The Event
It was a Thursday like any other for Guillem or at least that is what he thought. He woke up at around 6am and prepared to go to college as usual. While getting ready he heard what seemed like a lot of people in the living room talking and it seemed as well that the television was turned on. Intrigued, he finished getting dressed and went out of his bedroom. The voices were coming out of the living room, to get there he just had to walk a very short corridor which connected the bedrooms with the living room and kitchen.
In the living room he found a rather large group of people. He recognised all of them as members of his religious group, having met most of them when he was a child, they were practically his family. There were his ex girlfriend and her family, many that were neighbours and a lot that lived far away. All of them were looking at the morning news very worried.
As soon as his mother saw him get into the living room, she came running to him and gave him a very strong hug, he felt how her mother's arms surrounded him completely. Guillem had always been very thin, even though he measured 172 centimetres of height he looked a lot smaller due to his very weak complexion.
“What is happening mother?”
“They are giving last night's election results. We heard the rumour that if Jesus Cabrera wins, things will get very ugly.” Jesus Cabrera was a candidate to the presidency who had just got out of jail. He looked like any thug you found on the streets of the Great Colombia, skinny, weathered skin with a slight dark tone, brownish hair and of average height. He was famous for kidnapping a group of businessmen after a very poor career as a policeman.
“Well, but it is always like that. Every time something important like this happens there are rumours that everything is going to go to hell. I do not thing we should worry. God has always been with us and I do not think things will change so drastically with the new president whoever he might be.”
“I do not know son. It is always better to prevent. I would prefer if you stayed today here at home, with us. Remember what our friends told us, Cabrera's people have been recruiting them, giving them stuff to gain their support. He has been inflaming their resentment toward everyone and most people believe he is preparing to take over the country.”
“I would love to stay with you mother. But I have a test today at college and I cannot fail to assist. Besides, have more faith in our people, Great Colombians are nice and love to party and have fun. They are not fighters or haters.”
“Today? Why do you have a test today? Are your teachers crazy? And you too, there is a growing darkness in the Great Colombia, the reality of this country is now different and I cannot believe you do not see it. I believe in people sweety, but things are looking very bad and when things get bad people do things they never thought they would ever do.”
“What can you do then? Stay at home all the time? Do not worry, I will take care of myself. If anything happen I will find a way to come back. And have a little faith mother, this country is not like that.”
“Fine.” She said and gave him an even stronger hug. “God be with you and take care of you. Call me every once in a while to know you are still fine.”
“Of course mother.” Answered Guillem.
After he finished talking with his mother, he went to his room to finish getting dressed. It was already too late for college and his friends must be about to go and pick him up.
The street was very quiet, nothing out of the ordinary and hopefully it would stay that way. He waited in front of his house a couple of minutes for his friends until they finally arrived. As usual Roberto was driving his old rusty brown Toyota Land Cruiser from 1986 which he had modified to be slightly more raised from the floor than usual and had a huge bull bar, behind him was Cristobal in his red Suzuki Swift from 1992.
He boarded Cristobal's Suzuki, there was Edward and Lucio as well. In Roberto's Toyota was travelling Xavier, Maria and Tom.
After the usual salutations they went to college, they studied in the Central University of the Great Colombia which was probably the best of the country's colleges. It was government financed and open to everyone who wanted to get a career. It was one of those few, but wonderful things the previous governments had done for their country. Obviously there were a lot of people abusing the institution, some of them having already spent up to 15 years in there, but it was a great place nonetheless which gave a lot of low income people an opportunity at education which they would not have had otherwise.
“Hey kiddos, can you believe people voting for Jesus Cabrera?” Said Lucio.
“There will always be idiots around, I insist that we must have faith in Great Colombian people. I want to believe that after so many years of corruption our people would give some thought about who to put as a president.” Said Guillem.
“I do not like Cabrera, but why should he be any worst than the usual idiots?” Asked Cristobal.
“For once he kidnapped a group of business men a few years ago where he almost caused the death of many people, he is an ex police man and is as ignorant as it gets. Nobody wants to put in the most powerful job in Great Colombia a person like that. You know what that will do to Great Colombia's image to the world? No one will want to come in here and invest money. In fact, I am afraid for my job at the chocolate company.” Said Edward.
“Not only that, but I was studying his career in the police and it could not be worst, the guy has been investigated multiple times by Internal Affairs and has been found guilty of multiple minor crimes on top of that there is a warning in his record regarding his laziness and lack of respect for his superiors. But the problem is that he has managed to link with the poorest people in Great Colombia. I found out as well that he keeps close contact with a few Caribbean islands' leaders and some other people from different countries, there is the rumour that they have plans to take over South America and convert it to communism. You will see, if he gets to power he will start financing his people in other neighbouring countries, the plan is already on its way.” Said Lucio.
“Oh my god Lucio, is that like the stories about vampires, werewolves and other crazy things you follow? Stop with the conspiracy theories.” Said Guillem laughing.
“They are not stories, they are real. You will see. Not only that, there are other worlds and the people from those places is always looking at us and kidnapping people to experiment with them. I am afraid that will happen to me one of these days.”
“Come on, this is too much for the morning. Why don't we talk about cards? Women? Women playing cards? There are a few nice new ladies in the faculty of science now, but they always stay away from us and our game. We should find one for Guillem, she might be able to take away the burning summer he must have down there after all this years without being with a lady.” Said Cristobal smiling. “What about Maria? She is hot.”
“Maria? Tell her anything and she might take your eyes out. Besides, everyone know there is heart between Roberto and her, what we do not understand is what are they waiting for to get together.”
They kept talking all the way to college, but kept trying to avoid any more political matters, it was always a sticky issue to talk about, there were too many rumours everywhere and talking about it would usually make Lucio start going through all of his conspiracy theories. They parked both cars as usual in the baseball stadium and from there each one of them went to their faculties and work places.
The day went by in complete normality. Many people had failed to come into college that day, most probably scared about the election results.
At noon he had finally had a few minutes free and went to a close coffee shop to study for the test he had that afternoon. There were the usual groups around, one of the most notorious of them was a group of three sisters, Viviana, Veba and Vohemia. They together with their mother were usually called the 'Four Horsewomen of the Apocalypse' within the college, he knew them because Viviana, the younger sister used to study in the faculty of sciences where she caused a lot of conflict by dating multiple people
at the same time and making them fight each other, so far she had not been very successful, but some day she was going to cause a tragedy, out of the three she was the tallest with dark hair and slightly brownish skin. The medium sister Veba, studied psychology and it was his understanding she used to do the same there, she was a lot shorter than Viviana, but otherwise they looked almost the same and finally the older sister, Vohemia, was working for POTGC where it was rumoured she escalated positions by doing sexual favours to her superiors, she was about the same size as Viviana, but a lot fatter and the bad life she was leading was showing in her physique, all the three sisters were kind of pretty and had a very aboriginal look to their face and body features. Finally the mother was always backing them up in all the did and took care of the two kids the older sister had in her adventures, she looked like a very old and crinkly hag and had a fairer than thou attitude all the time. The kids looked like a younger version of the sisters. He managed to sit in a far away table to avoid the bad sisters.
There were a few televisions in the place and as it was to be expected they were tuned to the channel giving the election results. He ordered a hamburger and studied while waiting for it, a few minutes later his food was ready and delivered