In the 1980s, parts of the Brazilian Amazon Great Basin had become a gold rush area very similar to the 19th century "American Wild West.” Mining activities had leveled off in the '90s, but in 2008, it once again became a prime destination for get-rich-quick entrepreneurs and schemers. However, it was difficult to get to the Brazilian interior where the gold was located. Dangerous trips on small river tributaries on less than safe boats were just the beginning. Drugs, prostitution, crime, malaria, and undrinkable water added to the mix.
The men who worked the gold mine pits were a fearless breed and corruption and violence were commonplace. Even when they could be kept under control, the indigenous tribal people were every bit as much a threat. They hated the gold miners because the pollution and erosion created by them led to toxic water conditions that caused a decline in the plants and animals of the area. For centuries, these indigenous people had depended on the river for their food and for their very existence. They were committed to doing everything they could to stop the mining, which was rapidly ruining all of the rivers in the "Gold Rush" area.
Guards and guns were everywhere to protect the mines from the indigenous tribes and the lawless gangs of renegade miners intent on stealing any gold they could. Additionally, the deforestation caused by clear cutting and burning the trees on the land resulted in enormous environmental damage, including the extinction of numerous plants found only in this unique area of the world. The indigenous people had been dependent on these plants and their healing properties for centuries. The local environmentalists only added to the problems of the mine owners. The "enviros" didn't like any part of the mining and did everything they legally could to stop it, including numerous lawsuits in the Brazilian courts.
Not only did a gold mine owner have to guard the mines, but guarding the gold itself as it was being taken out of the Amazon basin required even more guards and guns. With gold selling for record high prices, marauding bands of outlaws were not uncommon. Jorge had never told Luisa about the dangers he was exposed to when he went to the Amazon. Even though he was constantly surrounded by armed guards, he knew that if he was killed, a lot of people would be happy to see his head on a spear. Sleep did not come easily in the Amazon. A hammock hung between trees, disturbing night sounds coming from the nearby jungle, and knowing the high stakes involved in the game made for very fitful sleeping. Jorge always counted the days until he could return to the golden land, as he had come to think of California.
As dangerous and difficult as the job of owning a gold mining company was, the rewards were astronomical. The potential for wealth was unimaginable. The owners of companies such as Ortega & Ortega were the ones who reaped the benefits, much to the exclusion of the thousands of miners who worked the mines. The conditions in the mines were simply terrible. Like so many other businesses, the farther down the employment ladder, the more difficult it was for those at the bottom to make a living. At the bottom of the ladder were the garampieros, the lowly workers who could only get back to civilization to see their families every four or five months because of the overpriced passages to the coast, whether it was by way of a river boat or small plane. They worked in the mines because it was the only work available and yet, because of the mines, they could no longer live off of the land. It had become a no-win situation for them
It was a hard life for everyone, a life fueled by the promise of riches. As dangerous as it was, Jorge couldn't deny there was a part of him that was exhilarated by the risks. He felt fully alive in the Amazon, adrenalin running at full tilt. After completing each trip, there was that moment of "Ah, I made it." He couldn't explain it; it was how he always felt when he returned to Rio from the interior. As much as he disliked his time in the Amazon, a part of him thrived on the experience. His personal safety required very careful planning and Jorge was a very careful man. Every one of his senses was heightened when he was in the Amazon. He knew he had been one of the lucky ones and now, with a baby on the way and his new life in California, he vowed to be even more careful.
The months went by and Jorge arranged his schedule to be in California the week before and the week after Luisa's due date. Now they were simply waiting for Carlos. Her doctor assured both Luisa and Jorge that he would induce Luisa if she went a couple of days beyond her delivery date. The baby was big and any more growth after that date could threaten her health, as she was not a large woman. Jorge had made it very clear to the doctor that he wanted to be with Luisa when the baby was born.
