Chapter 14

I came through a huge footprint left by him. It's that way everywhere. He says he doesn't want trouble. However, until he touches the marrow to the bone he won't be left alone. He belongs to a band of old retired men from many countries. They are here on this earth, supposedly to rest. The least they do,---" concluded the boy.

--They left in a green and gray bus driven by a rather deteriorated gentleman.

--Yes. "Catholic" Rogers, the half-brother of "Cowboy" Rogers. The bus with the colors of his gang. Of his clan.

--He helped us out quite a bit. He solved in a few days a Gordian knot that formed over the years and many people gave their lives trying to solve.

--He's not always such good people. They get a lot of money, any way they can. Bad, good or worse.

The young woman nodded. She watched him act.

--Well, I'm too grateful to him. He did a lot for me. He freed me from immense chains that were taking away my life.

--I want to see him. I want to talk to him. He lives on a razor's edge. We can never share. I'm always afraid I'll be late and get him with a white sheet over him, on any street and lots of patrols around...Didn't he tell you where he was going?

--I'm afraid not. I thought he would stay. I think I understand he was going to West Desert, though.

--I know he won't go there," --replied the boy with a sigh. Getting ready to leave.

She thought at speed. She couldn't let such an attractive boy go just like that. That would not happen. It was a personal promise.

""I wouldn't want to see you with a white Saxon"" --she remembered, inadvertently biting her lips. ......

I

The man with an extremely old and faded flux sat in the restaurant. Chinese food. Attended by its owners.

It was superb. Great quality. The strange thing was that it was empty. So he let the nice and beautiful young oriental woman know.

--We have made a lot of efforts for this business. We came from Hong Kong, although my parents are originally from mainland China. They fled from there and were able to enter Hong Kong before 1950. We settled down. At first we did well.

--What happened? Did the cook abandon you?

--A bunch of thugs. They're stuck up. They don't like Oriental people in this neighborhood. They drive away the clientele.

--Well, I can't understand how they can't like such a beautiful young woman," he said, "I'm sorry I'm an old man.

The girl smiled.

--We are thinking of closing and moving.

--Too bad. Unfortunately I can't help you. I'm just an old retired man, retired. Surviving a difficult divorce. I don't know how I could help. Call the police.

--How awful," exclaimed the beautiful young Oriental woman, "As for the police, we already did. They recommended us to move.

he went out into the street, after paying and saying goodbye. There they were, lying in the Cadillac. A boor sitting on top of the hood, with his feet on the bumper. Wasting time. Stopping hard working people from doing their bit for the country to progress , pay taxes and help the country .

10 minutes later the street was empty.

Then, the man adjusted his flux and climbed into his red Cadillac Fleetwood with the shiny black roof. He turned on the ignition and listened with pleasure to the smooth purr of the V8 diesel. He drove down the street.

In the alley they stayed. There they stayed. They wouldn't bother anymore.

The Cadillac joined the avenues of Melbourne. A beautiful car, with an old retired man, retired, no doubt a survivor of a difficult divorce. A 28-hour drive awaited him. The first stop towards Brisbane. Along the coast. A contract in gold. Although he was officially retired. The small house, with an outside corridor to put a rocking chair and read in the evenings and contemplate the sunrise or sunset, would have to wait a few more weeks. Who knows if in one of the beach towns he might find something like that? It was a land of surprises. He was open to them. He took to the road. How excellent it was to drive the Cadillac on the endless straight, lonely roads of Australia! How he enjoyed driving!