EPISODE XXV
“Distractions are not permitted. With me, everyone pays a hefty price tag for blundering. “
Two meanings of necessity:
· Invoking Rationally defense: it´s an apparently criminal conduct to be adopted, however, it´s justified on grounds of self-defense to counteract external aggressions.
· Invoking Violence: When faced to the need to avoid a greater evil, the damages which are to be caused are legitimated.
Nugaró, Colombia, February 1st 2018
Valentina didn´t follow one of René´s main instructions, when she texted to Balou a conclusive message: “Stop, that´s enough. I was once open to friendship with you but not anymore, and never again will. Do not reach for me again and please do not text me anymore, I don´t want you to get into trouble with Daddy.” It was a warning from her side to Balou, for the model knew that René was going to teach him a lesson the hard way unless he walks away from her. René considered an insult -much more than she did- the assault to Valentina´s flat door in Cali, an incident that stretched René´s patience to the limit. Valentina was nevertheless convinced that no restriction order would ever make the Argentinian change his mind, on the contrary, it must have caused the opposite effect on: the writer will surely have mustered courage and be ready to approach her regardless of the implicit risk he runs.
There were two reasons why Valentina had neither deleted nor blocked Balou from her WhatsApp contact list: firstly, she didn´t lose confidence in him despite his infuriated performance; the second reason is a result of the link between her law studies and the letter she had received from the Argentine on January third, in which he pleaded her for a dinner together at the restaurant Charrúa in Ciudad Jardín. Her professors in the university -far less romantic than Balou- never ceased to stress on the degree of formality that future lawyers (and even law students) must always show, so to ensure every action in the court to be officialized thus, become public and have effects with regard to third parties. Balou´s dinner invitation letter entailed the formalization of his love for Valentina hence, it should be considered an official document. At the advice of her father, Valentina didn´t answer it back, although she thought she must have done it, and so being in line with her professors´ talks on formality. In other words, the second reason to keep Balou alive in her WhatsApp contact list laid in having caught herself transgressing the non-written lawyers’ rule, due to her failure to refuse his invitation in the proper way. The non-written rule demand lawyer´s decisions concerning documents -whether belonging to their private or public sphere- to be communicated by the same means they were received.
Valentina was taught at the university the three sources of law: the law itself, jurisprudence and customs and habits. However, to Balou these were plein foolishness (she could speculate with a high degree of accuracy his thought on this matter), he would rather say that the unique source of law is formality.
The imminent public behavior of Balou nagged away at Valentina as to the compliance with the restriction order imposed to him by her father: ¿Will Balou ultimately break it or not at the first available opportunity?
“You can rest assured, my daughter -Valentina got figuratively stabbed by her father´s severe reprimand- that, from now onwards, nobody will be fooling around you writing nonsense, never again will anyone exert control over your emotions, nobody will intend to send puzzling messages to you again, in order to make you feel scared. Of course not, that´s the past. So, I remind you once and again of never give your phone number and personal details to strangers in airports or public spaces. You were taught a good lesson out of your relationship with the Argentine, so I hope, my queen, that you have learnt a great deal from it. Who dares to keep in touch with an idiot who affirms “I know that you know what I know? What kind of nonsense is this? You should have escaped from him at his first ridiculous mystical statement. Never forget the proverb: “if it squeaks, chase it; if it barks, flee from it.”
Whatever it is, Valentina didn´t want to know, and thought that your father was exaggerating.
Valentina could breathe a sigh of relief upon learning from Balou, on February third, that he had travelled to Argentina to clear up his mind.
The dawn of her adolescence had coincided with her participation in a Workshop on Mathematics organized by “Universidad Autónoma de Occidente”. Valentina was then twelve years old. The experience of her first menstruation occurred in the same early morning of the first day of the workshop. Such a degree of synchronicity between science and blooding encouraged her to build up an exactness-based conception of the world. The universe of Valentina relied upon mathematical formulas, algorithms, geometrical figures and numbers. Inaccuracies may not be found in her head, as everything in there was organized under a specific order, her thoughts being in compliance with repetitive pre-defined mental patterns. If events unfolding does follow the pattern faithfully -she used to boast about-, you can take full advantage of each experience and therefore, derive an exact benefit out of it; by contrast with the squandering chances that inaccuracy might lead up you to.
Valentina tried to think of Balou boarding a plane to Argentina on January thirty first, tried to think of how he would be dressed like, of his travel companions. But no mental pattern could be formed in this regard, no clear picture. If she hasn´t been able to shape one, it meant she intended to enter a flooding, unexplored, chaotic and disorganized domain, wherein Valentina inevitably gets lost.
Valentina was having a hard time living with her parents in Nugaró after getting used to be alone in his flat in southern Cali. “I won´t be leaving you alone in Cali, Valentina. I cannot afford it, I can´t be so stupid as to give Balou a chance to fuck you up again, dear. If so happen, I must take drastic and final measures with respect to him. Here in Nugaró you will be safer and supported by the family warmth.” -René tried to explain her daughter his decision while picking her up on January 31st. “You will daily take the bus to the University; money is not an issue -he assured to her-. “Then you will hail a taxi to the Academy of Modelling, attend your classes until nine o clock when you take the bus back home. I will be there at the bus stop waiting for your arrival. If you stick to my commands without raising a storm of protests, everything will be fine.”
