Chapter 2

The flight was a little bumpy at times but for the most part, was uneventful. During the flight it seemed to Kyle that he was getting an inordinate amount of attention from the pretty blond flight attendant who was about his age. She was constantly asking him if he was okay and if there was anything more she could do for him. Of course she could do more was his thought, but what that was he couldn’t say to her and only could think about it. He did think it would be pretty good if more was to happen.

After the plane had landed and he was deplaning he handed her a card that had his e-mail address on it. He told her that if she ever has a layover here to send him an e-mail and maybe they could have dinner together. Of course he didn’t know if that would ever happen, but if it did he thought it could guarantee a very pleasurable time with her.

In walking out of customs Kyle noticed an enlisted military man dressed in fatigues holding a sign that had Kyle’s name on it. He acknowledged to the man who he was and followed him to what was an older Army type SUV. Putting the suitcase in the vehicle, the man said his name was Juan and started driving.

Juan handed Kyle a large brown envelope which in his somewhat broken English said he was told to do. Opening the envelope Kyle perused the contents. There was a letter welcoming him and telling him he had a nine o’clock appointment with Elena Garcia tomorrow. Also in the envelope was some general information about this city and a map on which several locations were highlighted.

Kyle asked Juan where he was taking him and Juan replied he was taking him to his quarters which was a house that was assigned to him. He told Juan that was fine but once there instead of stopping to go in he wanted Juan to drive and show him were these locations on the map where that have been highlighted. Kyle wanted to get familiar with the area and not get lost when he was on his own. Juan told him that was no problem and he was instructed to do that if he was asked.

Turning off what Kyle assumed was the main road. Juan made two quick turns and was turning into what appeared to be an Army base. The vehicle was waved through by the gate guard. Juan drove slow going by some small houses and pointed to the house he said that was assigned to Kyle. He also pointed out the Army jeep that was parked there which looked like it had seen better days saying that was the vehicle assigned for Kyle’s use. Juan said the green sticker on the bumper indicated it was assigned to a civilian who was authorized to be on base. The jeep had a canvass top along with canvass side curtains which Juan advised to keep on the vehicle as there were many rainy days here.

Juan now started to give Kyle a tour based on the map Kyle was given. He started with the commissary, post exchange, motion picture theater, and the officer’s club all being pointed out as they were driven by. Driving off base and back on to this main road they had been on and additional shops and stores were pointed out. The government building which housed the Minister of Health’s office along with the Presidential Palace were driven by. The last item shown was the country club that Kyle would be a member of.

Doubling back on this route to his assigned house Kyle thanked Juan and said he appreciated what he had done.

Inside his home, he took the time to inspect it. It was a small two-bedroom house that was sparsely furnished. He wished there was a bigger TV but he couldn’t expect everything. His laptop computer told him there was the internet which he was able to log on to because of a paper he found which had the password. Once on the net, he noticed that there was a fast download speed. He sent an e-mail to his parents telling them he had arrived safely and that he was assigned a small two-bedroom house to live in.

Kyle turned on the TV and looked at the programs being broadcast. He knew that some adjustments were going to be needed to be made because he was not going to be a happy camper if all he was going to watch were Spanish speaking TV shows. After inspecting the house he made out a list of items he would need to purchase. He was feeling some jet lag which had him called it an early night and he fell asleep in a surprisingly comfortable bed.

The following morning after showering, shaving, and dressing he drove his surprisingly nimble stick shift jeep to the government building for his appointment with Ms. Garcia, the Minister of Health.

Kyle introduced himself to Ms. Garcia’s assistant who showed him into Ms. Garcia’s office. Ms. Garcia stood up from her desk and greeted him as she extended her hand. In shaking it he thought that she was one good-looking woman and he immediately wondered what kind of a lover she would be and how she would be in bed. It was a habit he had of doing that which he did it with every good-looking woman he met and he laughingly knew that was his wishful thinking.

They engaged in a little small talk but then she got down to business. She told him that Alicia Cortez who he was replacing was waiting for him to orientate him to his duties and she had been nice enough to delay her leaving to do this but she was leaving tomorrow. Elena’s said her assistant will take Kyle to have him fill out some forms and get the necessary IDs made so he can use the military facilities and the country club.

She asked if Kyle had any questions and he responded, “Yes I do, I am not sure what the proper way is to address you? Is it Minister, Ms. Garcia, Elena, or just plain boss?”

Laughing she told him “Elena” was sufficient.

After filling out a few forms and getting his picture taken for the IDs which were then were given to him, Kyle went to meet Alicia at the facility he would be working at for the next three years. He surprised himself because he found it without much difficulty. In parking the jeep he noticed the higher long walkway that connected this facility to the large hospital building across the street from it.

Walking into this rather large facility he could see the activity that was going on with what he assumed were patients using the machines that were there along with what he assumed were therapists all in blue shirts watching these people. He also noticed that the people there were also noticing him. He walked to what seemed to be an office and entering it he introduced himself to the elderly lady there saying he was there to see Alicia.

A tall lady a few years older than him walked out of her office and extended her hand. They introduced themselves to each other and Alicia asked Kyle to come into her office. Once seated there she explained how the operation works. Things like scheduling, reports, personnel were among the many things that were discussed. Alicia did mention that her Secretary, Maria Rolez was worth her weight in gold and knew the whole operation. She suggested that if Kyle had any questions he could rely on Maria to give him the straight scoop.

Doing this familiarization turned out to be a fast two hours. This included showing him where various items were located either in a two drawer file cabinet, a five draw file cabinet, or her desk. Taking a break, Alicia suggested they go to lunch.

They went to the cafeteria that was across the street in the hospital which she said served surprisingly good food at a reasonable price. They selected what they wanted and after paying for the food sat at a table that was against the wall in a corner. The noon lunch hour was over which meant there weren’t many people there.

After taking a bite of his sandwich Kyle said, “I appreciated the orientation you have been giving me but tell me, what advice could you give me off the record about this job and about living in this country.”