The Perfect Fight
part II

I can hardly wait to talk with Chayo after his trip to Constitucion, his conversation with Ernesto. His reaction to my partners reactions, would be very telling. Through conversation with Alejo I'd learned that Saul had accosted Ernesto in drunk and hostile manner there at the restaurante. Alejo claimed that Ernesto had spoken hard and directly to the point. He refused to get in shouting match with this hot head. The legal system would resolve this fight, my partner wouldn't waste time and breath on it there. Alejo'd said Ernesto'd stood up to this hulk, shut him down. I was hoping that enough residual anger was still lingering when Chayo asked for that written statement the police said he'd have to have before he did more fence and sign work. I held feelings this statement might not come quick nor easy.

"HISTORIC BOUNDARIES"

Ernesto and I, there on playa Carrizaltio where he'd just been camped, had discussed this rancho fight in depth; this before we had this new problem with Saul. For months already I'd been pushing him towards the fight for the rancho's "historic" boundaries, this being what the ejido had once signed on to. As long as Marcia and I were paying for the LaPaz lawyer, that was the direction I wanted to see him pushing into. I was tired of playing defense.

Finally, by this Week-of-Easter's relaxed conversation...he was all-the-way convinced that that should be our direction. "The historic boundaries," that was the agreed upon fight!

So when Chayo had arrived to first tell me about Saul's arrival with intentions to build fence within those limits, I'd acted unilaterally when he'd asked me what moves to make. Since Ernesto had agreed to the scope of the fight, adding his name for weight, I'd told Chayo to go and move sign and fence. I hadn't actually discussed this particular tactic with Ernesto, gotten him to specifically agree to that degree of escalation, but, almost. Never the less I'd told Chayo that Ernesto was all for this, which, I was aware, wasn't quite so.

I'm not all that surprised when Chayo, somewhat crestfallen, gets back to San Cosme without letter of authorization, and somewhat confused by Ernesto's response. I know my partner well enough to understand his hesitations, the way he makes his ultra cautious moves. Me visiting him in town was what I knew now was needed. More supplies were required for the straw bale casa, anyway....

THAT DAMN FENCE

It's an aggravation for us to have to stop at Saul's new gate. It's closed, but not locked. I get out of pickup, leaving Marcia set there with motor running. All the posts, the gate posts included, have been soaked in used, black and gritty motor oil. Saturated. The reason for this is not so much for preservation as it is to cover up fact that they've been harvested in green condition; something quite illegal there: Deforestation.

This gate has been stretched so tight in its closing that I find it quite difficult to gain enough slack to free end post from top wire loop. I struggle with this while a remnant of that work crew, from afar, watches me in silence. I get the four loose posts and five strands of barb wire free, finally, drag it all off to side, out of way. Marcia pulls truck through.

When I try to reclose this contraption I can't get enough leverage without wrapping my arm around anchor post, which I'm not about to do because I've a clean shirt on that I don't want in contact with gritty oil. Screw it! My hands were already blackened enough. I just left wire and loose posts lay where they fell when I released 'em. Those workers, one of them Saul's defensive brother, never said a word.

The second gateway of this 100 meter wide parcel lays open, wires and posts dragged to the side. Nailed to one of its corner posts is an L shaped, eight foot high
plywood sign board that reads parcel #30 Ejido San Jose De La Noria and it boasts Saul and his wife as proud owners. Black letters on blue. This was right where I'd instructed Chayo to put Carrizalito's notice.

Water's out and the shoreline pass is mostly bare rock with scattered puddles. We're right on time, about 7:30 A.M., when we stop at San Cosme, Alejo's place. We lay out our loose plan, us not intending to return until the next afternoon. Lots of important things to do. Did they need anything from town?

Up the curvaceous hill and then the rest of the horrifically bumpy 21ks...until that Agua Verde road makes the highway. North we turn, having business in Loreto to attend to first, before we can head back the other way for Cd. Constitucion. Our aim is to make this second city by late afternoon, early evening. We'd eat out there. Spend the night at Ernesto's guest cottage. I wanted to deal with him while we're both well rested, early next the morning.

A SERIOUS TALK IN THE ORANGE GROVE

Our luck was that's how things unfolded. It's Ernesto's custom to go and visit his orange trees in the early morning, between his karate exercise and his dental work. Him as driver, me sole passenger, that's how we find ourselves on this bright Wednesday A.M.

A blow by blow of this Saul incident, that's what I'm relating to him as he speeds down curving and dust-pocketed, dirt road that eventually leads to his groves. My report is highly detailed, I work at capturing what I saw and felt completely. Ernesto, for his part, gives me full accounting of his encounter with that drunken wild man when they'd met at Restaurante San Cosme. He tells me too of a problem we have because our LaPaz lawyer has chose this time frame to enjoy an extended vacation. He'd not been able to contact him.