She feigned to pay attention to her father´s lecture as she kissed his lion-like greyish mane (“how beautiful Daddy looks with his long, long hair” -Valentina said to herself proudly, every time she engaged in this form of ritual), then left home to meet the wise tree of Nugaró.
The third semester of her career has not started yet, she will resume it just on February 15th.
With a gesture of satisfaction (and why not say it, of national pride) René remembered an excerpt of the article 2 of decreet n°4179 issued in 2011, which states: “The purpose of the Colombian national Intelligence Agency (D.N.I. from its Spanish initials) is to carry out activities of strategic Intelligence and counterintelligence for the assurance of the citizen´s freedoms and likewise for Colombian residents”. The government agency he worked for was giving him all clear, green light, to stand guard over her daughter in order to protect her right to privacy. In operational terms, the Agency Charter was whispering in René´s ears with an urgent call of duty: “Come on man, what are you waiting for? You can mount a small monitoring task force to watch over Valentina, you are entitled to do so since you are one of ours. Your daughter is in danger, you must not think it twice. Come on man, do it without hesitation. Gather some information on Balou. There are large quantities of idle Human and technological Resources in the D.N.I. If they are underused, why not use them discreetly? “
He put hands to the work.
On hearing him answer the phone call, René said:
- Good morning Haroldo, Boina Verde speaking. Wiretapping request for the cell phone of my Sweet-heart. The same applies for her WhatsApp messages. She is in a position of vulnerability due to external threat.
- Request, activity, operation or mission? -Haroldo offered to René the range of possible actions to be taken.
In the quality of connection-man for Cali operation head office, Haroldo Cuéllar kept a low profile. A man who talked little, efficient, Haroldo Cuéllar had earnt the trust of René from their shared passion for the study of Ancient Egypt mythology, namely, Gods and ancient rituals, the pharaoh’s lives, since both of them considered that this old civilization had reached the peak of its performance in the realm of spirituality as well as a refined intelligence along with a high degree of discernment, all of which captured Haroldo and René´s hearts and minds equally.
It was now up to René to form a special escort unit (sponsored by the D.N.I.) for the surveillance of Valentina. With respect to René in particular, Haroldo Cuéllar always disregarded trifling tactical details, where René´s requests were aimed at, and so on. So long as his friend was the applicant, there would be no need to poke around. They had set up a strict procedure between them which was followed to the letter: whenever they met, work affairs were addressed in the first place, they would agree on the conditions for implementing the missions, the allocation of resources and all necessary arrangements; at the end of missions whose outcomes were of public knowledge, they played chess betting on a beer for the winner, then looked together at a text of Ancient Egypt History and determined whether a part or the whole lesson learnt from these wise people could be applied either to the recently closed accomplished missions, or to the new cases or to their private businesses. It had been two years since they were established in this habit, which opened up a range of innovative methods that Colombian Intelligence and Counterintelligence would later take advantage of. Egyptian men of wisdom -that´s the way Amón, Ra, Anubis, Osiris, members of the pantheon of Gods three thousand years back, used to be called by Harold and René.
Haroldo was still at the other end of the line waiting for his friend´s decision. In prevention from creating a hornet´s nest with a visible operation, René went through a mature reflection. As a result of which he decided not to go too far with his request, he would only allow Valentina´s cell phone to be tapped just to get a report from Haroldo on Adolfo Sammartino´s records of sent messages to Valentina. Wiretapping would eventually enable him to gather evidence of sexual harassment (from Balou) that can be brought to court. The D.N.I. was an expert at sticking an ear to someone else´s doors by means of highly developed technological devices, for further incriminations.
- Wiretapping request and no more -Boina Verde resolved-. And then he hung up.
The future mayor of Nugaró, Venancio Pombo, owed a favor to René. The politician had lately been collecting funds from donors (properly said, investors) for his election, so at René´s request Pombo spared no efforts and resources to set up the task force named A.S.E (Argentine sworn enemy). He assigned seven affiliates of his political party for the creation of that escort unit, for the sake of Valentina´s safety. They started in their duties on February 15th 2018.
“Not too close, not too far from my daughter, that´s the way it should be, okey? Like U.F.Os., you must remain unidentified, but, at the same time, keep on doing your job -René demanded-. Distractions are not permitted. With me, everyone pays a hefty price tag for blunders.
The newly hired A.S.E. members nodded solemnly.
It started to drizzle in Nugaró. Each soldier took a different direction after leaving the library of Nugaró, as required by the spy instruction manual. René instead, stayed outside for a moment. He mentally linked the Colombian D.N.I (secret services) with Argentine ID (the D.N.I) and realized that everything was now fitting together.
On the other side of the town, the wise tree did too its job by telling Valentina again that there was nothing to be scared of. “Take it easy”.
Remark: this is the first episode or PART FOUR. PART FOUR is the last part of the book.