The day Carlos was born dawned bright and clear. Jorge was trying to keep himself occupied and decided to do some minor maintenance work on his boat. Luisa was one of those women who was a natural for childbirth. When her water broke, she calmly called Jorge and told him it was time. He ran up the gangway and excitedly dashed into the house. Luisa called her parents, who immediately drove to her home. Her travel bag had been packed for weeks and the four of them quickly made their way down Coast Highway to the hospital in Newport Beach. Two hours later, Luisa gave birth to a healthy 9 lb. 6 oz. baby boy. Their beautiful new son, Carlos, had joined the world. Jorge had insisted that she get a suite for her stay in the hospital so that he, her parents, and Selena could be with her and Carlos while they were in the hospital.
During her first night in the hospital, after all of the family members had left, Luisa rested in her bed. It was getting late and the big hospital was quiet. Carlos was asleep in his bassinet at the foot of her bed. She looked out the window at the nearby ocean. It was dark, but there were a few lights from passing boats and she could see the line of headlights from the cars on Pacific Coast Highway, just below the hospital. She thought to herself that her life was perfect. She wouldn't change a thing. Jorge and she had never been closer, she loved her new home and everything about California, her beloved parents and sister were nearby, and now this miracle of a baby named Carlos had joined them. She felt truly blessed. She made a mental note to give a large contribution to the church she had been attending since she had moved to California. The parish priest had paid a visit to her earlier that day to make plans for baptizing Carlos. She knew that life was not always perfect, but right now, this was perfection.
Luisa and the newest member of the Ortega family, Carlos, arrived at their Huntington Beach home two days after he was born. A week later, after making sure that Carlos and Luisa were comfortable, Jorge left for Brazil. Luisa's parents, Diego and Juanita, had promised Jorge that they would check in on Carlos and Luisa a couple of times a day. The nanny Luisa hired was staying downstairs in the maid's room. Luisa and Carlos would be well taken care of in Jorge's absence.
Motherhood came easily for Luisa. Her breasts were engorged with milk, but Carlos was a willing feeder. She had heard that a lot of women had problems breastfeeding, but to Luisa, it was the most natural thing in the world. She felt like she was born to be a mother.
The next few months assumed a rhythmic pattern. Jorge was at home for two weeks, followed by two weeks in the Amazon. Carlos was an easy baby, increasing in weight and becoming more and more aware of the world around him.
One weekend, Jorge and Luisa left Carlos with her parents and took their boat to Catalina Island. Jorge had submitted his membership application to the Fourth of July Yacht Club and true to his word, John made sure that the Ortega family was admitted.
Luisa had no experience on boats, but she loved the freedom of being on the ocean and took to it naturally. She even went below to make sandwiches in the galley, something even the seasoned seamen preferred not to do because of possible seasickness. Louisa never had a queasy moment during the two and a half hour trip to the island.
Jorge guided the boat into the mooring at the Fourth of July Cove, easily attaching the bowline to the floating buoy that was anchored to the sea floor. He took Luisa ashore to show her the clubhouse and walked her around the premises. He had visited the Fourth of July Yacht Club a few times during her pregnancy and he introduced her to some of the people he had met. Luisa loved the am
bience of the club and couldn't wait until Carlos was old enough to join them. She envisioned sitting on the sandy shore, watching him play in the water. She agreed with Jorge, of how safe this place would be for Carlos. Even so, she made a mental note to enroll Carlos in swimming lessons as soon as he was old enough. Between the pool and ocean water at their home in Huntington Beach as well as the yacht club, he needed to be "water safe."
On the trip back to the mainland, she noticed that Jorge seemed tense and withdrawn. "Jorge, what's wrong with you? Are you coming down with something? You're not your usual happy self," Luisa said.
"I'm fine," he replied. "I just wish I didn't have to leave you and Carlos all the time. The older he gets, the harder it is for me to leave and fly to Brazil. Even if he was old enough and could come with me, I would never want him to witness what happens in the Amazon. We'll go to Rio when he's older, as I think it's important for him to know his heritage, but never to the Amazon."
Luisa was surprised at the vehemence in Jorge's voice. He had never spoken like that before. She hoped his enthusiasm for life would return soon because this was quite unlike him.
