The Black Unicorn
A mythological being that goes unnoticed. Through his anonymity, he observes all of us who live in San Miguel de Allende, and the rest of Mexico, and he tells his stories for me to write.
By Fernando Helguera
Days have been lazy because of the end of the year, particularly in terms of stories to be told. During these times, people get drunk, eat grapes, make New Year’s resolutions, or wish for prosperity, love, success, health and fortune.
The Black Unicorn was walking about bored, when he saw the open window of a house in Atascadero. It seemed so cozy within that he went in to enjoy it for a while. Inside there was a man in his fifties with two teenagers, all of them were having oatmeal and fruit for breakfast. One of the girls was his daughter and the other was his friend, who had been invited for a few days. The visiting girl had to return to her family, so he told them it was time to go to the station. The traveler was worried because there were 20 minutes left for her bus to leave, and the man told them that it would be between ten and fifteen minutes to get there.
They were going traveling along the pavement, when a motorcyclist came out suddenly out of a corner, and failing to turn got in front of the car, forcing the man to brake abruptly. The Unicorn was thrown towards the windshield but managed to avoid being struck. The motorcyclist was going slowly and the man behind the wheel began to get nervous. Cars would get into line ahead of the motorcyclist. The man managed to pass the motorcyclist by rushing over a speed bump, and the Unicorn saw in the rearview mirror that the motorcyclist was no longer going slowly. He seemed to be going after them, but his face showed a carefree expression.
They had ten minutes to go and were barely on Calzada de la Luz; the man had not counted on the traffic during the holidays. They arrived at Calzada de la Estación and there was a traffic jam on the corner. A sigh was heard from the traveling girl. The traffic jam was due to four cars not making up their minds to go forward, so the man passed them on the right and gave an exclamation of relief. At that moment the motorcyclist passed them between the cars and was now before them.
They arrived at the station at 11:10 sharp with the guest suffering from tachycardia because there would be no other bus for five days. A bus was seen leaving in the rearview mirror. They were leaving! The man yelled at his daughter, who had gotten out to stop the bus. Everyone listened as the girl came running back: “Dad, we lost it!”
The man sped after the bus. Drivers never stop in the middle of the street to load people, but the man was convinced he could do it. They went out into the street and saw in the distance, the bus at Puente Bicentenario turning around and disappearing from their field of vision. He gave full throttle after the bus.
The guest was almost crying and the Unicorn couldn’t tell if it was because of missing the bus or from fear of speeding. After daring maneuvers, the car was positioned to the right of the bus in a few minutes. The man signaled to the driver, who ignored him, while the girls told him not to continue, because he would never stop and the police were going to stop them. The trucker sped up to catch up with the car ahead, but the man squeezed into the small gap that remained, forcing the bus driver to brake. They reached a traffic light and the man got out of the car, and walked towards the frightened driver. The man then put his hands together as a sign of prayer, and the bus driver opened the window.
“Are you going to Cuernavaca?” the man asked.
“Yes, what can I do for you?” the driver answered.
«This girl has to board, and if she doesn’t reach her destination today, they will kill me.»
“I can’t let her get on,” the driver said with dubious authority.
“I won’t move until you let her in. I’d rather go to jail or die getting run over.»
«Do you have suitcases?» asked the driver.
«Yes, a small one that fits in the trunk.»
«Well, let her jump in,» he said emphatically.
The girl got in and the man returned to his car just as the light turned green. They headed to a cafe to get over the heart attack, and the daughter asked: «Pa, aren’t they going to fire the driver?»
«I don’t believe my so, my daughter, he helped his neighbor and he will do well. If they fire him, he’ll start his own business and he’ll get rich soon.
Seated at the table, drinking lime tea with a bolillo to fight off the scare, the Unicorn listened to the last part of the story.
«Pa, I just saw that I have my friend’s ticket in my bag and her letter showing that she is a minor.»
