They sent Julio running down the mountain to get Ria and
kept picking and clearing the Silver - and Gold - out of the way.
By the time Juli and Maria had returned, the new vein was
almost three feet wide and Ri's eyes were wider than anyone
could remember ever seeing them, including Julian, and she
hugged and kissed him, the kids, Jessy and Kit. You can
probably imagine. Happier people on planet Earth would have
been hard to find that day - for those moments, at least. (Heck,
I'll stick my neck out here and predict they were the happiest.
Kit, most especially, was thee happiest human of us all, maybe
even in all of time, but that might be kind of hard to pin down.)
        Well, they continued chopping and chipping at the Silver
and the Gold. It looked totally glorious as they all took their
turns "golpearing" away on it and, several hours later, the
women went back to the cabins to make lunch. Jess brought
back some beer ahead of Es and Ria with the food, and they
drank, ate, picked, shoveled and boxed their way to sundown,
and were muy exhausted as Jul and Kit lit the lanterns. They
had more Gold than boxes to put it in, maybe over 5oo pounds
of the Oro, and the vein was about six feet across! So they
stopped and stayed up there, sat around and drank more Frogs,
looked at the vein and around, talked about it and toted up the
day's pickings and came up with about two and one half million.
Dollars. Greenbacks. Legal tender. Dinero. Botta boom. Just
like that. Millionaires! And they were close to shock. Or
something.
        "Hey, guys..." Jess said during a quiet moment, "we're
out of beer." As they laughed, Julian got out a cigar - a "puro"
- of his best Mexican stash - Oaxacan - that he had saved just
for the occasion, but had forgotten about with the excitement.
Well, Jessy had the lighting honors. She was the finder. She
was "numero uno Gold digger". O, the Gold had been there all
the time, of course, and they had been on the right track, but
she had shown up and picked at the right spot at the right time.
She had uncovered "el Oro!" Jul was saying as he walked
over to her, put the cigar in her luscious, O goddam awesome
lips as she smiled a muy grande cheek cruncher, looking
around at everyone; and Julio got his matchbook out, tore off
a match, struck it and lit that puro up.
        Now, finder's bonus was 10 per cent. Of the Gold. ALL
of it. They all knew that. Except Jessy. And no one said a
thing about it. But they were smiling around at each other.
Anyway, here they were with probably El Santo Dorado, the
way it was looking. All that Silver and then the Gold, they
were talking, sure made it seem a dead ringer. And they were
stunned. Rocked. They had just pulled almost three million
dollars worth of precious metal out of their piece of that
mountain and they were slowly absorbing that fact. They felt
holy, almost, as Maria offered a prayer of thanks. And heck,
they hadn't even named their mountain, Mari then mentioned,
though Essy then divulged that she had privately christened it
Mount Estrella after her discovery of the Silver vein.
        "Well, we'll call it Mount Essy Jessy," Julio laughed,
and they all joined him in the mirth.
        They sat around in the cold dampness, warmed by their
hot bodies, and thought aloud about how they all had gotten
there as they passed Julian's cigar around and breathed in that
smoke. And it seemed like smoke from the ages. Something
mystical. And they talked about the Native People who had
first started digging there and had found Silver, and some
Gold, and other valuable rocks, stones and gems, Maria told.
Then they talked about the covering up when the Spaniards
had arrived. And they tried figuring out why it was them. Or
then.
        Jess said, "maybe we're going to do something great
with it," and winked at Kit. And maybe she knew, the others
felt, because she was the finder, after all. But they were just
tremendous feelings they all had, as they passed around that
fuego. And they talked about what to do next, as they got
stoned, and about getting help and what to buy next and stuff.
Very heady moments they had up there that eve.
        They hugged and kissed and all a bunch more as they
walked back down their mountain to their cabins and started
whooping it up in Jul and Ri's as they put dinner together
together and drank and smoked a little more out of Kit's pipe.
Then ate. God they ate. Fed each other, even, as they talked
on and on.
