SUNGLASSES AND ROCKETS Part 1 : New Moon

ANTIGUA

We came to a cobble stoned section of the road, which automatically transported us back to the colonial period. The City of Santiago de Guatemala was founded on July 27, 1524, in Iximché, you could hear a voice from the loudspeaker say as we arrived. Three years later, in 1527, the city was moved to the Valle de Almolonga situated on the outskirts of the Volcán de Agua.

The rattle of the vehicle woke Darwin up, just as we were passing by a beautiful town square faintly illuminated by street lanterns.

"Awesome!" he exclaimed. "Look at those legs!"

At that moment a girl in a mini-skirt was crossing the street. The reason for Darwin's visit was very clear to him. Nothing could distract him from it.

A torrent of water and mud that came down from the volcano in September 1541 destroyed the second capital, our driver continued, doubling as a sometime tour guide. The interim governors, in conjunction with the City Hall, decided on the relocation of the city to the Valle de Panchoy, where it was established in March 1543. This settlement was the capital of the Kingdom and Court of Guatemala for 233 years. Today it is known as La Antigua Guatemala, designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Welcome to La Antigua...

There was no stopping the doctor from giving a running commentary on the beautiful colonial buildings of the city, from the row in front of us. He loved the cobble stoned street. His tone of voice was typical of that of a senior tourist, tending towards amazement at the slightest stimulation.

As was his custom, Felix did nothing more than regard all of that cultural heritage indifferently. From his attitude, it seemed that it excited him as much as a monotonous journey through the desert.

It was no more than eight hours until take-off, and it looked like everyone was as relaxed as could be. There was a "law of conservation" in effect; the total amount of tension involved in the journey was being conserved. It was all building up inside me...and it made no difference at all to my companions' mood.

However, there's no denying that the spectacle that unfolded before my eyes offered an aesthetic pleasure that brought with it a certain sense of relief: houses of different colors and sizes, all of a distinguished colonial style, softly lit up by the subdued streetlights placed at the margins of the stony streets. It seemed impossible to me to think that in some part of that lovely city there was a modified Titan III-E Centaur rocket, that is, a Bat, standing 164 feet high and ready for take-off...

We had been going along for a few minutes, when the bus stopped at the edge of an enormous, beautifully designed park with a fountain in the middle of it. Maybe it was the town square.

"I have to take care of some things..." the doctor advised us, getting up from his seat. "I'll be back in a moment."

"Doctor," Darwin jumped up, "Does it matter if Gordo and I take a walk through the park?"

"A quick walk," the doctor specified, taking a look at his watch.

We got out right away.

A happy buzz was in the air. Hundreds of tourists milled around the plaza gardens, which were lit up by pretty lanterns. Native Indians went to and fro, offering their artwork. It was easy to lose sight of someone in the crowd. However, I decided to keep an eye on the doctor's movements. I followed him with my gaze. He sat down on one of the benches around the fountain.

"What's the doctor up to?" I heard myself mutter.

"Come on," Darwin told me, too focused on his own plans to pay any attention, "let's go over here."

I agreed to my friend's suggestion; even so, I kept my eyes fixed on the doctor's bench. Before a group of wandering merchants got in the way, I managed to see a long-haired subject dressed in sandals and ripped pants—a ragged-looking hippie—approach the bench.

"Did you see that?" I said in surprise. "The doctor's talking to a hippie!"

"Which one?" I heard Darwin ask. "The one in the blue dress?"

"What?"

Almost at once, I was enveloped in a swirl of fine perfume. I turned around. Two elegantly-dressed girls had passed by, leaving a delicate scent.

"After them," ordered Darwin. "I get the one in the blue dress."

I mechanically obeyed, but not before taking another last look at the bench. The doctor and the hippie looked like they were chatting politely. We stepped up our pace. We deftly got out of the way of passers-by. I felt compelled to compare the time on my watch to the time on the cathedral clock opposite the park. Both showed the same time: ten before eight.

"It's almost eight," I whispered.

"What a body!" Darwin replied.

My friend was right. Those girls had great figures! We sped up even more. My fleeing target was a brunette dressed in a white dress with an elegant, low neckline. Fortunately, Darwin had asked for the one in the blue dress. Suddenly the one in the blue dress turned around. She smiled.

"They've seen us!" my friend exclaimed.

The brunette got a sudden elbow in the side from her friend. Both of them slowed down. We did the same.

"What do we do!" I exclaimed, excited.

"The best thing would be to..."

"Gordo, Darwin," we heard, "It's time."

We turned around.

Felix swung around and started quickly back towards our bus, which was parked a few steps away, at the edge of the plaza. The doctor made signs at us from the first row. The driver honked the horn.

Bad luck!

We hesitated. The driver kept blowing the horn impatiently. The brunette turned around. My heart jumped in my chest.

"Darwin! Gordo!" you could hear. "We're running late! What are you waiting for!"

Shoot! We ran towards the bus.