Andean Experience Ch. 02: Marina's Choice

Jaguar's Andean Experience transports tourists to ancient sites across Peru and northern Bolivia. In Chapter 1, "Jaguar's Curse", an especially obnoxious passenger, Wayne Rasmussen, was badly injured in a fall at one of the sites. Was it an accident, or had Jaguar's secret incantations caused it?

Ch 02: Marina's Choice

Nothing grabs more attention than a speeding police car with lights flashing and siren blaring. Marina and Wayne Rasmussen were belted into the back seat of one as it blasted through highway traffic north of Lima International Airport. Wayne might be dying.

Yesterday afternoon Rasmussen had fallen from an embankment at Huari, an ancient Peruvian ruin, seriously injuring himself. The policeman could see that he was in bad shape, with cuts and bruises, a broken nose, and his arm in a sling. He could see that he was sweating profusely too.

What he didn't see was on the inside. The doctor who had treated Wayne last night in a little mountain village suspected that his now-raging fever might be caused by internal bleeding. Perhaps more than his nose and forearm were broken, and bone was tearing at unseen tissue, or even worse, at an organ?

The Rasmussens and four other people were touring ancient Peruvian sites with The Andean Experience. Their leader Wesley Bruce Arundel, known to them as Jaguar, had brought everyone most of the way in a dash to a Lima hospital. However, when late-afternoon traffic started to build near the city, he had flagged down the police car for help.

"Officer, there's a man in my bus who might die if I don't get him to the nearest hospital fast!" he exclaimed in Spanish.

"Do you want an escort? It's about fifty kilometres away," the cop had offered.

"I'm low on fuel. It would be faster if you took him in your car. Can you do that? I think he's dying!"

"Si. To EsSalud Hospital right now."

"His wife will go with you," Jag said. "She has some notes from the doctor who patched him up last night."

"Si. Get the two of them into the back. Don't try to keep up with me, but come to the hospital."

Jaguar helped Wayne into the back seat, then squeezed Marina's damp hand to reassure her.

"This will be alright. He'll be there in a half hour or so."

"Oh, I hope so, Jag. I hope so", she worried as he eased her into the seat and shut the door.

The police car sped off, lights and siren warning drivers, and Jaguar clambered back into the old Mercedes. He eased it out into traffic, watching for the first place where he could get some fuel into the minibus and some food into his passengers. They'd all had nothing since a very early breakfast. Jaguar was stiff and tired from the forced pace and the tension surrounding Rasmussen's worsening condition.

The problem was out of his hands for now.

****

It was never easy operating a guided tour of a half dozen people, especially for almost three weeks off the beaten path in Peru. Jaguar had been doing it for years, using his Andean Experience website to draw adventurers and dreamers to ancient cultural sites.

He'd first come to the country as a graduate student in archaeology, and he never really left. The myth and the magic were simply too hard to resist. He had acquired a nickname based on the legendary jungle beast and cultivated a rugged outdoor image. Jaguar was not the same man who had arrived here twenty years ago.

At the moment he wanted nothing more than a hot shower and a soft bed. But there was still much to do before that would happen. For now, he'd settle for a hot meal and a cold beer. There was a place he knew a few kilometres ahead. They'd get to the hospital soon enough.

"You people as hungry and thirsty as me?" he shouted. "I hope you don't mind stopping to eat in just a few minutes?"

His words were met with great enthusiasm, and it wasn't long before the place he was looking for came into view. There was a diesel pump there too. As some people say, "One stone kill two bird."

"Chloe, help them with the menus, and tell the waiter we're in a hurry. I'll get some fuel and be right in. Thanks."

"Si, Jag," she smiled, pleased to have a chance to make use of her Spanish skills for the little group.

By the time they left the cantina the traffic had thinned out. Jaguar made his way to EsSalud Hospital on the northern edge of the city, leaving the travelers in the bus. He didn't intend to stay long; just enough time to check on Wayne's condition and have a word with Marina. She wasn't in the Emergency waiting area, but when Jaguar identified himself as their driver, he was taken to a chair within the ward itself. Marina came to see him.

"How is he? I hope we were on time?"

"The officer was great. I don't know if Wayne would be alive now without your quick thinking, Jag?"

" Thanks.... So, what's happening now?"

