door.
“Hello
Jose. Why are you up so late? Is there something the matter?” asked
Sofia.
“I
apologise for visiting this late. Is it possible for me to talk with
Emilio? Something has come up and it is very vital that I talk to him,”
acknowledged Jose.
As Jose
spoke, Emilio walked in wiping his eyes with the back of his palms and his
pyjamas looking crinkly with use.
“Hello
Jose. What brings you here at this unearthly hour,” asked Emilio.
“Is there
a place where we can talk privately?” asked Jose.
“Don’t
worry. You can remain right here. I will go to the kitchen and make
some tea for all of us,” said Sofia.
“Thanks
Sofia,” said Emilio and Jose in unison.
“I had a
strange visitor come to visit me this evening. He confessed to be a
representative of the Russian government. He made me understand that his
government had become aware that the people of Nicaragua were planning to
overthrow the government and that his government would be happy to assist the
people. I thought that perhaps this was a trick and that he might be a
government spy fishing for information regarding our movement,” said Jose in
deep thought.
“If the
Russian government has come to hear about our plans, it is even more likely
that the Nicaraguan government has already got wind of our plans. This
has certainly put the whole movement in jeopardy and our lives may be in much
danger. We could be rounded up and taken up for treason which, in our
country, is punishable by death,” continued Jose.
“I think
that there are some in our group who are passing on the information that we
discuss at our meetings to their friends. Typical of small town
mentality, these friends pass on the information to their friends and in no time
it reaches precisely those who should not know our plans. I think we
should call a meeting right away. This time it should done in
private. Our members should be informed that they will not divulge
anything even to their mothers or fathers. They must be made to take a
vow to that effect. Any breaking of the rules should have serious
consequences,” stressed Emilio.
“I
couldn’t agree with you more,” said Jose. “However, I think we need to
lie low for the next month or two. Our whole attitude should now be to
spread the word that our government is doing a fine job, and that rumours that
Nicaraguans were trying to overthrow the government is one big joke. If
this is repeated in all the public places, it will certainly get to the
government and the incident will be put on the back burner. After two months,
under very tight security, we can commence holding meetings once again to
further our plans,” continued Jose.
“I think
that would be the right way to go,” approved Emilio.
“I am
meeting the supposedly Russian representative tomorrow at nine p.m. at my
place. You are a very perceptive person Emilio so I want you to be at
this meeting to pick up anything that I may have missed. Ivan Petrov,
that’s his name, is going to reveal his identity tomorrow. If he is who
he says he is, perhaps we could ask him how we should proceed in the light of
our new discovery,” said Jose.
“I will
be there at nine on the button, “assured Emilio.
Sofia
made an entry with steaming hot tea and some homemade biscuits.
She
noticed a seriousness about their demeanour but did not venture to question
them about what was going on.
It was
close to three o’clock in the early hours of the morning but neither Emilio nor
Jose were sleepy or tired any more. They did, however, say good night to
each other and parted company.
CHAPTER 7
Early in
the morning, John woke up feeling mildly depressed. It had been almost
three weeks since Alison left him for Canada. He began to feel the
loneliness precipitated by the distance that separated them. John tried
phoning her when he was feeling very low, but more often than not, he had to
leave a message on her voice mail. He had spoken to her only twice since her
departure so he began to wonder whether it was all over for them. If
absence makes the heart grow fonder, John felt that he was missing his wife
very intensely. He self-medicated his loneliness by drinking
heavily. He became increasingly aware that his health was slowly but
steadily going down the tube. He often debated whether he should
pack his things and join his wife in Canada. But somehow, he
believed that he had a calling in Nicaragua. Deep in his heart, he felt
that he had to remain where he was if only to help in the cause of restoring a
good and decent standard of living for the people. He had already pledged
his loyalty to the group who were undertaking this ambitious but perilous
movement in a bid for change. There were moments when he wished that
change could come without any violence. However, he lived long enough in
Nicaragua to believe that the greed and corruption of those in charge was so
endemic and so pervasive that violence seemed the only way to make changes.
While he
was having his breakfast, he was interrupted by a visitor. He opened the
main door and there in front of him was Julius. Julius was part of the
growing group of conspirators. John met him at one of the meetings.
Julius rarely spoke or wagered an opinion.
“Hello
John. I hope I am not bothering you too early,” said Julius as a form of
greeting.
“Please
come in Julius. That is your name isn’t it? I have seen you several
times at our meetings but never had an opportunity of talking to you, or
discussing the issues that were brought up at our meetings,” said John.
“Yes,
it’s Julius. How kind of you to have remembered my name. Since I joined
the group, I have been in a state of depression. You see, I do not
believe in violence and what is constantly being advocated by the group is the
violent overthrow of the government,” said Julius. “On the face of it, it
would seem to me that nothing short of an armed struggle that would bring about
to this country,” declared Julius.
“If you
are a true patriot, you should be prepared to lay down your life for your
country,” said John.
“I
understand what you are saying. But there have been countries like India
that adopted the policy of non-violence and were able to throw off the shackles
of colonialism. If you examine many of the African countries that
obtained their independence through violent means, the governments that
replaced them became more repressive, brutal and exploitive than the government
that they overthrew,” said Julius. “Why don’t we follow India’s example and
start with non-cooperation with the government unless the demands of the people
are met. The moment the present government is hit in the pocket, it will
be persuaded to make changes to its economic policies, and the people will
become beneficiaries,” stressed Julius.
“As I see
it, Revolution is a short cut to improving the lot of the people. But I
do see what you are saying. Why don’t you bring this up at the next
meeting my friend. It would be worth discussing. As I see it, we
need an intelligent and strong leadership…..one that is incorruptible and one
that can garner the support of the majority of people. Such leadership
has not emerged as yet. What we also need in this country is a very
strong labour union. Many leaders have emerged from the labour union who
are generally well informed about the state of the country and particularly the
needs of its people,” advised John.
“By the
way, I am such a bad host. Please let me offer you something to
drink. Have you already had your breakfast?”
“Coffee
will be fine my dear friend,” said Julius.
Both
Julius and John continued to discuss a number of issues. It was finally
decided that their concerns had to be raised with the group. Perhaps
there were others sitting on the fence with regard to armed insurrection and so
it was important to clear the air for all concerned.
After
Julius and John had parted company, Emilio appeared at John’s residence.
He told him in whispers that the meeting slated for the week had been called
off. He explained to him that there were new developments in their plans,
and that he would be informing him shortly about a possible meeting in the near
future. He also told John that it was very important that anything that
was discussed at their former meetings not be divulged to anyone. This
was of the utmost importance for the safety of the group.
“Why this
special visit to give me this information. Something is going on and
somehow you are not telling me the whole story,” admonished John.
“Please
do not ask me anything. There is something in the works right now.
Only after this has been resolved will the group be let in on it,” said Emilio.
