— What about UFOs? Do they exist too? — a classmate asked from the back of the class, laughing.
— Gentlemen, I have not seen them, so I do not know if they exist or not, but Charlemagne does say that they exist, because he tells us the story that he saw them.
His words shocked us, that could not be true! But the teacher continued to tell us that the existence of whatever that is, because it is not very clear, it has been trying to be demonstrated for a very long time and although there is evidence of their existence, it has never been admitted because there have been more detractors on the issue, and that when someone claims to have seen them, the opinions are more powerful than those who say that they do not exist.
We were all very quiet, and he, hearing the bell that indicated that the class had come to an end, said to us:
— Gentlemen, this is the work that you will have to present me at the end of the course: is there life elsewhere apart from Earth?
Look, I have had different classes in all my student years, but it has never been any like that.
The professor left, and we all, we all stayed there debating the theme. It seems that it had captured our full attention because it was the most interesting course of the whole course of studies.
We made study teams, some in favor of the existence of these alien beings, and others to look for evidence of the contrary.
When we had free time, one of the small groups could be seen through the corridors or sitting on the campus lawn, debating something we had found, and it was also a topic that was spread through the university and many students from other courses joined us in that study, which every time we progressed, it became more exciting.
A few days before having the first holidays, we had so much accumulated material that we wanted to share it with the teacher and we asked him to give a class just to talk about it.
He did not want, he said, no, that it was an end-of-course project, and that we should continue with him. That initially left us a little disappointed. We wanted to know what the other groups had, and at the same time we needed to communicate what we had discovered, but Don Carlos was blunt:
— No! Let´s not anticipate events, everything in due course.
And as much as we insisted, he did not give in and we had to put up with it, but of course, the teachers, you know, are the smartest, that’s why they are teachers.
That refusal made us even more interested in the theme, and we no longer did it only as a class assignment, but rather that some of us were so interested that our involvement has lasted us all our lives.
<<<<<>>>>>
— How many years? — I heard behind my back.
— What do you say? — I turned and asked.
— Yes — he said again —. How many years have we been in this?
— Well, right now I don’t know — I replied.
It was true, I had no idea how long it had been since we started.
— Exactly nine years ago — he replied very seriously.
— How? How do you know that? — I asked curiously.
— Very simple, because it’s my birthday, and although I tell myself every year that I’m not going to have one more year, I still remember how I met you.
— And that? — I asked Enrique, everything seemed strange to me.
— Look, I was in that bar, drinking a few beers, that’s precisely because the next day was my birthday, and I wanted to celebrate it, and what better than lying down all day!
— Lying? — I interrupted, asking, puzzled by what I was hearing.
— Of course! after a good drunkenness, what do you think it happens? Well, the best way for it to happen is to be sleeping, and thus not think about which the day it was. Well, at least that was my intention, that´s why I already had a few in my body when you stood there by my side.
— What do I have to do with all that? — I asked, since I didn’t understand why he had mentioned that.
— Look, the first thing I looked at was your vest, that was the truth, and I said to myself “That would be a good birthday gift”. I liked it from the first moment I saw it, the pocket was so big, I don’t know! It was like a whim of a child, when you go to the park to play and there is another child with a ball over there and he stars crying and no one can stop him because they don’t give the ball to him. If he wants it, he doesn’t understand why he can’t have it, because something similar happened to me. I wouldn’t know how to explain it.
— And that’s why you asked me if I sold it to you? — I said, remembering that moment that seemed so strange to me.
— Of course! If not, why? Would it have been better if I had tried to take it from you by force? That was not my style, but the truth is that your answer made me laugh. Do you remember which one it was? I did, of course, but don’t tell me that you also remember it.
— I can’t give it, friend, because he’s like my second skin, without him I wouldn’t know how to live — I said —. Of course I remember it very well.
— How exaggerated! It seemed to me at that moment when I was listening to him, but he made me think of one thing. I had nothing in my life that could mean so much, that was so important, and that’s why I wanted to talk to you. You seemed like a good boy to me, any other, maybe he would have been upset because I had spoken to him, but not you. You had answered me correctly, without leaving my side, despite the state I was in and how absurd my request must have seemed to you.
— Well, what’s all this about now? Tell me, are you feeling sad?
— Well, in that conversation you told me what you had come to look for in that bar, that you did not like to drink, but you understood that perhaps in that place they could tell you something that would help you find what you needed. A good pilot, and yes sir, there I was in front of you, listening to you, and fascinated by your proposal, which I had not heard for a long time, because my fondness for drinking had run like wildfire through the environment and nobody needed my services.
— But why do you remember all that now? — I asked a little surprised.
— For a long time I spent my time in that bar, and I saw an opportunity in your need. You were a foreigner, then possibly you would not know anything about my fame, and when I told you that I had a plane, something lit up in your eyes. Something, I don’t know how I could tell you, but I liked it, and I said to myself “I have to help this guy”, and I remember that at that moment I left the bottle in my hand. I was no longer interested in keeping on drinking, you had captured all my attention only when you started telling me why I needed it, I already felt inside me that this would be the trip of my life. Then I asked you for that amount of money, which I already know was excessive, but you have to forgive me, you know I was a little drunk, but the strangest thing was that after thinking about it for a bit, you agreed to give it to me, and not only that, but you got out of one of your multiple pockets a wad of bills and right there you put them in my hand.
— Yes, I do remember that, I wasn’t really determined to give them to you, really, but I said to myself “If he doesn’t take me, I don’t know how long I’m going to spend until I find someone who can,” and that was what decided me, I said to myself “I’ll try to save on other issues”, because the truth is that, if I gave you all that you had asked me, I would have little money left for the rest of the trip. Enrique, tell me the truth, were you so interested in that