EL CENOTE

It was not her fault, but it hurt as if it were. The desire to write to him suffocated her nights. More than once, she had been about to take the phone and dial that number no longer saved, but still known by heart. “What did I do wrong? What did I do wrong?” She debated in the early morning, while tossing and turning in bed, kicking the sheets until insomnia gave in.

Time didn't seem to be healing anything, on the contrary. Her smile still hadn't reappeared, her friends' advice still infuriated her, and Juan Gabriel's songs made her cry. "I am becoming an old lady", she cried out between tears and mezcal. In the office, she no longer gossiped with her colleagues; those talks about machine failures or binge drinking on days off seemed irrelevant and boring. Only when she returned home, in that wine-colored car that she had struggled so hard to buy, was she slightly happy. He pressed the accelerator and lowered the windows, letting the icy air run through her body, bristling her at times, always disheveling her. The sound of the engine calmed her breathing.

She pushed forward her projects, got her employees to truly work and then asked for a well-deserved vacation. She took a flight to Cancun and, roughly 15 minutes after arriving, she got out of the airport and boarded the bus that led to Playa del Carmen. Once she arrived, she had some fish tacos, “gobernador” style, and an aguachile so spicy that it made her breathe heavily through her mouth. Mouth-burned and full, she went straight to the bus stop in the direction of Tulum. Some wild memories invaded her along the way, but nothing that the sun, white sand and turquoise sea could not remedy. Too bad the seaweed ruined her photos, because they aimed to proclaim her happy independence; she tried to play it down and went to check into the most colorful hostel she found.

When she opened the door of her shared room, a naked body stunned her, he was white as milk, but immediately turned red like a tomato. The Swedish man covered his virility as he said "perdonar, perdonar”, as if the situation were the other way around. Gaby screamed, trying to reach the door knob and pretending not to look at him; at last, she reached it, pulled it quickly and forcefully closed the door behind her. A second later, she burst into laughter and, inside the room, Kent just waved his head from side to side with a smile.

At the hostel reception, the clerks heard everything and, when Gaby came down, they asked her how was the güero. She preferred not to say and better asked for information about the cenotes that were nearby. They recommended Kantun-chi. She got in a combi that drives you for 12 pesos and, a second before starting the route, the driver was asked to stop by someone outside. It was Kent, or "the indecent Swedish", as she had christened him. Seeing each other again, they couldn't hold back their smiles. He sat in a row ahead and Gaby could only see his sharp profile and stuffy nose. In any case, she had already seen the rest of him.

Among the jungle intervened by humans were 5 cenotes of crystal clear water. The sun tried to illuminate evenly, but the density of the trees did not allow it to; the colorful and varied vegetation made them feel like in Jumanji. The third cenote was larger, the water fell above forming a small waterfall, in the background there was a narrow and dark cave that aroused Gaby's curiosity. Excited and driven by the 30-degree temperature, she took off the life vest she was supposed to wear at all times and dived in. The frozen water made her scream and also filled her with life, the same one she thought she had lost a few months ago. She swam muertito style, in absolute peace, looking at the clear sky. Kent was happier because of how happy she looked than because of the scenery and the perfect weather. He did as Gaby, left the vest on the ground and took a dip.

- "Please, tell me that you are not naked," said Gaby, playing around with him.

- “No, no, not... yet” Kent replied, trying to be funny and seductive, which had never gone well for him. Gaby let out a little laugh, almost out of courtesy, splashed some water on him, and kept floating. Kent immediately regretted it and let her swim away into the cave.

Once inside, darkness took over everything, except for a little blue dot that shone as if it were the only star in space, it was a tiny bioluminescence that joyfully roamed the cave. Gaby was dying to touch it and swam its way, pushed by a strange stream of cold water. Meanwhile, Kent, seeking to make amends for his mistake, swam into the darkness as well. The dot sank deep and the current increased its strength, Gaby, realizing it, turned around and tried to move away, but slammed against Kent, who was just entering and could not see anything.

- “I think we should get out of here!” Gaby said, placing him aside.

Kent thought he had made her uncomfortable, until he felt the current pulling his feet as if it had hands. Soon they found themselves in the middle of a whirlpool that prevented them from leaving. Gaby, in desperation, began to give strong kicks and long strokes. Kent tried to remain calm, but the water dragged them voraciously deep, suctioning them mercilessly. They struggled to the point of running out of energy, sinking and sticking their heads out several times, giving huge puffs of air. The last plunge was definitive, the surface moved farther and farther away, creating a total abyss...

Gaby woke up frantically and crawled on the smooth pebbles to get out of the water, coughed almost to the point of vomiting, her vision was blurry and her whole body hurt. Even dizzy, she realized that it was not the same cenote she had come through. Little by little she came to her senses, looked up and spotted a bird with huge wings flying in circles. She sat down and saw a bulk floating in the water, it was Kent. She ran to him and took him to shore, he was unconscious and the stilt she gave him didn't do much good. All of a sudden, she recalled the drawings of the terrible first- aid course that the Company had made her take. She laid him to his side, felt his pulse, and was glad to find that he still had one. After a few seconds, Kent spit out almost all the water he had swallowed. Frightened and totally out of sorts, he took Gaby by the arms.

