Maria's calls for Solono fell on deaf ears. By the volume of her voice growing louder and louder, he knew she would be arriving soon. He sat on a bench in front of the Palace and tossed stale breadcrumbs towards the flock of pigeons that sat nearby. They fought for every crumb. When the smaller birds missed out on the pleasantries, he tossed a few pieces in their direction only to them being snatched away by the bigger, stronger birds. "Bullies!" he thought.
"Solono!" Maria said as she approached. "I know you heard me calling your name. Why do you make me call you a hundred times before you answer?"
"You are wrong, my beautiful sister. I never answer."
They laughed as Maria playfully slapped Solono on the back of the head.
"Stop playing with me. One day it might be an actual emergency and you'll feel bad if something happens to me," Maria said.
The black stretch limo that was taking Solono and Louis to the airport arrived. Juan walked towards the back of the limo to open the trunk.
"Where are you going, Solono?" Maria asked.
Before Solono could answer, Louis exited the Palace with his travel bags.
"We're going on a father-son trip, darling," Louis said. "I want to show your brother what powerful men discuss amongst themselves. "Rushing to meet Louis at the top of the stairs, Juan grabbed Louis's luggage and stuffed it in the awaiting vehicle.
"Why can't I go father?" Maria said.
"Darling, you know that I don't want you involved in politics.
We've discussed this. It's a very ugly, dangerous world, dear. Besides, who is going to take care of home while I'm gone? You are the only one who I can trust."
Maria smiled.
Solono could only observe as he and Juan leaned against the limo. He loved the heartwarming relationship between Louis and Maria. The bond between Louis and Maria was a constant reminder of his loss. He pounded on the limo with his fist.
"I hate to interrupt your father-daughter moment, but this storm is not going to wait for us. We have to get going," Solono said.
Louis shook his head, used to Solono's ways.
Solono opened the rear door and climbed into the muggy limo. Louis gave Maria a tight hug and kiss on her forehead before climbing in.
They were car number three in a convoy of four. The dirt roads produced a thick red cloud that made it difficult for Solono to see anything in front of him. He didn't realize that he passed the towns of Villetta and Itá, known for their people who possessed Clairaudience. He'd heard how a man visited an old woman in the tiny town of Villetta and she spoke to the man's wife who had been raped and killed during the Tribunal War ten years earlier. Solono wanted to know if it was possible to speak to his loved ones but never shared his interest with anyone. He promised himself that he would visit one day.
He turned to Louis who was gazing out the window in silence. Solono knew that words of encouragement were of no use. Still he attempted to relax Louis.
"This will be a short flight, Father Louis. Don't worry. By the time we take off we'll be landing shortly after."
Louis sighed. "You can tell me that a million times, but it never gets easier. The take-off is the worse part. God will punish me for my sins with the most devastating way to perish -- smashing into a mountain while aboard a plane."
Solono disagreed. He thought getting shot in the head in front of your son was the worse way to perish.
By the time the two-hour trip was over, Louis was drenched in sweat. Solono did all he could to comfort him during the flight, but it was a waste of time. Grabbing his hand only made Louis more frustrated. Trying to have a conversation with Louis caused him to bark at whoever dared speak. Sleeping was out of the question. He finally remembered the medication Julia gave him when they landed. He handed the bottle to Juan.
"Take these. Make sure I have them before the flight takes off on our way back."
Juan placed them in his pocket.
Awaiting was Minister Gobrio and a ten-man security detail, all with machine guns. Dressed in an all-black suit with a white shirt and red tie, Minister Gobrio was very handsome for a man in his seventies. Kind and soft-spoken, he greeted Louis and Solono with gifts of wine and cheese.
"Fetch the President a glass of water," Minister Gobrio said as he snapped his finger, summoning one of his guards. He figured the perspiration on Louis' face was due to humidity.
"Apologies for the hot weather, Mr. President." Minister Gobrio said. "They say that the devil himself hates Uruguay because it's so unbelievably hot." They all burst into laughter.
"Our home is your home, Mr. President. Welcome to Uruguay."
This was a huge occasion for both Paraguay and Uruguay. Surrounded by Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia, both small countries were considered underdogs. Two of the poorest countries in the continent, they agreed it was time to unite their resources to compete in the global market. Because of their hostile past, tension was still great between them. Uruguay had joined Argentina and Brazil during the Triple Alliance War but after realizing they had been used for their assets, they broke ties. Argentina and Brazil's economy flourished from tourism and trade while their economy suffered. Famine was not uncommon. Uruguay had attempted several times to have a meeting with Paraguay, but Louis wanted them to suffer a little longer.