        They decided on bringing up the newlyweds, Sonia and
Emilio, Ria's younger sister and brother-in-law still in the
Yucatan, to help. They would build another cabin. And
decided to wait until they had $10 million of Gold before
having BR arrange a sale and pickup. Then Kit asked the guys
if they would be interested in helping him repaint and
"customize" Juliet and they answered "why not" and
mentioned they could get Wallace, a friend from Mexico who
lived down the mountain and who had been a mechanic on
planes years ago, to help them. Kit told them it would be
secret work and they assured him Wally could be trusted fully.
He had already been the one who had helped them with the
fuel for Juliet. They also decided to get dogs in the next few
days, along with other animals.
        After dinner, they asked Maria to tell Jess the whole
legend of the mine and about some of her Mayan upbringing,
then the story of Ri and Julian meeting up with Kit came up,
along with other tales. They all got kind of "disallocated"
(drunk), on top of the stone, and Mari said she hoped Jess
didn't think her to be a bad mom. But they all eased her
worry. There was real cause for their celebration, they
happily reminded her. Then they got the instruments out and
started putting together a song about them and the day's
event.
        Jess and Kit made their beunas nocheses before
midnight, Kit having started the fires in their hearths about a
half hour earlier; and they all decided to get back together for
breakfast and make their plans for the day then, when much
more sober, as they kissed and hugged and the rest again at
the door. Our two walked across the yard, waving and saying
things back until inside.
        Plopping down on the feathers, they checked in with
Pute. There was a message from Sundance: the Navajos had
agreed! And Jess let out a "YEEHAW!" The concert was on!
Performers were already being signed up and the Navajo
Nation would make the announcement with Joni and Julio in
the morning. But there was still no response from the White
House or any other country, as expected.
        Then they checked on the NSA guys. Pute had the
whole report for them: the agent from Albuquerque had found
nothing at Ghost Ranch and there was a request from the D.C.
agent to the NRO - National Reconnaissance Office- for
satellite surveil of the Mooney from the time it had
disappeared at Ghost, plus a trace on 100-octane low-lead
aviation fuel sales, tie-down fees or tower operations within a
600-mile radius of Ghost, assuming three hours fuel
had been remaining. They had Juliet's numbers and colors, of
course.
        "This guy's real serious," Kit commented, "but, so far,
NRO hasn't responded to him," reading on in the report, "...
and we have no problemo with the fuel. It's in our bro
networking here."
        "So we did it! Hoo-wee! You're really good, Quixote!"
        "Well, thank you, my lady. But if he gets NRO to look
...we may be in real deep do-do, as they say, though I've been
betting that infra-red can't pick up Juliet. But so far, yeah, we
look safe. O, and last night Pute put some phone sex calls on
the guy's computer and notified his bosses of it."
        She cracked up, and giggled, "awww...too cool. So our
little Putey's a perv, huh?"
        "O yeah. A byte in every cyberport."
        They checked the stocks and he had made another
$24,ooo, plus change, so spent some time looking over the
portfolio and checking with the "perv" before deciding on
some sells and new buys and sent the transaction orders for
Monday's open. Jess followed his work and asked smart
questions, so he offered her that start in the market again and
she said she would think about it.
        He turned to her, "you know, you're getting some of the
Gold money."
        "Hunh?"
        "Everyone who works in our mine gets a share. Plus,
you found it. We have a finder's share. Did anyone tell you?"
        "No."
        "O. I guess they were letting me....Yeah, you're rich,
highness! We just have to keep it quiet for now, is all. I'm still
sorry about that."
        She chuckled, "aw go on. Even if you were telling the
truth, I still wouldn't take anything. Well...maybe a little Gold
...for wages. But I don't deserve anything out of your and the
guys' mine. And I don't want to feel like you're paying me for
my company, which it would look like to anyone I do tell, like
Flee. Or to the guys here."
        "I am telling you the truth. You won the finder's share.
And you're my partner - mi companera - or is that all over
now?" half-kidding, but half-serious too.
        "No...that's not over."
        "Shute, you can give it all away if you want."
        "Yeah, I could give it to the WPG!"
        "Yep, you could...which reminds me..." and he asked
Pute to send mucho thousands to the "Save The Children"
funds - $1o,ooo, they made it.
