Escape from Doomsday

I fling myself onto the small beach amongst the jagged rocks, coughing up the salty water. Like a molting seal, I flop onto my back and fall into deep sleep. When I wake hours later, it’s as if I’m again taking my first breath. Two pairs of dark eyes search my face and motionless shape for life.

Strange whispers from the woman signal the man to turn me over and empty me of any excess fluid in my lungs. She extends her arms and presses on my shoulders, gently lifting me to sitting position.

I am awake now, squinting from the brightness, not knowing where I am or where he might be. Suddenly I feel for my necklace and grasp it. Relief sets it for a moment. Robert and I were so in love when he carved the images of us inside the heart-shaped locket. We married soon afterwards, but he never applied for citizenship. Those were happy times.. before everything fell apart. Looking up at this pair of strangers, I smile at them, awkwardly saying “Thank you. My name is Joan.”

They quietly agree that I am harmless and put a scarf around my body, tying the ends. Each takes one as if it were a handle and carries me to a shaded area beneath an overhang. When I sit up, the man offers me drops of water from a flask in the shape of a pelican’s beak. Little did I know that he collected drops from early morning dew on the cacti before they evaporate in the heat. It was the most delicious water. The woman looks proudly at him, and offers me a poultice for my chest and shoulders that smells like bird guano and herbs. Her strong hands firmly press it onto my skin, and my soreness is calmed. I am now ready to sleep again, with my guardian angels here on the Island of Refuge.

Robert and I arrived at the Lukeville border crossing with our backpacks, passports, water, and a box of food. Our car was the 5th of hundreds waiting to get out. We had hoped to find our friends Gil and Anne at home and drive together, but we couldn’t find them in time.

“They must already be in La Choya at their apartment.. or in La Paz”, Robert ascertained.

I had doubts as to whether they made it out at all. Their home had been burned, and they never answered their phones. “But their car was gone. I’m sure they made it out”.

Gunfire and screaming echoed down their street from the main strip. No one could be safe when the hungry mobs decided to attack anyone they didn’t recognize as “clean” or “legal”. They blamed us for taking their water, but the supply had been contaminated so badly that no one could drink it.

Rumors that these “vigilantes” intentionally put cyanide in the water abounded. Many of us considered them to be true. Food and water were unavailable in most the Southwest for a month. Looters would surround a building, take all the food and water, then kill everyone in the household, either by setting the house on fire with everyone tied up, or by leaving everyone starve.

We clenched our passports, looking urgently at the Border Patrol. We hoped to see our friends and live simply by the beach. I escaped for a moment, fantasizing about opening a coffee shop or a bar..

“Your passports!” demanded the officer.

Robert scrambled for his and handed both over to him.

The officer shakes his head. “Come with me, sir.”

He startled. “Why? Is there a problem?”

“It’s not good. You stay here and wait to be cleared. The lady can go.”

“But, we’re together!” I exclaimed.

He places his hand on his gun. “Get out of the car now and hand me the keys or I will arrest you both.”

“What?! It’s our car!”

“I have to detain the car with the driver. Go now before I arrest you both.”

Robert touches my face. “I will find you..just keep going in the right direction.”

“And take all the food. You’re going to need it.”

He takes a bottle of water, kisses me quickly, and jumps out of the car as if he were called on for the baseball team. “Why is he doing this?” I wonder. “I love you. Be careful!”

The officer takes the keys, gestures me out, and sends Robert to the waiting room behind him.

That’s the last time we saw one another.

I watch and wait, screaming to them to free Robert, but the guards force me to go forward. I walk across the border, looking back, not knowing at all what to do. After crossing, I sat with a few others who also had crossed alone.

“It looks like they are closing their borders now. Serves us right, don’t ya think?” says a man as he squeezes the last drag of his cigarette.

Joan rolls her eyes. Too tired to think of what to do, she lays her head on her pack and sleeps.

When the sun comes up, she is the only one left. Walking towards the road, she sees two men pull over to switch drivers. ”Hi! Where are you going? Can I get a ride with you- to La Choya- or somewhere?”