"There's a doctor and a resident checking him out. They'll sedate him and keep him under observation in Emergency."

"Glad he made it," Jag said, watching for her reaction, but she just looked away.

"Nobody deserves to die at 33," was her strange reply, with neither an expression of emotion, nor any sense of relief.

"Are you going to stay here overnight, or would you like to come to the hotel?" he asked.

"Here tonight. I need to see how he's doing so I know what comes next."

"Do you mean about the tour?"

"Yes... that and the bigger picture," Marina replied evasively, and Jaguar wasn't quite sure what she meant.

He thought it best not to probe any more in these circumstances.

"Do we have each other's cell number?... It's on my card. Call me anytime about his condition or what comes next. I'm going to check the other four into a hotel. I have an apartment downtown, and I'll go there tonight to get a good sleep."

Jaguar came toward her and squeezed her hand in consolation as he was about to leave. She surprised him by gripping his tightly and looking up into his eyes.

"Thanks, Jag. I have a big decision to make," she spoke softly as they parted.

"I'll phone you tomorrow before noon to see how everything is going," he replied.

An hour later, the other four members of the tour group were checked into two twin rooms at the La Casita Hotel, another two-star place on the fringe of the city core. Jaguar used it for his tours several times each year, so the manager didn't complain when he wanted only two rooms, not three as planned. She understood that accidents happen.

Besides, Jaguar's conversation with Marina suggested to him that she was considering continuing the tour, depending on Wayne's condition. The hotel rooms were available for the next two nights, so he put a hold on three to allow Marina more time, if necessary.

He knew from experience that an extra night now could be balanced out with some juggling early in the itinerary. And there was plenty to see and do in Lima for an extra day. For tomorrow, he'd pick them all up at 10:00 to visit the Archaeological Museum. He told Chloe about the little restaurant around the corner and left her in charge of getting them in and out on time at breakfast.

After everyone was settled- Zezy and LeeAnn together, with a smiling Chloe and Mike in the other room- Jag realized just how tired he felt. He couldn't get to his apartment fast enough for that hot shower and a long sleep. As he came along the hallway toward his little one-bedroom place he saw light coming from under the door. It wasn't locked, and he was met with the smell of food.

"Miranda! I wasn't expecting you."

"Jag, you just can't keep me away!" she laughed as she emerged from the kitchenette.

Jaguar and Miranda had been on-again, off-again for the past year or so. Apparently, they were on-again tonight, and Jag wasn't going to pass this up. Thoughts about Marina Rasmussen were put on the shelf for now because Miranda looked so good.

She was a sexy Latina, a dyed blonde with full boobs, and a tight butt packed into that little red dress. Right now, she wore a look that promised a lot more.

"My... don't you look fine tonight, Miranda! What's up?"

"I hope that you are, baby. I feel a need, and you know how to fill it," Miranda purred suggestively as she pushed against him, her hand deliberately pressing against his bulge. "Mmm.... Feels like you could fill it for me, Jag."

He might not get that good night's sleep he wanted, but some things were even more important. He was man and jaguar, both with very healthy appetites for food and sex.

"Yeah, great idea! But that food smells good, so let's eat first. I need a hot shower too. Tough few days- a guy fell and nearly killed himself. I'll tell you about it while we eat.

"You didn't push him or anything like that, did you?" Miranda joked.

"Me? I'd never do anything to hurt one of my customers," he mocked in return.

"Even if he was really, really annoying?"

"Maybe you have me there, but I'll never tell. Hey, how'd you get in here anyway?"

"I know where you hide your spare key. Better find a new place if you want to keep me away."

****

Marina admitted to herself that she really didn't feel anything for him. The next morning, she sat quietly watching her husband's chest rising and falling while he slept under sedation. She didn't feel joy that he had survived the long drive to Lima. Nor did she feel anguish about his still-critical condition. Nothing.

The two of them had once been deeply in love, but that was a dozen years ago when she was in her early twenties. They had no children; however, it seemed that Wayne had taken on that role, always demanding and petulant when things didn't go his way. Brick-by-brick his attitude and behaviour had torn down what they'd built. The Peruvian trip had been a last chance effort to rekindle the feeling.

