Chapter 8: The alumni meeting (Act 2)

Professor Cuellar and Aaron Santiago say goodbye with pleasure to have met again and to know that they were pretty well. After the conversation, the receptionist takes Aaron Santiago into the room where the alumni meeting was taking place, passing by the guests and guiding him directly to the feet of the stage platforms, meeting directly with the master of ceremonies, a chubby and bald man, of medium height, dressed in a very elegant black dress suit and white shirt, who was talking on the phone, and with whom they should speak to prepare the last details regarding the presentation of the speech entrusted by Ángel San Miguel:

- Receptionist (addressing the master of ceremonies): Gentleman, good afternoon.

- Master of ceremonies (angry and arrogant, immersed in his cellphone conversation): No! I already told you no! How the hell is klein going to be the same as indigo?! (...) No! I am not interested in your mediocre excuses or if you are color blind or just retarded! Either you paint the house again in the tonality I asked for, or I won't pay you! * hangs up the call, furious *.

- Receptionist (addressing the master of ceremonies again): Gentlem- (…)

- Master of ceremonies (irritated, face and interrupts the receptionist): And what the hell do you want?!

- Receptionist: (…)

The receptionist gets stunned for a moment, while Aaron Santiago just looks at the master of ceremonies with indifference, although he is repulsed by his behavior. The receptionist, keeping his composure, continues:

- Receptionist: You are the master of ceremonies, aren't you?

- Master of ceremonies (rudely ironic): I see that you are not very intelligent (…) Do you think that I would wear this luxurious suit for mere pleasure in a disgusting place like this?

- Receptionist: (…)

Again, the receptionist has not known what to say to those aggressive words, however, this time it is Aaron Santiago who takes the initiative:

- Aaron Santiago (ironically going to the master of ceremonies): Of course, what would a penguin do in a climate as warm as this?

- Master of ceremonies (furious, turns to confront Aaron): Excuse me?!

- Receptionist (getting in the middle of the fight, trying to make the master of ceremonies calms): T-Take it easy, mister. This is Dr. Aaron Santiago. He has come in the name of the absence of Mr. Ángel San Miguel. This afternoon he will be in charge of reciting the commemorative speech for this meeting.

The master of ceremonies turns to look at Aaron Santiago carefully from head to toe, concluding contemptuously:

- Master of ceremonies: Wow (…) when the event coordinators said to me a doctor would came, I was waiting for someone more "refined".

- Aaron Santiago (counterattacking almost immediately): Why don't you go to work in an oil refinery if what you are looking for is so "refined"?

- Master of ceremonies (seeing Aaron with disdain): Doctor, do you say!? By an improper guy like this I do not allow myself to be cared for by anything in the world.

- Aaron Santiago: I assure you that I would never dare to take work from my colleagues in the veterinary area.

- Master of ceremonies (angry): Listen to me, you (…)!

- Receptionist (intervening again in the discussion): G-gentlemen! I really think that you should leave this conversation for another time (...)

The three involved look at their surroundings, observing a few guests looking towards where they were, trying to identify the origin of such disturbance, so, a little saddened, they decide to calm down.

- Aaron Santiago (smiles slightly at the master of ceremonies): Indeed. Let's leave the whole thing here before we spoil the fun for the rest of the guests.

The master of ceremonies can barely contain his anger, however, reluctantly agrees, and calms down:

- Master of ceremonies: Okay. Anyway, just not worth it to waste my precious time with riffraff like you.

- Aaron Santiago (keeps his barely perceptible smile): Of course.

- Master of ceremonies (annoyed, returns to his conversation with the receptionist): Fine. Just tell me your request and let's get this over quickly.

- Aaron Santiago: It sounds reasonable to me.

- Master of ceremonies: Speak, then.

- Aaron Santiago (vaguely ironic): I just need "your excellence", do his "job" for two minutes and give me a bit of his "charisma" on stage to present my entry. After that, I will go up to say my friend's speech, and I will leave the place immediately at the end of it.

- Master of ceremonies (holding back his anger): Okay. That being the case, let's get this over with, "doctor."

- Aaron Santiago (smiles widely while pointing a finger at his own head): Thank you for your hard work, "manes".

The discussion ends. The master of ceremonies angrily raises the stage to prepare for Aaron Santiago's entrance in the hope that he will leave as soon as possible. Meanwhile, a grateful receptionist recognizes Aaron Santiago by defending him from an overbearing master of ceremonies:

- Receptionist: Thank you very much for your support, Mr. Santiago.

- Aaron Santiago: * sighs * Don't even say so. So many bad jokes of "aristocratic character" have me exhausted.

- Receptionist (smiles): Some were really funny, sir.

- Aaron Santiago: Do you think? It seems to me that he did not have much fun.