With
that, Emilio took his leave and promptly left the house
John
wondered why there was such drama, but he became conscious of the fact that
something serious was going on. He thought that he had to get to the bottom of
it.
CHAPTER 8
At nine
p.m. on the button, there was a knock on Jose’s door. Both Emilio and
Jose looked at each other as though in disbelief. Ivan Petrov had come
visiting as he had promised.
“Hello
Jose. I see that you have a friend with you,” said Ivan.
“Please
come in my friend. This is Emilio who is one of my dear friends,” said
Jose.
“Any
friend of Jose is also my friend,” said Ivan patronizing Jose.
“As I had
promised, I have come bearing good news.”
He
produced a letter from his brief-case and handed it to Jose.
Jose
split open the envelope and in it he found an official letter with the Russian
emblem embossed in gold on top of the letter. The letter was from the
Russian Ambassador and it was brief and to the point. It stated that the
bearer of the letter was Ivan Petrov and that he was one of his
assistants. It further stated, that if Jose wished, he could visit the
Embassy by phoning ahead, and it provided Jose with the ambassador’s personal
phone number.
“I guess
that the letter is sufficient proof to lay your suspicions to rest,” said
Ivan. Jose made no reply.
“This is
hardly the place to discuss politics. Your walls are far too porous for
that. I would like to set up a meeting for your group somewhere in the
city. Your group will not have to worry about paying for anything for the
week that you will be with me. The Ambassador will pick up the tab.
However, nobody is to say anything to anybody about your departure from the
village. Each of you will have to find some credible excuse for your
absence, that even your families will buy,” stressed Ivan.
“When is
this going to happen?” asked Jose.
“You will
be given ample notice so that your group can prepare themselves for this life
saving trip,” said Ivan.
“You may
be taking things for granted here. We have not said that we are going to
accept your terms, so why are you wasting your money?” asked Jose.
“After
the meeting your group will have the option to accept or reject the assistance
that we are offering you, “said Ivan.
Jose
pulled Emilio aside, and asked him whether he saw any danger in what was
developing. Emilio stressed that they were still living in a free
country, and attending a meeting would not hurt them.
Jose
smiled at Ivan for the first time and declared that it was a deal.
“I would
like to leave you with a sober thought,” said Ivan. “In order for a Revolution
to work, there is a whole lot of spadework to be done. A plan has to be drawn
up and above all there must be a whole lot of training to undergo. It is
a lot of hard work which demands the sacrifice of thousands of committed people
who are prepared to give up their lives in order to take their country back,”
continued Ivan.
Neither
Jose nor Emilio responded to this warning.
They bid
Ivan goodbye and he, in turn, left the house unceremoniously.
Emilio
told Jose that he was quite impressed with Ivan’s honesty and sincerity.
Jose, however, had another take. He told Emilio that Ivan was perhaps a
great salesman and that they had to be very careful before they signed on the
dotted line.
“I am of
the firm belief that nobody gives something for nothing,” concluded Jose.
CHAPTER 9
On the
other side of town, Chief Inspector Sebastian Santiago was scanning through
several reports that were left on his desk. Sebastian was a well-known
police officer reputed for his stern demeanour and no-nonsense attitude.
His instructions to his officers had to be carried out without any excuses and
with precision. Several officers were demoted because they failed to do
as they were instructed. He was feared by all his equals and
subordinates.
He had in
his hand a report that he read several times over in order to understand the
information which he thought was of much concern to him. The report was
signed by Diego Mateo from the Security Department. He got on the phone
and asked Diego to report to his office within an hour.
The
report read:
“Please
be informed that our investigation has revealed that there is a fledging group
in the East of Nicaragua who are apparently planning to conduct a coup.
Your intervention at this stage might help stamp out any attempts for this
group to grow in popularity and strength. It has to be nipped in the bud. While
there is universal dissatisfaction among the people against the government
because of its economic problems, it is only this group referred to earlier,
who seem to be taking positive steps to spread their treasonable doctrine in an
effort to draw more people to their cause.”
“Do you
have a list of the people involved in this movement?” asked Inspector Santiago.
“No
Sir. However, please be informed that since we are still a democracy,
people have a right to express their views about the government. It is
not easy to arrest anybody unless there is iron clad proof that they are
breaking the law. As you know, Sir, right across Nicaragua there is a
growing dissatisfaction among the people. In some cases there is genuine
anger and this can translate itself into all kinds of threats against the
government which will never materialize. The group that I am referring to
are now meeting to organize themselves into a parallel government. I have
received this information from the grapevine and it requires further
investigation by your department to verify the authenticity of the movement.”
“Now you
listen to me. I would like you to get me names of people who are flapping
their mouths off about the government. I would like to have a chat with
them. I hope that is very clear,” demanded Santiago.
“Respectfully
Sir, if that is the case I would have to bring in thousands of people who do
not have anything good to say about the government.”
“You know
what I mean Diego. Don’t be a smart ass with me. If you get to know
of anybody who poses a threat to the government, I need to be informed right
away.”
Diego
knew that he had to follow orders. He also knew that once names were
handed to Santiago, those people would be summarily arrested, and rumour had
it, they would never be seen again. He was aware that Santiago’s reputation
for brutality was well known but never documented. However, orders were orders
and it was now up to Diego to supply Santiago with the list of
dissidents.
When he
got back to his office, however, Diego was having pangs of conscience.
He, himself had friends and relatives who were suffering biting privations
because they could not find jobs and money was very scarce. He was aware
of the nepotism that was practiced by the higher-uppers when jobs had to be
filled. In Security he was privy to information about the siphoning of
government money to Swiss banks by government officials. Inspector
Santiago was one of the biggest offenders but nobody would reveal this since
their lives were at stake. His job was important to him in as far as it brought
in a reasonably good wage. However, his conscience constantly nagged at
him because of the corruption that prevailed at all levels of government.
He left the office early, and went to his favourite bar.
“Hello
Mr. Mateo, you are here early today,” said the barman.
“Hello
Adolpho, could you pour me a double Scotch?”
“Yes, of
course. Is something bothering you?” asked Adolpho.
“If you
had some of the problems that I have, you would probably want a double Scotch
yourself,” said Diego.
Adolpho
was a seasoned barman, who was a master of human behaviour. He knew that
he should not ask too many questions. His experience had revealed that it
was only a question of a couple of drinks (a form of self-medication) that the
troubled person would pour out with his problems.
“Adolpho
do you come from a village a few miles from here?”
“Yes
Senior.”
“Are the
people happy over there?”
“It is
hard to be happy when one is poor,” said Adolpho.
“I cannot
agree more with you,” said Diego taking a long sip at his Scotch.
“Most
people depend on their little gardens for food since they do not have the money
to buy it. But, because of the changing seasons, many people starve for
most of the year. Unfortunately, the government does not reach out and
help poor people,” ventured Adolpho.
