[Versión en inglés]
The three arrived in the morning in a yellow Volkswagen that belonged to Liam's brother. Enzo was driving the car while the other two slept off their hangovers from the previous night's excesses. Music played on the small speaker, which was already failing due to a low battery. Enzo, lost in his thoughts, drove on autopilot: he knew those winding, treacherous roads by heart, as he had been travelling with his family to the town of Choroní since he was a child.
Only when Enzo parked the vehicle did the other two open their eyes and stir. A stench of alcohol, sweat and acid invaded the air:
‘Are we there yet?’ asked Finn foolishly, stretching his arms wide and yawning loudly, then getting out of the car. Liam did the same. Enzo went ahead and shouted to his friends from the door of the inn: ‘Get everything out.’ The boys looked at each other lazily and thought that Enzo always did the same thing: he was so lazy that he didn't like to help with anything.
Unable to refuse, the boys took down their bags and entered the inn, which was spacious, colourful and pleasant. Enzo was waiting for them with the room keys:
‘This is cool!’ said Finn, putting his things aside and throwing himself onto one of the beds.
‘I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to the beach,’ said Liam, and he got ready to change. The others, without wasting any time, also got everything ready to go out: they would only be spending two days in Choroní and they had to make the most of it.
They went to Tinikijima Beach. There, Enzo recognised some people and greeted them from afar. Three dark-haired, smiling girls approached the boys:
‘Come on, introduce us to your friends,’ they said, and Enzo introduced them. As often happens, they were immediately chatting animatedly and sharing a bottle of Gran Reserva with Pepsi that the boys had in their bag.
They spent the afternoon between the sand and the waves, laughing as if they were invincible gods, far from the noise of the city.
In the evening, they agreed to meet at the town pier. There they bought another bottle and some dogfish empanadas from the mother of one of the girls:
‘This is the boy I told you about, Mum,’ said one of the brunettes with a mischievous smile. The lady extended her hand to Finn, but also to the others.
There were musicians in the square, and Liam quickly said:
‘Let's play something too,’ and so they did. They took out their instruments and began to improvise. Those present applauded the boys enthusiastically, who were overwhelmed by the welcome they received. The surprise was even greater when a man who had been watching them told them he could hire them to play at a venue he owned in the village:
‘The pay is good, and we'll provide food and lodging.’ The three looked at each other and, without much hesitation, accepted: after all, the money would come in handy, and there was nothing and no one waiting for them in the city.
That's how a week turned into the whole summer. Each of the boys, drinking rum and eating fried fish by the sea, resolved their existential problems. Liam had finally made peace with his brother, especially after he had to tell him that he would be keeping his car for longer. Enzo also managed to do something productive and had given up his daily laziness: he made macramé bracelets that he sold on the beaches. And Finn was happier with that brunette than a little boy with a new tricycle. The three of them had found an earthly paradise in those salty waters of Choroní.