For months now, I’ve been trying to get someone here to continue the lane project. During the early months of quarantine, no one was willing to deliver the needed stone or to do the machine work.
Finally, Elisabet’s brother Gustavo agreed to do the project. Then followed weeks of “I’ll start next Monday.” I kept after him, but nothing happened. Then the rains began, a little here, a little there.
I really wanted the lane done before the heavy rains came and made it impossible to do. I talked with Rafael and told him my fears. He agreed we needed to move quickly. He said Gustavo is highly “informal” and irresponsible. No one can get him do anything–except one man.
For reasons that are unclear to me, Gustavo is in dread fear of Elisabet’s oldest brother Edy. This is the same Edy I’ve been delivering bread to in Urubamba. Rafael arranged it, and the next week, Edy drove through our front gate. Gustavo slinked out of the passenger’s side door; that was the first I’d seen him in weeks.
We talked about what I wanted done. Edy said he’d make sure it happened. When he went to leave, I gave him the typical quarantine fist bump, but he said, “No, Davidcito. You can shake my hand. I have my word–unlike some people,” with a withering glance at Gustavo who shrank in on himself even more.
We shook hands, and Gustavo started the next Monday, just like he’d always promised. It took two weeks from start to finish, but the project is complete. It rained numerous afternoons, but Gustavo was able to carry on, as the ground is still dry and hard.
While he was here, I had him clean out the ditch in the front of the property (Remember the night he broke the pipe?). The lecheros said I didn’t do it the way they wanted because it’s not deep enough to keep the cows out of our property. I said it’s shallow enough not to kill their cows, but deep and clean enough to provide them fresh water. Oh…!
The lechero said since I have gravel here, and since I drove in their driveway, he wants me to put gravel up at the worst spot on his lane. I had Percy explain to Gustavo where they wanted it. The next day, the lechero said he’d like another bucket load at another spot. I suppose it’s good the project lasted no longer than it did. [chuckle]
Percy and Gustavo thought it was ridiculous. Lucrecia said they needed to pay. The lechero didn’t want to pay. But I heard Jesus saying, “Give to him that asks of you.” I had to work on my attitudes in private, but we gave the gravel. Everyone is happy now.
And the rains can come.
Juan David 