Ramblings and Ruminations

Part One - Camila (Salt)

When Camila heard from her neighbor, Barbara, that they were planning a trip to Machu Picchu, she realized that providence may have just offered her a way out of her troubles. "You know I still have family in the area," she told her neighbor. "I would be happy to reach out to them, maybe get you a special tour."

Barbara was only too happy to accept her offer.

After several hours on the phone with family in Peru, Camila allowed herself a small seed of hope.

"That trip your cousin arranged to the coffee plantations near Cusco was wonderful" Barbara told her on their return. "I brought back several bags of their premium beans." She handed one to Camila.

Camila hoped that was not all she brought back, but held her breath and waited.

"Oh, and your cousin Gabriela sent a bag of tea that she said you were especially fond of."

Camila thanked her neighbor and quietly breathed a sigh of relief. She could go ahead with the next step.

Following the instructions from Gabby, Camila dumped the bag of tea leaves on a towel, and carefully separated the content into three piles. The small bits of woody material she placed in a sauce pan. Dried fruit bits went in a bowl. The remaining mix she dumped in the sink and flushed. She added water to the pan and set it on the stove. When it boiled, she set it to simmer. She mashed the fruit bits with the back of a spoon and added it to the simmering water. When the water was nearly all gone, she poured the thickening mixture into a flat bowl to allow the rest of the moisture to evaporate. The powder from the bark would probably have been enough but the fruit would help it work faster.

The problem Camila was trying to solve was a husband named Harvey. If they were back home in Peru, she would have called on family. Here, with no family available, she had to call the police. The first time, he merely got a slap on the wrist. The second time resulted in a stern warning from a judge. It wasn't what she hoped for, but it seemed to work. Harvey had left her alone.

A few weeks after the hearing, Camila realized Harvey had just taken his aggression outside of their home. The local tv anchor was describing a brutal assault of a young woman when Harvey muted the TV, looked directly at her, and said, "That's YOUR fault."

After the second reported assault, she knew she had to do something.

Wednesday night was Bible Study. He allowed her out for that. Saw no harm, no threat. She put his favorite meal on the table, meat and potatoes. Amused, she watched as he shook salt over everything. Add all you want, she thought. He did not seem to notice the slight inconsistency to the texture of the salt from the powder she had added.

It would not take long. She busied herself with cleaning up the kitchen. Glancing at him from time to time.

"The tingle you feel in your hands is normal," she told him. She moved into his field of vision because she knew he could not move his head to look at her. "The paralytic affects your voluntary movements. Your heart will keep beating. You will continue to breathe. But you are absolutely helpless. Just like me. Like those girls you hurt. You are never going to hurt anyone again."

She saw the slight change in his eyes. The anger. She leaned forward. "The effect is permanent.. I'm going to Bible Study. When I get back, I'll decide what to do with you." She lit the candle on the table. "While I am gone, you can watch this flame and think about who you are, what you have done, and how you are going to spend eternity."

Camila picked up her purse, She had lied about one thing. The paralysis was not permanent. But it would last long enough. He would see what she did. He would know what was coming. He would be helpless to stop it.

On her way out the door, she twisted the gas burner on.