- Receptionist: Ha-ha. No, I don't think so.

At the same time, the overview of the meeting proceeds normally. Everyone is spending time with their old companions in small groups of people, talking about their current lives and past adventures; it's a pretty friendly event. Everything proceeds normally, until, suddenly, the sound of a microphone being hit with the palm of the hand is heard in the room as a call of attention to the participants, so they all turn their eyes up to the main stage platform, where the master of ceremonies is standing with professionalism at the microphone, looking like a warm and friendly person, very different from the conversation with Aaron and the receptionist (which surprises this pair a lot). Having the attention of all the people present, the master of ceremonies begins to speak:

- Master of Ceremonies (generous): Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you are enjoying this emotional gathering. It is extremely pleasant to be able to observe so many old friends reinforcing the ties that even with the passage of time and the very different paths that life has given us, today they can meet again to celebrate this beautiful coincidence that this educational facility gave us, granting us exceptional companions and anecdotes that we will carry forever in our hearts. Therefore, dear audience, to commemorate and inaugurate such a distinguished event, I have the pleasure of bringing you the words of our friend and colleague, Ángel San Miguel, who, although he could not accompany us today, are given to us through his honorable spokesperson (…) Welcome Dr. Aaron Santiago with a loud and warm applause!

Aaron Santiago approaches the podium, greeting the master of ceremonies, who gives him his place in a fictitious act of cordiality, at the same time that the applause is heard throughout the room in a formal manner. Meanwhile, the whispers within the public do not wait, beginning to share their various comments of all kinds: "What happened to Angel?", "Who is this guy?" (especially superfluous women like those found a few moments ago outside the room); "Is it really him ?!", "What is he doing here?", And those who just don't care. Among all those dupes, a mischievous and mysterious smile hides in anonymity in the vicinity of the crowd, waiting for the perfect moment to attack, like a predator to its prey. The applause is silenced, and, once the tone is given, Aaron Santiago begins his speech solemnly:

- Aaron Santiago: Good afternoon to all of you, distinguished people. It is an honor to have been invited to this venue to effusively celebrate the reunion of all those present. Unfortunately today, contrary to expectations, our dear friend Ángel San Miguel could not be present due to reasons of major force. However, throughout these years our colleague always carried in his heart those good times that he spent with his former classmates, for which, today I have the pleasure of serving as the herald of his will, so, without further ado, allow me to give you the words that this one sends you, full of affection (…)

When he took the envelope out of the pocket of his jacket and released the sheet that contained Ángel's speech, Aaron Santiago felt the real terror as he realized a huge problem: the letter was completely illegible, since the same speech that had been handwritten by Ángel San Miguel, apart from having a cursive handwriting that was barely understood by itself, had many ink stains scattered everywhere, which did not allow reading anything in the body of the letter, other than, ironically, a small sentence at the end of it that said "Good luck." For that moment, Aaron Santiago could only think about why he did not review the content of the letter when he should have, bringing him back to the memory of that conversation he had with his friend Ángel San Miguel at the time he left him and his wife to the airport to start their vacation trip:

- Ángel San Miguel: Here you are * hands over the envelope with the speech for the alumni meeting *. In this letter I offer you my best wishes for my former classmates. Take care of it with your life.

- Aaron Santiago: Of course * tries to open the envelope *.

- Ángel San Miguel (horrified, takes the letter from his friend): Hey, wait! What the hell do you think you're doing?!

- Aaron Santiago (confused): What are you talking about? I verify the contents of the envelope.

- Ángel San Miguel: You can't do that!

- Aaron Santiago: Why not?

- Ángel San Miguel (adds dramatically): If you open that envelope at this moment, it will be like extirpating the soul of my speech, taking only empty words to my old schoolmates, and then all my effort will have been in vain (... )

- Aaron Santiago (stunned): (…) Calm down, Yugi, what's this? The heart of the cards?

- Ángel San Miguel (annoyed): Think what you want, but I need you to promise me that you will not open it until the time comes.

- Aaron Santiago: And how do you plan for me to rehearse the speech without having seen it?

-Angel San Miguel (looks at his friend fixedly): Promise me.

- Aaron Santiago: Don't you think that kind of soul-letter thinking is so unscientific on your part?

- Ángel San Miguel (adds more seriously): Dr. Bob, promise me.

- Aaron Santiago: Okay, okay, I'll do it (…) Damn (…)

- Ángel San Miguel (happy): Magnificent. Then I'm counting on you, Dr. Bob. Don't worry about not rehearsing the speech, you are my best friend, so you will know what to do in the moment. I put all my trust in you.