They look at her suspiciously.

“I can pay for gas” she adds.

The man with the white hat clears space in the backseat. “I”m Bob, and this is Diego. We’re heading to Puerto Vallarta… but we can take you there. Get in, quick!”

There is little conversation. Joan asks where they are from.

Diego exclaims “Phoenix. It’s a nightmare. There’s barely anything left, or anyone for that matter. They hate us there… and the water is poison.”

“And we’re getting married in Puerto Vallarta”, Bob interrupts.

“That’s so wonderful. Congratulations!”

“Who do you want to see in La Choya?”

“Hopefully, my husband. Or anyone I know at this point”

“We’ll be there in no time… It’s a good thing you got through.”

They arrive La Choya around noon in the blistering heat. Joan thanks them and gives them her last $40. Bob refuses her money and laughs. Diego blows a kiss as they drive away.

Joan sits in the plaza, waiting for a cab to appear. She remembers the beachfront condo is about 5 miles from the center, not fun at this time of day. She flags a green taxi and writes the address for the driver. At the gate, she punches in the code, sees Gil’s car in the port and runs towards the door with excitement. The sea looks so calm and inviting from the steps, but she knocks and announces herself to her friends.

No answer. “Maybe they are walking, or swimming… Maybe they left for a few days?”

She opens the door, and trips over a pair of sandals in the entry. The sliding door is cracked and entirely open. Food scraps and beer cans lie all over the kitchen.

“Wow, they must have one of their crazy parties”.

“It smells wrong, though,” as if they hadn’t cleaned it for weeks.

Joan finds a full soda, a beer and some nuts in the midst. Starving and thirsty, she takes a gulp and begins to bite when she hears the sound of breaking glass and scrambling upstairs.

More hungry Americans have come to loot here. She grabs her bag and fills it with drinks and nuts, escapes through the balcony as voices move closer.

“Now, what?” Staring at the ocean, she sees their dock. It can be done. A few hours to cross, and much safer to the west. Joan places her hand on her heart-shaped locket and whispers “Robert, I know we will be together soon.”

I fling myself onto the small beach amongst the jagged rocks, coughing up the salty water. Like a molting seal, I flop onto my back and fall into deep sleep. When I wake hours later, it’s as if I’m again taking my first breath. Two pairs of dark eyes search my face and motionless shape for life.

Strange whispers from the woman signal the man to turn me over and empty me of any excess fluid in my lungs. She extends her arms and presses on my shoulders, gently lifting me to sitting position.

I am awake now, squinting from the brightness, not knowing where I am or where he might be. Suddenly I feel for my necklace and grasp it. Relief sets it for a moment. Robert and I were so in love when he carved the images of us inside the heart-shaped locket. We married soon afterwards, but he never applied for citizenship. Those were happy times.. before everything fell apart. Looking up at this pair of strangers, I smile at them, awkwardly saying “Thank you. My name is Joan.”

They quietly agree that I am harmless and put a scarf around my body, tying the ends. Each takes one as if it were a handle and carries me to a shaded area beneath an overhang. When I sit up, the man offers me drops of water from a flask in the shape of a pelican’s beak. Little did I know that he collected drops from early morning dew on the cacti before they evaporate in the heat. It was the most delicious water. The woman looks proudly at him, and offers me a poultice for my chest and shoulders that smells like bird guano and herbs. Her strong hands firmly press it onto my skin, and my soreness is calmed. I am now ready to sleep again, with my guardian angels here on the Island of Refuge.

Robert and I arrived at the Lukeville border crossing with our backpacks, passports, water, and a box of food. Our car was the 5th of hundreds waiting to get out. We had hoped to find our friends Gil and Anne at home and drive together, but we couldn’t find them in time.

“They must already be in La Choya at their apartment.. or in La Paz”, Robert ascertained.

I had doubts as to whether they made it out at all. Their home had been burned, and they never answered their phones. “But their car was gone. I’m sure they made it out”.

Gunfire and screaming echoed down their street from the main strip. No one could be safe when the hungry mobs decided to attack anyone they didn’t recognize as “clean” or “legal”. They blamed us for taking their water, but the supply had been contaminated so badly that no one could drink it.

