In the main house, Linorio sat at the table with Molly and half a dozen others. George was running around, playing with two small children in the play area. Everyone went silent as they walked in.
In one breath Maribel announced that they had the funds they needed, Jonathan had agreed to be their spokesperson, and that she would go with him.
Linorio and Molly nodded to each other and smiled, and a cheer came up from everyone.
They decided to leave the next day. Linorio was delighted Maribel was going with Jonathan. She knew the plans inside out.
“Someone may want to see the map you followed. Here’s a new one where we’ve changed it a little bit and roughed it up to make it look like your beaten-up one. We’ve excluded the X that marks the village and we’ve added this tributary which will divert anyone away from us. You’ll have to say that you stayed in Puerto Verdad.”
He handed them a written address. “Stay at this hotel on your way back. They will back up your story to account for the lost time. And remember, you didn’t find me! You found your way out down this track and followed this tributary.”
“Come back with us, Linorio. We need your strength and guidance,” said Molly.
“I have to stay here. How about you stay with us, Molly?”
“I have to get back,” she said as she motioned Linorio and Jonathan to draw a little closer. She had an announcement to make.
“The Professor asked me to marry him that Monday before we left. And I said yes.” She beamed with excitement.
Jonathan’s heart welled up with happiness at hearing this and he hugged her. Linorio felt a sudden pang of lost love, but it melted into a gush of joy for his dear friend. The announcement buzzed around the room and there was even more reason for celebration at their farewell dinner that evening.
They were to leave at first light, so everything was organized quickly. Maribel packed what she needed. Molly and Jonathan were back in their original traveling clothes, with all evidence of the village left behind.
After dinner Jonathan and Maribel retired early. There was a big day ahead.
Molly stayed with Linorio, deep in conversation. They talked, remembered and compared. They relived some of the joys and sadness of the days that used to be. They shared their love of the changed ways of living, and their concerns for how to protect them. They laughed and cried, rejoiced and hoped.
Late in the night, Linorio looked tired. He took Molly’s hand.
“You were right, Molly. It is my time. I came here to spend my last days, quietly, with no one trying to keep me alive. If I was in the city, there would come a time where I would end up in the hospital full of tubes and everyone sitting around crying and worrying. I’ve said goodbye to the family, they understand. Here, I can just disappear. Here, I can just be. I remember you said it, that in the jungle we can be whoever we want to be.
“And now I know there is someone to take over from me. This next phase is mostly Maribel’s work in any case. She has planned and coordinated most of it. She could do it on her own, of course, but she has never wanted to go back to the city, not until now. The two of them together, they can do it. He’s a natural. So calm and methodical. How on earth did he find that article? It was the only time I have ever mentioned the name Puerto Verdad! I was worried about it, so we had the entry erased. Then you, with your crazy map, Molly. Do you keep everything?”
“Pretty much everything. You never know when something might come in handy!”
“There’s so much to be done, Molly. Whoever is behind all of this has built up power, and humans are still in the early days of their transformation. But we stopped being vigilant, we took things for granted. The cycles are turning, and these people will gain even more control. We have to make people aware. In the same way that a little bad can spread a long way, so can a little good. We must all break this chain of corruption.
“I know I have always said I wasn’t the reason why so many things changed, and that is true. I have done my best to take none of the credit, but I know I have been a driving force. I’ve been a big raindrop!
“You know I’m not sure of my birth-date, or exactly how old I am, but that’s just a number. And now I’m tired, Molly. I didn’t know I would live this long or have the chance to see and do so much. I’m healthy, Molly, but my life force is slipping. I’ve been hanging on until this moment. Maribel and Jonathan can take over from me and be a new driving force. It is my time. I’ve been the spokesperson, now it’s time for me to become a legend. Then people can start telling stories about me!” he laughed, and then softly, he said, “I love you, Molly.”