“Is it
not true that the majority of people are far too lazy to work for a
living? Perhaps the people are responsible for their own failure to work
for a living,” said Diego.
“In every
community you will find some lazy people. In my village, most men and
women are prepared to work but there is no work to be had. After looking for
work time and time again and failing, many just stay at home and are often
labelled as being lazy. This is most unfair. You work for the government
Senior, have you seen any initiative by the government to create jobs for the
people?” asked Adolpho.
There was
silence for a few seconds.
“Why do
people always have to depend on the government to create jobs? Why don’t
people start their own businesses and in the process create jobs for other
people” asked Diego.
“In order
to start a business one needs money Senior. Our banks will only loan
money to rich people. Poor people are far too great a risk on their
finances. Many villagers have approached banks for money but were rudely
rejected,” said Adolpho.
Diego
handed over his glass to Adolpho and asked for a fill-up.
By this
time Diego was feeling liberated and for the first time he decided that if
there was a movement intended to overthrow the government, perhaps he should be
a part of it too.
“You know
Adolpho, what if I said to you that we should get organized and try to
overthrow the government.”
“I would
think that you are crazy,” said Adolpho defensively.
“You know
that I work for the government and I see with my own eyes the corruption that
exists. Money that should be spent on uplifting the standard of life of
the people is being siphoned off and sent to Swiss accounts created by
government officials.”
“Why
don’t you report the matter to the Police,” responded Adolpho innocently.
“I have
already said too much Adolpho. If you pass on this information to anybody
else, I will deny that I ever said it,” warned Diego.
“Information?
What information? I never heard anything,” replied Adolpho with a serious
look on his face.
“That’s
my man. Now how much do I owe you?”
Diego
left the bar, meandering towards the main door and mumbling to himself
something that was totally incoherent.
Adolpho
knew that he was a disturbed man.
CHAPTER
10
A meeting
was called to order to inform the group of patriots about the recent
developments. This meeting was to be held in secrecy. John’s house
seemed to be the ideal place to accommodate the group in attendance. John
was very obliging and assured Jose that the group would be very
comfortable. Emilio and Kino were instructed to inform each member in
person that the meeting was to take place at nine p.m. the following
Tuesday. They were also to keep the meeting a guarded secret.
Nobody was to know about it; not even their spouses. They were also
warned not to approach John’s house in groups for fear that John’s neighbours
might be alerted to the meeting. In any event, the neighbours were
already used to the crowds that visited John and the noisy partying. The
parties went on well into the early hours of the morning. They would,
therefore, not bother with those who came there even if it was for nefarious
reasons.
Jose
opened the meeting. He informed the group that things were getting
frightfully serious and it was important for the group to know whether they
still wanted to proceed with liberating the country. He warned them that
it was going to be a very difficult journey fraught with many dangers to
themselves and their families. If they did not have the intestinal
fortitude, the conviction of the nobility of their actions, the determination
to bring about change no matter what the consequences, then only was it going
to be worth their while to proceed. The meeting was called to make a head
count of those who were going to be loyal to the cause.
“lease
rest assured that there is no pressure on you to stay with the group.
However, once you are in, your unstinting loyalty is expected. If this is not
forthcoming your lives may be in forfeit,” said Jose.
There was
silence while each member of the group contemplated what had just been said.
Finally, one member of the group stood up and walked out of the meeting.
He did not utter a word. Jose did not say a word to him either, but in
his heart he praised him for his conviction.
“Thank
you for your loyalty to our country. Now, before we proceed I have to
emphasize the importance of keeping everything you know about our plans and our
activities a guarded secret. If the secret service gets to know what we
are up to, it is going to be curtains for all of us. Nobody, but nobody
apart from this group, will be your confident. Those of us who are married will
have the onerous task of keeping our plans away from the ears of our spouses.
It is not going to be easy, but secrecy is of the greatest importance. We
are now going to have an election for the person who is going to lead this
group. I now call for nominations,” said Jose.
“I
nominate you, Jose,” shouted Emilio.
“Do not
underestimate the leadership skills of those here. I call for further
nominations,” declared Jose.
“I move
that the nominations be closed,” said Julius.
“I second
the nomination,” said Kino with satisfaction.
“Thank
you my brothers. As your leader, I am going to frame some rules of conduct
which are very essential to the success of our venture. When the rules
have been constructed, I will have you discuss them and hopefully pass
them. We are a democratic organization and we are going to do things by
consent of the majority. Now for the good news. I am going to ask
Emilio to give you the news,” concluded Jose.
“My
brothers, we have been in touch with the Russian embassy. One of the
assistants there approached us and offered us help in making our revolution a
success. All of us require training not only in the use of firearms which
they will supply us when the time comes, but also to become good fighters in
the field. This training will not take place here. We are going to
be transported to Cuba and then flown to Moscow where we will be for three
weeks of intensive training. This is going to be done in pairs so that the
villagers do not get suspicious about the sudden absence of so many of us if we
all got away together. Those of us who are behind will have to scout around for
recruits to our cause. I need hardly say that you have to be very discrete
about who you recruit. Prospective recruits have to be deeply committed
to getting rid of the government. It will not be very difficult to find
them in the villages around us. There are so many who live in desperate
poverty and really have nothing to lose. However, your search should not
be confined to people in our immediate neighborhood. We need to get the
whole country on our side. Those of you who have friends in the North or South
will have to travel to meet with them. Jose will give you the money that you
need to travel to and back again.”
“Isn’t it
dangerous for us to seek help from the Communists?” asked Kino.
“I
thought that we had discussed this at the beach once and most of us were
against the idea,” said Julius.
“We have
no other way to get out of the poverty that has enveloped our country.
Most Western countries will not help us since they tend to gain far more from
our country the way it is. The Communists cannot force us to run our
country the way they do theirs. I have no doubt that they will try to
indoctrinate us when we go for training. Politics is a game and we have
to learn to play it. After the revolution is a success, it is up to the
people to decide what kind of government they want. I am sure that there
is a sizeable group who will favour a communist state. In my opinion any
kind of government would be better than what we have right now. But don’t
get me wrong. I am with you and will do everything in my power to
establish a democratically elected government,” said Jose.
“Somehow,
I get a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach,” said Julius. “But who can
argue with you? Anything would be better than what we have now,” continued
Julius.
“Then
this is settled,” said Jose.
“My final
word to you all is that everything that is said here has to be a guarded
secret. Try to abstain from alcohol for it tends to loosen ones
inhibitions and makes you very vulnerable to divulging your secrets to others.
This may cost you your life if divulged to the wrong person or group of
persons. Now go your separate ways and remember that you are the chosen
ones who will make or break the movement,” warned Jose.
