If she only knew what poor Conchita has endured. The guilt she feels and the burden she carries. Maybe it was a bad decision to return to Costa Rica. Perhaps I should've stayed in California. I could've saved myself time and energy… not to mention, money.
No. Screw that. I will not bend to another woman. You give them an inch, and they take a mile. My exes had the world at their feet but they threw it all away. It wasn't my fault. At least that's what I tell myself. One allowed herself to become caught up in the frivolities of the world. The other became entangled in delusions that diluted her mind. Sadly, she succumbed to her own fate.
I warned her many times that she was going down the wrong path. I tried stopping her. I tried even harder to steer her in the right direction but she wouldn't listen. She was too headstrong. Maybe she got what was coming to her.
Conchita thinks I should come clean and tell Val what happened. But I want to start new with a clean slate. I want to do things right this time, with the right woman. There's no use stirring up the past if you don't have to.
They say you shouldn’t keep secrets but I beg to differ. Some secrets are best kept buried.
25
Valerie
As I sat at the computer staring at the screen, I pictured a sloth crossing the road. He was crawling along, carrying a power cord and searching for an electrical outlet. The internet connection at the house was slow, slower than the days of dial-up. Everything took forever; slow was the way of life in the jungle.
Ten minutes later the page appeared and I clicked on the link for batteries. Another two minutes passed and then the page froze. I released a long sigh. When I leaned back in the chair, I felt something grab my shoulders. Flinching, I let out a scream and turned in my seat.
“You scared me!” I shrieked my heart beating rapidly against my chest.
“The chair was balancing on two legs. It looked as if you were going to fall over, so I reached out to catch you.”
I glared at him, taking a breath.
“What are you doing?” he asked, peeking at the screen.
“Trying to order a battery for my cell phone but I can’t even get the darn page to load.”
“Forget it. It’s not worth it. The shipping will cost more than the battery. We can go into town and try to find one.”
I wanted to tell him that I didn’t like going into town. It was depressing to see the endless number of stray animals wandering aimlessly. It was so sad and always made me cry.
But for some reason, I didn’t have the heart to tell him as he stood there holding my leopard print rain boots.
“Put these on; you might need them.” He grinned.
Two hours and four stores later, there were no cell phone batteries to be found. I spied a BCR sign, a ‘Banco de Costa Rica’ on the main road and asked David to stop.
“I’ll just be a minute,” I said, exiting the truck. Digging into my handbag for my wallet, I pulled out my bank card.
As I walked up to the ATM, the ‘cajero automático’ I paused as everything was written in Spanish. Above the machine, the words ‘sin cargos’ were written on a small sign.
When I slid my card into the machine, I tapped the keypad and gazed into the screen, but the glare from the sun made it hard to read. Shielding my eyes from the sun, I tapped the keypad again. I must’ve hit the wrong button because in an instant the machine ate my card.
Stomping my feet, I grumbled and breathed out my frustration. A door slammed from behind me and David sauntered over with a goofy smile plastered on his face.
“What’s going on?”
“The machine ate my card!” I yelled.
“Looked like you were doing some sort of rain dance.” He broke into laughter. “At least you’re wearing the right boots.”
“Stop,” I stamped my foot again, “it’s not funny.”
“Don’t worry about it; things happen.”
“But it’s the only card I have.”
“Relax,” his tone escalated.
“Sure, easy for you to say.” I rushed over to the main door, gripping the handle, but it was locked.
“They’re closed,” he said, “cerrado,” pointing to the sign. “We’ll come back another day.”
“But I need money. Now.”
“You don’t need any money.”
“I am out of cash.” A wave of panic surged through me, pulsating every inch of my body.
“So what?” He walked over to me, inches from my face.
“What if I can’t get my card back?”
“I’ll take care of you,” he said, staring deep into my eyes. He took hold of my hand and we walked back to his truck.
The old jalopy chugged along, the springs in the seat squeaking as David dodged a mix of bumps and potholes in the road. I focused my gaze on a small waterfall streaming down the side of the mountain that reminded me of something I had seen before. Closing my eyes, I thought back to the waterfall photo in David’s condo—to the time I first visited him in California.
I had so many hesitations when I first met him, yet I ignored every one of them. As we bounced along the winding roads, I glanced over at him, wondering if he had any doubts when he first met me.
“What are you thinking about over there?” he asked, reaching out for my hand.
“Not much,” I turned away, gazing out the window.
“Don't lie; I can sense something is on your mind.”
“I was thinking about the waterfall we just passed. It reminded me of the photo on the wall at your condo.”
“Ahh, yes, the old condo. I had forgotten all
