"G'night," I say to them as I slowly make my way up the stairs. I use one of my hands to balance myself against the wall. I'm very very tipsy.
I get to the top of the stairs. It's quiet. Peaceful. The moon shines a soft beam of light through a window at the end of the hall, and so I use it to light my path towards my bedroom door.
The door has been left ajar, and so I open it with one drunken arm, and begin to fumble around on the wall looking for the light switch with my other hand.
Where is it?
Ah! Found it.
I walk towards the bed. One of the staff from the hotel has brought fresh flowers into the room and placed them in a vase on the nightstand to the left of the bed. They make the room smell fresh.
I turn around to allow my drunken body flop on the bed when --
"Hey yer! I iz not finished talking wis yer!" snaps a very angry Consuela who sits with her fat little arms crossed in a reading chair near the window.
"Fuck off," I say and flop face first into the pillows.
"Mia, yer is need to listen to me ok? I iz worried about yer." she says and then makes her way towards me and sits on the bed. I feel it sink.
"Go away!" I say to her and try to breathe through my nostrils hoping that sleep, or a black out, will take me away from this annoying conversation.
"No!" she says defiantly and pulls my head off the pillow to make me look at her.
"OUCH!" I yell back. She's grabbing me by my hair, so I shove her hands away and turn around to face her. It's a bit difficult to focus on her though.
"Mia, we has a big problem." says Consuela matter-of-fact.
I look at her and try to remember what the hell she called that thing, but before I can sort out my thoughts she continues;
"Da Caballos Demonios, iz like a parasite, ok. Iz like to jump from da one person to da next person, ok. Da Caballos Demonios Mia, it iz need to live in yer. It is coming." she says and then walks over to the light switch to turn it off.
"That's ridiculous," I say to her and contemplate drinking from the vase of flowers because I'm so thirsty. I stand up and walk out of the room towards the bathroom a couple of doors down. When I enter, Consuela is sitting on the edge of the jacuzzi tub.
I grab a crystal glass from a tray on the counter and pour myself some water. I look at Consuela in the mirror as I gulp it down.
As I place the glass under the tap to refill it, I hear Consuela say to herself, "dis place is niiiice,"
"I know," I tell her and then walk back towards the bedroom. When I re-enter she's sitting on the edge of the bed.
I sit down beside her.
"Consuela," I start and place my hand on her shoulder. "I know you mean well, and I know that this whole thing is very...scary. And I'm trying to be brave for both of us, alright? But you have to remember that I am very strong. I'm not like Robert. And, I don't think...even if it wanted to; even if it tracked me down to this cottage thousands of miles away from where we last saw it -- I doubt very much that the Caballos Demonios would be able to live in me. Alright?" I say and hope that I've offered her some comfort on the matter.
"No, MIA!" she fumes and stands in exacerbation. "Yer iz a good person, Mia. And da Caballos Demonios, it wants to take dat away. It wants to take you away!" she squeals and then begins to cry uncontrollably.
And so, as I roll my eyes, and get under the covers, I tell Consuela that although I think she would have a better time spending it with her family, that if it makes her feel better she can stay.
As I fall asleep, I feel her curl up to me on the outside of the covers. She puts one little chubby arm and one little chubby leg around me as if to cocoon me from whatever situation she has built up in her mind.
Poor stupid Consuela. She really needs to save her energy for more important things.
And, as the moon arcs higher in the sky and the raccoons forage for midnight snacks near the resort, both of us drift off into a deep deep slumber.
And what we don't see as we lay there sleeping away all our concerns, are the three angels posted on each side of my bed -- wings extended to create an insurmountable shield, eyes focused straight ahead -- on guard for whatever might be coming our way.