CHAPTER
11
Diego
Mateo was on the horns of a dilemma. While at his desk, he wondered
whether he should seriously investigate who were part of the conspiracy so that
their names could be handed over to Sebastian Santiago, the Chief of
Police. His job demanded that he should follow the instructions given to
him by the Police Chief. Deep down in his heart, however, he was
convinced that the Chief of Police represented all that was wrong and morally
reprehensible to the human spirit. His conscience told him that rounding
up those who did not agree with government policies was undemocratic at
best. How could anybody exterminate people who did not agree with what
the government was doing to its people? It was not only heartless but
downright murder. He was convinced that he had to find a way of exposing
the corrupt practices that he witnessed, and hopefully the pressure would be
off those who were trying to change the status quo.
As he was
deep in thought, the phone rang.
“Hello
Diego, this is your friend Gustav.
“Hello
Guz,” replied Diego. “I am so happy that you called. I have been in a
depressive mood for the past week. Your voice is a breath of fresh
air,” continued Diego.
“You have
a fine job my friend…..making a whole lot of money. What would someone
like you be depressed about?” asked Gustav.
“I cannot
talk to you on the phone my friend. Can we meet at “La Taberna” at
eleven-thirty today?”
“If you
have the cash, I will be happy to join you. If you don’t, I know a good
outlet that sells good ‘Guaro de contrabando’ which is something I can afford,
and gives you a better buzz than the best liquors in the world,” invited
Gustav.
“No Guz,
it is going to be my treat, so do we meet at eleven-thirty or not?”
“Your
invitation is music to my ears my friend. I will be there an hour early
with great anticipation,” said Gustav.
There
were only a few customers at “La Taberna” and Diego felt that he could talk to
Gustav freely. Gustav was happy to meet Diego. Their friendship
started in High School. Gustav was a very enterprising student and Diego
often envied him for his intelligence and for his good looks that seemed to
attract girls without him wooing them. Unfortunately, Gustav came
from a poor family and so he did not have the where-with-all to advance his
education in college. There were also far too few job opportunities so
Gustav had to accept any job that was offered to him. Most of these jobs
were temporary in nature and paid very poor salaries. Minimum wages were
not as yet established by law. According to Gustav, he was more often than not
unemployed. He hoped for better days but somehow things were getting
worse.
“What
will you have to drink,” asked Diego.
“Will it
be too extravagant of me to ask for a Scotch?” asked Gustav.
Diego
called the waiter and ordered two double Scotches on the rocks.
“Now, my
friend, what is this I hear you say about being in a state of depression?”
“It is a
long story Guz, but I have to tell somebody about it to lighten the burden that
seems to be weighing so heavily on my heart.”
Diego
told Gustav the entire story and he wondered whether Guz had any advice for
him.
“It is a
well-known saying, and I’m sure that you know it well. If you work for
the government, you have to be culpably dishonest. What you have just
described to me is not at all surprising. You are asking me for advice so
I will give it to you. If you want to be happy, you have to quit your job
and lose all the monitory benefits that you are receiving in order ease your
conscience. You should look out for a job in the private sector and this
is not going to be easy. I can confirm to you that there is a movement
afoot to overthrow the government. Perhaps you and I should hook up with
this movement so that we could give our country the kind of renewal that it has
never seen before. The movement is also in need of intellectuals who will
inject some form of sanity into a movement that will require a sense of
political direction,” advised Gustav.
“At
present I am of two minds. If I stay where I am, I can provide the
movement with inside information that they may not be privy to. If I quit
now, I am sure that I will be watched closely by the police. Inspector
Santiago is no fool. He will definitely associate my sudden departure
with his request for names of what he considers to be dissidents. He is
sure to suspect that I am with them, and that will restrict the contribution
that I could make if I stayed on,” said Diego.
“Then how
are you going to get around giving him the list that he has demanded of you,”
asked Gustav.
“I will
have to come up with a cock-and-bull story to massage his ego,” replied Diego
with a pensive expression on his face.
“There is
another way Diego. Why don’t we get in touch with the underground and
have Santiago neutralized? I know of quite a few desperate people who would
only need to be given the word. It will also be another way of getting
rid of a despotic murderer who has done away with so many bread winners from
the village in the past,” invited Gustav.
Diego
asked the waiter to bring another two doubles.
After a
long silence as though he was waiting for his drink but was actually deep in
thought he declared, “I think that I am with you my friend. How do I get
into this movement?’
“Give me
a phone number where you could be reached. As soon as I leave you I will approach
the leader of the group who is organising an armed insurrection against the
government. His name is Basilio Camilo. I will arrange for
you to meet him so that the Chief of Police will soon be history,” declared
Gustav.
They
drowned their drinks, hugged each other and parted.
CHAPTER
12
John
remained awake until the early hours of the morning. His concern was that
Jose had not assigned to him any responsibilities making him feel that he was
really not a part of the movement. He wondered whether since he was from
a foreign land and belonged to a very visible minority within the community,
whether perhaps that was the reason for his seeming distrust of him.
Furthermore, he was also going through the pains of separation from his wife
who made no effort to contact him, and that added to his loneliness and his
frustration. There were times when he thought seriously about
selling all he had and returning to Canada. Yet deep in his heart, he
knew that he could play a role in seeking the freedom of the people, who he had
come to love and respect.
He
thought that he would have a tete a tete with Jose and determine just exactly
what role he would play if any.
“My dear
friend John, everybody in the group is going to be assigned a
responsibility. I was thinking that perhaps you should be handling the
funds of the organization. It is not going to be easy to raise funds in a
society that is so cash strapped as ours is. I am also very convinced
that you are the right man for the job since you are independently well off,
and there will be no temptation for you to abscond with the money. You
will also have to come up with ways to raise money and that in itself is going
to be quite a challenge,” advised Jose.
“Thank
you Jose. For a moment there I thought that I was being phased out, but
you have set my mind at ease. Sure, I will accept the responsibility of
handling the cash. As far as organizing fund raising activities, I am
going to need at least two others from the group to put our heads together to
have some kind of activities that will generate funds,” said John very much at
ease.
“You can
go right ahead and choose whoever you think will be creative enough to raise
funds,” advised Jose. ”Furthermore, I am expecting some money from the Russians
to help us pay for incidentals and that money will be kept by you,” said Jose.
“To
cement my allegiance to the party, I am going to sell some of the land that I
bought when I got here, and that money will be transferred into the account as
a part of my contribution,” said John.
“You are
a generous man. I am sure that the country could have been a much better
place if everybody was like you,” complimented Jose.
“Well, I
guess that I had better be going. There is a whole lot of work to be attended
to,” said John.
They
shook hands warmly and went their separate ways.
When John
got home, he felt a sense of relief that he had now become very much a part of
the group. He admonished himself for thinking that the group had
abandoned him. He was also deep in thought about including a couple of
members from the group to assist him in raising funds particularly since he was
aware that he would be confronted with donner fatigue largely due to the many
pleas for donations from mainly Church groups who used the money to ease the
suffering of the very poor in the community.
