Prior to Miguel’s parents’ unfortunate death, they had a friend who was working at the Water Ski Club. A restaurant was on the upper floor of the club where guests would watch the ski show. The lower floor was a spa which was divided into two sections, one for women, the other for men, each with professional masseuses and masseurs. Clients had the option of choosing either a man or a woman to give them the service they required. While in the area, Miguel would frequently visit his parents’ good friend, Gustavo del Castillo, who was a masseur that specialized in the Swedish Massage, which manipulated the soft ligaments (muscles, tendons, ligaments and blood vessels) of the entire body, to relieve stress, muscle tensions, improve blood circulations etc. Miguel was a good observational learner so he quickly grasped the different techniques Gustavo used with the palm of his hands and fingertips, which was the stroking, kneading, tapping, friction and vibration.

On a few occasions, Gustavo allowed Miguel to practice what he had learnt with his client which he was attending to at that moment. On one of those occasions, the receptionist had called Gustavo to tell him that he had a female client waiting to be massaged. However, he was occupied, so he gave Miguel the opportunity to give the service, since he already had the practical knowledge, but not yet on a female. That was Miguel’s first experience as an apprentice. After a 45-minute session, the client was so satisfied that she mentioned it to the person in charge, and that became a good recommendation for Miguel. On other occasions when he would go there, and there was an opportunity to give such service, they would let him do it. He was so good with his fingers and hands that the female clients were always satisfied and recommended him to other female friends, not knowing that he was not working there, and that he was only there on occasion.

At the young age of 15, Miguel had had two huge blows in his life. One, having lost his dear parents, he remembered all the moments he had spent with them; but the love he had for Maria was something inexplicable. That blow of having lost her, of not knowing where she was, or where to find her. He remembered the intense love they shared, the moments he spent helping her in the rooms. From the depth of his being, he could not bring himself to believe that his beloved was lost, his first true love, those beautiful memories they spent together, the games they played, the scratches he received, her harmonious laughter. His heart cried out as he replayed those memories in his mind. The more he thought of his Maria, the more he remembered. He could feel her soft lips on his. The smell of her skin was imprinted in his mind, the caresses of her hand, her tender skin under his fingertips, her small waist, the warm embraces. He could not stop thinking of her beautiful dark brown eyes, eyes filled with such love and adoration that when she looked at him, it directly penetrated into the depths of his soul. He remembered the feel of her silky long black hair as he combed his fingers through it, the scent as he sunk his face in. Oh, how he remembered everything. He became restless; he couldn’t sleep at night.

Those memories soared through his mind. He remembered their first kiss in his bedroom, when he held Maria’s soft hands and sat on the edge of the bed bringing Maria closer to stand in between his open legs, losing themselves in each other’s lips. He remembered when she finally gave in to his urges to go further and after a hot, flesh-meeting adventure, they lay in bed, where Maria shed a couple tears of joy. Maria was Miguel’s soulmate. She was branded in his mind, spirit and soul. Days passed, and Miguel still had the memories fresh in his mind as if he experienced them the day before. Wherever he went, he saw her. He saw her face in stores, in restaurants, in the shops, on the streets. He was obsessed with love. In his solitude, due to the lack of Maria’s presence, and in the silence, teardrops fell on his cheeks, since he could not find a way to alleviate such a precious and painful feeling of the deep love he felt for her. He begged the voices of silence, “Please if you see Maria, tell her that I love her, tell her to come back to my arms, that I need her, I can’t live without her, I can’t breathe without her. I love you, my dear, I love you as I have never loved in life. Come to me, my love.”

(To Be Continued)
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February 26, 2023
Finca Solana
Corozal Town