She wandered into the quiet home and went to her room. The open-air window allowed the humid heat of the day in, but since her room was on the shady side, the cement floor and walls remained cool. Kara sat on the mattress and pulled out her tablet from her backpack, along with her wireless charger.
Hours must have gone by, because the shadows changed direction and she began to hear movement around the home. Nevertheless, she continued to work on her presentation. Everything she needed was either in her head or on her tablet. She’d prepared before her trip, although she’d known coming here that she’d have to see the land for herself before customizing the information presented to the town.
“Kara—you in here?”
She turned around to see Miles standing in the doorway, his arms resting on the frame. His triceps stretched, creating a momentary distraction. Kara mumbled, “Yeah, just working.”
He cocked his eyebrow and asked, “Are you normally this single-minded at home? No wonder you never go out.”
She found the photograph she was looking for and copied it into her slideshow. In a field beside it, she wrote some facts while they were fresh in her mind.
“Hey.”
Kara looked up. “I’m sorry, did you say something?”
Chapter 6.
Miles stared at her as she blinked up at him, totally lost in thought. He’d seen her like this before. It was like nobody else was around when she was thinking. Maybe he’d made a mistake coming to check on her. He should have just gone to see whether Enmanuel needed any help.
He patted the side of the wall and said, “I’ll see you in a bit for dinner.”
Kara frowned and looked at him in confusion, and he blamed himself for interrupting her. Why he’d felt like he needed to see her again after a few hours’ time apart was beyond him. She was fine and didn’t need anything but to be left alone.
He turned around and exited the house. He found Elías helping Enmanuel out in the field. A bull was twenty yards away and calling loudly.
“What’s happening? Do you need help?” Miles called out, hoping they didn't.
Enmanuel stood his ground, facing the creature. The brim of his hat tilted down as the rancher stared at the beast in stillness. “He is just speaking his mind. His feet are getting swollen—this happens when it’s so muddy.”
“Is there still no vet nearby?” Miles asked, expecting the answer he’d get.
Elías shook his head and stepped closer to Miles. “No, just the man in our village who knows some remedies for unhappy cattle.”
The remedies Elías was referring to, Miles knew, weren’t rooted in Western medicine, although that didn’t mean they didn’t work sometimes. The problem was that their knowledge and resources were limited.
“We do not need his help,” Enmanuel said. “Once it dries out, things will get better.”
“Anything I can help you with?” Miles offered.
Enmanuel shook his head. “No, thank you. We do not need your help today.”
Miles watched the men walk away. He noticed nearby grazing cows chewing their cud as the Santoses moved out of sight. He was left not knowing what to do.
“Hey, loverboy!” Alita’s scratchy voice called.
Miles turned around. Alita was under the grass reed roof that covered the outdoor porch and kitchen. Smoke rose out into the gentle breeze, carrying the smell of beans and other tasty things he couldn’t identify. She rubbed her hands with a cloth, and he could see her crooked smile from where he stood.
She filled the silence with more comments as he walked slowly to where she was cooking. “You work too hard, Miles. It is no good for you—the only cure is to settle down with a good woman.”
“You like saying that, but I’m satisfied doing my job.” Miles rested his palm against a wooden post a few feet away from her.
Alita snickered with her daughter, who was busy rolling out tortillas on the table beside the stove. She anchored her knuckle on her hip. Her pale teeth flashed between her lips, and he prepared himself for more. “You might find more satisfaction with a woman, and I think you already found one.”
His head dropped forward while he laughed off her suggestion. “No, I think you’re wrong. She already has a man and like I’ve said before, I’m not looking for a woman.”
The lines around her eyes creased even deeper while she scrutinized him. Her finger raised and pointed at his face. “I can see that is not true, and if the men had any intuition, they would know it too. It is better that way so she is left alone. I know why you said it, but it does not matter. With the looks Elías gives her—his sweet face and shy ways do not work on her because she does not look his way.”
Miles’s attention was caught. He took a second glance at her knowing grin and realized she appeared to understand his mind better than he did. “Why do you say that?”
“Ay, men,” she muttered and shook her head. “Without a woman, they don’t know what to think. She is not looking Elías’s way because she is focused on you.”
He couldn’t deny it—it felt good to hear that, but he knew she was wrong. “No, I don’t think so. She didn’t even notice me when I checked in on her.”
Alita rolled her eyes. “Do you expect a woman to stop what she is doing just because you are there? We are busy keeping the world turning.”
“I…no, of course I don’t expect her to stop—” Miles was entirely confused. It didn’t matter anyhow. In a few more days, Kara would go home, where she’d remain. She was here for a reason: to determine whether the people of El Punto would be good candidates for her program. Kara was here to help them—not to have a one-night stand. He didn’t want that anyway. She deserved more than that.
From the moment he’d met her, he’d found her attractive. He’d come up with plenty of reasons not to like her, to distance himself from her, but here he was feeling like an idiot schoolboy wondering if the girl he had a crush on liked him back.
The bottom line was that it didn’t matter if he liked Kara. He’d tried to make a long-distance relationship work. Or maybe his exes would disagree. It had been impossible for him to put them first when he had so much to do to help the villages and towns he’d been assigned to help. No self-respecting woman would ever want to be less than his top priority.
