Priceless

Closing the trunk on her groceries, Margie turned to open the driver’s side door and thought she saw garbage thrown on her seat. The day was sweltering, and she'd left the window opened an inch to circulate air. Gingerly picking up the manilla envelop, she looked under and around it to make sure something sticky—or worse—was not hiding where she was about to sit. She climbed inside and closed the door. The sharp blow from the vents was hot, forcing her to roll down the window. No one seemed to be looking in her direction so Margie pinched the two small metal prongs together and peered inside the envelop at a red silk scarf, cash, and a notebook. Looking around the parking lot, she was certain there was some error. No one could mistake her old car for a drug dealer’s. Had the envelop dropped accidentally, gliding down through the open slot of her window? She rolled her window up, afraid someone was watching. With her hands under the dashboard, Margie pulled out the little, black, soft-covered notebook. Pushing back the flat elastic band, she opened to the first page where it read, “In case of loss, __.” No one had filled it in. Several pages presented instructions in neat handwriting.

Step 1 — Make a decision to follow this quest. Find a path.

…….

The dark-haired, 46 year-old mother wondered if she’d lost her mind. When she showed her 17 year-old daughter the envelop, Kate immediately asserted, “Mom, you have to take on this quest. This is wild!” Margie’s initial thought was to save the money toward Kate’s non-existent college fund. Kate’s father had died in a car accident two years before, and it was hard for mother and daughter to get by every day, but they still had each other. The life insurance policy barely paid the hospital bills that accumulated in the weeks that followed the accident. While Margie did not want to go into debt for Kate’s education, this teen was smart, and she wanted to find a way. Twenty grand had dropped in her lap.

Instead Margie followed Step 2. Call 866-555-2543, tell them Charli sent you, pack a carry-on bag, and bring the envelop with you.

The woman who answered announced, “Simply Go Travel!”

“Charli sent me.”

“Oh, lovely! You’re my first Charli caller. I have a ticket leaving tomorrow. All you have to do is go to a branch office near you. Tomorrow, 9am. Pay $765 in cash, and the confirmation will be set. Give me your email address. I’ll send the flight details. Bring your passport and bag so you can leave straight away. I need the full name on your passport. You do have a passport, don’t you, darling? Otherwise this whole thing becomes a moot point.”

Second guessing herself again, Margie found she was heading to Rio de Janeiro. When she’d asked the agent who was behind this, the woman expected that Margie probably knew more than she did. Her job was just plane tickets.

…….

Step 3 — Wear the scarf, stand behind Christ the Redeemer near the pedestal, and say ‘Charli’ four times.

Margie dragged her small travel bag past stalls selling rosary beads and prayer books, blending amid thousands of tourists from all over the world. In front of the statue, she took a picture, like many who put their phones on the ground with a timer and outstretched their arms, then texted it to Kate. At the back of the statue, feeling a bit self-conscious Margie whispered, “Charli.”

Worried she would not be heard, she got progressively louder. By the fourth, a young man in a monk’s robe handed her a message. “Obrigada,” he said, turning quickly to walk away.

“Wait!” she called after him, but he quickly disappeared in the crowd.

A tram took her back down the mountain as she read the message: Go to Paraty. Stay at the Hotel Flor ave do Paraíso. Paraty? Margie was no longer frightened by her ignorance. She looked nearby at three women chatting in a language she did not understand.

“Excusez-moi… um, pardon me.” Margie didn’t even speak French and immediately realized that it sounded silly to pretend to be French in a Portuguese speaking country.

“Yes?” one woman said. Another smiled at her while the third looked contemplatively out the window.

“Can you tell me how to get to Paraty?”

“Paraty is a town on the coast.” There was some back and forth between the women in Portuguese. One began to text.

“We have a friend going to Paraty. I…” A text message chimed. “Ah, he is still in Rio. You can go today?”

After her initial hesitation—fear of being kidnapped followed by an even greater fear of being an inconvenience— Margie heard Kate’s voice and decided to accept the offer with profuse gratitude.

“Mamãe!” Interrupted by a video call, Margie saw a beautiful woman, despite sallow eyes, a floral gray scarf covering her balding head. The sisters introduced Margie. Their Mamãe lit up with the graciousness people have when they genuinely care for strangers.

…….

The four woman sat down at a café in downtown Rio. Margie saw tears in one’s eyes.

“What’s wrong?” she pressed.

“Our mother is very ill. Here her doctor is very good, but we read about an oncologist in Bogotá who specializes. They will see her, but how to get her there? Flights have 2 or 3 stops and she cannot sit in such a space for so long. Perhaps 17 or 19 hundred Reals to rent an apartment for a month.” Ana, the oldest, sighed, digging through her purse for a cigarette. “We will manage somehow. We prayed the rosary at Christo Redentor.”

Margie thought about the kindness these young women showed her and rummaged through her bag while the sisters sipped coffee.

