One afternoon I arrived home earlier than usual. My head was hurting and I felt my chest tight. I dropped into a backyard chair, looking without seeing the old fence, the pots, the orange sky of Guadalajara.
Esteban came out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee in his hand. He didn't say anything at first. He just left her in front of me and sat next to me.
It was several minutes before he spoke.
“The thing is serious, right?”
I let out a bitter laugh.
More than you imagine.
He nodded calmly. Then he said:
Tomorrow morning, I want you to come with me.
I looked at it, tired.
“Where?
“To a place I need to show you.
I frowned.
“Esteban, I’m not for riddles now.
“It’s not a riddle,” he replied, looking straight at me. Just trust me once more. He's also taking Sofia.
From the kitchen door, Sofia, who had heard part of the conversation, crossed her arms.
What do you want me to go for?
Stephen got up slowly.
Because you both have to see it.
His tone was neither harsh nor arrogant. But there was strange security in his voice. Something that made me keep quiet.
The next morning, not really understanding why, we went all three to the van. Esteban was driving. Me in the co-pilot's seat. Sofia back, quietly, looking out the window.
We left the city and took a secondary road surrounded by open land, nopales, plots and old wineries. The journey took more than an hour. Neither of them asked questions after the first few minutes. There was something on Stephen’s face that kept us quiet.
Finally, he diverted the van down a dirt road and stopped in front of a green-painted iron fence. Beyond, a huge terrain was spreading.
“Get down,” he said.
I did it first. Then Sofia. And as soon as I looked up, I stood still.
In front of us was an immense and perfectly cared for garden. Rows and rows of fruit trees, greenhouses, tomatoes, chili, pumpkin, aromatic herbs. Further in the background several simple but solid constructions were built: a communal kitchen, a warehouse, a small office, modest and clean bedrooms. There were men working the earth, women accommodating boxes, children running among the gravel paths with laughter that sounded clean, true.
It was not abandoned land.
