Complicado (Queen of the South, My Season 6)

Part 19 - Orale!

Kelly Anne had insisted on going with Pote and after a lengthy argument he had given in. She had pretended to be a realtor and had asked questions about the house in the public registry building, which had made Pote antsy because he knew that if he was bribing officials to be on the lookout on his behalf, he would start at this same place. He couldn't shake the feeling that Lancaster or whoever his man was, already knew they were in town.

If it were up to him, he would have directly gone to the address James had given him, but arguing with Kelly Anne was exhausting and he tried to avoid it.

"If there's no one in this mansion, I have no clue where to look next!" Pote said as he stared ahead and held the wheel to accommodate the speed he was driving with on the narrow road. Unless we have alerted them and they come to us! He thought.

Kelly Anne stared at the blue calm surface of the lake: "Thank God the road isn't curvy because with that driving of yours...I would have puked my guts out by now!" She exhaled deeply, while Pote opened his window to get fresh air in.

He noticed the dark SUV that was coming in the opposite direction but didn't pay it much attention until somehow the fact that it was nearing way too fast made him squint at it. He nervously glanced in the rearview mirror to see no one behind them and took a deep breath. Kelly Anne heard it and opened her eyes. The second she saw the SUV approaching them and driving in the middle of the road her hand gripped the upper handle and she said in a panicked voice: "Pote! What is he doing? Pote!"

"Carajo!" Pote cursed and slowed down moving to the left in his lane as much as possible but getting very close towards the edge of the road, the deep blue lake not far below.

A sick, hot feeling erupted in the pit of his stomach. He only heard his wife's terrified scream as the other vehicle came on to them. To avoid the direct frontal collision, he swerved to the left and felt loss of control over the car as it plunged down. The acceleration was instant and intense. It shoved them forward and he felt the seat belt pulling him back tight for a few seconds, then the car hit the water and floated, no sense of friction beneath them as murky water engulfed them and started flowing in through his open window. Pote saw Kelly Anne's head leaning to the right, she seemed unconscious. Everything seemed too fast and in slow motion at the same time. His brain was struggling to process what he was seeing.

His self-preservation recoiled in horror. He realized that some sun light cut through the water, and he could still see, but the truth was that it was darkness and gloom at the bottom of the lake.

He released his seat belt immediately without trouble and started pushing Kelly Anne, saying her name over and over, grabbing her head and turning her to him. There was no blood on her, he noticed as he shook her shoulders. The water was already covering his thighs and he could feel its chill.

Kelly Anne came on with a jerk and panic took over her when she realized where she was. Pote felt sudden relief and almost smiled, then got busy with her seat belt, which seemed to give in but then got stuck. Pote pulled and pulled, until it released with a clack as he looked at her terrified big blue eyes and said: "We have to swim up and then to the shore under the water, as the asshole can be waiting to make sure we ain't coming back up!"

Kelly Anne nodded, and her trembling lips told him she was in shock.

"Listen to me: you can do this! You swim, you ride and ski! You can do it!" She nodded and attempted a smile, so he added: "Gulp air and follow me!" and he turned and started wiggling his heavy body through the open window on his side.

Her panicked voice made him turn sharply: "My leg is stuck under the dash! I can't get out!"

He looked at her with desperation in his eyes and said: "Hold the air. I will be right back!" The water was over her chest when he pushed himself up, straining his limbs, lungs burning, his mind cursing his damn smokes!

He swam to the shore keeping under the water and counting as he knew Kelly Anne had about three minutes that she could hold her last breath. He carefully popped his head under the cliff to see a tall blond man jump in the black SUV as it sped off leaving a dust cloud behind it.

"Pinche pendejo!" Pote cursed as he got out of the water and frantically looked around for a strong branch that could be used to lift the dash. He saw nothing suitable and as the time was sliding, he took a deep breath and dived back in the water.

One thing that Pote disliked was sports! But he had always enjoyed swimming, both in his pool and in the sea, when it was calm. He reached the car and cold fear gripped his heart when he saw that the water had taken over and Kelly Anne, eyes wide open was desperately trying to free her leg. He opened her door with difficulty, feeling the exertion in his lungs, then grabbed her face, put his mouth on hers and pushed the breath in her mouth. He only caught a glimpse of the terror in her eyes, and he pointed up and swam up as fast as he could.

"Por Dios, dame tiempo, por dios! No la dejes mourir! Por favor!' he caught himself praying as he gulped air and coughed, but didn't slow down until he was out and, in the trees, scanning around for a thinck branch. And then he saw it: a piece of metal, not more than 15 inches long, but at least an inch thick. It was rusty as it had been there for quite some time.

Pote grabbed it and dove back into the water. Kelly Anne was not moving, her head slumped to the right. He pulled her and blew the air he was holding in her mouth, then pushed the metal piece under the dash where it had pressed on her leg. Pushing hard to lift without oxygen was an excruciating effort that had black dots swim in front of his eyes.

His stomach lifted just as he felt the dash give in and lift. He pulled Kelly Anne will all his remaining force out and started kicking with his legs to get up to the surface.

It felt like the semi darkness interspersed was suddenly swallowed by a burst of light as they hit the surface and he took a gulp of air in. It amplified the sense of urgency and velocity.

He couldn't say how he had swam to the edge and had pulled her lifeless body out of the water. But as her lips were not blue yet, he laid her on the ground and viciously started pumping her chest with both hands and counting 'uno, dos, tres'. Then he would pinch her nose and give her air and repeat it again and again. She lay listless and he could feel panic take over him and its freezing nasty fingers grip his heart. His brain refused to accept that Kelly Anne had died, that he had failed to save her. What would I tell our girls? No puedes hacer esto, mi amor! No puedes dejarnos solos!"

Pote felt salt in his mouth and knew it was not the lake water, it was tears rolling down his eyes with the helplessness and the desperation that had taken over. Then he felt anger take over him as he yelled 'carajo' to the sky and pushed her chest with his big hands again. She made a gurgling sound, like water spluttering out of a pipe.

His heart jumped as the water came out of the side of her mouth, making her cough and choke, and finally open her disoriented eyes. He lifted her to seated as she coughed water out, took fast shallow breaths, then turned to him and fell crying in his arms.

Pote kissed her head and face, asking her how she was and finally getting up on his feet and lifting her all the way out of the trees.

The road looked desolate, but the sun was shining still quite strong, which meant that in about half an hour they would be dry. He kept walking, one foot in front of the other.

"You gonna carry me all the way to town?" Kelly Anne lifted her head from his shoulder and as he even managed to smile, she wiggled in his arms and said: "I can walk...let me down."

At this moment a car materialized in the distance, and they looked at each other. Pote pulled his knife out, as his gun had been lost in the lake. Kelly Anne gave him an admonishing look: "Let's just try getting a ride first, okay?"