Girl Josefina

Girl Josefina

The Final Journey

 

 

Miguel Garcia (a.k.a. Michael Garcia), is a man of success or so one can say as he in his life which a year ago went past the half century mark has amassed what could be considered a small fortune, though he by no means is what could be called "the richest man on earth" or even one of them. A millionaire, however is what he can called as the value of his assets which include his private holdings as well as his company's clearly go in to the eight digit mark though by how much is not really the point of our story.

 

Miguel is the owner of a mid size import/export company which he bought many years ago and by virtue of which saved from the verge of bankruptcy. It was some how through hard work and dedication to its cause that he managed to turn this company around. This being the case for if ever there was a man who was an example of the figure of speech "keeping one's nose to the grindstone" it was Miguel, because in reality he was neither a man of over intelligence or personality or anything that made him excel in any way other than his plain desire to always succeed in what ever he did. He perhaps had to struggle harder to obtain what other more talented men could get with greater ease but he more often than not reached his goals.

 

This being not only due to Miguel's attitude which would never let him quit at anything he set his mind to but knowing full well what he was capable of and where his limitations lay, which meant an ability in him to put his pride away when it was needed in order to take advice in those areas where his skills did not enter. Sensible, hard working with tremendous ambition was the way he was described by both his workers and business associates, who generally regarded him as a strict but fair man; specially when it came to doing business.

 

Where this was the image held of him by most; the reality was not that far off though very few knew that he at one point had to resort to illegal activities, such as having to carry drugs across the US border in order to get the money he would go on to buy the company which would become his life. It however was hard to say that Miguel was ever a criminal, though he did break the law; for in truth he did not hurt anyone or steal anything and many might argue that if he had not done those four or five transports somebody else would have.

 

In all truth though it could have been that Miguel might have been trapped in that life and would have continued in the drug trade, until he eventually ended up getting killed or going to prison. This being most likely what would have happened had it not been for his friend Pablo Gomez who in the spirit of friendship worried about what might happen to Miguel and told him of how he might buy a company with the money he had already earned from his drug deals. This being a company that had a good reputation as well as employees but was being driven out of business by its new owner who had inherited the company from his father and really cared very little to be involved in any sort of business that actually required him to work.

 

Miguel naturally had his reservations at the time, as he knew very little if anything about the export/import business and had come to believe that drug money was an easier way of life. Of course there was also the factor that his formal education at the time was limited to having a high school diploma, yet it was his friend Pablo (one of the managers at "Importaciones Juan" at the time) who through reason was able to convince Miguel that his interests were best served by investing his capital in legitimate business than continuing in what was bound to get him in to trouble. Miguel deep down knew Pablo was right concerning what would eventually happen to him in drug trafficking however was afraid to risk the money he had made at so much peril to himself in a business which his knowledge did not extend in to.

 

Looking back however it was fortunate that Pablo knew what arguments to use in his attempts to convince Miguel to buy "Importaciones Juan" which included telling him how he as the manager would teach him everything there was to know about the company and the business which some day he would be running himself. Another point in Pablo's favor; was that Miguel had tremendous respect for the memory of his dead grandfather who though he had not really gotten to know well given his very young age at the time of his death had come to admire to the point of not wanting to do anything which he felt would lead to his disapproval, even while he was no longer among the living.

 

To Miguel, it was perhaps the best piece of advice he ever got as this company would go on to give him more than he would have ever thought possible along with the respect of others he had always been after, and the knowledge that his grandfather would have been proud of him had he been around to see. Fortune and position however were not the only things which came to him because of "Importaciones Juan" (this being "Juan's Imports" if translated in to English) but also the chance to travel the world in search of both business opportunities as well as adventure of the tourist and romantic kind.

 

This being the part of his Job he undoubtedly enjoyed the most, traveling through out the world, while not only seeking out business opportunities but seeing all sorts of cultures and traditions, that in a way were so different from each other but on the other hand had so much in common. He had come to cherish those trips, as they gave him the perfect excuse to leave the office and dreary paper work he was faced with on a daily basis in search of what he considered to be the true essence of his trade; the exchange of ideals as well as manufactured goods.

 

It had been on these trips that in a sense the world had become his, as he had gotten to see five of its continents and Australia (depending on weather or not one considered it a continent or not though the reality was that in Mexico it was not) along with so many other countries that he at times lost track of not only the number of countries but even which. This being due to the changes that took place in the map in the 90s that saw a disintegration of not only the Soviet Union, but other countries such as Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia which he visited in the time when they counted as one country and did not return to after their break up.

