Drive and Determination

by Louise, Kara

  Walking into the living room, she noticed Will’s note and smiled at his consideration. A throw and a note. If he wasn’t so controlling, he could be rather pleasant. Her eyebrows came together as she pondered her estimation of him. For some reason, controlling no longer seemed an accurate description.

  Elyssa went to the front door and when she opened it, she took in a deep breath of the warm, moist air filled with the fragrance of flowers. From the porch she could see the lake’s deep blue water glisten and a reflection of the mountain ridge on the other side shimmering down in the lake’s depths. She looked out at the mountains that enclosed Atitlan. She could see two volcanoes from where she stood, but both were partially obscured by white, puffy clouds hovering around them.

  Elyssa decided it would be most refreshing to sit outside for a while. Slipping back inside, she picked up a straight backed chair from the kitchen and carried it out to the porch. She decided that if this was their last day at the lake, she wanted to at least enjoy it a little.

  Elyssa watched a variety of people walk by, smiling at those who occasionally looked up and acknowledged her. She had to chuckle when she became aware that she was rocking back and forth, almost as if she were on a porch swing. This would be a perfect place for one.

  Will and Manuel returned about an hour later. Upon seeing Elyssa on the porch, Manuel rushed up the steps and reached for her hand.

  “I am so sorry you took ill yesterday, Elyssa. Are you feeling better?”

  “Yes, Manuel. Thank you. I was feeling tired earlier today, but I’m feeling much better now.”

  Will walked up the steps and his hand grasped the porch column. “We have one more family to visit, Elyssa. They live just up the block toward the hillside. Do you feel up to coming with us?”

  A smile burst upon Elyssa’s face. “I would love getting out.”

  “Good!” Manuel helped Elyssa to her feet. “I think you will like this family. Their oldest son, Pedro, even speaks a little English. If he is home, maybe you can talk with him.”

  Noticing Will’s and Manuel’s finer attire, Elyssa thought it would be best to put on something nicer. “Just give me a minute while I change.”

  The men waited out on the porch for her and both were surprised when she came out after only a couple of minutes. She wore a knee length flowing skirt and a light cotton blouse that she had loosely tucked in.

  The three began to walk up the street away from the lake and toward the hillside. Manuel and Will told her of their earlier visits. Manuel enjoyed telling Elyssa how impressed the families were that “El Presidente de Pemberleo” was actually paying them a call and how proud they were of the coffee crop into which they poured their lives.

  When they arrived at the house, Manuel walked up and knocked. An elderly lady, stooped over and wrinkled, opened the door. When the woman saw Manuel, she smiled and held out her arms wide to give him a hug.

  Manuel introduced Will and Elyssa to her. She noticed the woman’s eyes grow big when Will was introduced and she reached for his hand and enfolded it within her small, bony, fingers. At Elyssa’s introduction, her eyes lit up and she smiled and drew her close into an embrace. She whispered something in her ear, but since Elyssa was clueless as to what she said, she merely smiled.

  The woman sent one of her young daughters to go after her husband, who was out on the hill behind their house with their son. Within minutes, they both walked into the house.

  The gentleman looked to be as old as the woman, with a dark, leathery face, and hair that was grayer than the black of his younger years.

  Again Manuel made introductions and she watched as Will reached out his hand and exchanged a firm handshake with the elder gentleman, Miguel. Will seemed to have no trouble engaging the man in conversation. He truly seemed interested in what the gentleman had to say. They walked out toward the hillside and Elyssa glanced back at the young boy, Pedro, who remained with her.

  He looked about 17 years old and Elyssa could see that he probably spent as much time out in the Guatemalan sun as his father did. He was taller than both his parents and had jet black hair. He smiled at her, somewhat shyly.

  “I understand you speak a little English,” Elyssa said to him.

  He nodded. “Yes, a little.”

  “Where did you learn it?”

  “I learn a little at school and then a man at my church speak English and teach me. I also go to Panajachel to the library when I have some free time.”

