C H A P T E R   O N E

        There they stood. Right out in the middle of the cabin room, their naked feet
barely above the floor's rough-hewn, wide pine planks. The young man and younger woman
looked very mighty and well, even majestic as they shimmered next to each other, wearing
just their birthday suits, smiling wisefully at Kit.
        That young woman seemed about the age of pristine nubility in full glorious bloom. The
young man looked around the years of Alexander the Great One when conquering his way
to be thee wealthiest knave - in time-relative drachmas - to have ever walked this old
planet's surface (at least before Bill Gates, Kit says he was thinking at that poignant
moment of his aging life).
        "Hay there, Kit..." the young lady broke the silence, "that Pute's really darn
amazing...isn't he?" in a voice capable of launching any man's - even woman's - desires
amidships. Kit had set his super self-radded AI laptop, "Pute", on "loose" mode for that first
test run, so wasn't surprised by the jocular self-praise.
        "Way to go, dude," Alex The Great added, "I'd say this is working." Well, that was
pretty right on, even though sarcastically low-key, Kit remembered judging.
        "Now you have to do it...huh...you ol' nautster," the girl goaded Kit while cracking a
cool smile.
        They were enthralling, there, talking and standing, looking his direction, moving a little,
even, as he looked at them, there, naked, floating a few inches above the planks. Kit finally
snapped and excitedly cheered, "YES!...YES!", then pressed the button on the transmitter
in his hand and the holograph disappeared. He typed on the keyboard: "way to go P/nice
nudes-ha/a few inches off the floor, but that'll probably be even better/yur amazin huh?"
        Pute returned on the screen: "yur mazin too pard."
        But not before Kit was up off his ponderosa pine-framed couch celebrating, "HOO
HOO!...rock 'n ROLL!...time to fly again!"
        He stretched, walked to the kitchen, pulled a Tree Frog out of the fridge, popped
the tab and took a guzzle of the suds as he headed back to the living room, picking up
the "Trade-A-Plane" newspaper off the old Moon Desk Company rolltop, still sporting his
Uncle Mecky's "tagging" scratched into it from a half century or more ago, on his way
back to the couch. He started through the paper's alphabetically-indexed yellow pages
and the beer and was in the M's by the time the Frog was drunk.
        "There you are!" he said aloud and reached over to the slightly skewed juniper
table (he always defends his furniture making skills), got his dented up "Gold" Cross
pen he had found years before in Wally Mally's parking lot in Rockledge, Florida after
losing his "Silver" Cross somewhere and circled the ad: "1980 Mooney 231, 216 hours
(since major overhaul), turbo, King radios, speed brakes, X-range tanks, fresh annual,
etc. $82,ooo (and the FortWorth phone number)". He checked the old family clock
under its glass cover on the adobe mantle, one of those clocks with the balls on the bottom
turning one way then the other, saw almost 8P straight up, picked up the cellphone and
dialed.
        "Howdy...I'm calling on your Mooney...hey, Ed. Kit. Glad to meet ya. So, uh,
what's your et cetera cover?"
        Ed told Kit the colors, numbers and letter, history, 175-knot cruise speed, superior
condition and that he was giving the same deal he had gotten plus his work and such.
Lucky for Kit he had the "Trade" subscription and called the first night, it became evident
to him.
        He wanted to just say "sold", but came up with, "great, sounds like just what I want.
So, could I come look at it tomorrow?...Swell, Ed! Uh, I can send you escrow right now
if you want...well, you're a great living American. I'll call you when I get in tomorrow,
then...upstanding...manana, then...yeah, I'm in New Mexico...yep, adios."
        Ole Kit shut off his phone and drank - more like vacuumed - the last drops of his grog,
got up, grabbed the transmitter and the two black boxes on the floor, put them all in a
brown cow leather satchel, put that in the bedroom closet, grabbed the rest of the
12-pack out of the fridge on his way through the kitchen, went out the door, crossed the
snow-packed yard and knocked on the thick cedar cabin door. Maria opened it right
away.
        "Buenas noches, Kit. I had a feeling you were coming over..." grabbing onto him
for a hug.
        "Mmmmmm. Buena nocha, beautiful. God you feel good...hey, guys!" he smiled,
looking at the others while hugging and swaying with 'Ria, one darn loving woman who
feels unmistakenly like Heaven or what, he says he always thinks when he holds her.
        The others "heyed" him back as he and 'Ri let go of each other, and Julian walked
over and gave Kit a hearty bro shake saying, "bueno to see you, 'migo."
        "Muy bueno, 'meeg."
        "Que pas?" Julian asked as Kit held the pack out to Maria, who took a Frog,
then Jul, and Estrella and Julio came over for shake, hug and kiss.