A relationship was impossible. End of story. It was time to accept it.
“Miles.” Alita’s softened voice reached him. “Do something nice for her to show you care.”
He nodded, knowing it would be easier to simply agree with Alita. He muttered thanks before walking to the front of the house. Alone with his thoughts, he sat on a chair and watched the sun slide to the western slopes. The rest of the family arrived before twilight to eat, and Kara finally emerged from the house.
“Ready for tomorrow?” he asked.
She tucked stray hairs behind her ear and nodded. “I think so.”
Unlike the previous night, he wasn’t interested in conversation. He ate his fill, and after everyone was ready for bed, he went inside to the dark room that held his sleeping bag.
Kara’s soft voice called over to him, “Sleep tight.”
“You too,” he muttered as he kicked off his shoes, ready for her visit to end. Only four more days.
The rooster call woke him in the morning. He was never fond of alarm clocks, but at least you could turn them off. He sat up and stretched.
A small basin of water sat beside him. Alita’s daughter had likely gone to the well yesterday multiple times to get enough for the family. He cupped his hands, lifted them to his face, and gave it a scrub. It was refreshing and helped him wake up. The smell of Alita’s coffee hung in the air, so he got changed and wandered outside.
The Santos men were already heading out to tend to the animals. They called to him, “See you at the town hall!”
“See you there,” Miles responded and waved.
He got a fresh mug of coffee, and with each sip he felt the lack of sleep drop away. Although he’d been ready f
or bed last night, his mind hadn’t been able to rest. He hoped it was only a temporary problem.
“Good morning, Kara,” Alita said from the kitchen and winked at Miles.
He turned. Kara was walking toward them with a strange expression on her face. She was smiling, but it didn’t carry to her eyes. Something was off.
“Ready for breakfast?” he asked.
Kara arrived beside him and shrugged. “I don’t know if I can eat—nervous.”
She looked it. He rested his free hand on her shoulder. His pointer finger brushed against her neck. He felt her tense and hold her breath at his touch. He’d intended to console her, but had distracted himself in the process. He pulled his hand away and forced his gaze to the breakfast laid out on the table.
“Why’re you nervous?” he asked.
“Well...” She swallowed before continuing, “If I can’t convince the villagers to plant bamboo on their land, then I might not be able to convince anyone to. And if that happens, everything I’ve been working for will end, and the only thing I’ll have to look forward to is working at a nursery selling perennials for the rest of my life.”
Her breaths came out quick and stilted. It was like the time she’d seen automatic rifles when he’d driven her from the airport. She’d looked just as anxious in that moment, like a frightened rabbit. Miles couldn’t stand by while she became paralyzed with fear.
“Shh, take a deep breath.”
Her eyes closed, and her chest expanded as she took in a lungful of air. He watched her slow her breathing and begin to calm down.
“What are you so frightened of?” he whispered.
When her eyes reopened, they were filled with emotion. Kara dropped her head down. “I can’t disappoint my dad. The least I can do is try to carry out his last wish for me.”
Although he hadn’t pushed the other day when she’d mentioned it, he couldn’t stop himself from asking now. “And what was that?”
Her eyebrows knitted together as her green eyes stared at him in the morning light. “He told me to live my passion. That’s why I’m here.”
Miles’s chest tightened. He’d never known anyone as honest as she was. It was clear she wasn’t without fear, but she pushed herself despite her anxiety. He spun her around and pointed at the landscape. Mist settled above the mountains in the distance. Soft cooing from nearby roosting chickens filled the silence.
“This is home to these people. Imagine being born here and knowing nothing but sleeping on a dirt floor and quitting school to work hard supporting your family. It’s beautiful and sad all at once. They don’t have the resources and knowledge to solve all their problems. That’s why people like you are so important. Kara, just coming here, you’ve made your father’s wish come true.”
Kara shook her head and sighed. “I guess you’re right. I get like this sometimes—twisted up so all I’m doing is thinking about the worst-case scenario—like Mr. Rodriguez.”
Hector was reason enough to worry, but he didn’t want to tell her that. “It happens to the best of us. Sometimes you have to face your fears so you can overcome them. So, now you’ve done that, the path is clear to your success.”
She gave a nervous laugh. “I don’t know about that.”
“I do. You’re just trapped in your head right now. Listen to your instincts. You know everything there is to know about bamboo—I trust you, and I’ve only known you a couple days. The people here will too.”
“You trust me?”
He shrugged, caught in his admission. “I do. I can tell you’re not here for PR and you’re the furthest thing from a thrill-seeker. You have a heart of gold.”
Kara was struck silent. Miles’s cheeks flushed with heat, and he was suddenly eager to change the focus of their conversation. “There’s time before we need to head over. Anything I can do to help, or do you have this?”
“Thanks to your tour yesterday, I was able to piece together information for my presentation. As you’ve noticed, I don’t speak fluent Spanish, so if you’re still up to translating, that would be amazing.” She eyed the tortillas, beans and rice on the table and said, “I might be able to eat a little now. Thanks to your pep talk, I don’t feel like throwing up anymore.”
