Renaldo (36 page)

this unprecedented orgy of violence and destruction.

Lonnie was an easy convert to the cause of the Montoneros. Having

no political ideology before he met Celeste left him vulnerable to both her

dogma and her womanly charms. His pent-up emotional frustrations could be

channeled into acts of aggression that were beneficial to the cause.

But more than anything else, Lonnie’s primary value to Celeste and her

brothers was his sizable bank account. Money to buy state-of-the-art weapons,

rent safe houses, and acquire a fleet of automobiles for car bombings and escape

vehicles.

Celeste had been careful to ask only very impersonal questions about her

lover’s financial status at first. She would accompany him to his bank and watch

him make various transactions. She was even introduced to his bank manager

on one occasion.

Lonnie’s income was derived from a trust that his grandmother, Lydia, had

established in his behalf. The amount of annual capital and income dispersed

was determined by the trustees of the trust, according to his need.

On Lonnie’s twenty-first birthday, a payment of two hundred thousand

American dollars was made to his account under the terms of the trust. Another

payment of two hundred thousand dollars was to be made at age twenty-five.

The trustees had the discretion to accelerate that payment date upon request

from the beneficiary. The full trust was to vest in Lonnie at age thirty. That

sum was estimated in the range of twenty million American dollars.

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RENALDO

Celeste was saddened slightly by the knowledge that Lonfranco De Seta

would never live to see the ripe old age of thirty. The tigress from Tucumán

knew that there was already a bullet out there with his name on it. She just

had to keep him alive long enough to make sure that his monetary assets were

diverted to the proper location, the private bank account she had set up under

an assumed name to channel funds to her Montonero brothers!

By the twenty-fourth of December Lonnie was wound up tighter than

a top. He was ready to prove himself worthy of the cause and pleaded with

Celeste to give him a mission that would display that he was more than just a

textbook warrior.

She had refused his request, insisting that he go to Pergamino to keep

up relations with his family. She knew that he must be encouraged to keep

the ties strong with family members who controlled his purse-strings. She also

devised the ruse of their traveling together for the summer in order to explain

his sudden disappearance to the family.

It would probably also be the last time that they would ever lay eyes on

him. Even though Celeste hated people like the De Setas and all they stood for,

she was not so cruel as to deny them a final Christmas with their prodigal son.

After he returned to her, she would give him his sought-after trial by fire.

So she packed him off to the Pampas with a kiss on the cheek and a gift

box wrapped in Santa Claus paper. The sexual tension was written all over

his face, but he was told that if he studied hard while they were apart and

passed the final test that she would administer to him on his return, then she

promised to make his wait very worthwhile.

Once he was in his Mercedes 350 convertible on the road headed to

Pergamino, Lonnie reached over to the passenger seat and ripped open the gift.

He almost swerved onto the shoulder of the highway as the sun reflected off

the chrome-plated barrel of the revolver that Celeste had used to make him a

convert to the cause two weeks earlier.

The hand grenade that he had caught an inch from his groin accompanied

the revolver. He shoved the package under the passenger’s seat and reduced

his speed to the legal limit. This was one time he would not be caught for

speeding.

The student tore open the flowered envelope that the tutor had placed

in the box, then held up the note it contained so he could read it. He smiled

lustily at its message.

“To my soldier boy. Keep your weapon well-oiled and clean, for it will

be put to exhaustive use when you return.
Viva la revolution!
All my love,

Celeste.”

16

JAMES McCREATH

How much of this can I disclose to Renaldo? Lonnie’s tormented mind pondered.

Probably none of it! Why worry the kid half to death when he had so many positive

things happening in his life right now. No, he must never know what I am about to do.

I owe him that much.

“So, are you going to tell me what is bothering you willingly, or will

I have to steal your clothes and pony? Then you will have to walk back to

civilization stark-naked and barefoot.”

Lonnie had to think fast, blurting out the thoughts as they came to him.

“Well, little brother, it has to do with our mother, and her expectations of

me, I guess. She wants me to go to law school, become a lawyer, and take over

management of the family business. She thinks that I should take extra courses

this summer to accelerate my progress toward the faculty of law. At one time

I would have probably wanted the same things, but Celeste has changed my

perception of many things, especially people and their values.”

There was a strange look in Lonnie’s eyes as he spoke, something that

Renaldo had never noticed before.

“She has opened my eyes to the plight of the working people in this

country, their hardships and suffering. She wants me to travel to Tucumán

and the provinces with her next week. We would visit her home and meet her

family, then continue on to the Andes. After that, we plan to turn south to

Patagonia.”