        "Que pas with you guys first," Kit answered after the greets as Maria scooted him
into a kitchen chair and Estrella sat down on his lap and put an arm over his shoulders.
        "Well, compadre..." Jul started, then took a gulp of Frog, "we finished smoothing
the road up to the barn like you wanted - man! don't think that wasn't arduo with the
frozen ground...a la VAY!..." and they all laughed, "...and we brought in three more
cords..."
        "Quatro!" Julio interjected.
        "...Four more cords, then..." Jul looked at his son in mock exasperation as the
others smiled at the both of them, then Julian turned back to Kit, "...from on out that
road...still all pine, 'meeg," and continued, "and we got another two..." and checked his
son's look to more smiles, "feet in the mine..." and Jul took another swig of Frog then added,
"Ria, show him the pedazo," his voice losing a little breath on the last syllables.
        "Que es...pedazo?" Kit asked, imagining something good. Something very bueno,
judging from the smiles on all the other faces.
        "Piece," Jul answered with a big grin and another drink of Frog as Maria went to a
cabinet, took out a flour can, walked back to Kit (who was adoring her walk as well as
anticipating the piece), and Ria pulled out a one-inch round rock and handed it to him. Estrella
hugged Kit's neck, pressing a cheek against his short-bearded face, Julio leaned down
on his other shoulder and Jul said, "Oro, Kit!" as Maria put her arms around her children from
behind.
        "El Dorado!" Es cried excitedly, looking close into Kit's face as he examined the
nugget in his fingers while the others held back their cheer over his reaction.
        "Strella, shush, mi hita..." her Father admonished, "we don't know it's El Dorado,"
saying the name reverently as he and Maria made the sign of the Cross. "We found it late
today, Kit."
        "Essy did!" Ria added. Kit gave Es's rosey cheek a kiss.
        "We may be close, carnals...very close," Julian said, smiling as he looked around
at everyone.
        "O...MAN! Awesome!" Kit reveled. "VIVA!...VIVA!" offering a Frog to Julio
saying, "I don't know, guys, but this sure might be special enough occasion, no?"
        Julio took the beer as his parents nodded smilingly yes, then Juli laughed, "you bet
it is, Senor Kit...just even for smoothing that frozen rock of a road!"
        "And THIS one really deserves one," Kit smiled as he handed another Frog to Es,
who then held it out over the table and the others clanked their cans together on her's.
        "To our buena suerta (luck)" she toasted. And they all repeated that and drank up,
even Ri taking a good sip.
        "Man O man, this is one amazing pedazo," Kit said as he rolled the rock around in
his fingers, though also meaning Es, they realized, as he gave her a hug with the arm he
had around her waist and grinned at everyone. "Well..." he went on, "I have a little news
too, though nothing as great as this, 'meegs...I'm probably getting an airplane tomorrow
...and probably flying it back tomorrow night. We should have clouds then, no?"
        "Si," Julian answered, "I think so, esse...nieve maybe."
        "Snow?"
        "Si."
        "Well, one way or another I'll probably be calling around dark and...if I'm flying in
I'll need you to put a lantern outside...in front of the barn." Jul and Ri were nodding yes,
but looking concerned. Kit added, "...and we'll have to move the tractor over to the East
wall."
        "A night landing?!" Jul asked, after nodding 'done' on the tractor.
        "A la noche?" Mari looked worriedly at her husband.
        "Aqui?!" Es looked at Kit with concern.
        "Muy osado, Kit," Julio came in with confidence, patting Kit's shoulder.
        "Thanks, Huli, but what exactly are you calling me?"
        "Bold," Es answered for her brother.
        "That's a lot better than loco, huh?" Kit said. "Thanks, bro," and held up his hand
for Juli to five, which he did.
        "Well, it's not like loco wasn't the first thing I thought of," Juli came back, giving the
others a chuckle or two while he dodged Kit's air punches.
        "Have you flew a lot before, Kit?" Mari wanted to know, her "Anglo" still a little
unpolished.
        "Si, love," smiling back at her innocent, pure, beautiful nature, "I taught back in the
late 60's...and sprayed up in Colorado a few years back."
        "Que es...sprayed up?" she queried Julian as the kids gave Kit a few choice comments
of surprised delight.
        "Crop dusting, beautiful," Kit told her.
        "Espuma," Julian added, swooping his hand down to the table and "flying" it
across, an inch above the beech. Ria's eyebrows went all the way up.
        "Woo hoo!" Es cheered. "Will you teach me to flew, Kit?" smiling over at her Mom.
        "A la vay, girls can't fly," Juli teased, "teach me, Kit."
