The Silent Devil – III (El Diablo Tranquilo)
Posted on | December 26, 2009 | No Comments
I had only one wish: To get new shoes to continue my walk. There must be a possibility… I asked in other hostels, if they can make some advertisement for me. “You’re doing massages? Sure, we can hang your sign here at the wall”. The only hostel, where I couldn’t put my sign, was the one I was working for.
In one of the hostels I even asked, if I can work there. “Well we could pay you, but we don’t have space for you to stay… Where are you working at the moment?”
“El Diablo Tranquilo”.
The man laughed: “You see this people here?”, and he pointed to his staff. “They were all working in El Diablo Tranquilo before… Gues, why they are here, now… Well, give me a curriculum about you. If you want you can start here next month.”
A very kind offer, but the thought to stay in the Diablo till the next month was killing me.
Sunday. I worked in the garden again. I didn’t want to see anyone. Just me, the shovel and the earth. It was almost the end of the day and the backyard and the place for the garden looked awsome. The earth was ready. An Uruguayo was watching me for a while. He was about my age. He came closer and said hello. I waved my hand.
“Are you the gardener of the hostel?”
“As well. Not officialy, but yes, I’m working on it.”
“I did as well some months ago.”
“Really??”
“Yes, I made cleaned up and made a field, just like you did now.”
“And then?”
“I needed to buy worms and some things to enrich the earth of the garden to plant vegetables.”
“So?”
“They didn’t give me the money.”
“What?? But it’s their garden!”
“Yes… But they didn’t want to spend money for it.”
“So what happened then?”
“They messed it up again and built this wooden shed on the earth which I made for the plants”, he pointed on the shed, standing about 5 meters away from me. Silence… Then he kept on: “You know… I really wanted to build up the garden, I didn’t even wanted to get payed for it. But well… I just hope they will give you the money for the garden”.
I knew the answer… Of course they won’t. I didn’t even ask them. And in this moment, I knew, all I did here, in the backyard, was for nothing.
Monday. I went down to the constructors. With bagpack and walking-stick. Without any comment I shaked hands with Pepe and the other guys. Thanks for everything, dudes. I said bye to Dave, Alan, Ryan, Andy, Molly, Kathrine, Harry,… all the people I really liked. Unfortunately I didn’t see Fabian anymore.
And I walked on. With tarry trousers, tattered shoes and 7 Kg less in my body. But I walked. And suddenly I felt home again. Suddenly I realized, that all this didn’t matter anymore. Because now I walked again. I finally walked. How could I forget the most important thing. How could I forget the feeling of walking and get stuck here for so long?? I was free again. Free from the chains I put on by myself. I just didn’t understand what was going on with me. But that doesn’t matter anymore… I walk.
Anyway… Thanks a lot to Erin and Brian for the amazing first 2 days, when I was invited. And thanks a lot to the travelers and the constructors, who let me survive there.
This was the story of the fool, who made a deal with the Silent Devil.
(— Detailed Version in my book 
–-)
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