        "Wow, Kit! That sure is nice," and hugged and kissed
him. "My Lord...what a day," she looked into the fire, "...the
dream...vision, I mean...the GOLD!...the concert!...and we
dumped the suits! I am in awe, Mister Cody Crockett Hickok.
You really know how to entertain a girl. But you know what?"
He shook his head, smiling at her exquisite face. "You can't
convince me I earned anything more than wages. I can't
accept any big sums."
        "Jessica...I couldn't have gotten this far...already...
without you. And you know that. This is a job we're doing...
which you brought amazingly good luck to. And, God knows,
I sure don't need all the money. You have your share coming
to you...no strings attached. You are earning it. And deserve
it. But, yeah, it was awfully good luck of the shuffle," he
chuckled.
        "Aw, Kit...all I did was come along because I wanted to;
and really do just want to help you try to end war...I can't
take any money. I'd look like a...Gold digger," smiling at the
reference, then turned serious again. "I'd look bought. Cheap.
And they call them call girls."
        "Aw no, Jessy. No. No way we're going to let you look
like that. Look...we're partners. Partners share. No one knows
about this but us, unless you want, when we can let it out.
Maybe it'd be different if it weren't this legend of a mine
which, Jeezuz God, it looks like it IS! And it seems it was
found now for our cause. And you found it!"
        "You all would have found it without me."
        "Well, true...you're right there. But that's not the deal.
We had a finder's bonus and you were the finder. Everyone
agrees on it. I asked around tonight. And they all want you to
have it."
        "Wow....So...how much is the bonus, just for...
information sake?" she smiled.
        "Ten percent," he answered.
        "Of what?"
        "The total of the Gold that comes out."
        She let out a snicker as she nodded her head and raised
her brows, thinking about how much money that could turn
out to be, and was already. "Holy Christ, Cody...isn't that a
bit generous?"
        "Well, we knew it'd be one of us. Look, princess, you
chose to come and risk everything for a wild chance at peace
and you're doing one heck of a job sharing all the responsibility.
Look at our inroads at the White House because of you! This is
your payback. In my mind you deserve half of my share. But
you darn sure deserve your share of it...."
        "Aw, darlin'. You're unbelievable. I've never known
anyone like you. God, I really do love you, Kit. But I can't say
yes. Not yet. I haven't thought that much ahead yet. I was just
going to go to Nashville to try and get a start in music. And now
...I just don't know, sweetheart," and leaned over and hugged
him, then drew back to look in his face, and continued, "I don't
care about bein' rich. Well, I know it'd be awful nice, and all.
But I just want to be right. And I want to earn everything I get.
Can you honestly say I earned half of your share? I don't think
so."
        "Jessy...maybe I wouldn't if it weren't this mystifying thing
going on here...or if I didn't worship you as much as I do. But
you had the visit this morning. They're coming to you. You
were the hit of the White House. You've helped me incredibly,
and I don't mean the sex. That's beyond everything. And you
heard Maria's story...her family persecuted for being Mayan
royal blood. Hell, we're probably a legend by finding the
treasure! But she's a queen, Jess. And you're royal too, precious.
It just seems you were meant to have a part of this wealth. It's a
pure wealth. Like you're pure. Like Maria's pure. And the others.
Pure hearts and pure souls, every one of them. Even I'm going
to be using it to try to end war! But you just belong in all of this.
Aw, Jess...I don't want to advise you to do something you aren't
comfortable with, beautiful. I'll shut up."
        "Sweetheart..." she whispered and kissed his lips, "you're...
pure heart...but, let's sleep on it. OK?"
        "Sure, Jess. Sure. It is a lot to think on. It was a big dang
day. Big. You know what I mean, bean? We found the GOLD!"
his face lighting up like a Christmas tree.
        "Yeah! But we could use some sleep, huh, honey? But
would ya wanta love me first? It's been a little while...no strings
attached," she smiled.
        "Would I wanta...how 'bout a hundred million string
orchestra attached?!...come 'ere, you treasure chest," and they
got naked and took each other to the shower and had that surge
of ecstasy again. Aw man.

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