Poor Alejo

Nov. '05

Alejo and us, most of his extended family and us, have had relationships that have spanned some 20 odd years. He and his immediate family were our closest neighbors there when we lived winters at San Cosme. Their five kids were but bare-footed scamps, racing all around with Guadalupe always trying to rein them in verbally, little Migelito still mostly in her arms. We witnessed them being driven from San Cosme because of extreme and extended drought. We cataloged their moving back because of restaurante possibilities, their slow but steady rise from there. . . to them becoming the absolute best-off family in the entire area. By cataloging I mean the reams of short stories that sorta just poured outta me in what I threw together in both the "Agua Verde chronicles" and then "Life in Alejo's Backyard." (I've boxes full of this stuff.)

The level of scrutiny that I held my subjects under, me searching to capture these characters as completely and accurately as possible, have led me to believe that I somewhat fatham Alejo; or at least to the degree one can ever really know the other man.

I think I know that Alejo wants desperately to satisfy and be liked by everyone. I know he'll make as circuitous a path around possible conflict as is within his powers. Directed at me. . . I've witnessed his ability to get frustrated and throw tantrums. But I've seen head-on contact with authority figures turn him essentially to limp rag, too.

So I wasn't greatly taken aback when, last season I had the talk that I've related in "Lost in Translation," he took an absolutely middle-of-road position regarding his relationship with Robi, the new-to-the-area investor, and with me. Straight out he told me that since he didn't know what to believe in reference to Robi's phony translations, and what I swore was the truth, which I only held in English, he was going to try to continue to be friends with both of us.

Like I've stated, this awkward positioning didn't surprise me; not much, anyway. With his statement still reverberating in my thought bank, I was saying to self, "Whew. I don't know how that will be possible!" I could tell that me even expressing this would be wasted effort. Somehow he felt that two such entities could co-exist, somehow get their gears to mesh. Then everybody would be happy happy.

"They're trying to steal El Carrizalito!" I've had occasion to forcefully holler at him long distance. "Si! Si!" he'd responded in agreement. But it was as in resignation, him taking position as fatalist, helpless to do anything in regards to it. (By they, I was referring to Robi & Co.)

We quit supporting Alejo's existence after we were sure that the family was propped up on multiple, strong supporting legs. It was quite pleasing to see the stream of others seeking the services they offered with the restaurante and his multi-armed guiding and transport systems. It felt good to turn them loose so we could go on and explore different things, maybe help others. I think all of us got enriched by the experience.

After five or six rather lush years, this in regards to pasture for Alejo's ever growing herds of goats, cattle, horses, mules and burros, his lucky streak has taken a turn for the worse. Livestock, there in that culture, is built-up wealth. When emergencies strike the solution is usually, if someone has the good luck to have some, sell an animal or two.

In dry times, like what's going on right now there at San Cosme, the animals lose incredible bulk, turning to listless but skin and bone; almost impossibly to sell. Instead, someone in Alejo's shoes is forced into position of buying supplementary feed. And this at a time when there is no normal wintertime cash flow. In fact, cash flow falls very close to zero in the hot, off season.

So I can't be extremely critical of Alejo's actions, when I hear from Chayo that his father-in-law is working, seemingly, hand in glove with Robi and Gutierrez in their "less-than-legitimate" road building scam. Renting animals and saddles, utilizing his ponga for transport (Robi bought Alejo a $6,000. motor) and Alejo employed in hacking out a road from El Coyotito to Lugui, specifically. Anything ta make a buck.

Alejo and Martin, his other son-in-law, who knows all about the problems in the area, were both assisting in road building support efforts. . . and they didn't mention anything about that crew entering El Carrizalito? Perhaps Robi and Gutierrez didn't fill in any but them Ingineros on their full and complete plans. Perhaps. . . .

Too, during the course of numerous conversations with Chayo, in regards ta the above, he again brings up those titles. He chuckled about what he'd learned. Useless. Toilet paper had a higher actual value. I got the joke. The expression I'd used many times to describe the actual value of those phony parcels.

Chayo, understanding that Robi and company had not filed any type of request for any kind of road, him acting in his official capacity as delagado of San Cosme, dually informed the proper authorities, all of them coming down strongly in disfavor of this ill planned project. The chief of ejido Santo Domingo became quite upset that anyone was chopping down any vegetation on that ejido's lands, which Alejo certainly was. A damanda was filed against Alejo, in far off LaPaz, where he has to show up to testify. Chayo, the law of San Cosme, had to serve him the papers. And, right now, Chayo is trying to borrow $200. U.S., from other U.S. friends of Alejo and family, so Alejo can make the trip and maybe pay a fine.

Also, Alejo is grazing quite a number of his animals on ejido Santo Domingo lands. Gratis. Without mincing words the ejido chief told him that if he chopped down as much as one more bush, he and his starving animals were gonna vacate the area. Period!

My last conversation I had with Chayo, just last night, I asked if the demanda from ejido Santo Domingo was just against Alejo or were Robi and Gutierrez included. "Just Alejo," he came back. But he went on to explain that Alejo would have to testify as to just who put him up to the deforestation he'd been causing. That was when the fun was gonna start with Robi, I could definitely feel this from his intonations.

Poor, poor Alejo.

Post Script

Chayo, as delagado of San Cosme, brokered a deal with the chief of ejido Santo Domingo, in respect to Alejo's problem. Alejo had to sign a statement that it was Robi & Co. who'd put him up to his illegal trespass. Now the ejido has initiated a damanda directly against the real culprits. Chayo seemed real happy about all of this.

Email: david@dondavidonbaja.com