Clearly, it had failed. Wayne's belligerence the past few days told her that it wasn't salvageable. Looking at him so wounded brought neither sympathy nor sorrow in Marina. Instead, she was considering that if Wayne pulled through, he'd probably be living without her. In her mind, they might already be finished. It was just a matter of watching and waiting to see what came next.

Then an English-speaking doctor summoned her into his little hospital office.

"Wayne is your husband?"

"Yes, for ten years."

"You should have many more with him. The problem is serious, but not as bad as we thought when he came in last night."

"Oh.... What is it anyway?"

"He has a broken rib causing bleeding in the body cavity. Every time he moves, it gouges into the surrounding tissue. We can deal with that today."

The doctor watched Marina, expecting relief or elation, but he was surprised to see no real change in her. There was a wan little smile, nothing else. He thought that either she was very tired, or their marriage was in trouble. It was both.

"So, will you operate today? When will he be ready to leave the hospital?" she asked the doctor matter-of-factly.

"I don't know exactly. It depends on what we see when we poke around some more. Generally, we're looking at maybe three or four days. Unless there's some more serious complication, like infection or an organ."

"Not sooner?"

"Are you in a hurry to go somewhere with him?"

"Or without him. We're on a three-week tour of Peru. My trip of a lifetime, and we're only five days into it. So, I need to know if he'll be ready to travel soon."

"No... not soon at all! Sure, three, maybe four days before leaving the hospital, but other than a plane trip home, he won't be ready for land travel for at least ten days, possibly more. Where are you from?"

"The U.S.- Wisconsin."

"He'd probably be well enough to fly back in a week or less, but I'd strongly advise against him continuing with the tour, especially if there's a lot of driving. I'll know better after some surgery this afternoon."

"Thanks, Doctor. I know those are typical times. Later today you'll have a better idea, right?"

"Yes, I'll talk with you as soon as we're finished this afternoon. You have decisions to make."

The doctor didn't know that Marina had both long- and short-term questions on her mind.

At about the same time, Jag and the remaining travelers had arrived at the national Archaeological Museum, an indoor space second only to his current favourite bar. At the museum one could sense the whole sweep of Peruvian culture and time, from prehistoric through the Spanish colonial conquest. It was the perfect place to put what his group had seen at Chavin and Huari into context, with a close-up examination of artifacts.

"Great museum here," he enthused. "The best! Take an hour to look at everything to get a big picture. Then meet me here and a friend of mine will take you behind the scenes into their collection. I'll be on this level if you need me for anything, OK? In an hour."

"It looks like a big place," Mike Edwardson stated. "I doubt we'd be able to cover it all in an hour."

"True.... OK, Mike. Make it ninety minutes, but no more. We'll be having something to eat a bit later than planned, but it'll taste better when we're really hungry."

"You should know. You're a jaguar, right?" Zezy joked, referring to his nickname.

While they entered the display area, Jaguar found a quiet spot to phone Marina. After his night with Miranda, he still felt tired, but he wore a broad smile on his face. Nothing like a solid meal and good sex to satisfy man and beast. She was a wild thing herself, living one day at a time. Miranda prowled with several men, and he knew that she wouldn't be around again for a while.

"Marina, how are you today? Did you get any sleep?"

"Some, but it's not very comfortable in a chair. I need a bed tonight to catch up."

"And Wayne. How is he? Have they anything planned for him?"

"He's sedated and has slept all morning so far. They're doing exploratory surgery this afternoon."

"What do you think?" Jag asked, offering a broad question with many possible answers.

"He can't travel like we've been doing for at least ten days. So, I'm quite sure that he'll be flying home, probably in a week or so."

"Sounds like it.... And you?... Any decisions?"

"I don't know yet. The itinerary says you leave for Nazca tomorrow? Is it possible to give me another day? I mean, so many years I've dreamed of this trip and now it seems to be snatched away from me...." her voice trailed off.

"Yeah.... It's a tough decision, Marina. It would be great if you could carry on, but it has to be your choice. I've already thought about an extra night here- there's plenty to see related to our tour. The hotel rooms are available, and if Wayne's out, I need the time to get a substitute from my stand-by list."

"So, I can tell you tomorrow?" Marina brightened.

"Sure. Anytime before suppertime. We'll be leaving by 9:00 in the morning two days from now. That's as long as I can wait."