Was it pain? Anger? Self-doubt?
Renaldo sensed that it could have been any

or all of these emotions that surfaced as his brother spoke. It certainly wasn’t

the infatuation of a new romance! Renaldo knew that, just by looking in a

mirror. He was head over heels in love, but not Lonnie! Lonnie was, different,

and the message that his older brother conveyed sent shivers up the younger

boy’s spine.

“Celeste says that I have never seen how real Argentines live, never

understood their tragedy. It is shameful that there is so much suffering by our

less fortunate brothers and sisters in this country today. Only when the common

people unite for social reform will there ever be a free and just Argentina.”

Lonnie caught himself just as he was about to launch into the Montonero

indoctrination sermon. He had to stifle the political rhetoric or Renaldo would

never believe his story.

“Anyway, this trip will be of great benefit if I continue on in the political

philosophy and sociology courses that Celeste has picked out for me next

semester. So you can see that I am in the middle of a tug of war between the

two women in my life. Why do they always want to control men?”

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RENALDO

The final look of sadness on his brother’s face led Renaldo to believe that

Lonnie still was struggling with his ultimate decision.

“Don’t ask me. You’re supposed to be the expert! So what will you do? It

can’t be an easy issue to resolve?”

“It’s no contest. I am going with Celeste, of course! Just knowing her as a

student in one of her tutorial classes started to change my values, but once we

fell in love with each other, well, I can’t stand to be away from her. I guess that’s

why I haven’t been in the holiday spirit too much lately. I will probably move

into her flat when we return to Buenos Aires for the start of school, mainly to

save me from Mama’s badgering. So I won’t be seeing as much of you, little

brother, in the future either. But it sounds like you have a busy enough agenda

of your own. I will be calling for my football tickets though. You can count on

that!”

Lonnie was confident that Renaldo had accepted his story, and together

they concocted the family council meeting to confront their mother in unison

with their plans. There was no sense in dragging the bad news out all week.

They would get everything out in the open at the same time, and let the cards

fall where they may. Neither brother was prepared to back down from taking

his own destiny in his hands, and that process might as well start with their

relationship with Florencia De Seta.

For the next three days the brothers returned to Lake Lonfranco to refine

their plans for the meeting that they had set on the twenty-ninth. It also gave

them an opportunity to be together for what Lonnie sensed might be the very

last time.

A hint of melancholy crept into the mood of their final outing to the lake

on the afternoon of the twenty-ninth. Although the brothers were expected to

stay at Buenos Requerdos until after the New Year’s celebration, Lonnie had a

premonition that the meeting would not go well that evening. If his fears were

realized, he would be gone from the estancia by the next sunrise, probably

forever. He had become very close to Renaldo these past few days, and losing

that bond was the only regret that Lonnie had as they prepared to mount up

and return to civilization.

“I want you to know how much being able to talk to you like this has

meant to me, Renaldo. I will never forget these days we have spent together

here.” With that, he grabbed his younger brother and embraced him, kissing

him on both cheeks, then holding him in his arms. Renaldo could not see

the tears flowing down Lonnie’s face as they stood in silent contemplation for

several seconds. The older brother then released his grasp and without turning

to face his sibling, leapt onto his mount. He dug his heels into the pony’s flank

calling over his shoulder, “Race you to the cattle herds! Last one there has to

tell mother his news first.”

169

JAMES McCREATH

“Mama, I want you and Gramma to know that I have been invited to try

out for our National World Cup soccer team, and I would like your blessings to

explore this great opportunity over the next few months.”

Renaldo stood in the center of the parlor, addressing the two seated ladies.

Lonnie, who had won the race to the cattle herd, stood behind his brother,

leaning against the large stone fireplace.

They had given the ladies no warning of their intended gathering, simply

stating at the evening meal that they both had matters of great importance to

discuss immediately following supper. Oli served coffee and cakes in the parlor,

and once the ladies were settled in, Renaldo took the floor.

He remained there for the next thirty minutes, facing a continuous barrage

of searching questions from his disbelieving mother. Lydia kept her counsel to

herself, until out of frustration, Renaldo asked for her opinion, hoping to take

some of the wind out of his mother’s sails.

“I think you should give it a go! It is a marvelous opportunity for a young

man to experience, even if you don’t make the team. If training camp starts in

February, you should have a pretty good idea of where you stand by the time

university starts in March. Your summer plans were to stay here at the estancia

and help with the cattle herds. You have done that the past three summers, so