FLIRTING WITH SKIRTS

After the close call in Canada, I decided to cool off, at least for a while.

I’d lost a lot of money and I was oblivious, numb, to the recklessness that had become my life. It was the beginning of my misfortune. Not just in my business affairs, but with Angie, too.

I had met a girl in Bogota and I got her pregnant. When I confessed, my relationship with Angie fell apart. She was humiliated and mortified, and for some time, all she did was bicker. A reaction that stemmed from the torment.

Reflecting back, I’ve come to realize how “fucked-up” I acted with my loved ones, inflicting them with pain and suffering without a care in the world.

I was no different than the corrupted men in this business. We become so selfish only thinking of our own self-gratification while destroying those closest to us, crippling their nurturing spirit and trusting heart. Our feelings are hardened and we grow cold to emotional entanglement. Our sense of love and our morality stiffens as we are desensitized. Our ego is so elevated that we fail to see the humanity in others let alone in ourselves.

Even though I betrayed her trust, Angie forgave me and we managed to pull through it, mending the broken pieces of my unfaithfulness. Unfortunately, this didn’t last long.

Joey, my Colombian buddy who on occasion, would offer me an enticing deal or the opportunity to negotiate something lucrative, called me out of the blue. He said that he needed to see me about some business I would be interested in.

Since he lived in Miami, we agreed that he would fly into Bogota with a friend of his named George.

From the moment they landed, I treated them well, inviting them to “high-end” restaurants and bars around the city, and accommodating them in style within the confines of a hotel that resembled a temple of “Gods.”

While enjoying his stay in the capital, Joey got it in his head to call Leila, a friend of his—and a madam—to go out with me and Angie on a double date. But since Leila was sick, she arranged for a young decent woman from Santa Marta to be his companion instead.

That night proved to be yet another fracas with Angie. The very moment I laid eyes on Joey’s date, I was smitten. As in all the things and people I wanted and needed to possess, I went after her.

No matter the consequences and the heartbreak I would cause Angie, the woman who loved me and stood by me throughout my corrupt lifestyle and years of selfish deceits, would once again be under my wrath, and as I came to find out later on, scarred forever.

 

Broken Doves

My divorce was a constant battle. Evelyn hired a ruthless lawyer that was notorious for “wiping clean” the respondents of his clients. 

One day I invited Tatiana the stripper to an exclusive and lucrative restaurant in Miami Beach, only to be humiliated when the waiter returned my Visa Gold credit card because it was declined. All of my accounts had been frozen. 

She wanted everything: the house, an ocean villa named Villa Evelyn which I built right on the Mexican Peninsula for a little R&R every once in a while, my trucking company, my yacht, EVERYTHING! She even froze my parent’s account alleging that the funds were a monthly allowance I gave them.

I convinced her to end everything in a civilized manner, without further involving our respective attorneys. I agreed to give her the house, the brand new Mercedes she was driving, $50,000 dollars in cash, plus $4,000 a month for her living expenses.

We decided to go on our own in front of the judge. When we appeared before him, he couldn’t believe we wanted to get divorced. We were all over each other. Kissing and caressing one another with sweet affection. Even though the nasty incident at her mother’s house and her greedy approach to my belongings made me indifferent towards her, deep down there was an indescribable desire that surfaced in that moment. The experience was short lived of course because we immediately started to shout at each other once the judge began the proceedings.  

He informed us that if we still wanted to pursue the divorce, we needed to bring in a witness. I couldn’t bear the thought of another day under those miserable conditions. I refused to drag it on any longer.

We left the court house in search of a “body” and found one in the likes of a bum who was tucked away under a bridge. I offered him a “Benjamin” to do us the favor of “standing” in for us and he gladly obliged. The problem was that he arrived with all of his belongings stuffed in a cart and he wanted to go inside with it. The guards wouldn’t allow it so he began a full on “tongue-lashing” that started to escalate with each insult. In my efforts to terminate my marriage and not prolong the hell I was living in any further, I intervened and calmed the bum down giving him the $100 dollar bill I promised and telling him to leave. I thought it best to find someone else which I did, and who satisfied and appeased the judge unequivocally. We were divorced instantly. 

I was devastated. I couldn’t believe how Evelyn and I became the worst of enemies after almost a decade of marital bliss. Still, life moved on and so did I.

As a bachelor, I started to date many women. I didn’t want Evelyn to know of my whereabouts just in case she’d come after me with some craziness so I maintained a low profile. I had a beautiful home at a place called Keystone Point where I had my yacht decked. I was going out with Tatiana and I gave her a handsome amount of cash to furnish our new “pad” as soon as she moved in.

I wasn’t fond of her stripping job so I told her to quit but she wouldn’t hear of it. She was “banking,” making $1,500 dollars a night dancing for admirers in the nude. She used to hate it when I’d appear unannounced to see her show. She’d pick up her clothes from the floor and leave the stage right away. Our relationship lasted about a year. U.S. Immigration Services deported her back to Yugoslavia because she was in the country illegally and without just cause.

At this time I decided to sell “Villa Evelyn” in Yucatan, Mexico—the mansion I was awarded because there was no jurisdiction that would have granted it to Evelyn.

The villa was the envy of all of Yucatan with its extravagant appeal that lured passers-by in awe. Its massiveness and style, and everything throughout its interior were top-of-the-line. It also had a state of the art swimming pool with a wet-bar, a tennis court, and a bridge that stretched from the pool area to the white sandy beach along its shores. It was a magnificent place, a structure that engulfed people’s panoramic view.

I decided to take a few days off in Cancun. I didn’t know my way around very well so I asked a few locals to recommend a hotel that catered to bachelors. I was directed to the Cristal, a single man’s haven that guaranteed every imaginable splurge to be had. As soon as I stepped foot in the lobby, the fun began.

I rented a suite and went on a “hunting” spree every night. I met girls from different parts of the world and I also met business people that wanted me to stay in Cancun and invest money.

I thought this would be a great opportunity to do something legit, something that would take me away from drug trafficking. It could be the start of a new life. It offered promise.