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Hammond's Dream Ch.6
By Amber
Costa Rica
Julio Dominguez gripped the railing of his condo balcony. The midday air was warm and humid. Cars, twelve floors below, honked and sped through the streets of San Jose. He loved his balcony; it was three hundred square feet of peace and serenity with a great view. You could see for miles, right into the mountains, and the clouds beyond that.
The doorbell rang, just as Julio expected. He closed the sliding glass door and made his way through the kitchen and into the foyer.
“It’s me, Antonio.” Came from the other side of the door.
“I know.” Julio said as he opened the double doors. “How are you Antonio?”
“Not to good my friend, how about you?”
“It could be better. I gave Scott a call.”
“And, what did he say?” Antonio answered.
“Well, the plans are in motion. I told Scott that I talked to Manuel and the rest of the guys at the Costa Rican Department of biology. They agreed, and Manuel talked to the officials.”
“And what did he say?”
“He agreed. It’s all going to be taken care of. But you know, if this doesn’t work out exactly as planned, were really going to be screwed.”
Julio walked Antonio over to his kitchen and they sat on bar stools. Antonio was a full six inches shorter than Julio, and quite noticeable when they stood together. He rested his briefcase on the floor. Julio poured them a drink from his liquor cabinet and turned on the radio. There was a fast Spanish beat playing.
“Did they talk to D.C.?” Antonio asked.
“Yes. It’s in agreement. I think the Americans are as sick of it as we are. They know tourism, and they know what hurts a tourist city hurts for a long time. Costa Rica is a tourist country. We are not going to lose it because of some lizards.”
Julio took a sip and gave Antonio a look. “This is our last chance you know. It’s been our jobs to protect Costa Rica from anything like this, and for the last five years we have failed. I am not going to let this happen any longer. As the leaders of biological safety in this country, we must do what we need to do.”
“Yes, I know, but the press has been down our throats for years. Not to mention the animal rights activists, the tree huggers, and the general public,” Antonio said.
“I know that, but remember. We’re here for what’s in the best interest of Costa Rica. Nobody wants to talk about disease, but we need to stop this now.” Julio took another sip and poured another glass. He was wearing his business suit and slacks. It was hot. Julio shed the jacket and loosened his tie. Antonio was wearing a suit too, as well as a tie. He kept his on.
“Julio, I know it was a tough call, but it had to be made, and Scott Philips is the right man for the job. He’ll do it correctly, and with that it’ll be done.”
The music changed now. It was softer and smooth. It seemed to match the faded yellow color of Julio’s condo walls. Afternoon sun poured into the quiet room. Julio downed his drink and set his glass on the counter.
Antonio propped his briefcase open on his lap and flipped through a stack of manila files. He fumbled through the stack and finally took out a file marked private. The manila folder was thin. He opened it up and took out three papers. The first one was a cover letter, the second was a signature page, and the third was another letter.
“I picked it up today. I didn‘t have time to discuss it with them. It’s done and signed.” Antonio said.
“Does it have all twenty signatures?” Julio asked.
“Yes.”
“How does it read?” Julio asked.
“Well, all it really says is, in the case that any large incident occurs within twelve months of this documents passing, the site and all it’s inhabitants will be permanently destroyed.”
“That sounds just about right.” Julio said.
“Indeed it does.” Antonio agreed.
3/26/2003 12:32:54 PM
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