Bogota Blessings (2 page)

Still, a little wariness of her own until she knew him better wouldn’t be amiss.

Luggage loaded, they boarded the bus and it started with a groan of protest. Maria kept up a running commentary on the passing city, but Kayla couldn’t focus on it. Mateo kept looking in the rearview mirror, his gaze locking briefly onto her before returning to the road once more. His interest was disconcerting, and she hoped she wouldn’t have to see him too often. Nice guy or not, the man gave off some kind of mysterious vibe that left her wondering just how many skeletons he had hidden in his closet.

****

Mateo parked the bus in its usual space behind the mission and turned off the engine. It coughed and sputtered for a moment before falling silent. Although they’d kept it running for years with creativity and prayer, he had a feeling the poor vehicle was nearing the end of its life. Hopefully, it would continue to run until enough donations came in to replace it.

He opened the door and motioned the Americans out. The leader of the trio, Kayla, gave him a nervous smile as she passed by, her light brown ponytail swinging gently as she walked. Mateo’s heart thumped painfully as he watched her descend to the pavement with graceful movements. Rarely had he seen such a beautiful volunteer, but he knew he had no chance with her. Not even an ugly woman would want a man with one leg. Besides, she would go back to America in two weeks, and he would still be here in Colombia, doing whatever was needed to help the mission succeed.

After the Americans retrieved their luggage from the back of the bus, Maria took them to the dormitory next to the main building. Volunteers stayed in rooms on the second floor; he and the Ramírezes had apartments on the ground floor. Mateo went to the common area of the mission, where children and teens gathered daily to play games, learn to read and write, and just be kids. Many of them wandered in off the streets, but some were orphans who lived in the mission’s over-crowded children’s home.

“Mateo!” One of the local volunteers hurried over with a big smile on her face. “Have the Americans arrived?”

“Yes. Maria is showing them to the dormitory.” He fought down his amusement over Luz’s excitement.

She often dreamed of going to another country and spent as much time as she could talking to the foreign volunteers about what life was like in whatever nation they were from.

“Has Carlos returned yet?”

“Not yet.” Luz glanced toward the group she had been with. “Some of the older boys would like you to spend time with them.”

Mateo nodded. He often acted as a male role model for the boys, and the older boys in particular seemed to look to him for reassurance that they could grow into godly men who earned the respect of others through hard work rather than gaining it by creating fear. An idea to help them came to mind, and he turned to Luz. “If you see Carlos before I do, could you tell him I need to speak with him?”

“Of course.” She gave him another smile as a group of younger children called to her, and then she hurried away.

Mateo went and sat in an empty seat next to the older boys playing a board game. “I hear you boys are lonely.”

Raul laughed and tossed the dice. “We’re not lonely. But we don’t want you to get bored.”

“Ah, I see.” Mateo waited for one of them to mention why they wanted to talk to him. Whenever they requested his presence, at least one had something weighing on his mind that he needed to discuss.

After a few rounds of the game, the oldest of the group, Jorge, spoke up. “Eduardo is thinking about joining the FARC.”

Mateo’s heart stopped. Eduardo was Jorge’s sixteen-year-old brother, two years older than Jorge. Three years older than Mateo had been when he was forced to join the FARC.

All game play halted as the boys waited for Mateo to speak. He took a breath and wished he wasn’t having this discussion...again. “Did Eduardo say why he wants to join them?”

“He thinks it will give him better opportunities than staying here,” Jorge said with a shrug. “I told him he should come talk to the people here about work, that the mission has helped others find jobs, but he thinks it would be better to join the rebels.”

“It would not be better.” Memories flashed of the harsh reality faced by the young members of the FARC. “You tell him to come see me before he decides. I will talk to him.”

“Thank you, Mateo.” Relief shone in Jorge’s eyes.