Amaranto
Bajardo and Carlito Dimas were well known to him. However, he did not
know whether they would join the underground. Both these men were
creative and popular within the community. They would be persuasive when
it came to generating funds, but he first had to bring them aboard before
recruiting their help. Both these gentlemen had little makeshift stalls
in the market. Amaranto sold freshly slaughtered goat meat and Carlito
sold fruit and vegetables. In addition he sold lottery tickets which were
the biggest sellers in this impoverished community. Both Amaranto and
Carlito were single. They would very much have liked to be married and
raise children but their income from their businesses just about kept their
heads above water.
John made
his way to the market when he knew that they would not be busy.
Siesta was taken quite seriously by the locals and John thought that it would
be the best time to engage them individually.
“Hello my
friend Amaranto. How are you?” asked John.
“It is
always a pleasure to see you. What have you been doing with your
life? How is your wife? Is she back from the old country?” asked
Amaranto.
“I am
well my dear friend. I have been quite busy recently. I would like
to see more of you. This may be short notice, but is it possible for you to
visit me tomorrow at 7 p.m. at my house? We can have a few drinks
followed by dinner?” invited John.
“What’s
the occasion? Is it your birthday?”
“Not at
all. Why can’t two friends meet each other on a social level without
having to celebrate something or other?”
“I will
be there at seven p.m. and thanks for your invitation,” said Amaranto.
John then
moved further down the road where Carlito had set up his stall.
“My
friend Carlito, how are you?” asked John.
“It is
always a pleasure to see you John. What brings you to the market?
Interested in some great, fresh vegetables and fruit?”
“Sure,
why not!” said John.
After
John had picked up the choicest fruit and some vegetables he looked Carlito in
the eyes and said,
“I have
not spoken to you for such a long time. Why don’t you come over to my
house at seven p.m. the day after tomorrow? We can have a few drinks and have a
chat,” asked John.
“You are
always very generous my friend. I would love to have a few drinks with
you,” exclaimed Carlito.
“Now
don’t forget, the day after tomorrow, Wednesday to be exact at seven p.m.”
“I will
be there!”
CHAPTER
13
A couple
of weeks later, Jose Martinez was met at the market by someone he did not
know. The man, who did not give his name, bumped into him and whispered
to him that his boss Ivan Petrov would like to meet him at the “Tipsy Cow Bar”
at eight that evening. This arrangement was being made for his own
safety. Before Jose could ask him a question, the man walked away and
disappeared in the crowd.
If
anything, Jose began to become conscious that secrecy was important since
government spies were posted all over the country. He was abundantly aware of
the brutality that could befall anybody if the government felt that there was
anything anti-government that was going on.
That
evening, Jose entered the “Tipsy Cow Bar” hoping that Ivan Petrov was already
there. Jose had arrived at the bar twenty minutes early, so he took a
seat at a table at the far end of the large sitting area. At eight
p.m. sharp, Petrov entered the bar. He walked straight to where Jose was
sitting, as though somebody had already tipped him off as to where he was.
“Thank
you for coming. I have some good news for you,” announced Petrov sounding
very official.
“Good
news is always appreciated,” replied Jose.
Petrov
pulled out a large brown envelope from his bag and handed it over to Jose.
“You will
find ten thousand dollars in this envelope. The Russian government is
aware that your group is going to need money for a variety of incidentals and
this money should help ease the way. I need hardly emphasize that the
money should be kept by someone who is very trustworthy. This money
should only be used for activities hinging on the movement,” warned Petrov.
“Please
thank the Russian government for its assistance. Also be assured that
this money will be held by a gentleman from Canada who is independently rich,
and is sworn to help the cause with much of his own money,” said Jose.
“The
Russian government knows of Mr. John Harding and we have him in our files,”
said Petrov.
“The
second topic that I need to discuss with you is your training. We are
going to fly leaders of different cells right across Nicaragua to Russia for a
week of intensive training. You will be flown from Nicaragua to Cuba in a
private plane. From Cuba you will be flown directly to Moscow. I
suggest that you had better get ready for the flight since you will be given
only a few hours’ notice before one of our drivers will pick you up and drive
you to a destination which, for security reasons, will not be divulged to you
right now. You must find some plausible reason for leaving, so that the
family does not get anxious about a week’s absence from home. A good
excuse is to say that you are going to visit some relative on the other side of
Nicaragua. There is no need for you to bring a change of clothes or any
toiletry. All this will be provided. You must travel as light as
possible,” said Petrov standing up and extending his hand to Jose. They
shook hands and parted company.
Jose
never had so much money in his hand. He felt very insecure carrying
it. He slipped the envelope in his shirt and hoped that nobody had
noticed him. He made directly for John’s house and without telling him
the source of the money, asked him to place the money in a bank account under
his name. John did not ask any questions but just like a good accountant,
he opened the envelope and counted the money with Jose looking on. It
counted correctly and John assured Jose that the money would be banked first
thing in the morning.
When Jose
left, John decided to hide the money where it would not be found easily.
He walked out to the back yard and in the cover of darkness, he inched his way
towards a discarded drain and stuffed the envelope containing the money into it
as far as his hands could travel. He then took a bunch of rocks and
stuffed them in. Satisfied that the money was safe where it was, he had a
drink to calm his nerves and then decided that it was time to go to bed.
In the
early hours of the morning, he could not help feeling that there was a presence
in his room. He was wide awake. It took him some time to get used
to the darkness. He dared not switch on the lights. His ears were
eager to catch any sound so that he could focus on the area from which it
came. Before he knew it, however, the lights suddenly came on. John
sat up in bed. Right in front of him was a man dressed in black. He
kept his face covered.
“Where is
the money,” asked the voice with a level of threat to it.
“Money?
What money?” asked John?
In a
flash, a ten inch knife blade appeared in the intruder’s hand.
“I have
money Sir, but it is all in the bank. I will be very happy to give you
some if you need it that badly,” said John.
“Don’t
give me that you lump of shit. Where do you keep your money? Tell
me, or I will cut you into small pieces,” said the voice in a menacing tone.
John got
up from the bed holding on to the blanket just in case the intruder attacked
him.
Much to
his surprise and good luck, a car was heard driving into his driveway and
flashing its high beams. The intruder could hear footsteps approaching
the entrance to the house. He suddenly made for the window through which
he had entered the house and before John knew it there was a knock on his door.
John breathed a sigh of relief. It was Jose. John opened the
door but rather than welcoming him in, he shouted that there was a thief who
was about to kill him. Jose ordered his driver to scout around the house
but there was no sign of anybody.
“Are you
sure you have not been drinking and have been imagining things?” asked Jose.
Jose
assured him that there was a thief.
In any
event, Jose explained to John that he was on his way to Russia for training and
that he was the only one to know about this. He would be back in a week,
but during this time he suggested that he invites one or even two of the group
to stay with him so that he would be safe. Before Jose left, John hurried
to the backyard and was heartened that the money that he had stuffed up the
drain was still there. He took it in with him knowing full well that the
thief would not have the guts to venture into his house again.