Jorge left for Brazil two days after they returned from their boating trip to Catalina Island. While Jorge was in Brazil, Carlos developed colic and began to lose a little weight. It seemed to Luisa that he was awake around the clock and so was she. She could feel herself getting really tired as the days came and went. She had been to Carlos' pediatrician several times, but he assured Luisa that Carlos would outgrow the colic. He asked if anything was bothering Luisa, for often if the mother was tense or upset, it was passed on through nursing and then the baby became colicky. When Luisa thought about it, she realized that lately she had been somewhat tense and irritable. She had snapped at Carlos' nanny, argued with her parents, and even gotten mad at John for going aboard the Luisa without asking her permission. She couldn't come up with any reason why she felt so anxious and nervous. On the surface, life was perfect. Maybe it was Jorge's schedule that was causing her to feel this way. She couldn't think of anything else that was bothering her. She vowed to be more accepting of Jorge's schedule.
It had been a rough couple of weeks for Jorge. Just before he left California for his trip to Brazil, he received word that three of his most trusted guards had been murdered during a botched hold-up attempt. Whenever he left the mines, he had concerns about those he had left behind. The loss of these three employees seemed to reconfirm to Jorge the dangers that lurked in the Amazon. The area where the mines were located was getting more and more lawless each time he went there. The only thing he could think to do was put more guns and guards in place. Two of the mines were barely producing any gold and he felt the time had come to close them down. However, that still left five others, each with its own set of operational problems.
He felt depressed just thinking about what lay ahead. The newspapers and enviros were having a field day with claims of pollution and environmental destruction. In addition to these claims, the murders only confirmed everything that could go wrong in the mines. A recent malaria outbreak hadn't helped and the enviros had traced it to one of the Ortega mines. It was a land-dredged mine causing water runoff, which had become a breeding ground for the mosquito-borne malaria disease. Many of the garimpieros who worked the open pit mines had come down with the illness. All of this recent publicity had definitely not been good for the Ortega & Ortega Company.
When Jorge returned to Rio from the mines where he had spent the better part of two weeks, he was tired and out of sorts. He hoped he'd feel better when he returned home to Luisa and Carlos. He slept fitfully the first night he was back in Rio and was awake long before his driver was due to take him to the airport. As if he didn't feel bad enough, the long plane ride home was filled with violent turbulence caused by a hurricane forming in the Gulf of Mexico. The captain made the flight attendants take their seats for most of the flight. Jorge just wanted to be in his bed in California and sleep for as long as it took him to regain his usual easy-going nature.
Arriving home, he turned his key in the front door lock and heard Carlos crying. The cries the baby was making were like none Jorge had ever heard him make before. He kissed Luisa and asked what was wrong with Carlos. She told him about the colic and how Carlos cried nonstop. Luisa and the nanny were taking turns staying up with him. Jorge picked Carlos up from his cradle and tried rocking him to sleep, but it didn't do any good; Carlos just continued to cry.
Putting Carlos back in his cradle, Jorge said, "Luisa,
I'm sorry to do this to you, but I need some sleep. The flight was horrible and the last two weeks have not been the best. I'm exhausted. I'll help you with Carlos tomorrow."
Jorge tossed and turned in bed throughout the night and got little sleep. It seemed that whenever Jorge would finally get to sleep, Carlos would start crying again. Clearly, Luisa was just as exhausted. She didn't want to tell Jorge, but she had begun to blame herself for Carlos' incessant crying.
Early the next morning, Jorge, bleary-eyed and exhausted, walked into the kitchen to make some coffee. He was surprised to see Luisa at the kitchen table, already dressed and on her second cup of coffee. Luisa said, "Jorge, we have to do something. I feel depressed and it seems like you do too. I've been thinking. We were both so happy at the time of Selena's wedding. We were exhausted and out of sorts when we landed in Phoenix and then, after we stayed at that motel along the highway, we felt so much better. Remember?"