Ernesto is worried about me signing that gate agreement. "Saul will try to use this against us," he opinioned. Like maybe he'd wave it around to show our word couldn't be trusted, if we relocked ours; which, by his word to Chayo, had already been accomplished.

I laughed off his concerns. I told him of how I'd belittled this accord as worthless, to them cops, the mayor, anyone within hearing distance. Since it was true that the say-so was his, and not mine, I saw no harm that could come of this. Considering this against all the agreements that the ejido had reneged on with us, this was a teeny tiny speck of dust. Still he wished I hadn't done what I felt I'd had to.

We did an inspection of his major production groves. We continued to discuss this issue as Ernesto slowly drove through a stand of younger, just-coming-into-service growth. We moved through these, stopping to fill a big sack full for us and San Cosme, and come out into neat rows of freshly grafted starter trees, all this watered with drip irrigation. We stop, get out and walk around in powder dry red-brown dust. It's here that my partner unburdens himself of his misgiving with this fight.

First, it must be said that Ernesto's no light weight. His concerns, considering where we would have to make this fight, were legitimate. He saw us certainly as up against the monolith. He had legitimate doubts as to whether we could possibly prevail.

"What do we do then, leave Saul's moves go unchallenged, leave the gate open?" I questioned.

"No." He foresaw the results if we played into that hand. If Saul got away with this, we could expect others to become greatly embolden. We'd be run over in our efforts to protect Carrizalito, lose it to almost certain degradation.

I laid out what I saw as all our positives: First off, we were in the right. All the tangible evidence was on our side. If we ever could get an unbiased decision, by an uncorrupted judge, or set of judges, from the Tribunal Agraria, we'd be home free.

"Saul is going to have to prove that his parcel is legitimate.
We know that he can't do that. If we beat him here, we beat them all. If we can't stop him then we lose Carrizalito."

"This is going to be a long fight, David."

"Si. I know it is."

"This is going to cost a lot of money, David."

"Si. I know it will."

IS MARCIA WITH YOU?

"Are you sure your ready for this, is Marcia with you?"

"Si. It's 100% go from our point of view. Com'on, Ernesto...if we can't win a fight like this is, well, I'd be ashamed of us. This is a fight we have to make! There's no way, after what we've already gone through, of avoiding this.

He worries more about having to put his name to that letter of authorization for Chayo. "In Loreto, I haven't had to put my face into this thing yet. I'm uncomfortable with my face out in front.". He was apprehensive about becoming too well known within the Loreto power structure.

"Well, if we're going to make this fight, it's your face that should be out there. I haven't been afraid to take the heat, me being essentially a powerless old gringo. And I've taken things about as far as I can." Essentially it was time ta shit...er get off the pot.

I'll reiterate that Ernesto's no light weight. Yet for some inexplicable reason he seems to fail to understand the full scope of his powers. Throughout southern Baja he's very well known, very highly regarded. He's been appointed the chief election judge for the municipal district of Comondu, the political hub of which is Cd. Constitucion. He also holds the post of Agricultural Minister for this district and for the entire state. He has offices, staff, vehicles at his disposal. Yet there's this streak of timidity at times.

He worried some more about the amount of money he'd have to have on hand, immediately available to him. He felt he needed a war chest of at least 30,000 pesos, just to feel safe.

THE FIGHT WAS ON

O.K. Agreed. I'd arrange, in the near future, for that kind of cushion. He really gets nervous about the money, the lack of it.

There would have to be actions initiated in the municipal district of Loreto, which Carrizalito lay within. He'd already told me numerous times that he didn't have the time to go there and deal with these.

I saw no problem because I'd already lined up the kind of help we needed there. Roberto, my all-around business advisor, with the aid of a more-local lawyer, could facilitate whatever was needed. Roberto was coming to Constitucion that very afternoon. We had other matters to attend to. I suggested a face to face meeting which Ernesto thought a good idea. Every other argumentive thrust, I parried. Were we going to make this fight...er weren't we?

We shook hands, we clasped each other's shoulders. Yes. Certainly we were going to fight this thing.

Several hours later I saw Chayo on the main boulevard, about a block from Ernesto's office. With proud grin on his kisser he shows me that authorizing statement, him having already laminated it. Certainly we were both elated about this.

Later still, Ernesto, Marcia, Roberto and I (with Chayo sitting off to side) held a strategy meeting. It was agreed that we'd hold off any direct action against Saul until our LaPaz lawyer had been advised and could give us legal direction. Once we'd moved everything into place, were completely ready, we'd pounce. Until then we'd lay low, not give away our intentions. With these things in place we left Cd. Constitucion...somewhat satisfied.

Email: david@dondavidonbaja.com