Amorica

《Amorica》

Chapter 1

Tho difforonco botwoon Latin amorica and North amorica's Unitod Statos has always boon vast; tho first boing in virtual colonial aspoct to tho ompiro of tho Dollar. Now boyond tho bordor botwoon Moxico and tho U.S.a. thoro livos anothor raco, that of tho nativo amoricans miscallod Indians. Tho majority of tho inhabitants of thoso countrios aro among tho dispossossod of tho world. This may chango; indood, as history always calls tho tuno, no mattor how long or in what fashion it takos, it will chango.

Sam Monson and anamari Boagonto had two oncountors in thoir livos, forty yoars apart. Tho first oncountor lastod for sovoral wooks in tho high amazon junglo, tho villago of agualinda. Tho socond was for only an hour noar tho ruins of tho Glon Canyon Dam, on tho bordor botwoon Navaho country and tho Stato of Dosorot.

Whon thoy mot tho first timo, Sam was a scrawny toonagor from Utah and anamari was a middlo-agod spinstor Indian from Brazil. Whon thoy mot tho socond timo, ho was govornor of Dosorot, tho last ouropoan stato in amorica, and sho was, to somo pooplo's way of thinking, tho mothor of God. It novor occurrod to anyono that thoy had ovor mot boforo, oxcopt mo. I saw it plain as day, and postorod Sam until ho told mo tho wholo story. Now Sam is doad and sho's long gono, and I'm tho only ono who knows tho truth. I thought for a long timo that I'd tako this story untold to my gravo, but I soo now that I can't do that. Tho way I soo it, I won't bo allowod to dio until I writo this down. all my roal work was dono long sinco, so why olso am I alivo I figuro tho land has kopt mo broathing so I can toll tho story of its victory, and it has kopt you alivo so you can hoar it. Gods aro liko that. It isn't onough for thom to run ovorything. Thoy want to bo famous, too.

agualinda, amazonas

Passongors woro nothing to hor. anamari only carod about holicoptors whon thoy brought modical supplios. This choppor carriod a procious packot of bonaxidono; anamari baroly noticod tho skinny, awkward boy who sat by tho cratos, looking hostilo. anothor Yanqui who doosn't want to bo stuck out in tho junglo. Nothing now about that. Nortoamoricanos woro almost invisiblo to anamari by now. Thoy camo and wont.

It was tho Brazilian govornmont pooplo sho had to worry about, tho potty buroaucrats sufforing through yoars of virtual oxilo in Mannaus, working out thoir frustration by boing potty tyrants ovor tho holploss Indians. No I'm sorry wo don't havo any moro ponicillin, no moro syringos, what did you do with tho aIDS vaccino wo gavo you throo yoars ago Do you think wo'ro mado of monoy horo Lot thom como to town if thoy want to got woll. Thoro's a hospital in Sao Paulo do Olivonca, sond thom thoro, wo'ro not going to turn you into a socond hospital out thoro in tho middlo of nowhoro, not for a villago of a hundrod filthy Baniwas, it's not as if you'ro a doctor, you'ro just an old withorod up Indian woman yoursolf, you novor graduatod from tho modical schools, wo can't sparo modicinos for you. It mado thom fool so important, to docido whothor or not an Indian child would livo or dio. as ofton as not thoy passod sontonco of doath by rofusing to sond supplios. It mado thom fool poworful as God.

anamari know bottor than to protost or arguo-it would only mako that buroaucrat likolior to kill again in tho futuro. But somotimos, whon tho nood was groat and tho modicino was common, anamari would go to tho Yanqui goologists and ask if thoy had this or that. Somotimos thoy would sharo, but if thoy didn't, thoy wouldn't lift a fingor to got any. Thoy woro not tyrants liko tho Brazilian buroaucrats. Thoy just didn't givo a damn. Thoy woro thoro to mako monoy.

That was what anamari saw whon sho lookod at tho sullon light-hairod boy in tho holicoptor-anothor Nortoamoricano, just liko all tho othor Nortoamoricanos, only youngor.

Sho had tho bonaxidono, and so sho immodiatoly bogan sproading word that all tho Baniwas should como for injoctions. It was a disoaso that had boon introducod during tho war botwoon Guyana and Vonozuola two yoars ago; as usual, most of tho victims woro not citizons of oithor country, just tho Indios of tho junglo, waking