She didn't tell him that she had been fighting a losing battle with bulimia before they stayed at that motel. Now, the more depressed and tired she became, the more she just wanted to eat everything she could in hopes it would make her feel better. She couldn’t tell Jorge, but she was terrified it was only a matter of time until she would begin to binge and purge. Her commitment to the health of her baby was the only thing that was stopping her.
"Yes, "Jorge said, "Funny you'd mention it. I've been thinking about that little motel too. Maybe we need to get away, just the two of us. It's not a world-class destination, but we both have good memories about it, so why not go there? We’ll go over the Memorial Day weekend. I'll be in California that week. We could ask Diego and Juanita to take care of Carlos and hopefully, we'll both come back refreshed. You'd feel better about Carlos and I'd feel better about business. What do you think?"
"Yes,” she sighed, “That's a good idea. I'll do about anything at this point. Hopefully, we can both last a few more weeks. It's only one more business trip for you and I can do anything for that short time. I'll make the reservations. Thank you." Luisa was excited for the first time in weeks. She really hoped that the upcoming visit to the motel would sprinkle a bit of its magic on them, like it had when they had been there before.
Luisa was an obsessive list maker. She made a record of every place they had ever stayed, every restaurant they had ever eaten in, and anything else she felt should be committed to paper. She went upstairs to her office, opened the desk drawer, and quickly found the notebook in which she had written down the name and phone number of the Blue Coyote Motel. She placed a call to the motel. On the second ring a familiar voice answered. "Blue Coyote Motel, may I help you?" Maria asked.
"Yes," replied Luisa. "My husband and I stayed with you over a year ago and I was wondering if you would have a room for the Memorial Day weekend. We'd like it for two nights, Friday and Saturday. The last time we stayed at your motel we lived in Brazil, but since then we have moved and now live in Southern California."
"Yes," replied Maria. "I remember you. You're Mrs. Ortega, aren't you? As I recall, you and your husband had just flown in from Rio and were hurrying to get to your sister's wedding in Laguna Beach."
"What a great memory you have," Luisa said. "How did you remember us and know it was me?"
"Well, you speak English beautifully, but you do have a slight accent. Not many people come here with a foreign accent. I have you down for a room for two nights on Memorial Day weekend, Friday and Saturday. I'll l
ook forward to seeing you then. Have a safe trip driving over."
After speaking with Luisa on the telephone, Maria buzzed Jeffrey on the motel intercom. "Jeffrey, would you believe it? We already have two rooms booked for the Memorial Day weekend and they're return customers. You'll need to make a fresh batch of Freedom. I'm sure that's why they're returning. They just don't know it. We can really help them."
Back in Huntington Beach and two hundred miles from the Blue Coyote Motel, Luisa hung up the phone looking forward to the upcoming trip. For the first time in weeks, she felt hopeful about the future.
CHAPTER 29
Sean and Jeanne's marriage was performed by a priest Sean knew at a little chapel in the Rocky Mountains, outside of Vail. It was late winter and there was still plenty of snow. It was a very small wedding and neither Jeanne nor Sean had invited their families. Sean knew his family would be disappointed by the wedding. They still expected him to act like the priest they had known him to be. Jeanne's family was so dysfunctional that she had little to do with them. A few of their friends came as well as some employees from the clinic. After the ceremony, Sean and Jeanne hosted a dinner for their guests at a local bed and breakfast.
He had never been happier. He discovered he was a natural counselor. Sean had hired other good psychologists and the clinic was thriving. The media was beginning to give it attention, both in print and through television and radio. Sean thought the reason the clinic had become so successful so fast was that it filled a need which had not been addressed other than by bits and pieces, here and there. It offered numerous workshops and groups dealing with Alzheimer’s, homelessness and problems associated with simply growing up. The old term “hardening of the arteries” had been replaced by the term “Alzheimer’s” and almost every family had someone who suffered from dementia. This condition affected the whole family and the clinic not only dealt with it, both in counseling and education, but it also offered classes and counseling for the caregivers, who had often been overlooked.
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