“Alita’s food wins out in the end,” he joked.
After eating, Kara disappeared into her room to prepare. Miles had no idea what she needed to prepare, but he decided it was best to leave her so she could collect herself before the town hall meeting. When she did leave her room, she was dragging her hard-case luggage behind her. He didn’t doubt there was something important inside, despite what he’d assumed the first day he’d seen her with it.
The fear and anxiety that had consumed her earlier had dissolved away. An entirely different air surrounded her as she walked to his car. He loaded the suitcase for her and climbed behind the wheel. She didn’t say anything when she sat beside him in the passenger seat. They drove down Enmanuel’s road to the center of town in silence.
He glanced at her when they pulled up to the concrete building with the thatched roof. Men and women stood outside in a crowd, waiting for the gringa to show up. Kara looked at the people in silence. Before she could get out of the car, Miles said, “They’re the people who invited you into their homes and fed you. They just need enough information to decide to take your help. Make it easy for them.”
She breathed out and gave a half smile. “I’ll do my best.”
They climbed from the vehicle, unloaded the suitcase and walked up to the town hall. Smiles and friendly greetings welcomed them. “Buenos días. Bienvenidos.”
Inside the gray concrete building were rows of long wooden benches. Many ranchers were already seated and waiting. Miles pointed to the front of the room and watched Kara make her way with her suitcase. On arrival, she turned her bag sideways and opened it up. When she rose, the corners of her lips lifted, creasing her cheeks. “Buenos días. Gracias por tenerme.”
Kara observed the people who had been standing outside come in through the doorway. More straw cowboy hats filled the room, and she spotted Enmanuel sitting beside Elías in the front row. Although her heart was beating hard in excitement, she pushed forward, eager to share her knowledge.
With the small digital projector clutched in her hand, she switched it on and pointed it at the wall behind her. Because there was only one window, it was dark enough for the image to appear clearly on the wall. A graphic of United Rainforest Fund filled the area on the left, and a picture of a grove of bamboo was beside it.
Kara began speaking to the crowd in English, and seconds later, Miles overlapped her in Spanish. “My name is Kara Mason and I work with the United Rainforest Fund. We were told about your village by Hydration Foundation, the nonprofit Miles works for. Our group, like Miles’s, has helped many communities throughout the world. Our focus is to replace one of the most valuable resources humankind relies on—trees.”
Blank faces stared at her and she felt her pulse quicken. If she couldn’t get them connected with her presentation, there was no way they’d sign on with the project. She closed her eyes momentarily and took a deep breath before continuing, “I know you realize trees are valuable—but you may not understand just how important they are. I also know that feeding your families and taking care of them is vital to you. I would like to make this easier for you.”
Kara searched for familiar faces in the crowd. She spotted Enmanuel and his son, Marta from the village shop and Elías, who produced a shy smile when she caught his eye. There were many others she hadn’t met, but when she paused, looking at them, they too offered her a grin in response. “I don’t know many of you yet, but I don’t have to know you to want to help. Miles gave me a tour yesterday and told me about some of the issues you’re facing.”
She hit a button on her handheld projector and a new slide appeared on the wall: the results of a landslide, in a village similar to El Punto. Trees, homes and unrecognizable debris were overturned and moved to new locations
by a sea of mud and water. Kara heard people murmuring and she asked, “Look familiar?”
Many heads nodded in response. She continued, “You aren’t the only ones suffering from landslides. They are dangerous and destructive. I saw the hillside and home past Enmanuel’s land. I understand some cattle were lost?”
A man sitting beside Enmanuel raised his hand. The villagers sitting nearby turned their attention to him and a few even rested their hands on his shoulder as a sign of condolence. Kara took a step toward the older gentleman and said, “Lo siento.”
He nodded and smiled, revealing his less-than-perfect teeth. One from the top row was missing, although that didn’t affect the warmth produced from his emotion. Kara turned to the image that shone on the wall and pointed. “Landslides happen when there are not enough trees to hold down the earth. Many of the trees that grow here, like the Kapok, might grow quick, but it takes them too long to mature. Not only that, but they also grow big and take up the space I know you need for your cattle.”
All eyes were on her and the image cast on the porous wall. She pushed on. “A plant you may have seen that grows naturally here is bamboo. At the height of its growing season, it can gain a foot or more each day! It could be the solution to many of your problems.”
Kara hit the button again, and a beautiful grove of bamboo appeared. Green shoots reached high into the obscured sky. At the sight of the new slide, many began to comment to each other, although she couldn’t understand any of it. A man she hadn’t met spoke up. She looked to Miles for a translation.
He listened with his brows furrowed, then said to Kara, “José says he’s seen a grove northwest from here, following the valley stream. Maybe a few miles out of town.”
“That’s proof it grows here,” she answered. She waited for the talking around the room to quiet down before saying, “Another issue that Miles brought to my attention is the fact that you aren’t getting consistent water from the well he put in. I want to make sure you all understand he did everything he could. Putting in another well wouldn’t solve the problem. I want to make sure you understand what's happening.”
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