📸 Photo

23
THOMAS THE TOUR GUIDE

I was in a good mood the next morning when two taxistas called to me from the courtyard below, saying that someone was waiting in the interview room to see me. My heart leapt, hoping it was Yasheeda.
'Who is it?' I opened my door and yelled down.
'I don't know. About five or six foreigners.'

At first I felt disappointed, and then confused. I didn't know that many people in the whole of La Paz. There must have been some kind of mistake, but I went to the gate just to be sure. And there, behind the bars in the interview room was Yasheeda with her friend Sharon and two other Israeli girls. It had been months since she had left, but she acted as if it was just the day before.

'I thought you might be lonely, so I brought you some visitors,' she said. 'There are two guys waiting outside. Can we come in?'

I hesitated. It would be difficult to get six visitors in at one time. Especially since they didn't have Bolivian IDs.

'Well! Aren't you going to get us in, Tommy?' asked Yasheeda. 'All my friends want to meet you.'

'Wait! Let me check first.'

I left the interview room and hurried around to the main entrance. I didn't know what lie I could tell the police to get all of the Israelis in, but since they had made the effort to visit me, I at least owed it to them to try. At a minimum, I needed to get Yasheeda in. I didn't know why she hadn't contacted me, but I had already forgiven her. Luckily, the lieutenant on duty that day was my friend. He was standing by the metal gates with his set of keys, controlling the flow of people.

'Mi teniente, a small consultation please.' I said, holding up my