GRINGA (21 page)

             
‘No, no, it’s not that simple. I’m
not
your woman.
I
don’t
want you to touch me
.’

             
‘
Si
.
Si
. I no touch you anymore. You ask me, I touch you. You no ask me, I no touch you.’

             
What? Is that it? Is this all it takes? He won’t touch me unless I
ask
him? It’s too easy - he’s lying.

             
‘You’re lying. You’re just saying that.’

             
‘No …
true. I leave you ’lone.’

             
Really? Well, maybe he can be trusted. I mean I’m never going to ask him to touch me, so I’m safe then. I quickly recover from my surprise and fire a few more rounds. ‘I wanna go home.’

             
Silence.

             
Okay, so I was pushing it. ‘Well, I eh ... I wanna see my family. Often.’

             
‘
Si
.’ 

             
For a few moments I glare at him, then I get up and without a word, walk back to the ranch. Diablo follows at a distance.

A couple of things happen after that – Diablo stops his midnight visits, I’m put on an informal suicide watch
-
Troy and Diablo hover around me all the time to ensure I don’t revisit the cliff.

Knowing that I’m not going to endure any more
nightly visits from Diablo,
relaxes me and my spirit
slowly
returns
over the next few weeks. 

28 July 02

Bastido doesn’t visit anymore. Hooray! Don’t ever wanna see his grotesque face over mine again. Rather kiss a lizard. A big, fat, slimy, swamp lizard. Big swamp lizard and Loch
Ness
Monster. Big swamp lizard, Loch Ness Monster and
Nevada
rattlesnake.

Christa
hates me. Not sure why but I know I’m g
onna get my ass kicked by her one of these days. Have to be careful.

*
             
*
             
*

A week later, we’re having dinner when there’s great commotion outside. The men hurry towards the action, while I saunter outside, curious to see what is going on.

             
T
hey’ve captured a
nother
man. His face is bloodied and he’s on his knees
while Christa interrogates him.

             
Diablo observes quietly
but keeps glancing at me.

             
I feel sorry for the man as I know how it’s gonna end tonight – Diablo will probably cut his throat under Christa’s goading.

             
Christa cracks her whip on the cobblestones of the courtyard and I flinch.

             
I’m wondering if I can do anything to save the man, when I hear him say my name. Surprised, I look carefully – it’s
Austin
!

             
‘Ohm
ig
od!’ I
shout and
race towards him.

             
But Christa cracks her whip in my path, forcing me back.  

             
I love
Austin
and to see him like this - at Christa’s mercy, infuriates me and my rage takes over. I slam into Christa, knock her over and grab her whip.
‘Leave him alone!’ I snarl. 

    
             
She lies stunned on the ground. I don’t think she ever believed I would do something like this. I regret it immediately of course, but I’m not going to let her know that so I glare at her or at least fake it.

             
There’s a hush all around I never thought possible with these drunken men. 

    
             
Christa, with the aid of Digger, slowly gets to her feet and smiles at me.
A cold, granite
smile
which tells me I
’m fucked.

             
Suddenly, s
he lunges at me, screaming like a banshee. But the skill of two self defence classes, coupled with the experience I had playing football with
Austin
in the past, comes in handy – I side-step
her
and backhand her.

    
             
That stuns her even more
.
That’s right bitch, I’m full of surprises. (Just ask
Paris
.
I knocked her out once when we were teenagers. Got fed up with her bullying and socked her in the eye. Gave her a real shiner.)

    
             
The men are roaring with excitement. Two women circling each other, wanting to scratch each other’s eyes out – it’s soft porn to them.

             
‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’ they holler. Some send
s
for more whisky, while others
fish out their wallets to
wager
. A
dream come true for some.

             
Actually,
I’m nervous
.
Christa has so many people on her side. I glance at Diablo. He’s leaning back on a wall watching us. He too seems amused and does nothing to stop the fight.

             
Christa
swings
at me
.
I
duck and slam into her.
She falls and I hover over her but I don’t hit her again
bec
ause I’m scared one of her sons might intervene and kick the crap out of me. Luckily,
Troy
steps in and holds me back, shielding me in the process. 

             
Christa curses at me, vowing all sorts of things
.
‘I will cut you. I will feed you to the dogs. I will shoot you.’

             
Knowing
Troy
has everything under control, I kneel before
Austin
. ‘What the hell are you doing here,
Austin
?’ I whisper, horrified at the sight of his b
attered
face.

    
             
‘Payton,’ he rasps, ‘I came to check up on you – see if you’re okay.’

             
‘What? Why?’

             
‘You looked so upset the other day, I was worried, okay?’

    
             
I’m so touched. Such valour, such gallantry, such bravery, such ... a dumb idea. Was he out of his friggin’ mind? He’s unarmed and outnumbered and as for his ability to fight – Christa can
probably
topple him. But it
’
s the thought that
really
count
s
and my heart soars
at his foolishness.

             
‘Austin, I …’
I stop and glance at Diablo dragging on his
cigarette
, watching us through slanted eyes.  ‘
Eh,
come
with me
.’ As I help him to his feet, I curse myself for crying in front of him the other day. My misery may cause his death. I try to untie his hands but the knots are too tight.

    
             
‘Payton, what kind of a man would I be if I did nothing, huh? I wanna talk to him, tell him to take
me
instead.’

   
             
Wow! Even my own father didn’t care enough to do something like this. I thought about the things I wrote about him in my diary – He’d better not read them. I only wrote
that stuff
expecting to die.

             
‘
Austin
, honey,’ I whisper, squeezing his hand, ‘that’s so brave and I’m like, so grateful for you risking your life for me, but ... I’m okay. Really.’

    
             
‘Bullshit!’ 

             
‘I am,’ I insist, even though I sound unconvincing even to my self. I glance at
Troy
. He meets my gaze, his face inscrutable. After what happened on the cliff the other day, I’m sure he will not vouch for me. He probably thinks I’m one helluva fruitcake.

    
             
I glance at Diablo - he’s pacing and his drags on his
cigarette
are growing long
er
.
             
Crap! I need to get
Austin
out of there. Christa is cracking her whip on the ground.

             
She turns to Diablo and says,
             
‘This man, he not respec
t
you or your home, Diablo. All the other men ’round you, they see and they too will not respec
t
you. You mus
t
punish
the gringo for daring to come here
. You mus
t
make him pay for the dishonour he bring to Diablo name, Diablo’s home
, Diablo country, eh?
’

             
Riled by Christa’s poignant words, Diablo bristle
s
.

             
‘Take this,’ she says handing him the whip.

             
To my horror, Diablo accepts the whip and the crowd frissons.

             
Christa smiles. ‘At least three lashes, eh?’