Jose got
into the car and drove away without saying goodbye.
It was
only after Jose left that John came to a full realization of how close he came
to death or, if he was lucky, he would be left seriously hurt. He noticed
that he had broken into a cold sweat and found himself shaking as though he had
a bout of malaria.
CHAPTER
14
Diego
waited anxiously for a call from Gustav. Before long he knew that the
Chief of Police Sebastian Santiago would be in touch with him seeking the list
of dissidents that Diego was ordered to bring to him. If he told Santiago
that he did not have the list ready, he knew that he would be in for a serious
reprimand or even out of a job. To his good luck, Gustav called him
while he was still deep in thought. The first ring of the phone caused
him to be in a state of shock. He finally plucked up the courage to
answer the phone and was richly relieved that it was Gustav and not
Santiago.
“Please
meet me at the “Zanzi -bar” at 8 p.m. It has all been arranged,” declared
Gustav.
“Thanks
Guz. I will be there at exactly 8. Bye,” said Diego.
This was
a pivotal moment in Diego’s life. He was off to meet the gang that Gustav
spoke to Diego about.
In order
to maintain the integrity of the gang, the meeting was to be held deep in the
woods. It was a dark night but Gustav appeared to know the way.
Finally they reached the spot where he met at least fifteen gang members.
The leader of the gang approached Diego and placed his palm on his shoulder.
“I
believe that you want us to solve one of your problems,” he stated. “You
have come to the right place,” he continued.
“Santiago
is no friend of ours. In fact he is no friend of Nicaragua. Gustav has
told me that you would like to join our cell. We are freedom fighters and
it is our hope to unseat this government at the earliest possible
time. If you are certain about joining, you have to swear your
loyalty to the group,” said the Leader who did not give out his name.
“Yes
Sir. I swear my loyalty to the group and to Nicaragua,” said Diego.
“My name
is Basilio Camilo. Welcome to the group. One of the things that we
insist on is secrecy. Whatever you learn when you attend our meetings is
to be held in utter secrecy. We are like brothers and will protect each
other even if it is going to cost us our lives.”
“I
understand Basilio,” said Diego shaking Basilio’s hands.
“Gustav,”
shouted Basilio, “take Diego and introduce him to the rest of the gang.
After
introductions were made, Basilio addressed the group.
“Brothers,
we have now come to the purpose of this meeting. We have known the Chief
of Police for some time now. We know him to be a twisted and corrupt
murderer who has brutalized and killed several of our brothers. We now
have added proof from brother Diego that he is still at it. He is an
impediment to our movement. He needs to be neutralized. By show of
hands, let us decide that he has to go,” said Basilio. All hands went up.
“Benjamin
and Julio you will have to come up with a plan to get rid of this animal,” said
Basilio. “Remember that the plan should be so perfect that it would not give
any of the police force any reason to accuse you or any of us,” declared
Basilio. “This plan should be ready by tomorrow since Diego’s life is perilously
in danger,” Continued Basilio.
The two
men left promptly in order to devise a plan. Unfortunately, neither of
them nor the group possessed any guns and this posed a disadvantage. The
Chief of Police had to be killed at close quarters. Benjamin owned a
Bollock Dagger and Julio carried a Trench Knife. Both these weapons were
lethal if used strategically. Benjamin and Julio were convinced that they
had to study the habits of the Police Chief. Their best bet was to engage
him when he was in a crowd. Unfortunately, most crowds gathered
when it was celebrating a Catholic feast especially when paying tribute to the
Virgin Mary. They considered that murder was heinous act and
participating in it on a Christian feast was unforgivable. They therefore had
to do it when the opportunity presented itself perhaps when the Chief of Police
was visiting the market. However, they discovered that they were running
ahead of themselves and decided that keeping an eye on the Chief was the first
thing that they had to do.
Benjamin
agreed to watch his movements during the week and Julio was to observe him on
the weekend. It was not an easy task, but after a week they were able to
determine that it was not going to be easy to engage the Chief since he spent
long hours at his desk at work, and drove straight home around ten p.m.
His house was guarded by an armed policeman so entry into the house, was very
risky at best. Santiago rarely went out on the weekend, and that added to
their concern about how and where to engage him. Chief Santiago did, however,
have a girlfriend. She was a matronly looking woman with hard features
and a strong body. She lived out in the country, and rumour had it that
the Chief would sometimes spend a night with her. It was difficult to
determine when he would next visit her. Basilio and Julio took turns
watching the girlfriend’s house. Through their good luck, the Chief drove
up to the house around ten p.m. They lay low in the bush closest to the
entry. As soon as Santiago got out of the car, they rushed him and
dropped him to the ground. Julio thrust his knife into his throat and
slit it. Gurgling sounds began to be heard while blood spurted out
unceasingly. Benjamin gripped his arm and dragged him into the bush.
Julio made to stab him in the chest, but Benjamin stopped him. Santiago’s
heart had stopped beating.
Benjamin
and Julio made the sign of the cross, and promptly disappeared into the night.
The
following morning all the major newspapers carried the dramatic news about
Santiago’s murder. Most of the villagers thought that it was an occasion
for celebration. The Police had issued a warning that the murderer would
soon be apprehended and would be hanged for that dastardly deed. The
warning was ignored.
CHAPTER
15
John
waited impatiently for Amaranto Bajardo’s arrival at the house. At seven
p.m. sharp there was a knock at the door. John opened the door and warmly
welcomed his friend. Amaranto declared how pleased he was to be invited
and hoped that they would have a pleasant evening together.
John
brought out the drinks, but said very little to his friend about the
underground movement. He knew that after a few drinks, Amaranto would
lose his inhibitions and John could then broach the issue in an effort to
canvas him to the cause. They spoke about their families and spouses and out of
a matter of interest, Amaranto was curious why John’s wife was away for such a
long time. As an excuse, John explained to his friend that his wife had
to return to Canada to attend to a business that she was running over there.
He knew that this was an outright lie, but he hoped that the explanation
would stop Amaranto from asking any further questions. It did.
When the
two them were reasonably sauced, John thought that it was time to dabble into
politics.
“I have
often wondered why a man of your intelligence, creativity and ambition would
continue to live here. I have observed, and in talking with a lot of
people, there is nothing here for anybody to reach for the top, when there are
no jobs here. All you see is biting poverty,” baited John.
“Isn’t
that a shame? It would seem that the government is doing nothing to help
raise the standard of life. Rumour has it that most of the taxes that we
pay, goes into private accounts in Swiss banks instead of being spent on
improving the economy so that people could find work,” said Amaranto almost
apologetically
“In many
developing countries, people have stopped the bleeding of government fund from
their countries, by going to the polls and changing the government. Why
is that not happening here?” asked John pretending ignorance.