 

This being the case since it was in the mid 90s that Miguel decided to concentrate on the countries of Asia, which he also saw great potential in, both for importing from and exporting to. Him being well aware of the popularity tequila enjoyed through out the world which hopefully he could expand in such countries as Japan, Korea, Thailand, India, Taiwan (this the case though Beijing preferred to think of it as still being theirs under the name Taipei)  and places that were not really countries. This being the case with Singapore and Hong Kong.

 

How he enjoyed these trips that combined business, pleasure and learning was something only he knew which he never found himself able to describe to anybody as to him it was more than just an encounter between people; meaning himself and those who he did business with but the coming together of two cultures and ways of thinking. He in a way felt that every time he left Mexico it was he who represented his proud nation to the world and due to this he had an obligation of upholding all about his country that he took pride in. This including its history going back to the Mayas and Aztecs to its present day culture which he felt was in its own way no less grand.

 

Such was his business or such had it grown in to under his leadership; naturally with the help of his friend Pablo that he even met such notables in Mexico; including some of its presidents and many of its celebrities; from the girls in the pop group "Pandora" to his favorite singer "Bibi Gaytan". Bibi Gaytan however much to his disappointment was already married at the time of their encounter which he still cherished just for its own value of having made her friendship.

 

Of course Miguel like most people had those whom he looked up to and held in the position of role model which in his case was his compatriot "Carlos Slim". This the man who according to Forbes magazine sometime during 2007 had a personal fortune which surpassed that of "Bill Gates" and "Warren Buffet", which as a result of gave him the title of "richest man in the world" or at least till Buffet surpassed him though it is hard to say in all truth as much of it is based on share evaluation. It was Senor Slim's invitation to his birthday party that was arguably the biggest honor he ever received; him getting to meet the man he had almost come to idolize.

 

Miguel however was more than just a man of business, as he was also one who for the most part was liked despite not being endowed with great wit though he could be very warm and friendly when he was not about hustling deals for his company. It was perhaps this side of his character that unfortunately very few got to see as he became relentless, almost transformed when he bought the company that would give him everything he had.

 

Looks wise Miguel was what most women would call attractive though not necessarily in the way that he was handsome, he having the face that most associated with kindness and honesty. He had black hair which lent contrast to his light complexion which tended to go brown fast in the months of summer. Miguel, all in all one could say had a face that was pleasant to gaze upon. As his eyes were big in their light brown color while the rest of his face simply went along with his general disposition, making his lips thin and nose unnoticeable, either for being nice or ugly.

 

Physically speaking Miguel was much taller than the average Mexican; standing at an almost impressive 186 cm with a body that was very muscular not only due to his regular visits to the gym but all those years he spent working as a manual laborer. He was one who one could easily classify as strong, which added to the private karate and boxing lessons he had taken made him one not to be underestimated if ever it should come to a physical encounter of the aggressive sort.

 

Regarding Miguel's personal relationships with women this had been the part of his life which had to be sacrificed for the sake of his work, as he had never taken the time to either get married or seek one out whom he might take to wife. This factor at one point had even led to many getting the idea that he might not be straight; as his interest shown in the opposite sex was almost nonexistent, for it was his company and its well being that come over every other aspect of his life.

 

Of course there was also the factor rather than hire a female personal assistant he opted for a male one which gave more credence to the argument that he really might not be heterosexual. This step however being taken more on his part to avoid temptations that might distract from business and perhaps legal problems should he ever rightly or falsely be accused of sexual harassment.

 

Miguel however was not a homosexual, as would be discovered for sure when Pablo introduced him to his first cousin "Josefina Lowenstein", who though Mexican born was of German Jewish descent which accounted for her blonde hair, blue eyes and light skin. It being what attracted Miguel from the start, as did her liberal personality and business oriented mind. It was these features in Josefina which Miguel saw compounded to the ones Josefina found in Miguel that led to a torrid romance between them which many imagined would only end in marriage however like many things it was not to be as neither found the disposition to take this ever crucial step. Perhaps it was a matter of timing, as both met at time in their life when the last thing either would have desired was to start a family.

 

Their moment had come and to a certain extent they had let it slip by though what they had meant to one another was something that could not be eroded so easily. For all in all theirs would be an ever lasting relationship that ever so often would return to the physical comforts of the flesh despite both of them at times being involved with others, whom they never took beyond filling empty nights and places next to them at social events.

 

Of course there was the ever present factor that during their time of intense passion; Josefina had become impregnated and delivered the only child either of them had, as well as being one of the main though not only reason that would guarantee a constant bond between the two of them. Josefina and Miguel at times disagreed and quarreled but if one issue there was which they never failed to agree on was that their son "Jaime Garcia". It being he who took priority in not only their lives but relation which remained friendly and at times much more. This being the case despite neither of them ever wishing to get married, given the fact that they simply preferred theirs to stay as it was.