The game resumed, and Mateo kept the boys company even though he wished he could go knock some sense into Eduardo. The boy had come to the mission frequently when he was younger, but his visits had become sporadic in the last year. Unlike his younger brother who had found peace and safety within the walls of the mission, Eduardo seemed unable to look past the suffering and desperation of daily life. Mateo knew the feeling all too well, but he also knew there was a better way than joining rebels or paramilitaries. Perhaps with the Americans here to renovate what would be the new children’s home, he could talk them into allowing Eduardo to work with them. It might help the boy to see that he could have a future outside of fighting, and the work experience could help him get a steady job that wasn’t likely to get him injured or killed.

Mateo excused himself from the boys and left the common room. When Carlos returned, Mateo would discuss his idea to have some of the teens help with the renovation. For now, the need to speak with Kayla lay heavy on his heart. Surely if she learned about Eduardo, she would allow him to help with the work.

****

A knock on the open door interrupted Kayla’s unpacking, and she turned to find Angie stepping into the room, which was barely large enough for the narrow bed and small chest of drawers.

“Unpacked already?” Kayla said as she set the last of her clothes in a drawer and pushed it closed. The screech of wood caused her to make a mental note to see about some wax or a bar of soap to lubricate the drawer.

Angie plopped onto the bed. “For the most part. Now, tell me what you think of the driver, Mateo Luis.”

“Um...” What did she think? Despite her initial reaction, she was starting to wish she could spend some time getting to know him. For the sake of keeping Angie from teasing her about boyfriends, however, she opted to mention her initial assessment of the man. “Do the words scary beyond imagination mean much to you?”

“Oh, yeah.” Angie laughed and nodded. “I just about had a heart attack when I first saw him. Put him in a set of fatigues, and he could easily be one of the rebels causing so much trouble down here.”

“That was my thought.” She remembered his limp and the scar on his face. Had he fought the rebels? She shook off her ponderings and focused on the reason they were in Colombia. “Do you know if Paul’s unpacked? I’d like to see if we can go over to the house we’re renovating so we can find out just what we need to do and how many people we’ll need to help us do it.”

“Let’s go ask. Maria stuck him in a room at the end of the hall.” Angie hopped off the bed and went to the door. “Oh, and I think she said she’d be downstairs if we need anything.”

“That’s what she told me,” Kayla said as she dug a notebook and pen out of her backpack.

It only took a moment to collect Paul, and then they headed downstairs to find the pastor’s wife. Kayla wished the pastor was there, since her father had told her Carlos Ramírez would oversee the project. How could they start working without talking to the man in charge? Hopefully, he’d left some kind of instructions about the project with his wife.

Before they found Maria, Kayla spotted a familiar brooding figure coming toward them. The scowl on Mateo’s face did nothing to calm her nerves. Neither did the nudge Angie gave her as he looked up and his expression cleared.

Mateo stopped before them, his gaze steady on Kayla. “I need to speak with you.”

“Oh?” A stab of fear caused her to hold her breath. He wasn’t bringing bad news, was he?

“Yes, it is about the renovation. I know a boy who would benefit from helping. He is sixteen years old.”

Kayla smiled, relieved it was something so innocuous. “Well, we’re going to need plenty of help to finish the house before we leave. Does he have any kind of construction experience?”

“Not that I know of.” Mateo sighed and raked his fingers through his shaggy black hair. “His younger brother told me he wants to join the rebels. It is my hope that if he is given the opportunity to work on the house, he will change his mind.”

The concern shining in Mateo’s gaze broke through Kayla’s fear. This man wasn’t frightening or dangerous. He was worried about keeping children from a hazardous and traumatic life. Perhaps he had a background similar to the kids he now worked with, perhaps he didn’t. All that mattered now was that she saw him for what he was—a man with a burden for street children.

“We’d be glad to have him help,” Kayla said. “I’m not sure what job we’ll give him, but we’ll find something for him to do. Maybe he could work with Paul on the plumbing.”

“That might be best,” Mateo said, his gaze going to Paul. “Eduardo has no father and needs a good male role model.”

Paul’s chuckle had a nervous quality to it. “I don’t know how much of a role model I can be while we’re working on plumbing, but I’ll do my best.”

