19.
In a valley at the southwestern edge of the Sierra Madre Oriental lays a sleepy village, like there are thousands in Mexico. North of it, the valley was split in two by a 300 ft high knoll.
Seen from the slopes of the valley, the sun baked little village looked asleep. But the appearance was deceiving, Bella knew, since there would be no peaceful future for her and Rosita.
“Some Passion Play!”
“Please, Bella, stop complaining!”
“You should have warned me, Rosita!”
“Could I know!? Do not blame me!?”
“You are right! It is Rey I have to talk too! I assure you, the moment he shows up here, I will pour The Mother Of All Complaints over his evil head!”
“I think, even Rey had little to say in this!”
On they arrival, once they had left the car, they were approached by men, of all ages, in Mexican styled suits. Considering the esteem they were given by Rey and the other men, they had a high rank in the organization. Bella figured, they must have been those famous ‘Padrinos’ of the Pecos Cartel.
One of the men, about fifty years old, spoke to them.
“Bienvenidas, señoras, to our yearly Good Friday venue! Consider yourselves as our guests of honour!”
(‘guests of honour’, what’s that supposed to mean, Bella wondered?).
“From this village came the traitor who recently put the security forces on our trail. We have taken appropriate measures! The culprit has been given the sentence he deserved! As was his family! I will not talk about details! Everybody in the village knows what happened to them! Everybody in the village knows that such things will happen if they betray us! Now, as a sign of reconciliation, we came to celebrate Good Friday in this village!”
(‘A fiesta? I am not dressed to it!’ Bella thought).
“You see, señoras, as part of our yearly reconciliation, we have the tradition to set up a passion play, to remind us of all that Christ has died for us on the cross, for our salvation. We therefore have a life sized statue of a crucified Christ to erect! We will show you soon!”
(‘aha’!?)
“All we need to make the scene complete, are the two thieves! And for this part, we have the tradition to elect two people among our organization, whom we offer to the village, as part of the reconciliation! It is role of honour! And for that role, we have elected the two of you!”
“Oh, shit!”
“Please, Señora Moss, mind your language on this holy day!? Just think, you have the honour of being elected as the first women ever to play this part!”
Then, Rey, who had been standing aside, without saying a word, offered them a straw to draw. Bella drew the shortest one.
“So, that is settled, Bella Moss! You will be the bad thief! At last, fate has its own righteousness!”
“Bad thief!? But…!?”
“Prepare them for the passion play!”
Some of the guards, accompanying the Padrinos stepped forward and led Bella and Rosita away. It gradually became clear to Bella, that they were going to…. Crucify them!”
At a place a bit higher, at the foot of the knoll, everything was prepared! Three crosses had been laid out.
“Rosita! Will we be nailed to…”
“I hope not! I only see ropes!”
“Desnuda! Todo!”
“Bella, they order us to strip our clothes, everything!”
“I thought, I understood so! Yikes!”
The pressure was threatening, and Bella and Rosita obeyed.. Moments later, they were laid on the crosses and tied to them with ropes and belts.
Everything was prepared well, a team of apparently experienced men, erected the crosses, all the time neglecting Bella’s protests. These were largely silenced, when they hang on their weight, well secured. For support, they had a handgrip, a small sedile, and a footrest. Still, it was a harsh physical effort, even although the Padrinos had not inflicted too much harshness, as Bella and Rosita would have to serve as background of the diner with the villagers to follow.
A few actors then played scenes from the gospels, with the Padrinos and villagers as onlookers. When it was finished, a small procession passed along, with the Padrinos piously marching behind a local shrine and statue of a Virgin Mary. Then, they gathered for a meal, leaving Bella and Rosita as distant onlookers, overviewing a bit the village from their raised position. They were guarded by three men, who, on demand, offered Bella and Rosita wine to drink from a sponge, dripping a lot over their naked bodies, each time!
“I already drunk better quality!”, Bella complained.
The Christ figure was a life sized wooden sculpture, wearing (to Bella’s annoyance), a blue loincloth. It had some realistic looking whipping welts, but of the most remarkable features of the sculpture was the facial look. It was not a suffering Christ, but a haunting one! The scaring eyes seemed to look everywhere, it was an unescapable gaze, as if they looked inside you. Bella experienced the gaze as from a mad, fanatic and also, in some way, of a lustful man!
The piercing, lustful gaze tormented Bella, even as if it was directed towards Rosita. At a certain moment, Rosita remarked :
“Hey, you two! Stop staring at me like that!”
“But Rosita, seeing you crucified like that is exciting!” Bella had replied.
But soon, fatigue came in, enhanced by the sun. Thirst, flies, dust, sweat,..
Meanwhile the fiesta went on, with plenty of food, drink, a Mexican mariachi band performing.
“Rosita!? How long do you think, we have to stay here!?”
“I am afraid, until Monday or so!?”
“Monday!? Can we hold out so long!? I am already wrecked!?”
“Bella, darling, we are not supposed to…!”
“Oh shit!”
“Very sad, I know!”
“Mexican death culture, I suppose, with that gazing Christ sculpture haunting us!?”
“Something like that!”
“Listen! Rosita! We are not yet dead! Let’s not give up and come with a plan to get us out of here!”
“Easier said than done!”
“Well, I swear! I really swear, I will never touch a glass of Italian Pino Grigio anymore, if I will survive this!”
“Bella!? I think I am dying already! I think I hear angels sing in the distance!”
“Angels!?”
“Yes! Music!”
“You are right! But that’s…”
“Bella!? Is that .. Wagner?”
“Music!? Right you are! But I do not think angels will play Wagner! But is it Wagner?!”
“Bella! Now I hear rotors!”
“Rosita!? Angels do not come by helicopter!”
(to be continued)