“Tchau! Tchau! We must go, and you must get to Paraty. We are sorry to leave, but Tomás will come soon.”

“Wait!” Margie had wrapped cash in a napkin, handing it to Ana. If Margie could fall into money out of the blue, so could this beautiful family. Love is more valuable than school or adventure.

“Não, we could not take your money.”

“You helped me, even with your mother on your mind. I want to help you.” Then Margie whispered, “Put it in your purse quickly.” She did not want them to count it here on the street. “Now go. Ciao.”

The three sisters hugged Margie tightly, thanking her in English and Portuguese.

Not certain there was enough money to complete the quest, Margie was soon alone. She waited over an hour for young, handsome Tomás.

“Paraty?” she confirmed. Tomás nodded but said nothing, putting her wheeled bag in the back. After she provided the hotel name and learned that neither spoke the other’s language, they both simply smiled a great deal. Four hours later, in the dark, Tomás called to a man who pointed down a cobblestone street. Tomás pulled her bag out and gave it to the man with an exchange of coins. Disoriented and confused, she was nervous. The man was older, but walked rapidly across the stones. Margie turned to Tomás who simply pointed and said, “Tchau. Segue… Go.”

Afraid of tripping on the uneven street, she kept up, finally making it inside a small lobby. The Hotel Flor ave do Paraíso! In English, the reception clerk asked her for her reservation. Learning she didn’t have one, the man furrowed his brow, pursed his lips, and paused before producing a key and coming around the desk to pick up her bag, escorting her to a large, bright room on the second floor where he quickly left her. The room had three french doors to a balcony, and the most beautiful blue tile. Margie was exhausted and hungry. She ordered room service and went to bed, twice checking the locks on the many doors.

…….

Step 4 — At the lobby’s front desk, ask for Jorge to take you on a boat excursion.

After texting her daughter a photo of the sunny hotel’s entrance, filled with plants and creeping vines over blue walls, Margie learned that Jorge would take her tomorrow.

Margie did not know how long the quest would take, but the notebook only had one step remaining. With the whole day to herself, she strolled down the cobblestone streets and into shops filled with colorful wraps and bright summer dresses. Margie only bought a green wrap for her daughter.

Awaking early the next day, ready for anything, she imagined having to don a wetsuit and swim into a cave like a spy! Margie walked down to the boats wearing her red scarf.

The small boat stopped off-shore an island near a tiki hut with tables on white sand. Jorge helped her into the warm, hip-deep water, so she could keep her bag above her head and wade to shore.

With her daughter’s wrap clinging to her wet legs, she headed toward the tiki hut.

Step 5 — Ask for Charli at the bar.

The bartender pointed to an older woman at a table on the beach, a straw hat tied under her chin, a light wrap over her shoulders, and her bare feet in the sand.

“I’m beginning to feel like the mature version of one of Charlie’s Angels,” Margie said as she approached. “I’m Margie.”

“I know who you are, dear,” the older woman said. “I’ve been waiting for you. You are the first, you know. I’m surprised at how quickly you’ve arrived. I didn’t really think anyone would be here for another few days. Two en route, one more just starting her journey. Sit down, dear.”

“Why am I here?” Margie sat feeling a bit confused.

Laughing, Charli responded, “I don’t know, dear. Why are you here? Why does anyone leave the house? To find something new, I suppose. To live a little. To enjoy life?”

“I guess I mean, what next?”

“It might depend really. I wanted to give an adventure to someone who was willing. Or money to someone who needed it. Or both. Let me see your remaining cash, dear.”

Margie felt protective. What remained ought to go to Kate. “There is just about $8789 left. I’ve kept track on the envelop.”

“Is that all?” asked Charli. “While I’d given extra to see how much you might actually spend, you’ve gotten here in four days, and I know you did not fly First Class. What did you spend it on? Shoes?”

Margie explained how she almost kept the money and stayed home. About how she went to Christ the Redeemer from the airport. She talked at length about the sisters and their mother, and even admitted to the souvenir purchase she wore. Ending with a heavy sigh, she asked if she could keep what remained for her daughter.

“My goodness, did you really give $10,000 to strangers?! I’ll do you one better. I’ll pay for all four years of Kate’s education, plus living expenses. As long as it’s not Yale,” Charli rolled her eyes. “You are a gem, dear. You’ve accounted for everything on this envelop. You’ve saved when you could have spent on yourself. Wasted no time in getting here. And more important than all those things, you know that life is priceless.”

Charli sipped the pink cocktail in front of her and sighed. “My dear, I’m an old woman. My companion and assistant, rest her lovely soul, passed away last year. I’ve needed to test the character of a new one. If you want the job, it’s yours. See that boat heading this way? He’s just like you. When he asks for Charli, the bartender will point to you. If you find him a responsible person, you can come clean. Tell him we might have a job for him sometime. Be smart. Be confident. Be strong. Above all, be kind.”