ONE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHT WITH MS BEAUTIFUL. CHAPTER 5: THE BOAT
Rivers have always been the great wonders of civilizations. The river solved countless problems in communities that decided to work together for the benefits of the water and the advantages that flowing water brings to a community: trees, flora, fauna, recreation; but also the other facets of nature's bounty, where humankind introduces its own group needs, and thus arises the businesses that utilize the water's flow: fishing, brewing, recreation, and industry.
The San Antonio River was no different.
In 1890, the first public baths were built on the riverbanks. These would eventually close after the decision was made to transform the river into a tourist destination, not a breeding ground for microbes that carried diseases like fever and cholera. It was this cholera that caused the deaths of an entire military regiment of 600 men camped on its banks in 1849. Their sacrifice was later recognized by giving a city in Texas the name that commemorated the event: Fort Worth, after the military fort or encampment near the San Antonio River and General Worth, who perished there along with his regiment.
The brewing industry was also present, and at the turn of the 19th century, two breweries were established in the city center, below Brackenridge Park, taking advantage of the river's waters: Pearl Brewing Company (1881) and Lone Star Brewing Company (1883). An ice plant was also installed on the riverbank at Losoya Street, and even more precious was the discovery of precious pearls in 1937 in the southern part of the city near the San José and San Juan Missions. Mollusks bearing the beautiful stones appeared, generating a boom in the city. Nor should we forget the steamboats that began their first appearances in 1905 with the King's Parade for the Festival of San Antonio, whose King’s arrival was originally by train.
Thus, one hundred and twenty years later, one of those riverboats interrupts the moment. If love tells you anything about those who aren't, it's that love generates movement in any direction. And in the distance, a young woman sitting in a boat, having just witnessed the romantic scene beneath the bridge, begins to study the couple's closeness with a certain unease, because her own eyes are watching the moment of their embrace and the closeness between the man and woman as the boat slowly moves beneath the bridge. As if in slow motion, she captures that experience, a unique moment offered by nature itself in the cyclical flow of life, between what lies behind and what lies ahead in time and distance. She had boarded a boat on the San Antonio River to clear her head and venture into other recreational experiences, a moment of forgetfulness, with the irony of life's cyclical nature, and the sight of a couple beneath the bridge with a familiar name.
And he, too, watched her, as he embraced Diana from behind and touched her hair while she rested her head on his chest. He recognized her; he knew who was in the boat passing beneath the bridge. She knew her name, her surnames, her experiences, her fortunes and misfortunes.
Past loves always leave a mark that defines them, hence the recognition in faces and expressions, and she observed the movement of her face as it contracted.
Young, of good build, with a natural ability to capture everyone's attention in a competition, and possessing a talent for attracting crowds and enchanting them with her body movements, her unparalleled skill, kind-hearted, able to compete with anyone for her friendly nature, committed to doing her best for those who came into her life and got to know her well, full of life. Her name was Ximena, kind-hearted, an Amazon with bows and arrows ready to shoot anyone who dared cross the lines of her personality, perfectly aware of her weaknesses and strengths, not seeing weakness as a lack but as an encounter, sure of herself and of the person who embodies the personality that sustains her.
Blessed are those human beings who know how to peel back the layers of their personality to find the gold that represents their identity, like miners who, to find the diamond, dig deep in the dark solitudes of the Earth, and one day, discover the precious diamond that shines because it had always been there, but required navigating the countless twists and turns of life for its discovery and control.
She was like that: a genuine diamond, a precious jewel, and valued for her worth as a diamond, but bad decisions created scenes that recur, because couples who know and value each other don't let go; they make arrangements, they make agreements in order to sustain the precious love for the appreciation of moments and commitments.
That scene resembled two comets, each one shining brightly, passing by at the same instant in opposite directions, like in the sky when you see the flashes of the Universe, two comets racing in opposite directions, and you don't know where to focus your gaze. It's an irony of the Universe, as if forcing you to choose between heads or tails, Cancun or Alaska, Rome or Paris in a single event, whose definition is ultimately determined more by the piece that nature throws up, because in itself, it presents the opportunity when the comet falls beneath your feet, like Aldous Huxley in “The Little Prince”. and what the characters who participate in these unique, life-filled encounters do, will determine whether they participate with the Universe's blessing in the meeting, and whether there will be tango and celebration, and dancing.
"Something's happening?" Diana asked, noticing how the gaze of the one she was embracing was lost in the boat, and he pursued her with determination.
"It's time to go!" He said, taking Diana's hands, covering her fingers, which were as slender as clay, perfectly molded to the touch, and it was still raining.
Diana said nothing despite getting soaked by the rain; she greeted him with a smile, and both, drenched, shared in the blessings of Heaven, smiling at the joy of unforced encounters in the rain.
Her beautiful dress filled with water, revealing her lovely figure, and in those clasped hands lay a puzzle to be solved, because its solution, if there was a will to remain together, depended on putting the pieces of the puzzle together, without forcing them, but letting them unfold, just as the Universe arranges and unfolds its moons and stars in the galaxy, without haste, and in harmony.
The touch of hands implies a meeting; the hands intertwined in lovers speak of simple paths without complicated questions about destiny and the journey. And Diana said nothing, preferring the joy of being together and sharing together to the everyday routine of walking alone, in a solitary space.
Meanwhile, as he walked with Diana, he relived the image of the boat crossing with Ximena under the river, which was still fresh in his mind. He could make out Ximena's face and the tear that welled in her eyes, and a lingering sense of pain remained, a reminder of life's twists and turns and the irony of what could have been, but wasn't, due to poor choices. Because when people truly desire to be together, there are no excuses, and the timing is right, without pressure (as is the case today, on other paths). It's a gift from the Universe that allows two souls to meet, giving them the opportunity to play their own games and decide whether to forge a pact of sight, a pact of love, a pact of commitment, a pact of friendship, a historic and patriotic pact: "Among individuals, as among nations, respect for the rights of others is peace." This pact, framed and displayed for any woman with good taste to read, is lovingly hung on a kitchen wall where good meals are prepared.
That drop of salty water escaping Ximena's eyes joined with the rain as she crossed the bridge, forming torrents of water that also came from Heaven, nourishing the flora and fauna. For the drops of water in the eyes cleanse sight and vision, and are like trees with the rain, bringing forth new and wonderful things when humankind absorbs their waters as nature does for its maturity and growth.
Weep, oh heart, weep. Weep until you have nothing left, and the tears transform into the blessing that frees neurons from crisis and discomfort. Weep until your soul breaks, and you decide to cultivate good attitudes, even in unpleasant moments, for the sake of healing. Then, look at others with a clear gaze, a shining eye, and admire the responses of the person, drawn to them by their spiritual greatness… let your trees and their branches grow from the waters that fall at your feet.
Weep, heart, weep;…
the heart…
is another way,
of arriving,
at the knowledge of things…