Rumors that these “vigilantes” intentionally put cyanide in the water abounded. Many of us considered them to be true. Food and water were unavailable in most the Southwest for a month. Looters would surround a building, take all the food and water, then kill everyone in the household, either by setting the house on fire with everyone tied up, or by leaving everyone starve.

We clenched our passports, looking urgently at the Border Patrol. We hoped to see our friends and live simply by the beach. I escaped for a moment, fantasizing about opening a coffee shop or a bar..

“Your passports!” demanded the officer.

Robert scrambled for his and handed both over to him.

The officer shakes his head. “Come with me, sir.”

He startled. “Why? Is there a problem?”

“It’s not good. You stay here and wait to be cleared. The lady can go.”

“But, we’re together!” I exclaimed.

He places his hand on his gun. “Get out of the car now and hand me the keys or I will arrest you both.”

“What?! It’s our car!”

“I have to detain the car with the driver. Go now before I arrest you both.”

Robert touches my face. “I will find you..just keep going in the right direction.”

“And take all the food. You’re going to need it.”

He takes a bottle of water, kisses me quickly, and jumps out of the car as if he were called on for the baseball team. “Why is he doing this?” I wonder. “I love you. Be careful!”

The officer takes the keys, gestures me out, and sends Robert to the waiting room behind him.

That’s the last time we saw one another.

I watch and wait, screaming to them to free Robert, but the guards force me to go forward. I walk across the border, looking back, not knowing at all what to do. After crossing, I sat with a few others who also had crossed alone.

“It looks like they are closing their borders now. Serves us right, don’t ya think?” says a man as he squeezes the last drag of his cigarette.

Joan rolls her eyes. Too tired to think of what to do, she lays her head on her pack and sleeps.

When the sun comes up, she is the only one left. Walking towards the road, she sees two men pull over to switch drivers. ”Hi! Where are you going? Can I get a ride with you- to La Choya- or somewhere?”

They look at her suspiciously.

“I can pay for gas” she adds.

The man with the white hat clears space in the backseat. “I”m Bob, and this is Diego. We’re heading to Puerto Vallarta… but we can take you there. Get in, quick!”

There is little conversation. Joan asks where they are from.

Diego exclaims “Phoenix. It’s a nightmare. There’s barely anything left, or anyone for that matter. They hate us there… and the water is poison.”

“And we’re getting married in Puerto Vallarta”, Bob interrupts.

“That’s so wonderful. Congratulations!”

“Who do you want to see in La Choya?”

“Hopefully, my husband. Or anyone I know at this point”

“We’ll be there in no time… It’s a good thing you got through.”

They arrive La Choya around noon in the blistering heat. Joan thanks them and gives them her last $40. Bob refuses her money and laughs. Diego blows a kiss as they drive away.

Joan sits in the plaza, waiting for a cab to appear. She remembers the beachfront condo is about 5 miles from the center, not fun at this time of day. She flags a green taxi and writes the address for the driver. At the gate, she punches in the code, sees Gil’s car in the port and runs towards the door with excitement. The sea looks so calm and inviting from the steps, but she knocks and announces herself to her friends.

No answer. “Maybe they are walking, or swimming… Maybe they left for a few days?”

She opens the door, and trips over a pair of sandals in the entry. The sliding door is cracked and entirely open. Food scraps and beer cans lie all over the kitchen.

“Wow, they must have one of their crazy parties”.

“It smells wrong, though,” as if they hadn’t cleaned it for weeks.

Joan finds a full soda, a beer and some nuts in the midst. Starving and thirsty, she takes a gulp and begins to bite when she hears the sound of breaking glass and scrambling upstairs.

More hungry Americans have come to loot here. She grabs her bag and fills it with drinks and nuts, escapes through the balcony as voices move closer.

“Now, what?” Staring at the ocean, she sees their dock. It can be done. A few hours to cross, and much safer to the west. Joan places her hand on her heart-shaped locket and whispers “Robert, I know we will be together soon.”