Follow the Journey

I was far too sweaty for the time of day, and still a bit delirious from the 5am wake up. The machete in my hand no longer gave me the surge of barbaric enthusiasm as it had on the first day. I let the caffeine from the 2 cups of coffee I gulped down an hour previously do the hacking. Once you get past the lower back pain and the sting from the two blisters on your hand, macheting can be a quite therapeutic activity. It gives your brain and body just enough stimulation to allow the real thoughts to roll. So I was hacking along, really getting into my groove: slice, cut, chop, whoosh. Repeat. “No problem” I though to myself. “I can do this for 4 more hours…. Remember that girl at the” “Crap!!”(out loud). I wasn´t sure If I cut her leg off or just nipped her with the tip of my machete. The dog that had followed us out into the jungle everyday wasn´t the brightest animal I have ever met but I gave it the benefit of the doubt on its knowledge of the dangers of a large man swinging and even larger knife. Everything about that says “keep your distance”. Rosita was looking for a soft petting in the wrong place. I was in the zone and didn´t see her until my blade was already coming around. Too late. Luckily I only a cut a millimeter or two into her leg and she quickly crawled back to me in the ashamed, low to the ground way hurt dogs do. Her “owner”(dogs in Peru are more like squatters then pets) walked by unconcerned and a little satisfied that his dumb dog may have learned a lesson.
I will miss you little Rosita and watch out for those machetes!
If the language in this short story was a bit too salty for you I am sorry but not very.
Love, Brian