Desert Passage Page 8

  “I did, too,” Miguel answered.

  They sat on the hard ground and ate their dinner. Miguel ate the burrito in three bites. Ramón gave in and allowed him to also eat one of the granola bars along with one half of the chocolate bar.

  Still hungry, Miguel sat back against the rock wall and looked down at the town beginning to light up in the darkness. “It feels like we’re really far away, huh?” he said.

  “Yeah, I’ve been thinking that all day.”

  “Those guys at the Grand Canyon were cool. I wouldn’t mind going back to the canyon next year,” Miguel added.

  “There’s a lot we should do,” pondered Ramón, “there’s so much to see. I mean, look at this place, just think of how many more places like this are there in the world. We could probably travel nonstop for the rest of our lives and never see everything there is out there.”

  “Hey, man, we could, you know, travel our whole lives.” Miguel’s imagination sprung into action. “We could drop outta school and just drive Nat around. We wouldn’t need a lot of money. We would work along the way. But we would need another sleeping bag, though.”

  Ramón laughed at Miguel’s idea. “Yeah, just drive around seeing the sights and begging for food, that sounds awesome.”

  “No, I mean it, at least once a year or something, take a trip somewhere. See something new!”

  “If Grandpa Esteban was still here, he would understand,” said Ramón, closing his eyes to feel the last of the sun’s rays on his face.

  “I’m going to tell my dad to take us places. We need to see the world.”

  “Yeah, we’ll tell Tío Rodrigo after he’s done yelling at us. He might be real mad when we see him, you know? Did you ever think of that?”

  Miguel’s excitement left his face.

  “My dad cares about us, I just wish … I just wish he could remember what it was like to be young.” He took a long pause then continued, “We had to do this, we had to go on our own.”

  Ramón took a long wood stick lying off to the side of the fire and stuck it into the flames. “If my dad were here, he would understand.”

  Both boys sat in silence, leaning against the side of the enormous red rock with the soft firelight flickering in their eyes.

  Chapter 27

  The rocky cavern provided adequate shelter for the boys. The desert winds blew from the southeast and the large expanse of stone shielded them as they slept. Miguel had stacked extra branches nearby and in accordance with their original plan, Miguel suggested that Ramón use the sleeping bag first. They found spots on the ground that were the most comfortable and used the backpacks and extra clothes as pillows.

  Ramón fell asleep first. The sleeping bag was large and he nestled into it while feeling the heat of the flames on his face. Being next to the giant red rocks made him feel safe despite being out in the desert alone. He slept the first part of the night easily. Then the first of two dreams came.

  He was driving the scooter along an ocean coastline. The road was extremely narrow and on the left side of the road was a steep cliff which dropped off sharply into the crashing waves below. The road was dangerous and the scooter was leaning toward the cliff, closer every minute he traveled. Ramón steered the scooter away from the cliff but no matter how far to the right he turned the handles, the scooter drifted to danger. It felt like no matter what he did to drive the scooter away from the dangerous cliff, he was going to fall onto the rocks below.

  Ramón woke up for a moment and turned over in the sleeping bag. The heat of the fire warmed his back and he saw Miguel placing more wood on top of the flames. The warmth of the fire quickly put him back to sleep.

  Then the second dream came. Ramón was standing on open ground. There were no buildings or people; all he could see was a flat horizon of empty desert. He looked for a road or a sign for direction but nothing was there. He was completely alone. Strong winds began to blow and in an instant all visibility was gone. He could see nothing but clouds of dust and dirt swirling around him. The sky darkened and he covered his mouth to avoid breathing in the dust. Out of the darkness appeared two beams of lights. As the lights grew stronger, he heard the roar of a familiar engine. An old truck pulled up in front of him and Grandpa Esteban stepped out.

  “Hey, there, we’ve been looking for you,” Grandpa Esteban said, taking off his cowboy hat and dusting it with his hand. “Your dad and I have been worried, we didn’t think you’d be able to find us in all this dust. It’s quite a storm, isn’t it?”

