Chapter 5 VI

--¡OI! Diego-- He looked up inquisitively  

-- Oh man, that's long time no see -- Now he was more surprised. He had not yet processed everything, but hearing Spanish had increased the effect. He raised slowly one hand, timidly anwering. An instant later he recognized me, as I neared in.
 

-- ¡Damn! what are you doing here?--. I was now close to him and stretched my hand. It took a bit because he had not realized he had the car keys already in his hand, ready to leave., so he switched hands, but then rethought it and swapped the key and stretched the right hand, not without avoiding an odd appaluse with both hands stretched .
 

-- You're keeping yourself fit, uh?, do you have time? we can grab some dinner, what do you say?--  Sometimes keeping people in permanent confusion ensures that you hve the initiative on the conversation. 

-- I can tell you what's going on.--

He had a few seconds of trance, but then he smiled and said -- Let me have a shower, come over and I'll get you a beer meanwhile and then we'll grab something to it-- Then he looked suddenly a little worried
 

--¿Do you have time?--

Now it was my time to smile and nod. -- Sure I do.-- And I went on towards the passenger door .

I sat down and leaned back, got my belt and looked around. It is an odd sensation, to be siting in a British car. You are actually siting at the driver's position, but there is no steering wheel. It always makes me a little nervous, as seems the car is under its own will. My hands get restless

-- How much do you run? --

He turned the engine on before answering. I presume it is indeed true that men are not good at multitasking

-- Ideally, about 45 minutes, but it is really dependant on the time and will that I have at the moment, you see, routine is important -- He turned towards  me.

-- What are you doing here? --

-- I gotta stuff to talk to you about -- His eyes opened widely-- It is important and it's going to take a while, so I can do with that beer so my mouth does not run dry-- I drummed on the dashboard with the tips of my fingers and pointed to the front, which to be fair was the brick wall around the park.
 

-- ¡Avanti! --

For  a bit, until we arrived to the roundabout at the end of the street, we were silent. He was negotiating the street and I was getting as much info from the car as possible. Visible papers, the bluetooth connection, anything useful.

I started telling my story. Even if he did not live far, I got to the end as we were arriving,  the evening traffic thick as molasses. I tapped my backpack.
 

-- I have a bundle of information here for you, but before that beer --

The problem with Diego was not to convince him, the main problem was to present the whole thing in a way he would not brush it away and don't listen any longer. If he decided it smelled like shit, he would not change his position easily. It was this important to answer his questions before he even got to formulate them.

While Diego was taking an unusually long shower, I checked that he was not using the phone or that he had left me there and gone somewhere. I turned on the tv, but kept vigilant.

The dwelling was a one of those two story affairs, fairly narrow and the staircase in the middle of everything and rooms on its sides. On the upper story there was a bedroom, the bathroom and a minuscule room that dubbed as office.

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