- Where are we? - he asked like a lost child.

But before Gaby could say anything, the bird she had seen flying over her was now plummeting towards them.

- Ruuun! - Gaby screamed, pulling on Kent's arm to get up. The pteranodon was very close to tearing off their heads with its meter-long beak.

They ran as fast as they could and went into the jungle looking for shelter in the trees, but everything there was jumbo size and was no obstacle for the fierce animal about to bring a new attack. Gaby looked back and threw herself to the ground, Kent stumbled upon her just in time to dodge the killer beak and have it stuck in the trunk of a mangrove. They took the opportunity to flee as far away from there as possible.

When their legs bent on their own from exhaustion and felt a little safe, they stopped, still in shock at having been on the verge of death twice in one day. Gaby was looking around, trying to understand what the hell was going on. The landscape, although beautiful and tropical, looked threatening. Even the palm leaf seemed capable of slicing your arm with its sharp edges. Kent, on the other hand, remained alert, not thinking so much about why, but rather about where to go. A distant roar gave them the answer: anywhere but here.

After several kilometers of making sure their steps were not too intrusive for the strange animals with feathers and reptilian faces, hopelessness began to show not only on their faces, but on their bodies. The heat, heightened by the humidity, dehydrated them to the extent that their dry mouth prevented them from uttering a word. They only looked at each other from time to time and let out a small grimace, partners in a deadly experience. Until, suddenly, between squawks, roars and strange squeals, a familiar sound eased their anguish. It was the sea waves crashing in the sand.

With her last remaining forces, Gaby rushed over and pierced through the exotic flora, guided by her ear. Once she arrived at the beach, she stopped suddenly, her chest inflated in amazement. She looked up in absolute awe. The strong footsteps made the earth tremble, even those of the youngest who walked behind his mother wiggling his long neck, shook the beach. The scene reminded him of "The Land Before Time" (Pie Pequeño). The mighty family went their way and the largest one looked back, making eye contact with Gaby, who felt strangely protected at the moment. She nodded, and the brachiosaurus did the same. Kent hummed Jurasic Park's theme song as they walked away, then both of them burst out laughing.

The day began to fall and the sky was painted purple, giving way to the stars, thousands, no, millions of white lights adorning the sky, which without warning turned navy blue. They took a prehistoric coconut, opened it by smashing it against another one, remembering the technique taught by her neighbor, the ice cream maker. They drank the cool liquid sitting on the sand, breathing in the salty wind and gladly receiving the breeze. Faced with the vastness of the landscape, majestic and bright, Gaby couldn't help but think of her mother. She would love to see it and would tell her sisters in great detail. A tear slipped down her cheek, the thought of not hugging her again was too painful. She closed her eyes, breathing gasping, nearly sobbing. And, out of nowhere, she heard a whisper. The sea, the stars and the moon whispered together: let yourself go. Louder and clearer, they were the voices of her aunts, her mother and her grandmother. She distinguished them perfectly, growing up with their scoldings, laughter and advice. And here they were again, now screaming words of wisdom. The waves were in an uproar, the nocturnal animals claimed their dominance with howls. With goosebumps and chills, Gaby stood up confidently and, as if magnetically attracted, she walked towards the sea. Kent wanted to stop her, but she just shook her head. The first contact with the water stopped the storm. Silence. The tide stopped and every step she took brought around a bioluminescence. She looked at Kent and told him to come over, took his hands and pressed her body against his. She lovingly stroked that straight and rebellious little fringe that caught her attention from the very beginning and kissed his lips gently. Then she plunged into the ocean on her back, floating and staring at the stars, at last she felt peace.

“Let yourself go”, she repeated silently as she sank, completely covered in light. Kent tried to reach her, but there was no longer a body to reach. Fear gripped him. Bewildered, he returned to the beach. He got down on his knees, looked at the sky, and saw a shooting star. It must be her, he thought. He caught air, courage, and ran back to the sea, diving in.

He opened his eyes, almost suffocated, sucking in air as if it were ending. Around him, dozens of people formed a circle and looked at him worriedly. Kent straightened up quickly.

- Gaby! Where is Gaby? - he shouted immediately, looking everywhere like a meerkat.

From the back of the crowd, she made her way to him with the usual smile and a cute flower on her ear. She stretched out her hand and helped him up. Not knowing what to say to each other, they melted into an embrace of tears and laughter.

To Gaby and Kent,

You are my example of success and love. You have no idea how much I love and admire you. Thank you for teaching me that romantic comedies are true. Your life is a movie I could never get tired of watching. Please, do not run out of beers and sweet wines, nor love and, much less, adventures.