About strange lights and revelations

Concepción - Chile

I was only 17 years old, and what was supposed to be an average school trip to a near fishing cove in the coast, to collect samples of shellfishes required in our science class. Transformed itself, without intention, into my first bar story.

We arrived early and after 15 minutes of wondering around, me and two friends finished our task. Short of acknowledging it, and taken over by this youth impetus, we were already asking for the closest bar.

At that time, those locations were not counting with a, let’s say, regulated commerce. So, just by asking by addresses to the locals we found ourselves wondering among bizarre passages and alleys in between rustic houses. All the houses were connected so sometimes we were at someone’s backyard and in others in an empty piece of land with nothing else but a walk path on it.

We saw fisherman cleaning the “catch of the morning” while the smell of fish, sand and ocean breeze merged with the wood smell of the houses.

Unexpectedly, we arrived at the place.

An old shuttle with a  sign writing over a blackboard “Donde Nico”(“at Nico’s” in spanish). The gate without lock worked by push (by curiosity this was an invitation to go inside).

No doubts in our minds, we pushed hard and entered. Acting cool, and without looking too much, we rush into a table.

There was no floor, only dirt, wooden walls, a couple of regulars and the strong smell of cheap wine defined the landscape. We were strangers and clearly not fisherman, that provoked some deep eyes in the back of our heads and whispering talk. When the second round of wine glasses was at our table, then the feeling of not being welcomed disappeared, we were part of the scheme.                             

All fine, laughs and smoke from the cigarettes caught the attention of whom introduced himself as “fat Alex”. At first sight he looked ragged and uncared-for like if he were there just after finishing his morning obligation with the ocean, His strong expression and outworn face and hands somehow where a synonym of a hard life full of effort. Playing funny, he asked for a cigarette while he approached his short glass of wine and a chair into our table. He was accompanied by an old man, toothless and with easy smile that never introduced himself nor spoke a word, but he smiled and balanced his head  nodding, many times after a funny joke or comment.

The third glass of wine drop by quickly and left. Curios is the wine as the path that drives you into can be very strange, so with forth glass of wine in an inexplicable way found all of us  discussing UFO very seriously. That night I learned about USOs (unidentified submarine objects) which apparently are very popular in between discussions with men of the ocean. 

With my friends we were already very interested in the different experiences from devotees of the sea that they were sharing as the people linked to the country side and ocean always add some mysticism into their story telling.

Short time after at least four stories and with our table already with 2 new participants added after Fat-Alex and the old man toothless joined us, Fat-Alex went muted and introspective, maybe too introspective.

Another story was starting when Fat-Alex interrupted without realizing his comrade was already  speaking, saying the following: “One of my bosses owns some land in the mountain”, he sounded very sombre and continued… very regularly I need to take my horse and walk his land, during night and as the trip is long I bring my tent and I prepare to sleep there. As the electricity do not exist in that place, my lantern is always with me. But this one time, the night was dark as the mouth of a wolf because of the clouds, so I started a fire. I wanted to warm my body and create some light. I had seen strange things in the starred sky already and I thought I was safe from that as was looking like it could rain.

I was sharping a stick with my knife, minding on my own thoughts when I saw two lights in the distance. I jumped to my feet, in between the fog I was not sure if the lights were moving or if they were growing bigger until I realized they were coming towards me.

Once the lights were closer I heard the sound.

It was a car from the city, one of those fancy 4x4. It parked next to my tent, the lights when off and a well-dressed man got off and asked me my name. I said it loud and asked him, but he said that didn’t matter.

Straight forward and deprived from detours he said: “I want you to have sex with me”.

I answered I was a married man and I like women, but he insisted. I said no twice, but persistent he offered money. Money worth of three months of fishing, so I took the money and I did it.

… Fat-Alex when silent again…

His campaigners were looking at him shocked and surprised, the bewilderment was the common denominator but the toothless old man smiled and nodded while this was happening.

As I had been always direct, so I looked at my friends, and then at Fat-Alex and pronounced the following words: “Wait, this is not a story about Aliens, this is the story of how you found out you are gay”

Fat-Alex replied obfuscated: “what are you talking about? I am not a fagget!”. “He paid me and I had sex with him, but I am not homosexual. He moved as a lady”

               - would you have sex with him again, no money involved?

               - Of course, he moves like a women.

               - he moves? You mean, you are still doing it?                                                      

               - Yes.

               - Is a good story Fat-Alex.

The toothless old man smiled and nodded again.

We drank another glass of wine, we shared another cigarette and we laugh about other stories.

Later that day I became aware the toothless old man was “Don Nacho”, and the father in law of Fat-Alex. Yes, the father of Fat-Alex’s  wife.

At the exit of the bar I ran into a Street dog. As a drunk dog lover I hugged him and I am 84% sure the dog farted. But maybe that’s just another drunken story.