  “You speak very well, Pedro. What year in school are you?”

  “Oh, no more school for me. Now I help my family farm.”

  “Oh, but Pedro! You must continue your education! There is so much you could do. You certainly are smart enough to go on to college!”

  Pedro slowly shook his head. “No. I must help my father grow the best coffee beans for Pemberleo. He needs my help.”

  Elyssa could see the resignation in the young man’s eyes as he told her of his family’s expectation.

  “If you could choose to do anything, Pedro, what would it be?”

  Pedro took in a deep breath. “I would like to teach children here to read and write.”

  “Oh, Pedro, that is admirable!”

  Pedro looked confused. “Excuse me, but, what does admirable mean?”

  Elyssa smiled. “It means that is an excellent profession and you would be wonderful at it!”

  Elyssa and Pedro continued to talk as they followed the men out to the hillside. She couldn’t help but notice the shade of the soil seemed to permeate everything, from the darkness of the men’s skin to the fabric of their clothing. Everything appeared to take on the same hue. She laughed as she considered her eye for color, and thought that this was carrying it a bit too far.

  As she and Pedro approached the men, Elyssa watched Will stoop down and dig his hands into the soil, bringing some up to smell. She thought it odd that observing this simple gesture surprisingly made him seem more attractive. Here was this rich and powerful man not afraid of getting his hands dirty.

  Miguel called his son over as he spoke with Will. Manuel then excused himself and joined Elyssa.

  “Tell me, Manuel,” Elyssa said as she looked about her. “I see very little farming equipment. Don’t they have any equipment to help them farm?”

  Manuel laughed and as he spoke, he extended his hand up toward the hillside. “Nothing is more efficient than a good mule and a handful of people on these slopes. There really isn’t any comparable machine that could do the same thing.”

  “It seems as though they have to work so hard. Pedro says he is expected to remain at home with his family and farm. He seems fairly intelligent and would like to be a teacher. Isn’t there some way he should be able to do that?”

  “It would make things too difficult for his family. They wouldn’t be able to afford the cost of a college education and they wouldn’t be able to afford his absence. They need everyone in the family to help work the crop.”

  Elyssa let out a huff and folded her arms stiffly in front of her, which drew Will’s attention.

  “But it shouldn’t be that way. He should have a chance to improve himself and do something else.”

  Will was standing close enough to hear their end of the conversation and knew from the determined look on her face and her firm stance, that Elyssa was seeing some injustice in this situation. He knew, from previous experience, that she was not reluctant to accuse him of something in front of others. She had done it earlier in the week around Manuel. Now he waited for her to lash out in front of Miguel and Pedro.

  She turned to look at Will and their eyes met. This time, however, instead of flashing, challenging eyes, she had more of a questioning look. He was grateful -- and a little surprised -- that she said nothing further on the subject.

  When they finished their visit, they all bid their farewells. Elyssa could see that the men all seemed to be satisfied with their time together.

  As they walked back to the house, Will waited for
that moment when Elyssa would blurt out all her feelings of unfairness. But instead, she walked ahead of the two men, stepping over to a large red flowering bush that was spilling over the fence of a home they passed. She leaned over to smell the flowers and Will mulled over what was going on in that pretty little head of hers.

  “Mmmm,” she said as she lifted her head. “These are beautiful and smell heavenly.”

  At the moment, it appeared to Will that she was not inclined to bring up the subject, but he was fairly certain she would when they were alone.

  *~*~*

  Manuel stayed only long enough to see them back to the house and make plans to come by tomorrow with his son to return to Guatemala City.

  When he left, Will turned to Elyssa. “Are you hungry? Manuel pointed out some good places to eat close by.”

  “I think I would like that. My stomach does seem to be crying out for some nourishment.”

  “Good. Let’s go.”