 

Jaime Garcia was what many would dub a "love child" but despite of this received his father's last name as Miguel never failed to recognize the fact that this was his son, whom he would try to see as often as his free time and his mother's schedule permitted. Josefina being one who also kept traveling from city to city, as this is what her business in real state demanded. Many were perhaps the circumstances that led to them never taking the vows of marriage; apart from each other's work which required them to travel quite often but perhaps though neither of them really ever said it openly. It was the fact that both feared the responsibility of having to be with one person that might eventually lead to a divorce.

 

Miguel Garcia however at first worried how his not having married Pablo's cousin would effect his relationship with his best friend and business partner but was relieved to hear Pablo say that what ever occurred between him and his cousin was not his affair nor place to interfere; though he did state that he would have preferred them to get married. This given the child they had brought in to the world. Miguel for his part understood Pablo's position on the issue however felt what had been his and Josefina's decision had been the most sound given the conditions which they were facing at the time.

 

As for being a father, if ever there was an area where one could say Miguel excelled in; it was this one, as not once did he forget he had a son or neglect his financial or emotional responsibilities to the boy whom he loved above all else in this world. Miguel for his part had never known his parents, as he had been raised in an orphanage which perhaps gave way to his decision not to marry. As he had never been influenced by the image of a happy or unhappy marriage for that matter though this did perhaps lead to him always wanting to be the best parent he could be.

 

As for Miguel's house; he did live in one of the most expensive parts of Mexico City though the reality was that the only reason he opted for a luxury address of the kind was more to be in the neighborhood of his friends and acquaintances and for the sake of keeping up appearances in front of his clients than his own needs or wants. In fact such was his desire or lack of which for a grand house that the only reason he had even built the one he had with three bedrooms as opposed to one was at the insistence of Josefina that it would be better to have two extra bedrooms. One for Jaime to stay in when he came to visit and another in case he should ever have overnight guests like Josefina herself in those nights when they were not in the mood to share a bed or perhaps something extra.

 

As for Miguel's personality; he was the sort of man who for the most part was soft spoken and tended to go unnoticed in big crowds. This given the fact that he was the kind who preferred to keep his private thoughts and opinions to himself; unless pushed to do otherwise. The exception to this however was when in the presence of Pablo or Josefina, who were the only people he could in all sincerity refer to as "real friends".

 

Miguel was a man however who despite being kept occupied by his job surprisingly found time for his hobbies which were mostly the ones that interested the average Mexican; such as following the national football team, which he even traveled to Germany in support of with his son. This in order that they might cheer on their beloved Mexico in the cliffhanger they would play in the round of 16 against Argentina; whom they would loose to by the score of 2-1 in overtime. All in a match that would bring tears to theirs eyes, as they felt victory should have been theirs.

 

Miguel like most men in a position of wealth attended such social gatherings; as the opera and the ballet though in all truth he had never come to enjoy them even if after awhile he did come to be less bored by them; till actually developing a taste for them. This being to the point of from time to time wanting to take in a performance of either the opera or the ballet, naturally more often than not in the society of his ever true love, Josefina.

 

Josefina being the lady who he had never ceased to admire and in his own way love; in spite their decision to remain unwed and free as she was more than just attractive to him with features so delicate in their classic grace; as she was what he had always dreamed of. She was refined, the kind whose rearing made every centimeter of her graceful and cultivated; as he hoped to become from her light that radiated through out all her gentle facial features to those of her tall slim body that seemed to be made to expose any garment she donned. It at times even seemed to Miguel when he looked at her body and all that she was that she had been made from the designs of his mind, for how else could one explain her even having almost his very attitude toward life.

 

Regarding other aspects of Miguel's, they included his love of listening and dancing to Mexican and Latin music which in truth were his favorites, along with playing tennis and football. Miguel however was a man who much to his own surprise in his travels developed a tremendous love for museums, though not so much for those which displayed paintings but the kind that held artifacts of history. This leading to him becoming a devotee of reading as much about history as his time permitted, specially concerning the countries he had visited in his many travels.

 

Miguel, however one could safely say was a man who had made his work his life, even if there were other elements in it. As it was from his labor that he had obtained so much and had been given so many opportunities; like he had previously never thought possible. His company was everything to him, for all the rest in his life had been as a result of it or such was his thinking till that day that changed it all.

About the Author

My name is Gianni Truvianni, I am an author who writes with the simple aim of sharing his ideas, thoughts and so much more of what I am with those who are interested in perhaps reading something new. I also am the author of the book entitled "New York's Opera Society" which is now available on Amazon.