Waste Not, Want Not Chapter XII

Paul put on a pot of water for some tea.
“As I said, this my first time on the property. I just want to check it out, look around and do a little deer hunting. This is a little vacation for me,” said Paul.
“The people are wondering what is going to happen,” said El Indio. “They hope their lives will continue as they have.”
“They can rest easy, for now,” said Paul. “I have some ideas that may come into play later. I will let them know when my plans are set.”
“Where do you live El Indio?” asked Paul.
“I have a small parcel not far from here. It has been passed down for generations,” said El Indio.
“So you help take care of the health need of the people here?”
“Yes,” said El Indio. “I help them and they make me clothes, give me food, take me to town if I need to go. I am a curandero.”
“Yes I know, that’s how you healed me. I talked with Maria and she told me about the people here, her husband, the man Fito,” said Paul.
“Ah, you know about Fito, and Maria’s husband. Very tragic,” said El Indio.
“What happened to Fito? Did you have a part in his disappearance?” asked Paul.
El Indio looked intently at Paul. “I never laid a hand on Fito. Fito found his own way to meet justice.”
With that El Indio drank the rest of his tea. He stood and said “Thank you for the delicious tea. I will bid you goodnight,” said El Indio as he walked to the door.
“Yes, Good night to you,” said Paul.
Paul saw him out the door and watched as El Indio disappeared into the evening. He poured another cup of tea and stirred a little honey into it. He plopped down on his recliner and turned on the TV.
Pg 2

The news was full of commentary on the Supreme Court decision to name G.W. Bush as the winner of the contested election. One talking head said that this was just the third time in U.S. history that a candidate receiving less votes than his opponent had become the President.
“Man, that was a close one,” he thought. “At least Bush comes from an oil patch family.” He was comfortable in the thought that the government would be friendly to his enterprises. He recalled that Senator Grimm had expressed a lot of confidence that Bush would come out as a winner, he hadn‘t seemed concerned at all.
Paul was, of course, very pleased that Bush had won, it would be good for himself and his companies.
“Well, I think I have heard enough about that, I think I‘ll turn in.”
Paul’s sleep that night was not sound. He felt a sense of unease, and tossed and turned all night, waking frequently.
When the sun peeked in through the clouds of the next morning he felt he had barely slept.
As he fixed himself some breakfast he thought about what he would do next.
“I guess I need to get back to Washington and see a doctor. I feel OK but I better get checked out,” he thought. He got on the phone and made a reservation on South West Airline for a flight to Washington, with a changeover in Houston.
So he spent the morning gathering his things and placing them in the truck. He drove back slowly to the road and, after locking the gate behind him, he drove back to Corpus Christi