Sin Salida 1/2

Following Pimienta’s betrayal, the Generalissimo offers a cash reward for the capture of the spy and traitor, dead or alive. In just a few years, Pimienta had earned the trust of Mierdanistan’s young recruits.

Meanwhile, Abdulah is plotting his revenge, fueled by his stepmother’s disappointment and the shattered image of the “perfect family” that had inspired him to become a good student, an outstanding athlete, and a lone fighter who recognizes no authority but his own will.

In his troubled heart, Lida is his anchor. Yet, confident in her love, he also wants to keep his family from falling apart. In a corner of his room, far from prying eyes and judgment, a bright tear slips from his eye and falls onto an old picture frame in which Pimienta and his stepmother stand as the pillars of a love that seeks to heal both Sinsa and him.

Memories of that summer return: their visits to the military museum, those long walks along the beach to catch a glimpse of Stephenlandia. A sigh fogs the glass of the picture frame…

“Now I understand that there was never any mating ritual involving sea medusas. He did it all to see his beloved family, his homeland, and feel close to those memories… How could he have fooled so many of us? The worst part is, I don’t hate him enough to kill him. That idiot Tomy, my so-called friend, sure, he doesn’t care about my… Dad, my stepfather. I loved his expressions and that funny grimace he made after giving me an order, but I will never forget when I was eight years old. I was afraid of everything, and none of the caretakers looked anything like him. After I wet the bed, he didn’t yell at me or punish me. He just looked at me, made that funny face, and walked away.

“My stepmother did punish me. I spent the entire day cleaning and doing chores. I washed the sheets, tidied everything up, took a bath, and sat in the sun. When Pimienta arrived, he took me and Sinsa to a children’s show at the military theater. It was the English version of the legend of La Araucana, performed with cardboard puppets. Pimienta… what a master of deception.”

Abdulah places the picture frame back in Pimienta’s box of belongings. He had left no clothes or personal items behind, only a dagger with a compass built into its handle and, of course, that old car.

Abdulah is now a man hardened by the traditions of his stepfather, the man who rescued him and became his role model; by school competition; and by the violence born of poverty and envy, both common in Mierdanistan. Now, without the financial and moral support of his great mentor, Pimienta, he will have to learn to survive through the cunning he acquired from that traitor and find another way to deliver justice—on his own terms and, so to speak, patriotically, though with little regard for the Generalissimo’s laws.

That afternoon, he leaves home and heads for the border. There, he spots Garfia boarding a yacht. Pimienta, the chauffeur, and Garfia’s caretaker say their goodbyes to her.

“There’s the traitor…”

As a thousand other thoughts race through his mind, he tightens his grip on the military dagger with its built-in compass. A sigh fills his lungs with the smell of marine tar, while a cocktail of fresh, natural scents clears his mind.

Pimienta bids Garfia farewell for the last time, turns around, and the chauffeur opens the car door for him.

Abdulah breathes more slowly. Everything seems suddenly clear.

“It’s all about money, that damned, seductive capitalism, and…”

As he takes a step toward crossing the Strait of Shit and reaching Stephenlandia, the screams of a little girl distract him. He turns and sees a group of ragged, depraved men forcibly seizing the child while her parents and older sister lie unconscious on the sand.

The encounter with a girl in danger at the hands of a gang of criminals will change his view of that small socialist world. Abdulah intervenes, fights the criminals, and eliminates the threat.

However, when he tries to approach the girl, she runs away in terror. Watching her flee naked along the beach, he wonders, “Didn’t I just save her from being killed? Why is she running away?”

He smiles bitterly. He can face several enemies without hesitation, yet he has no idea how to inspire trust in the very people he intends to help.

He looks back toward the yacht. Garfia is already aboard and puts on a white bikini. Her friends board as well, bringing her gifts and liquor.

Determined, Abdulah crosses the strait. A drugged man helps him climb out onto the seawall.

“Thank you!”

Abdulah replies, but the man merely flashes a foolish grin.

Then Abdulah notices a captain’s hat. The man is the yacht’s captain, waiting for a contact who is supposed to deliver drugs on Garfia’s behalf. The young woman has decided that her birthday will be the day she experiences her first time at everything.