"I'll have an answer by then, I promise."

"Where are you staying tonight? You need some sleep. I can pick you up later to bring you to the hotel, if you want."

"Yes, that's a good idea. I'd appreciate that."

"OK. Call me if there are any developments with Wayne. I better get back to the group now."

"Thanks for everything, Jag. You've been so kind and helpful. I really mean it," and their call was finished.

The ninety minutes in the museum display area passed very quickly. Now Jaguar was in front of his small group with a woman beside him.

"Everybody.... This is my friend Elena, on staff here. She's going to show you some fine Chavin and Wari artifacts from the two places we visited, and other sites. After that, she has more items from two other cultures we'll explore when we head south of Lima."

They were looking at a curvaceous woman, probably in her mid-forties. Her straight, shiny black hair, and her skin tone bespoke her mixed Indigenous-Spanish ancestry. Elena's smiling face and sparkling dark eyes were very engaging.

"Jaguar and I are old friends," she started, with a smiling look in his direction which suggested more than she intended. "He brings his tour groups to see me all the time, and I'm glad to have you here. Our museum collection is one of the best in all of Peru."

"Tell them about your work here, Elena," Jag prompted, and their manner seemed to betray a history between them.

"OK, I'm a specialist in the pre-colonial items in our collection. There are several thousand of them, only a small portion are on display. I've gathered some from the storage shelves for you to see behind the public area. They're rare and delicate, so you won't be able to actually handle them. But you'll see them close-up, not behind glass. I want you to ask me lots of questions about them. Now, follow me."

Elena had assembled an assortment of Chavin and Wari items on a large table, around which the group assembled. She wore gloves and held pieces up to talk about them and answer questions. Stone severed heads associated with the decapitation cult at Chavin de Hauntar were examined in detail, while Elena asked them about the Lanzon god which they'd seen in the Old Temple there.

They learned that the Wari were more technologically advanced than the older Chavin culture. Elena showed them colourful decorated ceramics and intricate metalwork featuring the supernatural Staff Diety. Other pieces bore bizarre animal images of jaguars, snakes and komodo dragons.

There was a second large table too, covered with very different cultural artifacts, these drawn from two later cultures located along the coast south of Lima.

"Apparently, you'll be visiting Paracas and Nazca sites next on your tour. They both had a powerful and fierce-looking god we call the Oculate Being. Usually it is shown either flying or crouching as it watches humans with its big, round staring eyes. Long streaming appendages, and often strings of trophy heads, hang from its body. Look at these objects to see if you can spot it."

"There, on that cloth. I see it!" Lee Ann exclaimed with excitement.

"And on this weird ornament," Chloe noted.

"Yes. That cloth is a burial shroud, so the Oculate Being is frequently associated with death. Both cultures lived in a very dry climate and practiced mummification, like in Egypt. But it was different in Peru. Bodies were wrapped in tight bundles, accompanied by offerings and products for the dead to take to the afterlife.

They were buried in family groups, and the elite had elaborate shrouds, like this one, decorated with Oculate symbols. I expect you'll be visiting ancient cemeteries where you'll see these mummified bundles. Some of them even have preserved faces that have survived in the dry climate. It seems strange to us, but preservation was part of their ancestor worship."

Where had three or more hours gone? Stomachs said it was time to eat, but there were so many questions and comments before the travelers were finally ready to leave. Elena and Jaguar talked privately while the group used the toilets.

"Great to see you again, Jag. But you haven't called. I thought you would."

"Thanks so much for today, Elena. They loved it! I promise, I'll call. It's just... that I got busy and...."

"I know Jag. We all want your time, eh. But, save some for me, your old friend. Remember that night...."

Her voice trailed off and Jag gripped her hand, knowing what she was going to say.

"I do, Elena, I do. Life gets crazy sometimes, but that's not something I'll forget...."

"So, call me, Jag. We can do it again. Your place. Some smoke. Good times... call me when you're back in Lima."

"I will, Elena," he said earnestly, though he knew that he might not because this life on the road was just too complicated- always on the move, another tour group, another woman.

He was the jaguar, a stealthy hunter, not an animal to be confined, caged in any permanent relationship. Jaguar had his tour business, and Peru's ancient past had his soul. It had been that way for half his life, and it was unlikely to ever change.