This is fiction and for adults. Don't read it if it is illegal to read it where you live. Please donate generously to Nifty to keep the stories rolling in.
Little Swallow Surprise 11
Rafa speaks...
There was a lot of celebration at the school when the choir returned. Fr Joe had told everyone how well the performances had gone and that the school had certainly increased its international profile. I was thanked for my efforts and Fr Joe told the school that I was identified as one of the young choir masters to watch. Alejandro was being his precocious self and positioned himself near me, and was generally being a pest. Fr Joe acknowledged his solo work, and this went to his head.
I couldn't wait for Alejandro to finish school. He had a couple of months left and he was set to study in Germany when he finished. He was a clever guy and wanted to study electrical engineering. Incidentally, that's what I studied at the University of Barcelona when I was a student.
It was good to catch up with Alex, I told him about Alejandro and how he came on to me in New York and Boston. I explained how I avoided him, but that he remained an annoying presence. Alex told me that Maria was doing well she he been in Guatemala City to do a project management course.
I was curious to know what happened to Lee as he was no longer in our apartment. Lee had left a couple of days before. He had several phone conversations with his aunt and he eventually agreed to return to Antigua to help her in the shop. She had reached a compromise that would allow Lee to have every second weekend off. Alex had already told Lee that he was welcome to stay with us on his `off' weekends. Alex said that Lee had grown a lot, that he was much more able to speak for himself, and that he seemed to have direction. With more focus and help Lee would be able to complete his distance degree ahead of schedule.
I told Alex all about Clinton and his bedsit in New York. I also told him about the restaurant we ate at and the good-looking waiter Wang who served us. I hoped that Clinton would return to the place and arrange to meet Wang, but I was skeptical as Clinton didn't seem to be good with relationships. The phone interrupted our conversation as we sat talking on the couch. It was Lee who wanted to say hello to me and thank me for allowing him to stay over. It was good to hear his voice and I told him that I looked forward to seeing him on one of his future weekend visits.
Alex speaks...
I had missed Rafa. He was the charismatic one, the person who animated gatherings and made it easier for me to get by. I was reminded again just how much I allowed him to take the lead. I depended on him to make sense of situations and to translate what was happening. Rafa had an uncanny ability to make things work and make sure that they worked well. I admired his unselfish approach to life and his generosity of spirit.
Alejandro was another example. Rafa could have been firmer, and maybe even harsher, but he gave him the benefit of the doubt. I knew Rafa and he could have made Alejandro go away. We enjoyed our time together again and after eating toasted sandwiches we took a shower, reconnecting, before we snuggled in bed.
We were woken by loud knocking at around midnight. I got up to see what was going on, to find Alejandro at the door with his face covered in blood. He begged to come in and I locked the door once he was in. Rafa was with me as we examined Alejandro under the bright dining room light. He was sobbing as he explained that some youths had attacked him in a nightclub. He had made a move on a guy and that led to a homophobic attack. I soaked a towel in hot water and carefully washed the blood off. Rafa said he would call Alejandro's parents, but he wasn't keen as he hadn't told them where he was.
Alejandro was starting to look better and the injuries were not as extensive as they first appeared. There were some cuts on his face and there was a bruise on his side. He also had a couple of scratches on his knuckles. Rafa called his parents and told them that Alejandro was fine and that we would bring him home in the morning. Alejandro was worried that his parents would find out that he liked boys, and that this had triggered the incident. Rafa told him to relax and that he only needed to tell them what he wanted to. I felt empathy towards Alejandro, and I could that Rafa was also empathetic.
We made up Maria's bed for Alejandro and made sure that he was comfortable. Rafa and I were sad that he had been the victim of such a savage attack. It took us a while to fall asleep after such a shocking encounter. We just hoped that Alejandro would be fine. I called Fr Joe in the morning and told him what had happened, and he agreed to come with us to Alejandro's house. We were all ready and waiting by seven when Joe pulled up in the school van. We went straight to Alejandro's home which was in a more affluent part of the city. Alejandro's father was a prosecutor and there were two armed guards stationed outside the gate.
Alejandro was already looking much better, apart from a few cuts and bruises. His mother hugged him in the driveway, and we all walked to the house together. I could hear the questions in Spanish and stayed close to Rafa. After drinking some coffee, we left Alejandro with his parents and drove back to the city in the school van. Fr Joe commented that Alejandro was lucky and that things could have been much worse. He added that he wasn't surprised as Alejandro was very precocious and that he suspected that someone would try and `sort him out' one day. Fr Joe thanked us for helping and left us on the pavement. Later that morning Rafa got a phone call from Alejandro's mother who thanked us for taking care of her son. She added that her husband's office would be carrying out further investigations.
On Sunday morning we drove through to Antigua to meet Lee. Lee was scheduled to work in the morning and we both had lunch at the shop. His aunt came to meet us and Rafa spoke to her. After lunch, Lee removed his apron and we walked to Central Park and sat on the lawns. The park was full, and we enjoyed watching everyone making the most of their Sunday. We returned to Lee's house just before five and made our way back to the city.
We gathered in the school hall for assembly on Monday. A couple of prizes were given to the choir including Alejandro. Rafa was given the award for the most promising young conductor, and he was most grateful. Rafa and I sat in the staffroom afterward and planned a trip to visit Maria near Chichicastenango. We believed that there was a lot to talk about and that we really needed to see for ourselves where she lived.
The week flew by and the minibus we had arranged to take us got us there in no time on the Friday afternoon. Maria embraced us outside her modest house and thanked us for coming. The house was painted light blue and the garden was filled with vegetable plants. She shared the two-bedroom house with one other aid worker who was away for the weekend. The house was very small, furnished with homemade furniture and it has some pictures pasted on the wall. Maria kept apologising, but Rafa assured her that we would be perfectly comfortable. That evening Rafa and I showered together in one of the worst showers we had been in. The water pressure fluctuated, and we struggled to keep the water inside the shower. Our hands explored each other's bodies, and we soaped each other. We were both hard and we decided to face each other and wank each other's dicks. We got close to each other, washed and kissed for a while.
The next day Maria took us walking along the contour paths. We walked from settlement to settlement gaining an understanding how rural people live. We realised the extent of the poverty and better understood why Maria was so driven in her project.
We arrived back in Guatemala City late Sunday afternoon to find Alejandro sitting on the steps of our apartment block. "Buenos tardes" he said.
Rafa speaks...
My heart sank, and I wandered what on earth Alejandro was doing on the step. I thought that we had got rid of him, but here was this pesky teenager again. He asked to come in and Alex let him in. I was weary of Alejandro, and I didn't trust him. I didn't want him interfering in Alex and my friendship, nor did I want him jeopardising our positions at the College. His father had found out that he was gay and that the attack had been hate related, he was furious, and he chucked him out. I told him that there was no way that he could stay with us, and that I would call Fr Joe and see if he could stay at school.
Note
In Chinese culture, the swallow holds a special place and is considered a symbol of good luck and prosperity. They are known for their beautiful song and their ability to build intricate nests.
The swallow is also seen as a symbol of freedom and independence. Its ability to soar through the skies with ease and grace represents the desire for liberation and the pursuit of personal freedom. Swallows are migratory birds that travel thousands of kilometres each year, returning to their nesting sites in China during the spring season. Just as the swallow is not bound by the constraints of the ground, individuals who resonate with this symbolism seek to break free from societal expectations and live life on their terms.