I CAN’T LEAVE WITHOUT ONE LAST LOVE STORY FROM THE ANDES – 1979

Just as I was preparing to move on, from reminiscing of the good old days in Peru. I read a comment from ol’ Bubbaloo which caught my eye. It stirred up a memory from deep inside the cobwebs that now cover my mind. I am unsure of how, or even if, to express this memory without seeming indelicate or insensitive. Lord knows, I would not care to be portrayed as either of those. It was a humorous memory and I will try to keep it that way. Although some are going to feel that there was nothing humorous about it. They will say, just another chauvinist gringo, plucking the fruits of innocent Andean maidens. This story is again of BdK, my intrepid friend from South Africa.

As stated in a few of my most recent posts, BdK could not help but keep himself entangled in trouble, constantly. I put it down to the fact that spending month after month up in the Andes, by himself, was literally making him a wee bit nuts. Although he may have arrived with some insanity, in place, already. I believe the isolation in the mountains, especially on the weekends, while the rest of us were down in a major city blowing off steam, in a large part, contributed to his steady string of behavioural issues. If however, he had the occasion to read this Post, I believe he would say, “it was you that was crazy, snaky! Not me! ” (Snaky is a nickname I acquired resulting from some of my early transgressions as a single man. Before Bubbaloo lowered the boom on me).

As Bubbaloo commented, she was convinced that BdK was living like he did because he was “panic” saving for a farm in South Africa, to buy upon return from his assignment in Peru. She further states that he did not want a permanent relationship developing in the mountains. He therefore, was self-isolating from both of the “big” evils; spending money and women. BdK was doing remarkably well at it. All the while, living like a pauper and presenting an annoying enough front. In order that none of the Andean beauties bothered with him. Bubbaloo says, “BdK was in no risk of attracting a woman, even on his best day”!

So, at the time of this story. He had already successfully avoided love and/or commitment for over two years. And was well on his way into his third year of work in the Andes. I am not exactly sure how it came to pass. But one fine weekend, he found himself across the Colca Canyon at a place really isolated from the world. It was the site of a copper mine. Perched up on the side of the canyon wall and only accessible by a bridge (and road) that you had to approach after driving almost to the far end of our project sites. Upon crossing over the one and only bridge (for hundreds of miles) across the Colca River. You then had to drive back along the other side of the canyon, to a point more or less across from where we were.

This was a good 60 mile drive, on miserable gravel roads, yet only about 20 miles from us as the condor flies, Once again, the only obstacle being, this huge chasm, the Colca Canyon, standing in the way. The mine was owned by a Peruvian company. As with everything else, this far up in the Andes, it had to be self sufficient. Including the provision of all the necessities for work and play, for everyone employed, at their site. BdK ended up over at the mine, as a result of an invite by his road foreman Lazo. He was to accompany him on a visit, at the weekend, to the mine. I believe it must have been promises of free beer that enticed BdK to accompany Lazo on this significant journey.

So one Saturday afternoon, after a long drive, they arrived at the mine. BdK and Lazo were a curiosity to the people there. In that remote location, they basically saw no visitors, let alone a gringo visitor this far up in the Andes. Apparently, they were well received and invited to join in a company barbecue that afternoon and evening. Like everywhere in the Andes, when there was occasion to party, the beer was flowing, music blaring and early sparks of dance were flaring up. I must add at this point; the mining company had a full contingent of employees including, miners, managers, medical teams, teachers, engineering staff, secretaries, nurses and security staff, all living, onsite.

Apparently, or so the story goes, by early evening a full on party was well in progress. Sometime during the early evening hours, enters one of the nurses to join in the fun. As I understand it, from Lazo, ol’ BdK had one look at her, the wind gushed out of his body and he stood frozen as if someone had just kicked him square in the nutsack. To all accounts, he was immediately smitten and at once became a babbling idiot, drooling on himself and quickly trying to make himself appear presentable. Well, as love would have it, this young beauty also found something in BdK that she considered attractive.

They immediately bonded, and again, from everything I heard, he was done as a single man at this point. Lazo said he had to be restrained from getting married on the spot, and dragged, kicking and screaming, back to the truck for the return home, after the end of the festivities. Back at camp, he could not wipe the “shit eating” grin from his face. Although a little bit coy about his adventure you could tell by the fact that he had combed his hair, he had shaven, changed into a clean shirt and that overall he presented the image of a happy and content man. He did not complain once about us, his luck, Peru and the Andes, his bosses or his pay. He was indeed smitten.

In the next period of a few short weeks, he made the trip quite often back across to the mine. He thought that we did not know, where he went, when he disappeared for hours only to return late at night after everyone was asleep. I guess after all this time in Peru, he had not learned that “No One” is keeping a secret from anyone. His adventures, may as well have been broadcast on the radio. We all followed him with great delight. He thought he was completely discreet in his journeys. My god, he even made a trip out of the mountains one weekend for a visit to Arequipa, our home away from home. He thought he was tricking everyone.

I do not know at what point things changed, but he began to get more furtive and even more secretive in his movements. Now he was starting to get real strange. He started to park his truck behind the camp, out of sight, whenever he returned in the evening. He began entering our clubhouse, thru the kitchen doors and would stand peering into the room for a couple of minutes before entering. All in all he started to get very paranoid and creepy. He was silent, wouldn’t talk about what he was thinking or planning and his eyes darted back and forth furtively, much like a Peruvian cuy just before being selected for dinner. His crews were now, not kept informed of where he was or when he would arrive at their place of work. The radio chatter got more and more busy with people looking for him.

We were starting to get a bit spooked. We found out that he went down to the city, a second time in succession, after months of not having even gone once. The second time he told nobody and we only knew because someone spotted his truck parked at one of the hotels, that we very seldom frequented. We put his strange behaviour down to love. One day I’m talking with his guy Lazo and asking if he noticed that BdK was acting strangely. His response, although in Spanish, was something like this: “no shit, eh, ever since the love of his life, told him that she was married and that her husband was now hunting him, and would go Inca on him when he found him, BdK has been a changed man”!

I was gobsmacked. It suddenly all made sense. All of the creeping around, hiding, appearing out of nowhere, and spy like secrecy to his movements, all took on meaning. I promised that I would keep this info secret. I did for about 30 minutes until I found someone else to tell. Now the boys really got on BdK, they would sneak up on him and let out a loud bang! Or find out where he was in the mountains and come flying around a corner to slide to a stop beside him. Anything to rattle the poor guy. Ol’ Bubbaloo had no sympathy, her opinion was that he should have known, after all; who else, except someone that was already taken would want him?

This situation carried on for a few more weeks and basically turned BdK into more of an introverted hermit than he already was. He found no humour in our teasing or pranks, but could not escape them. It broke his heart, although he would never admit it. Over time his paranoia lessened, his trips through the mountains, no longer included the mine on the other side and eventually he forgot that he was being tracked.

Nobody ever found evidence of a husband looking for him, and in fact no one ever found evidence of a husband at all. Lazo once said that he didn’t even think she was married and maybe just used up poor ol’ BdK’s youth before discarding him like a broken toy. Whatever it was we enjoyed many hours of diversion playing evil pranks on him and teasing him endlessly. A few months later he completed his assignment and flew off into the sunrise, never to be heard of again. He was my friend!