a ‘Siren’s Song’

Tom relaxes in the comforts of his Medellin basecamp just back from a walk with his loyal dog Twinkles. He savors a rich, Colombian coffee. Delusionary thoughts bombard his brain, envisions himself as a modern-day Conquistador.

In a rare state of tranquilo, he’s relaxed in the moment. Then in an instant it all devolved into boredom.  Boredom was Tom’s ‘Devil’s Workshop’ to fuel his impulsivity.

Right on cue the phone rang.  It’s a ‘Siren’s Song’ a twist from a tryst.

Luz. Her name means ‘Light’ in Spanish. Tom was blinded by the light

Luz, was a flirtatious love interest. Tom and Luz both grizzled veterans of the ‘singles wars,’ they DEEPLY empathized with each other’s glamourous yet brutally lonely life trajectories. Maybe this was destiny. Seemingly perfect partners, it was time for them both to settle down. A mutual enchantment of sorts, they were each other’s ‘Siren’s Song.’

The definition of a ‘Sirens’s Song?’ Alluring but potentially harmful, dangerous.

“Tom, Tom, a friend saw you walking in park today. You’re back in Medellin! Please come to my mother’s house in Manizales for lunch. My tiny dog can play with your tiny dog, It will be so much fun.”

“Ok Luz, be there a las 4pm tomorrow. We have a ‘get together’ that night, almuzeros next day.”

“Oh espero mi amor.”

Luz can’t wait, hope that her amor will make it safely.

In Colombian culture, lunch at mom’s is metaphorically having ‘High Tea with the Queen.’  It might be just ‘tipico,’ beans. rice along with signature items in a stew, but Mom puts her heart and soul into making the meal. It’s intro into rare air of ‘La Familia.’ In Tom’s homeland, gaining such access could be weeks. In Colombia, it could take years.

It’s not just ‘meet the parents,’ it’s MEET LA FAMILIA. All fifteen of them.

Luz, is the light. Most captivating girl in all of Manizales, Colombia. She lives in a town located at the tip top of Colombia’s ‘Coffee Triangle’ It sits adjacent to some of the world’s most famous ‘termales.’ Natural spas built into the side of the cliffs with views of snow-capped mountains in the distance. Tom had dreamed of going there, but heard trip would be tough.

But isn’t that the case with every great, unique, exotic locale?

Twinkles immediately recognized Luz’s ring tone.  She was beyond furious. It was that of the dog’s mortal enemy. In her mind ‘The Siren’ was the shiny new thing who stole Tom away from Twinkle’s bestie, her Dad’s longtime girlfriend, Cloretta. To Twinkles, Cloretta was her ‘Sister.’ Those latinas were thick as thieves. A couple of lovable knuckleheads, they brought each other so much joy. Her ‘Sister’ was an oasis for the dog, an opportunity for female bonding in her male dominated world.

Now she’s gone and in Twinkle's mind Luz was the thief.

Twinkles held unwavering allegiance to her ‘Sister’ yet her Father didn’t seem to care.  Tom hangs up the phone, “Done!  Twinkles we’re leaving our home in Medellin, we will travel to Luz’s home in Manizales.”

An impulsive act countered by an even more impulsive act rarely results in a good outcome.

“Hey, Twinkles, have Google check the drive time Medellin to Manizales.  Oh, that’s right, you’re just a dumb dog with no opposable thumbs, unable to read with no sense of time.  Here, I’ll do it!”

“Oh, dumb dog, Maps says four hours, not too bad and it looks like a scenic trip starting the Andean foothills, then a riverside road that parallels the mighty Amazon, this is going to be great!”  

Twinkles, starts to do the infamous ‘chihuahua wind up.’ Growl, bark, pounce, bite.  She almost took off one of Tom’s digits, Twinkles replied, “Hey look Dad I AM THE ENCHANTING GIRL, NOT HER!  What the hell have are you getting into us into FUCKING CULO?”

In a cramped clown car, they embarked on a journey that led them up steep, winding roads, squeezing past oncoming buses with inches to spare. They crossed crumbling bridges that seemed to defy gravity, navigated through narrow mountain passes, and skillfully avoided mudslides that threatened to sweep them away into the mighty Amazon. Amid the adventurous chaos, Tom reached for his trusty GPS device, only to realize that it was ‘sin senal,’ no signal.

To that point La Aventura was highly technology dependent. It accelerated, enhanced their experience. But now in its absence, they came to the realization that technology in fact had dulled their instincts, their awareness, the natural elements that made them great.

They had lived there long enough to know technical irregularities frequently occur in Latin America. Nothing goes as advertised.

Exasperated, what Maps said is a FOUR-HOUR TRIP IT’S BECOMING AN EIGHT-HOUR TRIP! Tom reflected how stupid it was to commit to a hard arrival time.

Miraculously a call comes through.  In the middle of nowhere there’s always that flirting hope. A beacon. a light. a Luz. “Well look who calls Twinkles, it’s your buddy, Siren!”  Her ‘song’ seemingly penetrated the peril. 

Luz barks, “Tom why are you so late?  I’ve been so looking forward to seeing you tonight.  How is TWINKLES MY LITTLE GIRL?”