- Aaron Santiago: Yes, yes (…)

Returning to the present, finishing remembering that moment, Aaron Santiago angrily went astray inside his thoughts, standing on that stage in front of all those people from the alumni meeting, only thinking by himself:

- Aaron Santiago (nervous and very annoyed): Ángel! You and your stupid beliefs and your stupid fountain pens! This was not the time for your kitsch! How can I always end up in things like this because of you?!

Despite everything described above, for the viewers hardly a couple of seconds would have passed, so, even in time to put together a solution as credible as possible, Aaron Santiago knew that this was not the time to complain, so, dissimulating from the public that something wrong was happening, moderating his stress and using all his discursive ability to get something out of his sleeve, he began to improve and "read the letter":

"Dear friends:

I can almost see the flicker of the lights that in the distance mark the way of our returning. They're the very ones that lit up their reflections of our childhood many hours of deep joy. Though it was all what I wanted: first love makes one always come back again. This knowledge enclosure where once the echo told us "the life is yours, the love is yours to earn", today, the stars that so proudly look on us, now in their blessing can see our return (...)

I am so pleasent of this meeting with the past that is returning to embrace my life today. I am so happy of this reunion where my dreams are linked to feelings of old memories that come to stay. Though the traveler who's fleeing, sooner or later must stop on the way, and though oblivion, which destroys all being, has tried to kill our old hopes, ripping them apart, we must keep high a humble hopeful glimmer that is the mighty fortune that is in our hearts (...)

Return with the forehead on high, even if the temples turned silver by time's falling snow; to feel that one's life is a twinkle, twenty years hardly reckon, and the shiny eyes that beckon in the shadows forestall and seek them and call them to live with the soul firmly clinging to one sweet remembrance that make us smile up (...)

Thank you very much".

At the end of his impromptu speech, the entire audience falls silent, staring at Aaron Santiago, who cannot help but remain stoic and rigid at the gazes that judged him from below the stage. Faced with the overwhelming guilt of that silence, the high possibility of having been discovered began to haunt the thoughts of Aaron Santiago, who, in fear of being booed as a fraud, decided that the most correct thing would be to apologize to everyone and withdraw as much as possible. soon as posible, however, just before Aaron could utter any kind of apology through the microphone, the cheers of the audience erupted in cheers and applause of happiness, captivated by the emotion of such "beautiful words". Our speaker (Aaron), dumbfounded, cannot believe that everything has gone according to "plan", so, concealing his guilt, he appreciates the attention given and hurries off the stage before the ovation ends and someone notices what has occured.

"Enter the meeting, say the speech and leave", that was the initial plan that Aaron Santiago had from the beginning, something relatively simple and thinking that it would be to present the same speech the most difficult part of everything, however, just when going down the stairs of the stage, Aaron would run into a small crowd of people who while he was giving the speech, they dedicated themselves to investigate everything about him on the internet, and would prevent his exit at all costs to get something of benefit.

From one moment to another, businessmen, false friends, people who wanted express medical consultations, lustful women, among others, surrounded Aaron Santiago with the sole purpose of obtaining any kind of favor from him, claiming a companionship of yesteryear that It never really existed (in fact, Aaron literally didn't remember any of the people there). The people attempts at conversation with Aaron turned into jumbled and unintelligible noises, while, in a desperate attempt to keep him nice, Aaron stopped trying to pay attention and just focused on his own thoughts:

- Aaron Santiago (thinking): * sighs * Damn (…) What annoying (…) I didn't know I had so many friends (…) Even family members came out of nowhere (…) Not for nothing I hate this kind of things (…) I swear you're going to pay me big when I see you, Ángel (…)

At that moment, when Aaron Santiago believed that all was lost and that he should stay and pretend interest in chatting with all those interested people so as not to leave his friend Ángel San Miguel as an inconsiderate person, that mischievous smile that was watching over him throughout the event from the shadows, nimbly approached to the crowd, weaving his way through the people with the superhuman ability of someone already used to these kinds of situations:

- Mysterious woman with a mischievous smile (kindly): Stand aside, please! We are leaving! Thank you so much for everything! Send me the photos by mail! My sincere congratulations to the organizer of the event! Bye Bye!

Thus, with great agility, that mysterious woman of wavy hair and eyes as deep as the night itself, reached where Aaron Santiago was standing, and, without making any false movement, quickly took him by the hand, leading him out of that crowd and finally taking him out of that room where was taking place the alumni meeting. Aaron Santiago ran hand in hand with that mysterious woman almost out of survival instinct, still overwhelmed by what happened at the alumni meeting. Meanwhile, this mysterious woman was smiling as if she was performing a mischief with an old friend, however, although Aaron Santiago did not identify her from anywhere, our character's life would take an unimaginable turn by this moment.

---> To be continue... (/°u°)/