  Ramón stood speechless, looking at his beloved grandfather. The older man was still wearing his worn work boots and driving the same old pickup truck that he and Miguel used to take rides in.

  Ramón wiped his eyes and refocused on the apparition. “Is it really you?” he asked in a whisper.

  “It’s okay, Ramón, come here and give your grandpa a hug.”

  Ramón ran to his grandpa and threw his arms around his barrel-sized chest. “I’m so glad you’re here, I thought I was lost. I couldn’t see anything, how did you find me?” he asked.

  “We never lose sight of where you are or what you’re doing. We’ve been following you all the way since you and Miguel left the house. This old truck can keep up with anything, but I need to check the brakes, they’ve been squeaking lately.”

  “We went to the Grand Canyon, Grandpa. You were right, it was amazing. Miguel told our friends there about what happened at school and they believed us!”

  Grandpa Esteban stopped Ramón. “I know everything, son. I’m so proud of you and Miguel because you’re on the right path. But you have a long way to go, you have to promise to be careful and think about the choices you make in life, okay?”

  Ramón looked into the old man’s kind eyes and nodded his head. At that moment, he saw another man step out of the passenger side of the truck. The figure was hard to see at first then he realized who it was. It was his dad.

  “Ramón, this is your father, Enrique,” Grandpa Esteban announced, taking a step back from his grandson.

  Enrique walked slowly toward Ramón. He resembled Tío Rodrigo, but looked many years younger. Both father and son stood looking at one another in disbelief.

  “I wasn’t sure if I would ever have the chance to meet you as a young man,” Enrique said. His voice trembled as he held out his arms, “I’ve never stopped loving you. Can you forgive me, mijo ?”

  “Dad? Is that really you?” Ramón looked at the familiar face and flashes of the pictures in his grandmother’s house filled his mind. Enrique looked so young, like he did in the pictures. Ramón took a step toward his father and touched his hands, they were strong and warm, but he dared not look into his eyes, fearing that he wasn’t real.

  Ramón fell into his father’s strong arms, shutting his eyes tight. Feeling all the strength of his father’s embrace, he stood there in silence, trying to absorb all the affection that he had never before had the chance to feel.

  “Why did you have to go? Why did you leave us?” Ramón could no longer restrain the tears and started to cry.

  “It was my time, mijo, I had no choice.”

  “But I needed you, I still need you.” Ramón’s voice quivered as he spoke.

  “I’m so sorry. We can’t control when we are born or when it’s time to die, I know that now.”

  “But what about me? What am I supposed to do?” begged Ramón.

  Enrique’s eyes swelled with tears and he strengthened his embrace around Ramón. “I will always watch over you, even when you think that I’m not there. Look for me in your dreams and in the stars at night. I am forever with you. You’re my life.”

  Ramón felt the loving embrace of his father as the dust clouds stopped swirling and the sky became brighter. The truck lights faded and with the lightness of the day, the dream was over.

  Miguel managed to sleep for a few hours during the night and was stirring the fire when Ramón woke up. He had heard Ramón talking in his sleep but wasn’t sure what he was saying. He k
new that his cousin missed his dad terribly. Miguel thought of their grandmother crying on Tío Enrique’s birthday and when they would go to the cemetery. Miguel also recalled how his father would walk away from Tío Enrique’s grave not wanting anyone see him cry. Ramón moved in the sleeping bag and turned toward the warm morning fire.

  “It was pretty cold last night,” Miguel said, putting more sticks on the fire. “You’re lucky you had the sleeping bag.”

  Ramón stayed quiet and did not respond. He closed his eyes and tried to remember his father’s face and the sound of his voice.

  “Hey, guess what I saw just a minute ago?” Miguel’s eyes lit up and he looked directly at his cousin, hoping he would listen.

  “What, what happened?”

  “As the sun was coming up, there was an eagle flying around over our rocks. It came real close and landed on the top of the rock where we were sleeping!” Miguel exclaimed, “Isn’t that something? A real eagle, and he was big. I didn’t know they were that big!”