  They walked the few blocks to the restaurant, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of this little village and saying very little to each other. Will’s hand brushed against Elyssa’s several times and it took all his restraint to keep from reaching out for it and cradling it in his. The sun was ahead of them, making an approach to the tips of the mountain ridge where it would soon disappear. The moist, warm air determinedly clung to them while a light breeze teased them with a fleeting cool relief.

  They reached the small restaurant and stepped inside. Lively mariachi music was piped in through speakers. Colorful tablecloths and Guatemalan handicrafts dotted the walls of the room. It was crowded, but they were quickly seated and coffee was brought to them.

  Will eyed Elyssa as she took the menu and began reading it. She had been more quiet than normal ever since leaving Miguel’s. He knew there was nothing he could say that would pacify her -- except perhaps promising to provide for every family in Guatemala until his dying day. He knew, however, that he had to explain to her and that he would try.

  Once they ordered, Will clasped his hands together and placed them in front of him on the table. “I gather the situation with Pedro having to stay home and work for the family farm does not sit well with you. I would imagine you feel we do not pay these farmers enough for their crops.”

  Elyssa tilted her head and slowly shook it back and forth as she spoke. “It’s your business -- literally.”

  “Yes, but I want you to understand.”

  Elyssa shrugged, folded her arms across her, and leaned forward. “Okay. I’m listening.”

  Will picked up his cup of coffee and took a sip. He then held it out toward Elyssa. “How many coffee beans do you think it takes to make a pound of coffee?”

  Elyssa laughed. “I don’t know. 500 maybe.”

  “No,” Will replied. “It takes 4000.”

  “That’s a lot of beans.”

  Will nodded. “Yes it is, and the individual farmer is the one who does all the tending of the plant, picking, sorting, and drying. There’s a lot to do to ensure a good cup of coffee. At this level it’s mostly manual labor because there just aren’t machines that can work as efficiently as humans.”

  “But surely they can be paid more. Pemberleo certainly isn’t hurting for money.”

  Will met her gaze and carefully chose his words. “Elyssa, our growers are paid well above the market value. What you don’t understand is that if they only have an acre of crop, even our price can make living difficult, especially if you have a large family.”

  He scrutinized Elyssa’s face as she processed this. He had hoped to enjoy another day without an argument and waited to see what her response would be.

  Elyssa took in a deep breath and blew it out through puffed cheeks. “It just doesn’t seem fair that someone as bright as Pedro and with such noble dreams has no other option.”

  “Perhaps not, but I do believe what I pay my farmers for their coffee is very reasonable.”

  “But…”

  Will put up his hand. “Trust me, Elyssa. They don’t make much in comparison to our standard of living, but they do quite well. Unfortunately it is the farmers with only an acre or two and large families that suffer most. In all fairness, I can only pay them for the actual coffee beans that meet our standards. It doesn’t matter how large or small the farm is. We can’t use every bean that grows. Some coffee beans get infested with bugs, or damaged by too little or too much rain, or mold. There are a lot of variables.”

  Elyssa’s sigh was accompanied by a resigned shrug of her shoulders and their conversation was halted by the arrival of their meal. When Elyssa inhaled the aroma of her food, she rejoiced that her stomach was more than eager to be filled. For the moment, she satisfied herself with a delicious dinner and they talked no further about Pedro.

  When they finished eating, they stepped out of the restaurant and Will looked out toward the lake.

  “Come,” he said. “Let’s walk down to the water’s edge while it is still light. We really haven’t had the chance to enjoy the lake.”

  When they reached the shore, they both began walking toward a sandy section of beach. Elyssa sat down and began to take off her shoes. She then stood up and squished the sand between her toes and a look of delight lit her face.

  “Go ahead. Give it a try.”

  “What? Take my shoes off?”

  Elyssa gave her head a firm nod and then skipped out to the water’s edge. With her feet in the water up to her ankles, she turned and called out to him. “Come on! The water is great!”

  “Yeah, but it can’t be that clean!”