        "Heck, I'll teach ALL of you if you want!"
        "Aycarumba!" Jul kidded and Maria made another comment in Spanish.
        "We could get a JET with all the Gold!" Juli raved.
        "Eeeeeee...counting chickens while all you have is uno little egg, mi hito," Mari tenderly
scolded.
        They talked on about the Gold and what to do with a lot of money - if it was going to
be - and Mar and Jul talked about the old family land (Ri's family) in the Yucatan and maybe
getting it back, and such. The beers were soon drunk and the children a touch ineebed, but
Mari got their homemade wine out.
        "For the adults," she said as she placed glasses on the table and filled them for the men
and she.
        "Well, guys..." Kit said, "I think it'd be a good idea to clear that field below as soon as
the snow's gone and plant something, maybe the quinoa, whatever you think, so it looks
like we're doing something up here besides finding Gold. And let's go ahead and get fence
for all the way around the ranch...and get some animals, huh?" kidding with a funny face,
"and put everything on the accounts."
        "Si, jefe," Jul answered, nodding in agreement.
        "NOW what are you calling me?" Kit laughed.
        "Chief, 'migo.." Jul told him. "Chief."
        "Kit...forgive me if I intrude..." Mari said, touching his hand.
        "You know you never intrude, love," pulling her hand to his lips for a kiss, "what's in
your beautiful head?"
        "You..." she began, and decided to continue, "...need a buena esposa."
        "Wife," Jul translated, snickering.
        "I know that one," Kit kidded back.
        Mari added, "you deserve someone very, very...sweet," finding the word, "and bella."
        "Beeyoodeefooll," Es offered in a slurry, intoxicated, breathy, sexy voice, then laughed
at her self's condition, which gave them all a laugh.
        "Maybe, senor..." Ri cajoled, "I could find someone for you," (having a cousin definitely
in mind).
        "Si, Senor Kit, a bella 'sposa," Strella slurred and laughed again.
        Kit looked in Essy's face and laughed with her, then turned to Ria, responding,
"gracias, Mar. Truly...muchas gracias, gracious. But please, don't go finding me anyone
just yet. OK, love?" and leaned over and gave Mari a kiss on her cheek, whispering,
"gracias," toward her ear.
        "You need amor, 'migo," Julian winked, putting his arms around his wife, a handfull
of fingertips gently nudging one of her lusciously shaped breasts.
        Ri playfully pulled his hand back, blushing a "Hooli!"
        "Yeah, thanks for reminding me, 'meeg," Kit chuckled Jul's direction, then caught Es's
look of amor coming straight at him and felt a flush. "Well," he said, "guess I'm changin' the
subject, but how IS that darn school work coming?" unable, or unwilling, to take his eyes
off her exquisitely elegant young face right there inches from his.
        "Ex'alent y perfecto, Senor Cody," she smiled and slurred at him, still showing him her
desire. "All A's."
        "Yeah, no T's, that's for sure," Julio joked about his sis's very supple breasts, one
nudging against Kit's side. She punched her brother in the ribs and Mari added a mild scold
in Spanish.
        Kit, nodding his head like a school principal while smiling at the comments and action,
turned around to Juli and asked, "so, how are YOU doing, vato?"
        "A's Kit," holding up a hand for Kit to five, which he did.
        "Thanks to Mama," Es tried getting her bro back.
        "Your Madre's a great teacher, no?" Kit proferred quickly, leaning on diplomacy.
        "They really do love the home teaching," Maria gushed with pride and love. "Gracias
for all your help, Kit."
        "Hey, you're sure welcome. I didn't do anything, though."
        "Well,  both of you..." Ria added, looking at Kit, then Jul with watering eyes, "have
done magnifico...I think...gracias, mi hombres," and hugged and kissed them both.
        "An' now you're both goinna be RICO!" Es whooped.
        "When we find the Oro, mi vida," Julian corrected his girl, still kissing Mari.
        "IF we find it," Kit helped.
        "AND dig it out!" Julio contributed, and everyone was juiced and laughing again and
talked on about everything.
        After a few minutes Kit said, "welp...I'm goinna be gettin' an early start manana, so
ole Kit 's gotta git, sorry to say. See y'all tomorrow night, most hopefully...uh, great find,
Essy...heck of a night, guys," and they all said more things, he helped Es off his lap with
game, gave and got hugs, kisses, shakes and shoulder slaps and went on back to his cabin.
        He called airline flight info, stoked up the fires in both hearths and picked up Pute as
he sat down, seeing "yur mazin too pard" on the screen and laughed, worked on some
documents, finances, stocks and stuff, then ambled to the bedroom, got into the huge
aspen log-framed feather bed and conked.