“Thank you. I pray that God will use your efforts to keep Eduardo out of the FARC. That is no life for any child, even one who will soon be a man.” The sincerity and sadness in Mateo’s eyes tugged at Kayla’s heart, but she once again sensed he had a rather dark past. His gaze returned to her, and a shiver ran down her spine. “I know you will not start working today, but would you like to see the house? I would be happy to take you there.”

Kayla laughed, shaking off the sudden thought that Mateo was actually kind of handsome in a brooding rogue sort of way. “We were on our way to see if we could look at the house. It’ll be easier to plan out a work schedule and arrange for supplies once we have a better idea of what needs to be done.”

“Come, we will tell Maria we are going to the house.” Mateo met Kayla’s gaze. “You must always let someone know where you are going. That way they know where to start looking if you don’t come back.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” The force with which he spoke sent fear skittering through her. Maybe she wasn’t as safe at the mission as she’d thought, despite the assurances Pastor Ramírez had given them when discussing the renovation project. But then, would her father have sent her on this trip if he thought she was at risk?

Angie stepped close as Paul moved up to talk with Mateo about the teen he’d mentioned. “I thought we were supposed to be safe as long as we stuck close to the mission,” she whispered.

“So did I,” Kayla whispered back, her gaze on the limping man ahead of her. “But I think I’ll take Mateo’s word over my father’s.”

“Scary as he is, me too.”

2

No denying it, the woman was smart. Mateo watched Kayla walk through the rundown house, investigating every corner, taking copious notes, and discussing the necessary repairs with her two compatriots. Although he’d done a little construction work, helped with repairs around the mission, and even remodeled parts of the dormitory, his knowledge and skill was far below that of the pretty American.

He’d seen the change in her eyes when he mentioned the possibility of Eduardo helping with the renovation. Instead of the worry evident when he walked up, warmth had appeared. Perhaps even a hint of admiration. And although he knew pride was a sin, he couldn’t stop the swelling in his chest whenever he thought of her admiring his compassion for the street kids. Few foreign volunteers seemed to see him as much more than a handyman who was always around to take care of whatever needed to be done.

Paul and Angie headed for the hallway, saying something about checking out the bathroom fixtures. Kayla still stood under the hole where a light fixture should be, making notes. Mateo slowly approached her, wishing he was better at charming women. Instead, he tended to remain silent or say things that made them laugh at him for attempting to flirt.

Kayla glanced at him with a smile. “This place sure needs a lot of work.”

“Yes, but there are plenty of people who are willing to help. They may not be as experienced as those you work with in the United States, but they work hard and follow directions well.”

“That’s really all we need. Angie, Paul, and I can take care of any structural work that needs to be done, but it looks like most of the work will be cosmetic.” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and looked up at the hole in the ceiling. “Angie’s worked with volunteers before to wire houses for Habitat for Humanity, so this won’t be an issue. And Paul, well, he always seems to have a couple of plumbing apprentices working with him.”

“What about you?” Mateo asked, fishing for any bit of information he could get.

She brought her gaze to meet his. “I’m in charge of making this place look pretty. You know, plastering, painting, putting up trim. As long as the volunteers follow instructions, this project should go smoothly.”

“I have done that work myself. Perhaps I can help you once you get started.”

“I know you can help me.” She laughed, a light sound that lifted his heart. “I don’t know enough Spanish to carry on a conversation, so I’m hoping you or someone else who’s fluent in both English and Spanish will help translate for the volunteers.”

“Translation work is one of my jobs when we have foreign volunteers. Some of the other local volunteers also speak passable English and can help.”

“That would be great. Paul’s pretty fluent in Spanish, and Angie knows enough to usually get the job done without too much misunderstanding, but I’m sure having translators on hand will be invaluable.”

The creak of the front door interrupted any reply Mateo might have thought of. Adrenaline raced through his veins as he whirled toward the open doorway to the hall. Only Maria knew they were here, but she was too busy at the mission to come over. A soft footfall behind him alerted him to Kayla’s presence just before she whispered.