  “Ohhh,” Elyssa responded with a playful splash.

  Will could not suppress the smile that came to his face nor calm his heartbeat that began to race as he watched Elyssa. This is crazy! he thought to himself as he took his shoes and socks off. He then decided it would be prudent for him to at least roll up the bottom of his pant legs.

  Elyssa had turned away from Will to watch the colors in the skies change with each passing minute. Unbeknownst to Will, however, she had quite the smirk on her face as she contemplated seeing whether this man really did know how to have fun. He was really far too severe for her.

  When he came up to her, she turned around and unsuccessfully tried to suppress a giggle. He was making such a concerted effort not to get wet.

  Sorry, Will, Elyssa thought. You’re not going to stay dry for long!

  Without any warning, Elyssa dipped her hands into the water and began splashing him.

  “Hey!” he cried out. “What did I do to deserve that?”

  Instead of turning tail to run, as Elyssa expected he would, he began splashing her back. Her meager attempts were not as strong and efficient as his, and she was soon all the more drenched because of it.

  Elyssa tried to back away from him, lifting up the hem of her skirt as the water got deeper and deeper. Her foot went down suddenly in what must have been a hole in the sand, and before she could regain her footing, she fell down and found herself sitting in about ten inches of water.

  Will began to laugh. “That serves you right!”

  Elyssa rolled her eyes. “Well, the least you can do is to help me up.” She reached up her hand to him. “Who knows what all is in this water!”

  Will trudged through the water and when he took her hand, instead of using it to pull herself up, she gave it a solid yank, toppling him into the water. He twisted his body just enough so he didn’t land on top of her and when he came to a stop, found himself seated in the water next to her.

  Elyssa could not stop laughing. “I’m sorry, Will. I couldn’t resist. It looks like rolling up your pant legs isn’t doing any good keeping your pants dry.”

  “Yeah, thanks to you.”

  He turned toward her and began drowning her with splashes, which she readily reciprocated. When they were both completely drenched, Will stood up.

  “Now, are you willing to take my hand to help you up and not to pull me back in?”

  Elyssa smiled
and nodded. As Will stood over her, looking down into her face, he was sure her eyes were glistening as brightly as the lake. The vibrant color and expression on her face rivaled the sunset above for his attention. There was no question as to which he would rather look upon right now.

  She took his hand and he slowly pulled her up, wishing this moment would go on forever. He didn’t think he’d ever seen a woman more beautiful and gave her hand a slight tug as she rose to her feet. Without thinking of what he was doing, he scooped her up in his arms.

  “What are you doing?” Elyssa screamed.

  “Pay back is fair play,” he answered as he began carrying her further out into the water.

  “You wouldn’t dare!” Elyssa wrapped her arms tightly around him, holding on for dear life.

  Will smiled as he considered the possibility that as long as she thought he was going to throw her in, she’d hold on tightly to him. He rather enjoyed the feel of her in his arms and her arms wrapped tightly about his neck.

  “Will, this is absolutely disgraceful. Look at you! What must the villagers think?”

  “They think that you’re about to be dropped in the water! Besides, you started it.”

  He released his grip slightly, just enough for her to think he was going to drop her. She clung even more fiercely to him.

  In tightening her hold and drawing up against his chest, she inhaled his cologne. She hadn’t noticed it before, but now, the scent teased her thoughts with a memory. A memory about last night.

  The smile on Elyssa’s face froze as the recollection of last night became clearer. She remembered awaking in the night and trying to move, but was prevented by something rather solid. Soft, yet solid… that scent… a sound… breathing!

  “Put me down, Will! Now!”

  He pulled back at the intensity of her tone. “Here?”

  “No, no, back up on shore.”

  Will walked through the water and set her down on the beach. She turned away from him as her mind spun around in turmoil. She had earlier realized that he had spent the evening rubbing her forehead. Could he have merely fallen asleep next to her? Was it as innocent as that or did he have ulterior motives?