After a short scenic route back to Minister Gobrio's residence, Louis and Solono were surprised at the modest yet exquisite ranch-style home he lived in. Surrounded by beautiful grass and landscape, the house sat between beautiful mountains to the south and acres of inhabited land to the north. Anyone approaching could be spotted a mile away by the many men in green army fatigues with machine guns. Some of the soldiers had dogs. Horses ran free throughout the open plain chased by three or four playful hounds.
Louis and Solono sat on the beautifully decorated deck that flanked a swimming pool in which two young women, Minister Gobrio's daughters, joyfully splashed. One in particular caught Solono's eye. With curly, dark brown hair and cinnamon skin, she exited the water and reached for her towel. As she rubbed the towel up and down her leg she caught notice of Solono's stare. Solono was very shy when it came to the opposite sex. He immediately looked at an imaginary object in the sky. She looked up to see what he was looking at and giggled when she realized there was nothing.
He attempted numerous times to distract himself from the young woman, but her beauty continued to draw him in. She winked at him, wrapped the towel around her body, and walked into the ranch, gazing over her shoulder at him.
"Beautiful country you have here Minister Gobrio," Louis said as he gazed at the beautiful Cerro Catedral not too far off in the distance. Louis witnessed the flirtation and attempted to distract the minister.
"It seems you are doing a wonderful job for your people." He gave Solono a sharp look. Solono lowered his eyes.
"Thank you, Mr. President, but please don't judge our book by its cover. We are in desperate times right now. Our people are suffering, so unfortunately everyone here doesn't share your assessment."
Louis listened attentively. It brought him great satisfaction that a country that once was against him was now seeking his assistance. "How can we can help each other?" Louis asked.
Before the Minister could respond, Solono asked if he could be excused to use the restroom.
"Certainly," Minister Gobrio replied. He summoned one of his guards to direct his guest to the restroom but Solono declined.
"Excuse me Minister, excuse me Father Louis," Solono gestured as he removed himself from the table. As he entered the ranch, he hoped he accidently bumped into the young woman. As he passed through the humungous living room, his eyes were drawn to a picture on top of a marble fireplace. It was the Minister with his daughter who was mounted atop a beautiful black horse. He pictured himself mounted on the horse with her as they galloped freely in the prairie.
"That was my father and me at the Annual Horse Festival several months ago," said a voice behind him.
Solono jumped.
"My apologies for startling you. My name is Milagro," said Minister Gobrio's daughter, extending her hand for a handshake.
"Solono," he responded as he grabbed her hand. "Solono? That's a very masculine name." Solono blushed. "Bathroom!"
"Excuse me?" Milagro said.
"I need to use the bathroom. Can you point me in that direction, please?" "Pull yourself together," he thought to himself.
"It's down the hall to your left. You can't miss it. There's a statue of a horse directly across from it." They both laughed.
When Solono exited the bathroom, Milagro was waiting for him just outside the door.
"Do you have to hurry back to your meeting?" said Milagro.
"Yes, unfortunately. Father Louis wants me to observe the negotiations."
"Why do you call him, Father Louis? Why not just father?"
Solono paused. "No one has ever asked me that before."
Milagro smiled. "I can be the first person you tell."
Solono smiled. "Maybe after we get to know each other better."
"How can we get to know each other if you're in meetings the entire time you're here?"
"Milagro, our fathers are in the midst of a sensitive, possibly historic discussion. You don't want to distract them, do you?"
"I was hoping you were different from the boring men my father usually invites to our home. When you're ready to have fun, let me know." Milagro turned and slowly walked away, confident Solono would watch her.
He did. When she was gone, he hurried back to Louis and Minister Gobrio. Their negotiations continued for hours, but Milagro stayed on his mind.
Gusty winds indicated the storm was on its way. The rain and high winds that touched down in Paraguay was now approaching Uruguay. Louis looked uneasily at the swaying tree branches. The clouds began moving faster than they had moments earlier. The sky transitioned in color from blue to ash.
"Looks like the storm is about to hit," Minister Gobrio said as he scanned the skyline.
"Yes, it does look that way. We just missed it in Paraguay and it's about to land here," Louis said.
"You and Solono are more than welcome to stay until it passes. I have plenty of space."
"We might just take you up on that. It's not safe for an airplane to be out in these conditions."
Solono wondered how safe he would be under the same roof, overnight, with Milagro.