Ángeles entre nosotros

Twenty-two year old Reyza Garcia stood at the fence that surrounded his family’s 200-acre ranch in southeast Texas. All of this had been his father’s dream ever since their family had migrated to the Three Rivers area from Mexico in the late 1970s. His eyes caressed the gently rolling hills and lush pasturelands he had always called home. He thought of the man who had poured his sweat, blood, and tears into all that was before him as Reyza's own tears rolled down his cheeks to drop on this sacred ground.

The Bar Double G was a small spread in comparison to the many ranches that made this area of Texas famous. The larger outfits supplied much of the beef industry in the states and some of them, internationally. Their ranch wasn’t so much as to supply beef but rather, specializing in breeding stock.

Raphael Hernando Garcia, Reyza’s father, had cross-bred only the best quality Brahma and Angus breeds to raise bulls that were renowned for their seeding of hearty stock. He himself was the product of a legacy of proud and successful Vaqueros, being a cowboy was in his blood – His father, his father’s father, and so on going back at least seven generations. As he stood there, he let the hopes and dreams of Raphael wash over him along with the great possibility, this could be the end of it all.

His father had passed away three years earlier and his brother Ramone had taken the reigns but Ramone had different ideas about how the ranch should be run and had made some devasting decisions. The result was, the ranch was now in the precarious position of going bankrupt and folding. Reyza had been away at school since his father died, he was getting a degree in Agricultural Studies at Texas A&M. His father had encouraged him to learn new and more modern ways to implement their use at the Bar Double G so they could continue to be competitive. He wanted nothing more than to make his father proud and see his dreams live on. He’d gotten a call two weeks earlier, his mother asking him to come home; She didn’t go into details, saying only that it was urgent and he was needed.

The first few days at home had left Reyza raw with anger after learning what Ramone had done. He had trusted him to make the right choices, and now he was facing the consequences of trust misplaced. Shortly after their father’s passing, Ramone had purchased stock whose genetics were well below the quality that had brought his father so much success. He had mortgaged the ranch and even sold their best bulls to cover the costs of the new stock and now, his brother’s choices were costing them everything. Reyza had raged at Ramone, “How could you do this? How could you be so careless with what father worked so hard to build? He died for this and you just throw it all away?” For a moment, he wanted to pound him into the dirt where his father had once stood so proud but deep down, he knew Raphael would not approve of his sons fighting.

After the first week, Reyza had gotten control of his anger and determined to find a way to fix this. He spent long hours going over the records of the stock that had been purchased and using the knowledge handed down to him by his father, he eventually concluded, the paperwork on the genetics was doctored - Ramone had been hoodooed. He rubbed his hands thru his hair and took a deep breath to calm himself once more. He also found out the stock had come from an outfit that was closely associated with their biggest competitor and had no doubts it was their intention to smear the reputation of the Bar Double G. At this point, the competitor was succeeding, their customer base had shrunken tremendously as a result of the inferior stock.

The second week, Reyza had worked out a plan with the bank, they would be able to make the mortgage payments and keep the land. It was his father’s impeccable reputation and the liquidation of all nonessential assets that was the linchpin of the deal. However, the true fate of the ranch rested on having the highest quality breeding stock, but without any funds to buy there would be no hope of recovery. It would take at least $20,000 …

“I must find a way” he whispered to himself.

Reyza opened the top drawer of Raphael’s desk and there lay the little black book that his father always carried in his left shirt pocket. The book contained all the names and numbers of his father’s closest friends and most valued customers. He smiled as he remembered a conversation between him, his brother, and their father when they asked him why he didn’t get with the times and use a smartphone to keep up with his contacts. Raphael had looked at his sons lovingly, “This little book is filled by my own hand, I will not replace it with some electronic gadget that can break or even die if it is not plugged in. All that is written within is vital to how we live, that is why I keep it here” he had said as he raised his hand to cover the pocket closest to his heart. As a cool evening breeze wafted thru the open window of his father’s study, Reyza picked up the little black book and began leafing thru the pages feeling like this was somehow a sign given to him by his father from beyond the grave, that his answer was here. Maybe he could buy back one of the bulls that had been sold.

All the bulls produced and sold previously at the Bar Double G carried with it the possibility of their salvation. Reyza knew well the acquisition of such a bull would not come cheap as his father’s endeavors had produced a quality that commanded some of the highest returns in the breeding industry. Again, he thought of choking Ramone because he had single-handedly cast their father’s work into the dirt, but he knew this was not his brother’s intention and instead decided to focus entirely on turning it all around.

On the third page, there was only one name, Angelis Ramirez. His number was listed below along with a note his father had penned to their mother … “My dear sweet Rosa, if you ever meet a time of great need and I cannot help you, call Angelis” As Reyza read his father’s note, a tingle crept up his spine knowing Raphael Garcia never said a word he didn’t mean, and never did anything that wasn’t for his family or a friend. He turned and picked up the phone. One ring, two rings, and then after several more it didn’t seem like there would be an answer. Just as Reyza decided to end the call, “Hello” came thru the speaker, it was a woman's voice. For a moment he didn’t know what to say and then again, “Hello, is anyone there?” asked the woman. He cleared his throat and then asked, “May I speak with Angelis Ramirez, this is Reyza Garcia, son of Raphael Garcia”

The woman on the other end of the call hesitated for a second and said, “I am Angelia, Angelis’s daughter, how can I help you?” Feeling anxious now, he answered, “I really need to speak with Mr. Ramirez, is that possible?” Again, the woman hesitated and then spoke, “My father passed away last year, he was hit by a drunk driver and died at the scene of the accident” Feeling sympathy for the woman and dejection at the same time, Reyza spoke again, “I’m so sorry for your loss and I’m sorry to bother you as well” The woman said softly “I miss my father dearly and thank you for the sentiment but you are no bother” she continued “I lend the same regrets to you, as I knew your father and know that he has passed on too” Reyza, not understanding the connection asked her “You knew Raphael?” He could almost see the smile he heard in her reply, “Oh yes, he was my father’s closest friend, they grew up together in La Campana.” Puzzled at the idea of Angelis Ramirez being his father’s closest friend and he had not known, He asked “How can that be when I’ve never heard your father’s name spoken?” After a bit of silence Angelia replied “When your father’s family left Mexico to go to Texas, there was a political uprising against cattle ranchers in that area. Those who were in power were very greedy and tried to extort ridiculous amounts of money from the Vaqueros. Threatening and even carrying out violence against them and their families. Those who refused to pay were either killed or escaped to America thru political asylum – your father’s family was in the group who escaped to start over in Texas.” Pausing for a moment, she then continued “My father was in politics and fought against those who were corrupt, threats were made to kill us all. He assumed a new identity, Angelis Ramirez, and took us out of Mexico and the reach of those who would see us dead.”

Reyza knew she spoke the truth, his father had told them the reason his family had left Mexico, a sense of sadness for those who had been lost swept over him. Angelia said more “All of these years my father has remembered yours, it was your father who provided the money for us to leave Mexico, he saved our lives. Angelis tried many times to pay him back but Raphael would not hear of it. So my father in return for Raphael’s help, promised to be a help to your family if there was ever a need. So as his daughter, I uphold the promise of my father to his most beloved friend’s son and ask, do you need help?” Reyza knew in his heart that Angelia was sincere. With deep gratitude, he answered “Yes.”

Four days later, a courier arrived with a letter addressed to Reyza Garcia son of Raphael Garcia, and inside was a certified check for $ 20,000 along with a note that read, “El poder de una gran amistad trasciende mas alla de la muerte”

“The power of great friendship transcends even death”