“It is
because our people seem to be used to the punishment that they are
receiving. Nobody is prepared to bell the cat for fear of retributions by
the government that has all the power,” said Amaranto in disgust.
“What if
I told you that there is a movement under way to get rid of this repressive
government?” asked John.
“I would
probably have to say that there will be many heads dropping, but there is no
doubt in my mind that an armed insurrection would be the only way to rid
ourselves of this government. Please do not tell anybody that I said
this. If you do I will deny that I ever said it,” warned Amaranto.
“Nobody
will ever know from me how you feel about the Government. The point is
that I feel exactly as you do about it. Please keep this a secret
too. I want you to know that I am a member of the underground. If
you feel as strongly about getting rid of the government, why don’t you join
us? Your talents are very important to us and will be used to free the
motherland,” said John.
There was
silence for a few seconds while Amaranto was thinking over what he had just
been told.
“You are
a foreigner to this land, my friend John. I am almost ashamed of myself that
as a foreigner, you are prepared to lay down your life for our people, and I
sit here trembling at the thought of joining the underground,” said Amaranto.
“I don’t
fault you for how you feel my dear Amaranto. But let me tell you that I
need you very badly to help the cause. As you know everything costs
money. Unfortunately, even to gain one’s freedom money is badly
needed. I belong to a cell here and I have been appointed to raise funds
for the cause. As a foreigner here, though I do not consider myself one
anymore, I would like to use your creativity and expertise to raise as much
money in the shortest possible time. The easiest way would have been to
rob a bank, but we are trying to keep things as honest as possible,” encouraged
John.
“I need
to think about this and perhaps discuss it with my wife,” said Amaranto.
“No! No!
No!” put in John. “Ours is a secret movement and everything that is
done has to be kept a guarded secret. We have dozens of freedom fighters
who have pledged their allegiance to the cell. They have vowed their secrecy
even with their wives and children. It is only under these conditions can
you become a part of the group,” reprimanded John.
“I will
have to leave right now. It is already quite late. I’m afraid that
the drinks have gone up to my head. Thank you very much for a very
revealing evening. Please leave this offer on the table. I am going
to have to think seriously about your invitation to join the group. There
are so many things to consider. As soon as I have made my decision, I
will let you know,” offered Amaranto.
“Goodnight
my friend. I respect you for who you are. I also respect you for
giving the proposition serious thought. All I ask you to pledge to me is
that our conversation tonight will never be divulged to anybody for security
reasons. I look forward anxiously for your decision,” said John.
“Thank
you John. I also respect you for what you are doing for us. Our country
is going rapidly downhill. Give me some time to think about my role in
all of this. I will not keep you waiting long. Goodnight my amigo.”
The
following day John was to meet with Carlito. He thoughtfully reviewed his
interaction with Amaranto and wondered whether his approach to Carlito needed a
change so that he could bring him on side without any hesitation or
reservations. A direct approach would perhaps be unproductive and would
perhaps scare Carlito away. He was aware, however, that much depended on
Carlito’s disposition and his attitude towards the hopelessness that he witnessed
all around him.
“I’m so
happy to meet with you Carlito. I am glad that you were able to come
over,” said John.
“Thank
you my friend. You are a good man…..so different from the other white
folk around here,” said Carlito.
“Thank
you again,” said John. “You know that I love the people here and have
been trying very hard to become a part of the community. I know that I
have gained acceptance among some, but there are others who are genuinely
hostile toward me,” continued John.
“In any
country, you have all kinds. I guess the ones that do not like you are
those who are jealous that you have more than they do. This is a human
frailty and there is not much that one can do about it,” said Carlito.
“I really
think that something can be done about it. Unfortunately, the present
government is totally inept and is only fattening its own pockets rather than
building an economic structure that will create jobs to improve the lot of the
people,” said John.
“I wish
that the people would organize themselves to rid itself of this corrupt
government,” said Carlito.
“Actually
they are,” said John. “And they are looking to enlarge their organization
to gain in strength,” continued John.
“I have
been hearing all kinds of rumours that this is happening but nobody has ever
approached me to enlist me,” said Carlito.
“If you
are dead serious and committed to unseating the government, I could introduce
you to the group that is working hard towards that end,” said John.
“Great! “
said Carlito. “Does that mean that you are also a member of this group,”
asked Carlito?
Both of
them paused and took a long sip at their drinks.
“I honour
you for your empathy towards our suffering brothers my dear Carlito. The
freedom fighters, as we prefer to call ourselves, are seeking to restore the
dignity of the people. As a member, I am asking that you join me in
raising funds for the organization. I know you to be a creative and aggressive
person and I am going to need your assistance. I will also arrange for
you to be sworn in by our leader who is presently away on training. As
soon as he gets back I will contact you,” encouraged John.
They
drank well into the night and since both Carlito and John were inebriated to
the point that they could not even stand up, they both fell asleep in their
respective comfortable leather covered chairs and woke up late in the morning.
CHAPTER
16
The death
of Chief Sebastian Santiago was taken seriously by the Police Department.
As with most police forces, there existed a brotherhood which dictated that if
one of their own was murdered, the other members of the police force would
double their efforts to find the culprit and bring him or her to justice.
More often than not, the Police dispensed justice on their own by killing the
suspect.
The first
duty of the government was to find a replacement for Chief Santiago. This
was done as expeditiously as possible. The replacement was Chief Agapito
Alfredo. Chief Alfredo was a brutal individual and reputed to be even
more devious than his predecessor Chief Santiago.
In public
he presented an image of an understanding and benevolent father, but his Jekyll
and Hyde personality was well known and the community was alerted to avoid him
as much as possible. Chief Alfredo called a meeting of all the Inspectors
that served under him. He made it clear that each of them had to be
vigilant about a wave of suspected terrorists who intended to unseat the
government. They were to introduce a number of spies into the community
in order to identify the culprits. Arrests were to be made on the
slightest suspicion of anybody attempting to break the law.
In a very
short time, the entire east side of Nicaragua was placed in a state of alert
with spies dressed as labourers, salesmen, and vendors, who intermingled with
the locals in the bars and restaurants and even Church groups. Several
arrests were made by the police who were tipped off by these spies. The
entire community lived in fear, and the market place, which was once bustling
with sounds of people and animals, soon became quiet and subdued.
It soon
became obvious that spies were at work, and the growing resistance group made
it their task to spot these spies and exterminate them. Within a month,
at least ten spies were identified and all ten of them were neutralized.
The Police then poured their forces into the villages and used any excuse (even
made-up ones) to brutalize the inhabitants. Even young children were not
spared the wrath of the police force.
The
underground had now grown to a regular army. This was not surprising
since with all the repression against the people, the common man was looking
out for a way to fight back. At least thirty of the freedom fighters had
been trained in Russia. These men were given their own cell of manageable
numbers. Regular meetings were held in secret and training in the use of
firearms (scanty as the weapons were) in remote areas were undertaken.