Abdulah notices the money as the yacht captain clenches it in his fist.

“Not the money. That’s my ticket to fun.”

“I can show you a good time.”

The captain’s accent is amusing, even more so when he is high.

“But I’ve got to get that vessel over there airborne.”

“You want me to make you fly?”

Hearing this, the captain assumes Abdulah is the dealer and opens his hand. Abdulah has no interest in the money; he wants information.

The captain presses him.

“Give me what you’ve got.”

Abdulah pulls out the dagger and plunges it into the man’s stomach. The captain collapses onto the wooden planks of the seawall. Abdulah puts on his hat and…

“Hey, you!”

It is the drug dealers.

“This man was going to rob me. I had to…”

But the young men show him a bag full of substances.

“Did you bring the money?”

One of the dealers spots the bills and coins scattered across the sand.

“I think…”

The other sees the money and tells his companion:

“Pick it up.”

They collect it, count it, and then Abdulah receives the large bag of illicit substances.

The dealers leave on a motorcycle. Before Abdulah can inspect what he has received, he hears someone calling his name.

“Abdulah! Come back. You’re in danger in that country.”

It is his stepmother, who has followed him. It is the day after Pimienta abandoned them to return to his real family. Although she knows perfectly well that she is the mistress, she has come to experience the warmth of a home, something so difficult to find in Mierdanistan.

“You followed me?”

“My son, everything I told you…”

“Look, I saw him. Pimienta is enjoying wealth, comfort, and family. When he becomes poor again, he’ll come back.”

“Son, I don’t care whether Pimienta comes back. Last night, you showed me that you’re responsible by taking care of your little sister. You showed me that you can be better than a spy who…”

“I know, Mommy!”

“Mommy?”

“Stepmother!”

“No, actually, I like ‘Mommy.’”

“Mommy, I have a plan. And…”

“I know the Generalissimo promised a reward for Pimienta’s head, but when has he ever kept a promise?”

“Tomy is after him. I’m going after Garfia.”

“Garfia? But…”

“The money comes from her inheritance. I have a plan.”

“So you’re not going to kill Pimienta?”

“Why would I kill my mentor?”

“Haha! Mentor in what?”

“Master of illusion. You’ll see what I’m going to do, Mommy.”

His stepmother looks at him, notices the captain’s corpse, and smiles.

Abdulah gently caresses his stepmother’s face, and she takes refuge in his arms, resting her head against his chest.

“I’m proud of you. You’re the man of the house.”

Then the woman bends down, picks up the dagger, and cleans it with her tongue, absorbing the chromium and the smell of blood. Once it is clean, she slides it into the sheath on her belt.

“Want some of this?”

Abdulah opens the bag. A curious aroma of marijuana, pills, and magic powders brings a broad smile to his face.

“No, my boy. Give that to Garfia. And…”

“But I want to see her miserable. I’ll make her drown.”

They look at each other. Abdulah looks at Mommy and thinks, “Mommy is much older than I am, but last night she felt different. She isn’t my real mother, but her skin smells so good.”

“Listen, Abdulah. I’ll be on that little island in Mierdanistan.”

“But there’s a naturist community there that forces people to do things they don’t want to do. What if…”

“I know how to handle them. Just take the yacht there. Meanwhile, I’ll talk to a notary friend.”

Abdulah understands everything. The plan is finally taking shape.

“Then leave Garfia with me for a week while you bring back the documents she needs to sign.”

The greatest danger is Garfia’s uncle, a banker who has spent his entire life laundering money and intends to keep it safe by leaving it in a joint account with Garfia.

Abdulah boards the yacht and discovers that the crew’s entire uniform consists of nothing more than a sailor’s hat.

A week later, after carrying out those plans, Abdulah drugs his stepmother as well and refuses to give her a share of the spoils. This infuriates Sinsa.

Several days later, at school, he sees his brother and Lida openly displaying their affection in front of everyone. The war intensifies, and Sinsa grows desperate over her poverty. She resorts to extreme measures to obtain money and immigrate to Stephenlandia.