Chapter-2: The Bird and The Cat
A quick sip and Amado placed his drink down and picked up several napkins with his right hand. From a variety, he gathered a pineapple empanada, a circle of mazapan and two plump purple higos. He took a bite of each item he gathered and then focused his next two bites, finishing his higos.
Amado moved over to the stained glass window, mixed drink in his left hand. His head angled up and he stared at the two crossed Henry rifles. A sip more and he lowered his gaze, and looked at the vibrant window as he bit into his pineapple empanada.
Diego served himself some water and walked over to Don Amado with an uneasy stomach.
“Is there anything else, Don Amado?”
“These rifles above your window, do you still remember how to use them?”
Careful with his words, Diego replied,
“I haven’t kept up with much practice since the war. My skills have dulled; and I doubt my ability to hit a target even at fifty meters.”
“If I recall, doesn’t the bank have a pistol and rifle range in the back?” Don Amado eyes sparkled as he stared at the rifles.
An awkward pause and Diego breathed in deep: “That’s correct, the guards are required to practice at least once every other day; but ….”
“Well, there you go, Diego, you have your two rifles and I have my rifles. How does some night practice sound? We each take only two shots, one with each rifle.” Don Amado grinned with amusement and stared closely at Diego for a response.
Diego’s posture stiffened and his neck tensed. He ran his hand through his black wavy hair and thought, of all nights, why this night? His throat constricted; but he managed to reply in calm.
“As … you request, señor; however, is there anything else with our current business at hand?”
“No, Diego. All the details we have discussed are in the report. When do you expect Marco will be ready to leave?” Amado sipped from his tamarindo mix-drink and stared at the window.
“Sunday afternoon at the latest, I’ll have Patricio relay the information and bring Marco back tonight, after our meeting … after our night practice.”
A queer smile creped onto Don Amado’s face: “Bien, Diego, todo bien.” Another sip of his tamarindo drink, and Amado finished with his pineapple empanada and mazapan.
“This window, Diego, is it an eagle and a dog?”
Diego glanced at the stained window and back at Don Amado.
“No, Señor Aguilar, that’s not a dog, it’s a cat.”
“Si, I see it now, a big cat: lion, tiger or cougar, perhaps.”
Diego approached the window and lifted his hand and traced the bird and the cat for Don Amado.
“This cat, Don Amado, has the most powerful bite of all the great cats. It prefers to kill its prey by crushing the back of their skull with its massive bite: it’s a jaguar, señor.”
Don Amado placed his empty glass on the conference table and dusted some crumbs from his vest and moved to gather his things. With an eager bounce in his step, he made ready to move on with their practice shooting for the night.
“An eagle wrestling with a jaguar,” said Amado, “I like those odds. Where did you get the idea for this window?”
Diego hesitated for a second and surprised himself with the truth: “I saw this scene in a dream, four or five months ago. A month later and I had it installed.”
An amused grin and Don Amado picked up a napkin and reached for one more of the nine remaining purple higos. He ate the higo in two bites and tossed the napkin into the waste can by Diego’s desk. He laughed and said,
“I’ve heard that dreams are messages from God. Perhaps you need some pets to keep you company on that big ranch of yours.” Amado pulled out a deck of playing cards from his coat pocket. He winked at Diego; and, without removing the cards from their box, he ripped the cards and box in half.
Don Amado smiled proudly and threw the cards away, and reached out and tapped Diego on his shoulder a couple of times.
“Come, Mr. Money-man, let’s go … it’s never too late for some night practice.”
Patricio and Juan worked fast as they prepared the rifle range behind the bank. The sun rested below the horizon and the stars blinked open upon the night. There was a need for more light, and the two men rushed and lit a squad of lamps and prepared two targets at the end of the range.
Facing away from the rear of the bank, there were seven horse stalls on the right. And, to the left, twenty meters away from the stalls, the pistol range and then rifle range.
On the edge, running the length of the rifle range, there stood a large cinder block wall. It reached three meters in height and half a meter in thickness.
The total length of the rifle range extended for one hundred meters; and it rested at a depth of three meters, from ground level. For greater safety, a five meter wall, at the target end of the rifle range, extended for a depth of one meter.
Adjacent to the rifle range, there sat a ten meter long pistol range, wide enough for three shooters at a time. Between the pistol range and the horse stalls, there ran a cobblestone path leading out to a small open field. It connected to the rest of the city and mainly consisted of dried grass and gopher holes.
At the end of the hundred meter lane, the first square target stood ready. Its dimensions measured one meter by one meter. Pinned in the middle of the white target, a thin black paper outline of a person’s bust waited for the practice to begin.
The target held two small plates, one at the center of the head and one at heart level. Don Amado noticed the modifications and convinced Diego on a little bet. The goal was simple. Hit the target anywhere in the black shaded profile for some gold pieces. And, for added difficulty, one higo would be placed at head level and one at heart level. Hitting the fruit would be worth more gold pieces.
Thank you
Thank you for reading. Next, Monday I will post the third part of Chapter 2: The Bird and The Cat.
Total Consciousness 