The frequency of these meetings increased as the day of reckoning drew
closer. A large number of newly signed up fighters received
their army training in Cuba. Now that the freedom fighters had
become an organized group, they were ready to hit back. Their weapon of choice
were knives. Their training in the use of these lethal weapons was
thorough. Weapons, such as guns and ammunition were smuggled in from Cuba
at regular intervals and distributed to the freedom fighters all over the
country.
At
regular intervals, the police were attacked in different parts of the village
and it was not unusual that several policemen were killed, usually at
night. Their guns were then harvested and kept in safe hiding places.
A reign
of terror developed and no government politician was safe anymore.
It
reached a stage that the police officers were afraid to monitor what was going
on in the villages since they feared for their lives.
CHAPTER
17
There was
an exodus of foreign visitors and settlers from Nicaragua. The
Americans were the first to leave since the Nicaraguans felt deeply that they
were not to be trusted. They were suspected of complicity with the
existing government run of Anastasio Somoza so that they could establish a
presence closer to Cuba and other unfriendly countries around Nicaragua, who
the Americans considered hostile to America.
The
Nicaraguan army was put on high alert. However, little did the government
know, that many in the army itself privately ceased to be loyal to the
government, and if push came to shove, the army in all likelihood, would switch
their allegiance to the freedom fighters.
Of
course, those in the army who had divided loyalties remained very quiet about
it. The army dissenters, however, were kept abreast of the preparations
that were being put in place for the final assault on the government in
power. After all, they belonged to the communities all over Nicaragua and
were therefore made aware of what was in store fr the government.
John
discovered that it was an onerous task trying to raise funds from a community that
was on the subsistence level. He reported the matter to Jose Martinez,
the cell leader, who was more than willing to concede that John’s time should
be put to a more productive and purposeful use. Jose was also aware that
the entire movement was now being financed by the Russians. Even the
military hardware was steadily being smuggled into the country by way of Cuba
and distributed to various cells within the country. Private tutorials in the
use of these weapons were given to cell members in preparation for the final
assault.
Since
John was answerable to nobody and lived alone, Jose cast him in the role of
“messenger”. His task was to convey to other cells, through word of
mouth, any important decisions regarding strategy. What was once the underground
movement was now called the “Sandinistas” and was headed by Danial
Ortega. The telephone service was now being seriously monitored by
the government and this rendered it totally unsafe as a communicative
device. This placed a serious sense of responsibility on John’s
shoulders. The State Police was not to be caught napping either.
They had already compiled a generous list of villagers who they suspected to be
involved in what they considered treasonable acts against the government.
John was somewhere on that list and was warned to be on the alert at all times.
What
complicated John’s life, however, was the sudden, unannounced arrival of his
wife. Alison had enough time to think about her role as a wife when she
returned to Canada. She had pangs of conscience that since she had taken
the marriage oath of “for better and for worse”, her loyalty and place was to
be beside her husband. She also hoped that she would be able to convince
John to return to Canada since things were getting very tense in
Nicaragua. She hoped to be persuasive enough and compromise with him that
after things returned to some semblance of normality, they could then return to
the country.
John was
of two minds when he came home after one of his assigned trips. He was
happy to see her, however, he was so involved in the political movement that
her presence would seem an impediment to his contribution to the effort.
Furthermore, since the revolution was inevitable, he thought that that Alison’s
life was in jeopardy because of his involvement in the revolution. He
thought that it was only fair for him to put his cards on the table.
“I am
happy that you came back my dear. I really thought that I had lost you
forever,” commenced John.
“Honey, I
am sorry I left you. I did it because it was my hope that you would have
time to think about our lives together. I recognize that you are a good
man. I know how giving you are, but this is not our country and I was in
perpetual worry about what our fate would be if you got involved in the
politics of this country,” said Alison.
“After
you left Alison, I had little to live for. I rarely heard from you so I
thought that it was curtains in our relationship. I am now deeper into
the politics of this land because I had nothing else to live for,” replied
John.
“I’m
sorry about abandoning you John, but I had become really worried about your
involvement in this dangerous game of politics. Furthermore, your safety
was my main concern and so was mine. Perhaps I was being selfish but then
there was no way that I could convince you that as a foreigner, you would
eventually get caught and then find yourself languishing in prison,” said
Alison.
“Things
are getting dangerously serious right now. My suggestion is that you take
the first plane out of here and await word from me that you return,” said John.
“No
John. I am going to stay with you for better or for worse. My place
is besides you,” insisted Alison.
“A word
of warning. I am rarely going to be at home. You are going to have
to fend for yourself. I am bound to secrecy about my whereabouts and in
any case, it is best that you did not know where I will be, just in case you
are questioned by the police,” said John.
Alison
made no response.
CHAPTER
18
The Revolution
started. All over the country, the police stations were the first to be
targeted. Once taken, the arms storage was forced open so that the guns
and ammunition were promptly absconded by the invading forces.
Members
of the government were rounded up at gun-point and taken into custody by the
Sandinistas.
There was
chaos in the streets. Villages, loyal to the Sandinistas, ran through the
streets with machetes and anything that might serve as a weapon for their
personal protection. Many villagers broke into stores and left them bare
after they left. Poverty can sometimes raise the appetite of people for
revenge and it was not uncommon to use this period of anarchy to get even with
people against whom they carried a grudge. There was a lot of blood spilt
on the roads of Nicaragua.
And where
was the army at this time? More than half the army deserted and joined
the Sandinistas. Those soldiers loyal to the government declared
war against those who deserted. It was the army fighting the army.
In a
short time, victory was declared by the Sandinistas, and Daniel Ortega was
installed as the President of Nicaragua.
When John
returned to his house, there was nothing left of it. It was burned to the
ground. Alison was nowhere to be seen. He feared that the worst
must have happened to her. He felt pangs of conscience that he might have
been responsible for her death. While he stood staring at the building,
telling himself that he should return to Canada now that the people were in the
hands of a caring leader, he heard a voice behind him.
“Senior,
I am sorry to see your beautiful house in such shambles. This was not
done by the government or the army. It was the people from the village
who torched the house. When I saw them coming, I quickly knocked on the
door to determine whether there was anybody home. There was no answer, so I
thought that perhaps everybody had gone into hiding. As I was about to
leave, however, I heard the voice of a woman asking who I was. I promptly
told her that she had better come with me since the villagers were going around
burning all the houses that belonged to foreigners. She promptly got her
things, and I took her over to my house where she could be safe. My wife
was very happy to help her too.”
“So she
is alive???!!”
“Yes,
senior. You come with me.”
Alison
was overjoyed to see John approach the house. She ran into his arms and
told him how worried she was about his safety.
“My job
is done here, my dearest.”
“Let’s go
home.”
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