  “Oh, yeah?” responded Ramón, slightly interested. “Why would it come here?”

  “Maybe he’s here to watch over us. He had a strange look in his eyes, like he knew who we were or something.”

  Ramón felt a pang in his heart and he knew instantly why the eagle had been there. He closed his eyes and quietly told his father that he loved him.

  Chapter 28

  “How many more miles to Albuquerque?” Miguel asked, looking for the map in Ramón’s backpack.

  “Probably three hundred or so, maybe more.”

  Ramón finished rolling the sleeping bag and started tying it down on the scooter.

  “You gotta be kidding me. That far?”

  “Yeah, we better get going.”

  Ramón wheeled Natalie over toward the dirt road and motioned for him to get on board. “I’ll drive for a while. My arm doesn’t hurt that bad.”

  Miguel was still tired from the night before and was glad not to have the responsibility of watching the road. He climbed onto the back of the scooter and let Ramón lead the way.

  The interstate led them out of Sedona and into secluded desert country. The boys traveled for miles without seeing any buildings, or even road signs. All that was visible was the endless stretch of black asphalt road and the gray silhouettes of mountains in the distance.

  Ramón drove steadily. He was glad to have the road to focus on. As the black asphalt melted underneath the wheels, blue cloudless skies hung overhead. It was a perfect desert morning.

  “Hey, what’s that sign say?” Miguel shouted in his cousin’s ear.

  Ramón focused on the green piece of metal standing alone on the side of the road and said aloud, “Hot Springs, 10 Miles.”

  “Hey, let’s go,” Miguel insisted.

  The boys had been traveling for almost three hours without a break and Ramón liked the idea of swimming in hot pools of water.

  “Okay, but not for too long.”

  The exit took them down a two-lane road between a couple of small hills and into flat ground surrounded by a rocky formation. No one was around and the boys looked in amazement at the natural pools of water.

  “No way! No one is here! We have this place all to ourselves!” Miguel shouted. He ran over to the nearest pool of water and put his hand in. “Its hot, like a hot tub!”

  Ramón laughed and stripped off his shirt. They jumped in and laughed at the surprising heat of the water.

  “This is awesome, I can’t believe this is out here,” said Miguel, dunking his head under the warm bubbles.

  Some of the natural springs were warmer than the others. The boys took turns jumping in and out of each pool comparing the temperatures and splashing the warm water on the rocks.

  After a long soak in the hottest pool, both boys got out and stretched out under the clear blue sky. The surrounding rocks were flat and comfortable to lie on. The sun’s hot rays felt soothing and soon their thoughts drifted to the simple joys of boyhood.

  “This is awesome,” Miguel repeated. “Life should be like this all the time.”

  Ramón allowed the additional heat from the smooth granite rock to warm his body. He opened his eyes for a moment and replied pensively, “Our lives will be what we make of them.”

  “You’re getting heavy. Maybe you should get out of the sun,” Miguel teased.

  “Whatever, man, let’s get out of here. We gotta keep moving.” Ramón laughed and closed his eyes for a few minutes longer, feeling the healing energy of the open desert.

  Chapter 29

  Alternating stripes of blue, turquoise, coral, and black were stacked in the mountains. They followed one another closely, each one more colorful than the next. White stretches of clouds drifted easily over the sky and disappeared just as quickly as they formed.

  Natalie hummed onward, not giving any signs of fatigue or weariness. Miguel rode along admiring the scenery and sometimes commenting to his cousin about how they should move and live in the middle of whatever mountain range was currently in view. Ramón would laugh and pretend to agree that it was a good idea. The boys were happy. Life was in perfect order and the future seemed boundless. The road had become their source of inspiration.

  They were making good progress toward the New Mexico state border when Miguel saw something that caught his eye. A group of blue tents was pitched below a cluster of mountains along with a few white trailers.

  “What’s going on over there?” he asked, pointing to get Ramón’s attention.

