2 Men 2 Mysteries

Back at his desk, Nelson kept thinking about the phone call, wondering who the caller could possibly be. The man had said that he knew him well, but he didn’t remember knowing anyone by the name of Roberto Pérez. He tackled another translation. This time the story in front of him was in Spanish, but he couldn’t concentrate; his mind kept going back to the short phone conversation. It was a puzzle, a very strange call that made him a bit curious. About eleven thirty, Nelson decided to meet the caller and find out what it was all about. It was still early but he wanted to get to the Lincoln Memorial before the so-called Roberto Pérez arrived at the scene. Once outside the building he looked for a taxi, but it was lunch time and it took a while to find a free one. Although it was a short ride, the traffic was heavy and it took much longer than expected. When Nelson finally arrived, it was a few minutes past twelve o’clock. That day the thermometer had reached ninety degrees but it was cloudy with a breeze that made the temperature bearable. As Nelson stepped onto the sidewalk, he removed his sunglasses and began to walk fast while looking right and left, checking the few people in the area. He saw a young woman walking the path holding the hand of a small girl while pointing to a place in the distance. He also saw two African American women seated by the Reflecting Pool talking while having lunch. Not far from him, was walking a gray haired man in army fatigues, probably an American veteran. He also noticed an elderly couple struggling to go up the steps to get to the statue of Lincoln. None of the people in the area could possibly be the caller. Nelson stopped and turned slightly to check a different angle. He was looking for a Latin man and could not spot any. Suddenly, a young woman walked straight into him, almost falling down after the impact of their bodies. She had been distracted while fidgeting with something in her purse. “So sorry,” said Nelson holding the woman by the arm. “Are you okay?” The young woman straightened herself and stared at him. She removed her large sunglasses and in a tone of total disbelief almost screamed: “Nelson? Oh goodness, it is you!” “Yoani!” Nelson, his mouth open, looked at the woman standing in front of him. “I can’t believe it. Yoani, you, you’re here!” He was as shocked as she and barely capable of talking. Nelson, forgetting the caller, grabbed her by the arm and they sat on the steps leading to the huge statue of the American President. They looked at each other, smiled and instinctively both turned their heads to survey the Mall. Not far, reflecting on the waters of the pool stood the tall marble obelisk in honor of George Washington. For a few minutes Yoani and Nelson said nothing, they were too nervous for words. The couple needed time to calm down so they just admired the beautiful spacious National Mall with its many trees. The Mall appeared to be an endless space and they both felt a surge of emotion at being in a place where they had never dreamed of being together. Feeling the pressure of Nelson’s hand on her arm brought to Yoani a sensation she had almost forgotten. She looked at him and smiled while thinking that he was even more handsome than before with his blondish hair now combed straight back. He was wearing a suit and seemed a bit older, perhaps not older but more mature. What had not changed was the expression on his face and the warm way in which he always looked at her. Those thoughts were crossing her mind while they looked at each other trying to come to terms with the fact that they had found each other after a long separation. “Okay,” said Nelson finally “this is amazing. How come you are in Washington?” “I live in this city,” responded Yoani. “You do! When did you leave Cuba? And … for goodness sake, why haven’t you contacted me?” “Ah, Nelson, how could I have contacted you? I didn’t know you were in Washington. I thought you were in Miami.” She paused, her heart was beating fast and her mind was in turmoil. “Nelson, how I was to get in touch with you? You never … ”