“Luz, isn’t a FOUR-HOUR TRIP IT’S BECOMING AN EIGHT-HOUR TRIP!”

Luz, a Colombiana, realized their plight. She forgave Tom and expressed empathy for their tarde. She new variability and surprises were forever embedded in her culture and empathized with the concept of overpromising to placate tension in the moment. Luz, ‘The Light’ herself had done it thousands of times.

Twinkles, who had witnessed the life-threatening consequences of Tom's choices, expressed her concerns with fervor. She felt that Tom's recklessness had put them in harm's way one too many times. She was terrified by the near misses, the dangerous situations they had encountered, and the times they had faced impending doom. In this case all to see her mortal enemy.

The Tiny Dog had established a citadel, a moral high ground.

Tom, on the other hand, defended his choices with equal determination. He saw their journey as an opportunity to embrace life to the fullest, to take risks, and to explore the world beyond the confines of their previous existence. He believed that the challenges they faced were part of La Adventura, and the thrill of the unknown which is what made their experiences truly remarkable.

Exasperated, Tom shouted, “Maybe your mortal enemy might be your new and improved ‘Sister’ you bitch dog. Shut up. I’m having enough problems here don’t need you multiplying it.”

Twinkles gives Tom and equally powerful response. She turns her head, rolls her eyes and delivers the the infamous ‘look of disdain.’

Gloves are off.

“Look, discomfort of La Aventura got ya where ya are. Made your ‘La Princesa dreams’ come true. You can swim right right? I know you can, I taught you. Just keep it up. I’ll toss your ass down that 500-ft cliff into that murky river. You can be ‘La Princesa of the Amazon River.’ Jajaja.”

As they proceed a bit further down the riverside road, traffic grinds to a total halt. They could see a two lane bridge in the distance, Couldn’t have been no more than 75-meters long. Then an unexpected challenge, it was a one-lane bridge, the other lane had crumbled into the river. Given the lack of architectural integrity only one car was allowed to pass at a time, alternating sides, speed limit a paltry 10-kmph.

“Uh Twinkles? It’s our turn.”

“Close your eyes and gun it! Now I hate you even more Dad.”

There was no escape. Their dire situation forced them to have uncomfortable internal debate that needed to happen. Then Tom remembered the times he experienced veiled threats that would never be delivered. Why did he do that to Tiny Dog? He felt remorse, regret about what he did to his bestie.

In a human relationship, each party has a free will to leave at any point. Dogs not so much especially for a 4-lb toy dog. Their liberties are limited, but have a secret weapon, relying on their hypnotic ‘puppy dog eyes.’ And the grace of their owners. A divorce either way could be a stupid decision and could result in a lifetime of regret.

Tom says, “Lo siento mi amor. Just got captured by the moment. I couldn’t live without you.”

In a under-sized five speed, navigating life-threatening peril, fresh off an epic dust-up with the bestie, “Hey, can we get back to working together here. Positive mental attitude. Team was apart, let’s get back to team together dog.”

Tom and Twinkles had no choice but to rely on their wits, their inner zen, and the confidence they had built throughout their journey to chart their course. The absence of their GPS device forced them into a situation where their survival depended on their resourcefulness and resilience.

Their positive attitude in the face of peril was just another opportunity for them to transform chaos into fun and further strengthen their bond.

With each passing moment, they embraced their inner guile, using their collective knowledge and instincts to make crucial decisions. Twinkles, who had grown from a timid Chihuahua into a more self-assured companion, played her part, sensing danger and providing Tom with a heightened awareness of their surroundings.

Now Zen is their GPS. They allowed a consciousness, a peaceful mindset to enter their souls.

Twinkles provided leadership in their their state of panic. “We don’t need no dog-gone technological instruments, let’s use plain common sense. What would your Dad do Dad?”

“Go get some ice cream and ask for directions.”

Tom needed to say ‘‘I’m sorry” to his BFF. Certainly with dog as audience, actions were more effective than words. The luz, the city lights on the horizon, they’ve returned to civilization. Tom stops in a convenience store and gets them both an ice cream bar. It was their forever ‘go-to’ when shit goes down.

“How’s the helado dog?” Twinkles didn’t respond. Head down and tail vigorously wagging, she’s sawing on a strawberry ice cream bar like she’s going to the electric chair. Eight hours of torture rewarded.

As they got further into Manizales, Tom found this to be most confusing major city he’s ever been. The wicked hills made San Francisco look like the flat lands. No street signs!!! Why? Most that live there have been there their entire lives. What’s the point of street signs? Even if their GPS worked, it wouldn’t work here.

They stopped in gas station for directions. Serendipity doesn’t just happen, it’s divinely earned.

Well so happens there was a police officer refueling his motorcycle.  The look of Tom’s general panic transcended language.  Simpatico, Policia escorted the gringos the rest of the way. The world could use more people like that!

They resolved on that day to no longer to fall into the temptations of ‘A Siren’s Song.’

How’d lunch go? The tiny dogs tried to kill each other. Twinkles took a HUGE SHIT under the dining room table. Tom and Luz broke up.

JAJAJAJAJA!