CHAPTER TWELVE
As things worked out in those last days before departure, Jose Padilla fit into the staff very nicely. Sergeant Jesus loved the situation. He thought it a delicious joke on the army brass. Poncho enjoyed it, although he was aware they were walking a fine line. The canine tried extra hard to stay alert and often found his mind dwelling on his next life and wondering just what it might be. He was doing his best, and an occasional saucer of wine shouldn’t upset the apple cart.
There came a day when the lovely Juanita Tera visited the office. Oddly enough, she knew that García was on a short march with his troops.
Entering the office, she stopped short at the sight of Jose Padilla. “Who is that?” she asked Francisco.
Francisco snapped to attention. “Let me make you acquainted with Jose Padilla, Señorita. He is a new cadet, from the north. Jose was also on his feet and made a slight bow.
“Another handsome young man,” Juanita said with a slight smile, “but not as handsome as you, Francisco. I need a private word with you. Perhaps we can enter the living quarters.” She crossed the room and opened the door, not noticing that Poncho slipped into the bedroom. Juanita only had eyes for Francisco.
Francisco hesitated, guessing what was coming. “I have a pile of work and people are constantly coming and going.”
“Only for a moment.”
“Of course.”
Immediately in the room, the door shut, the two were locked in a lover’s embrace, clutching and kissing. Francisco responded in kind. It was not at all unpleasant and there was certainly no danger of pregnancy. She did take pains to keep Juanita’s hands away from her crotch, but otherwise she was in the game, afraid not to be. For wasn’t she a young man in the flush of life, and would such a man resist the advances of such a one as the lovely Juanita? Of course not. She must play the role to the extent she could. Poncho, under the bed, marveled at their energy and enthusiasm.
Juanita broke away and said, “You must come to me. Come to my garden at midnight. We will be in paradise.”
“Yes, Juanita,” Francisco panted, sincerely into the role. “I would come, but Captain García. You are promised to him. It would be my life to do such a thing. And the dishonor of it, to betray my captain. If only it were possible.” Francisco was counting the days until their departure for Lisbon. How to get out of this impossible situation?
“Don’t worry about García, my darling. I’ll take care of him. I’ll send for you. Just be patient. Our paradise will come true. It is my dream.” She straightened her clothing and said, “Yes, we mustn’t stay in here too long. That Padilla person will be curious. How many cadets can this command have?”
“I don’t know. At least two.” They left the room and Juanita took a long look at Jose, who hadn’t uttered a word. Then she departed.
Francisco sighed and put her hands in the air in a sign of despair. “I might as well tell you, she and Captain García are pledged to be married, but she wants me as her lover. It is a messy situation.”
Jose was so shocked that she nearly blurted out her astonishment in English, but managed a deep breath. “Does García love her?” she asked in halting Spanish.
“I don’t think so. I think maybe at first he was taken by her. She is beautiful. But I think he would like to get out of the entanglement, and I think our quick departure would solve a lot of problems.”
Fortunately, Jose’s Spanish was such that she understood every word. “What does she want from you?”
“Kisses and hot embraces so far. But later, probably something I cannot give. Do you think you would enjoy kissing a woman, I mean as a lover?”
“I’ve never given it much thought. But you’ve experienced it.”
“Yes. It’s really not bad. In fact I’ve never kissed a man like that. Maybe if we play our cards right Juanita might fall for you and she can take you into the bedroom.”
“No thanks. I have kissed a man. I’ll stay with the one sex.” Both women were smiling broadly and got back to their tasks. But Poncho was troubled.
García came in tired and dusty after the day in the field. He was trailed by Jesus, who devoted less time these days to being an orderly and more to that of husband. He left the picking up to the two cadets who seldom left the quarters.
“We will depart in three or four days,” he announced. “The men are well equipped and ready.” Turning to Jesus he said, “Now is the time to get the prisoners from the stockade. They will fill out our complement nicely.”
“They are dangerous men, my captain. They might run, they might turn on us. There is no way to tell what they will do.”
García slumped into a chair and poured himself wine. The cadets and Jesus stood by. “Have a seat my friends,” García offered. “The prisoners are no more dangerous than our men. Most were soldiers. They are in the stockade because of a slip any of us might make. You fix a time to get them fallen out. Try getting them washed and fed first. Then I will speak to them. We will pair them up on the long march to Lisbon.”
“We walk to Lisbon?” Jesus questioned.
“Of course. Up to 350 men, how else? Of course I and the other officers and the cadets will ride horses. You do ride?” he asked the cadets. Both said yes.
García yawned. He was thoroughly entrenched in the role of Spanish captain. In fact he enjoyed it more than teaching at Chapel Hill. “I will nap before dinner. Jesus arrange for food for the three of us to be brought to quarters, then you may go to your lovely wife.” He was mildly amused by the thought of the trip to the sea. The cadets had probably done some wimpy trail riding for pleasure, but not a forced march of several days. Their butts would cry out in pain. And he did intend to make it a forced march. He would be glad to shake the dust of Madrid from his boots.
He explained to Jesus his plan to place each freed prisoner with one of his regulars, thus breaking up any cliques that might form and making for greater safety as well as training. And the partners must stay together night and day. Jesus then left to arrange dinner and be gone.
Cleaning up following his nap, García found a messenger had brought a note from the lovely Juanita. He sat on the side of his bed and read it aloud for Poncho’s benefit. “Please come to me at one a.m. tomorrow night. I’ll be in the garden awaiting your passion. J.”
Poncho was aware that Francisco had yet to tell García about Juanita’s visit. And had she sensed the danger? But this was his look out, García was his baby. So he barked, startling his master.
“Poncho. Are you ill?”
Poncho barked again, trying for a “no” and again startling García. The note was on the bed and Poncho took it in his mouth.
“Ah, the note,” García said. “It is odd, isn’t it? One a.m. when usually she invites me at the stroke of midnight. What do you make of it?”
Poncho stared at García. The two stared at one another. García finally said, “Danger.”
Poncho wagged his small tail.
“Danger at Juanita’s. Right?”
Poncho wagged his whole backside.
“What should I do? Not go?”
Poncho was still. He was uncertain. So he barked again.
“I should go, but take precautions.”
Poncho wagged slightly.
“Take the belly gun, like before?”
Poncho remained still.
“Not go alone.”
Poncho’s tail moved.
“Take someone, but who? Who else but Jesus.”
Poncho wagged and jumped in circles. This was about the best he could do.
Jesus was a married man, but remained García’s orderly as well as his chief aide de camp, although technically the lieutenants were next in line. They understood the importance with which García regarded Jesus. So the following morning Jesus showed up in García’s sleeping room promptly at six a.m. with a pot of hot chocolate and a small loaf of hard bread.
García at once told him about the note from Juanita, told him of Juanita’s feelings toward Francis
co and said he suspected the odd hour might mean some treachery was afoot. The two of them would go armed and cautious into Juanita’s garden. How fickle are the breezes and sighs of love, García pondered.
There had been some difficulty in adjusting to the Spanish lifestyle, a long midday snooze, maybe an evening nap before the late night dinner, but on this day García slept soundly for most of the afternoon in preparation for tonight’s adventure.