guilty as he watched the girl move along the line of cars towards the jeep.
'Here,' said Alex's father, handing him a dollar bill. 'You can give it to her.'
Alex took the money and wound down the car window. Quick as a mouse, the little girl scurried over to him. Alex picked out a single rose from the bunch she held up and gave her the dollar bill in return.
'Gracias,' she said.
'De nada,' said Alex's dad, smiling at her. 'You're welcome.'
The little girl stared back solemnly until the lights changed to green, then she darted away towards the pavement.
'She never smiles,' said Alex's dad, shaking his head as he drove away.
A few minutes later the jeep pulled up in front of a neat little Spanish-style house in the Quito suburbs. Alex saw three men standing outside the house, talking. Two of them wore cheap-looking civilian clothes and kept sending uneasy glances up and down the quiet street, as though they felt out of place. The third, a handsome, dark-haired man in his thirties, was dressed in olive-green army fatigues. He looked up at the jeep and touched a hand to the peak of his cap in greeting.
'That's Luis,' said Alex's dad, raising a hand in return.
'But - he's young!' exclaimed Alex.
'Oh, I see,' said Alex's father, pretending to be hurt. 'He's young, but I'm old.'
'I mean, he's young to be a general.'
'Yeah, I thought that too when I first met him. Once I got to know him, it didn't seem so strange. He's very good at what he does. He can stand back and make excellent tactical decisions, but his men would do anything for him because he faces the same dangers as them out in the field. He lives very modestly, too. This is his house - not exactly the house of a general, is it?'
Alex looked out at the little house, then over to Luis Manteca. He had turned back to the men and was counting out dollar bills. The men shoved the money into their pockets and hurried off up the street.
'You must be Alex,' said General Manteca, coming over to the jeep and giving him a firm handshake through the open window. He spoke excellent English with a strong American accent.
'Who were they?' asked Alex's dad, nodding after the men.
'Informers,' said the general. 'My ears on the street.'
'Anything useful?'
'I'll tell you over dinner,' said the general, sprinting round to the other side of the jeep and yanking open the driver's door. 'Move over. I'm taking you both to my favourite eating place.'
'Here we go,' grinned Alex's dad.
'What do you mean?' said Alex. Then his head slammed back against the head-rest as the jeep accelerated away with a screech of tyres.
The general drove like everyone else in Quito, using the brake as little as possible and keeping the heel of his hand ready on the horn. He also had an unnerving habit of taking his hand off the wheel to point out the sights of Quito for Alex. By the time the jeep swerved to a halt in front of a small restaurant with an outside terrace, Alex had the arm-rest next to him in a death grip and had to force himself to let go.
The restaurant was as modest as the general's house, but it was a friendly place and good, local food was its speciality. The general was well known there and they were given a good table at the front of the terrace. Alex sat back with a glass of chilled juice and watched the people of Quito flow past on the street below.
'I wish I was coming with you to the Galapagos Islands,' said the general. 'It's a magical place. The wildlife is spectacular.'
Alex leaned forward eagerly. 'Is it true you can swim with sea lions?'
'I have done it myself,' said the general. 'And with penguins, too.'
'Penguins?' grinned Alex.
'I was as close to them as we are now,' smiled the general. 'On land, there are iguana lizards and giant tortoises.' He leaned towards Alex. 'I could show you a beach, off the tourist route, where hundreds of green sea turtles come to lay their eggs in the moonlight.'
'Wow!' said Alex, caught up in the general's enthusiasm. 'Why don't you
'Here,' said Alex's father, handing him a dollar bill. 'You can give it to her.'
Alex took the money and wound down the car window. Quick as a mouse, the little girl scurried over to him. Alex picked out a single rose from the bunch she held up and gave her the dollar bill in return.
'Gracias,' she said.
'De nada,' said Alex's dad, smiling at her. 'You're welcome.'
The little girl stared back solemnly until the lights changed to green, then she darted away towards the pavement.
'She never smiles,' said Alex's dad, shaking his head as he drove away.
A few minutes later the jeep pulled up in front of a neat little Spanish-style house in the Quito suburbs. Alex saw three men standing outside the house, talking. Two of them wore cheap-looking civilian clothes and kept sending uneasy glances up and down the quiet street, as though they felt out of place. The third, a handsome, dark-haired man in his thirties, was dressed in olive-green army fatigues. He looked up at the jeep and touched a hand to the peak of his cap in greeting.
'That's Luis,' said Alex's dad, raising a hand in return.
'But - he's young!' exclaimed Alex.
'Oh, I see,' said Alex's father, pretending to be hurt. 'He's young, but I'm old.'
'I mean, he's young to be a general.'
'Yeah, I thought that too when I first met him. Once I got to know him, it didn't seem so strange. He's very good at what he does. He can stand back and make excellent tactical decisions, but his men would do anything for him because he faces the same dangers as them out in the field. He lives very modestly, too. This is his house - not exactly the house of a general, is it?'
Alex looked out at the little house, then over to Luis Manteca. He had turned back to the men and was counting out dollar bills. The men shoved the money into their pockets and hurried off up the street.
'You must be Alex,' said General Manteca, coming over to the jeep and giving him a firm handshake through the open window. He spoke excellent English with a strong American accent.
'Who were they?' asked Alex's dad, nodding after the men.
'Informers,' said the general. 'My ears on the street.'
'Anything useful?'
'I'll tell you over dinner,' said the general, sprinting round to the other side of the jeep and yanking open the driver's door. 'Move over. I'm taking you both to my favourite eating place.'
'Here we go,' grinned Alex's dad.
'What do you mean?' said Alex. Then his head slammed back against the head-rest as the jeep accelerated away with a screech of tyres.
The general drove like everyone else in Quito, using the brake as little as possible and keeping the heel of his hand ready on the horn. He also had an unnerving habit of taking his hand off the wheel to point out the sights of Quito for Alex. By the time the jeep swerved to a halt in front of a small restaurant with an outside terrace, Alex had the arm-rest next to him in a death grip and had to force himself to let go.
The restaurant was as modest as the general's house, but it was a friendly place and good, local food was its speciality. The general was well known there and they were given a good table at the front of the terrace. Alex sat back with a glass of chilled juice and watched the people of Quito flow past on the street below.
'I wish I was coming with you to the Galapagos Islands,' said the general. 'It's a magical place. The wildlife is spectacular.'
Alex leaned forward eagerly. 'Is it true you can swim with sea lions?'
'I have done it myself,' said the general. 'And with penguins, too.'
'Penguins?' grinned Alex.
'I was as close to them as we are now,' smiled the general. 'On land, there are iguana lizards and giant tortoises.' He leaned towards Alex. 'I could show you a beach, off the tourist route, where hundreds of green sea turtles come to lay their eggs in the moonlight.'
'Wow!' said Alex, caught up in the general's enthusiasm. 'Why don't you
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