  Ramón looked out toward the sight and said, “Looks like some campers.”

  “That’s a lot of tents to be just campers, let’s go check it out.”

  “Miguel, we have to keep going.”

  “Maybe we should stop anyway. We don’t know how much further before we see a town. We also need to find a place to sleep for the night.” Miguel knew that Ramón would agree to stop if he made it sound like he was concerned for their safety.

  Ramón took a dirt road which appeared to lead to the encampment and drove in. The blue tents were scattered all around the campsite and three large white trailers were grouped together on one side. Ramón drove on the perimeter of the tents to see if there were people around. A door from one of the trailers opened and two men stepped out. They were similarly dressed in long khaki shorts and hiking boots. One of the men had a rough gray beard and was looking into a notebook. The other man had a long ponytail tied at the back of his neck and was checking his glasses for smudges. Both men looked up from their activities at the same time and saw the scooter drive up.

  “Hey, could you tell us where the next campsite is?” Ramón had stopped Natalie within a few feet of the men.

  The men looked with curiosity at the two boys on the dusty old scooter. The bearded man spoke first.

  “Where are you headed to?”

  “We’re headed to Santa Fe, but we need a place to stop for the night,” replied Ramón.

  The bearded man glanced off toward the interstate thinking about the great distance to Santa Fe, then refocused his attention on the two young faces in front of him.

  “Are you traveling alone?” he asked.

  “Yeah, my brother and I are meeting our parents in Albuquerque tomorrow.” Ramón lied quickly, afraid of what Miguel might say.

  The bearded man turned his head slightly in bewilderment at the boys’ situation. His thoughts had been occupied by the importance of the project he was working on and suddenly his mind had been forced to turn to the predicament of two children. He looked to the man standing next to him for his opinion on the subject.

  The younger man with the ponytail smiled and asked the boys if they had been eating and if they had found a place to sleep the night before. The boys responded that they were taking care of themselves on the road. The younger man recognized the adventurous spirit of the boys and nodded back to the older man, suggesting his consent to have Miguel and Ramón join the group.

  “I don’t mind if they stay. I’ll take t
he responsibility, Dr. García,” the younger man said generously.

  “If you have your own gear you can stay here for the night. We have a tent that’s not in use and I’m sure the other boys won’t mind.” He took a few steps forward and introduced himself. “I’m Dr. García and this is Dr. Shaw. We’re heading up this dig. The others will be back soon.”

  Ramón held out his hand to shake Dr. García’s hand and introduce himself. Miguel dismounted the scooter and copied the actions of his cousin.

  “We won’t get in the way. We can set up our stuff anywhere,” Ramón said, suddenly feeling shy.

  “Why don’t you and Miguel drive over to the last tent by the second fire pit, I’ll have one of the boys help you as soon as they return,” said Dr. García. He kept a stern expression on his face while he spoke but Ramón could see that he was a generous man. Dr. Shaw smiled at the boys through his cloudy lenses. He was closer in age to the boys than Dr. García and recognized their need for adventure.

  Ramón and Miguel drove Natalie to where they had been told and untied their backpack and sleeping bag. Miguel was glad to have a safe place to sleep that night and Ramón was intrigued about the idea of a dig.

  “What are they digging for?” Ramón thought to himself as they walked around the vacant blue tent. “Could there be buried treasure in the desert?”

  Miguel went to look for wood to start a fire as Ramón’s fascination with the desert and all its hidden mysteries grew.

  Chapter 30

  “Are we supposed to be burning stuff in there?” Ramón asked Miguel.

  Miguel had started a large fire in the fire pit and was standing back from the high flames, admiring his achievement.

  “It’s going to be dark soon and cold. Last night was real cold,” Miguel said, remembering how he had shivered all night without a sleeping bag to sleep in.

  “What are you guys doing in here?” a voice suddenly said from outside the tent.

  Ramón stood up and turned to see a young man dressed in dirty jeans and a straw cowboy hat.