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Across the River

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  Priming the irrigation pump was a nuisance. After many unsuccessful tries, he finally achieved the desired effect. With suction restored, a torrent of brown water from the Zulia River rushed from the outlet, flowing through the loose furrows and toward the waiting seeds. He would harvest in three months, but storing the grain would require dozens of steel barrels—and barrels were in short supply. Ever since the government had ousted the foreign oil companies, smuggling Colombian gasoline had become a thriving business. Empty barrels were at a premium. The value of a single empty container surpassed that of three barrels of maize, and they could be re-used indefinitely. "By harvest time, I will have no barrels left; they will steal or seize the few I have," Ricardo reflected silently. The government's desertion had created a lawless void, quickly filled by sullen-faced Colombian guerrillas. They protected the small farmers, providing them with food and shelter. However, ...
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Lázaro and the rich Chavista in Venezuela

  No, Lazaro, do not cut that plant! You must be more careful! Matilde is going to ask me again to fire you. The gardener heard his boss anxiously. He had moved to the hills close to Señor Carvajal’s mansion to reach it easily. None of his previous neighbors could reach this housing complex on foot in less than an hour. He fortunately discovered a place with a burst water pipe. The leak seemed like a tiny creek. Maria could now wash and cook without having to go to one of those filthy slum fountains. His cousin Pablo brought the necessary corrugated metal sheets, clay blocks, and some stolen cement to build his home. Although people considered Pablo a chavista , he helped Lazaro whenever he could. He unloaded the materials bit by bit on a road turn. Lazaro quickly hid them and later took them to the spot of the burst water pipe. Maria, cooking with wood gathered in the nearby woods, tried to keep the smoke from betraying their existence. She asked Lazaro for various food items ...
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La vicenda di Carmelo Romano

  Questa è una storia vera. Ho modificato alcuni nomi, ma i fatti sono esatti.   Tutto è accaduto negli anni '80, quando la maggior parte della tecnologia di oggi non esisteva. Gli investigatori e le persone coinvolte nella vicenda di Carmelo Romano hanno ricostruito i fatti che qui espongo. Intorno al 1984, io, Carlos Ferrero, lavoravo a Valencia, in Venezuela, come traduttore giurato dall’inglese allo spagnolo e viceversa per numerosi documenti legali. Un pomeriggio, il mio amico Roberto Almeda, avvocato penalista, mi ha contattato. Gli dovevo un favore. Mi ha chiesto se potessi tradurre una procura in inglese. Ho acconsentito e lui mi ha inviato il documento. Il documento indicava Carmelo Romano come amministratore e Roberto come procuratore. Conferiva a Roberto piena autorità di disporre del patrimonio di Romano. Sono rimasto sbalordito dai diritti concessi al mio amico; gli era stato permesso di fare tutto ciò che riteneva necessario. Qualche giorno dopo, Robert...
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The Carmelo Romano's Caper

  This is a true story. I changed some names, but the facts are correct. Everything happened in the 1980s, when most of today’s technology did not exist. Investigators and individuals affected by Carmelo Romano’s caper completed the facts I narrate here. Around 1984, I, Carlos Ferrero, worked in Valencia, Venezuela, as a public translator from English into Spanish and vice versa for many legal documents. One afternoon, my friend, Roberto Almeda, a criminal attorney, contacted me. I owed him a favor. He asked me if I would translate a power of attorney into English. I agreed, and he sent me the document. The document named Carmelo Romano as the principal and Roberto as attorney-in-fact. It gave Roberto unlimited authority to dispose of Mr. Romano’s assets. The rights granted to my friend astonished me; he could do anything he considered necessary. Some days later, Roberto asked me if I would go with him to New York as a translator. He did not speak, write, or understand...
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